Easter Brunch

Are you hosting Easter?  Will you be preparing a special Mother's Day Brunch?  Are you itching to invite a few friends and gather with some spring tastes?  This menu will be perfect.  Colorful.  Affordable.  Easy to prepare ahead of time. 

crab quiche, leek and spinach quiche, chicken salad, fruit, cranberry salad, mini key-limes

chicken salad

blanched green beans, toasted walnuts, dried cranberries, feta, drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette

cantaloupe, blackberries, blueberries, pineapple, strawberries

mini key limes with whipped cream

leeks, spinach, and goat cheese in a creamy quiche

crabmeat, swiss cheese, and browned onions

Recipes to follow....stay tuned.  Start inviting your friends (or mother, or family)!

Our Weekend.....

nothing exciting, but that's how we like em!

1.  Friday night Josh went to a middle school dance.  For whatever reason, everyone who is "going out" in middle school "breaks up" at the dance.  So, periodically, girls will run through the gym crying, to be followed shortly by their concerned friends.  Sad and funny at the same time, is my natural reaction. 

2.  I took the girls to a local park where we were able to rollerblade on the walking path.  Rob was convinced one of us would break a wrist.  We didn't.

3.  I'm pretty sure my engagement ring fell down the heating vent in our bedroom.  Rob picked up his magazines off of our nightstand table and thinks he saw my ring go through the grate - we'll be investigating tonight - wish us luck.

**update: we found it! and we didn't even have to take the grate off**

4.  My dad made me an olive oil pitcher!  Don't you love it?  You'll be happy to know I rushed out to buy more olive oil and my pitcher is fully functional.  Also, the picture in the back is Emma's artwork.

5.  We love wings.

I think the wings were spicy - hence the look on Kate's face - and it looks like her eyes were watering!

6.  Soccer season has started.  It is still spring.  The result: some really wet games.  Saturday we had torrential rains, 40 mph winds, and a soccer game for third-grade girls.  There were tears - it was kind of like a middle school dance, only the crying girls had numb knees.  No pictures, sorry.

7.  Sunday's game was a little easier to watch - but still a little chilly.

our defender, Josh! 

8.  I've been busy cooking.  Last week I prepared a luncheon - and this was the only picture I remembered to take.  I also cooked for my steady client on Friday - making five meals, two salads, and a soup.  

chicken salad with croissant rolls

This week I'll be preparing a luncheon tomorrow.  I'll also be making some food for a cocktail party on Thursday.  Collage is having their "spring fling" - if you're local, come on out! 

How was your weekend?

Deep Dish Pizzas : The Results are in!

First, allow me to start by saying:  I love Bobby Flay.  At first I thought he was kind of cocky and off-putting, but watching him on Throwdown*  makes me really like him.  I love his interaction with his two assistants, Stephanie and Miriam (yes, I know their names).  It seems like they really have fun - and I love that they give him a hard time when he needs it.  I think he really respects his opponents on the show, and ever since he challenged Pioneer Woman (and she won), I love him even more! 

*Throwdown is an American show aired on Food Network, where Chef Bobby Flay challenges people who specialize in a specific food - ice cream, baked alaska, lasagna, pie, etc. - making a version of their specialty - impartial judges taste both foods and declare a winner.  

I've never visited any of his restaurants, but I've tried many of his recipes and each one was delicious.  Ever since I received the deep dish pizza pans from my sister-in-law, I've been researching various recipes.  The ingredients ran the gamut from vegetable oil, cornmeal, honey, yeast, no yeast, etc.  Some recipes involved kneading, some involved folding the dough like a letter (I immediately stopped reading that one!).  When I found a recipe from a Throwdown episode, I felt confident that I could make an authentic Chicago-style pizza.  I trust Bobby, after all. 

Here is the pizza dough recipe - it sounded pretty easy, and it was.  Plus, I already had all of the ingredients - huge bonus!

2 packages dry yeast
2 cups warm water (90 degrees)
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
5 1/2 cups all purpose flour
4 tsp kosher salt
4 T unsalted butter, softened

1.  Dissolve the yeast and water in the bottom of your stand mixer bowl (with the paddle attachment).  Add oils and mix for 30 seconds.
2.  Add 3 cups of the flour and salt and beat for 5 minutes.
3.  Switch to the dough hook.  Add the remaining amount of flour and knead for 3 minutes.
4.  Add the butter and continue kneading until butter is incorporated.
5.  Put into a large oiled bowl, cover and allow to rise until double.  Punch down dough and allow to rise until double again.

after the second rising

And now on to the fun part - assembly!  

place into your pizza pan

add one slice provolone, shredded mozzarella and pizza seasonings

top with pepperoni or desired meat or veggies

top pepperoni with tomato sauce

top tomato sauce with shredded parmesan

steps 1-4

bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes

see how many tiny pieces you can eat

These pizzas were amazing!  When I mentioned carb-loading yesterday, I wasn't kidding.  Somehow, though, they weren't too doughy.  You can see how the dough gathered in so much air.  The fact that the girls and I only ate 2 tiny pieces, though, tells you how filling this was!  The next time I make this, I'm going to half the dough and see how it goes.  It was so interesting how the cheese seemed to melt down into the dough - it was hard to distinguish, but the flavor was still there.

Rob was really hungry and he managed to eat a whole pizza.  He's not normally a carb guy, but he went crazy for this pizza.  And, like our favorite pizza place in Colorado, he ate his crusts with honey (and let me tell you, he never eats the crust).

I've never seen the particular Throwdown episode that Bobby challenges a Chicago pizza restaurant, so I don't know who won - but I felt like a winner after we ate our pizza!

Deep Dish Pizzas

Have you ever made deep dish pizzas?  My sister-in-law bought me these adorable pizza pans for my birthday and I've been dying to experiment. 

From what I've gathered through research, the dough has to be buttery and a little less oily than traditional thin crust pizzas.  And, I've also discovered that the toppings are kind of backwards - the cheese gets placed on first, then the cured meats and then the tomato sauce. 

I vaguely remember eating at an Uno Pizzeria with Rob sometime in high school, but I don't clearly remember the flavor.  I probably watch too many episodes of Diners, Dives, and Drive-ins, because I've been craving a deep dish pizza for a long time. 

I'll keep you posted - if all goes according to plan, this will be our dinner tonight!  It's another rainy, cold and dreary day - nothing a good carb-loading can't fix. 

Thanks, Ang, for the thoughtful present - you can shop for me at Williams-Sonoma any time! 

Watercress Soup

Here in central Pennsylvania, it's been pretty dreary.  I religiously check the forecast, getting excited for sunny days, only to be disappointed when the forecast is changed to rain almost.every.day.  Somehow, though, our trees are starting to flower, the daffodils are stubbornly yellow, and watercress is starting to appear. 

I buy my watercress at the market stand where I purchase our beef and pork.  Their watercress is wild, it comes back every year, growing near their natural spring.  After a little research (read: wiki), I discovered that watercress is basically a superfood.  It has high levels of iron, calcium, and folic acid.  It contains cancer-fighting properties and is touted as anything from a digestive aid, to expectorant, and stimulant.  Go here to learn more. 

Next week I'll be investigating the best way to make a watercress sandwich, but this week called for soup. 

Last year, my mom's friend brought us her famous watercress soup.  I raved about it here.  I've kept her recipe in my inbox since last May.  Basically, the soup is a tasty cream of potato soup with wilted and pureed watercress leaves.  All I'll say is that Emma ate three bowls. 

I guess playing teacher makes her hungry!

and sleepy

 

Back to the soup.....

The process is simple -

Step 1: Cook diced potatoes and onions in 3T of butter

Step 2: Add milk and broth and cook until potatoes are tender.  My mixture sort of overflowed from neglect - hence the dirty pot.  I then pureed the potatoes, broth and milk with my immersion blender.  

Step 3: Add watercress leaves and cook briefly until leaves are wilted.   The recipe says four minutes - I didn't cook mine long enough. 

 Step 4: Lastly, puree watercress leaves and enjoy!

This is the recipe I was given -

Watercress soup--Chef Darine Allen of Ballymore Cooking School, county Cork, Ireland

Legend has it that it was watercress that enabled St. Brendan to live to the ripe age of 180!

 

3 T sweet (unsalted) butter

1 1/4 c potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 1/4 c yellow onion, chopped finely

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

2 1/2 c chicken stock or vegetable stock

2 1/2 c milk

2  bunches chopped watercress (remove the coarse stalks)

 

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saute pan When it foams, add the potatoes and onions and toss until well coated. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper.  Cover the pan and sweat the vegetables over low heat for 10  min. Add the stock and milk, bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes and onions are soft. 

 

Add the watercress and boil with the lid off for approximately 4 minutes until the watercress is cooked.  It will taste soft and tender.  Do not overcook or the soup will lose its fresh green color.

 

Puree the soup in a blender. Taste and add a little more salt and pepper if necessary.  

 

 

The Nitty Gritty

of having a food blog. 

Let me say to begin with, I don't consider myself a food blogger.  I think my blog would have to be earning money or at least products for this to be considered an occupation.  I consider myself a wife and mother who enjoys eating, cooking, and writing about it. 

Having a food blog is great fun.  It's also very convenient - if someone asks me for a recipe, I simply email them the link from the blog post that corresponds.  I love sharing recipes, information, and the little bit of knowledge I can claim.  I also feel so blessed by the relationships I've formed because of this journey. 

Sometimes, though, the nitty gritty is just that. 

1.  There have been quite a few times that I took tons of pictures and intended to publish a recipe that turned out to be a huge disappointment. 

this is when I tried to make fig newtons

great pics, mediocre result

2.  Making a great meal and not taking pictures of it until there's nothing left except for this. Our dinner last night included plump and flavorful grilled shrimp, savory lentil soup, garden salads, and impossibly fluffy and tender cheesy garlic biscuits.  The sun was even shining - but we were racing around to get to soccer practice.  All you're left with is this - sorry. 

3.  Dragging this camera around with me when I eat in a restaurant.  It's pretty embarrassing - I think more so for the people I'm with. 

4.  Going to the grocery store nearly every day.  

5.  Having to take pictures with dirty hands, frantically searching for natural light, and taking a picture of food I don't want to wait to eat. 

6.  Considering this artwork for my kitchen

just waiting for Rob to hang these on the wall!

these are prints I had made from previous recipe posts

Truth time: I kind of love these photos.  It might be hard to tell in the picture, but they came out really well.  I hope they will look good on this wall above my shelf - they might just add a little color to our kitchen. 

7.  Trying to take a picture while avoiding: my cabinet doors that don't close, my dirty floor, dirty dishes, or ingredients I haven't put away. 

8.  Avoiding the work I really should be doing.  Right now my to do list contains many things I don't feel like tackling.  I'm hosting a brunch tomorrow and preparing a luncheon for Thursday and next Tuesday.  I'm sitting here instead.  Because it's fun.  I love blogging, nitty gritty and all.  Thanks for reading! 

The View From My Back Door

I have four 7th-graders in my tree - I love it when boys aren't too cool to play.