oh, elaine...i love you so.

my grandmother is the shit.

she's only 5'1", but behind her petite little frame she packs a punch.  and makes a hell of a casserole.

after catching up with her over lunch the other day, i thought it would be fitting to theme this next post with some of my favorite dishes that she makes.  we're talking good old, eastern sho' style home cooking.  lots of butter, sugar, cream, etc.  (which probably explains my family's sky-high cholesterol levels... but how else is food supposed to taste this good?) 

elaine t. laws, you are the best.

black walnut cookies

i learned this recipe from her last christmas, and i love love love these cookies.  so so simple!  the walnut flavor is strong...and you must use black walnuts, or else they won't taste the same.  and make sure you butter the hell out of the cookie sheet.

ingredients

2 eggs

3/4 c. flour

3/4 c. sugar

pinch salt

1 c. black walnuts, chopped

method

using an electric mixer, beat the eggs for 7 minutes.  combine dry ingredients, then add to eggs.  butter an aluminum baking sheet.  drop batter onto sheets and bake at 350 for 10 minutes, until the edges brown slightly.

remove from sheet immediately and transfer to rack to cool.

baked pineapple

if you're looking for a culinary time-warp back to 1963 suburbia with ed sullivan being broadcast in the background and herb alpert playing on the hi-fi... this is it.  i always ask for this at my birthday dinner.

ingredients

3 large eggs

1/2 c. sugar

2 tbsp. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 can Dole #2 crushed pineapple

1/2 c. (one stick) butter

4 slices white bread

method

beat eggs.  combine sugar, flour, and salt and add to the eggs.  add pineapple (drained).  mix well and pour into buttered casserole dish.

melt butter in a saucepan.  tear the bread slices and saute in the butter until just moistened (make sure they aren't browned).  spread over pineapple mixture in casserole dish.

bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

chicken casserole

classic.

ingredients

2 cups diced chicken breast, cooked

1 cup cooked white rice

1 cup celery, diced

1 can Campbell's Cream of Chicken soup (love it!)

2 tbsp. minced onion

3/4 c. mayonnaise

1 can sliced water chestnuts

1/2 c. slivered almonds

1 c. Corn Flakes cereal

butter.  lots of butter.

method

crush corn flakes and combine with 1/3 stick of melted butter.  combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl.  pour into casserole dish and top with corn flakes.  bake at 350 for 45 minutes, or until the top is crispy and bubbly.

oh my god.

hooray!

wowee!  who knew that people would actually read this old blog and respond to posts?  i'm pretty excited about it, obviously.  so thank you for all the recipe submissions that have come in so far, and keep them coming!

the first two recipes i got pair very well together, in my opinion.  they are both so so simple, and they pair for a great tasting, no-fuss, comforting dinner and dessert.  

kidney bean stew

from katy 

ingredients

1 can dark red kidney beans

1 can stewed tomatoes

spoonful sugar

method

these three simple ingredients serve as the base for a wonderful, hearty stew that you can take in so many different directions.  after adding the beans, tomatoes, and sugar all to the same pot, you can add whatever other vegetables or meats you have handy.

try...

-sauteeing some garlic and onions in the base of the pot before adding the other ingredients.

-browning bacon, ground turkey, sweet italian sausage, etc. and adding to the mix.

-adding hearty spices, like cayenne, cumin, or chili pepper, to kick it up a little bit.

-throwing in some veggies (corn and red or green peppers help to make it extra hearty!) and using other bean varieties (garbanzo, black beans, and cannellini beans all work well together to bring different flavors and textures to the stew).

simmer for about 30 minutes or so, and then serve up a couple of warm bowls (with some sharp cheddar cheese grated on top, obvi.) 

gooey!  yum!  thanks, katy!

peanut butter chocolate chip muffins

from caitlin

(oh my god they make me wanna beatbox/dance party with my mouth full.)

ingredients

2 cups of self-raising flour*
1/3 cup sugar
1 ½ cups dark chocolate bits
1 egg
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
2 tbsp of strawberry jam
2 oz butter, melted
1 cup milk

(*if you can't find self-raising flour, you can make your own!  to each cut of flour you use, add 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt*)

method

Preheat oven to 350.  Brush a 12-hole standard size muffin tin with melted butter or oil.

Sift flour into large owl.  Add sugar and chocolate bits; make a well in center.  Add combined egg, peanut butter, jam, butter and milk.  Stir until just combined.

Spoon evenly into every muffin cup.  Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Loosen muffins in the pan and let cool for 10 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.

love food, love each other

it takes two to make this beautiful dinner... it's sort of a lot of labor for just one person to undertake. but trust me: you'll fall in love with this dish, and the person with whom you decide to share it.

(a precautionary note for the recipe-phobe:  i am, as you will come to see, very much an advocate of not-exact measurements.  i always taste and sample as i go, and end up going with whatever tastes the best.  i will try to be more conscientious of exact measurements in the future.)

scallops valentine 

(thanks, jord.)

ingredients

garlic grilled scallops:

3/4 pound small day boat scallops

olive oil (enough to lightly coat scallops)

1 clove garlic, minced

salt and pepper

cilantro arugula sauce:

handful cilantro

handful plus half handful (?) arugula

2 large cloves garlic, minced

juice of 1/2 lime

olive oil

salt and pepper

vegetable orzo:

one box orzo

about one pint grape tomatoes

medium yellow onion

small package white button mushrooms

method

to make the sauce: chop arugula and cilantro.  combine both in a large bowl.  add minced garlic, lime juice, and olive oil (enough to emulsify sauce and keep the ingredients from being too clumpy), salt and pepper.  whisk together with fork and set aside.

bring large pot of water to a boil to cook orzo.  cook orzo (duh).

rinse scallops and pat dry.  place in shallow dish, coat with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic.  heat up a grill pan, use a dab of olive oil to grease pan, and grill scallops until crispy, dark brown layer forms on top.

in a large skillet, heat a dab of olive oil, and sautee diced onion and mushrooms, and a splash of white wine, for 5-7 minutes.  add grape 'matos at the very last and sautee for another 20 seconds.

drain orzo, return to pot, and stir in sauteed vegetables and 3/4 of the cilantro arugula sauce.

serve HOT!  spoon a heap of orzo onto each plate.  place scallops on top of orzo, and dribble remaining sauce on top of scallops.

eat.  enjoy.  love.

FAIL.

i could never have imagined that attempting to make a simple reduction sauce would end up like a junior high chemistry lab; specifically, the one where the black carbonized choade erupts up out of the beaker when you burn sugar and water, subsequently filling the whole lab with a choking, stinking, suffocating smoke.

yeah.  so, moral of the story: honey + soy sauce + orange juice (which, in theory, might have turned out like i imagined it to be...a sweet little glaze to drizzle over some panko-battered chicken breast to serve with peanut sesame noodles)...

ehhh, not so much.

lust.

valentine's day:

desire.

romance.

passion.

lust.

seduction.

kitchenaid mixer.

excuse me, i have to be alone now.

got 5 minutes?

sometimes there isn't a lot of time in the day to do nice things for yourself or others.  that's why i am glad i came up with this one a couple of summers ago, inspired by a similar recipe concocted by my friend and partner in crime, molly.  a mere five minutes will give you and your closest friends a big old bowl of delicious.

white bean salad 

(i need a more clever name for this one)

ingredients

1 can chickpeas

1 can cannellini beans

1 pint grape tomatoes

2-3 cloves garlic

handful fresh basil leaves

olive oil

lemon juice

salt and pepper

method

(you can try blindfolding yourself while making this if you want more of a challenge).

drain and rinse beans.  combine both in a large bowl.  

mince garlic, quarter grape tomatoes, rinse and snip basil with kitchen shears.  add all to same bowl.  

drizzle with some nice extra virgin *heeeyyyy* olive oil, squeeze the juice of about half a lemon, sprinkle in some s&p, pop in the fridge for an hour or two before you eat it.

variations

although i am reluctant sometimes to change a classic that i've found, these variations prove to be acceptable and delicious additions to gild the lily:

grilled asparagus, kalamata olives, capers, oregano

eat as a side dish for grilled white fish, or use for a quick lunch on top of some field greens, with some apple slices and cheese.

elegant. easy. delicious.

hands down, one of my most favorite things to make.


linguine with clams

ingredients
1 package linguine (i am a Barilla advocate)
12-18 fresh little neck clams, fresh, rinsed, ready-to-go
1 carton grape tomatoes
2-3 handfuls arugula
1 1/2 cups pinot grigio
2 shallots
2 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

method
bring large pot of salted water to boil to prepare pasta.

in a large skillet, heat a small amount of olive oil, add shallots and garlic and saute until just slightly transparent add clams and white wine and cover to steam clams until their shells have opened. after clams have just open, throw in arugula and halved grape tomatoes, and salt and pepper, stirring to combine.

add pasta to boiling water, cook until al dente, drain, then combine with clam sauce.

the dish is most impressive, and most delicious, when served immediately while still quite hot. extra points if you have a large platter to bring to the table. grate a little fresh parmesan cheese to go along the side, slice a loaf of crusty Italian bread, and prepare to sop, slurp, and be satisfied.

8,934,758,346th attempt at homemade bread

while browsing through myriad websites during my substitute teaching job today, I came across an article on npr.org that caught my eye. Entitled "Conquering a Baker's Fear of Yeast" it explained through author Mia Morganstern’s point of view, that she had always been an avid baker (like me), enjoyed delighting her friends and family with scrumptious morsels fresh out of her oven (like me), but had cowered, trembling in fear at any recipe involving yeast (um, like me).

the time has come to change that.
after reading the article, and realizing that, yes! it IS possible to bake a loaf of bread!, i was even more pleasantly surprised to find recipes included at the article’s end. so, off to the supermarket i went, and returned home with a sack of flour and plenty of packets of fleischmann’s active dry yeast.

mission: “breakfast-for-dinner rolls”
status: in progress
prognosis: bleak

these little temptresses seem like they would melt in your mouth. a simple concoction of flour, yeast, sugar, salt, water, and (at the last minute, my favorite) sesame seeds, i found nothing about this recipe that i didn’t enjoy.

and then i remembered all the other times that i have tried to make bread, and it just refuses to rise. no matter what i do.

bread dough, listen. we’ve had a great relationship. i carefully selected the packet of yeast from the shelf in the baking needs aisle. i neglected important phone calls while i was tenderly kneading you. i shaped you gently into a pretty little round and covered you with a nice kitchen tea towel.

it’s been two and a half hours, dough, and you have certainly not doubled in size. what gives?

the saga will continue:

i have put the dough to rest in the fridge, hoping it might come to its senses overnight.

9 hours later...
it is now friday morning. i awoke excitedly, prepared to open the door of the good old Amana and see my bread dough happily sitting in its bowl, double its size, just begging to be kneaded, shaped, and baked.
sadly, my wish did not come true. i came face to face with a pitiful beige lump, emitting a tart and tangy yeast aroma. i figure i’ll let it sit out for a little while longer, give it one more chance, the just give up and go back to baking cookies.

want to get everyone you know to love you?

then make this oh-so-easy, undeniably irresistible pumpkin bread, courtesy of my dear friend, emilie. this stuff gets you through final exams, hospital visits, late-night rehearsals, traffic jams, etc. i’m sure at the next U.N. general assembly meeting, with the threat of impending nuclear catastrophe on the horizon, if they pass a loaf of this around, everyone will skip out of the conference room to play global hopscotch and tiddlywinks and forget about those silly warheads.

and...sliceoffalittlepiecewhenyouwakeupinthemorningandheatitupandputalittledabofbutteronitohmygodohmygodohmygod.

emilie’s delicious pumpkin bread

ingredients
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup canned pumpkin (Trader Joe’s makes really good organic pumpkin. and there’s also good old Libby’s, the kind your grandma uses at thanksgiving to make pie, which you can find in the baking needs aisle in the supermarket)
1/2 cup olive oil (sounds weird. but just trust me)
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves (1/2 teaspoon of each, but i am always a little generous with the spices for this one)
optional:
1/2 cup walnuts; 2-3 handfuls of fresh cranberries; 2 granny smith apples, peeled and diced (or anything else equally delicious you can think of)

method
preheat the oven to 350.
sift together dry ingredients (except spices). mix wet ingredients and the spices. add to dry mix. make sure you don’t overmix the batter!
fold in the extra goodies if you would like to use them.

pour into a bread pan that has been well buttered. bake for 50-60 minutes. remove from pan, cool on rack, and prepare for people to start asking you for this recipe.