Blackberry Carmelized Onions

This would work wonderfully on roasted pork!

Blackberry Caramelized Onion
2 tablespoons butter, oil, or bacon drippings
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 vidalia onion, chopped course
1/4 cup blackberries
6 tablespoons black vinegar
pinch clove and  nutmeg

heat oil in large frying pan
turn heat down to medium low
add onion
coat in vinegar
cook a few minutes until onions get translucent
turn down to low
cook 15 minutes
add blackberries and spices
once onions start to turn, add black vinegar
cook until fully browned

Zucchini Pancake Pizza

Our weekly brunch date was canceled this week. It tends to be the only time I make something breakfasty, but this could easily be a dinner sidedish. The zucchini in the garden has been raging, so I'd been plotting on how to use it. This started out as zucchini pancakes but they weren't holding together when fried so I moved onto plan B.

Zucchini Pancake Pizza

2 cups shredded zucchini

1/4 diced red pepper

1/2 minced onion

2 minced cloves of garlic

3 slices chopped bacon

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme

1 cup instant mashed potato flakes

2 beaten eggs

1/2 cup shredded hard goat cheese (I used "Sooty Clementine" by my local Oak Moon Creamery)

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup shredded Havarti

1 thinly sliced tomato

Brown bacon in a large frying pan

add onion and garlic towards end

in a large bowl combine zucchini, peppers, herbs and drained bacon mixture

add half of the Havarti cheese, the goat cheese, eggs and potato flakes

stir until blended

pour mixture back into frying pan (if you don't have a metal handled pan, go for a pie pan or casserole dish)

broil on low for about 20 minutes or until the edges start to brown

crank up to high to brown the top, turn off oven

once browned, cover in remaining cheese and tomato and put back into the oven to melt

slice like pizza and dig in!

We also had:

Citrus and Mint Smoothie

1 cup homemade roasted peach ice cream

1/2 a mango

2 tablespoons fresh chopped mint

1 cup orange juice

6 ice cubes

blend mint with juice and mango in blender

add ice cream and ice

blend until fully combined

garnish with mint sprig

Tangy Confetti Pepper Relish

So the garden here is relatively small and simple. I've been spending what's left of my creative brain thinking about how to preserve things like peppers and herbs (which is about half of what we're growing).

I haven't come up with anything amazing. But, I will say that adding cracked peppercorns and red pepper are now going to be staples in the pesto mix I'm working on. Today it was an experiment in pepper relish. It could have gone better. I think I'll try a vinegar reduction for the next go round. My friend Tessa provided a bunch of serranos and I had some banana peppers. I kept coming across canning recipes that involved salting them and leaving them in a cool place for anywhere to a few hours to a full day. I decided to do it quickly and use a palm full of ice cream salt. This was a terrible idea. Although I rinsed them a bunch of times after an hour, I just couldn't get enough salt out. So after finishing the simmering, I had to dump out all the stock solution and re-do the vinegar base. Here's what it came out to:

Tangy Confetti Pepper Relish

1 cup minced red pepper

1 cup minced serrano peppers

1 cup minced sweet banana peppers

3 cloves minced garlic

1/4 cup minced onion

1/2 lemon

3/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup balsamic 

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

teaspoon ground mustard

hearty pinch of allspice

1 tablespoon hot mustard

toast cumin seeds in bottom of larger saucepan

add vinegars and spices and whisk together

zest lemon half and squeeze lemon into stock

add peppers, onion and garlic

simmer for 20 minutes

let cool and transfer to another container or boil in pint jar

Tuna Melt Wontons and Kale Chips

So the summer chaos of my life has officially started. but I have replanted the garden from the random onslaught of spring hail, hungry slugs, frost and crazy heat. Despite the occasion of it being a work weekend, I took over dinner, Tonight turned into a true "do with what you got" challenge as we were supposed to be having crab cakes a'la Ray for dinner tonight, but the crab had disappeared.....so it came down to what was here and the fact that Ray bought a fryer/steamer/super gadget. I'd like to point out that I've never been much for tuna melts, but this was really tasty.

Tuna Melt  Won tons and Kale Chips:
For the Filling:
3/4 package of tuna in water in a bag
1/2 package of cream cheese
4 tbs. mozzarella
2 tbs. Romano cheese
1 tbs. honey, Old Bay Seasoning, Sirrachi Sauce
dash of pepper, red pepper flakes, salt
about 1 tbs. garlic scapes or green onion
4 tbs. onions sauteed in sesame and veggie oil to taste

25 won ton wrappers and water to set the seams
wet edges and wrap like an envelope while preheating your oil to 375 degrees (takes awhile regardless of your method)

for Kale Chips (thanks to allrecipes for the two recipes i combined for this)
heat oven to 350 degrees
wash and stem 1 bunch of kale
dry thoroughly
rip into chip sized bits
toss with 1 tbs. olive oil and 1 tbs. balsamic vinegar until fully covered
add small amount of sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste (be careful, it stays with it so be light handed)
spread on cookie sheets so the leaves don't touch (it will take 3 sheets)
cook until browned on edges (10-20 minutes depending on kale, so watch it)

fry the won ton envelopes until golden
serve with kale chips and you have a weird and delightful take on fish and chips!

Broiled Glazed Cantaloupe with Ham and Mint/Yogurt Sauce

Planted the herb garden today. There are wildflowers everywhere and I found mint out in the yard. The recipe can easily be made without meat but either omit the cheese or look at the bread recommendation from the bottom of the recipe. The smells of the day made me want to make something summery:

Broiled Glazed Cantaloupe with Ham and Mint/Yogurt Sauce 

preheat oven to hi broil, set rack to be 6ish in. from heat
Glaze, melt together in low heat saucepan:
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup real maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp crushed rosemary, allspice,and cardamon

1 whole cantaloupe cut into slices about 1" thick, rind removed
slice of spiral cut ham cut to fit crescent shape
2 tsp. honey goat cheese per slice
dip each melon slice in glaze and ham
assemble with melon, cheese and then ham (stake in place with 2 toothpicks)
place on walled cookie sheet, meat side down
cook about 5 minutes per side

Mint/Yogurt Sauce
(I could drink this stuff!)
in food processor add:
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
4 tbs. confectioners sugar
1 tsp. crushed rosemary
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup fresh mint
pulse until mint is tiny
serve on cantaloupe slices

(I also had leftover doughnut-like balls from a restaurant. I sliced them thinly and layered on bottom to soak up extra juice, but be careful when they are flipped that these don't burn!)

"Nothing good about it" Chicken

As I was making dinner last night, my roomate was following me around saying things like:
 "Nope there's nothing in here that'll be good." or "Bacon? who likes bacon"
It was all in the spirit of sarcasm but it gave the poor dish a complex.

Nothing Good About It Chicken
3 large boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 container baby bella mushrooms
1/4 cup Parmesan
one carrot, sliced into rounds
one onion, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbs. butter
6 slices of bacon
2 cups bread crumbs
balsamic vinegar, thyme, crushed rosemary, herbs de provance
1 1/2 cups chicken stock

cut the mushrooms into hearty slices
arrange at the bottom of a greased baking dish that will let 6 rolls barely touch and will fully be covered by the mushrooms
add the carrot slices
pour over 1/8 cup balsamic and add enough chicken stock to cover the mushrooms but not float them
sprinkle in one clove of garlic, add salt and pepper and a dash of herbs de provance
put to the side
preheat oven to 350
butterfly the chicken breasts and flatten to be less then 1/2 inch
in a medium pan on med./high, melt butter
add onion, saute about 3 minutes
add remaining garlic, cook another minute
put mixture aside and turn off the pan but leave on the burner
using the same pan add breadcrumbs, 1 tsp. of each spice (I'm a heavy sprinkler, this is a guess), a bit of salt and pepper, Parmesan (i used the good stuff, so i used less), and the onion/garlic
add the stock cautiously, moist not mushy is the goal
salt and pepper the outside of the chicken and flip over
divide the stuffing amongst the breasts
roll up each chicken piece, overlapping edges to seal in the stuffing
wrap in bacon slice to further secure and lay on top of the mushroom mixture
bake at 350 for 20/30 minutes until interior temp is 130
pour off remaining liquid into a small sauce pan
put oven on broil
brown each side of chicken for 5ish minutes
remove from oven when interior temp. is at least 160
let rest
skim the fat off the liquid you put aside
add enough corn starch for the amount of liquid you have, whisk in
heat at the low side of medium, stirring often until thickened
add spices as desired
serve chicken with mushroom mix to the side and gravy over both
I'd have garlic mashed potatoes with it next time.

Double batch Zucchini Bread

Today the bees started appearing around the mountain. Yesterday it was dandelions. Makes me itch to get a garden in the ground. This recipe was finally perfected when I lived in Pennsylvania a few years ago as I would be given as much zucchini as I wanted by a local farmer. I think the apple is the magic touch, but you can decide.
Double Batch Zucchini Bread (I use a 9x6ish deep casserole dish, or two regular sized bread pans)
preheat the oven to 350 degrees
3 cups all purpose flour
lots of good cinnamon
a hearty dose of cloves, nutmeg, and allspice
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
whisk together in a large bowl
grate in 2 med. zucchini or one large
grate in an apple (pick a good "baking" apple, I usually don't even peel it)
add tbs. of lemon
1/4 tsp. lemon zest
2 eggs (lightly beaten, just make a hole in the grated pile, and whisk it there)
½ cup vegetable oil
stir until all blended
bake for 60 minutes or until the top when tapped feels firm

Another thing to do with this, if you used the 2 pan method:

Citrus Infused Stuffed French Toast slice bread into 2 inch slabs
from the flat side of the slice, cut a chamber about 3 inches long and 3 inches deep
filling:
½ block softened cream cheese
2 tbs.. lemon zest
whip with enough orange juice to make "spreadable"
I use a butter knife and pinch the bread over the knife and squeeze the cheese mixture off
now refrigerate for ½ ish hours(until the cream cheese hardens some)
whisk 2 eggs and a hearty shot of milk
dip slices in egg mixture
fry up with butter in a medium/hot pan
I serve it with a mild preserve like apricot or orange

Vegetarian Cabbage Roll (dressed up like lasagna)

This has become a favorite. Tonight is it's second "dinner party" debut. I keep altering the cheese filling mixture in the hope of getting it fluffy.

Vegetarian Cabbage Roll Dressed Up Like Lasagna:
preheat oven to 400, cook time 40 minutes
Head of red cabbage (you may not use it up, but my friend Abby swears if you put it back in the fridge, it's good as new)
2 cloves of minced garlic
1/2 chopped vidalia onion
1 chopped portabella mushroom cap
3/4 oz. chopped re hydrated procini mushrooms
1 grated carrot
herbs de provance, thyme, cayenne, black pepper, salt
balsamic vinegar, cooking sherry
1 diced tomato
1 jar of marinara sauce
bit (1/4 cup?) of half and half
1/2 cup wild rice
1 cup broth
2 cups mozzarella
cheese filling
3 tbs. goat cheese
1/4 cup Gruyere or Swiss
2 tbs. grated Parmesan/Romano
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup ricotta

cook wild rice according to directions, get the porccini's soaking too
go off, have a beer (you've got some time)
when the wild rice is "fluffing" parboil your head of cabbage (cutting off the end). you still want it firm but close to edible. drain and set aside
add your garlic and onion to a hot pan with butter and olive oil (equal parts), add the mushrooms, sherry and balsamic to taste and enough broth to cover the bottom of the pan. keep the mushrooms "tender firm"
add to grated carrot, spices, tomato, wild rice and 1/2 the jar of marinara (add more stock if moisture is needed)
put cheese filling ingredients in a separate bowl, whip together (add nutmeg, paprika black pepper, etc if desired)
cut stems out of cooled cabbage
in a greased casserole pan add half of the rice mixture, drizzle half and half
cover with another layer of cabbage
spread all of the cheese mixture
another layer of cabbage
the rest of the rice, drizzle half and half
last cabbage layer
top with remaining sauce cover in foil
bake for 30 minutes, remove foil and add mozzarella and cook for another 10

An introduction....Fruity Brunch Pancakes with Honey Cinnamon Butter

Every week there seems to be a food concoction that seems worthy of sharing. The people in my life get tired of my raving about food that I ate without them and it's always helpful to have a reason to document a recipe. Thus a blog is born.
The first recipe (drum roll please) is from this past Sunday

Fruity Brunch Pancakes with Honey Cinnamon Butter: 
1 medium sweet potato
1 ripe banana
1 baking apple (I used Jonagold this first time)
a hearty pinch of nutmeg
1 cup pancake mix
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
3 tbs. veggie oil
for topping
1/4 cup unsalted butter at room temp.
1/4 cup wildflower honey
2 tbs. cinnamon

peel and quarter sweet potato, put in small sauce pan with cold water and boil until soft
cut a slit in the banana (if not browning ripe) cook in toaster oven at 400 until skin darkens (about 15 minutes)
grate apple and put aside
in stand mixer (not required, by hand would be fine), add pancake mix, eggs, buttermilk and oil, beat on medium until combined and no longer chunky-lumpy
in smaller bowl, add drained potatoes and mash with banana, add apples and nutmeg
fold in fruit mixture and beat on low until blended

add butter, honey and cinnamon in food processor, pulse until combined (you might need to help it out by mashing the butter chunks with a fork)

Cook as you would any pancake, slather on some tasty butter spread and voila!

My cooking philosophy is centered around what I can make by what's in the kitchen. So this recipe goes out to an over ripe banana.