food blog to share

Not sure why Cyndi or I haven't thought to share this, but our other sister Jenny writes a food blog that always has pretty interesting recipes for the adventurous cook. Thought maybe you guys would be interested in checking it out..

http://pourhouse.wordpress.com/author/pourhouse/

The Most Beautiful Burger

Ok.. I know everyone knows how to make a cheeseburger. But we made these for dinner last night and I had to share with you all. They were DELICIOUS.

California Burgers:
- buns
- 1 lb. ground beef
- mayo
- garlic
- monterrey jack cheese slices
- bacon
- tomato slices
- avocado slices

1. create 4 evenly sized burger patties. season well with salt & pepper, garlic and onion powder.
2. smash a clove or 2 of garlic with salt and run your knife across it to make a paste. add to a few tablespoons of mayo and set aside.
3. while your hubby has the burgers on the grill, fry up the bacon, cut the tomatoes and the avocado. I added salt and lime juice to the avocado slices to prevent them from oxidizing. this is optional, but recommended.
4. in the last few minutes of cooking, add cheese to the burger patties.
5. slater garlic mayo on the bun (i put it on both pieces, but i really like mayo and garlic)
6. place tomato on bottom bun. then burger patty. then bacon. then avocado.
7. put the other half of the bun on and devour. :)

Greek Pork Chops

Does anyone even follow this anymore? :( Well, if you do, I have a winner. My mom used to make these and I completely forgot about them until recently. Made them for dinner last night and they were incredible!

- 2 butterfly pork chops
- 3 or so tablespoons flour
- salt & pepper to season the flour
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 or 4 garlic cloves, pressed
- 3/4 c. chicken broth
- 1/4 c. whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- feta cheese crumbles

Stir together the flour, salt and pepper and dredge the porkchops making sure to fully coat both sides.

cook pork chops in 2 tablespoons olive oil over med-high heat, 3 to 4 minutes each side. remove from pan.

add the last tablespoon of oil to the pan, add garlic and saute until tender. Add chicken broth, whipping cream and lemon juice to pan. season with extra pepper if desired. Cook for 10 minutes or until the mixture has reduced by half. I like to add some of the feta here, too.. to thicken it up a bit.

Add the dried oregano and pork chops to the pan and cook an additional 2-4 minutes or until chops are cooked through. Pour sauce over chops and top with more feta to serve.


We made these with roasted red potatoes (super simple!)

- 4 small red potatoes, cubed (was enough for 2 people)
- olive oil
- salt & pepper
- about 1/3 packet of dry ranch seasoning

place all ingredients in a plastic bag and shake to coat potatoes well. place on a baking sheet and bake in 450 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until they start to brown on the bottom. Reduce heat to 275, flip potatoes, and continue to cook until soft.

Garlic White Pizza

Ok.. this is a labor of love (sort of), but it is ABSOLUTELY 100% worth the time. I made this for dinner last night and it was delicious.

First, the dough:
- 1 c. warm water
- 1 (1/4-ounce) envelope active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 T extra-virgin olive oil (i used a garlic infused one.. very good!)
- 2 3/4 c. flour
- 1/2 c. finely grated Parmesan
- pinch of salt

In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast, honey, and 1 tablespoon oil, stirring to combine. Let sit until the mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.

Add 1 1/2 cups of the flour and the salt, mixing by hand until it is all incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Continue adding the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, working the dough after each addition, until the dough is smooth but still slightly sticky. Add parmesan cheese and incorporate fully. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth but still slightly tacky, 3 to 5 minutes.

Oil a large mixing bowl with remaining olive oil (again, used the garlic oil). Place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place, free from drafts until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

After making dough, start to roast garlic:
- 3 or 4 heads of garlic, with the top quarter sliced off
- olive oil
- salt & pepper

Rub olive oil onto cut side of garlic heads, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put cut side down onto a foil lined cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes. This will make your house smell AMAZING, btw. :)

When dough has risen and garlic has roasted and is cool enough to handle, start making your pizza! Preheat your oven to 500 degrees and place a pizza stone on the center rack (you can use a baking sheet if you don't have a stone, i'm sure). Roll dough out to size of your stone or pizza sheet, set aside on a well floured (or corn-mealed) surface. We put ours on a well floured cutting board that we could slide it off of.

Roasted Garlic Sauce:
- 1 cup whole milk or heavy cream (I used cream, as I had it in the fridge).
- 2 T unsalted butter
- 2 T flour
- 1/4 t plus a pinch salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 to 4 heads roasted garlic

In a medium sauce pan, melt your butter over low-medium heat. Once melted and no longer foamy, add 2 tablespoons of flour and stir to combine. Do not cook flour through as you would for a roux. Add milk or cream, whisking as you go. Add salt and cayenne pepper and continue to whick until mixture has thickened to a spreadable sauce consistency. Remove from heat and add roasted garlic cloves. Puree together (either with an immersion blender or pour into a regular blender).

Remove your pizza stone (or pizza sheet) from the oven and place already prepared dough on. Top with your sauce, leaving about an inch from the sides, as it will expand! Top with discs of fresh mozzarella (i also used a 3 cheese shredded blend). At this point, you can place your pizza back in the oven and cook for 8-10 minutes or until golden on top and bubbly.

This is technically a white pizza, but we added some fresh toppings. We did freshly sliced (and salted) tomatoes about halfway through the cooking process so they wouldn't dry out too much. When we took the pizza out of the oven, we threw some basil ribbons on top. It was DELICIOUS. I also think some spinach, either fresh or already wilted with garlic would also be really good on this dish. We will definitely make this one again.

Sunscreen!

One half rum (coconut if you're me)
One half diet coke (again, if you're me)

And drink!!

(disclaimer: I'm at a bar with Stef who dared me to blog right now & yes, I'm drinking a rum & diet) :)

Garbanzo Bean Salad

I am not sure if anyone is like me, but a few times a year I go vegetarian for a few weeks to reboot my system.  My digestive system is finicky and after winter especially it feels really blah...so I start fresh by eating nothing but veggies for a few weeks.  No dairy, no meat, no eggs.  I have my pitfalls, but I feel SO much better when I am done.  So, I am on one of those kicks right now and I just developed the recipe below.  Even if you are not into a total vegetarian dinner, this would be a great *spring* sidedish.

Garbanzo Bean Salad:
2 cans of Garbanzo Beans - drained and rinsed well
3 green onions chopped
2 medium tomatoes - squeeze the seeds out and chop
1.5 T about of fresh chopped parsley
grate one clove of garlic
grate 1/4" to 1/2" of ginger depending on how much you like the flavor
juice one lemon
1 T of olive oil
Salt and Pepper and Toss

I served over a bed of spinach, red leaf lettuce and radicchio.  The colors were very pretty and the flavor was incredibly bright.  It would be a great garnish/side dish for some grilled chicken or skewers I thought as well.

If you ate .75 C you would be getting close to 10 grams of protein, zero fat, and about 240 calories - the recipe would obviously be easy to cut in half, but I wanted some leftovers for the week.

Easy Lentil Soup

This is a great soup recipe and very easy.  I make it in the winters when I want something warm, but I have realized it is also a great spring soup because of the fresh veggies and yummy lentils.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 pound lentils (approximately 1 1/4 cups) - I use the ready made lentils from Trader Joes.  They are delicious and come in a steam pack ready to go.  They are in the case with the fresh veggies.  Just ask someone that works there - they are Trader Joes Brand Steamed Lentils.
• 11 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 4 to 6 fresh thyme sprigs (if desired, if not you can use some leaves from the celery chopped up)
• 1 cup dried Ditalini Pasta (Barilla Brand)
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan

Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper and saute until all the vegetables are tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices. Simmer until the juices evaporate a little and the tomatoes break down, stirring occasionally, about 5-8 minutes. Add the lentils and mix to coat. Add the broth and stir. Add the thyme sprigs (I did not use thyme for the first time tonight and I thought it was still very good.  Instead I chopped up some of the celery leaves to bring in a fresh taste). Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over low heat until the lentils are almost tender, about 30 minutes.

Stir in the pasta. Simmer until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with the Parmesan, drizzle with olive oil, and serve.