I had a bunch of new potatoes left over from the 4th, and I thought it might be fun to bake them and serve as mini baked potatoes along side a steak.  After they came out of the oven, my friend had an idea to improve on my plan.  We ended up making this, its essentially a deconstructed baked potato type thing, and man is it good.  Its got bacon, sour cream, and everything else that makes a baked potato great, but its in a group friendly configuration.  Put this in the middle of your table and watch it disappear.

ingredients:

10 new potatoes
1 cup diced heirloom tomato
2 strips thick cut bacon
5 large basil leaves, chiffonade
sour cream, to taste
1 t rosemary
salt
pepper

method:

This one is pretty easy.  Start by stabing each potato once with a fork.  This puncture will allow water to escape during baking which will cause the skins to crisp up nicely.  Place the potatoes in a 400 degree oven and set the timer for 45 minutes.  When the timer dings, grab the spuds from the oven and cut them into quarters.  Toss the wedges into a hot skillet with the bacon and cook until the bacon is done.  While that’s going, start dicing the tomato.  When thats done, prepare the basil.  When the bacon is ready, spread the skillet contents on a plate and mash them ever so slightly with a fork.  Cover with the tomato and add salt and pepper to taste.  Add dollops of sour cream across the top and then sprinkle on the basil and the herb mixture.  And that’s it, you’re ready to serve.  I highly recommend tossing a few forks on the plate and making it a group affair.

Enjoy :)
-E

Signs of summer in Kansas are popping up all over the place.  The days are getting longer, the trees are blooming, and we had 4 inches of snow last saturday (I think you have to live in KS to get that joke).  The best part though, is that summer foods are starting to show up in the market.  This week I noticed peaches for the first time, and right next to them a mountain of fresh berries.  I have a serious soft spot for these natural candies and I couldn’t resist buying some blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and kiwi.  After I got home with my prize, I thought about what to do with them. Strawberry shortcake?  Perhaps a cobbler?  Oh, what about cheesecake!?  Then it hit me: ice cream.  What’s more summery than that?  After a few more moments of thought, I concocted this recipe and started putting it together.  Its insanely easy, really cheap, and crazy delicious.  Whip this out at your first summer gathering and I promise, you will not be disappointed.

Ingredients:

12 ounces blueberries
6 ounces raspberries
6 ounces strawberries, sliced and halved
3 kiwifruit, diced
2 T red wine vinegar
2 T olive oil
1 T sugar

Method:

Combine the vinegar, oil, and sugar in a small non-reactive container and stir until the sugar is disolved.  Cover and put the mixture aside.  Next, put all the fruit into a large bowl and gently toss them to mix evenly.  After letting the fruit mix sit for about 5 minutes, spoon the liquid mixture evenly over the surface.  Be sure to stop and gently mix every 4 spoonfuls or so.  Once the mix is all in, its ready to serve.  Seriously, that’s it.  If you do not plan to serve immediately, place uncovered in a fridge for up to 5 hours.  When ready to serve, just get a bowl, put a few scoops of vanilla ice cream in it and spoon the fruit mix over the ice cream.

Enjoy :)
-E

1/2 c. millet

2 c. water

1/2 t. salt

2T active dry yeast (2 pkgs.)

1/2 c. water

1/4 c. oil

1/2 t. salt

1 1/4 c. water

4 T sugar (or, use 1 c. water and 1/2 c. honey or rice syrup)

1 C walnuts, chopped

5 c. whole wheat flour (or 1/2 unbleached and 1/2 wwheat)

Cook millet, covered, in 2 c water with the salt for 30 minutes.  In a large mixing bowl, soften the yeast in 1/2 c water.  When cooked milled has cooled to lukewarm, add to yeast.  Stir in oil, 1/2 t salt, 1 c water, brown rice syrup or sugar, and nuts.  Mix well.  Stir in flour, kneading in the last bit a little at a time, for 10 minutes.  Let rise, covered, until double (about an hour).  Place into two lightly oiled loaf pans and let rest 10 minutes.  Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then cover tops with foil and continue to bake with oven temp reduced to 350 for 30 minutes more.

This also works nicely with cooked oatmeal, 2 cups, in place of the millet and water.  This makes a hearty bread that is crusty on the outside and very moist inside.  Makes amazing cinnamon toast!

I can’t take too much credit for this one, its really the creation of a friend.  We decided to make lasagna tonight, he decided to show us what was up.  This one is really something special.

ingredients:

marinara sauce

1 green bell pepper, diced
1/3 C celery, diced
1/3 C carrot, diced
1/2 C white onion
4 cloves garlic
16 ounces tomato sauce
2 T tomato paste
1 C vegetable stock

filler

1 zucchini, diced
8 ounces portabella mushrooms, rough chopped
2 1/2 C eggplant diced

bechamel sauce

3/4 C shredded parmasean
4 C milk
4 T flour
4 T butter
1/2 C ricotta

other

8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into strips
1 lb lasagna noodles

method:

Start by building the marinara sauce, that way it has plenty of time to come together.  Add the carrots, onion, and celery to a skillet along with 2 T olive oil.  Saute the mix on medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, then put it into a food processor.  Start the processor and slowly add the stock.  Keep going until its fully pureed.  Pour into a sauce pan and add any remaining stock along with the tomato sauce, the tomato paste, and the bell pepper.  Place over medium-low heat and cover.

Next, we’ll build the filler.  Add the zucchini, mushrooms, and eggplant to a skillet along with 2 T olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Cook until the mushrooms have given up most of their moisture and the zucchini starts to become tender.  Feel free to add some fresh herbs to this step.  Rosemary, basil, and celery seed are all good choices.  That’s pretty much it on the filler.

Fill a large pot with water and place over high heat.  Once the water boils, turn the heat off and place the lasagna noodles into the water.  Once they are soaking, start building the final element to our lasagna, the bechamel sauce.  Put the milk into a saucepan and put on a burner over medium-low heat.  Once it begins to get warm, add the butter.  When the butter is all melted in, add the flour and stir well for at least a minute.

Ok, time to build.  Put a thin layer of the marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9×13 lasagna pan.  Next is a layer of lasagna noodles (remember which way you orient them), followed by a thin layer of the filler.  Pour half the bechamel in next, then put on another layer of lasagna noodles (make sure they are opposite orientation of the first layer), then another layer of marinara sauce.  Next, another layer of filler, then another of noodles.  For the top, pour on the rest of the bechamel, any remaining filler, and any remaining marinara sauce.  Finish your new creation off by placing all the cheese on it.

Cover with foil, bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes, then remove the cover and bake for another 15 minutes.  For an optional finihsing touch, broil for 4-5 minutes at the very end of the baking cycle.  This last step will slightly crunchify the edges of the cheese and add a lot of flavor and texture.

enjoy :)
-E

With springtime upon us and the weather turning nice, something light and fresh just seemed like the right thing to do.  I tried all day to think of what would be the perfect fit, and then a friend suggested fish tacos.  Perfect!  Not only does that sound great, but I’ve never made it before.  Good food and a learning experience?  Count me in.  But, what fish to use?  After a bit of poking around the internet, I discovered that there are several options for this dish.  Mostly flaky white fish like cod, talapia, red snapper, orange roughy, and halibut.  I decided to use red snapper, but I was unable to locate any and ended up using halibut instead.  Sometimes living 2000 miles from the ocean has its drawbacks.  In the end, this dish came out great.  Its a modified mish mash of several recipes that ran across during my research.  Its simple, fast, and remarkably tasty.  Fish tacos, you are my new friend :)

Ingredients:

main

3 LB halibut filet
1/2 head red cabbage, shredded
10 6 inch corn tortillas

marinade

2 T olive oil
1 small handful fresh cilantro
1 T fresh lime juice
1 T fresh dill
2 t fresh cracked black pepper
2 t sea salt
1 t cumin
1 t cayenne
1 t paprika

crema sauce

1/4 C Mayo
1/4 C sour cream
1/4 C plain yogurt
2 T fresh chopped cilantro
1 T fresh chopped dill
1 T fresh chopped green onions
1 T jalapeno juice
1 T lime juice
1 t garlic

Method:

Start by combining all the ingredients for the marinade in a food processor.  Spin on high until it all becomes a pourable liquid, then add it, along with the fish, to a plastic zip top bag.  Mix it all up a bit to make sure the fish is coated, then place the bag in the fridge for 1 hour.  If you are short on time, you can skip this marination step, but the result will be slightly bland fish.

While the fish is marinating, combine all the ingredients for the crema sauce in a mixing bowl and stir gently to combine.  Its hard to describe the consistency you are looking for here.  It should be thick enough to stick to a spoon, but thin enough to easily apply to the tacos.  Its one of those “you’ll know it when you see it” things.  To thin it, add water 1 tablespoon at a time, and use mayo to thicken.  You are looking for a tangy semi-sour taste, similar to tartar sauce.

After an hour, pull the fish out of the marinade and place it skin side down on a piece of foil.  Pour the marinade over the fish, cover with another piece of foil and seal the edges.  Place the sealed package on a baking sheet, and toss into a 350 degree oven for 7 minutes.  Once that time is up, pull the fish out, remove the top piece of foil and place under the broiler for another 3 minutes.  This last step helps crisp up the edges of the fish and slightly caramelizes the marinade.  It adds a bit of color and texture to the taco.  When done, the fish should flake easily away from the skin.

Warm the tortillas by wrapping in a damp paper towel and microwaving for 30 seconds.  Assemble yourself a taco by placing a good bit of fish into a folded tortilla, add some of the crema sauce, then top with the shredded cabbge.  Thats it.  Go eat some tacos!

enjoy :)
-E