Ventage Tuesday: Pinteresting Summer

*Title shamelessly stolen from Stephanie.

Turns out I am in good company offering Ventage Tuesday - the Wednesday edition. Several of my other Ventage buddies made similar posts today.

I shared my summer manifesto; today I am sharing five Pinterest ideas that will be part of my summer.

1. Pineapple, Chicken, and Spicy Peanut Salad
I think I could actually eat this as a summer lunch. Plus, I had a great dish at a local Thai restaurant with a peanut sauce. I've been obsessed with it.

2. Buffalo Chicken Salad
Good idea for a super hot day. (And a second salad recipe because what's coming next is not-so-healthy.)

3. Cheeseburger with Bacon Jam
Cheese. Yum. Burger. Yum. Bacon. Yum.

4. Chocolate, Banana, PB Pie
A dessert that doesn't have to bake and contains three things I love.

5. Blackberry Gin Fizz Float
Berries. Ginger ale. Ice cream. Gin.

Ventage: Soup's On

We Ventage Girls live in cold parts, and cold parts get a little more tolerable with soup.

Here are my picks - five winter soups I would like to try.

1. Zuppa Toscana
A recipe inspired by Olive Garden compliments of Annie's Eats.

2. Italian Chicken Soup
I don't normally like chicken soup; I've been spying on this one for awhile, though.

3. Sherried Tomato Soup
This would, of course, be served with a grilled cheese sandwich.

4. Brie Mushroom Soup
A restaurant in Oshkosh had an amazing mushroom brie soup. I'm hoping this recipe (from the late, Mr. Food) is as tasty.

5. Beer Cheese Soup
This choice is inspired by an amazing beer cheese soup from Minocqua Brewery.

I can't wait to see what the other Ventage Girls are simmering:
Angie
Em
Katrina
Stephanie

Made: Fancied Up Brussels Sprouts

I'm slowly cooking my way through the recipes on my Fall Food List.

Brussels sprouts and I have a complicated relationship. I've only cooked them myself one other time; it ended in a Sonic parking lot. I've cooked them with Angie before with success. It bolstered my confidence enough to try it solo.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries and Barley

1 lb small Brussels Sprouts
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt
2/3 C fresh cranberries (or 1/3 C dried cranberries)
1/3 C crumbled Gorgonzola or goat cheese
1/3 C freshly toasted pecans
1 1/2 C cooked barley, reheated
1 Tbsp maple syrup, or more to taste
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, or more to taste

Prepare Brussels Sprouts. Cut off tips. Remove discolored leaves. Slice in half.

Prepare broiler.

Warm a 12" cast iron skillet over medium-high heat on the stove. 

Meanwhile, toss Brussels sprouts with olive oil and salt until evenly coated in a thin layer of oil.

Dump the sprouts into the hot pan. Quickly rearrange them so the flat sides are down. Let them cook for two minutes.

Toss the fresh cranberries into the pan and transfer the pan to the broiler. Let the sprouts broil for about three minutes. Check the sprouts for doneness - their tops should be a little brown and the bottoms caramelized.

Toss warm barley, sprouts, cranberries, cheese, and pecans in a bowl.

My Notes:
This was my first experimentation with barley. It worked.

I mixed up a little extra balsamic vinegar and maple syrup to drizzle over the chicken. It worked, too.

The cheese made the difference here. I went with a high quality blue instead of a gorgonzola. I liked the bite it added; I'm not sure the goat cheese would have added that touch.

I'd make this again.

Made: Balsamic Beef Stew

I'm cooking again!! I made dinner for my family Sunday night and picked a recipe from last week's Ventage Girls fall foods extravaganza.

The recipe was taken from Baked Bree. Potatoes were my only addition.

The finished product was pretty fabulous - even my dad liked it! It seems silly to say, but the sauce was actually really pretty. It was super smooth and had a nice gloss to it. The balsamic vinegar had a really unique and rich flavor. It was a great addition.

Balsamic Beef Stew

Active Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: about 2 1/2 hours

2 lbs beef chuck, cut into bite-size pieces
3 Tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 red onion, diced
2 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh rosemary
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 C red wine
2 C beef broth
5 carrots, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
6 small potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
2 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp water
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 C flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 package refrigerator biscuits

1. Place beef in a large Ziploc bag. Add flour, salt, and pepper. Shake until beef is coated with flour.
2. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil. Add beef and cook until browned on all sides. Transfer to a plate. Work in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
3. Add the onions to the pot, adding more oil if needed. Cook for 5 minutes, or until soft. Add bay leaves, rosemary, and thyme. Add the beef back to pot. Add red wine and beef broth. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low.
4. Cover and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until beef is fork tender. Add the carrots and potatoes. Cook for another 30 minutes more.
5. In a small bowl, mix together cornstarch and water. Add to stew and bring to a bubble. Add balsamic vinegar. Cook until stew thickens slightly.
6. Bake biscuits according to package directions. Split biscuits in half, ladle stew over and garnish with chopped parsley.

Ventage Girls: Fall Food

I'm so wrapped up in my life that I have hardly taken the time to notice my favorite time of year.

Fall.

Fall around my place means turning the oven back on. It means warm, comfortable food. It means pumpkin and roasts and desserts with cinnamon.

Here are five recipes I'm dreaming about making before fall is over.

Digital Chipboard Arrows - Adrienne Looman (Two Peas in a Bucket)

1. Balsamic Beef Stew (Compliments of Baked Bree)
I have a soft spot in my heart for beef stew

2. Chicken Paprikash (Compliments of Annie's Eats)
Would need to figure out a way to make this with chicken breast

3. Chicken Tikka Masala (Compliments of Can't Live Without. . . )
A favorite dish from a local Indian restaurant

4. Pizza with Kale, Butternut Squash, Bacon, and Smoked Mozzarella (Compliments of The Kitchn)
Would make this - with bacon on only half - to share with Katrina

5. Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries and Barley (Compliments of Cookies + Kate)
Totally out of my comfort zone but looks delicious

For more fall cooking inspiration visit:
Angie
Em
Katrina
Stephanie

Foodie Friday: Easter Menu

In 2010, we - along with my parents - had dinner with Mike, Angie, Luke, and a tiny-little Dorothy. In 2011, we - just Brad and I - were traveling to Seattle. This year, it's just Brad and I for Easter.

I've been a bit of a slacker in the kitchen lately. So, I want to put together a real feast for Easter.

Here's what I'm thinking:
Roast Beef with Slow-Cooked Tomatoes and Garlic
Lemon Panko Parmesan Asparagus
Red, White, and Blue Mashed Potatoes
Carrot Cake (a family recipe)

The red cake plate seen above died a sad death in which the top cracked right off the base. 

I'm still a little sad about that.

Uncle Wally's Carrot Cake

Cake Ingredients:
2C flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 C grated carrots
3/4 C nuts
8 oz crushed pineapple, drained
2 C sugar
1 1/2 C oil
1/2 tsp salt

Frosting Ingredients:
6 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 C melted butter
2 C powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 C nuts

Directions for cake:
Preheat oven to 350.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Set aside.

In another bowl, beat eggs. Add sugar, oil, salt, carrots, pineapple, and nuts. Stir mixture into flour.

Pour into greased 9 x 13 x 2 pan. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.
I plan to ignore this part. I will bake in two round pans.

Remove from oven and cool on rack. Do not remove from pan. Frost - in pan - when cool.
Again, I will ignore this part. I want to make a layer cake.

Directions for frosting:
Combine cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and sugar. Beat until smooth. Use extra powdered sugar to sweeten.

And - you should be aware of this if you ever plan to eat at my house - I will eat some of the frosting (lick it from my fingers to be exact) before putting it on the cake. Don't worry, though. I never double dip.

Cupcakes: A recipe

I got a fun, new cookbook from a friend for Christmas. I needed a treat to bribe colleagues to come to a meeting. I think I found just the right recipe.

Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcakes with Vanilla Marshmallow Buttercream


Cupcakes:
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 C sugar
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 C hot strong brewed coffee
1/2 C sour cream, room temperature
1/2 C vegetable oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Frosting:
3 large egg whites
1 C sugar
3 sticks (36 oz) unsalted butter, each cut into 10 pieces, room temperature
1 Tbsp vanilla extract


Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 345 F. Place liners in cupcake pan.

Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Sift sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt. Blend hot coffee, sour cream, and vegetable oil with a whisk.

With mixer on low speed, add coffee mixture to dry ingredients. Blend for about 45 seconds. Scrape, as needed.

Add eggs one at a time. Scrape the bowl each time. Add melted chocolate. Mix until batter is uniform in color.

Divide batter evenly in cupcake liners. Bake for about 20 minutes.

Frosting:
Whisk egg whites and sugar in a double boiler until mixture is opaque, warm to the touch, and sugar has dissolved, 4 to 5 minutes.

Trasnfer to mixing bowl. Use electric mixer and whisk attachment to beat (medium-high speed) until mixture is tepid, 5 to 7 minutes.

With mixer still on, add butter 2 to 3 pieces at a time. Stop frequently to scrape sides of bowl. Add vanilla and continue beating until light and fluffy, additional 1 to 2 minutes.

Notes:
I may have overcooked these just a little. They got crunchy on top and stuck a little to the liner. They still tasted great, though.

And, the frosting was a success. It tasted great, but was a little heavier than I wanted it to be. I would imagine that was the three sticks of butter.

I tried to fill the cupcakes with chocolate ganache. I didn't have the right tools, though. I think I'm going to need to get one of these.

Savory Saturday

Savory Saturday:
What you call your Foodie Friday post when the following things interfered with writing said post on Friday night.

• There was wine to be drunk (Acorn Sangiovese to be exact).
• There was a pre-dinner meltdown that may or may not have involved me standing in front of the refrigerator shouting about mushrooms and standing in front of the pantry shouting about dried cranberries. This pre-dinner meltdown may also have resulted in husband going immediately to the grocery store to get missing mushrooms and cranberries along with some flowers.
• There was a mediocre but better than the rest of the season episode of Grey's Anatomy to be watched.
• There was conversation to be had with Katrina.
• There was a need to go to bed early and fall asleep watching Dawson's Creek.

So, I present - on Saturday morning - what I ate for dinner on Friday night.

Entree: Chicken and Artichokes in White Wine Sauce

Side dish 1: Steamed Carrots

Side dish 2: Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic and Cranberries

Side dish 3: Brown rice

Notice the mess on my kitchen table. I was much more interested in eating than cleaning it up.

Thoughts on the meal:

Annie's Eats and I have a complicated relationship. In my experience, her recipes are either right on, completely bland, or impossible to make (that applied to a margarita cupcake I attempted). This recipe was good, though. Cutting the chicken in half (as the recipe suggested) would have saved me a lot of cooking time.

The carrots were a back-up. We are not fans of the Brussels sprout around here. Yet, I made them. I want to like Brussels sprouts. This recipe, my friends, changed how I feel about this particular sprout. I guess if you coat anything with syrupy Balsamic and throw in some cranberries it might taste wonderful.

My original plan did call for making an incredibly complicated wild rice recipe from Cook's Illustrated. I ditched that plan after previously mentioned lack-of-ingredient pre-dinner melt down.

Monday Meal (Foodie Friday 4)

Monday Meal is what you call the post that should have been Foodie Friday.
You decide not to call it Munchie Monday; that sounds a little suspicious.

Tonight we had what I like to fondly refer to as a "Classed-Up Lunch Lady Dinner." We probably should have served it on a cafeteria tray, wore hair nets, drank milk out of cartons, and used a spork.

The Menu:
Green Salad with Simple Vinaigrette Dressing
Tuna Noodle Casserole
Sweet Potato Tator Tots

I have an unabashed love of tuna casserole. There was one legendary Christmas in which my brother, sister, and I spent lots of time at my grandparents' house. My grandma made tuna casserole. My sister hated it so much she actually ran from the table and threw it up. She's always had a flair for the dramatic; I have no idea where she got that from, no idea who would have been a role model for that behavior.

Granny's tuna casserole was filled with canned mushrooms and cream of mushroom soup and topped with shoestring potatoes. My tuna casserole involves cheddar cheese soup and peas and carrots. It's more of a mac and cheese with tuna (one of my favorite lunches) than a tuna casserole.

Comfort on a plate.

For what it's worth, I did make my "Classed-up Lunch Lady Dinner" an adult dinner by washing it down with a nice glass of wine. Turns out red wine is a nice accompaniment to tuna casserole and tator tots.

Foodie Friday 3

 Before:

After:

The Menu:
Spaghetti with Pecorino Romano (Cacio e Pepe)
(modified) Nuevo TX Waldorf Salad

The Situation:
Dinner alone reading blogs. (See computer screen - was enjoying a post from Hooked on Houses)

Spaghetti with Pecorino Romano
Makes 2 generous servings


4 oz. finely grated (about 2 cups) Pecorino Romano cheese
2 oz. coarsely grated (about 1 cup) Pecorino Romano cheese
1 lb. spaghetti
Table salt
2 Tbsp heavy cream
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. finely ground black pepper

Bring 2 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven. Add pasta and 1 1/2 tsp salt; cook, stirring frequently until al dente. Reserve about 1 1/2 C cooking water.

Set pasta aside.

Combine 1 C cooking water with finely grated Pecorino until smooth. Whisk in cream, oil, and black pepper.


Gradually pour cheese mixture over pasta, toosing to coat. Let pasta rest 1 to 2 minutes, tossing frequently, adjusting consistency with remaining 1/2 C reserved pasta water.


Let sit for a few minutes. Consistency will adjust. Cheese will stick - deliciously - to noodles.


Serve, passing coarsely grated Pecorino separately.

Notes on pasta: This is delicious. It's a favorite around my house. The quality of the ingredients really matters. Splurge for imported pasta and the best cheese you can find. Also, it really does taste better after sitting for a few minutes. And, it isn't particularly great re-heated. Best to just eat it all.

(modified) Nuevo TX Waldorf Salad
Makes 4 servings

Rosemary Vinaigrette:
1/3 C fresh rosemary leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/4 medium-size red onion
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 C honey
1/2 C balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3/4 C extra-virgin olive oil

Salad:
1/2 C pecans
3 Granny Smith apples
4 C greens (romaine and spinach)
1/2 C crumbled blue cheese
1/2 C bacon crumbles
2 C cherry tomatoes, halved

For the Vinaigrette:
Blend the rosemary, garlic, red onion, mustard, honey, vinegar, salt and pepper for about 15 seconds in a food processor. Pour 3/4 cup olive oil through the feed tube in a slow stream, and blend until the mixture emulsifies. 

To Make the Salad:
Toast nuts in a pan over low heat until you can smell them. Cool and coarsely chop.

Core and slice the apples. Dip in lemon juice to keep from browning.

Add romaine, spinach, apples, pecans, blue cheese, bacon, and tomatoes to a large bowl. Toss gently.

Add some of the dressing. Toss to coat. Continue adding dressing until desired mixture is reached.

Serve immediately.

Notes on salad: I had some big issues with the dressing on this salad; there was too much rosemary. Next time, I would half the rosemary. Also, I used less than half the amount of dressing made by the recipe to dress the salad. I'd still make it again, though.

Foodie Friday 2

(Playing along with Katrina.)

Let me preface this re-cap of our Thanksgiving dinner by saying. . . I do not feel like eating anything today.

I just needed to get that out of the way before I launch into telling you all the delectable details of my favorite holiday.

Where: Angie's house
Who: Barb, Brad, Angie, Mike, Luke, and Dottie.
When: Dinner at 11 AM, Dessert at 3 PM

This year's tablescape featured art by Luke, a hand-crafted burlap table runner by Angie, fresh flowers in Mason jars, and candy turkeys.

The candy turkeys, lovingly assembled by Angie, were also prominently featured on the food buffet. (We served buffet style this year to eliminate any temptation for little hands.)

There were two kinds of relish - can-berries (provided by me) and relish (provided by Angie). Her fresh relish kicked my can-berries ass.

Here is the full spread. Yes. We had all of that food for four adults and two littles.

I supplied the stuffing. I went with Pioneer Woman's recipe again this year.

I also supplied the sweet potatoes. Again, Pioneer Woman's recipe.

Here are the annual pictures of the plates. Note: Mine is gravy- and dark meat-free. Brad's is not. Eww.

We needed a considerable break between dinner and dessert. The littles took a nap. Then, we (except for me - I napped) watched the "Gs" (Luke's name for the Packers) beat the "Blues" (Luke's name for the Lions).

The dessert spread wasn't nearly as elegant as the dinner. I made a pumpkin mascarpone pie (two, actually), pumpkin cheesecake, and mascarpone whipped cream.

Despite the fact that I have been making pumpkin cheesecake with the same recipe since high school I somehow managed to use the wrong recipe. I wasn't particularly happy with the final product.

There you have it. Thanksgiving 2011. It may not have been the most elegant of affairs, but it was filled with love, gratitude, and laughter.

Foodie Friday

Menu:
Sweet Potato Risotto from Ezra Pound Cake
Grilled Kale Salad

Notes on the Risotto:

• Called for a non-traditional risotto preparation; simply boiled the risotto in salted water until tender. I used chicken broth instead of water, and the finished product looked nothing like risotto. . . until I stirred in the magical mascarpone.
• Someday I would like to try this with Rondele.

Notes on / Directions for the Grilled Kale Salad:
I have Katrina to thank for this.
Ingredients:
Olive Oil, a liberal amount
Red Onion, sliced thinly
Kale, leaves torn from stem into bite-sized pieces
Tomato
Blue Cheese
Croutons (if you're into that sort of thing)
Salt & Pepper
Cook the onions for awhile in some olive oil. Add the kale and a bit more olive oil. Cook until wilted. Top with tomato and blue chesese. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Note -
Katrina has started a fun new game: Foodie Friday. Post on your blog about something you ate during a particular week. Include food photos and recipe / cookbook links. Share a link to your post on Katrina's blog.

P.S. This recipe contains sweet potatoes. Therefore, it fits in my current obsessive trend of posting about Thanksgiving.

Cheese, please.

Alternate Title: Why I Love WI.

Angie and I have been cultivating our love of cheese for quite awhile. I guess it really started with the poorly planned Sconnie Cheese Tour of 2008. It didn't get serious until this year, though, when most of our monthly feasts featured a cheese course.

Last weekend, we continued our learning and tasting at the Wisconsin Cheese Originals Annual Festival.

We started with a Meet the Cheesemaker Gala on Friday night. There were 35 cheese makers and more than 150 cheeses to be tasted. The unedited pictures. . .

We took three cheese "classes" on Saturday.

First, we learned about "A New Era for WI Cheddar." We heard two cheddar-makers speak about their craft and tasted two-, four-, six-, and ten-year cheddars. The six-year was my favorite.

Next, we learned about "WI Craft Beers and Artisan Cheese Pairings." We taste seven different beers from Potosi Brewery each paired with a unique WI cheese. It was incredible - a completely different experience than wine and cheese. The carbonation of the beer really worked with the cheese.

Our third class was from the owner of Fromagination and the cheese monger from School House cheese. We tasted international cheeses and their WI counter-parts: a gruyere, a parmesan, and a blue. In two of the three instances I preferred the WI cheese.

The final event of the night was a dinner with Andy Hatch, the award-winning cheese maker for Uplands Cheese at the Admiralty Room in the Edgewater Hotel. We had a four-course meal (with wine pairings); three of the four courses featured Andy's cheeses. It was a small group of people, so we had plenty of time to hear about the processes involved in making the cheese.

It's pretty fascinating, actually. Andy studied dairy science (I think) at UW-Madison. Then, he traveled around Europe studying cheese. After that, he was hired by Uplands to make a specific kind of cheese. The owners of the farm studied the type of milk their cows were able to produce because of the location and features of the land. They studied different cheese to select a specific type to make based on the milk. They hired Andy to make that cheese.

And, that cheese (Pleasant Ridge Reserve) has won a "Best in Show" award for three consecutive years. That's some sort of record in the cheese world.

Anyway - Pleasant Ridge Reserve is made only during the months where Uplands's cows are able to graze in the pastures of their farm. It is a farmstead cheese - made only from milk from their own cows. During other months, the cows' milk is sold to other nearby farms. (Until this year when Andy decided to make another type of cheese with the milk.) Then, the milk supply ends until after calving in the spring.

The careful planning, science, and environmentally friendly practices of the whole process are absolutely fascinating.

I ended the weekend not wanting to eat any more cheese for a very long time, but I also ended the weekend incredibly proud to live in America's Dairyland.