Slow Cooker Cola BBQ Pulled Pork

At Christmastime, Emily decided to organize my pantry. Heaven knows, I wasn't going to stand in the way of someone else working to make the kitchen be more efficiently arranged, so I happily let her work her magic. The upside is I got a cleaned out pantry, the downside is I had to listen to some good natured ribbing over duplications and expired foods that just happened to be hiding away in that pantry, among all the staples I use on a regular basis. So yes, there might have been a big trash bag full of stuff that wound up being thrown away, making way for cleaner, neater shelves. You know what I'm finding? If you cook at all, boxes, cans, and bottles of stuff can mount up pretty quickly - even when you're cooking for a guy who likes the same set menus week after week.  Since the extreme makeover, however, I've tried to use up what I already have before buying duplicates.

Today, I dug around in my pantry for a bottle of BBQ sauce I was given in a Yelp swag bag full of freebies. The sauce was poured over pulled pork, giving a very tasty dinner (with leftovers for a future repeat) and the satisfaction of not letting something in my pantry get shoved to the back of the shelves where it goes unnoticed until the expiration date is long passed. Emily would be proud.

Slow Cooker Cola BBQ Pulled Pork
from Tastykitchen.com

This recipe couldn't get much simpler and the final product was tender and very tasty. If I knew how to take meat pictures that didn't look completely gross, I would've included a photo. Maybe next time I won't be in a hurry to get to KidsJam and can take time to try setting up a shot with the meat in a bun.

Ingredients:
2 pounds boneless pork ribs
10 dashes of salt and pepper to taste (I found this an odd directive. Ten dashes???? What is a dash? And wouldn't ten of them probably equal an easier measurement, like say a teaspoon???)
12  oz. fluid can of coke, NOT diet
1 bottle (18 oz) of your favorite BBQ sauce, amount to taste

Directions:
1. Cut the pork ribs into pieces, using the pre-cut slices as a guide.
2. Brown the pork rib pieces.
2. Place in a slow cooker and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Pour can of coke in the slow cooker, cover, and cook for 6-8 hours on low.
4. Remove the meat and allow to cool enough to handle.
5. Shred the meat into bit sized pieces (mine shredded into strings, rather than bite size pieces)
6. Discard coke from the slow cooker and return the meat.
7. Cover with BBQ sauce to your desired taste. Some people like the meat dryer, others dripping wiht BBQ sauce. I happen to be a dripping type girl.
8. Heat through and serve on your favorite sandwich buns.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread with Apple and Havarti Sandwiches

The last couple of times Emily has come to town, I've made sure to have the ingredients for these sandwiches on hand. Do I know that she would like them? Nope...but if I were vegetarian, I'd consider one of these sandwiches something good to have while others are chowing down on more meaty lunches. As for Emily, each time she's here, we wind up doing other things for meals so she's  never actually eaten one of the sandwiches. I doubt my daughter is losing sleep over this omission from her diet but, every time I come across the recipe, I want to try the combination of ingredients listed.

Monday night I decided to make these for my small group. They were quickly gobbled up - not hard to do when you cut a small piece of bread into very teeny quarter pieces! Good thing my guests were hungry because I found the taste addicting enough that I would've probably eaten every one of those teeny tiny quarters by myself.

The apple is a nice crunch against the cheese. Today, I decided to experiment with cheddar cheese in place of the havarti. This created a slightly sharper taste than the milder havarti variety.  Both were great but I think I prefer the cheddar. I like both versions enough that I might just have to make sure Emily finally gets her own sandwich the next time she comes to Parkville.


Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
8 slices cinnamon raisin bread
4 slices Havarti cheese
1 large Granny Smith apple, cored and thinly sliced

Directions:
1. Toast 4 slices of bread in a toaster. (This was not on the original recipe but I wanted my bread a bit firmer.  Or you could butter the bread and toast it like a grilled cheese sandwich. I might try this, in the future. And, who knows?...maybe I'll even eat the bread completely non-toasted and see how that tastes.)
2. Spread a thin layer of cream cheese on each slice of the bread.
3. Top the cream cheese with a slice of Havarti cheese, then a thin layer of apple slices. Place the remaining slices of bread on top to form 4 sandwiches.
4. Using 2 diagonal cuts, divide each sandwich into 4 triangles.

Lemon Blueberry Loaf

I made this a few nights ago but am still wondering if it's considered a cake or a loaf. On the Smitten Kitchen site, Deb refers to hers both ways so how is a girl to know which way to label what looks like a loaf but tastes like a cake? Maybe it's actually a LAKE!

Even with giant fresh blueberries liberally interspersed within the batter, what came through most predominantly on this cake was the taste of lemon. Now, I love lemon as much as the next hungry lake eater, but maybe a bit of subtlety is a good thing when you're dealing with the tartness of said fruit. Next time, I'll go a little lighter on the lemon, with maybe a slightly bigger dose of vanilla.

One more note - make sure the cake is done through as it is very moist. I actually ended up baking mine a few minutes longer and then wondered if it was "wetter" because I forgot the extra tablespoon of flour that was supposed to be mixed with those great big blueberries.

Lemon-Blueberry Yogurt Loaf
From Smitten Kitchen and Adapted loosely from Ina Garten

1 1/2 cups (190 grams) + 1 tablespoon (10 grams) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (230 grams) plain whole-milk yogurt
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon (215 grams) sugar
3 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (approximately 2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup (120 ml) vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups (about 255 grams) blueberries, fresh or frozen, (frozen do not need to be thawed)
1/3 cup (80 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.

Sift together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, vanilla and oil. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix the blueberries with the remaining tablespoon of flour, and fold them very gently into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 (+) minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before flipping out onto a cooling rack. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in (a pastry brush works great for this, as does using a toothpick to make tiny holes that draw the syrup in better). Cool.

Rich Ricotta Cheese

Not a good picture but these bruschettas were sooo good. One of my Monday night ladies remarked that they couldn't stop eating them. Me neither. 

Ask me what I did yesterday...please. "Oh, you know, the usual - made beds, grocery shopped, dropped off stuff for the cleaners, made cheese." MADE CHEESE!!!! I feel like it wouldn't be too much more amazing if I claimed I'd made a tree. Except a tree wouldn't have tasted as good.

I don't like cheesecake at all and, for years, I wouldn't eat anything remotely resembling the texture and taste of this popular with everyone else dessert. Then I realized I love ricotta cheese, in spite of the fact that it can have the same texture as the previously loathed cheesecake. Don't ask me to explain how this works, just know that I could eat ricotta straight out of the container.

After reading something on this blog about my love affair with ricotta, Emily reminded me that Smitten Kitchen has a recipe for making your own cheese. And that's how I came to yesterday and my very first attempt to whip up some homemade ricotta.

It seems like you'd have to go through a way more difficult and arduous process to make cheese but this recipe couldn't be simpler, in terms of ingredients and directions. Really, the only "tricky" part is making sure you have cheese cloth on hand, as well as plenty of time to wait on the process of cheesing to occur.

Emily promised that the homemade version of ricotta would be way better than anything you buy in a store and she was right. I used mine to make some bruschetta appetizers for my Monday night ladies group but I did set some aside to use as Deb suggests - spread on bread with honey.

So, bottom line, this recipe is simple and simply amazing.

Rich Ricotta Cheese
From Smitten Kitchen
Makes about 1 generous cup of ricotta

Ingredients:
3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:
Pour the milk, cream and salt into a 3-quart nonreactive saucepan. Attach a candy or deep-fry thermometer. Heat the milk to 190°F, stirring it occasionally to keep it from scorching on the bottom. Turn off the heat [Updated] Remove from heat and add the lemon juice, then stir it once or twice, gently and slowly. Let the pot sit undisturbed for 5 minutes.

Line a colander with a few layers of cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl (to catch the whey). Pour the curds and whey into the colander and let the curds strain for at least an hour. At an hour, you’ll have a tender, spreadable ricotta. At two hours, it will be spreadable but a bit firmer, almost like cream cheese. (It will firm as it cools, so do not judge its final texture by what you have in your cheesecloth.) Discard the whey, or, if you’re one of those crafty people who use it for other things, of course, save it. Eat the ricotta right away or transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Serve: On 1/2-inch slices of baguette that have been run under the broiler until lightly bronzed. Serve it simply with honey and a pinch of flaky sea salt, a couple grinds of black pepper, pinch of salt and drizzle of olive oil, and/or a few droplets of an aged balsamic.

HOW I SERVED MINE  - TOMATO RICOTTA BRUSCHETTA
From Simple Healthy Kitchen
Ingredients
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 cup ricotta cheese
¼ cup finely chopped spinach leaves
2 Tablespoons finely chopped basil leaves
1 Tablespoon finely chopped chives
1 baguette French bread or similar artisan country bread, cut in ½ inch thick slices (8-10 slices)
2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
1-2 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Cut cherry tomatoes in half. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
In a small mixing bowl combine ricotta cheese, spinach, basil and chives. Stir to combine thoroughly. Set aside.
Toast bread, in a toaster or under the broiler in the oven ( or on the grill if you like), until golden brown. Rub toast vigorously with whole raw garlic clove. The rough surface of the bread helps shave the garlic clove. (approx. 2-3 strokes per slice of bread, add more or less to taste). Drizzle or brush top side of toast with olive oil.
Assemble bruschetta by layering each piece of toast with ricotta mixture, and sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and garnish with snipped chives and chopped basil.

Dutch Apple Pie

I meant it to be rustic...really I did! 

Before I get started, let's take a moment and notice that I now have more entries for 2018 than I had for all of 2017. And it's only February.

I would love to be a great baker, continually whipping up cakes, pies, and pastries that awe my family and friends but, in reality, it's starting to be very apparent that my gifts just don't include the ability to use an oven. Sure, I can manage the easy recipes but, when things get a bit more tricky, I'm inevitably going to wind up with a finished product that isn't what I'd hoped for, in terms of taste or appearance, or both. Even knowing this fact deep inside my gut, I persist in delusions of somehow coming up with new techniques and talents that enable me to conquer my oven.

Well, that was depressing! It sounds worse in print - in reality, I'm ok finding the recipes I can successfully create and letting the others go by the wayside. Except when I get a hankering to try something out of my usual repertoire, like this dutch apple pie.

Emily has her own fabulous apple pie, which I've made, under her careful tutelage, but this recipe is a slightly different take on that pie. I've been looking at the Smitten Kitchen site picture of that lovely latticed top and thinking I needed to make my own woven crust. Why not up my game and create a new, prettier top.

Yea...so I started with all kinds of high hopes involving making a gorgeous photo-shoot worthy pie. The ingredients for the crust actually came together better than they usually do, so that was a great start. Once the dough ball was chilling, I could concentrate on the insides of my pie. Peeling, coring and cutting up apples was the most time-consuming part of this recipe, but also one of the more fun parts. Nothing makes me happier than having a legitimate reason to use a kitchen gadget such as my decades old apple peeler machine.  It's so satisfying to watch ribbons of peel pile up on the counter top, while the apples wind through the corer. Sure makes short work of what would, otherwise, be a long and tedious task.

Once my apples were tossed with the other ingredients, I felt like things were going pretty well on this pie. I may even have gotten a bit cocky; at least until the dough had to be cut and rolled out. The bottom crust was pretty straightforward but really, how does Deb get her strips so perfect for the sides of the spring form pan? Pictures show hers to be just the right width and beautifully placed along the sides of the pan.  Mine, not so much! By the time I'd pieced and pinched my different width and length side "panels" it became apparent that this pie was going to be far more "rustic" than Deb's - and by rustic I mean, sloppy and not pretty to look at.

Now we get to the top lattice. Wow. I don't know how Deb manages to actually weave her crust pieces because mine kept breaking the minute I'd lift them up. I finally gave up on weaving, deciding to, instead, simply lay one direction on top of the other.  Not pretty but it got the job done.

My finished pie seemed short on the bubbling juices Deb described but when I looked at her photos, it does appear that her pie was also on the less juicy side. Perhaps this is how Dutch Apple pies are supposed to present? Warmed up with whipped cream, the pie was yummy, even though it looked way less than perfect.

Dutch Apple Pie
Smitten Kitchen

CRUST
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon coarse or kosher salt
2 1/3 cups (300 grams) flour
14 tablespoons (200 grams) butter, diced, no need to soften
1 large egg
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
2 tablespoons (30 ml) cold water
FILLING AND FINISH
3 1/3 pounds (1500 grams or about 5 large apples) peeled, cored and sliced
1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
About 1/2 cup (70 grams) raisins
4 tablespoons plain breadcrumbs (I used panko)
1 large egg, beaten, to finish

DIRECTIONS
Make your dough: In the bottom of a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Add the diced butter and using a pastry blender or your fingertips, work the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal, with the largest pieces the size of small peas. Add the egg, vanilla, and water, and if using a pastry blender, use that to work them into the butter-flour mixture, or if not, use a fork to work it in. Reach hands into bowl and lightly knead the mixture together into a single mass. Transfer to a piece of parchment or waxed paper or plastic wrap, and wrap it tightly. Chill in fridge until firm, at least 60 minutes.
At some point during this hour, make the filling: Combine apples, lemon, cinnamon, sugar and raisins in a large bowl and toss to combine.

Assemble crust: Coat a 9- to 9 1/2-inch (24 cm) diameter springform pan lightly with butter or nonstick cooking spray. Remove chilled dough from fridge and cut it roughly into thirds. On a well-floured counter, roll the first third to a circle the diameter your pan and fit it into the bottom. Roll out the second third of the dough and cut it into strips the height of your springform pan (usually 3 inches). Patch them up the inner sides of the springform. Use your fingertips to press and seal the sides and base together. If any holes form or there are spots you’re worried aren’t sealed well, patch in another pinch of dough.

Heat your oven: To 350°F (175°C).

Assemble pie: Sprinkle the bottom of the pie crust with breadcrumbs. Pour the apple-raisin mixture on top. Roll the last third of the dough into a large round and cut into thin strips. (Mine were about 1/2-inch wide.) Space them in a lattice pattern over the filling, either by arranging half in one direction and the second half in the other direction on top, or by getting cute and weaving them together. (Here is an ancient set of directions from me.) Trim the overhang so that the latticed top meets the walls of the crust, and press/pinch them together to seal it. Brush beaten egg over top crust.

Bake: For 60 to 70 minutes, until you can see filling bubbling slightly up between the latticed strips (use this to determine doneness, and the baking time as just an estimate), and crust is a deep golden brown. Let cool in springform on rack for 45 minutes or so before running a knife around the outside of the crust to ensure it isn’t sticking to the pan in any place, and opening the ring to serve it with an abundance of softly whipped, barely sweetened cream.

Bacon Pinto Beans with Jalapeno-Onion Relish and Avocado

Sometimes when you first look at a Smitten Kitchen recipe it seems daunting because there are so many WORDS to read and follow. Deb definitely doesn't do that bullet point version for her creations so when you look at two to three pages of small font writing, your mind begins to assume that surely the recipe is going to take hours and hours to get right. And sometimes that might be true, but often it is not. Even for longer process dishes, the steps wind up being easier than it first appears. I admit it: when I first looked at this recipe, I felt like I might need to study it for a week or so first, just to get through all the wordiness of figuring out how to make what turned out to be a very straight-forward dish.

It actually turned out to be a fun recipe. I knew I only wanted a portion big enough for me to eat and then maybe eat once again, in the form of left-overs. While my inclination, in this case, would normally be to carefully and precisely halve ingredients, this seemed like the kind of dish where you could start just eyeballing how much you wanted of a particular component. Trust me, these are not words I often utter, but today approximating and tweaking seemed the way to go.

Right off the bat, I get points for using the beans Emily gave me some time back. Little by little, I'm going through the bags, finding ways I want to enjoy the different kinds of beans. Some, I've just cooked up in the most basic way, according to recipes from the company where they are sent out. Others wind up in recipes like this one. The beans today were not "full-grown" pintos, but something resembling a little sister to the bigger variety. They worked well in this recipe.

I have lots of favorite parts of making this dish. Believe it or not, I've never made my own tortilla chips so that was something novel and downright fun. While other parts of the recipe were being put together, I had a hard time stopping myself from eating all those tortilla chips, mostly because I was so tickled to have created something that tasted just like what I'd get in a Mexican restaurant. And how easy is this process of oiling tortillas, cutting them up, sticking them on a sheet,  and baking them?????

Another thing to love about this recipe is the relish. Oh.my.goodness. So much flavor in so few ingredients! That combination of onion, cilantro and lime is pretty amazing.

Now let's talk about the "disappointments" - the tomatoes I had on hand were winter smushy so I had to cut around the bad texture, leaving very little left to put on the plate. I'm not a huge tomato fan so the lack of this ingredient didn't shake my world but it did, however, make the dish a little less colorful. Which counts if you're going to photograph your food. And on another note regarding individual components of my lunch, I actually bought Mexican crema - and then forgot to use it. Again, I don't even usually put sour cream on anything but...the pictures!!! Deb's version has that pleasing mound of white, mine doesn't. Oh the shame.

Even with mushy tomatoes and forgotten crema, I love this plate of pleasing things put together. I started out plating it like the picture in my cookbook, with each part of the dish carefully and separately placed. So each bite became one of those fun exercises of loading up a spoon with all the individual components to create a perfect taste for each spoonful. As more of the dish was consumed, (and a few extra helpings were added), I went more toward the mixed in, messy version of the dish. Like when you go to those fast-food places where they put all the stuff you want in a bowl...well, this was kind of the same deal, except on a plate. I'm here to tell you that you can definitely throw all the individual components of relish, avocado, bacon, chips and beans together and come up with  a great meal.

I loved the simple, cleanness of this dish but you could add cheeses and even salsas to create a different flavor profile. Just don't do anything to mask the tang of that lovely relish!

Bacon Pinto Beans with Jalapeno-Onion Relish and Avocado
Smitten Kitchen

INGREDIENTS 
For the beans:
1 pound dried pinto beans (pink beans) or four 15-ounce cans cooked pinto beans
1/4 pound bacon, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons chili powder (the spice blend)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or shakes of your favorite hot sauce or chipotle purée to taste
2 teaspoons coarse sea or kosher salt (for lightly salted broth; use more for unsalted broth, and less for salted or canned beans)
4 cups vegetable broth (for dried beans) plus 1 cup water (if beans weren’t presoaked), or 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth (for precooked/canned beans)
For the fixings:
soft corn tortillas for tortilla chips (estimate 2 tortillas per person)
fine salt, to taste
1/2 medium-large white onion, minced
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon olive oil
juice of half a lime, plus more lime wedges
1 large avocado, diced or sliced
1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
sour cream, Mexican crema, or plain yogurt
hot sauce

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Soak the dried beans, if using. Do you have to soak beans before you cook them? No, nope. But it will save a lot of cooking time, making this more of a 1-hour weeknight meal. So, if you can plan ahead, soak the pintos in an ample amount of water at room temperature for 24 hours. Don’t have 24 hours? I soaked mine for 3. Using canned beans? Skip this step entirely. (I soaked mine overnight)

2. Prepare your beans. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Put the bacon in a large ovenproof pot or Dutch oven or a deep sauté pan, and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the bacon is brown and crisp and the fat has rendered out, 5 to 7 minutes. Scoop the bacon bits onto paper towels to drain, spooning off all but 2 tablespoons bacon fat. Add the onion to the pan and cook (still over medium) until soft and lightly golden at the edges, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the tomato paste, spices, and cayenne or chipotle, and cook for 1 minute. Add the salt and the canned or drained soaked beans. Then, for precooked or canned beans, add 1 1/2 cups broth; for soaked dried beans, add 4 cups broth; for unsoaked dried beans, add 4 cups broth and 1 cup water to start.
3. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 1 full minute. Place a lid on the pot and transfer it carefully to the oven.

4. Bake your beans. Please keep in mind that cooking beans isn’t a perfect science, and the amount of liquid absorbed if the beans are presoaked, the age and freshness of the beans, and even the softness of beans from a can are all going to affect how much cooking time and liquid are needed. But these estimates are fairly solid in my experience. Bake already cooked or canned beans for 15 minutes; bake soaked dried beans for 45 minutes (estimate for 24 hours or longer soaking) to 75 minutes (estimate for 2 to 3 hours soaking); bake dried beans that have not been soaked for 1 hour 30 minutes, but after 50 minutes, start checking every 10 to 15 minutes to see if more liquid or cooking time will be needed.

5. The beans are done when they’re firm-tender and moist, with most of the liquid absorbed.

6. About 30 minutes before the beans are done, bake the chips Brush the tortillas lightly with oil. Stack them and cut into 8 wedges. Spread the wedges in one snug layer on a large baking sheet or two (because the beans are baking, you may need to do this in two batches). Season lightly with fine salt. Bake for 10 minutes, check for color, and then add more baking time as needed until they’re golden and crisp. Let them cool.

7. Make the relish. Combine the onion, jalapeño, and cilantro with the olive oil and lime juice. Season with salt to taste. This is easily tweaked with more of any of the three ingredients to your taste.
8. Beans are served right in their cooking pan. Chips and each fixing go in their own bowls. Everyone assembles their bowls to their taste, and everyone wins.

Can you tell I'm in love with the relish? 

Assembling a perfect bite 

And all mixed up, it's still a great lunch

Awesomely Simple Potatoes Au Gratin

Don't say I didn't warn you I've been in a Smitten Kitchen mood. At the beginning of each week, I note one or two recipes I'd like to try for that week. So far, I've mostly made my goals, though there are a few recipes I planned on making and haven't, as of yet.

I fall into that group of humans who love potatoes in pretty much any form. As a kid, I was even known to chomp on them raw, though I doubt that was very healthy and it sure doesn't seem appetizing. Cooked up, however, I'll take them fried, roasted, baked, mashed, and, most certainly, escalloped. Do they still call potatoes escalloped??? Because that's what I remember my mom labeling dishes just like this au gratin version. My aunt Els had a killer "scalloped potato recipe". I suspect if I dug it out right now and checked the ingredients, it would probably fall pretty close to the Smitten Kitchen potatoes I made for dinner last night.

I'm not a discerning critic for this recipe because..hello! Potatoes! How could I not love them and think they were fabulous and want a second helping and consider taking them to brown bag lunch today after Bible Study????? Even so, I did think Deb's recipe seemed less buttery/greasy than some other versions I've tried. I liked the way that less butteryness allowed the taste and texture of the potatoes themselves to shine. With the half and half, there was plenty of creamy moisture, while the cheese added that extra burst of flavor. For once, I paid attention to the amount of cheese suggested and, in spite of 2 ounces seeming like a pitifully small amount,  didn't add more. The result was a very balanced taste and, again, that welcome lack of shimmery greasiness that lots of cheese can sometimes produce.

 Awesomely Simple Potatoes Au Gratin
From Smitten Kitchen
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces, plus an additional pat for buttering gratin dish

4 large yellow potatoes* (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled (According to Deb Perelman, yukon golds work best because they don't get floury and fall apart as Russets tend to do.)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup milk, half-and-half or cream (if using something richer than milk, you can skip the butter)

2 ounces cheese, grated or crumbled (Parmesan or Gruyere are the classics, but that doesn’t mean that goat cheese, blue cheese or any of your favorites won’t work as well) I used Gruyere. In the last few minutes or so of cooking, I did throw less than 1/4 cup of grated cheddar, just to give the top a bit of color.

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9- by 12-inch gratin dish with the pat of butter.

Slice the potatoes as thinly as you can (a mandoline works great for this) and arrange them in a layer, overlapping the edges slightly like shingles. Sprinkle the potatoes with salt and freshly ground pepper (don’t be stingy — this is where the bulk of your flavor comes from) and a third of the cheese before repeating this process with your remaining potato slices. Depending on how thinly sliced your potatoes are, you should end up with approximately three layers, with a third of the cheese between each layer. Reserve the last third of your cheese for later.

Carefully pour the milk over the potatoes. It should come up to the bottom of the top layer of potatoes; add more if this was not enough. Dot the top of the gratin with the three tablespoons of butter and bake it for about an hour. (I did skip this step since I used half and half on my potatoes.)  Halfway through the baking time, take the gratin dish out of the oven and gently press the potatoes flat with a spatula to keep the top moist. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the gratin for the last 15 minutes of baking. The gratin is done when the potatoes are soft and the top is golden brown.

Garlic Bread

Lasagna is one of my go-to meals and I usually serve it with a salad and some sort of bread. Since I'm in a Smitten Kitchen mood, I decided to use Deb's recipe for garlic bread. OK, let's face it - a simple garlic bread isn't exactly rocket science and Deb's version isn't too far off the most basic of butter and garlic. Maybe one of the reasons I went for this recipe was a simple intrigue at what a best ever garlic bread should taste like, as opposed to a just plain old garlic bread! I do know that the store-bought version of garlic bread is usually over seasoned, oddly textured, and generally gross. So, Deb's would have to be a giant step up.

There's not much more to write because this recipe is so quick and "painless". Deb herself gives out the only cautionary word in making her garlic bread, when she warns about watching it closely to make sure the bread doesn't get overcooked and charred. Since the loaf only cooks for about 2-3 minutes, this isn't a hard task.

Was it the best garlic bread I ever tasted?  I don't know that I've ever really given great thought to the subtleties of good versus great garlic bread so I'm probably not a good judge. It was pretty garlicky, to the point that I'll put less in for the next go-round but, beyond that, it was the best garlic bread I've ever made - paired with the (according to Martin)  best lasagna recipe ever.


Best Ever Garlic Bread
from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 large (about 12 ounces), not-too-firm seeded baguette
8 tablespoons (115 grams or 4 ounces) unsalted or salted butter (if salted, skip the salt below), cut into chunks
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
Pinches of red pepper flakes, to taste
1/2 teaspoon coarse or kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (optional)
1/3 to 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan or aged pecorino cheese (optional)
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon minced chives (optional)

Heat your oven’s broiler. Line a large baking sheet with foil to limit the mess you make. Cut baguette lengthwise and arrange pieces cut side up in pan. Put butter, garlic, pepper flakes and salt in a small saucepan and melt over medium-high heat, stirring, until garlic is sizzling in the butter (but not browning). Remove from heat and stir in oregano, if using. Spoon evenly over bread. Sprinkle bread with parmesan, if using, and broil — keeping a close watch on it and turning it as needed for even coloring — for 2 to 3 minutes. Seriously, watch it like a hawk. Nothing’s sadder than under- or over-cooked garlic bread.

Remove from oven, sprinkle with parsley and chives, if using, and cut into segments. We keep extras in foil in the fridge and rewarm them in the oven, but you know it’s always best on the first day.

Apricot Pistachio Squares

When Amanda and Emily did their Kansas City edition of a Smitten Kitchen cooking weekend, I had no input on what foods would be cooked. I'm sure the two would've allowed me to pick a few recipes but I felt they should do their weekend just as they always do, without interference from a third wheel.  I just enjoyed watching how they run these cooking marathons, while trying to give out a little help in terms of keeping dishes cleaned up. And then giving lots of help in eating all the amazing dishes they created.

All that said, one of the recipes in Deb's new cookbook that I zeroed in on quickly is the apricot pistachio bars. I'm not the kind of culinary expert who can picture exactly how the melding of apricot and pistachio should taste, but I do know that I love me some pistachios. Apricots remind me of my tenure with the Dowdle family, as they had apricot trees in their backyard. This meant apricots for snacks and apricots in all kinds of recipes. I won't say I got sick of the fruit but it's safe to say that familiarity did breed some sort of contempt, in the form of taking the humble apricot for granted. But, even in all her creativity for hiding apricots in everything from oatmeal to meatloaf, Linda never came up with putting apricots and pistachios together.

Sometimes I still forget that Missouri isn't California and fruit doesn't grow on the trees year-round. When I asked my local produce man if he had any apricots, I could sense he was having to work at holding back outright laughing at the crazy lady in her heavy parka, wanting such an "exotic" fruit on a snowy, frigid day (month).

You know how you can get your heart set on cooking something? I wanted those squares to the point that I was willing to change out a few things to make it happen. My cooking consultant, Emily, approved the switch of apricots for peaches and pistachios for a combination of almonds and walnuts. Produce Guy told me the peaches had just come in that day and, based on the exorbitant price, I guess they must still be considered out of season.

The bars went together easily and just as Deb described. I have always noticed that Smitten Kitchen pastries and baked goods are less cloyingly sweet than most. This recipe follows that trend, producing a bar that gives you just the right subtle sweet taste.

Bad news/good news on this recipe. Good news is the bars taste great but bad news is I feel like I still have to make it again, with the proper ingredients. Sure peach is tasty but exactly how will the apricot, pistachio combo come out? As much as I am in love with pistachios, I won't rest until I have the opportunity to cook up an answer for this question.

Oh, and one more good news - as I was waiting for the bars to cook and cleaning up the mess I'd made, I came across a small mound of the peaches that eluded being cooked into the bars. Mostly without even thinking, I put those peaches in my mouth and then felt almost like crying at the sheer joy of eating a peach in the middle of winter. You know how it was that first time you saw Wizard of Oz and the screen suddenly burst into riotous, glorious color after a long beginning sequence of black and white? That's what eating the forgotten peaches felt like. I wouldn't care if we had to refinance the house to buy those peaches - breaking up the brutal cold of winter with that tiny taste of all things warm and summery was more than worth it.

Apricot Pistachio Squares
from Smitten Kitchen Every Day

Crust
1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (4 ounces or 115 grams) unsalted butter, cold is fine

Filling
3/4 cup (a scant 4 ounces or 110 grams) shelled unsalted pistachios
1 tablespoon (10 grams) all purpose flour
Few pinches of sea salt
6 tablespoons (75 grams) sugar
5 tablespoons (70 grams) unsalted butter, cold is fine
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon almond extract, 2 teaspoons brandy or another flavoring of your choice (totally optional)
1 pound firm-ripe apricots

To finish
Powdered sugar or 1/4 cup apricot jam

Heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Cut two 12-inch lengths of parchment paper and trim each to fit the 8-inch width of an 8×8-inch square baking pan. Press it into the bottom and sides of your pan in one direction, then use the second sheet to line the rest of the pan, perpendicular to the first sheet. (I took Deb's alternate solution and just used an 8 inch square springform pan, buttering it well before adding the crust. And yes, I admit it - I bought the pan just for the recipe. Which would be one more good news bit because, let's face it, it's just plain fun to have an excuse to buy new kitchen equipment.)

Make the crust: Combine the flour, salt and sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Cut the butter into chunks, and add it to the bowl, then run the machine until the mixture forms large clumps — that’s right, just keep running it; it might take 30 seconds to 1 minute for it to come together, but it will. Transfer the dough clumps to your prepared baking pan and press it evenly across the bottom and 1/4-inch up the sides. Bake for 15 minutes, until very pale golden. For the sake of speed, transfer to a cooling rack in your freezer for 10 to 15 minutes while you prepare the filing.

(Don’t have a food processor? You might have an easier time using softened butter and preparing this cookie-style: cream it with the sugar with a hand mixer, then spoon in the salt and flour, beating until just combined. It might help to chill this mixture a bit before pressing it into the pan, or it might feel too greasy to easily spread.)

Make the filling: In your food processor bowl (which Deb never bothers cleaning between these steps, so neither did I), grind your pistachios, sugar, flour and salt together until the nuts are powdery. Cut the butter into chunks and add it to the machine. Run the machine until no buttery bits are visible. Add any flavorings and egg, blending until just combined.

Spread filling over mostly cooled (warmth is okay but it’s hoped that the freezer will have firmed the base enough that you can spread something over it) crust. Cut apricots in half (or, you might find that you can tear them open at the seams with your fingers) and remove pits. From here, you have a few decoration options: you can place the apricot halves in facedown or up all over the pistachio base. You can do as Deb did, which is cut them into strips, then slide each cut half onto a butter knife or offset spatula, tilt it so that it fans a little, and slide it onto your pistachio filling decoratively. You could also arrange the strips like petals of flower around the pan, for maximum pretties. OR, you could be like me and just throw the slices into the pan in any old haphazard way because you're also making dinner and don't have time to make everything neat and beautiful. Maybe when I get my apricots I'll create those maximum pretty fruit flowers.

Bake the bars for 60 minutes, or until they are golden and a toothpick inserted into the pistachio portion comes out batter-free. This might take up to 10 minutes longer depending on the juiciness of your apricots and the amount you were able to nestle in. Let cool completely in pan; you can hasten this along in the fridge.

To finish, you can make a shiny glaze for your tart by warming the jam in a small saucepan until it thins, and brushing this mixture over the top of the cooled tart. Or, you can keep it rustic with just a dusting of powdered sugar, as I did.

Cut bars into squares — chilled bars will give you the cleanest cuts. Keep leftover bars chilled.

Ricotta Blini With Honey, Orange, And Sea Salt

There's something to be said for making a recipe of something you've never had before. Since I've not tasted a blini (and, in fact, don't even know for sure what one is), the ones I made today were the best ever!

I love ricotta cheese so, even if these had miserably and clearly failed, I'd probably still think they were good. In fact, I could probably forego all the cooking, just eat ricotta straight out of its container, and be a happy camper. Cooked up in a fancy fat pancake, the cheese and everything else in this recipe tasted rich and light at the same time, if that's possible.

Since I've never tried blini-ing before, I prepped all my ingredients first - and then wondered why I don't do this more often when cooking. I've got these cute little graduated prep bowls that are perfect for this task, and when all the ingredients are lined up in proper order, it's easy to feel more competent and chef-like. How can anyone fail to execute a recipe successfully, when those colorful little bowls are filled with the proper ingredients and standing by, ready to be put to use????

As long as we're discussing the fun parts of this recipe, I have to say that shimmying those wet little globs of dough and then forming them in my hands felt like working with a very loose Play-Dough. When my granddaughters were here for Christmas, I spent some happy minutes rolling out homemade purple Play-Dough with them, marveling at how long they were entertained by such a simple activity. Now it was my turn to take an amorphous blob of dough and turn it into something hopefully a bit more edible than the creations those little girls were cranking out! Making the blinis felt like having a cooking session and play therapy combined!

I love it when something small can transform a recipe in a big way. That's how I felt about the orange zest in these blinis. One half of an orange's worth of finely grated peel gave out an unmistakable burst of sunny orange taste that helped contrast the delicateness of the citrus against the denser feeling of the ricotta.

Some of my today's batch have been frozen for future mornings. I have no idea if they'll taste good reheated but, topped with enough powdered sugar and honey drizzle, I'm pretty sure I'll find them a quick and delightful breakfast offering.

Ricotta Blini With Honey, Orange, and Sea Salt
from Smitten Kitchen Every Day

3/4 cup all purpose flour, plus 1/3 cup for rolling, and more for sprinkling the tray
1 cup whole milk ricotta
2 large eggs
1 T granulated sugar
Finely grated zest of 1/2 orange
1 T white vinegar
1/2 t baking soda
1/3 cup dried currants (optional) (Somewhere in her write-up on this recipe, Deb talks about her mother-in-law using raisins for her blinis. I went with the raisins, since I had them on hand.)
Neutral oil, for frying
Powdered sugar, to finish
Honey, gently warmed
Flaked sea salt, to finish

Directions:
Sprinkle a large tray lightly with flour. In a large bow, whisk together the ricotta, eggs, sugar, zest and vinegar. In a small bowl, combine the 3/4 cup flour, the baking soda, and the salt. Stir into the wet mixture until thoroughly combined, then mix in the currants, if desired.

Place the remaining 1/3 cup flour in a medium sized wide-ish bowl. Drop large spoonfuls (about 2 T each) of the batter into the flour and shimmy the bowl around to get the dough mostly coated in flour.
Pick up a glob of dough gently with floured hands, and toss it back and forth between your palms to form it loosely into a ball. The dough will be very very soft.
Place the ball on a floured baking tray, then repeat with the remaining batter.
Heat a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add 3 T oil. Don’t skimp - most will drain off or stay in the pan.
Shaking off the excess flour, drop 3 - 4 balls of pancake batter into the heated oil a couple inches apart, pressing each down to form a slightly flattened disc.
Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook until golden underneath, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
Flip each pancake, and cook until golden brown on the second side.
Transfer to paper towels and drain.
Repeat with the remaining balls of pancake batter, adding more oil if needed. 
Transfer the cooked pancakes to a serving plate, and dust with powdered sugar. Drizzle honey over the pancakes. Sprinkle with a few flakes of the sea salt. The pancakes are definitely most magical right after they’re cooked, when they are still soft in the center. They will flatten somewhat but still taste delicious after they have rested for a while.

Potatoes and Asparagus Gribiche

I go long periods of time without writing in this blog. It's not that we're not eating during these lapses but, rather, that I'm cooking up the standards for Martin. We have a rotation of foods he will eat - cheese enchiladas, steak, lasagna, pot pie, spaghetti, tacos...maybe a few more, but all basic foods that I've already written up on this site.

Meanwhile, there's my daughter who in the few months since the new Smitten Kitchen cookbook came out has tried dozens of the recipes included. I doubt I'll ever be as prolific and adventuresome as she is but I have decided to step up my game a bit by trying new recipes. I like Deb Perelman's foods because they almost always taste great but aren't so fussy that it takes a master chef to execute them.

This one makes me laugh a bit because I don't even know what gribiche means! In her cookbook, Deb says there are references to the word meaning "a mean old woman who scares children". I'm pretty sure there must be an alternate definition that encompasses something to do with this refreshing take on potato salad but, so far, I haven't bothered to look it up. I guess I'll just have to imagine what potato and asparagus salad has to do with mean old ladies!

I halved the recipe when I made it, creating just enough for same day eating and leftovers for one more helping. True confession: I could've eaten every bit of what I made in one sitting as it tasted that good. For someone who thought she really only liked the sweeter variety potato salads (the kind my mom was famous for), I absolutely loved this tart and deconstructed version.

When I was making the dressing, it seemed so tart that I wondered how it was going to taste in the dish. Turns out when you add the potatoes and asparagus, they balance out that tang in a way that is absolutely delicious.

Potatoes And Asparagus Gribiche
from Smitten Kitchen Every Day

Gribiche Dressing
2 large hard boiled eggs, yoke separated, whites chopped
2 T dijon mustard
2 T white wine vinegar
6 T olive oil
1 T capers, brined variety
2 T finely chopped cornichons (from about 4)  *I'd never heard of cornichons and had to look online to find out what they are. Then I went to three nearby grocery stores and never found them, so I substituted baby dill pickles.
1 small shallot, minced
1/2 t. kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Assembly
2 pounds small new or fingerling potatoes (the picture in Deb's cookbook shows a very pretty mixture of different color potatoes but mine are all the same, because I had some on hand. Next time, I'll do it her way. )
1 pound asparagus, trimmed
1 T. chopped fresh parsley, tarragon, or chervil. (I used Italian parsley - again because it was what I had on hand)

Directions:
Make the sauce/dressing - Mash the yolks with the mustard in the bottom of a bowl. Whisk in vinegar and oil. Stir in capers, cornichons, chopped egg whites, shallot, salt, and pepper to taste. Adjust the seasonings.

Make the salad - Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with 2 inches of salted water. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 13 minutes, or until the top of a knife pierces through a potato with a little resistance. Add the asparagus to the pot, and cook them together for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Let the potatoes and asparagus cook completely.

Cut the potatoes in halves or quarters, depending on their size, and place them in a large bowl. Cut the asparagus in 1/2 inch to 3/4 inches segments, and add to the bowl. Toss with gribiche sauce, and season well with salt and pepper. Garnish with the herbs.

Slow Cooker Pasta e Fagioli Soup

People make fun of Olive Garden, probably with good reason. Their food may not be the most authentic Italian cuisine but they do make some pretty good soups. And bread sticks. And salads. Isn't that enough?

I love their pasta e fagioli soup and this slow cooker version is similar enough to make me happy.  A bowl of the soup, blueberry muffins, and a salad made a great winter meal last night. I knew the recipe was a hit when Martin gave it rave reviews. I mean how often does that happen - the two of us liking the same dish with equal enthusiasm?  A big crock pot full of soup can hardly be eaten by two old folks in one sitting so I have portions frozen and waiting for the many cold days ahead of us between now and spring. I like thinking of days when I'll be able to bypass all those fast food restaurants that beg me come eat their fatty, empty calorie foods, knowing there's a hearty bowl of soup waiting at home.

Crock Pot Pasta e Fagioli Soup
from therecipecritic.com

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 pound lean ground beef
2 whole carrots, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
1 medium onion, diced
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) beef broth
2 whole bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste (I added 1 tsp salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper)
1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 ounces) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup ditalini pasta, uncooked

INSTRUCTIONS
Add olive oil to a large skillet and add in ground beef. Cook until browned and no longer pink.
Place the beef in a slow cooker along with the rest of the ingredients except for the beans and pasta.
Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. 30 minutes before serving stir in beans and pasta.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Discard bay leaves before serving.
Serve immediately while hot.

Banana Pudding Poke Cake

There are two camps regarding bringing treats for Wednesday morning bible study - sweets or savory. It breaks up like this - everyone in the group outdoes themselves cooking up some kind of marvelous cake, bar, or cookie...and then when it's Millie's week she comes with something healthy. Poor dear girl fights a losing battle trying to get this group of ladies to care about calories, fat grams, and carbs.

When it's my turn to pony up with something for the group, I do consider following Millie's excellent example - at least until insecurity sets in and I wonder how folks would receive my quiche, egg casserole or whatever else is both healthy or appropriate for a morning bible study. What if they don't like what I bring? What if it's not hot enough when I serve it? Oh so many ways to mess up! Meanwhile, there's hardly a way to fail with something as standard and easy as a cake or other form of sweet.

Maybe next time I'll be brave and try something savory for our group. When Millie moves, I might even designate myself as the heir to healthy and start bringing the type of hot, wholesome foods she is so good at making. But until then, I guess I'll just keep on showing up with cakes like this one.

I know poke cakes used to be super popular but I think this might be the first one I've ever made. It's kind of fun, in a destructive way, to poke big ole' holes in a cake and then have it be ok, when filled with the pudding. It seems to me that punching holes in a cake so you can insert filling could be construed as the lazy man's way of doing lava cakes. Back in the late 70's and 80's, when poke cakes were all the rage, no one I knew had ever heard of a lava cake so perhaps the humble poke cake led the way for a more elevated lava cake? Whatever the etiology, the Wednesday gals loved this cake and, surprisingly, acted like they'd never heard of a poke cake. Did the craze only hit California?  I got credit for bringing something yummy as well as "unusual".

With the pudding and whipped topping, you wind up with a very moist and light tasting cake. And since it's one of those cake types that actually seems to taste better the next day, you can make it ahead of time and then, if you're lucky, have some left over to keep eating for a few days afterward.

Banana Pudding Poke Cake

Ingredients:
1  box yellow cake mix
Ingredients needed to make cake (eggs, oil & water)
2 (3.4 oz.) packages instant banana pudding
4 cups milk
1 (8 oz.) tub frozen whipped topping (COOL WHIP), thawed
20 vanilla wafers, crushed

 Directions:
Prepare cake mix according to package directions for a 9×13 cake. Once cake comes out of the oven, allow it to cool for just a couple of minutes. Then, with a wooden spoon handle or some other similarly-sized object, begin poking holes in the cake.
You want the holes to be fairly big so that the pudding has plenty of room to get down in the cake. Be sure to poke down to the bottom of the cake.
In a bowl,whisk together instant pudding with 4 cups milk. Stir until all the lumps are gone. Let pudding sit for just about 2 minutes so it has just slightly begun to thicken but not fully set.  It should still be easily pourable.
Pour pudding over cake. Taking care to get it into the holes as much as possible.
 Spread it all out and using the back of the spoon gently push pudding down into the holes
Put the pudding into the fridge to set and cool. Once your cake has completely cooled, spread on whipped topping.
If you haven’t done so already, crush your vanilla wafers. I just place mine in a ziploc bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Leave some of the pieces big. It’s nice to have a bit of a crunch when you eat the cake.
Spread crushed wafers onto the top of the cake. You can do this part immediately before serving the cake if you like. This will ensure the wafers are crunchy when you serve it.
Serve with freshly sliced bananas. Keep refrigerated.