Record Time

Last night, I cranked out dinner in record time! We had somewhere to go, and we weren't going to eat until late if I didn't get something on the table before we had to go. I had defrosted burgers, but a plain burger on a plain bun wasn't all that appealing to me at the time...so I worked somethin' out!!

I started by throwing some bacon slices into a cast iron pan, allowing them to start cooking while I gathered some other ingredients from around my kitchen! I pulled out a bag of chopped cabbage slaw mix, some very ripe (over-ripe? maybe.) avocados, a shallot, and two rogue slices of provolone cheese that I had left over from the Cubano I made last week. While I was gathering these things, my husband went outside and harvested some arugula from our garden! Okay, that's what I've got. Here's what I made:

I crumbled some of the bacon into the mixture of cabbage slaw and tossed it with a light ranch dressing - instant side dish of flavorful cole slaw! I put the burgers in the pan that I cooked the bacon in, allowing the meat to soak up some of that bacon flavor while it cooked. Meanwhile, I placed the buns under the broiler to toast, and mashed up those "very ripe" avocados with a minced shallot. I used the avocado mixture on each side of the bun, topping it with the burger (topped with melted Provolone), bacon slices and arugula leaves. 

The prep was minimal, the idea was simple, and the outcome was delicious! There's always something to be made with what you've got lying around the house, so put your thinkin' caps on and get cookin'! Dinner was literally on the table in under 15 minutes, and I have to say, I think I even impressed my husband. "Dinner's ready...already???" he yelled from the garden in our backyard. Haha, yup!

This One's for the Book!

Squash...check. Artichoke hearts...check. Ingredients to make pasta dough...check!

Ready, set...create! Okay, I didn't go shopping, I didn't have a plan, but I went into my kitchen tonight to prepare something delicious! What I created was a lovely ravioli, filled with acorn squash, onion, bacon and sage. As a sauce, I made a lemon-artichoke pesto sauce, and topped it all off with a savory artichoke and tomato salad for a bit of brightness and color. This one's goin' into the book!

I took ideas from a bunch of different recipes to pull this one together, and the flavors were really spot on! My first goal was to get the pasta dough made, since I would need to let it sit for 30 minutes. I used my favorite recipe for pasta dough, from Stir by Barbara Lynch. All it requires is 2 cups of flour (I use the Perfect Pasta blend, from King Arthur Flour), 2 large eggs, 4 large egg yolks and a teaspoon of kosher salt. Once that was made, and resting, I cut up another one of my acorn squash, and set it to boil on the stove in some water.

Once the squash was cooked, I pureed it in my food processor, and then poured the puree into a bowl with softened onions, bacon and sage, seasoned with some salt and pepper, and...Voila, our ravioli filling is done!

While these things were cooking and resting, I also prepared my pesto. I had some marinated artichoke hearts from the antipasto bar at Whole Foods, as well as some Parmesan, pine nuts, and lemon. I also used the oil that the artichokes were marinating in to emulsify the mixture. What I got was a bright, tasty pesto sauce with no basil whatsoever! Now that's what I call imagination!

As I rolled out my pasta dough, I made my raviolis by scooping a bit of "stuffing" onto each strip of dough, and folding it over. I have this amazing Ravioli Stamp that made the job much easier too! It definitely took less time than I thought it would, and fresh pasta dough is better than wonton wrappers any day! (However, in a pinch, wonton wrappers work well for quick ravioli.)

Do you see those little red dots? Each ravioli is brushed with a bit of egg yolk mixed with paprika, as well. Once I cooked the ravioli, and drained it, I added them back to the pot and tossed them with the Lemon-Artichoke pesto. I topped the dish with some extra artichokes and Kumato tomato for color and freshness. 

This was a really heartwarming meal full of delicate flavors that melded together nicely for a very hearty dish! I'm keeping this one in my back pocket, for sure!

Murphy's on the Green

This weekend, we took another trip up to the ol' V-T to celebrate a few birthdays, among them, my father-in-law's special day! We decided to take him out to lunch to celebrate, before heading to a special little lady's fourth birthday bowling party! We decided on Murphy's On The Green, in Hanover, NH. This pub-like establishment is located on the main drag of Dartmouth's little college town, and it sure is delicious! They were doing a helluva business on a Saturday afternoon at 2pm, but they were able to find us a table for four rather quickly.

A few minutes passed, and the waitress came over to take our drink order and recite the specials, which consisted of Salmon Chowder and a Red-Pepper Fettuccine entree (mmm, more on that later because that's what I decided to order!) Since a toast was in order, we all ordered drinks, and I opted for a glass of white wine, the Glass Mountain Chardonnay, out of a vineyard in California. I found it to be crisp, and reminiscent of apples. The description also described notes of butterscotch, which I think I tasted when I concentrated on it.

When we had all made our decisions, we placed our order. I decided to start with the Grilled Heart of Romaine Caesar. I don't see this on a menu all that often but when I do, I tend to lean towards ordering it. I know you are thinking, grilled lettuce? But yes sir, GRILLED LETTUCE. It's delicious. The grill pulls a smokiness from the lettuce that you wouldn't expect, and the heat wilts the leaves slightly, giving it what I can only describe as a heartier consistency. The romaine heart was drizzled with a fresh Caesar dressing, as well as parmesan flakes and garlicky croutons. The plate was decorated with a lovely red pepper aioli as well as an accompaniment of kalamata olives. I don't normally think of olives as a garnish for a Caesar salad, but in this case, the saltiness of the olives went really well with the smokiness of the grilled lettuce.

For my entree, as I mentioned earlier, I decided to go with the special of the day. The base for this delicious meal was a plate of red-pepper fettuccine from Vermont Fresh Pasta (and you know how I feel about fresh pasta). Check them out at their website, and if you can find their products in a store near you, I highly recommend giving them a try. They are seriously delicious. On with the dish, right? :) This delicious, fresh fettuccine was topped with a bacon and cream sauce, as well as grilled littleneck clams. The clams were a great size (I was expecting much smaller), they were perfectly cooked and fantastically sweet! There was a lovely bacon flavor to the sauce, and the bits of bacon throughout added a great little crunch to each bite. The whole plate was really very well seasoned and totally delicious.

We've visited this restaurant before, and I'm always thrilled with my meal, but this was an especially delicious visit! I think I chose a nice pairing between the wine, the salad and the entree, and I was so satisfied when we walked out that door. If you are ever in the area, definitely check out Murphy's On The Green, located at 11 S. Main Street in Hanover, NH. You won't be disappointed!

A Biscuit in a Basket

Last night, I made Bacon and Chive biscuits. They were delicious, and I wanted to share with all of you! The original recipe is from the Stonewall Kitchen Favorites cookbook.  I made them to go with a corn and sweet potato chowder, as well as an arugula and asparagus salad (both of those recipes are also in this cookbook). This combo was great together, but these biscuits are so versatile. They can be served with a breakfast meal, and if you make larger ones, you could even use them to make breakfast sandwiches. They also go well with soups, salads, and I can totally see serving them to dip in a delicious bouillabaisse broth as well!

I adapted the recipe a bit. I prefer the thick-cut bacon to regular strips, so rather than 8 regular slices of bacon, I used 6 slices of the thick-cut. (If you are vegetarian, try making these with the Smart Bacon instead.) You'll need 1 1/2 cups of flour, 1 Tablespoon of baking powder, 1 Tablespoon of sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt (use Kosher), 1/4 cup of unsalted butter, 1/4 cup of shortening, 1/2 cup chopped fresh chives, and 1/2 cup of skim milk. (The original recipe calls for whole milk, but I lightened it up a bit...and I think you could probably use soy milk as well, should you have a dairy allergy.)

Set the oven to preheat on 375 degrees F. Cook the bacon until nice and crispy, drain on paper towels, and then finely chop. In a large bowl, sift the flour using a fine sieve, and then add the baking powder, sugar and salt. Stir well and then begin to add the butter and shortening. With both, you want to add small pieces at a time and use your hands to work the fats into the flour mixture gently. You can also use a pastry blender or two knives, but hands really do work best! Don't be afraid to get a little messy! Once the mixture has the appearance of cornmeal, add the chopped bacon and chives. Add the milk, and with a fork, stir the mixture until it just comes together. Don't overwork it! Now, the recipe calls for rolling out this dough and then using a circular cutter to make the shapes...but, again, don't be afraid to use your hands! I made small patties with my hands instead of doing all that rolling. Put the biscuits on an ungreased cooking sheet. I put a sheet of parchment paper down to assure that there'd be no sticking. You want the biscuits to be about 1/2 an inch thick...any thicker and they won't cook correctly, any thinner and they'll dry out. Put them in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the tops turn to a golden color. The recipe says you'll get 12 biscuits ... I think I made mine a little on the larger side, since I got 11 out of the batch of dough.



These biscuits are a quick and delicious addition to many meals. Give them a shot and let me know what you think!