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< all recipes Butternut Squash and Roasted Garlic Soup With the leftover squash from those decadently sinful biscuits I decided to make something super healthy and just as delicious. I love this soup because it has so many flavor profiles, from the slight sweetness of the squash, to the deep smokiness of the roasted garlic, and a slight bite from the cracked black pepper. Butternut Squash and Roasted Garlic Soup Serves: 4 Servings Ingredients 2 lb butternut squash 1 onion 5-6 cloves of garlic 10-12 cups water ½ cup white wine (if using white wine vinegar use only ¼ cup) olive oil salt & pepper pepitas, for garnish (or any other seed you like) Print Preparation Preheat oven to 400˚F. Cut squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Lay cut-side up on a baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes (until the flesh is easily pierced). Peel the garlic cloves, wrap in foil, and bake for about 30 minutes, until completely soft. Set aside. When squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and set aside. Roughly dice the onion. Heat a tbl of oil in a large pot and add in the onion; season with a tsp of salt to start getting the moisture out and sauté until translucent. Deglaze with the white wine, scraping the bottom to get up all those caramelized brown bits. If you have an emersion blender: add the butternut, garlic, and 10 cups of water directly to the pot. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 20 minutes. Puree with emersion blender until smooth. If you are using a food processor: in two batches puree the squash, garlic, and onion with a few cups of water and add back to the pot. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 20 minutes. If you would like to thin it out a bit, whisk in remaining 1-2 cups of water. Once everything is blended, taste it to see what it needs. Hint: it will definitely need more salt and pepper – I like a lot of black pepper to counteract the natural sweetness of the squash – salt is tricky because it will seem like you are adding a TON but there is a tipping point at which the salt all of a sudden brings out all the other flavors before it becomes “salty” – so add slowly and taste often. To garnish I like to add some roasted pepitas: with the oven at 400˚F, toss a cup of pepitas with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast for 5-7 minutes. Keep a close eye on these, give them a toss if the outer edge is cooking faster. Previous Next hungry for more?

< all recipes Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Super easy, super tasty, super healthy, and yes perfect for the Super Bowl! Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Serves: 1 pint Ingredients 1 pound Tomatillos 1-2 Jalapenos 1 yellow onion, cut into rough pieces 1 tablespoon cider vinegar 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Salt & Pepper Print Preparation Move your oven rack to the top and turn on the broiler. Remove tomatillo husks. Place on a baking sheet along with the roughly cut onion. Halve jalapeños and remove stem and seeds, then add to baking sheet. Blister and char tomatillo, jalapeno and onion under the broiler – keep an eye on them, the timing really depends on your oven and you may need to move the pan around for even charring. Working in batches (depending on the size of your food processor), puree charred items along with cider vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, and a teaspoon of salt. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Previous Next hungry for more?

< all recipes Homemade Cracker Jack I am told there is a big baseball game on tonight, something about the World Series. I know, I knooow its America’s past time and the Mets are finally getting their day in the sun and people around here seem pretty pumped about it but I am just going to be honest here, I really don’t like baseball. There it is. The last time I went to a game I thought it was over when people started getting up at the seventh-inning stretch – I had crushed my giant box of Cracker Jack so in my mind the game was over until someone got me some more. Yes, I go to games pretty much for the junk food but in my defense I went to an all girls school (for 13 years) in the middle of New York City, going out to some random field on Randalls Island to watch lacrosse was just not a thing. More Gossip Girl than Friday Night Lights in millennial speak. And while I like to think of myself as “sporty”, my athletic career includes such highlights as inbounding the ball in middle school basketball (as in that was literally my only job), making a concerted effort to move in the opposite direction of the ball on the soccer field, and being forced to attempt the vault every week in gymnastics, but each time i sprinted loafed towards the springboard I ended up slamming into the damn thing instead of effortlessly twirling over it. Homemade Cracker Jack is more my speed. What I like about this recipe as opposed to one for the more traditional caramel corn is that you do not have to stand over boiling sugar waiting to see that hint of caramel color only to have it burn in the half second it takes to grab your oven mitt. You are still boiling sugar which might seem scary but you are just getting it to a certain temperature so clip your candy thermometer to the side of the pot and as it approaches 250˚F just hover with your oven mitts already on. No problemo. Homemade Cracker Jack Serves: 8-10 cups Ingredients 10 cups freshly popped popcorn* 1 cup peanuts 2 cups brown sugar 1¼ cups honey ¼ cup molasses 8oz (2sticks) unsalted butter, very soft or melted 1 tsp kosher salt 1 tsp baking soda Print Preparation Preheat the oven to 250˚F and line two baking sheets with a Silpat or parchment. Have popcorn ready to go in the biggest bowl you have. Keep the peanuts on the side. In a small pot, combine the brown sugar, honey, molasses, butter and salt. Add a few tablespoons of water to moisten the sugar before bringing to a boil over medium heat. Cook to 250˚F. As soon as the sugar reaches 250˚F, turn off the heat, stir in the baking soda and immediately pour over the popcorn, tossing to coat evenly. Add the peanuts and toss again. Spread the popcorn mix onto your prepared sheet pans and bake for about 1 hour, stirring to break up clumps once or twice. Once out of the oven, give one more toss and let cool completely. This will keep well in an airtight container at room temp up to a week. Previous Next hungry for more?

< all recipes Breakfast Farro w/ Cherries, Honey and Toasted Coconut This breakfast bowl is inspired by my Mom who is so over the whole boxed cereal thing for breakfast but has a hard time finding something as easy to have on hand that can be put together quickly in the morning. A cooked pot of grains will last you all week in the fridge and when you think about it, we eat oatmeal for breakfast so why not farro!? I LOVE this cherry, coconut combo. It has such a deep nutty warmth and yet taste wonderfully fresh. Even frozen, thawed cherries would work here, even adding a bit of a sauciness. Yum. Breakfast Farro w/ Cherries, Honey and Toasted Coconut Serves: 2 bowls Ingredients 1 cup cherries, pitted and halved a pinch of sugar 1 cup plain greek yogurt 1 tbl honey 1 cup cooked farro or barley ¼ cup coconut flakes, toasted (i used Bob's Red Mill) Print Preparation Sprinkle cherries with a touch of sugar and let sit anywhere from a few minutes to overnight in the fridge. Stir honey into greek yogurt - adding more or less according to your taste. Divide farro into two bowls, top each with a large dollop of yogurt, cherries and the toasted coconut. Previous Next hungry for more?

< all recipes Fudgy Brownies There are countless ways to make a brownie and not everyone is in the fudgy brownie camp. I have to admit I judge those people just a little bit. Ok, maybe a lot. So when a certain husband revealed his preference for chewy brownies AND the corner piece, I questioned whether our marriage could survive such absurdity. I just can't understand what could be better than dense, moist, super dark chocolatey goodness with a bit of a crackle crust on top. Swirl some peanut butter in there and game over. Take this to another level by swirling in some creamy or chunky peanut butter. Yum. Fudgy Brownies Serves: 16 brownies Ingredients 10 oz (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter 1 cup flour 1 cup coco powder 1/2 tsp kosher salt 3 eggs 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 cup chocolate chips (your choice of milk, dark, etc) 3/4 cup peanut butter (optional) Print Preparation Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease an 8x8 pan and line with parchment so that some hangs over the sides (for easy removal later). Melt butter. Combine flour, coco powder and salt in a bowl and whisk in melted butter. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar then whisk in butter/flour mixture. Fold in chocolate chips and pour batter into prepared pan. If adding peanut butter: warm peanut butter slightly so that it is runny. pour evenly over batter and swirl with a knife or offset spatula. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the center is set and the edges are starting to pull away from the sides. Let cool completely before removing from the pan and slicing. Previous Next hungry for more?

< all recipes Coq Au Vin I love this dish because everything about it, from the fancy French name to the delicious depth of flavor, is impressive and makes your guests think you are a chef extraordinaire. And it is a perfect dish for a freezing winter day. I would serve it with creamy mashed potatoes or simple crusty bread to soak up all that delicious vino. Coq Au Vin Serves: 6-8 servings Ingredients 2 tbl butter 1 chicken, cut up into 8 pieces and brined 3 lg carrots, peeled and chopped into ¼ inch cubes 8 oz mushrooms (any kind you like), cleaned and sliced 1 lb pearl onions, peeled – frozen are best as they come peeled 1 tbl fresh thyme 2 tbl tomato paste 3 tbl flour 1 bottle red wine (something you would drink) Print Preparation Heat butter in a large pot. Remove chicken from brine and dry well. Brown, skin side down, lower heat to medium, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Flip chicken to brown slightly on other side (5 minutes). Remove the chicken – place on something that will catch juices. Sauté carrots and mushrooms until mushrooms have released their moisture, about 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper while cooking. Add the pearl onions. Stir in tomato paste and thyme. Sprinkle in the flour, stir, and put the chicken back in the pot(along with juices). Pour in the red wine – just enough to cover 3/4 of the chicken. Cook for 45 minutes. Serve warm over mashed potatoes or with some crusty sourdough bread. Previous Next hungry for more?

< Back One Pot of Beans, Five Easy Dishes I have recently become obsessed with these Rancho Gordo Beans (to put it lightly says Chris) because they actually taste like beans!! Ok I am sure most of you are rolling your eyes wondering if I have lost it – to which the obvious answer is yes but you should still check out these beans. They are all heirloom varieties so the unfamiliarity can be a little intimidating but they are SO worth it. I mean have you ever seen such beautiful beans!!? I originally bought these while in San Fransisco at the Ferry Building and just picked out three I thought were pretty and might be interesting to taste side by side. I was shocked at the depth of flavor and differences in texture between the three kinds – all of which have basically been replaced by the grocery store kidney bean. I also bought some Mexican Chocolate, Mexican Vanilla, Canela cinnamon, and Mexican Oregano …I’m pretty excited about it. For the “one pot of beans” recipes I decided to go with this little Ayocote Blanco white bean because it seemed a little more Spring-time appropriate and able to go with everything from spicy lamb sausage to lemon or even pickled red onion. Pretty impressive for a little bean. ORECCHIETTE W/ WHITE BEANS, BROCCOLI RABE & LEMON Yield: Serves 4-6 INGREDIENTS 1 lemon 3 tbl olive oil 3 anchovy fillets (optional but encouraged), chopped 4 garlic cloves , thinly sliced 1 bunch broccoli rabe, thick stems removed ½ cup white wine 2 cups cooked cannellini beans 1lb orecchiette Lots of Parmesan for serving INSTRUCTIONS Slice lemon as thinly as possible and remove seeds (this is a bit tedious in know). Cut slices in half and set aside - toss the end pieces. Start heating water for pasta. Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan or pot. Add garlic and anchovies and cook, stirring often until just starting to brown (but be very careful not to burn the garlic!). Add lemon and let cook, stirring occasionally until lemons soften and start to get some color, about 5 minutes. Add broccoli rabe, tossing to coat it in the lemon mixture, then pour in the white wine and scrape around the bottom to get any browned bits unstuck. Let cook until broccoli rabe has wilted and charred slightly, 5-7 minutes. Add beans and season with salt and pepper if needed (be careful with the salt if you used anchovies). Cook pasta according to box instructions, drain and add to broccoli mix. You can toss in some parmesan here or just have it on the table. NOTES The beans can be cooked a few days in advance and kept in the fridge. If you must used canned beans, rinse thoroughly before adding them. WHITE BEANS & BRAISED GREENS Yield: serves 4 as a side INGREDIENTS 3 tbl olive oil 1 lg spicy sausage, removed from casing (optional-see note) 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 2 bunches lacinato kale, chopped 1 cup white wine 1 cup parmesan broth (or water and a parm rind) 3 cups cooked cannellini beans (from 1 cup dried beans) red pepper flakes salt and pepper INSTRUCTIONS Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan or pot. Add sausage and break it up into small pieces as it cooks. Once it starts to brown add the garlic, season with salt, and cook a minute or two. Toss in the kale and then the white wine, scraping the browned bits off the bottom. Add the parm broth (or water) and beans. Let cook until liquid has reduced significantly, 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and red pepper flakes for extra kick. NOTES If you do not want to use sausage, simply up the olive oil amount a tablespoon or two and add more red pepper flakes at the end.If you want this to be more of a main course stew, add a touch more liquid at the end until you have the consistency you want - if using the sausage this could definitely be a main course. WHITE BEANS & TOMATOES ON TOAST Yield: Serves 4-6 INGREDIENTS 3 tbl olive oil 1 lg white onion, diced 2 roasted red bell peppers (fresh or from the jar), diced 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 3 tbl tomato paste ½ cup white wine 3 cups cooked cannellini beans (from 1 cup dried) 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halves For Serving toast fried eggs parmesan avocado INSTRUCTIONS Heat olive oil in a sauté pan and add the onion. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until translucent. Add the red bell pepper and garlic and cook another 3-4 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste - it will kind of stick to the pan which is good, meaning the sugars are caramelizing, just be careful not to let it burn so keep stirring and cook only a minutes or two then pour in the white wine. Add the beans and cherry tomatoes and let cook just a minute to let everything meld. Season with salt and pepper. Serve on some really tasty toasted bread and with any of the additions listed above. SMOKEY WHITE BEAN & SAGE DIP Yield: 2 cups INGREDIENTS ½ cup olive oil ¼ cup sage leaves 3 cups cooked white beans (from 1 cup dried) juice of 1 lemon ½ tsp smoked paprika ½ tsp cayenne salt and pepper INSTRUCTIONS Heat olive oil in a small sauce pan, add the sage and let fry until crispy and fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Combine everything in a food processor and puree. Season with salt and pepper - it will need a fair amount but add gradually and taste as you go. Previous Next

< all recipes Bacon Roasted Brussels Sprouts Thanksgiving menu item #2. Bacon had to make an appearance somewhere on the buffet table, it is an American holiday all about food after all. Bacon seems quite appropriate. And all those vegi-phobes will be giving extra thanks. I used thick slabs of bacon so that the pieces held up when tossed with the sprouts, as opposed to crumbling into bacon bits. Cooking bacon in the oven is a new technique for me but I have found that it is not only ridiculously easy but it also allows for uniform crispiness - which seems to elude me every time I make bacon in a frying pan. It will also save your clothes and arms from hot grease splatter. I am sold. Bacon Roasted Brussels Sprouts Serves: serves 4-6 as a side Ingredients 1 lb Brussels sprouts 4 oz thick-cut bacon salt and pepper Print Preparation Preheat your oven to 450˚F and lay bacon strips in a single layer on a rack set on top of a rimmed baking sheet. Cook for 15-20 minutes (the time will really depend on how thick your bacon is) and once done, keep the rendered fat captured in the sheet pan. Prep the brussels sprouts: rinse and remove any discolored bits then make sure to dry completely (you can do this with a towel or just letting them air dry. Toss the sprouts in the bacon grease, coating fully. Season with salt and pepper (maybe some chili flakes if you like things spicy). Cook at 450˚F for 20-25 minutes, until nicely charred and can be pierced with a knife (with slight resistance, you don’t want complete mush). Chop the cooled bacon and combine with the cooked sprouts in a serving bowl, season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm. Previous Next hungry for more?

< Back How To Make Hearty Winter Soup Without a Recipe If I had to name my spirit food it would definitely be soup. No question. But I realized when doing the recipe roundup for 2015 that I did not post any of the veggie-packed soups that I live off of in winter. This is probably because when I make soup I almost never use a recipe and can never remember how much of what went in. What I learned from those that so kindly answered my survey is that most of you are “recipe generalists”, willing to live on the wild side and flirt with creative interpretation – within reason of course. For me, soup is a low-stakes chance to be creative with flavors and experiment with new ingredients or techniques. I say it is low stakes because the ingredients are always cheap, usually from my pantry, and if the outcome is less than the most glorious soup ever made, guess what? no sweat – it goes back into the pot for a makeover. For those willing to get creative, I am giving you a soup framework – I have boiled it down (pun intended) to 6 steps with unlimited possibilities. For those not quite ready to make the leap, there is a recipe for my most recent and favorite rendition of Black Bean Soup. For everyone, the key is a well-stocked pantry so I have made a Pantry Essentials Checklist – I have put it up on its own page so that you can print it out for your next grocery run. Here is how the Black Bean Soup follows the soup framework: BLACK BEAN SOUP Yield: 8-10 servings INGREDIENTS 2 tbl oil 2 yellow onions, diced 3 carrots, peeled and diced 3 poblano peppers, charred slightly and diced 2-3 cloves garlic, minced 2 tsp oregano 2 tbl chipotle puree, or tomato paste for less heat 1 lb dried black beans* 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes 6 (ish) cups stock or water (my favorite is always Parmesan Broth ) 10 oz chopped kale (I like to use frozen b/c it saves SO much time and I always have it on hand!) zest and juice of two limes salt and pepper INSTRUCTIONS Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Sauté the onions, carrots and poblanos, stirring often, until onion is translucent (5-7 minutes). Add the garlic, oregano and chipotle puree (or tomato paste) - give everything a stir, season with salt and pepper, then add your beans and liquids. Bring this to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until beans are tender (this will vary depending on if the beans were soaked or simmered beforehand - assume 25min-1hr and just check occasionally for doneness). When beans are tender, add the kale, allowing the soup to come back to a simmer.Season with salt and pepper then add the lime zest and juice. Serve immediately, store in the fridge up to 5 days or freeze up to 6 months. NOTES*I can never remember to soak my beans over night but I am a strong believer in still using dried over canned (especially when they are of the Rancho Gordo variety! I used the Vaquero bean for this recipe but any black bean (or other bean really) will work perfectly. Previous Next

< all recipes Breakfast Bars (DIY Style) I am a bit of a cereal addict. I eat it dry or with milk and always a mixture of several different kinds. Growing up we always had a plethora of cereal choices – most were in the All-Bran / Grapenuts family, so when I moved into my own place I went a little overboard on the sugar cereals, Cinnamon Toast Crunch being a particular weakness. Having since reined it in, I gravitate towards Special K and Kashi that have a nice balance. These bars are great because you can tailor them to your personal preference and what you have on hand. The oats help to bind everything together but if you don’t have any, you could easily smash up some of the cereal. When making my own bars I used PB2, a product I have just recently discovered and am obsessed with. The oil has been pressed out of roasted peanuts, leaving a powder that has all the taste of peanut butter but almost half the calories! It also has about the same amount of protein per serving. Amazing. Breakfast Bars (DIY Style) Serves: 8 bars Ingredients 2 cups cereal – I used 1 cup of Special K and 1 cup of Multi-Grain Cheerios but you can pick your favorites. I think something like Kashi Go Lean would be great for on the go since it is packed with protein and has a nice crunch to it. ½ cup oats ½ cup dried fruit ½ cup nuts ½ cup honey ½ cup peanut butter or any other nut butter ½ tsp salt (if using salted nuts, dont add salt) Print Preparation Line an 8” square cake pan with parchment paper (or if you are like me and don’t have a square cake pan, be creative! I used a square-ish Tupperware container). Spray parchment with oil and set aside. Combine cereal, oats, nuts and dried fruit in a medium-sized bowl, tossing to evenly distribute everything. In a small pot over medium heat, combine the honey and nut butter of choice. While it is heating up whisk the two together until smooth. You just want to warm up the honey to thin it out a bit so when you start to see some bubbles around the sides, turn off the heat. Pour over the cereal and with a spatula, toss everything until all of the dry ingredients are evenly coated. Spread into prepared pan, fold excess parchment over top and press firmly to flatten. Refrigerate for at least an hour, until set. Cut into whatever size and shape you would like! Previous Next hungry for more?

< all recipes Maple Pecan Shortbread These are perfect as they are but can be iced and decorated for a special Valentines Day recipient. Maple Pecan Shortbread Serves: 16-24 cookies Ingredients 8oz (2sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature ¾ cup granulated sugar ¼ cup maple syrup 1 egg yolk ¼ tsp pure maple extract* 2¼ cups all-purpose flour ½ cup cake flour (not self-rising) ½ tsp kosher salt ¾ cup pecans, toasted and roughly chopped For decorating (optional) 1 egg – for brushing ½ cup sugar in the raw or festive frosting and sprinkles / royal icing Print Preparation In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until smooth and light, about one minute. Add the maple syrup, egg yolk, and extract; beat on medium speed until well combined. Into a medium bowl, sift flours and salt. Stir in 1/2 cup chopped pecans, set aside. On low speed, gradually add flour mixture, beating until just combined. Dough should be smooth and pliable. Flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic; chill until firm, 30 minutes. Remove dough from fridge and allow to come to room temp, it will be much easier to roll out without cracking. Preheat oven to 350°. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. In between two pieces of parchment, lightly floured (or on a lightly floured work surface), roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut cookies out and place onto prepared baking sheet. If topping with sugar in the raw, brush tops with beaten egg and generously sprinkle with sugar. If decorating with icing, they are ready to bake. Bake cookies, rotating baking sheet halfway through, until golden around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Allow to cool completely before icing. *the extract is optional but the maple flavor will be very subtle without it Previous Next hungry for more?

< all recipes Cucumber Avocado Soup This is possibly the easiest recipe I have ever made and one of my summer favorites. We are in the midst of California’s avocado season so get ‘em while they're hot!! Cucumber Avocado Soup Serves: 4-6 servings Ingredients 2 cucumbers, peeled and roughly cut 1 avocado 1 1/2 cups buttermilk (or 1 cup greek yogurt + 1/2 cup water) 2 large handfuls baby spinach (about 3 cups) 1 jalapeños, stem and seeds removed 1 lemon, juiced 2-3 tsp kosher salt 1-2 tsp pepper Print Preparation Combine all of the ingredients in a blender (or food processor if that is all you have, although it will not be as smooth as you might like). Blend until smooth and chill in the fridge before serving. Previous Next hungry for more?