Best Black Beans EVER

So, how did I get to be this old and have NEVER prepared dry beans.  I've read folks who say that beans from scratch are the best, but honestly, I was a bit intimidated.  I think it's because I once tried to do them in the crock pot and they were grossly undercooked...yuck.

But for some reason, I bought two pounds of dry black beans last grocery trip, and I made a point of trying to make them. The thing that is even more exciting is that I didn't really follow a recipe.  Here's what I did:

Around 3pm I put about a 1/2 pound of beans in a pot, added 4 cups of water and brought it to a boil.  Let it boil about 3 minutes, then covered the pot and let it sit for an hour.

Drain the beans

Around 4pm I chopped an onion, chopped a celery stalk, and chopped a jalapeno.  Cooked them in a bit of olive oil until tender (5 minutes or so...) added the beans and about 4 cups of fresh water.  I got that up to a boil, then turned down the heat to simmer for about 2 hours (or so)

When the beans seemed tender, I used my immersion blender to mix it all up -- then stirred in about 1 cup of  Mexican cheese.

Okay, I know it's immodest, but these beans were fabulous!  I.will.never.buy.canned.beans.again!

Blueberry Coffee Cake

We had a bunch of blueberries hanging out in the fridge, and my husband uncharacteristically wanted to bake something with them.  We got out the cookbooks and starting looking for something to do, and stumbled upon a recipe in the Gourmet Cookbook for Blueberry Almond Coffeecake.  I didn't have the almonds, so we made it without them... and it was so delicious that I made a second one to take to mom's for Christmas!

Sometime I'm going to make these and pass them out to all those friends and neighbors who gave us cookies at Christmas...

Blueberry Coffee Cake
2 c. flour
2 t. baking powerd
3/4 t. salt
1 stick butter, softened
1 1/4 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 c. whole milk
15 oz. blueberries

Put rack in the middle of oven and preheat to 350 degrees.  Butter a shallow (2 1/4 inch deep) 2 to 2 1/2 quart baking dish. 
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. combine butter and 1 1/4 c. sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Beat in whole eggs, one at a time, beatuing well after each addition, then beat in vanilla.  Reduce speed to low and ad flour mixture and milk alternatively in batches beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until just incorporated.  Fold in berries.  Spoon batter into baking dish and spread evenly.

Bake until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean... 50 minutes to 1 hour.  Cool inpan on rack for 10 minutes. Invert cake onto rack then invert again. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Family Dinner Party

We don't do it often enough, but last Saturday we had friends over for dinner.  I used a cookbook Mom gave me for Christmas last year (Perfect Party Food) to plan most of the menu.  I was looking for something that picky kids (shocker) and adults would enjoy.  The result -- success, I think.  As is my practice with this group, I fixed dinner and then drank a lot of wine and enjoyed the company.  Way too much chicken, but better to have too much food I think.  Here's what I served:

Provencal Breaded Chicken Cutlets
Orzo
Oven Roasted Caponata
White Beans Provencal
Pumpkin Praline Torte (without the nuts this time; food allergies)

For appetizers I made:
Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Parmesan Salsa

Recipes:
Breaded Chicken Cutlets
4 large eggs
2 T. Dijon mustard
1 1/2 t. salt
1 t. black pepper
12 boneless chicken breasts (tenders removed)
4 c. plain bread crumbs
1 1/2 t. thyme
1/2 t. sage
1/4 c. (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 c. olive oil

1. In large bowl, beat together the eggs, mustard, salt and pepper until blended
2. Place chicken betweenpieces of waxed paper or plastic wrap and, using a meat mallet, or rolling pin, pound to a uniform thickness, about 1/4 inch.  Add to the egg mixture, tossing to coat
3. In shallow dish combine the bread crumbs and spices, until blended
4. Dredge each chicken breast in the crumb mixture turning to coat evenly. Lay the dipped checkin on a rimmmed baking sheet lined with paper towels
At this point cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours (helps bread crumbs stick)
5. In large skillet (I used my electric skillet), heat butter and oil until butter is melted.  Add the cutlets a few at a time, taking care not to cowd them.  Cook until golden, about 3 minutes and turn, cook until the other side is golden.

Orzo
4 qt. water or broth
2 t. salt
One pound orzo
2 T. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c. unsalted butter melted
1/2 c. heavy cream
1 c. grated Parmesan cheese


1. Bring the water and salt to a boil, (if you use broth, omit the salt) Add the orzo and boil until tender 8-9 minutes.
2. Drain, toss with olive oil to prevent sticking, season with salt and pepper.
3. Combine melted butter, cream and Parmesan in the serving bowl
4. Add hot orzo and toss to combine.

Oven Roasted Caponata
2 medium sized eggplants -- ends trimmed and cut in half lengthwise
1/4 c. olive oil
6 cloves garlic
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped celery
1 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
Pinch of red pepper flakes
2T. balsamic vinegar
2T. brown sugar
One 15.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
1/2 c. drained and chopped pitted green olives
1/4 c. drained and chopped capers
1/2 c. chopped fresh Italian parsley

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil
2. Drizzle cut sides of eggplant with a little olive oil, and lay, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Place the garlic on the baking sheet and drizzle with some of the oil, reserving the remainder for the next step. Bake the garlic and eggplant until the eggplant is tender, 25 to 30 minutes, a knife should pierce the skin easily, with no resistance.  Remvoe from the oven and allow to cools.  Then peel off the skin of the eggplant and coarsely chop the flesh.
3. In a large skillet, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat and add the eggplant. Squeeze the garlic from its skin into the skillet and cook the mixture, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes, tossing to coat with the oil.  Add the onion, celery, salt, black pepper and red papper flakes and cook, stirring, until the onion and celery begin to soften a bit, 3 to 4 minutes.  Add the balsamic vinegar, sugar, tomatoes, and simmer the mixture for 20 minutes, stirring occassionally.
4. Remove from heat and stir in the olives, capers, and parsley. Allow the caponata to cool to room temperature, then taste and adjust seasonings.

White Beans Provencal
1T. olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
1 clove garlic finely chopped
2 c. canned white beans, rinsed and drained
1 ripe tomato cored and cut into small cubes
1 t. thyme
1/2 t. dried rosemary
Salt and pepper
2T. dry white wine

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over moderate heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent browning. Add the beans, tomato, thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper and white wine. Simmer for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve hot.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip
2 jars marinated artichoke hearts (chopped)
1 package frozen chopped spinach thawed and squeezed
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. mayonnaise
3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all the ingredients together, place in small, shallow baking dish, Bake for 25-30 minutes.

I'm Going Vegan -- maybe once a day...

I've been trying to cut back on my caloric intake (at least Monday through Thursday) -- and have a cousin who is a dedicated vegan.  Suffice it to say, I've had a lot of vegan messages getting through the chaos of late.  So, I started snooping around looking for how/what to eat to be one.... I don't think I can give up all dairy, but I do think I can eat vegan dishes for dinner and save LOTS of calories at the end of each day.

Last night I made roasted cauliflower -- and although I didn't eat it for dinner, I DID eat it as a snack today and it was delicious!  It actually came from Bob Harper, the trainer on The Biggest Loser, and you can actually use any veggie.  Yum.

Roasted Cauliflower
1 head cauliflower
1 T. olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
1 T. red wine vinegar
salt to taste

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Toss all ingredients in a bowl.  Spread it all out on a foil lined cookie sheet. Bake for 30 minutes.

Recipes to Try -- Spinach and Pasta Soup

I have been collecting recipes I'm going to try in all sorts of places -- and I've decided since I've started using this blog as a resource and cookbook of sorts, I think I'll start loading in recipes I want to try (as well as ones I've made)...

This one was in the Washington Post yesterday (October 13) food section.  It's a soup (which I was, at one point committed to making more of) and it's quick and it looks like a way to sneak some spinach into those tiny mouths I'm in charge of feeding....we'll see.  They are pretty observant.

Spinach and Pasta Soup
1 lb. turkey or chicken sausage, without casings
1 medium onion
1 or 2 large cloves garlic
28 ounces canned whole peeled tomatoes, drained
4 c. water
4 c. no salt added chicken broth, such as Kitchen Basics brand
8 oz. baby spinach leaves
15 oz. (1 can) no salt added cannellini beans (such as Eden brand)
Kosher salt
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Mini bow tie pasta

Pinch pieces of the sausage and place in a stockpot over medium-high heat.  Cook the sausage, stirring to break up large clumps, until the exterior is no longer pink(it need not be fully cooked through at this point).

Cut the onion into small dice to yield 1 cup.  Mince the garlic (to taste). Coarsely chop the tomatoes, reserving their juices.

Add the onion and garlic to the pot; cook for 4 minutes, stirring a few times, until just softened, then add the tomatoes and their juices.

Stir in 2 c. of the water and the 4 c. broth. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, then add the pasta and cook for 3 minutes; it will still be firm.

Rinse, then coarsely chop the spinach. Drain and rinse the beans.

Add the remaining 2 c. water, the spinach and the beans to the pot.  Stir, then cover and cook for 5 to 8 minutes; the spinach should be tender, the pasta should be al dente and the sausage will be cooked through.  Season wtih salt to taste (keepin in mind that cheese might be added)

Divide among individual wide shallow bowls; sprinkle with the freshly grated cheese, if desired.  Serve hot.

Kelly's Kielbasa

It seems like it’s a lifetime ago, but I was once single and rented a room from a high school pal named Kelly.We ate a lot of toast and drank a lot of Coors Light back in those days, but we were also in the infant stages of trying to actually cook – and Kelly came up with a recipe that I loved (I think she found it on the back of the kielbasa package).When I was trying to figure out something different, easy, and perhaps even tasty for my kids, I remembered the dish fondly…. It had rice, and cheese, and kielbasa and cream of celery soup.I googled the ingredients and came up with a close match – it calls for mushrooms which would be a deal breaker among my kids – so I just omitted them.I cooked it in one pan and watched as the pickiest among us ate around the peas, but my husband (who, as I’ve mentioned it the fourth, and in many ways, the largest picky eater) took seconds and dare I report, thirds?(It was probably the cheese).In the interest of health and my new found commitment to watching what I eat, I used turkey kielbasa with no loss of flavor… and I used Swiss cheese because that’s what Kelly did.

Kelly's Kielbasa
1 can condensed cream of celery soup
1 1/2 c. water
1 lb. fully cooked Turkey kielbasa cut into 1/2" chunks
3/4 c. long grain rice
10 oz. frozen peas
1 (4oz) can mushroom stems and pieces (did not pass the picky kid test)
4 oz. extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (I use Swiss)

In a deep skillet (one with a lid), combine soup and water, bring to a boil.
Add sausage and rice
Reduce heat; cover and simmer about 18 minutes or until rice is almost tender
Stir in peas and mushrooms
Cover and simmer 15 minutes more, or until rice is tender and peas are heated through
Sprinkle with cheese and cover
Let stand (off heat) until cheese melts.

Heath Bar Brownies

I think I need to break out a new label for this entry -- things to make when the husband is mad.  I picked up the Heath Bar chips one day in the bakery aisle and had a few extra minutes the other night, thinking of the book club crew I threw these together, then spent the next 3 days defending them from family invaders.  Book club came and went, and fortunately, there are still some brownies left for the boss to enjoy.

All American Heath Brownies
1/3 c. butter
3 sections unsweetened chocolate
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
1 c. all purpose flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 1/3 c. (8oz pkg) Heath Toffee Bits

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees, grease the bottom of an 8-inch baking pan
2. Melt butter and chocolate in medium saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to chocolate mixture, stirring until well blended. Spread batter in prepared pan.
3. Bake 20 minutes or until brownie begins to pull away from sides of pan. Remove from oven; sprinkle with toffee bits. Cover tightly with foil. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.  Remove foil, cut into squares.