V is for Veggie

Since Rex has been off of baby food and solely on table food, I have been exploring creative ways to still get his vegetables in him. He loves carbs (can you blame him?) so I normally find myself mixing the vegetables that I have chopped into miniscule pieces in rice or pasta. After we spoon them both in, he is quite skilled at separating the starch from the vegetable and returning one back out of his mouth via his tongue. Can you guess which one he decides to keep?

Because of this little veggie rejection trick he has mastered I knew this recipe would be a fantastic way to get him to eat his vegetables. If I cooked the risotto in the squash there would be no way for him make the distinction. And I am happy to report it was a huge hit! He devoured two bowls and ate it for lunch the next day as well. No veggie objection here!

Butternut Squash Risotto
Adapted from Cooking Light October 2011

Ingredients

• 3 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash, divided
• 3 1/2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons butter
  
• 2 cups uncooked Arborio rice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 5 ounces applewood-smoked bacon, cooked and crumbled

Preparation

Combine 2 cups squash and 2 1/2 cups water in a saucepan; bring to a boil.

Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Place mixture in a food processor. Process until smooth.

Return mixture to pan. Stir in broth; bring to a simmer. Reserve 1/4 cup squash mixture. Keep pan warm over low heat. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add rice; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Stir in remaining 1 cup squash, 2 1/2 cups squash mixture, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Cook 2 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly.

Add remaining squash mixture, 1 cup at a time,

stirring until each cup is absorbed before adding the next (about 20 minutes). Remove from heat; stir in reserved 1/4 cup squash mixture. Top with parsley and bacon.

Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipes

Book Club Bounty - September

September's Book Club was hosted by my sister and since I only had to provide one dish for the meeting, I decided it would be an extra chocolatey dessert. This cake made a beautiful presentation and all of the ladies seemed to enjoy it. Next time I make this cake I will be sure to serve it with some vanilla ice cream or a dollop of fresh whip cream. It was very rich and crumbly and could have used a little something to balance the texture.

As for our book, we read "Heaven is for Real" by Todd Burpo. Meh. I wasn't in love with this book at all, our discussion wasn't nearly as compelling as the month before and I think we learned one very important book club lesson - no non-fiction.

Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake
Adapted from William Sonoma

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 16 Tbs. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled slightly

For the Glaze:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 Tbs. chocolate liqueur

Directions:

Have all the ingredients at room temperature.

Position a rack in the center of an oven and preheat to 325°F. Grease and flour a decorative 10-cup Bundt® pan.

To make the cake, over a sheet of waxed paper, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt; repeat until well blended. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, 30 to 45 seconds. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the granulated sugar, beating until blended. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue beating, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl, until the mixture is light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs a little at a time, beating each addition until incorporated before adding more, until the mixture is thick and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes; stop mixer occasionally and scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Beat in the vanilla.

Reduce the speed to low and fold in the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the sour cream and beginning and ending with the flour,

until just blended and no lumps of flour remain. Then gently fold in the chocolate.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading the batter so the sides are about 1 inch higher than the center.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Transfer to a wire rack and cool the cake upright in the pan for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the glaze: In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the granulated sugar and water and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate liqueur.

Set the rack over a sheet of waxed paper, invert the pan onto the rack and lift off the pan. Generously brush the warm cake with the glaze.

Slice and Serve.

Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe

Salami Skepticism

Forrest is a big fan of Salami and I have never been crazy about it, but always willing to eat it if it is buried in a a dish with other ingredients of my liking. I went into making this super easy calzone thinking I would be turned off by the fact that the salami was the sole meat. And boy was I ever wrong. This calzone was delicious. All of the ingredients worked wonderfully together and it even left me questioning my salami disdain...

Salami Mozzarella Calzone
Adapted from the Food Network

Ingredients

• 1 large green bell pepper, diced and sauteed in cooking spray
  
• 4 oz of white button mushrooms, sliced and sauteed in cooking spray
  
• 1 large eggs
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 pound shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
• 1 13.8-ounce tube refrigerated pizza dough
• 1/4 pound deli-sliced salami, cut into thin strips
• 1/4 pound sliced provolone cheese

Directions

Place a baking sheet upside down in the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Beat the eggs and parsley in a small bowl.

Pour half of the egg mixture into a medium bowl and stir in the mozzarella.

Reserve the remaining egg mixture for brushing on the crust.

Turn another baking sheet upside down; line with parchment paper and brush with olive oil. Unroll the dough on the parchment paper and pat into a 9-by-12-inch rectangle. Spread the mozzarella mixture over one half of the dough, leaving a 1-inch border along the edge.

Top with the salami,

followed by vegetables

and provolone.

Fold the other half of the dough over to cover the filling. Crimp and roll the edges to seal,

then pierce the top of the dough in a few places with a knife.

Slide the calzone with the parchment paper onto the hot baking sheet; bake 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush with the remaining egg mixture,

then continue to bake until the crust is golden, 5 to 10 more minutes. Let rest 5 minutes, then cut into wedges.

Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe

Lemon Loaf

Recently Forrest borrowed a few tools from one of our friends to cut down some branches of a tree that were hanging on our roof. Not only did our friend Chris lend his tools, he also came over and helped Forrest while trimming the bushes perched on an extension ladder. I wanted to say thank you to Chris for keeping my hubby safe and I always try to show my appreciation with special sweet treats. I remember Chris's wife telling me before that he loved citrus desserts. I did a quick search and knew this would be the perfect bundle of thanks to send his way.

I decided to "top" the bread with pecans instead of mixing them into the batter like the recipe originally suggested in case Chris and Melanie were not pecan fans. But as you can see, the nuts sunk to the bottom of the bread and my topping attempt was a bust. The bread was still delicious, just not as pretty as I had planned.

Lemon Bread
Adapted from William Sonoma

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 Tbs. finely grated lemon zest
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

For the Lemon Syrup:

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

Directions

Preheat an oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour a 1-lb. loaf pan.

In a bowl, stir and toss together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until blended, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture along with the milk

and lemon zest.

Beat until blended and smooth, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan

and spread pecans on top

and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the lemon syrup: In a small bowl, combine the sugar and lemon juice. Set aside, stirring occasionally; don't worry if the sugar does not dissolve completely.

Remove the bread from the oven and transfer the pan to a wire rack. Using a fork, gently poke the top in several places. Stir the syrup, then slowly drizzle it over the hot bread.

Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn the loaf out onto the rack, top side up, and let cool completely.

Makes 1 loaf.

Click Here for my Adapted Printable Recipe

Special Salt Selection

It isn't very often that the ingredient I most want to showcase in a dish is salt. However, that was the case when I set out to make these pita pizzas. I wanted the salt to be the star. I had these aspirations for the spice because it was special. Not just any salt. Certianly not something poured out of a metal spout from that blue cylindrical container. This salt was "Fumee de Sel", fleur de sel crystals which are hand harvested on the coast of France, then gently smoked over wood chips from aged oak Chardonnay wine barrels. Fancy right?

I purchased this Fumee de Sel when we traveled to Seattle over a year ago. There is a lovely shop in Pike's Place Market called Market Spice. I procured a bag of this unique salt and used it here and there in recipes, but never found the right recipe with simple enough ingredients to really give the salt the attention it deserves. This grilled "pizza" recipe was perfect! The specialty salt added a smokey flavor to the veggies and the pita that complimented the grilling perfectly.

Grilled Portobello Goat Cheese Pizzas
Adapted from Cooking Light August 2004

Ingredients

• 2 cloves of minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 (6-inch) pita rounds
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  
• 1 (6-ounce) package portobello mushrooms
• 2 medium Roma tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1/3 cup (3 ounces) goat cheese
• 1/4 tsp of crushed red pepper
  
• 1 teaspoon dried basil

Preparation

• Preheat an outdoor grill over medium heat.
• Combine garlic and 1 tsp of olive oil; brush evenly over pitas.

• Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper evenly over pitas.

• Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper evenly over mushrooms and tomatoes. Brush mushrooms and tomatoes with remaining oil and balsamic vinegar.

• Grill pita for 1 minute each side; mushrooms for 6 minutes or until tender, turning once. Grill tomatoes for 1 minute.

• Combine goat cheese with crushed red pepper. Spread goat cheese evenly over warm pitas. Arrange the mushrooms and tomatoes evenly over pitas.
  

• Sprinkle with basil and Serve.

Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe

** Disclaimer: I was not compensated in any way by Market Spice. I just wanted to mention the shop since it left such a great impression on me.

Book Club Bounty - August

I recently started a Book Club. It is made up of a diverse group of women based on the way membership was determined. I was allowed to invite in two members, two invites for my sister and two for my mom and a few random adds. We did this to ensure that we would have a group of ladies from different generations, with different viewpoints and varying opinions. We had our first meeting this past week and it went wonderfully. It was fun, intriguing and intellectually stimulating. I have never been in a book club and was excited that it seemed we avoided a common book club mistake of creating an excuse for gossiping and drinking (although we did those things too ;-). I really wanted to discuss the book we had chosen, evoke thought and hear different interpretations from the other members. I think we did a great job.

Even though I wanted our first meeting to be solely focused on the discussion of the book we read, of course I still wanted to start the evening out with a perfectly planned spread of noshes. This dish was on the menu and it was very delicious and easy to throw together.

Since we will have Book Club monthly I plan on highlighting one of the items I serve at each meeting here as well as tell you the book we read in case you are looking for a good read. We read "Room" by Emma Donoghue. It was a very interesting read. It was definitely different from anything I have ever read before and provided for great discussion. I highly recommend this book.

Tomato Feta Pasta Salad
Adapted from Ina Garten

Ingredients

• 1 pound fusilli (spirals) pasta
• Kosher salt
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 4 ripe roma tomatoes, medium-diced
• 1 small can of sliced black olives
  
• 1 pound good feta cheese
• 6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped

For the Dressing:

• 5 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
• 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 12 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1 cup packed flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Directions

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water with a splash of oil to keep it from sticking together. Boil for 12 minutes, or according to the directions on the package. Drain well and allow to cool. Place the pasta in a bowl and add the tomatoes, olives, feta and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

For the dressing, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper with a whisk.

Pour the dressing over the pasta,

sprinkle with the Parmesan

and parsley

, and toss well.

Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe

Broccoli Bounty

Having a baby is definitely changing the way we eat. Now that Rex has expressed his extreme distaste for pureed baby food, we have moved on to finger foods and chopped up table food options for him during dinner time. I have been forced to incorporate ingredients in our meals that we can modify for him to eat as well. With this being the case, things like this and this aren't the best choices anymore.

I wanted to lightly boil a few broccoli florets to give Rex for dinner one night this week since I figured he could easily feed them to himself (something he is insistent on these days) and they are a healthy finger food for sure. And since you can't buy 3 broccoli florets at the supermarket I had to come up with what to do with the rest of the bag. I could have easily just served them with a little lemon and pepper after boiling the whole pound, but this recipe seemed like a much yummier alternative. And it was!

Broccoli Cheddar Casserole
Adapted from Cooking Light August 2006

Ingredients

• 4 cups coarsely chopped broccoli florets (about 1 pound)
• 1/6 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
• 3/4 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup (4 ounces) reduced-fat shredded extrasharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Cooking spray
• 1 cup pita chips or melba toast rounds
  

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Cook broccoli in boiling water 3 minutes or until crisp-tender;

drain and place in a bowl of ice water for 3 more minutes.

Drain again.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Place flour, salt, and dry mustard in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat; gradually add the milk and chicken broth, stirring with a whisk until blended.

Cook for 3 minutes or until it is thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and add shredded cheddar cheese and 6 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese,

stirring until melted. Stir in pepper.

Add broccoli,

tossing to coat.

Spoon the broccoli mixture into a 8x8-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Place pita chips in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure 1 cup. Combine chip crumbs and the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, and sprinkle evenly over broccoli mixture. Spray top of casserole lightly with cooking spray.

Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe