Rosemary Shortbread Cookies

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons white sugar for decoration

DIRECTIONS
1. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and 2/3 cup of sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the flour, salt, and rosemary until well blended. The dough will be somewhat soft. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into rectangles 1 1/2x2 inches in size. Place cookies 1 inch apart on the lined cookie sheets. Sprinkle the remaining sugar over the tops.
* note: could also roll dough into balls or use cookie cutters
* note: be sure cookies are at at least 1/4 inch thickness for authentic thick, flaky shortbread consistency.
4. Bake for 8 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden at the edges. Cool on wire racks, and store in an airtight container at room temperature.
* note: Bake only until edges begin to brown; do not overbake.

Yields: 35-45 servings, depending on cookie size

Pork Chops

I did this yesterday and it turned out yummy, tender, and juicy:

~4 Chops
~1/4 cup dijon mustard
~about 1.5 tbsp honey
~about 1.5 tsp ground red pepper

1. Thaw chops thoroughly if frozen.
2. Preheat oven to 350.
3. Mix ingredients in bowl; spread on both sides of pork chops. Let stand a few minutes.
4. Bake for 45-55 minutes.

Irish Beef and Stout Stew

4 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1.5-in cubes (can usually buy steak pre-cut for stew meat)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cans (6 oz) each tomato paste (or crushed tomatoes)
2.5 pounds new potatoes, scrubbed
2 medium onions, cut into 1-in pieces
2 cans (14.5 oz each) beef broth
1 can (14.9 oz) Irish stout beer (or other beer)
10 garlic cloves, sliced
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 boxes (10 oz each) frozen baby peas

1. Preheat oven to 350. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, toss beef with flour; stir in tomato paste. Add potatoes, onions,broth, beer, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cover, and bring to a boil over medium heat,stirring occasionally.

2. Transfer pot to oven, and cook, covered, until meat is fork-tender, 2.5-3 hours (or 1.5-2 hours for half-recipe). Stir in peas, and season with salt and pepper. I had the idea that carrots might be a good, stewish addition.

Serves 10
Prep Time: 25 min
Total Time: 3 hrs

*Notes: I used a lighter ale and crushed tomatoes, as that's what I had on hand. It turned out fine, though would probably be just a bit thicker and more flavorful if I'd had the precise, called-for ingredients. I also made a half-recipe, and got three quarts out of it - plenty for Kenton and me.

Fresh Basil Pesto

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Special equipment needed: A food processor

1 Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.
2 Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Makes about 1 cup.

Notes: I used pecans, which I had on-hand. They were roasted and salted, which gave the pesto killer flavor, but also probably added a significant dose of unhealthiness. I also doubled the recipe by 1.5, went a little over on the garlic, and learned that that will give the pesto quite a zing, an almost spicy-hot flavor, which we liked, but others might not.

Berry Smoothie

Nellie requested this from me after her visit; I have become quite addicted in the last month - a nice breakfast.

- 1/4 cup soft tofu
- 1 cup frozen mixed berries (though I've started using all blueberries for the sweeter flavor and smoother consistency)
- 1/2 cup pomegranate juice (I use cranberry pomegranate juice or whatever's on hand.)
- 1/4 cup ice (I have started leaving this element out - at first because I didn't have any ice on hand, surprise, surprise - the consistency is smoother and more drinkable without it, and still frozen because of the berries.)
- 1-2 teaspoons honey (I include this last, as it freezes quickly and then doesn't mix in well)

The idea is that this makes two smoothies . . . whatever. I drink it is as one. It fills a regular-sized tall drinking glass. It's fantastic.

Earthshattering Butternut Squash Soup

Hi ladies~ butternut squash is on sale at Kroger this week for 70 cents/lb, at least down here in Georgia, so I got some and made this soup recipe. Unbelievable--like fall in a pot. Hope you enjoy!

Unbelievable Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter (salted)
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced carrots
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 cups roasted butternut squash (I used 1 large and 1 medium squash)
3.5 cups chicken stock
2 beef bouillon cubes
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 425. Half butternut squashes, drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil, sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for 45 minutes.
While letting squash cool, heat remainder of olive oil and butter in stockpot over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic for approximately 5 minutes.
Scoop out seeds from squash. Scoop roasted squash out of skins into stockpot (it’s okay if some skin remains on the flesh, since it’s all going into the blender eventually).
Add carrots, stock, and bouillon cubes; bring to boil, then reduce to simmer until carrots are tender.
During last few minutes of simmering, add bay leaves. Remove stockpot from heat and allow to cool for 30 minutes.
Remove bay leaves. Puree soup in blender or large food processor.

Chickpea Salad

Hi ladies~

I just freestyled this nice little salad in a moment of near-starvation. Very nice when it's too hot to cook. (Warning to those feeding husbands--probably a little girly--I wouldn't try to convince a man that this counts as a main dish):

~1 can chickpeas, drained
~1 tbsp crumbled feta cheese
~8 or so large fresh basil leaves, snipped into bits
~1 tsp olive oil
~1/2 to 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
~2-3 handfuls spring mix salad (best if you have the kind with herbs mixed in)

Combine in a bowl, eat, and be amazed at God's infinite variety of Stuff From The Earth That Tastes Good, Is Good For You, And Can Be Eaten Raw.

Scones!

In my opinion, scones should always have an exclamation point. They are exciting, so very British, and, as Nellie asserts, rather romantic. Also, I had always considered myself a wretched baker (not patient enough to be precise in measuring), and so when I first tried the below recipe (a combination of two I found online) last spring, I had low expectations - which were far exceeded when the scones came out near-perfect. A second try this weekend proved them even better and sconier than the scones before. I recommend you all give these a try, if nothing else to boost your self-esteem.

Basic Scone
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated white sugar (a similar recipe called for 1/3, but I went for the more conservative)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt (the other recipe called for 1/2)
1/2 cup (one stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces (note: I used salted as it's what I had on hand, and the scones were better-than-fine. Also, the other recipe called for the butter to be frozen; I just used it straight from the fridge, and that was hard enough.)
2/3 cup buttermilk (or, add 1 Tablespoon lemon juice to 1 cup milk; let stand 5-10 minutes)

"Flavor" (I made lemon ginger scones; this could be adjusted for any ingredient)
1/2 cup crystalized (or candied) ginger, chopped into small pieces (Really inexpensive packs of candied ginger are available at the Chapel Hill Trader Joes.)
Zest of one large lemon

Egg Mixture for brushing top:
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 Tablespoon milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place rack in middle of oven. (note: Based on type of baking sheet, I have moved the rack to middle/top of oven, so as not to scorch the scone bottoms.)

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like small, coarse crumbs. Stir in the chopped ginger and lemon zest (or other chosen ingredients). Add the buttermilk to the flour mixture and very lightly stir just until the dough comes together. Do not over-mix the dough.

Transfer to a lightly-floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times and then pat the dough into a circle that is about 3/4 inch thick. (The other recipe called for dough circle to be 1 1/2 inches thick and bake longer.) Transfer the dough circle to a baking sheet that is either lined with parchment paper or lightly-floured. Cut this circle in half, then cut each half into 3 or 4 pie-shaped wedges (triangles). (note: I consider these to be American-Sized scones, and next time will cut them very small and more snackable, 5 wedges per half.)

Make an egg wash of one well-beaten egg mixed with 1 Tablespoon milk and brush the tops of the scones with this mixture. You may want to sprinkle the tops with sugar after applying the wash.

Bake for 14-17 minutes or until golden-brown and a toothpick or fork inserted in the middle comes out clean. (If making the thicker, 1 1/2 inch scones, bake 20-25 minutes.) Remove from oven and transfer scones to a wire rack to cool.

Makes 6-8 (or, Rebecca-style, 10) scones.


If you're interested, here is a recipe for Lemon Curd, which is fantastic with sweetly-flavored scones:

Juice fresh-squeezed from 2 large lemons
Zest of one large lemon
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed

In a 2-quart saucepan, combine lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, eggs, and butter. Cook over medium-low heat until thick enough to hold marks from whisk and first bubble appears on surface, about 6-10 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refridgerate. Keeps for about one week. (Note: I did not stir as regularly as I should, so there were little bits of cooked egg-white in my curd this time around. You can't taste it or tell a significant difference, so I didn't worry about it. If I were taking this to a fancy tea or something, though, I might have been a bit sheepish over it.)

"Carrie's Squash Casserole"

Carrie gave the ultimate compliment for my squash casserole (she said it was possibly the best she's ever eaten), so I thought I'd honor her by naming the dish after my first out-of-town friend to visit my house. Here's the recipe; so simple ... I would've never thought y'all would've been interested! I ate it at least 3 times a week growing up.

- Slice and boil the desired amount of squash (about 1 per person or so) in salted water until it's soft (20-30 minutes or so). Drain really well.
- Preheat oven to 350
- Pour squash into a casserole dish and allow it to cool for a few minutes. Stir in one beaten egg (which is why you have to let the squash cool ... so it won't scramble the egg!), a tiny splash of milk (just 1 Tablespoon or so), grated cheddar cheese, pepper, salt if it needs it, and some garlic powder. Mine was a little soggy (I guess I didn't drain well), so I added a small amount of crushed saltines to the mix to soak up the extra liquid.
- Top with a little more cheese and some crumbled saltine crackers. Dab the top with little pieces of butter.
- Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or so, until the top has turned a golden brown. Serve immediately to super-cool houseguests who will shower you with compliments, whether they mean them or not. :)

That's it! Super simple, and tasty.

Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes & Pine Nuts

This is fast becoming a lunch favorite of mine because it is so . . . fast. And fresh. And relatively light (if you go easy on the olive oil) and healthy (if you use whole-wheat spaghetti). Kenton only likes it with meat in it (the one time I made it for him, I included beef strips usually reserved for stir-fry), so I consider this a girl meal. Fine by me.

- Course Salt & Ground Pepper, to taste
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced (when I reduce this recipe to one serving just for me, I just use a handful of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved; they're more flavorful, anyway)
- 1 Garlic Clove, minced (for one serving, I just go with a smaller clove. Can't get enough garlic.)
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil (for the measuring challenged like me, one-quarter of that is 1.5 tsp)
- 8 oz. angel-hair pasta
- 2 tablespoons Pine Nuts, toasted if desired

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, garlic, and oil in a medium bowl. Season with salt & pepper. Let stand at least 10 minutes.
2. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente; drain & return to pot. Add tomato mixture and toss to combine. Serve sprinkled with pine nuts.

Serves 4 / Prep time: 5 min / Total time: 15 min
From July/August '08 issue of Everyday Food Magazine

Rebecca's notes: As you can see, this recipe pretty easily makes one serving at a time, which is why I like it so much. I'd recommend going light on the olive oil. I am partial to grape tomatoes (so sweet and flavorful!), so prefer them to whole tomatoes in this. I found pine nuts hanging on the wall o' nuts in the cooking aisle of the regular grocery store. I'm prone to leave salt out of recipes, but this is one where you really need it; it's rather bland, otherwise. I've toyed with the idea of including a little wilted spinach or some other kind of green. It was good with the beef strips, but no longer a light meal.

Lentil Bacon Salad

Stolen again from Katy. Stolen by her from Everyday Food magazine. I haven't tried it yet, but intend to:

Lentil Salad with Bacon (serves 3-4, depending on appetite)

1 cup brown lentils, rinsed
4 strips bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
3 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
your choice of salad greens, enough for 3-4 people (the original recipe called for frisée, and while I do think that would be a lovely choice, I never have it on hand, and to buy it would somehow negate the inherent money-saving attributes of this meal)
In a medium saucepan, combine lentils and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce to simmer and cook until lentils are tender but not mushy, about 15-20 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain.

Pour off all but about 1 Tbsp of bacon fat from your pan. Add onions and carrots to pan, and cook over medium heat until carrots are tender, about 10 or so minutes. Add the garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 2 more minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, and olive oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Using about 1/4-1/3 of the dressing, dress your salad greens in a separate bowl. Add the lentils, onion mixture, and reserved bacon to the remaining dressing in the bowl, and toss to coat. To serve, divide the greens among serving bowls, and top with lentil salad.

Free Breakfast Recipes

Once again, I steal from Katy's blog to tell you that there are some yummy-looking (though untried-by-me) free recipes up right now on Cooks Illustrated.com . . . Unsure how long they'll stay available and free, so see if they're of interest.

Companion to the Tomato Soup

Okay, I'm sure I'm not the only one who's ever figured this out, but George Foreman grills make wonderful grilled-cheese sandwiches. I made some on Fri. night to serve with The Tomato Soup.... got a baguette, split it in half and cut it into smaller pieces, brushed it with olive oil, and grilled face-down on the GFG for a few minutes. Then I took the bread out, added thin slices of Vermont Cabot cheddar (hallelujah), closed the sandwiches, and re-grilled them to melt the cheese.

Yes. It was the right thing to do. PERFECT WITH THE SOUP.

White Chicken Chili

I LOVE white chili with chicken and figured I should learn how to make it myself. It was my turn to make lunch for my community group today, so I figured I'd give it a go with 12 people (plus kids) as my guinea pigs. It turned out well, I think . . . I got compliments and Sweet Little Chloe had 3 bowls. I thought I'd pass it along. The basic outline of the recipe was found on AllRecipes.com, but I made some additions and changes of my own enough that I'm going to call it mine. Play around with it, if you decide to make it, and let me know what you come up with!!! (Or if you have a white chicken chili recipe of your own, pass it along!)

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves of minced garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cans (~16 oz) Great Northern Beans (I actually substituted in one can of Navy Beans and one of White Kidney Beans.)
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 tablespooon minced fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin (plus more to taste)
2-3 cups chicken broth
Roughly a pound of cooked chicken (I used chicken tenderloins which made cooking and shredding into bitesize pieced easier)

Directions:
In a large saucepan, saute onion and garlic until tender. Stir in 3 of the cans of beans (hold one out) parsley, lime juice and cumin. Add in broth. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile, blend up (I used food processor) one of the cans of Great Northern Beans to a puree and add into the mix. (This adds thickness to the chili.) Reduce heat to simmer and add cooked chicken in bitesize pieces. Simmer for 30 minutes to an hour. Add in more beans, broth, etc as needed to desired consistancy. I also added some pepper and extra cumin to taste.

I served with sour cream to dollop on top and a mix of shredded italian cheeses.

Smoothies

Okay, I know everyone probably already knows how to make smoothies, but if not, here's an easy and yummy recipe... and people should still have their blenders out of storage from making the tomato soup! (Hint: The quality of the yogurt really matters--if you use non-organic, you can really taste the artificial sweetener and other fake stuff.)

~1 cup Stonyfield Farms vanilla yogurt (lowfat or fat-free)
~Several ice cubes
~2-3 servings of fruit (I usually use 1 fresh banana plus about a cup of frozen strawberries and/or orange or pineapple chunks.. you can buy pre-cut frozen fruit that is especially made for smoothies)
~a few squeezes of fresh lemon
~1-2 tbsp honey

Combine in blender. Easy and yummy! If you like your smoothie to be more drinkable, you can add orange juice.

Hummus

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
(This is my faithful party recipe. Credit to Angie Brown for passing it on a few years ago. It's a big hit. I get requests for it.)

2 cans cooked garbanzo beans
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
7-8 cloves of minced garlic
1 Tablespoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons (plus more "to taste") Tabasco sauce
1 roasted red pepper - roughly diced

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until pureed. I've recently learned that adding in a little water or more lemon juice may help it be a little smoother.
*Serve with pita chips, blue corn chips, vegetables, etc.

Plain, Easy Hummus
(I made this recently to go with the Pakistani Kima. It's nice because it's easy and a nice, more bland element to go with the Kima. Credit to "How to Cook Everything" by Mark Bittman.)

2 cups drained, well-cooked or canned chickpeas (I use cans (1 can = 2 cups) and cook 'em up on the stove top)
1/2 cup tahini
1/4 cup olive oil
1 small clove garlic (I'm gonna have to say, the recipe could use more garlic)
1 Tablespoon grounc cumin
Juice of 1 lemon (I used about 1/2 cup of lemon juice)
1/3 cup water (plus more, as needed)
salt and pepper to taste

Place everything except the water in the food processor and blend. Add the water in as needed to make a smooth puree. Add more garlic, salt, lemon juice or cumin as needed.
Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of cumin on top.

(*Note: I am still wanting to "tweak" the recipe to give it a little more flavor. I think using more garlic and lemon juice may be the trick.)

Magical Peanut Butter Cookies

Cal was watching Paula Deen on the Food Network the other night, and she was (unfortunately for our waistlines) making these unbelievably simple cookies. In an shameless plug for her merchandise, she mentioned that the recipe is in a cookbook of hers that we happened to have (thanks, Christina!). Cal promptly got out of the Ugly Green Recliner, headed straight for the kitchen, and made up a batch in 10 minutes. Now I crave them all the time. Not good. (But, really, oh so good.)

1 c. crunchy* peanut butter
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix all together in a bowl with a spoon. Scoop onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes (according to the recipe; we cook 'em a minute or two less so that they're gooey) at 350 degrees. Sprinkle on top with sugar.

*In his first experiment, Cal did half creamy, half crunchy. Indisputably better with crunchy. Suit yourselves, though.

Chicken Soup with Buttermilk Dumplings (Cottage Living)

While we're on the soup kick, I thought I'd add my latest favorite (up until the new tomato soup recipe, of course). It's not super simple, but the results are totally worth the half-hour or so in the kitchen. Very creamy and satisfying. NOT, however, healthy, I wouldn't think.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
7 small boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I used chicken breasts instead)
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, sliced
2 carrots, sliced
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth (I used water with chicken boullion b/c I had it)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme OR 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt
Pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 (10.2 oz) can refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
All purpose flour (for dusting buscuits)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh chives or parsley

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook chicken 6 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. (Chicken may not be cooked all the way through, but that's okay b/c it will finish up when in broth.) Cut chicken into bitesize pieces and set aside.
2. Sautee onion, celery, and carrots in the butter for 3 minutes. Stir in broth and next 3 ingredients. Bring to boil and reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 5 minutes.
3. Whisk together cream and cornstarch in a small bowl; stir into simmering broth.
4. Cut each biscuit into quarters and dredge pieces in flour, shaking off excess. Add biscuits to broth and cook, partially covered, 3 minutes on each side or until biscuits are firm to the touch (I think it takes a little longer than 3 minutes, but what do I know?)
5. Add chicken, lemon juice, and chives to broth; simmer until chicken is heated through. Season with additional salt and pepper, if desired.

Black Bean and Salsa Soup

I got this from Allrecipes.com; it's super-easy and really, really tasty. It's gotten a number of compliments. You can also adjust the ratio of broth-to-beans and turn it into bean dip. Also, I adjusted the recipe to what I had on hand by skipping the green onion and snipping some fresh cilantro into it before blending. Unbelievable.

*****

INGREDIENTS
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup chunky salsa
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion

DIRECTIONS
In an electric food processor or blender, combine beans, broth, salsa, and cumin. Blend until fairly smooth.
Heat the bean mixture in a saucepan over medium heat until thoroughly heated.
Ladle soup into 4 individual bowls, and top each bowl with 1 tablespoon of the sour cream and 1/2 tablespoon green onion.

Pakistani Kima

(a Lutz special; recipe upon Nellie's request)

Sauté in skillet:
3 T. butter
1 c. chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced

Add:
1 lb. ground beef
Brown Well.

Stir in:
1 T. curry power
1 1/2 t salt
dash pepper
dash each cinnamon, ginger, and tumeric*
2 c. cooked tomatoes
2 c. frozen peas

Cover and simmer 25 minutes.

Serve with pita bread.

*The mighty Beth Lutz adds lots more spice than is called for here . . . to taste.