Kale and Spuds

I have some kale and went looking for a few recipes (besides just fixing kale chips). . . .

Quinoa and Kale Salad
Serves: 4-6
1½ lemons, juiced
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
¾ tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper

2 bunches curly kale, destemmed and finely chopped
1½ cups cooked quinoa
½ cup golden raisins
½ cup roasted almonds, chopped
1 large bell pepper, chopped
1 avocado, cubed (optional)

Mix together dressing, then pour over kale in large bowl.  Stir until until kale is coated and starts to be broken down.  Add remaining ingredients and toss to combine.


Lentil, Kale and Potato Soup
Serves: 4

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
2 large carrots, diced
1 cup dry lentils (not red), rinsed and picked over
4 cups vegetables broth + ½ cup water
1 tsp salt
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp cumin
¼ tsp coriander
1 large potato, diced (about 1½ cups)
½ bunch kale, ribs removed and chopped finely
2 tsp red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste

Salute onion, celery, carrots in olive oil.  Next, add lentils, broth, seasonings; bring to a boil then simmer 20 minutes.  Add potatoes, and simmer for 15 minutes longer until cooked.  Add kale, then stir in vinegar and season with salt and pepper.


Salmon Burgers
1 can (14.5 oz) wild salmon, drained and bones/skin removed
1 egg + 1 egg white
½ cup breadcrumbs / oat flour
½ medium onion, chopped
1 cup of fresh spinach, chopped
2 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
3 oz goat or feta cheese
oil for frying

Remove bones from drained salmon, and mix in remaining ingredients except oil.  Form into patties and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Cook in skillet, approximately 5 minutes per side until done.


Sweet potato fries
1 small/medium sweet potato
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cinnamon
sprinkle of smoked paprika
olive oil

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Slice sweet potatoes, then mix spices with oil.  Toss sliced potatoes in oil, then bake for about 25 minutes, checking after about 10 - 15 minutes to turn as necessary.

A few random links

DIY Scratch Off tickets
Basically two parts paint to one part dish soap.

Where to of find local grass fed milk and butter:

Links to tasty Super Bowl themed snacks:
A Dozen Snacks with links to:
Buffalo Chicken Bread
Zucchini Fritters

Pizza Cheeseball

Pizza Monkey Bread
Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken (used in the recipe above)
3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 12 oz bottle Hot Sauce 

1 oz Ranch dressing powder (recipe calls for Hidden Valley, but can use this recipe)

½ stick of butter

General Mau's Chicken
1 lb chicken breasts (cut into 1" pieces)
1/2 c. cornstarch, 1/2 tsp. salt, pepper to taste
vegetable oil
1/4 c. each: sugar, soy sauce, pineapple juice, cider vinegar
1 - 2 crushed cloves garlic, 1 tsp. fresh ginger


Gluten Free Focaccia

Boarding Music

Just 'cause I felt like I heard it a dozen times while on our trip to Hawaii. . . .

Ray LaMontagne - Supernova
Young Rising Sons - High
Groove Armada - Inside My Mind (Blue Skies)
Glee Cast - Lovefool
Moby - Porcelain
Poolside - Harvest Moon
MAGIC ! - Let Your Hair Down
Rhye - The Fall
Daft Punk ft. Julian Casablancas - Instant Crush
Don Gorda Project - Dedicado
Santana ft. Lila Downs, Niña Pastori and Soledad - Una Noche en Nápoles
Nina Simone - The Look of Love
Henry and Chris Mancini - Champagne and Quail 

Overnight Oats

Sounds interesting. . . . looks really good!

Black Forest Overnight Oats From the Breakfast Drama Queen

2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons boiling water
½ cup frozen cherries
¼ cup milk
½ cup yogurt (about 4 ½ oz, or 120g)
1 teaspoon cherry, raspberry or strawberry jelly/jam
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup rolled oats
1½ teaspoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon boiling water
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon cherry, raspberry or strawberry jelly/jam
1 ½ tablespoons rolled oats
1 tablespoon chocolate chips
2 teaspoons shredded coconut
Fresh cherries, to serve


Mix together cocoa powder, sugar, and boiling water until dissolve. Next, mix frozen cherries with milk, then add to chocolate mix. Add yogurt, jelly / jam, vanilla and oats. Cover and refrigerate overnight. For the topping, add cocoa powder, sugar, and water; stir to dissolve. Next add syrup, jelly, oats, and chocolate chips, mixing well. Refrigerate until ready to serve.


To serve, add coconut to the topping, then add to top of oatmeal. Add fresh cherries and serve.

Homemade Pizza Rolls

Pizza Rolls

9 ounces (about 1 2/3 cups) bread flour
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water

1/2 pound Italian sausage, cooked, cooled, and finely diced
1/4 pound low-moisture mozzarella, finely diced
1/2 cup prepared pizza sauce

Probably need to roll dough thinner - to 5 instead of 4.  

Also: try with pepperoni.

Update: the original recipe calls for frying the pizza rolls, but I've had success baking them at 375 - 400 degrees (my oven runs hot) for 10 minutes. 

Pizza Dough

Alton Brown's Pizza Dough recipe

Said to be the Only Pizza Dough Recipe you'll ever need.

PIZZA PIZZA
Makes two 10-inch pizzas

9 1/2 ounces bread flour, plus 1/2 cup or so for rolling
1 teaspoon instant yeast (not rapid rise)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons olive oil (not extra-virgin), plus more to brush on the dough
3/4 cup warm water (100-105 degrees F)
Your favorite sauce and pizza toppings

Alton's recipe goes through all the steps to make the dough in a stand mixer using a dough hook; I just dump everything into my bread machine on the dough cycle.  

In either case, once it's made, put in an oil coated bowl, and let rise overnight in the fridge.  (Side note: letting just about any pizza dough rise overnight will improve it's flavor).

To make the pizzas, divide dough into two parts and let rest 30 minutes.  Stretch \ roll dough out using your favorite method (again Alton goes into a lot of detail about the best way to do this, but think of a pizzeria tossing the pizza in the air) until it's about 10 inches.

Brush the edge of the dough with oil, then top as desired.  Bake at 500 for 5 - 7 minutes.  Let rest a few minutes before cutting.

Coconut Flour Pizza Crust

3 eggs
1 cup coconut milk
½ cup coconut flour
2 tsp. onion powder
½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. oregano (optional)
1 clove minced garlic

375, 15 - 20 minutes  Should be rather runny.  Remove from oven when browned, flip over, and add toppings. Bake another 5 - 10 minutes.

Gluten Free Angel Food Cake

Based on this recipe.

1 1/2 cups (10 - 11 eggs) egg whites at room temperaturee
1 1/4 cup sugar, divided
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tarter
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Fruit, sliced up and tossed with sugar to taste (sugar helps some of the juices form)
Chocolate


Mix together egg whites, cream of tarter, salt and vanilla.  Start whipping the egg whites.  When they start forming soft peaks, add 1/2 cup sugar.  Keep whipping the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.

Sift together 3/4 cup sugar, flours, and cornstarch; gradually sift a second time into egg whites, gently folding the flour in.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 - 45 minutes in an engrossed tube pan.  Invert over wine bottle to cool.

To finish the cake, whip about a 1/2 cup whipping cream with a little sugar.  'Frost' the cake with it, then spread the fruit and juices over it.  Grate a little chocolate over the top if desired (good for strawberries and raspberries).

Black Beans

From: http://kikoshouse.blogspot.com/2008/08/jamaican-style-black-beans-to-die-for.html


6 tablespoons cooking oil
2 medium red onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons crushed oregano
6 cups (3 cans) black beans, drained
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons orange juice
4 tablespoons dark rum
Salt and pepper to taste


Cook onion and garlic in oil in skillet.  Add other veggies (peppers, celery, etc) and cook a few more minutes.  Add spices and remaining ingredients.  Cover and simmer  for 25 minutes.

Cranberry Jam

From the Farmers Market Basket email newsletter / website 
12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked over
1½ cups sugar
½ cup of juice (apple, cranberry, orange)
½ cup water
3 – 8 oz. jelly jars

Combine all of the ingredients in a large, heavy saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes.

Either store in fridge / freezer or can.  Traditional canning: wash jars and lids, then pour hot jam into jars.  Tighten lids to finger tight, then process in boiling water for 10 minutes.  Remove from water and place on counter.  Jars should seal within 24 hours.

Thanksgiving - recap

Turkey Recipe

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

3 garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon)

2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme leaves or 2 teaspoons dried

zest of one lemon (about 1 teaspoon)

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

6 - 7 pound bone-in, skin-on turkey breast

About an hour before cooking turkey, remove from refrigerator to bring to room temperature.  Dry skin.

Mix butter, garlic, thyme, lemon zest, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in medium bowl with rubber spatula or fork until thoroughly combined.

When ready to cook turkey, preheat oven to 425.  Separate skin from turkey, then spread butter mixture under skin (rub skin to help evenly distribute as necessary).

Place turkey in roasting pan (cast iron dutch oven works well) with skin side facing up.  Pour a cup of water into the pan, then roast the turkey for 30 minutes.  Reduce heat to 325, and cook another hour.  Check the temperature, and continue roasting until the temperature reads 160 degrees in the thickest part of the turkey.  Let rest 20 minutes before carving.

Bacon Wrapped Brussel Sprouts

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Salt and peper to taste

1 pound Brussel sprouts, trimmed

1/2 pound bacon, cut into 4 pieces (cut lengthwise and crosswise)

Preheat oven to 400.  Mix together oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper, then toss the Brussels sprouts.  Wrap bacon around the sprouts, and place in hot cast iron pan.  Roast 20 minutes or until bacon is cooked, and the sprouts are tender.

Gluten Free Yorkies

(this is based on a couple of recipes, including this one and some notes from the King Arthur Flour website.

75 g Gluten Free Flour mix*

½ teaspoon Xanthan Gum

¼ teaspoon Salt

2 Eggs, beaten

1 1/4 cups Milk

2 tablespoons Oil

25 g Butter or Drippings

Preheat oven to 425.  Put a small piece of butter in cups of a muffin pan, then place in preheating oven.  

Mix together flour, xanthin gum, and salt.  Add eggs, milk and oil to form a smooth batter.  When the fat is bubbling, pour batter into muffin, and bake 20 - 25 minutes.

*In a flood processor, blend together 400 g rice flour, 300 g potato flakes and 50g tapioca starch. Store airtight at room temperature.

Bike Trail Links

Noonday Creek Trail
http://tcacid.com/noonday-creek-multi-use-trail/7

Mountain Bike Trails:

http://www.sorbawoodstock.org

http://sorbawoodstock.org/olde-rope-mill-park/
http://www.sorbaatlanta.org/
http://www.rambo-mtb.org

Roswell Alpharetta Mountain Bike Organization
http://www.atlantatrails.com/hiking-trails/a-getaway-close-to-home-sope-creek/
 
Elsewhere in the South:
http://www.sorba.org

Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association

Paved
http://www.silvercometga.com
http://www.bigcreekgreenway.com

Thanksgiving ideas . . . .

Turnip greens 
http://projects.eveningedge.com/recipes/eddies-turnip-greens/

Bacon wrapped Brussels Sprouts:
http://kidscooking.about.com/od/brusselssproutsrecipes/r/Bacon-Wrapped-Brussels-Sprouts.htm 
 
Roasted Butternut Squash:
http://kidscooking.about.com/od/sidedishes/r/Roasted-Butternut-Squash.htm 

Basics - bread, mashed 'taters, gravy, stuffing, fried okra, fried squash . . . .

Cheese plate?

Fried Camembert

http://dutchfood.about.com/od/starterssnacks/r/Diep-Fried-Camembert-With-Cranberry-Sauce-Gefrituurde-Camembert-Met-Cranberrysaus.htm 

Baked Brie

http://www.fullmeasureofhappiness.com/2011/12/29/baked-apricot-brie/

Shrimp and Grits?

Dessert - Pots de creme au chocolat?  Creme Brulee?  Pumpkin Pie? Cheesecake (with GF crust)?

For Rosie

Dog biscuits, for our dog Rosie. . . ..

Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits

Pumpkin Dog Biscuits
(made without the cinamon)

Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Dog Biscuits

Dog Biscuits
(including ones for Pumpkin, Sweet Potato, and Apple - Carrot)

Best of Breed Dog Biscuits



Update: Sadly Rosie died a few months after I posted this, in early February. . . . .

Pie crust?!?

Oat Pecan Pie Crust
⅔ cup whole pecans
⅓ cup large flake oats
⅓ cup brown sugar, packed
¼ cup all purpose gluten free flour (sorghum?)
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. salt
⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted

In a food processor, combine all but the butter; add the butter.  Bake at 350 for 12 minutes.

She also features a Sweet Potato Cheesecake to go inside the pie crust.  Right now, I've just been looking for a gluten-free pie crust to make a pie (or possibly a cheesecake).

A few links . . .

Started looking for ways to serve cabbage . . . .

Curried Cabbage
Grilled Cabbage
+ the comment about using the leftovers in fish tacos . . .
Turkey Enchiladas
Panzanella

Delia --

http://www.deliaonline.com

Plain Scones

English Muffins

Crumpets

Plus from my inbox . . .

Copper Pennies

1 pound carrots
cinnamon stick or ground cinnamon 1 tsp. brown sugar ½ tsp. apple cider vinegar 1 Tbsp.butter water enough to cover halfway salt Wash carrots and cut into 1/2 inch rounds. Place in pan with enough water to cover them about halfway, a sprinkle of salt, a piece of cinnamon stick (or light sprinkle of cinnamon) and a smidge of brown sugar(the brown sugar is almost an aromatic here; maybe it's psychological, but it's more caramely if I add even a 1/4 tsp of brown sugar...)
Simmer til tender, but not soft. Drain, keeping the liquid. Put the carrots in bowl and cover. Return liquid to pan, with cinnamon stick and gently boil until reduced to a few spoonfuls and slightly thickened. Remove cinnamon stick (if applicable), add a few drops of cider vinegar (maybe 1/4-1/2 tsp), the merest of hints of cold butter and swirl to combine. Return carrots to pan and toss quickly to glaze. Serve warm (immediately) or let sit on counter for up to six hours and serve at room-temperature. Keeps chilled for a few days

Pumpkin Muffinettes - the recipe link

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spiced-Pumpkin-Bread-840

3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 16-ounce can solid pack pumpkin
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9x5x3-inch loaf pans. Beat sugar and oil in large bowl to blend. Mix in eggs and pumpkin. Sift flour, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, salt and baking powder into another large bowl. Stir into pumpkin mixture in 2 additions. Mix in walnuts, if desired.

Divide batter equally between prepared pans. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Transfer to racks and cool 10 minutes. Using sharp knife, cut around edge of loaves. Turn loaves out onto racks and cool completely.

Chocolate Chip Cookies. . . .

First, a link to the Science of Chocolate Chip Cookies

Next, a recipe. . .
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies


One day, I'm gonna have to develop my own. . . . .

Canadian Delicacies

Beaver Tails

1/2 cup warm water
5 teaspoons dry yeast
1 pinch sugar
1 cup warm milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
4 1/4-5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
oil ( for frying)
cinnamon and granulated sugar ( for dusting)

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the yeast, warm water and pinch of sugar.  Let stained 5 minutes before stirring in 1/3 cup sugar, milk, vanilla, eggs, 1/3 cup oil.  Add flour to make a soft dough.  Knead 5 - 8, adding additional flour until dough is smooth and elastic.
 

Place in a greased bowl.  Cover, and let rise about 30-40 minutes.  Gently deflate dough, then pinch off a golfball-sized piece of dough. Roll out into an oval and let rest, covered with a tea towel and repeat with remaining dough.

Heat about 4 inches of oil in fryer to about 385F.  Stretch dough into beaver shaped tails, then fry in hot oil, turning so both sides are brown.  Remove, drain on paper towels, and toss with cinnamon and sugar (if desired). 

Butter Tarts

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup cold butter, cubed
1/4 cup lard or butter, cubed
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vinegar
Ice water

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 egg
2 tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp vinegar
1 pinch salt
1/4 cup currants or raisins or chopped pecans or shredded coconut

Pastry: Whisk flour and salt together, then cut butter / lard in until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few larger pieces.   Whisk egg yolk with vinegar; add enough ice water to make 1/3 cup. Sprinkle over flour mixture, stirring until pastry holds together. Press into disc; wrap in plastic wrap chilled, about 1 hour.

Filling: In bowl, whisk together brown sugar, corn syrup, egg, butter, vanilla, vinegar and salt until blended; set aside.

On lightly floured surface, roll out pastry to 1/8-inch thickness. Using 4-inch round cookie cutter cut out 12 circles, rerolling scraps once if necessary. Fit into 2-3/4- x 1-1/4-inch muffin cups. Divide currants among shells. Spoon in filling until three-quarters full.

Bake in bottom third of 450 F oven until filling is puffed and bubbly and pastry is golden, about 12 minutes. Let stand on rack for 1 minute. Run metal spatula around tarts to loosen; carefully slide spatula under tarts and transfer to rack to let cool.

Links. . . .

A bunch o' recipe links:

How to make a Chick-fi-a Sandwich at home:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/07/the-food-lab-how-to-make-a-chick-fil-a-sandwich-at-home.html?ref=obinsite

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/11/chocolate-peanut-butter-cupcakes-buttercream-recipe.html

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/06/strawberry-shortcake-cupcakes-recipe.html

Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes:
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/01/chocolate-raspberry-cupcakes-recipe.html

Radio Plays

http://www.artc.org/topic/podcast/

Playing with your food:

http://us6.campaign-archive1.com/?u=d21f4cde24b4f812f156d3b52&id=88c3b2efd1&e=b8a6616bba

Summer Reading Book List suggestions:

http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/27/living/anna-quindlen-raising-readers/index.html?hpt=hp_bn11

http://www.scholastic.com/parents/books-and-reading/book-lists-and-recommendations/ages-8-10

http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/835.Books_for_eight_year_old_children

http://www.scholastic.com/parents/books-and-reading/book-lists-and-recommendations/ages-8-10

 http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/book-list/more-book-lists/book-every-type-ages-8-10

Salad Dressings

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

1 1/4 cups sour cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 large garlic clove, minced
4 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
1 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed (or 1 teaspoon fresh)