December 27, 2012

Spelt eggnog pancakes

Plate of spelt eggnog pancakes.

Do you have a container of eggnog still hanging out in your refrigerator? Don't waste it - use it to make some pancakes!  

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Readers of this blog know that I enjoy making pancakes and when I saw this post featuring eggnog pancakes I was kicking myself for not thinking of it on my own! I was going to make some homemade eggnog this Christmas, but never got around to it (next year!).  

When I see eggnog in the store, I always end up buying a few containers - probably more than we will drink - so this recipe is a great way to use up some.

These pancakes are perfect for a lazy snowy (we finally have snow!) weekend morning or New Year's brunch. They have a hint of eggnog flavor with cinnamon and nutmeg coming through. 

I used spelt flour, but you can use whole wheat or even all-purpose flour if that's what you have around. This recipe will make about 10-12 pancakes and serve about four people.

December 13, 2012

Dates stuffed with cardamom goat cheese and salted pistachios

Plate filled with dates stuffed with cardamom goat cheese and salted pistachios.

Sweet dates are stuffed with savory goat cheese, cardamom, and salted pistachios for a mouthwatering and delicious holiday or anytime party appetizer.
 
If you are looking for an easy appetizer that is also delicious and elegant, look no further than these dates stuffed with cardamom goat cheese and salted pistachios. The flavor combination here hits the sweet, salty, and savory flavors and a touch of cardamom adds a lovely sweet and warm spice flavor.
 
These dates are perfect for a holiday party or a before dinner appetizers. We've brought them to a few potlucks over the years and they are always a hit and disappear.
 
You can makes these dates ahead of time as well, making them an easy choice for entertaining. Keep them in the refrigerator until shortly before serving time. If you are doing that, wait to add the extra pistachios on top until before you put them out so they keep their crunch.
 
You can buy pistachios that are already shelled or buy ones in the shell and remove them yourself. I do recommend getting ones that are roasted and salted for a bit of salty flavor in these dates. It adds a nice contrast of flavor.
 
I love dates around the holidays - dried fruits are always a festive choice. They are so sweet, chewy, and sticky, making them a lovely little dish for this savory goat cheese mixture. Goat cheese pairs so well with fruits. Cardamom is a favorite spice of mine as well and it works perfectly with the flavors in these dates.
 
Give these a try for your next party or potluck. They are lovely for the holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas time. They would be delicious to add to your New Year's snacks as well. 

Top of dates stuffed with cardamom goat cheese and salted pistachios.

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Yield: 32-36 pieces
Author: Amy (Savory Moments)
Dates Stuffed with Cardamom Goat Cheese & Salted Pistachios

Dates Stuffed with Cardamom Goat Cheese & Salted Pistachios

Sweet dates are stuffed with savory goat cheese, cardamom, and salted pistachios for a mouthwatering and delicious holiday or anytime party appetizer.

Ingredients

  • approximately 16-18 Medjool dates, halved lengthwise with pit removed
  • 4 oz. goat cheese, slightly softened
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/4 cup roasted and salted pistachios, finely chopped and divided

Instructions

  1. Mix together the goat cheese, cardamom, and the pistachios (reserving one tablespoon) until well combined.
  2. Spoon about 2 teaspoons of the mixture into each date half. Sprinkle with the reserved tablespoon of pistachios.
  3. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until serving time.
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Close up of goat cheese stuffed date halves with pistachios on top.

Check out these other appetizer and snack recipes:

Roasted Buffalo Cauliflower w/ Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing 

Fresh Garlic & Herb Dip 

Sweet & Spiced Glazed Mixed Nuts 

Cheese-Stuffed Banana Peppers 

December 4, 2012

West African chicken and peanut stew


I don't like to complain about the weather, but 55 to 60 degrees in December with rain? Really? We got our Christmas tree the other day and it was pouring rain. I'm sitting here with the window wide open. We live in Buffalo, NY folks - the place where everyone thinks has crazy amounts of snow. Last winter I wasn't even able to use my snowshoes once. It's weird and makes it really difficult to get into the Christmas mood! We are used to snow and cold. I don't want any blizzards or anything, but I also feel like it's spring.... It makes baking cookies or knitting gifts feel.... I don't know..... just not right....

It also makes dinners a little more difficult. Usually we are craving stews, soups, and other cold-weather dishes, but not so much when it is this warm. But, that's not going to stop me from making wintery meals. I'm hopeful that we will see some winter this year. It's still early..... and, I'm hopeful that we will have at least a covering of snow as we get closer to the holidays. This stew is a stick-to-your-bones kind of meal that is perfect for a cold evening. I've been wanting to make a version of this dish for quite a while and finally used this recipe to do so (I modified it slightly). The combination of ingredients sound strange -- the flavor is unlike anything I've eaten before, but after a couple bites, we both agreed that we liked it a lot! This dish will easily serve four hungry people. It's a simple dish to put together, but does take some time to simmer. It's a perfect stew to warm you up after coming in from the cold (if it's cold where you are).

November 29, 2012

Old fashioned pumpkin pie

Serving a slice of old fashioned pumpkin pie.

Well, maybe it's not completely old fashioned because it's my slightly adapted recipe from the classic pumpkin pie. But it is a regular ole pumpkin pie - no fancy add-ins or anything. 

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I really like this version because it uses slightly more pumpkin puree and a bit less cream and sugar. I also like to keep the spices on the lower end so that the pumpkin flavor really shines through. I made the crust, the pumpkin puree, and freshly whipped up some unsweetened heavy whipping cream to top this pie. It was absolutely fantastic.

We bought a sugar pumpkin back in October and have used it as one of our decorations through the fall season. But when we bought it, the understanding was that it was to become a pie once its decorating duties were complete, as requested by my husband. He waited patiently until after Thanksgiving -- I wasn't going to post it because I figured that most people have had their fill of pumpkin by now and have moved on to more Christmas-like treats. 

But while I was making this pie, I was listening to some Christmas music and realized that many of these songs reference pumpkin pie (think: There's No Place like Home for the Holidays or Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree or Sleigh Ride). It made me wonder why pumpkin pie seems to have been relegated to Thanksgiving

I think that pumpkin pie is a completely appropriate dessert all through the fall and winter. After all, winter squash is stored away for the winter and would be the perfect thing to make into a pie when the mood strikes.

November 27, 2012

Shredded brussels sprouts with chestnuts and pomegranate


Around here, we love our brussels sprouts. I made this dish as a side for Thanksgiving dinner this year. Some people (like my mom and grandma) were a bit skeptical about the idea of shredding brussels sprouts, but I proved them wrong. While shredding may take some time on the front end, it allows them to cook up in a snap. This was the only part of the main meal at Thanksgiving that was completely gone after dinner. My husband requested to have it again soon -- so we did. I think this dish would be great for the holidays because of its green and red colors, plus chestnuts always feel festive to me. You can find them already roasted and shelled this time of year, usually in the produce section.

Seeing that my husband just brought home two large stalks full of brussels sprouts from his dad's garden this weekend, I am sure this dish will be making its way onto our table a couple more times this season. This recipe will make a side dish for about four people. 

November 16, 2012

Turnip and Yukon gold potato gratin


In my experience, most people don't get very excited about turnips. But, I'm not one of those people. In fact, I get pretty excited for all root vegetables and root vegetable season. Look at those lovely large pink turnips in the photo (I used much smaller ones in this dish). This time of year the food blogs are filled with recipes featuring pumpkins, other winter squash, and apples - rightfully so... but you don't see as many featuring turnips, rutabagas, beets, celeriac, parsnips, radishes, etc... Maybe next fall/winter I'll start a "roots" event because I want to try to use these vegetables in more creative ways as well. I almost start to squeal with delight when we are walking through the farmers' market and cute little white baby turnips begin to make their first appearance. I dream of the day when we have land for a garden and in my mind, my garden is almost exclusively full of root vegetables, winter squash, and herbs.

I never even had turnips until the first Thanksgiving I was dating my husband. We were going to a dinner at his aunt and uncle's and she told him that we could "bring the turnips." I was in shock. Tunips?! I had never even tasted a turnip before, let alone cooked one. So, I searched the internet and found a recipe for roasted turnips. After searching the grocery store for turnips, I bought some, made the recipe, and hoped for the best. Well, they were delicious and everyone enjoyed them. Now that I make Thanksgiving dinner, I almost always have a turnip side dish to try to convert more people to turnip lovers. This gratin is lightened up because it doesn't contain any cream - although this dish is probably still a little heavy for a Thanksgiving side dish for me.

November 6, 2012

Pumpkin pie ice cream

Bowl of pumpkin pie ice cream.

I had my first taste of pumpkin ice cream a few years ago at a local ice cream shop. Ever since then, we go there each year in early October when they first have it available and get a dish.  

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When I got my ice cream maker this year, pumpkin pie ice cream was at the top of my list, even though it was only spring. I've waited patiently until now and finally made my own. 

This ice cream is fall in a dish - it's basically like frozen pumpkin pie filling without the crust. I read a few recipes and found that they were all really low on the pumpkin for my liking and all contained a lot of egg yolks. 

I decided to forgo the eggs and really pack in the pumpkin so I could taste it. The pumpkin is already creamy, and the end product was perfect for me in terms of pumpkin flavor. This ice cream is not super sweet, so taste the base before you freeze it and add more brown sugar or even a tablespoon of molasses if you want it sweeter.

I'm so glad to know that I can make ice cream now with only a few simple ingredients and not all the additives and artificial flavors that are in most commercial ice creams. 

I've been loving my ice cream maker this year and even have a wintery ice cream flavor or two that I'm hoping to try near the holidays. This recipe will make a bit more than a quart of ice cream. It's great topped with chocolate sauce (we had ours with a homemade chocolate sauce, not pictured) or caramel. I think that some ginger snap cookies broken up into it or on top would also be delicious (and act like a crust).

Top view of pumpkin pie ice cream in a serving dish with a cinnamon stick.

November 2, 2012

Borscht


Honestly, I didn't become friends with beets until the past few years. As a kid, I couldn't stand them...as an adult, I love them. We were given a large bag of beets and for some reason I became determined that I must make borscht. Why? I'm not sure - other than the fact that I like to try cuisine from all over the world. I've never eaten borscht, but for some reason I felt like it was my duty to turn some of these beets into it. There seem to be numerous spellings of borscht and even more ways that you can make it. I read a bunch of different recipes, surveyed my fridge and freezer, and this is what I came up with. I must say that both my husband and I were pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed it.

This recipe is a bit time consuming, but it's worth it to get the best flavored broth and to get a lot of the excess fat skimmed off the top. This photo is from right before we ate it, but, like pretty much any soup or stew, it gets better the next day. It's a nice meal for these cold and rainy days we are having and it will easily serve four to six people.

October 21, 2012

German sweet and sour red cabbage

Bowl of German sweet and sour red cabbage.

German sweet and sour red cabbage is a colorful, delicious, and classic side dish to meals like brats, Schnitzel, Sauerbraten, and more. It's so flavorful and perfect for enjoying all autumn and winter long.

October 18, 2012

Apple-turkey burgers with cranberry-apple relish


My bushel of apples is slowly dwindling down... We've picked out a bunch of small ones and put them away in the refrigerator for snacks. I still have quite a few for cooking though. I've made some of my standbys like applesauce and autumn pork roast, and new recipes like apple crisp pie and these burgers that were inspired by this recipe. I like incorporating fruits into savory dishes, so I was pretty excited to try out these burgers, plus they used up two more of my apples! These burgers were really moist from the addition of grated apple into the turkey and the topping was a nice mix of sweet, tart, and a touch of heat.

This recipe will make four burgers. I served them with some simple roasted purple cauliflower (we got a beautiful head at the farmers' market last weekend). It was a great weeknight autumn meal and unlike any burger I've had before.

October 12, 2012

Apple crisp pie

Finished apple crisp pie.

Apple pie is one the the quintessential desserts (and baking smells) of fall. I love a good apple pie. Since we have a bushel of apples to use from apple picking, I had the perfect excuse to make one. 

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While I love a classic apple pie with a double crust, I do really enjoy a crumb top. Last year I made an apple crumb tart - regular crust with a crumb top. This time I found a recipe at Taste of Home that used the same crumb topping for the crust - pretty genius if you ask me. 

No chilling or rolling of a crust! I had to give it a try! I adjusted the filling a lot because it seemed pretty bland to me (an apple pie with no cinnamon? I don't think so). 

This easy press-in pie crust that doubles as a topping is such an easy way to make a pie and really cuts the time down. It reminds me a lot of apple crisp and I think it would work well with so many other fruit pies as well.

Apple trees in an apple orchard.

October 3, 2012

Creamed collard greens with crispy shallots


My mom joined a CSA this year for the first time and has been getting a lot of great stuff. Recently, she was getting a little more than she could eat and gave me a bunch of "Swiss chard." I knew that it wasn't chard and when I looked at the list I realized that it was collard greens, which are something I had never eaten before! So I was pretty happy to have a new veg to try out, especially when I've been craving greens lately. 

I realize that this probably isn't the most exciting dish, but as I've said before, I like to post vegetable side dish recipes (check out the "side dishes" category in the Recipe Index). While I certainly eat my fair share of streamed vegetables, an extra delicious and interesting side dish is a great thing. It encourages you to try and eat more vegetables. These collard greens were good, the greens were slightly bitter and complimented by the creamy sauce with a touch of nutmeg. You could make this with other greens like spinach or Swiss chard. The harvest time is a great time to get to know all your different veggies. Pick up a new one this weekend at the farmers' market or grocery store and give it a try. For me, I've never met a vegetable I didn't like. 

September 10, 2012

Baked potato soup


I am a happy girl when I can begin to make soups, stews, and heartier foods again. The smell of fall is in the air and the leaves are beginning to turn and fall onto the ground here in western New York. In fact, the weekend actually had a bit of autumn temperatures, which was the perfect reason to make some soup. I've been wanting to make a baked potato soup for a while and now that I have, I only wonder what took me so long. It's a delicious - stick to your bones - kind of soup. Perfect for crisp weather. Plus it's very simple to make. This soup is definitely going to be a popular dish at our place this winter.


This recipe will make a large pot of soup - about 4-5 large bowls. Please feel free to use vegetable stock in place of the chicken stock for a vegetarian version. Enjoy any leftovers for an easy lunch at work the next day.

August 31, 2012

Cumin and lemon roasted cauliflower


I adore roasted veggies. Roasting brings out such great flavor to almost all vegetables. I always tell people who think they don't like certain vegetables (e.g., brussel sprouts, asparagus, beets) - roast them and give them another try. It adds such a nutty flavor while not overcooking them like is often done in boiling. My favorite way to eat cauliflower is definitely roasted. While I usually use nothing more than some olive oil, salt, and pepper, sometimes it's fun to add a little more spice and flavor. 

Cauliflower is coming into season here and I'm happy about that. I'm going to try to get back into the habit of creating and posting more side dishes. I really want to encourage people to try vegetables that they may not have eaten since they were a kid because they think they don't like them. Creative side dishes are ways to hopefully get even the pickiest of eaters to give something another try.


August 21, 2012

Peach-nutmeg frozen yogurt

Bowl of peach nutmeg frozen yogurt.

Peach season is something I look forward to every summer. It's a bittersweet time of year because I know it means the end of the summer is coming, but there's so much wonderful produce. 

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My husband works up in peach farm country and we always end up with a lot of them once their peak hits this time of year. We eat them as much as we can, but some of them end up needing to be sacrificed into a dessert or two.... 

Since I've been absolutely loving making ice cream this summer, I thought I would make a peach one. Then I decided to give my first frozen yogurt a try. I absolutely loved this yogurt. 

The peaches were very ripe and since they were in season, they were so flavorful - which made the yogurt incredibly peachy. I added some nutmeg to give the yogurt a little more depth of flavor. The yogurt was very creamy and slightly tangy - making this dessert very palate pleasing all around.

If you find yourself with a couple extra peaches, please try out this recipe. It will make about 1 quart of frozen yogurt.  

August 17, 2012

Summer squash macaroni and cheese

Serving bowl of summer squash macaroni and cheese.

A macaroni and cheese for summer?!? Yes, please! If you haven't discovered this already, macaroni and cheese is one of my favorite comfort foods. It's so warm, creamy, and delicious - it is like a hug in a bowl really. 

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I like to make classic mac n' cheese, but also like to change it up by using some butternut squash puree, including veggies like broccoli, or even spiced up with Mexican flavors, etc. This time, I figured that a bunch of shredded summer squash could be an interesting experiment. It turned out to be one of my favorite bowls of macaroni and cheese I've eaten so far! 

The cheese sauce was so creamy and there were tasty flecks of yellow and green summer squash throughout. Since I stirred the squash in raw, it retained it's freshness which provided a nice contrast in flavor and texture to the cheese and noodles.

So, here we have another recipe to use up some of your zucchini and other summer squash. I used one small yellow squash and a small-medium zucchini. You can use any that you have around, though the green is a nice color contrast. I find this type of recipe to be a good transition meal from summer to fall. 

This recipe will make enough to serve about four people as a main dish with a salad, or more people as a side dish.

Close up of a bowl of summer squash macaroni and cheese.

August 14, 2012

Chocolate zucchini bread

Loaf of chocolate zucchini bread.

I know that everyone out there is putting zucchini in just about everything they can think of right now. I am a believer that you can never have too many zucchini recipes. I've been using a lot of it lately (and all summer squash). And while I certainly love regular zucchini bread, when I saw King Arthur Flour's chocolate version, I was set on making some. I have been avoiding the oven at all costs this summer because it's just been so hot. But, we have been enjoying a cool trend and last Saturday morning provided the perfect opportunity to make this treat after picking up some zucchini from the farmers' market. I took it over to a family gathering that afternoon and it was gobbled up pretty quickly!

This recipe will make one loaf (8-1/2" x 4-1/2"). It is definitely more like a dessert (aka cake) than classic zucchini bread. I would recommend enjoying this as a dessert after dinner or as a mid-afternoon/mid-morning snack with a cup of tea. Below is the slightly adapted recipe that I used.

Sliced chocolate zucchini bread.

August 10, 2012

Warm Mexican corn salad


Mexican corn on the cob, or Elote, is something I've never had, but have always wanted. I have seen a lot of recipes for it and they talk about how you can get it on the streets of Mexico from vendors. I love food vendors. Since I've never been to Mexico, I have not yet had the opportunity to enjoy this delicious sounding treat. But, I did decide that it would make a great side dish to our steak tacos with pico de gallo. I read a lot of recipes for Elote and then I decided to change it up and use the same flavor profile to make a warm salad. I had bought some fresh corn recently and had just gotten a garden fresh jalapeno. While Elote is made with all mayo, I opted to cut the mayo and use mostly sour cream as well as add some scallions and jalapeno for more veggies and flavor.

One bite of this and my husband and I were both hooked! It was the perfect combination of sweet, salty, spicy, and sour. The two of us polished off the bowl quite easily, even opting for seconds of the corn instead of another steak taco, which says a lot! This recipe will make a side dish for about three people and is super easy to adjust for more. Definitely give this dish a try before sweet corn season is behind us.

July 30, 2012

Lavender-honey frozen custard

Serving bowl of lavendar honey frozen custard.

It's possible I am getting a little obsessed with making ice cream this summer.... But, really - who can blame me? I mean, it has been so hot and I have been enjoying trying out new flavor combinations that you aren't likely to find in your grocery store's freezer section. 

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There's also something so satisfying about knowing that you've made your own ice cream from real, whole ingredients with no fillers or artificial colors/flavors. 

This recipe is inspired by the movie It's Complicated where Meryl Streep's character makes a honey and lavender ice cream. Ever since seeing that movie, I've wanted to try it. So, when I went to my mother-in-law's and saw all her lavender in bloom, I knew it was time.

For this recipe, I just read some basic vanilla ice cream/custard recipes and used that base as a start. I used honey as the only sweetener and infused the ice cream base with fresh lavender blossoms. 

I tasted the base and thought that it was too much like perfume and wasn't sure I would like the end product. But, after the ice cream froze the lavender really mellowed. It was a subtle flavor that highlighted the wildflower honey. It was delicious! 

I call this a frozen custard versus ice cream because of the addition of egg yolks, but it seems that these terms are being used pretty interchangeably when I read recipes. It will make about 1 quart.

Scoops of lavendar honey frozen custard topped with lavendar flowers.

July 24, 2012

Zucchini-corn fritters

Plate of zucchini corn fritters.

Finding ways to use up the abundance of zucchini and other vegetables is one of the fun parts of summer, right? Zucchini ends up being grated and put into everything once August hits... I recently read a summer squash fritter recipe on Aggie's Kitchen and it reminded me of fritters I ate as a kid filled with zucchini and corn. Once I remembered them, I couldn't get them out of my head until I made them. Since my basil plant is doing so well this year, I thought it would be a great herb to add to these fritters. Basil screams summer to me and I think it goes perfectly with both corn and zucchini. 

These little fritters are a great way to use up some of that zucchini and other summer squash. They are perfect for an appetizer, snack, or a side dish. This recipe will make about ten 2-3 inch fritters. They are good eaten topped with a sprinkle of sea salt, but even better topped with a dollop of sour cream. I'm already planning to make these again this week (and probably a couple more times this summer).

Top view of zucchini corn fritters.

July 20, 2012

Larb (Lao beef salad)

Larb on a large serving plate.

I've never been to Laos and I never had Larb until I made this dish. When I saw this recipe amongst others I knew that a plate of Larb was in our future. 

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I love Thai food, and pretty much all Asian food that I've tried, so I knew I would enjoy the flavors of this Lao dish. From my brief research, it seems like this is the national dish of Laos and each region has variations on the herbs and accompaniments. 
 
Beef is the traditional meat, but you could also make this with ground turkey, chicken, or even pork if you prefer. 

I liked this meal because it was fun to eat. I served it with a side of Jasmine rice, sliced cucumbers, lettuce leaves, lime wedges, and chili-garlic sauce. 
 
You can either eat it on the rice with the vegetables alongside, or you can wrap everything in a lettuce leaf. Other vegetables can be served as well such as green beans or bean sprouts. 
 
My adapted recipe is below. This recipe will serve about three people, but feel free to double or triple for your next dinner party. Guests will like this fun and unique dish. 

Larb with lettuce, cucumbers, and cilantro.