Butter

Anyone who knows Nic and I, knows we love butter. Large quantities of unsalted butter, to layer over bread or anything else in sight. Our own dear father is known to slap a pat on a cookie. Thus, the apples do not fall far from the tree. Making my own butter has long been a part of my culinary adventure list, and it was time to make my dreams come true.

Sadly, dear Internet, no one that I came across has awesome instructions/tutorials/anything to give us an idea of what to look for. So when I brought up, nay demanded that we make butter to share with the world, Nic grabbed her Flip camera and came over. So here you go: directions on the liquid stages, buttermilk, and washing the butter to remove remaining buttermilk to keep from going rancid. You're welcome.

I remember now, this was mostly inspired by watching Paula Deen's "Butter than Ever Christmas Party" on the Food Network, while on vacation in Asheville with Nic and our Momma. I know, TV on vacation? It was after a food coma inducing meal, and hello "Butter than Ever?" Done.

Butter
Makes about 3/4 cup

1 cup of heavy whipping cream
ice water

1. Pour cream into food processor. Process through stages: sloshy, frothy, soft whipped cream, firm whipped cream, semi-solid state. Eventually it will clump like dough and roll around the bowl.

2. Right at two minutes of processing, it will suddenly speed up and throw off lots of buttermilk. When the spray has died down and the liquid pools on the bottom, turn processor off.

3. Drain off buttermilk and save, to drink or bake with. You could stop here and eat immediately, or go on to preserve what you have created.

4. To help the butter keep beyond a day, 'wash' the butter to remove remaining buttermilk. There are several ways to do this, but we found it easiest to let the processor handle it. Pour in 1/2 cup very cold water (no ice) and process for about 30 seconds.  Pour out the liquid.

5. Repeat washing process until water runs clear. Or mostly clear.

6. Using a cheesecloth or paper towels, press the remaining water out of the butter on a hard surface. You will be left with a large clump that you can now eat or otherwise spice up. To further ensure it will be preserved, work a small amount of salt into the butter.

Variations:

• Herb butter: we used a mix of fresh chopped sage, rosemary and chives to create a very flavorful butter
• Honey
• Spices: cinnamon, cayenne, really anything here
• Zest: orange, lemon, lime

Browned Brussels Sprouts

How did adorable Brussels get such a bad rap? Oh right, boiling them to into a stinking mass. The woeful things done to this delicious winter vegetable are a shame. But oh, a nice hot pan really brings out their sweetness. Toasty, charred, on the menu every night.

Don't be overly concerned about the timing on these little fellows. The burned ones taste exactly like toasted marshmallows. I kid you not. 

I'd never ate or bought a single sprout in my life until last month. Who knew how they'd quickly become my favorite? Look for small, firm sprouts for the least bitter flavors. And join the campaign to lift this little guy off the blacklist.

Browned Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts, 6 per person as a side dish or 10-12 for more substantial course
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper
Grated parmesan (optional)

1. Trim stem ends and remove loose outer leaves. Slice sprouts in half and toss in a bowl with a glug of olive oil.

2. Heat a bit more oil in a skillet over medium heat. When oil shimmers, add sprouts cut side down. Sprinkle with salt & pepper and watch our for jumping Brussels! Any water left from washing will cause some to jump quite far. Cover with a lid and let brown undisturbed for five minutes or shorter if teeny tiny.

3. After five minutes, remove lid and stir/flip sprouts for a few more minutes of browning. Sprouts are done when tender at the pierce with a knife.

Serve immediately with a sprinkle of grated cheese or stir into a pasta. Leftovers should be re-crisped in a skillet.

One Ingredient Ice Cream

Bananas. I never was good at holding secrets. And this one ingredient ice cream sure feels like a secret.

I like a good, ripe banana. The ones some people use for banana bread- half brown? Those have the sweetest, most banana-y flavor to me. Sometimes I can't finish a bunch before they turn too dark, even for me, so I toss them into the freezer. From there they usually turn into banana bread, but now I have the perfect summer idea, as Atlanta slowly eases into spring on this beautiful weekend.

I'm sure you have eaten them in their normal state, as frozen, chocolate-covered confections they only sell in summer months, and now I have a brand new way for you to eat them. And it was so unbelievably awesome how a frozen banana turned into a creamy, perfectly textured ice cream that was actually good for me, I can't even tell you. I saw this here, and thought it was a total myth. Turns out the myth is real.

One Ingredient Ice Cream
Serves 1

1 banana

1. Freeze banana. You can cut into chunks then freeze, or chuck the whole thing peel and all into the freezer.

2. Place chunked banana in food processor. Process until its creamy.

3. Eat

I threw in some chocolate covered almonds and made it two ingredient ice cream. The options are endless, anything that goes with banana would be good to toss in the food processor here.
Options:

• a drizzle of salted caramel sauce
• a drizzle of chocolate sauce of some sort
• toasted nuts
• peanut butter
• chocolate chips
• spices: cinammon, cayenne, vanilla extract, etc

Baked Falafel

So we've come to learn the bad news we got earlier, isn't much of a kink in our style after all. Especially not when it means eating all the falafel you possibly can. Which might be a lot if you are allowed to fill the hole your pancreas left behind. 

This has got to be a super food. Not an ounce of bad anything. Just protein protein protein, vegetables, herbs. But how can that combination taste any good? Well, traditional and restaurant falafel is fried. 

But lord knows we are not that kind of joint. I don't necessarily oppose deep frying for health reasons, but omg, the TIME! the MESS! the WASTE! of oil that gets dumped down the drain [or responsibly disposed in a glass jar/trash].

Baking. That's the way to go. And yes, you can get a crispy exterior. Just pre-heat your baking sheet and oil in the oven so that when the patties make contact, they sizzle and brown. Perfect for our friend Jason, who's NEVER tried falafel since giving up fried food entirely.

Wow, I guess this is now potentially the second recipe on this blog at the butt of ball jokes. Though technically they are patties. The spoonula was clutch to forming those perfect patties. I'm pretty sure it's in the lead for MVP kitchen utensil. Who doesn't love a great big red combination spatula and spoon?

Baked Falafel
Adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen
Makes 14-18 'fels

1 cup dried chickpeas or 3 cups canned (two 15oz cans)
1 cup chopped onion
4 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2-4 tablespoons chopped parsley (completely optional for parsley haters; aka me)
1 teaspoon salt
4 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons whole wheat (or all-purpose) flour, more if your balls don't stick together
olive oil, for baking sheet

1. Soak dried chickpeas in cold water for at least 8 hours, or over night. After chickpeas are well-softened, drain well. If using canned, rinse peas well.

2. Put chickpeas, onion, parsley, cilantro, salt, garlic, and cumin into bowl of a food processor with the steel blade attached. Pulse until mixture is well-chopped and combined, but not pureed together. My processor is a 9-cup model, so it works much better to do one half of the ingredients at a time, you will get a more even blend across particles.

3. Sprinkle over baking powder and flour and pulse a few more times to combine. Test one ball to see if mixture holds together, and if not add more flour until it does. (I didn't need to add more flour.) Put mixture into a plastic bowl with a tight-fitting lid and chill several hours or overnight (optional).

4. When ready to bake Falafel, spray or drizzle olive oil onto your baking sheet and preheat oven to 400° with your sheet inside.

5. Shape the mixture into balls, pressing each one flat with your hands and forming into a patty not quite 1/2 inch thick. Put patties on pan and bake until lightly browned flipping after 12 minutes, about 22-24 minutes total. Serve warm with yogurt sauce:

Yogurt Sauce
Tangy, delicious, whatever you have on hand:

Basic sauce starts with a single serving cup of plain yogurt. Then add to taste:

• Chopped onion
• Minced garlic
• (Or possibly shallot to kill two birds with one stone)
• Cumin - plenty
• Cilantro - plenty
• Parsley - unless you despise it
• Tahini
• Squeeze of lemon juice

Stir to combine and enjoy!

First and Last Goat Cheese Cheesecake

 

I've never had an interest in creating a standard cheesecake. But I am certainly interesting in all things goat. I proudly wear the accusation of making everything too goat-y. So, why wouldn't a little goat be an excellent way to spice up the standard cheesecake? In answer to your question; it's good, really really good. In fact, it's deadly.

Deadly that is, for my dear husband.

Twenty four hours after bringing this cake into the world, we found out my very own bearded animal is now a type 1 diabetic. Apparently, putting a ring on it really does age you, since that was about the time he started making frequent middle-of-the-night bathroom trips and googling 'unquenchable thirst'. It was news to me that these are very common symptoms of diabetes and not grounds for teasing. We would never have known the damage his immune system has caused his pancreas, if not for routine blood work-up during an annual physical [not joking here: regular check-ups are an important part of your life regardless of how good you feel, it could save you one day].

Luckily, it is manageable thanks to a kitchen table full of diabeetus testing supplies. And now we have a legitimate excuse for ducking out of the bars early. Of course, the poor guy has to stick himself regularly and stick to a rigid nutrition/timing/exercise regimen for fear of terrible side effects, such as, oh, blindness or amputation. Let's just say there's never been a better motivator to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

Fun in a bun. A low-carb, sugar-free bun.

So this is likely one of the last sweet treats from me [no worries about the frequency of goat cheese, THANK GOD]. You will have to rely on Kate and her dessert factory to take supply your sugar fix. We are embarking on a new lifestyle, one that will essentially look like celiac vegan on a sugar-free Atkins diet. Pass the plant please!

I thought it would be a great idea to bake this in a loaf pan and slice into little rectangular slivers. Little did I know that it would QUINTUPLE the baking time. Just be aware that if you want a quick bake, individual rounds in the muffin tin are the way to go. Otherwise, be prepared for the long haul.

Goat Cheese Cheesecake
Adapted from Tartelette

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup sugar, divided
8 oz mild goat cheese, at room temperature
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
juice and zest of a whole lemon
3 large eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 325°, with a rack positioned in the middle. If you want a quick bake time, pop 8 liners into a standard size muffin pan and spray with cooking spray. Place the muffin pan inside a large roasting pan. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, the melted butter and 1/4 cup sugar. Divide the mixture evenly among the prepared muffin liners and pat with the back of a spoon. Bake for 5 minutes. Let cool. Lower the heat to 300°.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the remaining sugar with the cheeses and the lemon zest on medium speed until the mixture is completely smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time and beating well after each addition. Add the lemon juice and beat another 30 seconds. 

4. Divide the mixture evenly among the muffin liners. Add hot water to the roasting pan, so it comes at least one inch up the side of the muffin pan. The oven temperature is already so low that the water is just to be on the safe side.

5. Bake the mini cheesecakes for 20 minutes or until slightly jiggling in the middle still. Keep an eye on them as they bake rather fast this way. Let cool completely before unmolding and serving with a drizzle of honey.

What I ate for dinner

Pizza.

This is my easy-fake-getting-veggies-into-meals ploy.  I buy some pizza dough from Trader Joe's, mince garlic to spread on the crust, cover with sauce, then comes the secret. Load that sucker with raw spinach. Really, I mound it up. Then add cheese, and I prefer tomato and red pepper, but you can choose what you want. A final dusting of cheese and bake at 475 degrees for about 10 minutes. The spinach wilts down into a delicious base that melds with the garlic and tomato sauce into something that doesn't resemble healthy anymore.

Top it off with a chocolate coated salted caramel square from Cacao Atlanta in Inman Park, Atlanta's very own chocolatier. Kristen Hard not only sources all her own beans by traveling to individual countries, she roasts them and creates all these amazingly beautiful chocolates. Nic and I hit the shop during Atlanta's blizzard yesterday for some spicy hot chocolate. SnOMG was never a better description.

Brown Ginger Fried Rice

I've given Spice Market it's fair due over several visits, like John Kessler, and the verdict is not good. Sounds like a great concept, right? Completely focused on style. Asian fusion. Trendy street food. Too-cool-for-thou atmosphere. Oh, actually, maybe not. The formula is unfortunately unbalanced, with food taking a back seat to trends, style and the French. It's a crime, especially so close to the street that has fused Atlanta's Asian cuisine: Buford Highway.


But. We really never need to go back. Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten has given away his best recipe, so we can now make our very own French-ifyed, deconstructed Spice Market dish! He shared this recipe for Ginger Fried Rice with the NY Times' Mark Bittman, and it might just be the best Asian fusion I've ever made [also, only]. 

WARNING, you've got to use day old rice. I've made a habit of pulling out our Tomagachi the night before a craving sneaks up. In a pinch, you could make a batch the day-of. Just spread it out on a baking sheet and dry it out in the freezer for about 15 minutes before frying [great tip from Kate!]. And be sure to wash the rice well in advance, especially if using brown, in order to minimize potential for sticky, mushy rice.

Also, use of fresh ginger is incredibly important here. Not only is it ridiculously cheap, leftover root stores very well in the freezer for future rice nights.

Brown Ginger Fried Rice 
Adapted from Mark Bittman's adaptation from Jean-Georges Vongerichten of Spice Market
Serves 4

Crunch berries and egg topping [pan 1]:
1/4 cup peanut or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced ginger

4 eggs

Rice [pan 2]:
1/4 cup peanut or vegetable oil
2 cups onion or leeks, diced 
3 cups day-old cooked rice (brown, jasmine, leftover Chinese take-out)
1-2 cups additional diced vegetables, such as carrot, green onion, cabbage, peas, etc.
2 teaspoons sesame oil (for some heat but the same awesome flavor, use hot sesame oil)
2 tablespoons soy sauce

1. In a large non-stick skillet, heat 1/4 cup oil over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp and brown. With a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels and salt lightly. Turn of the heat and let the pan hang out for a minute.

2. Heat pan #2 to medium-low and add 2 tablespoons oil. Cook onions/leeks five minutes, then add additional vegetables and cook five more minutes until tender.

3. Raise heat to medium and add rice. Cook, stirring occasionally until rice is nicely browned, about five minutes. Season with soy sauce to taste [or for true deconstruction, wait until it's plated, your choice].

4. Back in pan #1, fry eggs in remaining oil, sunny-side-up, until edges are set but yolk is still runny.

5. Divide rice among four dishes. Top each with an egg and drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil and 1 teaspoon soy sauce. Sprinkle crisped garlic and ginger over everything and serve.

Leftover fried rice stores well, but not the crisped garlic/ginger or sunny side up eggs. Leave those out of refrigerated rice, and make fresh batches before serving again.

Homemade Nutella

You may have heard of a little hazelnut-chocolate spread called Nutella. You may not have heard that it is celebrated world-wide on February 4th, four years running. So when I found myself on World Nutella Day without a single spoonful in my house, it was obvious what I had to do. Remedy that situation. And rather than being rational and going to the grocery store on my way home, I decided to make it. Luckily, I vaguely remembered seeing a recipe for homemade Nutella out there, and hunted it down.

I had a cup of hazelnuts residing quietly in the freezer after some harebrained attempt at something, a dusting of powered sugar from another, and some cocoa powder. That was for common sense-ical reasons.  Homemade Nutella may sound impressive, but the packaging basically tells you the ingredients. Here's the technique: toast hazelnuts, rub off skins (try at least. above is my half-ass attempt.) Put in food processor, puree. Add stuff, puree.  Eat. Remember that its Friday night, and you're home alone making Nutella. Remind yourself its an enviable skill that will add to your dowry and that you will not die alone. Finish watching some HBO Big Love episodes and decide that dying alone is a much better alternative to multiple wives.

Nutella

Makes about 3/4 of a cup

1 cup hazelnuts

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup powered sugar

dash of salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/8-1/4 cup canola oil

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast hazelnuts for 10 minutes, until they smell like Nutella.

2. In a clean kitchen towel, gently rub off the skins of the hazelnuts. They are a bit bitter, which is why you do this. Don't stress over every last bit.

3. Place in food processor, puree for about 5 minutes until completely smooth. This is your only chance to get it smooth.

4. Add in the cocoa through vanilla, puree for until throughly combined. Scrape down the sides.

5. With the machine running, stream in oil until everything emulsifies and looks like Nutella.

Store: In the fridge is probably your best bet. 

Chicken Meatballs

 

My dear husband has been begging me to make meatloaf for years. Unfortunately for him, I'm not exactly known for being a people-pleaser. Though I am open to experimentation, especially if it is a healthy spin on a classic. Also, if it is described as positively creamy, without requiring gobs of cheese. And that's exactly how these turned out: rich, creamy and gone in minutes.

 

The first time, I served my balls with fresh pasta and a drizzle of olive oil. Next they were the main attraction at our holiday party. Whatever the occasion, I vow they will never be served in loaf form.

I tinkered with the recipe because my local grocer only sells ground chicken in 3/4 pound packages, and the original version naturally calls for a full pound. The HORROR. There's nothing worse than being forced to purchase extra of something just to fit the recipe. So I retooled things to fit the quantities I could easily find. If your grocer happens to only sell it in full pound packages, click through to Smitten's proportions.

Chicken Meatballs

Adapted from Gourmet, via Smitten Kitchen

Serves 10 as hors d'oeuvres or 4 served with pasta

2 slices Italian bread, torn into small bits (2/3 cup)

1/3 cup milk
1/4 lb pancetta, finely chopped (swap in Canadian Bacon if you can’t find pancetta)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 egg
3/4 pound ground chicken
2 tablespoons tomato paste, divided

3 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Extra-virgin olive oil

1. Soak the bread in milk until softened, about five minutes. Preheat oven to 400° with a rack positioned in the upper third.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and cook pancetta for several minutes. Add the onion and garlic with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper until softened, about 6 minutes. Allow mixture to cool slightly.

3. Squeeze bread to remove excess milk, then discard milk. Lightly beat the egg in a large bowl, then combine with ground chicken, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, pancetta mixture, bread, and parsley.

4. Form 12 meatballs and arrange in a 4-sided sheet pan (I used a 9×13 roasting dish). Stir together remaining tablespoons of tomato paste and oil and brush over meatballs (the paste/oil does not mix in any cohesive manner, but just smoosh it on), then bake in upper third of oven until meatballs are just cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Guest Post: Laurie's Game Day Food

Let's be real. I don't know how to handle myself at sporting events, so for your upcoming super bowl needs, we've got expert advice from a dear friend. Fussy health food is clearly out of place in this situation, so man up and enjoy.

Greetings from the Mile High City! While I was sad to leave the Peach State, taking a year off from med school to do research has given me ample time to pursue two of my favorite past times: cooking up a storm and taking in the daily breath-taking views of the Rockies. A little about me: I'm a med student who loves preventive medicine, a devoted dog mama, a major Notre Dame fan due to my husband's slightly unhealthy obsession, and a lover of whisking away in the kitchen! My mom is the best chef I know, and now that I'm lucky enough to live near her, I'm soaking up all her skills to occasionally share with y'all!

So for my first contribution: a Southwestern-inspired Game Day menu. If you have ever loved a sports team having a slightly depressing season, you know the importance of quality snacks to balance out the tears shed as your team struggles. My guaranteed wins in the food arena: Rat Toes and Chicken Chipotle Nachos. The only thing not to love about Rat Toes is the slightly suspect name. Once you hear the ingredients, your mouth will water with Pavlovian excitement: jalapenos, shrimp, cream cheese and BACON. The bacon alone is sure to get most tails wagging with excitement.

Chicken Chipotle Nachos will keep the crowds roaring for more: Tortilla chips topped with smoking chipotle pulled chicken and a dollop of guacamole...a recipe for a touchdown every time! Both of these recipes are easy and you can do much of the prep work the night before so to have a relaxing game day.

Chipotle Chicken Nachos

1 cup cooked chicken, about 1 large chicken breast
3 tablespoon red onion, coarse chopped
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 cups Monterey jack cheese, shredded
2-3 large chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
2-3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin

1. Cook chicken (any way you desire, including baking or poaching) and cut into chunks.

2. In a food processor, blend cream cheese until smooth. Add chicken, red onion, cheese, chipotle chilies, garlic and cumin. Process until smooth.

3. Spread onto sturdy tortilla chips and bake at 400 degrees until melted.

4. Garnish each nacho with Kathy's Guacamole and cilantro.

Kathy's Guacamole

3 avocados
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1.4 teaspoon onion powder
salt to taste

Cut avocados, add lemon juice, mayo, garlic and onion powder. Mix vigorously.
Chill until cold and enjoy!

Rat Toes
Adapted from Six Feet Under's recipe

24 jalapenos
1 pack reduced fat cream cheese (go full fat if you dare)
1 bag  pre-cooked shrimp (defrost in cool water if frozen)
bacon. bacon. glorious bacon.

1. Clean out jalapenos by chopping off top and removing insides and seeds. Save as many seeds as you desire, these bring the heat. De-tail shrimp.

2. Put shrimp and cream cheese in food processor. Mix until combined. Add as many of the jalapeno seeds as your heart desires and pulse several more times.

3. Stuff jalapenos to the limit. Do not be shy during this step, the more spicy cream cheese wonderfulness to complement the bacon, the better.

4. Take uncooked bacon and wrap around jalapenos.

5. Broil at 500 degrees, flipping every 5 minute. Remove when bacon is too irresistible to delay eating. Or until bacon looks cooked, either way.