DIPs!

Roasted Butternut Squash with Pasta (easy)

This is an easy pasta dish that tastes like you ordered in a fancy restaurant. Cubing the squash is the only hard part.



Roasted Butternut Squash with Pasta

3 c. cubed butternut squash (about one decent sized one per two people)
1 T. dark brown sugar (you can use light if you don't have it)
1 T olive oil and 2 t for the pasta
1 t salt ( you can cut this a bit if you like)
1/2 t ground pepper
8 shallots peeled and halved (I had some mini red onions I found, but I think if you used regular onions in a pinch it would be fine)
1 t rubbed sage
4 oz of whatever pasta you have
1/4 c grated parm (this really sets the dish off)

1. Oven 475. In a bowl mix the squash, 2 T olive oil , brown sugar, salt, pepper and shallots until coated (save sage for later). Bake at 475 or until tender. Add sage when finished. While squash is cooking make the pasta. Add the 2 t of olive oil to pasta and serve squash on top of pasta with cheese on top.

Easy Tortellini Soup

This fast recipe makes for a hearty and quick dinner. I combo'd some recipes from Cooking Light and came up with this one.

Tortellini Soup
4 c. Broth (chicken or veggie)
2 c water 1/2 c. white wine
3 T. lemon juice or whatever you can squeeze out of a lemon
1/2 t fresh ground pepper
2 packages tortellini (you could really use one if you were going low budget)
1 can of white beans (rinsed and drained)
6 oz of spinach ( chopped a bit)

Put all the liquid ingredients together and bring to a boil. Add pepper and tortellini and cook for 8 min. Add white beans and spinach and heat through. Done. Well, you could add some fresh parsley or feta on top if you wanted.

Serve with

Baked Pita Cut pitas into wedges. Paint with some EVOO and sprinkle with garlic and onion powder and salt and some red pepper. I subbed some Turkish seasoning that I had laying around and they were really good. They go nice with the soup.

My bro's Pizza and shrimp po boy

White Pizza

Ingredients:

Bread dough recipe (used bread machine to make fresh pizza dough)

2.5T Olive oil (used what I needed, didn’t measure)

2T cornstarch (I’d cut this in half if you like less sauce)

2C milk (used whole milk, I’d cut this in half if you like less sauce)

1 t salt (used sea salt grinder)

1 t pepper (used fresh pepper grinder)

3 cloves garlic, minced (store bought minced garlic)

1T white wine, optional (didn’t use, didn’t have, it’s on the grocery list)

1 t onion powder (used chopped dried onion pieces vs powder, powder is too salty for us)

1 t oregano (also used Basil, Rosemary, and Thyme)

2T Parmesan cheese (used grated, I’d cut this in half if you like less sauce)

1C shredded mozzarella (used what I needed, didn’t measure)

1C shredded provolone (used Italian cheese combo, didn’t measure)

(artichoke hearts full size, cut into quarters)

(canned mushrooms pieces)

(roasted red peppers)

In parens is what I used or recommend.

Pam spray cookie sheet. Roll dough on flat surface using plenty of flour. Transfer to cookie sheet. Then pinch edges of dough to build wall around the pizza, makes it look more professional.

In medium saucepan sauté garlic until soft (until it gets warm). Blend in cornstarch and all spices (I had them cornstarch and all spices together ready to be added), mix and have ready the last 3 ingredients, you don’t want this to burn. Gradually add milk, wine (optional) and Parmesan and heat to a boil. Making sure to stir constantly (I used a whish), cook for about 2 minutes. Put to the side and let cool.

Brush dough with olive oil, I like a crisp crust, so I cooked the crust about 8 minutes or so at 425, you don’t have to, depends on preference. I prep’d sauce while my crust was getting crisp. Added a little more olive oil after I took the crust out. I put the sauce on the crust. I sprinkled the cheese on lightly. This first time through the recipe I used the full sauce but we like it less saucey, so I’d cut the cornstarch, milk, and parm cheese in half. Then I added mushrooms, red peppers and artichoke hearts. Sprinkled a little more cheese on top. Finally sprinkled some pizza seasoning on top, you could add parm, pepper or whatever you like to add flavor. Cooked 425 for additional 8-10 minutes until cheese is melted.

Tasted really good. My three boys are more traditional, so you’ll see the pic for ½ cheese and ½ pepperoni, using traditional red sauce, this one I didn’t cook the crust first, so it is more doughly, just depends on your taste.

super taqueria part dos

So after our mushroom drilling we hopped on over to Super Taqueria on Roxboro Road. Some good inexpensive Mexican around the corner. A tamale and a coke, and the cheese empanada were delicious. Definitely get the coke in the bottle, a flashback pleasure. The agua frescas are good also. They are a fruit flavored drink. Good for if you pick the wrong salsa (too hot) from the great salsa bar. If you still have not ventured out to your local taco place, you should really give it a try. Carpe Durham has reviewed a ton if you are looking for another review.

drilling for mushrooms

Mushrooms logs. I am talking about actually growing your own mushrooms in your backyard. Now, I am not much of a green thumb but I figure moist shadey areas I could handle so I signed up for a class. Bountiful Backyards in Durham had a workshop today where you could get 3 logs of different mushrooms. Hey, with the economy, I might have to eat what I can grow in the yard, right. Plus we used drills and mallets and hot beeswax. Bonus. We drilled holes in the log and hammered in these little dowel like things and then brushed melted beeswax over them. I have to wait a while till they grow but I can't wait. I will keep you posted on the progress.

Pumpkin seed cheddar bread, oh, yes!

Just had to give a shout out to my favorite bakery in Durham Guglhupf (and no I could not tell you how to pronounce it). They were having their 10th anniversary on Friday so I skillfully arrived on Thursday since I knew it was Pumpkin seed cheddar day. I like eating lunch there but I really love the bread at the bakery next door. I also bought a loaf of the whole grain for the freezer (the pumpkin cheddar will not last long enough to freeze), two oatmeal cookies, a ham and cheese croissant, and a spinach and feta croissant.

I threw up a picture of the veggie burger, with pea shoots and mushrooms that I served on the Pumpkin cheddar.

Chicken and Dumplings - for my dad

I traveled up to the DC area this past weekend and cooked up a storm. I did not take any photos, sorry. I seem to be on a comfort food tear since the comfort food potluck I went to on election night. This recipe turned out great and my dad loved it. It is pretty easy and you can throw in whatever leftovers you have around.

Chicken and Dumplings

1 c + 1 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 lb of chicken (you can used boneless or already cooked chicken)
2 tsp vegetable oil
4 scallions minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion chopped
1 carrot minced
optional: potato (cooked and in chunks), broccoli etc
1 can reduced sodium chicken broth
1 c. or more of water
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (I almost never have this, but if you have any other fresh herbs just throw in a tsp or so)
1/2 tsp dried sage
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 baking soda
2/3 c low-fat buttermilk

1. On a plate, combine 1 Tbsp of the flour, 1/4 tsp of the salt, and the pepper. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, shaking off the excess. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil until hot but not smoking over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate. NOTE: I usually have already cooked chicken.

2. Add the scallions, garlic, onion, carrot (and optional other veggies) to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the broth, 1 c. water, the parsley, and sage. Return the chicken to the pan and bring to a boil.

3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the remaining 1 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda, and remaining 1/4 tsp salt. Add the buttermilk and stir to just combine. Drop the mixture by tablespoonfulls onto the boiling chicken mixture to make 8 dumplings. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook until the chicken and dumplings are cooked through, about 10 minutes longer. Spoon the chicken mixture and dumplings into 4 bowls

eati some ziti

Looking for that one pot dinner. This is a great one that only needs a fresh baguette as a side (well maybe some parm too). I am bringing it to the comfort food election night pot luck. I think the recipe originated on America's Best Test Kitchen. Here goes:


Ziti (in a single pot)

Olive oil
4 cloves garlic
1 package of mushrooms sliced (optional, or spinach or meatballs or just plain)
pinch of red pepper flakes
28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
water to fill 28 oz can (about 3 1/2 c.)
12 oz ziti ( I like to get the real ziti pasta for this one, not subbing penne or anything)
1 t salt
1/4 t pepper or more
pinch of sugar
1/2 c. fresh basil chopped or 1 T dried basil
1/2 c. half and half (yeah, this helps a lot)

2 c. shredded moz

NOTE: Oven proof skillet needed if you want to keep it to one pot. If you don't have one then just transfer the ziti for the last step.

1. Preheat to 450
2. Saute garlic, and optional mushrooms in olive oil until tender. Add red pepper.
3. Add crushed tomatoes, water, salt, pepper and sugar. Stir, then add ziti. Cover and lower heat. Cook for 10-12 minutes stirring occasionally until pasta is done.
4. Add basil and half and half. Sprinkle all the cheese on top and put it in the oven for about 10 minutes till bubbly. Sauce will thicken up.

Enjoy!

what's in the refrigerator? - fried rice baby!

An old college favorite popped up when I had some left over brown rice in the fridge. I added onion, zucchini, garlic, some dehydrated mushrooms (hydrated), can o corn, carrots, and some fresh green beans. I added an egg, soy sauce, a bit of rice vinegar, some ground ginger, and fresh ground pepper. I posted the picture without the rice. It's better looking.

how to make a better corn tortilla

Ok, well, I am not sure I really have that answer but with two cutting boards some saran wrap and a really bad day at work, you too can make your own corn tortillas. First get yourself a 5 lb bag of corn tortilla mix. It's only a couple of bucks; you just add water and it seems to last forever. Just roll them into balls and smash them into thin pancakes and cook them on a cast iron pan for about a minute each side. Well, to be honest, I really need a tortilla press. My SO seems to really like them though. On to the filling -----

Cuban Black Beans

1 onion chopped
1 bell pepper chopped (red or green)
1 clove of garlic minced
1 can of black beans (not drained)
1 teaspoon of white vinegar
1 bay leaf (don't use 10 year old ones OK, use penzeys)

Saute onion, pepper, garlic until soft. Add beans and vinegar and bay leaf. Simmer for 30 minutes.

I also made some roasted sweet potatoes (orange and white). I throw them in a zip lock with some extra virgin olive oil, some steak seasoning and cumin.

Hey, it's a meal right.

I voted, did you?

Baaaccccoooonnnnn!

So I picked up some local bacon at the Durham farmer's market on Saturday and then Sunday I had to make a BLT. The bread was rosemary from Weaver Street Market in Carborro with farmer's market lettuce and tomato. I just have to tell you that it was very good. I even sauted some onion in the leftover bacon grease. I recommend eating some local bacon today!

one from my brother, with cheese please

sausage, potato, vegetable skillet

Dice sausage, potato, red pepper, add corn or any other vegetable, set aside.

Olive oil

Garlic

Onion

Warm up sauce.

Add any spices you like, I like combining the ones I like

Add diced mixture to sauce to cook.

Once everything is cooked to your liking, turn off heat and add some cheese.

Put on tortillas if you like.

Enjoy.

This has to please 3 little boys and his wife so it must be a crowd pleaser.

soup's on - Minestrone

I may be peaking a little early with all these soups but it was my off Friday. This particular Minestrone has sun-dried tomato (NOT oil packed). I did skip the ham for the vegetarian in my life, but bacon would have been better, right. I have since been studying a Cook's magazine that has the "perfect" Minestrone. It uses a Parmesan cheese rind to help the stock which I usually have and will try next time. Here is what I did. As usual it is a bit of a combo of two recipes.

Minestrone

1/2 c. sun dried tomato
2 c. boiling water
3 c. onions, chopped (small but not tiny)
1 1/2 c. carrots, chopped
1 1/2 c. celery, chopped
4 garlic cloves
1 can diced tomatoes with liquid(I like petite cut)
1 can cannelilli beans (Cook's has a great list of whose are best)
1 zucchini cut long ways and sliced (this is a nice big cut instead of dicing)
1/4 c. sliced basil and or flat leafed parsley
1 t. salt
3/4 t. pepper
pasta of you choice or not
1/4 c. finely grated parm

Rehydrate the tomatoes (about 30 min.) and keep the liquid. Saute the onions, garlic, carrots, celery and julienne cut sun dried tomatoes until tender (5 min). Add liquid from hydrating the tomatoes, 6 c. of water, and can of tomatoes. Boil mixture, then cover reduce heat and simmer for 1/2 hour or so. Add zucchini and beans and heat for 5 min. Stir in basil and parsley, salt and pepper. Adjust the salt to taste. A critical item for every soup. Top soup with parm.

make your own instant soup - Ginger Matchstick

I came upon a recipe in a Kraft magazine and have been changing up this recipe for years. This time vegetarian - the original has chicken in it. Of course, it requires many matchstick cuts (julienne for the culinary crowd, ha). Here is the gist of what I did:

Ginger Matchstick Soup

2 c. matchstick cut carrots, green onions, bell pepper
1 c. mushrooms sliced thin
4 t. minced ginger root (I grate it)
4 c. vegetarian broth (still trying to find a decent one, might have to go back to chicken)
1/2 c. orzo (I did not have the minute rice)

After you have perfected your matchstick cuts, boil the vegetarian broth, add the orzo and cook it to the directions. Add 1/4 of the vegetables and 1/4 of the ginger to each of 4 bowls. Pour 1 c. of broth mixture (boiling) into soup bowls and then cover and let sit for 5 minutes. (kink of like tea). Then serve.

Alternatively (and if you want to take leftovers to work), bring two containers. One with the veggies and ginger and one with the broth. When you are ready to eat it combine the two and microwave for about 2 minutes. Let stand for another minute and then serve.

bok choy - bok joy

So even on a Monday I mustered up some Tofu and Ginger Sesame Bok Choy. Grating the ginger and garlic and having all that bok choy sliced when my other half arrived home was great. Not quite enough time for the two hour marinade for the tofu (sesame seeds and oil, ginger, garlic, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and soy sauce) pureed with my favorite stick blender. I found it quite good and I am not a great fan of the tofu. The sauteed bok choy was yummy. Only a little green onion added in. Very nice Monday night dinner.

dinner on an island - low country goodness

This past weekend we were lucky enough to enjoy dinner on an island in Trenchard's Inlet, SC near Beaufort, SC. Amazing is all I can say. We took a short boat ride over to the island all packed up for camping overnight. (I really tried not to overpack, really). We had picked up some fresh flounder and there was some sun-dried tomato aspargus risotto that was already made. It was perfect with the fish which was marinated in some foil. Talk about good friends, we barely had to lift a finger. Carried a little firewood is all. We had the island to oursleves overnight and had a perfect sunset. With the fire stoked and some cold beer, it was pure happiness.

Toast - always good! plus dinner news

Scootered over to Toast for lunch today. I called in the order so it was ready when I picked it up. I got the soppressata, fontina, arugula panini and the soup which was pork, white bean, and kale. I love their homemade soups. It tastes so much better without all that salt. The other soup was butternut squash which I hope they have the next time. Toast is great. I love it.

By the way, I have been cooking, just not writing and taking pictures of cooking. Last night we had the left overs of my Moroccan cous cous with chick peas, onion, a bit of red pepper and raisins. Seasoned with a tablespoon and a half of cumin. I made grilled eggplant and zucchini to go with it. (Ya, shoulda seen the grill marks) I salt and pepper them and then do a lemon vinaigrette marinade that my other half goes crazy over. It is extra virgin olive oil, 2T fresh lemon, 2t zest of lemon, basil (fresh if you got it) and salt and pepper. After grilling, soak it in the lemon sauce, and it comes out very tasty. I also tried my hand at making tortillas (corn) again. They are not bad, but I think I need a tortilla press. If anyone has any good secrets on how to make them, I would love to know.

Only Burger - Eating from a Truck

So I had to chase down the Only Burger Truck at lunch today. You can follow it on Twitter. Fortunately, it was at the corner of Guess and Carver near a favorite shopping place of mine Medical Supply Superstore (don't ask). Now let me start out by saying that this is no pork sandwich dipped in an ashtray from a gas station. This truck looks like it was purchased yesterday. I ordered the single with everything (cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion (red), pickles, ketchup and mustard), fries and a diet coke. The total was about $7. I had to wait a bit since it is grilled to order so I stood on the corner grassy areas with three Dudes in khaki pants. On occasion, one of the two guys inside of the truck would yell out burger burger. I did really want to tell him that it is cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger, pepsi, pepsi, pepsi, no coke. But alas I did not. Ok, down to it. The burger and fries were in nice clean white bags with napkins and extra ketchup for the fries. The fries were very good. Not beef tallow old school oil good but, handcut with the skins on thin fries good. Good amount, also. The burger itself was very good. They advertise that the buns are grilled with butter to crisp them up and it worked. The single with fries was just right for me, but they do have the double if you are really hungry. Overall, a very satisfying burger truck experience.

Rockwood Filling Station - High Octane?

Some friends and I went to Rockwood Filling Station on Thursday night for dinner, drinks and yes, dessert. The Duck Rabbit Porter was a popular choice of beverage for those looking to clear their palate of an annoying work week. Two pizzas were ordered. I wanted to see about the meatballs (something about duck in them) so I threw them on the pizza. The pizza was good, but out of Pop's Backdoor, Broad Street Cafe, and Rockwood Filling Station, I have to say Pop's is by far the best. The crust on this pizza was a bit soggy and the meatballs a bit dry. I would still go back to see if I just hit a bad day. Two people at our table ordered the mushroom sandwich, but were not singing its praises. It was good, but not out of this world or anything. The ice cream, however, was great. I was trying to steal the homemade pizzelle of my better half's bowl. It was rainy that night so the windows of the "filling station garage" were down so it was not the greatest atmosphere. But that could have been the screaming children also. And last but not least the waiter was delightful with a great italian accent. Yum! Thanks to the gang for going out on a school night!

snacks before the Country Jam at Broad Street

So I did get to scooter home with a baguette from Rue Cler in my backpack. Made fresh daily, they are great!


Then I made some snacks for a Baltimore friend in town with my farmer's market goodies - yellow tomato, cucumber and some herb crusted goat cheese, YUM!

We went to Broad Street Cafe and enjoyed a crowd of at least 10 people on stage jamming with harmonicas to banjos to stand up base. Nice.

super taqueria - hit the spot

After hitting Golden Belt Friday for the Cartography exhibit and eating a light dinner (Bacon at Elmo's), we hit Super Taquiria on Roxboro Road on Saturday for lunch for the first time. A bit late on going there. I did try to study up on the names of things so I didn't order brains (http://www.newsobserver.com/105/story/587448.html). I ordered tacos pastor (pork) and was looking for hongas (mushrooms). The food it was good (not quite super good). One of the green salsas was burning my lips but I am a light weight for sure. Some Horchata (Mexcian Rice Milk drink) cooled it right down, thanks to some help from my better half. I will continue to try some other taquerias to see how they are.

Good Even Without the Dinge, Broad Street Cafe

Picked up a quick dinner at Broad Street Cafe last night after volunteering at Centerfest. The grill was closed (?) but they had pizzas, salads and fries. We munched down those fries pretty fast and were pleasantly surprised to find some jazz on stage as sort of a come up and join the band kind of thing. The sausage and mushroom pizza was great (the Mediterranean was good too). I still like pop's backdoor the best (the mushrooms are outstanding), but... The beer was tasty, but no list of what was on tap (?). As a throw back, the tables were still pretty sticky.

Introduction

Delicious Food is sooooo good. I want to share.