Figs - And A Flatbread

Figs are among the richest plant sources of calcium and fiber. According to USDA data for the Mission variety, dried figs are richest in fiber, copper, manganese, magnesium, potassium, calcium, and vitamin K, relative to human needs. They have smaller amounts of many other nutrients. Figs contain many antioxidants. An average medium sized fig has about 40 calories.

Now that we got that out of the way, I love figs! I never even tried one until I met my husband about six years ago, and like a lot of things, there is a story behind that, but this is not the time or place to share THAT story, sorry if I intrigued you.

But here is something I will share with you, the inspiration to MAKE A FLATBREAD! 

You should make that flat bread with sliced figs, sliced apples, prosciutto, walnuts, goat cheese and arugula. Oh, and you should drizzle a little garlic flavored olive oil and some honey on that too. Like this.....

You are welcome : )

Prosciutto, Mushroom, Caramelized Onion & Three Cheese Flatbread

There are many great things about living in San Diego California.

Besides the incredible weather, we have an abundance of the best seafood, Mexican food, craft beer, local and sustainable farming, and some of the best restaurants, bars and hospitality across the world. Yes, I might sound like an advertisement for tourism in San Diego, but I am just proud of my home town!

One of my favorite parts of San Diego is the historic Little Italy neighborhood. If you have the opportunity, you must check out the fantastic Little Italy farmers market every Saturday. I encourage you to talk a walk and explore the neighborhood that contains so much of San Diego's historical Italian culture.

If you happen upon a quaint little deli such as Assentis Pasta, or across the street at Mona Lisa's, do yourself a favor and pick up some freshly shaved prosciutto, some pasta and some cheese, you can thank me by inviting me over to help you eat it!

The following recipe is just one example of what you could make with that prosciutto and that cheese, trust me, the results are delicious!

Prosciutto, Mushroom, Caramelized Onion & Three Cheese Flatbread  (printable recipe here)

Ingredients:

2 8-inch thin flatbreads  - (we love Flatout Flatbread)
4 tbsp olive oil (garlic infused if available)
1 small onion, sliced thin
10-15 small mushrooms, sliced thin
6 oz. thin shaved premium prosciutto
3 oz. sliced mozzarella cheese
2 oz. crumbled goat cheese
2 oz. Parmegiano Reggiano, finely shredded
1 cup fresh arugula or spinach

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Slice the onions and mushrooms. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a skillet over medium/high heat, add onions. Cook until lightly browned and caramelized. Add the mushrooms to the same skillet for last 4-5 minutes, turn off heat and set aside.

Important! Before you put any ingredients on it, bake the flatbread by itself on a cookie sheet for 2-4 minutes. Remove from oven.

Drizzle flatbread with garlic flavored olive oil and evenly spread with a brush all over the top. Assemble the prosciutto, caramelized onions, mushrooms, sliced mozzarella, goat cheese, and some of the arugula. Drizzle with more oil.

Bake for about 6-7 minutes.

Remove from oven and serve with shredded parmegiano reggiano, more arugula and a splash of olive oil.

Bacon and Eggs in Toast Cups

I forgot to top these with shredded cheese for the photo, but you get the idea!

I usually opt for a piece of fruit and bagel for breakfast during the week, but come the weekend, I want bacon and eggs! Here is a easy and fun recipe for something a little different....

Bacon and Eggs in Toast Cups

Print this recipe

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

8 slices white or whole-wheat sandwich bread

6 slices bacon

6 large eggs

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

¼ cup chopped green onion

Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter 6 standard muffin cups. Slightly flatten bread slices  and cut into 6 rounds then press into each muffin cup, overlapping slightly and making sure bread comes up to edge of cup. Use extra bread to patch any gaps. Brush bread with remaining butter.

In a large skillet, cook bacon until almost crisp, about 4 minutes, flipping once. Wrap 1 slice of bacon around the muffin cup in each cup. Crack an egg over each. Season with salt and pepper.

Bake until egg whites are just set, 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle shredded cheese and chopped green onion on top of each cup. Run a knife around cups to loosen toasts. Serve immediately.

Figs Stuffed with Goat Cheese & Wrapped in Prosciutto

Guess what we are making for this weekends Annual Big Sicilian Family Reunion and Bocce Tournament?

Just slightly decadent...... baked figs stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped in prosciutto.

Originally hailing from southern Europe, Asia and Africa, figs were thought to be sacred by the ancients, they were also known as a symbol of peace and prosperity. Figs were brought to North America by the Spanish Franciscan missionaries who came to set up Catholic missions in Southern California…. hence the now popular Mission fig.

Figs are available from May to November (depending on the variety). They are very perishable and should be eaten soon after picked, but may be stored in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days. Also to note, figs are a good source of iron, calcium, fiber and antioxidants, so eat up! 

Figs Stuffed with Goat Cheese, wrapped in Prosciutto

(Printable Recipe here)

Use fresh rosemary sprigs in place of toothpicks in assembling the figs, not only to help keep them together, but rosemary also  infuses the flavor during the baking. Makes 12 hors-d’ouevres.

Ingredients:

12 figs, ripe but not too soft

6 ounces soft (room temp) goat cheese

6 slices prosciutto, sliced in half length-wise (We buy ours from Assenti's)

4 large rosemary sprigs, cut in thirds, plus extra for garnish

Extra-virgin olive oil

Honey

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F. (180 C.)

Wash, dry and cut the figs crosswise from the top, halfway down the fruit.  Gently separate the quarters to create an opening. Scoop 2 teaspoons of goat cheese into the opening, without over stuffing. Wrap each fig a with prosciutto slice. Pierce the prosciutto and fig with a rosemary skewer to hold in place. 

Arrange figs in a baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper (the prosciutto is also salty). Bake in oven until prosciutto begins to get crisp and cheese is tinged brown, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully discard baked rosemary sprigs. Arrange figs on serving platter and drizzle each fig with honey. Garnish with fresh rosemary leaves. Serve immediately.

Roasted Grape Crostini with Goat Cheese

Everything is better roasted. Including grapes. I saw this recipe for Roasted Grape Crostini from Authentic Suburban Gourmet. I love grapes, and whoever first thought of roasting them was brilliant! 

They turned out wonderful. Sweet, tangy, warm, salty and kind of smoky.

I made a few changes to the recipe. For starters, I used goat cheese instead of ricotta. Nothing against ricotta, it is nice, but I am very fond of goat cheese and we always have it in the fridge.

I also didn’t have any fresh thyme laying around, but I do have plenty of fresh basil........

Roasted Grape Crostini with Goat Cheese

Ingredients: (amounts depend on how much you want!)
Seedless purple grapes
Sourdough baguette or ciabatta bread
Olive oil
Ricotta cheese or goat cheese
Thyme or basil
Lemon zest
Salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450ºF. Spread grapes onto a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt. Toss all together gently with your hands. Place pan in the oven for 9 to 11 minutes or until grapes just begin to burst.


While grapes are roasting, heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. Brush the bread with olive oil. Grill until lightly toasted. Tip: keep heat at medium and toast longer, to prevent burning.


Assemble the open-faced sandwiches: Spread cheese over bread. Top with roasted grapes. Add the lemon zest and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves. Sprinkle with a bit of salt or fleur de sel. 


Tip: Have the cheese at room temperature for easier spreading.

Eggplant and Chicken Puttanesca Stacks

Don't you just love January? It's a great time to "reset" and get back on track or change your life's path. I for one don't make resolutions but I do take the time to evaluate my life, where I am and where I want to go. At this point in my life I am pretty happy with things. I like my job, I am healthy and I am madly in love with my best friend and husband. Life is good!

I found the original recipe for Eggplant and Chicken Puttanesca Stacks on The Daily Green while searching for something new and interesting to do with eggplant. When I am searching for a new recipe, I type in the main ingredient in Google then do an image search. From there I flip through hundreds of images until I find something that looks good, I am a visual person!

If you haven't heard of Puttanesca sauce, it is a tomato based sauce that combines olives and capers and it is delicious. Many people don't like anchovies so feel free to omit them and add a few extra olives instead. You could also omit the chicken and call it vegetarian, although I love the chicken and don't recommend it!

We fell in love with this recipe and have made it at least five times in the last few months. At first glance the recipe might look like a lot of effort for a dinner for two, but when you break it down it's only a few steps and it actually goes pretty quick. Expect about an hour for preparation.

Eggplant & Chicken Puttanesca Stacks 

 click here for printable recipe

Ingredients: for 2-4 Servings

For Eggplant:

1 lg. eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch slices

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup all-purpose flour, or as needed

1 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

For Chicken:

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

All-purpose flour (use remaining flour after breading the eggplant)

1 tablespoon olive oil

For Sauce and Cheese:

1/2 cup white wine

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

3 anchovy fillets packed in oil, chopped (we used 1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste)

1/4 teaspoon dried chile flakes

1/4 cup chicken stock

1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives (about 10 olives), chopped

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes

Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

3/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, coarsely chopped, divided

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup fresh ricotta cheese, at room temperature

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Slice the eggplant into 1/4" slices, pat dry and sprinkle with black pepper.In three separate shallow bowls or pie plates, put the flour, eggs, and panko crumbs. Dip the eggplant slice in the flour both sides. Next, coat the floured slice with egg, dredge the eggplant slice in the panko. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan, fry the eggplant slices for about 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Transfer the eggplant to the lined baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Flip the slices over and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes.

While the eggplant is in the oven, prepare the chicken. Slice the chicken into 1/2" pieces, lightly pound flat with a meat mallet. Season the pieces with salt and pepper then coat each piece in flour and shake off excess. Place chicken pieces in sauté pan with 2 tbsp. of olive oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sauté the chicken pieces for about 2 minutes on each side, until lightly browned and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and cover to keep warm.

For the sauce, pour the wine into the pan to deglaze, scraping the bits from the bottom. Add the garlic, anchovies, and chile flakes and sauté for 30 seconds. Stir in the stock, olives, tomatoes, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup of the parsley, and add the chicken back into the pan. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer while the eggplant finishes baking. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.

In a small bowl, mix the Riccota cheese, the remaining 1/4 cup parsley, the lemon zest, salt, and ground black pepper.

When the eggplant is done, start building your stacks! Start with one slice of eggplant, top with a spoonful of the cheese mixture, add a piece of chicken, a little more cheese, then a heaping spoon of the Puttenesco sauce, then another piece of eggplant. If desired, spoon some remaining sauce and cheese on top of each stack and serve.

Enjoy!

Anaheim Peppers Stuffed with Nuts and Berries

If there is one trend in our cooking, it would have to be our tendency to add something sweet to our spicy. We have also started adding nuts to many of our dishes. Walnuts, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, peanuts.....and yes, we are a bit nutty ourselves!


This stuffing recipe was put together by using up what we had lying around.We found these beautiful Anaheim peppers (among other things) at our local Hillcrest Farmers Market, and we wanted to make an appetizer that would be delicious and satisfying without a whole lot of effort.

Nutty, fruity, cheesy, savory, I'm still not sure what to call these stuffed peppers, but I can tell you that they turned out amazing!

Anaheim Peppers Stuffed with Nuts and Berries

Printable Recipe

Ingredients: (Makes 6 appetizers)

3 Anaheim peppers
1/2 cup mixed nuts

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes

1/4 cup goat cheese crumbles

4 oz canned corn1 handful of fresh basil, sliced
1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. sweet paprika to garnish

1 tbsp. honey

Directions:

Clean the Anaheim peppers and carefully and cut in half lengthwise. Gently remove the seeds from the inside of the pepper. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil then place the pepper on top.

Broil peppers until they start to get charred and blackened, about 10-15 minutes. Transfer the peppers to a small brown paper bag, (some people like to use a plastic bag) and let cool for about 10 minutes. (Here is a great tutorial from The Pioneer Woman!)

Reduce the oven setting to 400 degrees. 

While peppers are cooling, prepare the stuffing mixture in a medium bowl. Combine the nuts, cranberries, dried tomatoes, goat cheese, corn and basil. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and gently combine.

Once the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove the blackened skin VERY CAREFULLY.

Coat a glass dish with olive oil cooking spray. Place the roasted peppers in the dish, then carefully stuff each pepper with the stuffing mixture. Bake in oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until hot and lightly browned on top. 

Sprinkle peppers with sweet paprika, drizzle with honey and serve hot.

We found that these tasty appetizers to go exceptionally well with Margaritas......Salute!

Grilled Stuffed Jalapenos

These guys don't need a big write up. You have probably had them at a party or a BBQ and thought that they are too complicated or too much trouble to make, right? Well, guess what? They are super EASY to make!

So, go ahead and make a batch of the stuffing and fill up your favorite peppers. You can stuff just about anything, not just jalapenos, try mushrooms, bell peppers, zucchini......there is no end to the possibilities!

Grilled Stuffed Jalapenos (print version)

serves 6 as appetizer

Ingredients:

6 oz. whipped cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup cooked and chopped bacon

1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

2 green onions, thinly sliced

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

few dashes of hot sauce (we use Tapatio)

salt and black pepper

12 large jalapeno chili’s, halved lengthwise, stemmed and seeded

1 tbsp. sweet paprika

Instructions:

Heat grill to medium.

Mix together the cream cheese and the bacon in a medium bowl until blended. Fold in the cheddar, green onions, garlic and hot sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

Fill each jalapeno half with about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture; sprinkle the top with sweet paprika.

Place peppers on the grill (or use a grill basket, if preferred), filling-side up, and cook until slightly charred and tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Optional: To get a nice charred look on top, pop the poppers into a preheated oven set on broil for 2-3 minutes.

Optional: We made this simple sauce to top off our poppers. It would be great on fish tacos too!

Whisk together (or use a small food processor)1/4 cup of sour cream, about 1 clove chopped garlic, a spoonful of adobo sauce from chipotle chilis, and a handful of chopped cilantro..... delish for your dish!

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms.... Again

This is a repeat recipe. We made these Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms last year and it is still one of our more popular posts. Easy to see why, these mushrooms are AMAZING! This is a great appetizer to bring to a party, but if you do, make a double batch, because they go fast!

Click here for the recipe.



I am still learning how to play with the settings on our new camera, but it is so much fun experimenting......

Thanks for reading, more great posts coming soon!

Gorgonzola Stuffed Chicken With Walnuts

While searching for a new chicken recipe, we stumbled upon this fantastic recipe from Amy at Meat N Veggies. There are thousands of recipes out there for stuffed chicken, but we were looking for one that called for Gorgonzola cheese, mushrooms and walnuts, there are a few less of those. Perseverance paid off and this dish turned out exactly how we wanted, amazing!

We pretty much followed Amy’s recipe, but we threw in some asparagus and we found some left over bacon bits that we mixed in just before the cheese. We also sprinkled some breadcrumbs along with the walnuts before placing in the oven.

Ingredients:
4 to 6 chicken breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil (or bacon fat)
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, chopped
1 cup yellow onion, chopped (about 1/2 of a medium onion)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup of fresh basil, chopped
1 egg white
1/4 cup walnuts chopped finely in a food processor


Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a skillet over medium heat, melt the fat or heat oil until shimmering. Add the mushrooms and onion; cook until the mushrooms release their juices and begin to brown.

Push the mushrooms and onions to the edge of the pan, clearing the center. Place the garlic in the center of the pan and drizzle a bit of oil on top; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir the garlic, mushrooms and onions together. Add the 1/2 cup chopped walnuts and basil then mix well. Turn off the heat, add the cheese, and stir until the mixture is well combined.

While the mixture is cooling, with your knife parallel to the counter, slice each breast in half so it opens up like a book. Be careful not to cut all the way through the chicken breast, you need that seam.

With the breast opened like a butterfly, place a 1/4 cup or so of mixture onto one half of the chicken breast, then fold the empty half on top. Place the stuffed breasts into a 9×12 baking dish (I prefer glass). Once all the breasts are stuffed, brush them with egg whites and sprinkle the walnuts on top.

Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the juices run clear.

Stuffed Shells in Brown Butter Sauce

Stuffed Shells in Brown Butter Sauce

Last weekend was our annual ravioli making day where the whole family gets together and hand makes over 1,200 ravioli. It’s always a big deal, a lot of work and when we finally eat them on Christmas Day it’s all worth the trouble.

This year we made a couple of different fillings and we had some delicious leftover Butternut Squash with Goat Cheese filling, there was no way I was going to let it go to waste!

We have never made stuffed shells before but it was surprisingly easy. Simply boil the pasta shells per package directions, drain and separate them so they don’t stick to each other. Use a spoon to fill each shell and place them in a baking dish lightly sprayed with cooking spray.

We topped ours with candied walnuts (don’t skip this part!) and baked them in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes. While the shells are in the oven, prepare the brown butter sauce. To serve, drizzle the brown butter sauce and top with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

Butternut Squash & Goat Cheese Filling (printable recipe)

2-pound butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped finely
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 garlic clove, minced
4 ounces goat cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan Reggiano cheese, grated

Put squash halves, flesh sides down, on baking sheet and roast in middle of oven 30 minutes, or until flesh is very tender. When squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out flesh into a bowl and discard skin. Mash squash with a fork until smooth.

While squash is roasting, in a skillet cook onion, garlic and sage in butter with salt and pepper to taste over medium heat, stirring for about 5 minutes, or until onion is golden brown.

Let onion mixture cool slightly and add to squash. Add the Parmesan and goat cheese and stir well to combine. This filling can be covered and refrigerated for several days or freeze for future use.

Brown Butter Sauce

1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 tbsp minced shallot
1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp ground sage

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Heat butter in a heavy saucepan over moderately high heat, about 3 minutes. Add shallots, garlic and sage to butter and cook, stirring, until shallot and butter turns a deep golden color, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add lemon juice and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper if needed and use immediately.

Spinach, Mushroom & Bacon Frittata

Spinach, Mushroom and Bacon Frittata

They were on sale, so I bought a dozen eggs, and unknowingly, so did Mark. We barely go through half a dozen eggs a month, and now we had 24 that needed to be eaten fairly soon. I know, there a lot worse situations in life, but besides deviled eggs or egg salad sandwiches, I was at a loss for what to do with all these eggs.

I always thought I liked quiche until I recently bought a slice at the local farmers market. Maybe that fact alone had a lot to do with it, it looked good, but it was horrible. It was really soft and custardy, almost runny, and cold. Not good.

So I set out on an internet quest to find a new egg recipe. I wanted something firm, moist, but not runny inside, and I wanted to use mushrooms, cheese and lots of herbs.

Of course I ended up combining many recipes to get the desired texture, consistency and flavor, but I finally came up with something more like a frittata than anything else. And the fact that bacon ended up an ingredient was just a bonus!

Ingredients:

4 eggs

2 egg whites

4 strips of thick sliced bacon

½ cup sliced mushrooms

½ bag fresh spinach, chopped

2 green onions chopped

1 1/2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese, grated

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

1/4 cup fresh chopped basil

1 tbsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp cayenne powder

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray.

In a large nonstick skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic and mushrooms. Sauté 5 or 6 minutes, until onions start to soften and the mushrooms and bacon are browned.
 
Add spinach and fresh herbs and a pinch of salt. Reduce heat to medium and cook until most of the moisture is evaporated, stirring occasionally.


Meanwhile, combine eggs and egg whites in a large bowl. Add cheese, salt, pepper, and cayenne, mix well. Add spinach mushroom mixture and stir quickly to blend. Quickly pour into the pie pan.
 
Bake about 35 minutes. Remove from oven. Let cool 6-8 minutes before serving. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Chicken Tortilla Pie

I couldn’t help myself, I am so ashamed.  It’s almost 10 PM and I just finished off the chicken tortilla pie that we made 2 nights ago. It was almost just as good cold.

We made this a few weeks ago, with different ingredients, good, but nothing great. This time we considered our notes from before, added chicken, no rice, and added the roasted Poblano Chili. Now we have something to blog about.

Chicken Tortilla Pie - Makes 4 servings
Click here to print

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked, chopped, chicken

1 roasted Poblano chili, chopped

1 or 2 Serrano chilies, depending on your spice tolerance

1 15 oz can black beans

1 6 oz can yellow corn

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

8 oz cream cheese and/or goat cheese

2 tbsp chopped garlic

10-20 sliced black olives

1 cup spicy salsa of your choice 

3 or 4 8” flour tortillas

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

Salt and ground black pepper

Suggested garnishes: tomatoes, avocados, cilantro, sour cream or queso fresco

Directions:

Roast the Poblano pepper at 400 degrees for at least 20 minutes, or until tender. Leave the oven on.

In a large skillet, sauté onion in olive oil over medium-low heat until tender and translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for about 3-4 minutes.

Lower heat and stir in cooked chicken, black beans, corn, poblano chilies, olives, spices and salt and pepper.

Slowly stir in cheese and add the salsa and mix well. Reduce heat to medium-low. Let simmer for at least 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it reaches the desired heat and consistency.

Lightly grease a 9 or 10-inch deep-sided round casserole dish or pie pan. (oven should already be at 400 degrees.)

Place one of the tortillas on the bottom of the pan or dish, then spread 1/3 of the mixture evenly over it, then lay another tortilla on top and repeat with a layer of mixture.

You can add more cheese in between layers, or other garnishes, there are no rules, put what you like on it! We used 3 tortillas.

Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake for about 20 minutes or until top cheese is melted, and tortilla is just getting crispy on the outside. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing into 4 quarters. Serve with desired toppings and garnishes.

Red Pear Honey Crostini

I was walking through the produce section of our local Windmill Farms and saw a bin of red pears, I just had to grab one. The last time I remember eating any fresh pear I was about 4 years old, not kidding.

My initial intention was to photograph it. Something about the deep red color, it says Fall all over it. I got it home and washed it off then I tried to take the little sticker off and it took half of that beautiful red skin with it. I was devastated. There goes my photo opportunity. Time for plan B.

Since I haven’t really eaten a pear in so long, I wasn’t sure what to do with it, or even how to cut it. Well I just started slicing. And then I tasted it, amazing! I think I had the idea that it was going to be gritty for some reason, but it wasn’t at all, it was soft and incredibly sweet.

Red Pear Honey Crostini

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Slice some fresh sourdough, drizzle the slices with olive oil, then toast them for about 3 minutes.
• Remove from oven and let them cool for a minute.
• Spread a generous amount of goat cheese and place a few red pear slices on each toast.
• Next, drizzle with honey, sprinkle with red pepper flakes and just a light dusting of ginger powder.
• Place back in the oven for 2-3 minutes or till the cheese gets warm.

Taaduh! You have an easy, delicious, healthy-ish appetizer or snack your friends and family will love!

Burrata Cheese

I was recently introduced to a cheese that I pretty much fell in love with. Yes, it is Italian, go figure.

We enjoyed this perfect late summer snack of juicy heirloom tomatoes and Burrata cheese served on fresh bread. Simple and amazing.

The occasion was a send off of sorts for our dear friend Shannon of Grape Hops who just left for a six week adventure in Italy. Shannon is an amazing and ambitious woman with an incurable passion for travel, food and good wine. Not only did she introduce me to this amazing Italian cheese, but she also introduced me to my husband!

Burrata cheese is an Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream. The outer shell is solid mozzarella while the inside contains both mozzarella and cream, giving it a soft texture. It should be served fresh, it is particularly perishable, and is best at room temperature. 

I found this article to be a good source of information in The Wine News Magazine. It also includes some recipes that I know I will try. 

Thanks again Shannon, may your travels be safe and abundant of tasty adventures!

Burrata

Easy Cheese and Herb Drop Biscuits

Yes, they are as good as they look!

We made these biscuits over a week ago, and I am just now getting around to writing about them. 

I combined a few different recipes on-line and made it with crumbled blue cheese, but next time we will make it with cheddar. I also might add a little bit more herbs. 

The texture and consistency was perfect, and these biscuits went perfect with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Scrumptious Salmon. They even tasted great with my scrambled eggs in the morning!

Makes 12 biscuits


2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick or 3 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups crumbled blue cheese (or try shredded cheddar)
1/4 cup fresh finely chopped herbs (consider parsley, scallions, rosemary, or chives) 
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk


Preheat oven to 450°F. Whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, then blend in butter with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in cheese and herbs. Add buttermilk and stir until combined.

Drop dough in 12 equal mounds about 2 inches apart onto a buttered large baking sheet, or one lined with parchment paper. Bake in middle of oven until golden, 16 to 20 minutes. Best served while warm.

Garden Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken

I'm not sure what inspired me to make this dish that I've never heard of, or would have ever imagined, but I did it, and it turned out fantastic! The end result was a moist and juicy slice of tender chicken with a creamy, cheesy, herbed 'scentsation' that might have had something to do with the bed of onions.......

Ingredients

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

5 oz cream cheese (I used garden vegetable flavor)

¼ cup fresh chopped herbs (I used basil, rosemary, parsley, thyme)

1 lg yellow onion sliced into 1/8 rings

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

¼ cup bread crumbs

2 tbsp Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse and pat dry chicken breast. Lay chicken out on a cutting board and cover with plastic wrap. Pound the chicken flat with a rolling pin or meat tenderizer. Butterfly if necessary. Season with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl mix together the cream cheese with the chopped herbs and garlic until well combined. Spread the cream cheese mixture on the flattened chicken breast.

In another small bowl combine the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Lightly sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the chicken. Roll the chicken breast as tightly as possible into a roll.

Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Place sliced onions on the bottom of the dish to form a bed for the chicken breasts. Place chicken on top of onions and top with more onions. Sprinkle everything with the remaining breadcrumb mixture so as to evenly coat.

Place dish on the center rack for 40 minutes or until chicken is done and onions are golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Serving suggestion, cut into slices and serve with greens and cous cous. Serves 2

Cheesy Herbed Popovers

Yeah, I know what the title says, but lately I have been doing some cooking. Partly because I am unemployed, (and considering all offers!) and that Mark had to work evenings for the last month. I have to admit, now that the night shifts are over, I am a little reluctant to give back the kitchen!


Just yesterday I made something that knocked my socks off, even Mark was impressed. I can't take credit for the recipe, but really, how can you go wrong with Emeril Lagasse?


As I was going through my Google Reader the other day, I stumbled upon a picture by Caroline Russock who writes for Serious Eats. She recently featured a recipe from Emeril Lagasse's new book Farm to Fork where she made the Herbed Cheesey Popovers. Caroline chooses the best recipes out of cookbooks, makes and writes about them. Then, she runs a contest so you can win a copy of the featured cookbook! 

But, it was the picture that stole my heart, I was doomed to devour.........


I followed the instructions and ingredients almost exact, except that I used 2% milk instead of whole, which didn't seem to hurt. Also, I had to bake them a little longer than recommended, it took about 40 minutes total. I used the fresh herbs from our garden; basil, rosemary, parsley, thyme, and some green onions.

When they were done, the texture was perfect. The inside tasted of subtle herbs and warm, creamy, custardy, cheddar. The outside formed a perfectly light, slightly salty, crispy cheese crust. Yum! (I might try these with a little jalapeno next time?!)

Adapted from Farm to Fork by Emeril Lagasse.

Ingredients - Makes 12 popovers, 6 to 8 servings -

4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, melted
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
4 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons chopped mixed fresh herbs, such as parsley, thyme, rosemary, basil, or chives
About 2 ounces medium cheddar cheese, grated (1/2 cup) or cut into 12 pieces

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.

2. Brush the cups of a standard 12-cup muffin tin with some of the melted butter. Divide the Parmesan evenly among the cups.

3. Combine the eggs, salt, pepper, milk, cream, and the remaining butter in a blender and blend until well combined. Add the flour and blend for 15 seconds, until smooth. Transfer the batter to a large mixing bowl. Stir in the fresh herbs.

4. Fill each muffin cup halfway with batter. Divide the cheddar among the cups, and then top with the remaining batter.

5. Bake the popovers for 15 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 350°F and bake for 10 minutes.

6. Remove the muffin tin from the oven and unmold the popovers onto a wire rack. Pierce the side of each popover with a small sharp knife to allow steam to escape. (This will help keep them from deflating.) Serve immediately.