I came across this recipe and realized that I had everything already except for 3 eggs instead of 4, and cheddar cheese instead of Swiss cheese. I also realized that this wasn’t the quick side dish that I was looking for, but the night was young and Tommy was working late and it was raining outside and I was bored. My loaf of bread that was going stale was a rosemary-something-loaf that we used for paninis this weekend, so I felt this was a perfect match. And I’m happy to have had some dried porcini mushrooms in the pantry. Since the bread already had plenty of rosemary flavor, I did not add the rosemary that the recipe called for. It came together in about 30 minutes, then took 50 minutes to bake.

I also drank (and enjoyed) some left over Verdicchio both while making and eating the bread pudding. And now we have leftovers to last through Friday.

In an attempt to convince some of our vegetarian friends to come to our wine/football party last weekend, we advertised hamburgers AND vegetarian chili.  I thought this was a good idea, until I realized that my favorite chili recipe just couldn’t be converted into a vegetarian version by simply removing the beef and beef stock.  Having never made a vegetarian chili, I started to get nervous as party day approached.

Knowing what I already like in chili, I set out to find a recipe that would be acceptable to Tommy and I as well as our vegetarian friends.  I combined a few recipes to come up with a final version.

The final result was a very good first-vegetarian-chili.  Of course, my tastings had my mind spinning with the minor tweaks that I should use next time to make it even better.  It was lacking a serious kick (which I normally enjoy in my chili), but it still held up very well.

I was a little disappointed that I didn’t get to enjoy an entire bowl of it.  It was very popular both with the vegetarians and the hamburger-eating folks.    I happened to look over as I was eating my hamburger to realize that there were only a few spoonfuls left of the chili, so I filled a little ramekin and had my few bites before the rest of it disappeared.  There are no pictures because 1) it was consumed very quickly and 2) I was in party-host mode and didn’ think about taking a picture.

Vegetarian Chili

Ingredients

• 1 orange
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 jalepenos
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed then minced
• 3 Tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 15.5-ounce cans seasoned black beans
• 1 15.5-ounce can kidney beans
• 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1-3 cups water
• 4 chipotle chilis in adobo, seeded and finely chopped***
• salt
• pepper

Preparation
Juice orange. Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions, carrots and jalepenos; sauté 5 minutes. Mix in garlic and spices. Add beans (with juice), tomatoes (with juice), and half of orange juice and vinegar. Add water. Simmer over medium heat until heated through and flavors blend, stirring often, about 2 hours. After 1 hour, mix in remaining orange juice, salt and pepper.

***This is one ingredient that I will add next time.  These chilies give the chili a nice smokey flavor that I love.

The result was good. So so good.

Ingredients
2 teaspoons ras-el-hanout
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
3 cups water
2 lb boneless lamb leg, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 1/4 cups raisins
1 1/4 cups whole blanched almonds
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preparation
Whisk together ras-el-hanout, salt, pepper, ginger, saffron, and 1 cup water in a 5-quart heavy pot. Stir in lamb, remaining 2 cups water, onion, garlic, cinnamon sticks, and butter and simmer, covered, until lamb is just tender, 1 1/2 hours.

Stir in raisins, almonds, honey, and ground cinnamon and simmer, covered, about 30 minutes more. Uncover pot and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until stew is slightly thickened, about 15 minutes more.

Serve over couscous

One thing happened with the chicken that seemed a little odd. Tommy and I weren’t really sure of the exact location on the thigh to put the thermometer. We didn’t have much luck with thermometer placement when cooking our two Thanksgiving turkeys, so we weren’t sure how much faith to put in this thermometer placement. We were convinced that our chicken was done when it took about 20 minutes (with breast side up) to reach the 175 degrees. We were even happier when we began carving the chicken and saw that it seemed to be done. However, after turning the chicken around to start on the other side, it was revealed that the thigh piece was not done on the second side. Everything else seemed to be done. So we continued with the carving and threw in the un-finished thigh and remaining carcas back in the oven for 10 minutes, and began eating.

I would roast a chicken again. It was pretty easy but a little time consuming since you have to plan out when to brine it and when to be available when it is done brining. Next time I would be interested in roasting it in a pan with lots of vegetables like Will and Maggie suggested. I like roasted vegetables, and just thinking of the flavor that the vegetables will absorb makes me hungry even when I am full.

Ingredients
1 cup dried lentils (brown or green)
6 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 celery stalks
2 small carrots
7 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
1 sage leaf, chopped (or 1/8 tsp dried sage)
1 sprig fresh thyme (or 1/4 tsp dried thyme)
Salt and Pepper
2 1/2 cups small pasta (I used this mini-bow tie pasta, Orzo would work as well. Ditalini or Pastina would work best if you can find it where you live)

Preparation
Put lentils in a bowl and cover with cold water, soak for 2 hours. After lentils are done soaking, heat the oil in large pot. Add the onion and cook until it softens. Add the celery and carrots and cook for 5 more minutes. Add the lentils, chicken stock, water, and herbs. Bring the soup to a boil, then cook over moderate heat (a low boil) for 1 hour. Add salt and pepper if needed. Stir in the pasta and cook until the pasta is done (this is where most of the liquid in the soup will begin to disappear. Eat.

Lasagna-Style Baked Ziti

Ingredients
3/4 lb ziti
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small to medium yellow onion, diced
1 lb hot Italian Sausage
14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp. dried marjoram
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
Salt and Pepper
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup AP flour
2 cups whole milk
1 egg yolk
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and start a large pot of water on the stove (for the pasta). In a large skillet heat the olive oil, then add the onion and cook over medium heat until the onions are soft (about 4 minutes). Add the sausage and cook for 10 minutes or until beginning to brown (break up the clumps as it cooks). Remove from the heat and add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, marjoram, parsley, salt and pepper.

Once the sausage is added to the skillet, add the pasta to the boiling water (use cooking time on box), and start the bechamel: In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Whisk in the milk (it helps if the milk has been warmed instead of being cold) and cook over medium-high heat until the sauce is very thick and boiling, whisking constantly (about 5-7 minutes). Remove from the heat and whisk in the egg yolk and cheese (and salt if needed). Stir all but 3/4 cup of the bechamel into the sausage/tomato mixture. Stir in the pasta to this mixture.

Pour the mixture (pasta, bechamel, sausage/tomato mixture) into an appropriately sized casserole dish (I used an 8.5 X 11 inch dish). Then spread the remaining bechamel over the top. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, preheat the broiler and broil the pasta for about 2 minutes, until the top has browned and is bubbly. Let rest 5-10 minutes before serving.

It turned out pretty good. It wasn’t quite what you could get at Old Time, or Smithfields, but under the current circumstances of living in SC where they only make mustard-based bbq, it was a pretty good substitute. We ate it with corn on the cob and some corn bread. I’m not good at making cornbread, so I can’t write anything good about it. At least it was edible. I am looking forward to having the leftover bbq on a hamburger bun with some coleslaw tomorrow for lunch. Thanks Amy!

It turned out pretty good. It wasn’t quite what you could get at Old Time, or Smithfields, but under the current circumstances of living in SC where they only make mustard-based bbq, it was a pretty good substitute. We ate it with corn on the cob and some corn bread. I’m not good at making cornbread, so I can’t write anything good about it. At least it was edible. I am looking forward to having the leftover bbq on a hamburger bun with some coleslaw tomorrow for lunch. Thanks Amy!

I am also beginning to like peas more and more in foods. I think that I still do not like the idea of eating peas by themselves, but they tasted great in this dish with everything else. My favorite part was the hint of lemon that seemed to be present in every bite.

Creamy Lemon Gnocchi

Ingredients
1 cup frozen baby peas
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes
1 garlic clove, smashed
Pinch of salt
3 cups packed baby spinach
Zest of one lemon
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 pound gnocchi, frozen or dried
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Preparation
Simmer peas with cream, red-pepper flakes, garlic, and salt in a pan, covered, for 5 minutes. Add spinach and cook over medium-low heat, uncovered, stirring, until wilted. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest and juice.

Meanwhile, cook gnocchi in a pot of boiling salted water (follow directions on package). Drain gnocchi and add to the cream and pea mixture. Add the cheese and stir to coat. Plate and eat.

The soup turned out delicious. It was thicker than I expected, but I was okay with that. When browsing recipes for the soup, I noticed that very few recipes included potatoes. I ended up going with a recipe with potatoes, although I think that it would be just as fine without the potatoes. A lot of recipes also included cut up ham instead of a ham bone. I chose just to use the hambone. There were a few bits of ham that fell off of the ham bone, but most of the spoonfuls of soup were without ham. I also forgot to add the sherry at the end. I always forget stuff like that, or garnish at the very end. I took pictures but the soup looks very ugly. I didn’t want to gross anyone out or discourage anyone from trying the recipe based on the picture.

Split Pea Soup

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 1/2 cups water
3/4 lb split green peas
2 sprigs thyme
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 tsp tarragon
1 bay leaf
1 ham bone
4 small red potatoes
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 small carrot, diced
1 small celery stalk, diced
1 leek (white and light green parts), chopped
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp Sherry

Preparation
Combine chicken stock, water and split peas in pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the thyme, parsley, tarragon, bay leaf, ham bone and potatoes. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and continue simmering for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Saute the onion, carrot, celery and leak in some olive oil. After the soup has simmered for an hour, add the sauteed mixture to the soup. Simmer for another 45 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste and add the sherry just before serving.

Overall, the fish was fresh, moist, meaty and flavorful. The fish, kale, and lentil mixture all complemented each other very well. This was the first time that I had eaten lentils too. If you haven’t eaten lentils before, you’re missing out! I LOVED them. Tommy would have preferred a little less mustard taste to the lentils, but I felt that there was just enough mustard. This was also the first time that we steamed fish. I think that it came out perfectly. This dish didn’t take very long to make either. Tommy made the fish and Kale, while I made the lentil mixture, set the table, and poured the wine.

Steamed Grouper with Lentils and Kale

Ingredients
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
1 small carrot, peeled and diced
1 small stalk celery, diced
1/2 cup Beluga lentils, rinsed and picked over (green lentils will work just as well)
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs parsley
1 sprig thyme
1 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoons fresh ground white pepper
1/8 cup Dijon mustard
1/8 cup plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
1/8 cup diced red onion
1 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
1 tablespoons chopped green onions
2 (6-8 ounce) grouper fillets
1 bunch Kale

Preparation
In a saucepan, heat 1 tablespoons of the olive oil and add the onion, carrot and celery. Saute the vegetables until just tender about, 4 minutes. Add the lentils, broth and herbs. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the white pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until lentils are just tender.

In a small bowl, combine the Dijon mustard with 1/8 cup of the balsamic vinegar, and 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Whisk until emulsified. Add the bell pepper, red onion, parsley, and green onions, and toss to combine. Add the dressing to the lentils, toss to combine. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Combine the remaining olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl. Brush the fish with the oil and vinegar mixture and season with the remaining teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of white pepper. Steam the fish until just cooked through.

Steam the Kale in a steamer, lightly season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Tommy and I had a double steamer, in which we steamed both the Kale and the fish. We started the fish on the top level of steamer. Half way through cooking, we added the Kale to the bottom level of the steamer. We steamed the fish for about 15 minutes, but the fish could have been cooked for probably 10 minutes, ours was a little overcooked.

The steamed fish, Kale, and lentil mixture should be done at about the same time. If this is not possible, make sure that the lentil mixture finishes first and can be kept warm while the fish and greens steam in the steamer.

We served the fish beside a bed of Kale with the lentils on top of the Kale. You could also put the fish on top of the lentils.

Walnut-Gorgonzola Penne

Ingredients
1 lb Penne Pasta
2 tbsp olive oil
4 thick slices of onion, chopped
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1.5 oz Gorgonzola cheese
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
Salt
Pepper
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Preparation
Boil some water and cook Penne according to directions on box.

Meanwhile, saute the oil and onion in a pan on medium-low heat until translucent (about 10 minutes). Add walnuts and saute for another 4 minutes. Add the Gorgonzola and let melt, about 2 minutes. Add the heavy cream and Vegetable Stock and increase heat to medium, cooking until creamy. Add the parsley, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Add the drained pasta to the mixture and serve.

This dish was surprisingly flavorful. I don’t remember which white we used, but I remember being able to taste the wine flavors in the dish. It is very important to use a wine that you would drink and enjoy when using wine for cooking. Tommy and I follow that rule. I think that it is necessary in this dish. If I had kept up with my food blog this month, I would have been able to blog about the wine as well… The only variation that I did to this recipe is that I only used 1/2 lb pasta instead of 3/4 lb. I liked the cauliflower/leek mixture to pasta ratio that we ended up with.

Cauliflower and Leek Penne

Preparation
Heavily salt and pepper the pork chops on both sides. Preheat a pan with the olive oil on medium-high heat and add the pork chops. Sear for 2 minutes on each side, then turn the heat down to medium and cook for another 5 minutes. Transfer the pork chops to plate and cover with foil. Add the chicken stock, thyme, maple syrup. lemon zest and juice to the hot pan. Bring up to a bubble and simmer until thickened (recipe says that this should take about 3-5 minutes, mine never thickened). Return the pork chops to the pan and glaze each side with the sauce. Place chops on plates and drizzle remaining glaze from the pan on top of the pork chops.

I won’t elaborate on the recipes, only to say that I substituted a combination of 2/3 mozzarella and 1/3 unknown semi-soft cheese in our fridge for the 1 cup of fontina for the polenta. Oh yeah, and I also used normal spinach instead of baby spinach, and I added the spinach to the polenta after about 10 minutes of cooking the polenta, instead of sauteing the spinach separately. The salad consisted of mixed greens, an heirloom tomato, and a marinated chicken breast. So delicious. I’m not sure that anyone would ever serve a bowl of polenta beside a plate of chicken salad, but we did and loved it.

I won’t elaborate on the recipes, only to say that I substituted a combination of 2/3 mozzarella and 1/3 unknown semi-soft cheese in our fridge for the 1 cup of fontina for the polenta. Oh yeah, and I also used normal spinach instead of baby spinach, and I added the spinach to the polenta after about 10 minutes of cooking the polenta, instead of sauteing the spinach separately. The salad consisted of mixed greens, an heirloom tomato, and a marinated chicken breast. So delicious. I’m not sure that anyone would ever serve a bowl of polenta beside a plate of chicken salad, but we did and loved it.

Gorgonzola Beef Tenderloin with Pasta
Serves 2 (with a little bit of left over)

Ingredients
1/2 lb penne pasta
1 pint grape tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
Olive Oil
Salt + Pepper
1/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola
Parsley (small handful), chopped
6 Sage Leaves, finely chopped
1 green onion, chopped
2 beef tenderloins, about 1-inch thick
1 cup baby spinach
10 basil leaves, pulled apart into pieces
1/2 cup grated parm. regianno cheese
3/4 cup reserved pasta water

Preparation
1. Set oven to 425 degrees.
2. Boil water and cook pasta 2 minutes shy of being al dente (pasta will cook more later)
3. Meanwhile, put tomatoes and garlic in oven for 20 minutes.
4. Salt and pepper both sides of beef.
5. Combine Gorgonzola, parsley, sage and green onion in a small bowl and set aside.
6. When tomatoes/garlic are about 4 minutes from being done, heat an oven-proof skillet on high heat. Sear the beef for 90 seconds on each side. Keep beef in pan and put Gorgonzola mixture on top.
7. Take tomatoes out of oven, turn oven off, and transfer pan of beef to the oven for 4 minutes.
8. Put the roasted garlic in a bowl large enough for the pasta and mash to make a paste. Add the reserved pasta water and the tomatoes and mash until a sauce forms. Add the pasta, spinach, basil, and cheese and let sit for a few minutes.
9. Serve!

Tommy and I have had the soup before but we thought that it would be a nice way to start the dinner. Elena was sick, so we thought that she could at least partake in this part of the meal if she wasn’t up to the rest. It was a nice, creamy incorporation of leeks, red peppers and potatoes. It was just as good as the first time that we made it.

The rib roast was insanely easy to make and way more delicious than expected given the minimal time that it took to prepare. The rib-eye portion of meat was okay (Tommy thought that this part was great). Then there was the portion on top of the rib-eye that was closest to the herb mixture. It was this portion that I wanted to eat forever and ever. It was marbly and full of seasoned goodness. We served this with asparagus, which I’m sure was good and I know I ate, but I do not remember the asparagus. The taste of the meat is still lingering in my head.

The nutella tart was the first tart that I have made. The crust came out absolutely perfect. The filling wasn’t as rich as I was expecting it to be, which was nice because it turned out to be a nice light-to-medium desert after a very filling carnivorous meal. I served it with whipped cream spiked with what else but frangelico.

Herb and Horseradish Crusted Standing Rib Roast

Ingredients
8 lb standing rib roast, with bones
1/4 cup salt
2 tbsp pepper
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup horseradish sauce
2 tbsp fresh thyme
1.5 tbsp rosemary, roughly chopped
1.5 tbsp sage leaves, roughly chopped
7 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

Preparation
Heave oven to 325 degrees. Put rib roast in a roasting pan fat side up. Apply a very generous amount of salt and pepper. Combine butter, horseradish, thyme, rosemary, sage and garlic in a food processor. Pulse until mixture is blended into a paste. Spread paste on top of rib roast, and on sides (we tried spreading on the sides and it didn’t stay very well). Put in oven and bake until the middle of the meat reaches 125 degrees (about 3 hours). Let sit for at least 20 minutes before carving. Serve and enjoy.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pounds ground beef chuck
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1 green bell pepper, roughly chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons chile powder
1 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoons chopped thyme
1 teaspoons chopped oregano
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cups low-sodium beef broth
One 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained
One 14-ounce can diced tomatoes with the juices
5 chipotle chiles in adobo, seeded and finely chopped
1 cup tomato sauce
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Preparation
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add ground beef and cook just until brown, about 5 minutes. Add the onions and green pepper to the pot and cook until onions are translucent, about 8 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, chile powder, cumin, coriander, sugar, thyme, oregano, black pepper and cayenne pepper and cook for 10 more minutes stirring occasionally.

Stir in the beef broth, pinto beans, diced tomatoes, chipotle chiles, tomato paste and vinegar. Bring to a simmer and cook for 90 minutes stirring occasionally.

Serve by itself or with additional chili necessities such as white rice, crackers, cheddar cheese, sour cream, fritos, etc. I plan on eating it a few ways since we have about 3 servings left over. YUM!

Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pounds ground beef chuck
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1 green bell pepper, roughly chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons chile powder
1 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoons chopped thyme
1 teaspoons chopped oregano
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cups low-sodium beef broth
One 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained
One 14-ounce can diced tomatoes with the juices
5 chipotle chiles in adobo, seeded and finely chopped
1 cup tomato sauce
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Preparation
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add ground beef and cook just until brown, about 5 minutes. Add the onions and green pepper to the pot and cook until onions are translucent, about 8 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, chile powder, cumin, coriander, sugar, thyme, oregano, black pepper and cayenne pepper and cook for 10 more minutes stirring occasionally.

Stir in the beef broth, pinto beans, diced tomatoes, chipotle chiles, tomato paste and vinegar. Bring to a simmer and cook for 90 minutes stirring occasionally.

Serve by itself or with additional chili necessities such as white rice, crackers, cheddar cheese, sour cream, fritos, etc. I plan on eating it a few ways since we have about 3 servings left over. YUM!