Grilled cheese and Fried (Not Green) Tomato Sandwiches

by Laura

I guess green tomatoes are just like normal red ones but not ripe, making them kind of hard to find at the grocery store. I have good news though! If you cover red tomatoes with breading and fry them, then stick them on a sandwich with a cheese and bacon mixture, they still taste good! I got Bon Appetit on a Friday and by Saturday afternoon I was fully craving this sandwich in this month's issue.

This picture doesn't do it justice! 

I didn't change anything but the type of tomato so here is a direct link to the BA recipe: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2013/06/grilled-pimiento-cheese-and-fried-green-tomato-sandwich-gpc

Slice tomatoes and put flour and bread crumb mixtures in bowls near stove top. 

Fry the tomatoes and set them on a plate lined with paper towels.

Cheese mix spread on ciabatta and toasted (would be good on its own)

Lunch at Daikaya

by Elissa

I've been reading about excellent ramen for a long time, but until recently I didn't have any experience with the real deal.  Josh and I attempted to eat at the locally famous Toki Underground on H Street NE not too long ago, but our pesky children prevented us from getting in line at 5 pm, and by the time we showed up at 7:30 there was a five hour wait. But I was delighted to learn that a new ramen place had opened not far from my office.  Daikaya serves ramen on the first floor and offers an izakaya menu on the second floor. 

My intrepid colleague Alex accompanied me on this ramen adventure.  Daikaya recently got a good review in The Washington Post , so there was already a short wait to be seated at noon. But after only 5 minutes, we got a seat at the bar overlooking the kitchen, which offered a fascinating crash course in ramen prep.  

The ramen chefs in action

The huge pot in the foreground was full of broth, noodles are cooked to order in baskets in the cooking area behind the stockpot, and the flash of fire in the distance is for the preparation of the bean sprouts that garnish each bowl.  I loved being able to watch these guys at work, and the finished product was pretty spectacular. 

Daikaya's Shoyu Ramen

I opted for the Shoyu ramen, which includes soy sauce in the broth. The noodles were particularly remarkable: they were perfectly cooked and had a delightful springy texture. I also really enjoyed the nitamago (soy sauce and broth marinated soft-boiled egg)--I'll definitely order an extra when I go back. At $11.75, this filling bowl of noodly deliciousness did not cost much more than the mediocre lunch options that abound in downtown DC. Alex tells me that Toki's broth is superior, but I have no basis for comparison and would happily become a regular at Daikaya.

Brown Butter Peach Muffins

By Katherine

It was my turn again last week to bring in a treat for Friday Food Day, and I found myself once again turning to muffins.  Muffins are a great option because they are perfectly portable and, with the addition of fruit and some whole grains, they aren't totally sinful.  This is my favorite time of year for fruit - apricots, and cherries, and peaches, oh my! - so I wanted to incorporate some of the seasonal bounty.  These muffins were also a good excuse to use one of my favorite new ingredients:  barley flour. It's whole grain but still light and just a bit nutty - look for it at your supermarket and start adding a bit to your favorite recipes!

Brown Butter Peach Muffins

Adapted from Food Network 

4 Tbs. unsalted butter

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup barley flour

1 Tbs. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 large egg

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup milk

3/4 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups chopped, peeled peaches

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease or spray your muffin tins (I got 15 muffins out of this recipe).   Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat.  When the butter foams, start whisking. Don't walk away from the stove at this point, as the butter can burn easily!  Whisk until you see lightly browned specks at the bottom of the pan and the butter begins to smell nutty. Remove the butter from the heat and set aside.  

In a large bowl, mix together the flours, baking powder, and salt. In another, smaller bowl, whisk the egg, then add the sugars and whisk until well-combined and thick.  Continue whisking, and add the milk and brown butter. Mix in the sour cream.  Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.  Add the chopped peaches and stir until just combined.  

Fill each muffin tin about 2/3 with batter.  Bake for 35 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.  Cool the muffins for 10 minutes in their tins, then turn them out onto a rack to cool completely.  For serving, I highly recommend gilding the lily with this cinnamon honey butter. 

Muffin + honey butter + our new patio table = not a bad way to start the weekend!

A Few Food Highlights from Napa

by Elissa

We just got back from a lovely vacation in California, the highlight of which was an engagement party for Katherine and Sean. We can't wait to celebrate some more at their wedding later this summer!

While we were out west, Josh and I took advantage of some generous family members and left the kids in Sacramento while we headed out to Napa for a night. We thoroughly enjoyed our 24-hour escape, and came back sated and refreshed. Eating well was a top priority, and we were not disappointed.

Seafood Tostada at Mustards Grill

We left Sacramento in time to have lunch in Napa, and after tasting some sparkling wines at Mumm, we headed to Mustards Grill. Our friend Mike particularly recommended the pork chop there, but we were already feeling a little sleepy and were worried we would crash if we had a big, heavy lunch. I went with the "Ever Popular" seafood tostada, which featured fried cod and an amazing cabbage and watercress slaw. This was sort of like a fish taco on steroids; the acidity of the slaw perfectly balanced the fried fish, and I was incapable of stopping until I had eaten every last bite. I'm still determined to try that pork chop someday, but I have no regrets about the tostada.

After a tasting at Silver Oak, we were ready for some downtime and headed to our hotel for a nap. Later that evening, we enjoyed a nice dinner at Oenotri.

Lamb Meatballs at Oenotri

Our favorite dish was this lamb meatball number, which featured farro, cucumbers, yogurt, roasted cauliflower, and arugula. The flavors seemed made for each other, and Josh and I were fighting each other for the last bite. We also loved the meyer lemon granita we had for dessert--it was reminiscent of the world's best slush puppy.

Model Bakery English Muffin

Of course we had to bring back some food souvenirs from our trip. On Laura's recommendation, we picked up some of the English muffins from Model Bakery. They were thicker than your typical English muffin but were nice and light. And toasted and slathered with butter they were pretty irresistible.

Giada's Lemony Shrimp Risotto

by Laura

Have you been scared off from trying to cook risotto? I have but after making this version from Giada, I don't see what the big deal is. This recipe took a while to complete and I made quite a mess of the kitchen, but the level of difficulty was low. The lemon makes it a refreshing choice for summer, and you could increase the amount of arugula to sneak in more vegetables. Highly recommend!

Step one: Chop onion and fennel and give yourself a pep talk about cooking risotto.

Step two: Salt and pepper shrimp, then cook in batches and set aside.

Step three: Using same pan, cook the fennel and onion, gradually adding in all the other ingredients.

Step four: throw shrimp back in and heat through.

Step five: Pretend that this moderate portion size will satisfy you (I definitely had seconds).

Spanish Rice

By Katherine

Whatever you call it, I love that zesty orange-colored rice that often accompanies Mexican or Latin dishes, but I have rarely tried to make it at home.  I decided to change that this week, when I was looking for an accompaniment for this chicken recipe.  After some searching online, I decided to use this recipe from Epicurious as a jumping-off point, with modifications. The final result was good enough that I think it will make it into our regular dinner rotation, and with brown rice and zucchini added in, I can even call it healthy. 

Latin baked chicken and Spanish rice

Spanish Rice

Adapted from Epicurious.com

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 cup long-grain brown rice

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes with green chilies

1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a medium dutch oven or saucepan (my 3.5-quart Le Creuset worked great, but you could use a smaller dish) on the stovetop, heat the oil and add the onion and garlic. Cook this mixture over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes, or until softened. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes, or until the rice looks a little toasty. Add the broth and the tomatoes and bring to a boil.

Bake the rice, covered, in the middle of the oven about 45 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed. Stir in the zucchini and let stand, covered, about 5 minutes. Just before serving, stir in the cilantro. 

DC Ballers: My Favorite Food Truck

by Elissa

I'm happy to report that the gourmet food truck trend is alive and well in DC.  The area around my office has of food options, but I've been working at the same place for almost 7 years now (!), and even the best lunch places get old after that much repetition.  So on days when I'm too disorganized to pack a lunch and when I'm not in the mood for any of the brick and mortar places near my office, I check out Food Truck Fiesta, a site that provides a real-time map of food trucks in DC.  Last week I was delighted to see that the DC Ballers truck was parked a few blocks from me.  A short walk and $9.50 later, I had a feast to enjoy at my desk.

That's the falafel platter, which includes falafel, hummus, tomato cucumber salad, tabbouleh, pita with za'atar, and tahini sauce. It's a generous serving, and it's the perfect way to satisfy a falafel craving. They also sell french fries, but I haven't been able to tear myself away from the falafel platter (which is so much food that I never have room for anything else). So DC folks, keep an eye out for the orange truck. It makes for a delicious change of pace.

El Valle de Guadelupe, Baja California

By Katherine

Living in San Diego, I am only a stone's throw from the Mexico border.  And luckily for my neighbors and me, Baja California is in the midst of a culinary renaissance. "Baja Med" cuisine is a fusion of Mexican and Mediterranean flavors, using the bounty of local produce, seafood, and wine available on the Baja peninsula.  From Tijuana to Ensenada, there are dozens of exciting restaurants that have been getting attention in American media in the last year or so, including a feature by Dana Goodyear in the New Yorker and an episode of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations.  In addition to the restaurants, Baja is home to some great wine country in the Valle de Guadelupe, which boasts some 50 wineries. 

Unfortunately, traveling to Tijuana and environs is pretty intimidating for a lot of Americans.  Mexican border towns have been plagued with violence in recent years, and although things in Tijuana have improved significantly, many Americans are still nervous. I have traveled south of the border a couple of times since moving to San Diego, and I felt perfectly safe and very welcome on both trips.  The main thing that has prevented me from heading south more frequently is the long waits at the international border to return to the U.S., which can stretch up to several hours at peak times. 

Enter Club Tengo Hambre, a group that leads food-themed day trips down to Baja.  If you're at all nervous about traveling to Mexico, you're in good hands--the leaders include a Tijuana native and they will expertly guide you to all sorts of delicious things.  I signed up for the mailing list a while back, and when I saw they were leading a wine-tasting trip to the Valle de Guadelupe, I reserved a spot right away and recruited a few friends to join. 

We met on the U.S. side of the San Ysidro border crossing and walked across the border together.  We piled into a van and headed down to the Valle, which is about an hour and a half from the border.  Our itinerary for the day included three wineries:  Alximia, Las Nubes, and Vinas de Garza, followed by a barbecue at chef Javier Plascencia's seasonal outdoor restaurant, Finca Altozano.  

Our first stop, Alximia, is still under construction, but it is a lovely place to visit nonetheless. Its futuristic building is incorporating the latest in enviromentally-friendy construction and has beautiful views overlooking the vineyards.  

Alximia's spaceship-like building

Who's ready to taste?

Alximia's barrel room

The vineyards at Alximia

After our tasting at Alximia, we had a quick snack of some local cheeses and bread, and then we made our way to Las Nubes. Las Nubes has a beautiful tasting room and large patio overlooking the vineyards, and we got to sample seven wines there, which were all fantastic (thank goodness for that bread and cheese in our bellies!). 

Our group's tasting table

More bread and cheese, please

Wandering the grounds at Las Nubes

Las Nubes' barrel room

From Las Nubes, we made our way to Vinas de Garza, which was surrounded by beautiful landscaping and offered tastings in its back garden.  It was a lovely spot to spend a sunny day, but none of us wanted to linger for too long because we were all very hungry by this point. 

Out front at Vinas de Garza

The wines aced their test

As I said, by this point, our stomachs were rumbling (or sloshing, more likely). Luckily, it was time to eat! Onward to Finca Altozano, where Chef Plascencia was roasting a whole lamb for us in a caja china, or Chinese box.  Finca Altozano is in a beautiful setting, and the food was amazing!

The scene at Finca Altozano

Next time we need to reserve the table out in the field!

The caja china where our lamb was cooked

Avocado crema with shiitake mushrooms

Lamb, ready to be made into tacos

After we stuffed ourselves with lamb, it was time to make our way back home.  The Tengo Hambre folks dropped us off back at the San Ysidro border crossing, and we made our way back over on foot.  We brought some wine back with us, so we'll be able to have a taste of Baja at home.  Club Tengo Hambre brought a photographer along on our trip, so if you're interested in seeing more photos, you can check them out here.  I highly recommend Club Tengo Hambre and exploring Baja generally!

Picnic Dinner

by Elissa

On most weeknight evenings, I need to get dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less. Obviously this rules out anything particularly elaborate. During our kitchen renovation I had to get creative with limited ability to cook, and on a few occasions I had great luck throwing together what I call a picnic dinner. It's basically a combination of various foods that requires little to no advance prep.

On this occasion we had some prosciutto and salami hanging out in the deli drawer.  I made an apple and fennel salad, sliced a red pepper, and picked up a baguette and some Humboldt Fog cheese on our way home.  For some reason, it seems like the kids end up eating more vegetables with this type of dinner than they do with a typical meal, and most of the elements here got good marks for deliciousness.  Now that the weather is warming up I see lots of picnic dinners in our future, as they don't require turning on the stove or the oven.  Other good elements to consider including are hummus, the pita chips I wrote about here, cucumber rounds, olives, baby carrots--you get the idea!

Hammered Chicken in Mustard Sauce

by Laura

I somehow started receiving Martha Stewart Living. While I am pretty sure I will never make a water-lily table decoration out of a coffee filter and food coloring, I have made quite a few recipes from the magazine that I’ve liked a lot. The first instruction in this recipe was to pound the chicken breasts so they are nice and thin and cook quickly. I don’t have a meat tenderizer so I wrapped the chicken back in the butcher paper and made do with a regular hammer. Probably not recommended but it was kind of fun.

I knew there was a reason I got that tool kit!

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living Magazine

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 tbsp olive oil

1 shallot, minced

1/4 cup white wine

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

3 tbsp heavy cream

2 tbsp chopped parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Pound (or hammer) the chicken breasts until they are about 1/2 inch thick and season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat.

Add chicken and cook until cooked through (about 5 minutes per side). Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Reduce heat to medium and add shallot. Cook for about a minute. Add wine and chicken broth and cook until reduced by half. Whisk in mustard and cream and simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley and add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over the chicken.

I served it with thinly sliced potatoes baked with olive oil and seasoning salt and arugula with shallots, lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil.

Boston Food Highlights

By Katherine

This past weekend, Sean and I headed to Boston to meet up with Elissa and her family, as well as my parents, to celebrate Elissa's induction into the Harvard Varsity Club Hall of Fame.  It is an amazing honor, and I am so proud of Elissa! 

It was a pretty quick trip, but we managed to squeeze in some good eating.  As we boarded our flight to Boston, the one thing that was on my mind was getting a really good lobster roll.  I did some research on Chowhound and Yelp, and I learned that Neptune Oyster Bar is highly rated. I also learned that Neptune is tiny and often has a long wait, so Sean and I headed over there at what we thought would be an off time, around 2:45 on Friday afternoon.  When we got there, we were told the wait would be an hour, but we ended up being seated at the bar after only about 20 minutes. We each knew we would be ordering lobster rolls, but we had to decide between the two options Neptune offers:  hot with drawn butter, or cold with mayonnaise.  We contemplated ordering both and sharing, but we both really wanted the hot/butter combo, so we got two of those to preserve our pre-marital harmony. 

This was an epic lobster roll.  Neptune's cold/mayo lobster roll may be fantastic, but I will never know because I'm pretty sure I'll never be able to order anything but the hot lobster roll if I make it back there.  I think there was a whole lobster's worth of warm, buttery lobster on the classic toasted bun.  The fries were good, too, but who has room for those when you have so much lobster meat to take care of? 

Neptune is in the North End, Boston's Italian neighborhood, so while we were there, we decided to sample some cannoli.  When  I was in college, our go-to cannoli place in the North End was Mike's Pastry. This trip, I decided to branch out and try some new places.  Besides, the line at Mike's is always too long. 

Maria's Pastry Shop

Modern Pastry

We tried to make this comparison as scientific as possible, choosing chocolate dipped shells filled with ricotta at both Maria's and Modern, but our system broke down when we realized Modern did not offer pistachios, and we had to substitute almonds.  Although I had never heard of Maria's before this trip, it ended up having the winning cannoli!  The crunchy shells are filled to order, the ricotta is rich and just a little tangy, and the pistachios are the perfect topping. 

Finally, it wouldn't be a trip to Boston without a stop at Dunkin' Donuts.  I didn't get a donut myself, but I know a couple of donut fiends who were pretty happy with theirs.

Chocolate-covered Lane

A soon-to-be very sticky Elenor

Shrimp, Grits, and Substitutions

by Elissa

Out of the blue a few days back, Josh mentioned that he hadn't had grits in a while and would welcome the opportunity to eat some. As a Californian, I did not grow up eating grits, but I've been an enthusiastic convert and I especially love shrimp and grits. After a short hunt, I found this recipe (it was the first Google result and had a 5-star rating from 103 reviewers on Food Network--always a good sign). It featured cheese grits and plenty of bacon. So I added it to my weekly meal plan and headed out to the grocery store. Have I mentioned that I do most of my grocery shopping on Friday nights? I go after the kids are in bed, the store is not crowded, and I can browse to my heart's content. My 25-year-old self is now shuddering in horror.

Of course, shortly after I got home from the store, I realized that I forgot to buy grits. So I made a second trip to the store during naptime on Saturday, only to find that the store did not have grits.  My understanding is that grits, cornmeal, and polenta are all basically the same thing, so I bought a bag of medium grind cornmeal and hoped for the best.

Bacony shrimp and grits with roasted brussels sprouts

The cornmeal worked out great, so if you can't find grits I think it's a more than adequate substitute.  The recipe does not give a lot of detail about how to cook the grits--I whisked them into boiling water and gave them a stir every 2-3 minutes, and ended up with a good result.  The grits were a bit stiff, so you might want to consider adding a little extra liquid. I used some of this Arkansas pepper bacon that we had gotten as a gift, and the extra black pepper gave things a nice kick.

Strawberry, Rhubarb and Apricot Crisp

by Laura

Usually, when it comes to warm fruit desserts (pies, crisps, etc.), my favorite part is the non-fruit aspect (the crust or crumble). This crisp's fruit to crumble ratio is about 1:1, making it not the healthiest choice, but delicious. Serve it warm over vanilla ice cream.

Put leftovers on yogurt and call it breakfast.

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients:

Crumble

Summer fruit is here!

1/2 stick cold butter cut into small pieces

1/2 cub brown sugar

1/3 cup flour

1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

Fruit Filling:

4 apricots pitted and cut into small pieces

1 large basket of strawberries hulled and cut into small pieces

One rhubarb stalk cut into small pieces

1/2 cup sugar

Juice of half of a lemon

1 tsp cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all crumble ingredients in a bowl until each little piece of butter is coated in the dry ingredients. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes (up to overnight).

Butter or spray your pie plate. Mix all filling ingredients and transfer to the baking dish. Top evenly with the prepared crumble and place in the oven until crumble is browned -- about 40 minutes. Let it cool 15 minutes and serve over vanilla ice cream while still warm.

Strawberry, Rhubarb and Apricot Crisp

Spaghetti and Meatballs

by Laura

Adapted from Ina Garten

The main difference in my adaptation from Ina's version is that I just used beef instead of ground veal, pork and beef and I increased the ratio of sauce to meat. And I have to say the best part of this meal was leftover spaghetti and meatball subs.

Ingredients

For meatballs:

1 1/4 pound ground beef
1/2 cup fresh white bread crumbs (4 slices, crusts removed)
1/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, beaten
Vegetable oil
Olive oil

For Sauce:

1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 cup good red wine, such as Chianti
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, or plum tomatoes in puree, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For Serving:

3/4 lb spaghetti

Parmesan

Toast (not really optional in my opinion)

First batch of meatballs in the works

Place the ground beef, both bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, egg, and 1/2 cup warm water in a bowl. Combine very lightly with a fork. Using your hands, lightly form the mixture into 1-inch meatballs. You will have 14 to 16 meatballs.

Pour equal amounts of vegetable oil and olive oil into a large (12-inch) skillet to a depth of 1/4-inch. Heat the oil. Very carefully, in batches, place the meatballs in the oil and brown them well on all sides over medium-low heat, turning carefully with a spatula or a fork. This should take about 10 minutes for each batch. Don't crowd the meatballs. Remove the meatballs to a plate covered with paper towels. Discard the oil but don't clean the pan.

For the sauce, heat the olive oil in the same pan. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the wine and cook on high heat, scraping up all the brown bits in the pan, until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper.

Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve hot on cooked spaghetti and pass the grated Parmesan.

For the leftover subs

Toast any bread (I used french rolls) and butter. While bread is toasting, heat up the leftover spaghetti and meatballs. Place warm spaghetti and meatballs on toast and top with provolone cheese while it is all still warm. 

Chicken Tortilla Soup

By Katherine

Elissa has already blogged about the joys of slow-cookery, and specifically Slow Cooker Revolution from America's Test Kitchen, but I'm here to pile on.  There's something so great about arriving home from work to a great-smelling house and a dinner that's already ready.  One of my favorite recipes in the book is for tortilla soup, which I made earlier this week to stave off some of the gray fogginess we start getting in San Diego this time of year.  Here's how it goes....

Ready to get cooking

Chicken Tortilla Soup (adapted for my taste and laziness from Slow Cooker Revolution) 

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

3 plum tomatoes, chopped

1 onion, minced

2 jalapenos, stemmed, seeded, and minced

6 cloves of garlic, minced

3 chipotle chiles in adobo, with sauce, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

8 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Stems from one bunch of cilantro, tied together with twine (about 25 stems)

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

salt and pepper to taste

Garnishes: crushed tortilla chips, crumbled Cotija cheese, avocado, minced cilantro, lime wedges

Saute tomatoes, onion, and jalapenos in oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  When onion is softened, add garlic, chipotles, and tomato paste and cook briefly (1 minute will do) until everything is a melded together and smelling good. Stir in 1 cup of broth and scrape up all the tasty brown bits on the bottom of the pan, then transfer the mixture to the slow cooker. 

Add the remaining broth and cilantro stems to the slow cooker, then add the chicken thighs (gently so as not to splash the broth all over the kitchen). Set the slow cooker to low and leave it alone for the next 4-6 hours.  I set mine for five hours, but then it sat around for another 2 hours on "keep warm" until I got home from work, and it suffered no ill effects. 

Use tongs to remove the chicken from the soup and shred it using two forks. Fish out the cilantro stems and toss them, then return the chicken to the soup.  Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper, if desired. Serve by placing crushed tortilla chips in bowls, then ladling soup over the top, and topping with cheese, avocado, cilantro, and lime. 

The garnishes

The finished soup

A few tips. . . this makes a pretty spicy soup.  If you're not a fan of the heat, reduce the amount of chipotle chiles.  While we're on the subject of chipotles in adobo, I never use a whole can at once, and I hate to waste what's leftover.  What I do is portion the remaining chipotles (with their sauce) into ziploc sandwich bags - usually about 2 chiles in each bag - then put them in the freezer.  The chipotles are pretty fragrant, so I usually put the sandwich bags into a large freezer bag to try to keep the whole freezer from smelling like chipotles. You can pull out an individual bag whenever you need a chipotle, and they defrost pretty quickly - about 30 minutes on the counter, or you can speed it up by putting them in lukewarm water.  

Since this recipe calls for sauteing the vegetables before putting them in the slow cooker, it can be a scramble to pull it all together on a weekday morning if you're trying to get out the door to work/school/whatever.  I recommend prepping everything the night before, including doing the saute, then you can put the cooked vegetables in the fridge overnight and just pop them in the slow cooker in the morning. Finally, I used some soy and flax tortilla chips for this batch, because that bag was open and I like to operate under the illusion that there's such a thing as a healthy chip, but their texture in the soup was a little strange.  I would use regular tortilla chips if you have them instead - which is what I've used for the leftover soup, with great results. 

Farmer's Market Ceviche

by Laura

I recently had dinner at a friend's house and brought what I considered to be the disappointing contents of this week's Farm Fresh delivery. My friends Erin and Lisa are very handy in the kitchen and they suggested a salad made up with my rejected vegetables, a little salt and pepper, cilantro and lime juice. Lisa came up with the name "Farmer's Market Ceviche," which I love. It was very refreshing, extremely easy and has zero fat! 

1 zucchini

1 spring onion (looks like a scallion with a tumor)

1 bunch of radishes

1 bunch of carrots

Juice of 2 limes

Salt and pepper to taste

Cilantro (optional)

Slice the zucchini into very thing coin-shaped slices and place them in a colander. Sprinkle generously with salt and let them sweat out some of their moisture and bitterness for a bit (however long it takes you to slice up the rest of the ingredients, sipping wine along the way) in the sink. While the zucchini sits, slice the onion, radishes and carrots, all in thin slices. Rinse zucchini and pat dry. Place all four ingredients in a large bowl and mix with lime juice. Top with cilantro and add salt and pepper to taste. 

Good stuff.

Easy Mediterranean-ish Dinner

by Elissa

I'm always on the lookout for easy dinners that I can get on the table in under half an hour, and I thought I'd share a recent winner that satisfied both the adults and the kids in our household.

The ketchup makes the sweet potato fries a much easier sell . . .

This meal featured grilled lamb sausages, roasted sweet potato fries, toasted pita chips, cucumber rounds, and a yogurt dipping sauce. I love the combination of lamb with a yogurt sauce--maybe because it reminds me of eating a gyro? Anyways, this all came together pretty quickly.  The sweet potatoes take the longest to cook, so I peeled them and sliced them into wedges as soon as we got home. Toss them with a couple tablespoons of olive oil and and put them in a 400-degree oven for about 20 minutes. If you remember to flip them halfway through, great, but it's not essential.

While the grill was preheating I got together the yogurt sauce and the pita.  In my opinion, the key to the yogurt sauce and the pita toasts is za'atar, a Middle Eastern spice blend. It combines sumac, which is sort of tangy and tart, with sesame seeds, cumin, thyme and oregano.  

My almost-empty bottle of za'atar

The combination may not sound all that special, but if you've never tried it I'd encourage you to seek it out, as the sum is greater than its parts.  I have been sprinkling it over everything vaguely Mediterranean lately-- from roasted eggplant to hummus. There is some regional variation, so not all blends of za'atar taste the same. I haven't been able to find it at my local grocery stores, so I buy it online (my latest batch came from the Savory Spice Shop--and it's time for me to order another bottle!)

Anyways, to make the yogurt sauce mix plain Greek yogurt with a little garlic powder, some salt to taste, and a generous sprinkle of za'atar.  Mix in a little olive oil and taste it, adding more seasoning as necessary.

For the pita toasts, brush rounds of whole wheat pita with olive oil on both sides. Sprinkle with za-atar and a pinch of kosher salt. Cut into wedges and bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes, until warmed through and starting to toast.

I sliced up some baby persian cucumbers, and threw some strips of zucchini on the grill with the sausages. I bought these sausages at the farmer's market, but our Whole Foods sometimes carries a garlic, rosemary, and mint lamb sausage that I also like a lot.  We were sitting down to eat as soon as the sausages came off the grill.

Damn Good Brussels

by Laura

I know the bacon and Brussels sprouts thing is overdone lately, but this was so good and easy to make, I needed to share. I didn't make any variations to Ina Garten's recipe -- the only thing I would change might be to double the recipe because they went fast. I definitely think it is worth splurging for good pancetta and a good, syrupy balsamic. I used Cavalli, which I bought at Whole Foods for about $25.

Soooo good

Parmesan Bread Pudding with Swiss Chard

by Laura

This is another recipe adapted from Bon Appetit in the "Budget Dinners" section, but if I made it again, I think it would be best for brunch. I subbed chard for the broccoli rabe they suggest, and my market was out of pancetta, so I used prosciutto, which worked fine but I think the pancetta (or regular bacon) would have been better.

I waited until it was almost gone to take a picture so you can see the layers...not because I forgot until we ate most of it.

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp. minced fresh garlic

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 bunch swiss chard, stems removed, cut into pieces

2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

6 large eggs

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1/2 pound good bread sliced into 1 inch pieces (I used a whole wheat ciabatta from Trader Joe's)

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp finely grated parmesan

6 thin slices of pancetta (or bacon or prosciutto)

Pre-heat oven to 350. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until garlic is softened - about a minute. Add chard, season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring until wilted - 3-5 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Whisk eggs, milk, 2 tsp. salt and 1.2 tsp. pepper in a large bowl. Add chard mixture, bread and 1/2 cup parmesan; toss to combine. Transfer to a baking dish (I used an 8x8 pyrex and it fit but was a little crowded - 9x13 might be better). Top with pancetta and remaining parmesan.

Bake until puffed and brown in spots and set in the center, 45-55 minutes.

Our New Kitchen

by Elissa

We finally have a new kitchen to show you! We moved into this house about three years ago, and while we wanted to renovate the kitchen it was not at the top of the priority list (that honor went to adding central air conditioning and replacing the lead paint-covered windows). And while the kitchen had its issues, it was reasonably functional and the layout worked pretty well for us. Here's how it looked before:

One view of the old kitchen

Note the hideous vinyl floor and the lack of upper cabinets on the left wall.  The paint on the cabinets was also peeling off, the butcher block counter was stained around the sink, and the drawers gave off sawdust every time you opened them. There was also no ventilation over the stove, so cooking things over high involved opening the windows and hoping for the best.

Looking the other direction

The kitchen includes an eat-in area, and this is where we eat most of our family meals.  On the right of this picture you can see what used to be the back door to the house; now there is a small addition that's accessible through the adjacent dining room.  Previous owners turned the old doorway into a set of shallow shelves. While we loved having an eat-in kitchen, there was quite a bit of wasted space and we really wanted some additional storage. We decided to leave the footprint of the kitchen basically unchanged, but we replaced everything and added some additional cabinets and counter space. Here are the after pictures:

New sink area

New range with hood and french-door refrigerator

New eat-in area

We added shallow lower cabinets, a strip of countertop, and open shelves to the wall of the eating area

We opted for quartz counters, a glass tile backsplash, and painted the walls a pale grayish green. We are pretty thrilled with the end result and are loving having a kitchen again. Let me know if you'd like more details about any of our choices--I've been immersed in this stuff for the last six months and could discuss it for hours, but I'll spare you that level of detail in this post!