Pesto

I had the wonderful opportunity to cook during daylight hours today, something that doesn't happen nearly enough in my life. As a result, I went a little photo-happy while I made some pesto. Why did I make pesto the day before Thanksgiving when I had plenty of other things to do in the kitchen? Good question. I guess because I had some sad-looking basil in the fridge that I didn't want to let go to waste.
And because pesto is great.

2 cups roughly chopped fresh basil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
a few pinches of salt

Chop up your basil like this:

It doesn't have to be finely or evenly chopped at all.
Put it in a bowl.  Add the chopped garlic.  I like 4 cloves, because I like garlic.  You can adjust the amount to your preference.

Add some pine nuts.  If you don't have pine nuts, you can always use walnuts. 

Pour the olive oil over the whole thing.  I ran out of my cheap everyday olive oil so I had to add a little of the good stuff.  And man is this stuff good...

Today, for the very first time, I realized I didn't have to dirty all 209340 pieces of my food processor.  Instead, I could use an immersion blender, and I'd only have to wash TWO things! (The bowl, and the blender).  Since I am without a dishwasher, this was an excellent discovery.

Look what a great job the immersion blender does!

Next, add about 1/2 cup shredded parmesan.  You could use Romano instead...up to you.
Stir that in, then taste a little.  It will need some salt.  Add a few pinches and stir well.  Taste again.  Keep adding salt, pinch by pinch, and stirring, until it tastes like pesto.  Trust your taste buds! You'll know when you've added enough.

And there you have it: Home-made pesto!

Braised Chicken with Mushrooms and Bacon

As I try to become a better cook, I look for recipes with techniques I haven't tried.  This one called for braising, which I had never done, and included bacon, mushrooms, red wine, and pearl onions.  I love all of those things!  The dish has amazing flavor, and is a perfect hearty dinner for chilly fall nights.  You'll dirty a few dishes, but it's definitely worth it!

Since you can make this in a braising pan as well, I'm submitting it to the November Tasty Tools at Joelen's Culinary Adventures.

(adapted from A New Way to Cook by Sally Schneider)

Mushrooms:

8 ounces button mushrooms, quartered

1 small shallot, finely chopped

1 small garlic clove, crushed and chopped

1 sprig fresh thyme

2 tbsp dry white wine

1 tsp olive oil

1/8 tsp salt

black pepper

Chicken:

20 pearl onions, peeled

2 thick slices bacon, diced

3 tbsp flour

1 3-lb chicken, skinned and cut into 8 pieces

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup port

1 1/2 cups dry red wine

To make the mushrooms:

Heat the oil in a skillet until hot.  Add the mushrooms, shallot, garlic, and thyme, and saute for about 3 minutes.  Turn the heat down to medium-low, add the wine, salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 or 15 minutes.  

To make the chicken:

Cook the bacon in a small skillet over low heat, for about 8 minutes.  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Reserve the bacon grease.

Sprinkle the chicken pieces with salt and pepper

Spread the flour on a plate and dip each piece of chicken in it, shaking off any excess.

Heat the bacon grease over medium-high in a dutch oven or other large, heavy pan.  Saute the chicken in batches until golden, about 3 minutes on each side.  Transfer to a platter.

Add the port and wine and cook for about 10 minutes, until reduced slightly.  

Turn the heat to medium-low.

Stir in the bacon and pearl onions and add a few pinches of salt.

Add the chicken pieces and cook, partially covered, for 20-30 minutes.

Remove the chicken pieces to a serving dish and keep warm.  Simmer the sauce until thickened slightly, about 10 minutes.  Add the mushrooms during the last 3 minutes.  Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.

Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.

Banana Cake with Milk Chocolate Frosting

I have been baking like crazy lately, and the more I bake, the more I want to bake. It's a good thing I don't have to teach all week - more time to experiment in the kitchen! This weekend, I remembered a cake I loved from childhood - banana cake with chocolate chips and chocolate frosting - and wanted to recreate it. I baked it in a 13 x 9 pan so it was very low-maintenance: No need to assemble layers or turn it out of the pan to cool. Easy to cut into squares of any size, this cake is simple and delicious. Without frosting it would probably be great for breakfast.

Cake:

(adapted from How to be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson)

1/2 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

3 ripe bananas

4 tbsp yogurt or sour cream

2 large eggs

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 cups flour

1 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Grease a 13 x 9 baking dish.

Combine the butter, sugar and vanilla in a stand mixer and mix well.

Mash bananas and add to butter mixture.

Stir in yogurt and eggs, mixing well.

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add to the batter, stirring until blended.

Fold in chocolate chips.

Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Set pan on a wire rack to cool.

Frosting:

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1/4 cup butter

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tsp (or more!) milk

Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or the top of a double boiler and cool slightly.

Place butter and chocolate in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat for 2 minutes on medium-high speed.

Add powdered sugar and continue mixing.

Add the milk about 1/2 tsp at a time until the frosting is a spreadable consistency.  

Pecan Pie

This has been the month of revisiting foods that were difficult to make in the past.  Although I've never used this recipe before, the last time I made pecan pie, the top burned and the inside was a liquid mess.  However, since my husband had never had a real pecan pie, I decided to make another attempt.  Although I may have let this bake a tiny bit too long (the crust got fairly brown and so did the nuts - but nothing turned black), it was still delicious and the inside wasn't runny at all.  Another keeper from Pioneer Woman!

I like to use Dorie's crust recipe, which you can find in this post.

(from The Pioneer Woman)

1 unbaked pie crust
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup melted butter (regular, salted)
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 heaping cup chopped pecans

Mix sugar, brown sugar, salt, corn syrup, butter, eggs, and vanilla together in a bowl. Pour chopped pecans in the bottom of the pie shell. Pour syrup mixture over the top. Bake pie at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, being careful not to burn pecans and crust.
Allow to cool for several hours or overnight. Serve in thin slivers.

Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake

I have had an irrational fear of making cheesecake for some time.  I made one in high school that ended up cracking in the middle, which of course bothered me far more than it bothered my friends, who inhaled it.

For a big Thanksgiving dinner with friends, I contemplated attempting another cheesecake.  I knew I wanted to make something with pumpkin, and this seemed like a great opportunity to conquer my fear.  I dutifully wrapped my springform pan in foil, carefully mixed the ingredients for the exact times given in the recipe, and anxiously waited as the cheesecake baked.  When in came time to remove the cake from the oven, and later, the water bath, I realized in horror that my foil had leaked - the pan was dripping with water.  Yes, the top was crack-free, but I thought for sure I had ruined my cheesecake.  

Before dumping the whole thing in the trash (I over-react sometimes, can you tell?), I decided to check the boards at chowhound to see if anyone else had had this problem.  A couple people said theirs filled with water but the cheesecake turned out fine, they just let it dry out on a rack for a few hours.  Extremely relieved, I did just that. 

Everyone loved it, and nobody knew that it had been dripping with water the night before!  So if you are not adept at foil-wrapping your pan, do not fear!  This recipe is fantastic, water-soaked or not.

(from America's Test Kitchen, seen at Good Things Catered)
ATK notes: Depending on the oven and the temperature of the ingredients, the cheesecake may bake about 15 minutes faster or slower than the instructions indicate; it is therefore best to check the cake 11/4 hours into baking. Although the cheesecake can be made up to three days in advance, the crust will begin to lose its crispness after only one day. To make slicing the cheesecake easy and neat, use a knife with a narrow blade, such as a carving knife; between cuts, dip the blade into a pitcher of hot water and wipe it clean with paper towels. 

Crust:
5 oz graham crackers (9 whole crackers), broken into large pieces
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Cheesecake
1 1/3 c. sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp salt
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin
1 1/2 lb cream cheese, cut into 1-inch chunks and left to soften at room temperature, about 30 minutes
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp juice from 1 lemon
5 large eggs, left at room temperature, about 30 minutes
1 c. heavy cream

Directions:
- For the crust: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees.
-Spray bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan evenly with nonstick cooking spray.
-Pulse crackers, sugar, and spices in food processor until evenly and finely ground, about fifteen 2-second pulses.
-Transfer crumbs to medium bowl, drizzle melted butter over, and mix with rubber spatula until evenly moistened.
-Turn crumbs into prepared springform pan and, using hand, spread crumbs into even layer.
-Using flat-bottomed ramekin or drinking glass, press crumbs evenly into pan bottom, then use soup spoon to press and smooth crumbs into edges of pan.
-Bake until fragrant and browned about the edges, about 15 minutes.
-Cool on wire rack while making filling.
-For the filling: Bring about 4 quarts water to a simmer.
-Whisk sugar, spices, and salt in small bowl; set aside.
-In standing mixer fitted with flat beater, beat cream cheese at medium speed to break up and soften slightly, about 1 minute.
-Scrape beater and bottom and sides of bowl well with rubber spatula.
-Add about one third of sugar mixture and beat at medium-low speed until combined, about 1 minute; scrape bowl and add remaining sugar in two additions, scraping bowl after each addition.
-Add pumpkin, vanilla, and lemon juice and beat at medium speed until combined, about 45 seconds; scrape bowl.
-Add 3 eggs and beat at medium-low until incorporated, about 1 minute; scrape bowl.
-Add remaining 2 eggs and beat at medium-low until incorporated, about 45 seconds; scrape bowl.
-Add heavy cream and beat at low speed until combined, about 45 seconds.
-Using rubber spatula, scrape bottom and sides of bowl and give final stir by hand.
-Set springform pan with cooled crust on 18-inch-square doubled layer heavy-duty foil and wrap bottom and sides with foil; set wrapped pan in roasting pan.
-Pour filling into springform pan and smooth surface; set roasting pan in oven and pour in simmering water to come about halfway up side of springform pan.
-Bake until center of cake is slightly wobbly when pan is shaken and center of cake registers 145 to 150 degrees on instant-read thermometer, about 11/2 hours (see note).
-Run paring knife around cake to loosen.
-Set roasting pan on wire rack and cool until water is just warm, about 45 minutes.
-Remove springform pan from water bath, discard foil and remove sides of pan, and set on wire rack; continue to cool until barely warm, about 3 hours.
-Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.
-To serve: Slide thin metal spatula between crust and pan bottom to loosen, then slide cake onto serving platter.
-Let cheesecake stand at room temperature about 30 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve.

Black Bean Burgers with Avocado Sauce

I found this recipe in one of my cookbooks and it is awesome.  My only issue was that the burgers never really firmed up in the middle, so I'm not sure if I need to tweak the recipe a little or just keep cooking them longer.  The flavor is great though!

The sauce that does with them is basically like a thinner guacamole, with a little green bell pepper thrown in.  Serve them with these fries, and you will have yourself quite a tasty dinner! 

(adapted from The Healthy Hedonist by Myra Kornfeld)

Burgers:

1/2 cup unsalted pumpkin seeds

2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup diced onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, chopped

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 15 oz can black beans, drained

2/3 cup water

3/4 cup bread crumbs

Toast the pumpkin seeds in a frying pan until they begin to pop.  Grind in a food processor and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low.  Add the onions and 1/2 tsp salt, and saute until soft, about 8 minutes.

Add the garlic, chipotle, cumin, and oregano, and cook, stirring, for one minute.

Add about a third of the beans and 1/3 cup water, and mast the beans with a potato masher or fork.  When the liquid is absorbed, continue with another third of the beans and the remaining 1/3 cup water.

Mash the beans well, then add the remaining beans and continue mashing until the mixture is mostly smooth.

Cook, stirring, until the liquid is all absorbed.

Remove from heat and let cool 15 minutes.  Stir in the pumpkin seeds and 1/4 cup bread crumbs.

Spread the rest of the crumbs on a plate.  Shape the bean mixture into 4" patties, coating on both sides with the crumbs. 

Place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and chill 30 minutes.

To cook, heat a little olive oil in a skillet over medium heat until hot.  Add the patties and cook 2-3 minutes on each side.  

Sauce

1 tbsp olive oil

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

salt

1/4 cup water

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped

1 ripe avocado

1 cup fresh chopped cilantro

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium, until hot.  Add the bell peppers and saute until soft, 5-7 minutes.  Add the green onions and cook an additional minute.  Transfer to a blender, add a generous pinch of salt, and add the remaining ingredients.  Blend until smooth.

Classic Coleslaw

Just a basic but delicious coleslaw. I love it on pulled pork sandwiches, alongside a variety of different main dishes, and as an afternoon snack. The sweetened onions and vinegar give it an extra burst of flavor, while the mayo keeps it creamy.

1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup sugar
4 cups shredded cabbage
1/3 cup reduced fat mayonaise
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or more, to taste)
salt and pepper

Put the onions in a mesh strainer and rinse well with cold water. Drain completely, then put in a large bowl with the sugar. Let stand 20 minutes.
Add the cabbage, mayonaise, and vinegar, and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste