Heritage Cooking Club

Last Fall, Maddie hosted cooking club and the theme was one of my faves: cook a dish from your heritage. So I decided to make my Grandma Pete proud and make Swedish meatballs. I used a modified version of this recipe with some lingonberries and it was spot on. I tasted my childhood in these little guys. I even got the stamp of approval from Joe!

We also had a shepherd's pie, Norwegian meatballs, challah bread, bolognese and a potato pancake of sorts (it's hidden by my pasta on my plate!). So, sooo good.

What would you make for a heritage cooking club?

P.S. Here are past cooking clubs.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

A few weekends ago, I found myself with 2 pints of strawberries, a rhubarb patch that needed some love (it'll go to seed if you don't pick it!) and a sweet tooth. What's a girl to do? Make strawberry rhubarb crisp, of course! So I followed this recipe because it seemed to have the simplest ingredients and quite honestly, looked easy. And damn, it was good.

I brought it to a Cinco de Mayo party and it was a hit. But I honestly don't think you can go wrong with rhubarb; it's so flavorful and fresh. So now I'm already looking forward to picking my next rhubarb recipe, but there are so many to choose from! Which would you choose?

Here's our little rhubarb patch in our backyard.

Mixing the ingredients.

 The magic of rhubarb comes in the baking. Yummmmm.

P.S. I remember when I was a little girl, I'd fill a dish with sugar (for dipping since it's sour!) and go out to our rhubarb patch and eat myself silly. But I always had to leave enough for my mom's famous Blubarb Crisp! (Blueberry Rhubarb :))

Taco Tuesday

I realize it's not Tuesday. In fact, I'm keenly aware that it's Friday. (TGIF!) But we ate tacos on Tuesday, so that's my logic behind Taco Tuesday. That's Friday logic, if you ask me.

Anyway, when the weather doesn't require down jackets and I'm craving Mexican, we switch from taco soup to straight-up tacos. (And every time we make them, I sing this song to Joe. There is no visual, but I think the audio explains it all. He's a lucky man to have me, huh?)

A few things I'd note about these tacos:

• Secret ingredients to good homemade tacos: lime, radish and fresh cilantro. Sure, you have all of these when you go out for tacos, but how often do you have these ingredients when you make them at home? Am I right? :)
• I like to switch it up and use "fake cotija", which is feta - cotija is the traditional Mexican cheese. A little different than the original, but quite tasty. And the fat free feta variety tastes just as good as the original in a taco.
• Without fail, I get overexcited about the toppings and overload my tacos. Then the tortilla fails and I have to finish eating them with a fork. You'd think I'd learn. So I'm sharing so that you maybe learn from my own lesson? But wouldn't blame you for not.

 Here's what's included and how it's done:

• Lean ground turkey and a packet of  reduced sodium taco seasoning. Cook it.
• Corn tortillas - since we clearly don't have one of those fancy steam presses they use at taco places, I microwave them for 30 seconds with a wet paper towel - it gets a little moisture in so they are less likely to crack.
• Chop tomatoes, radishes, avocados, cilantro and red onion.
• Non-choppable extras to top it off: fat-free sour cream and feta cheese.
• Load your tortillas with the goods! And enjoy with a Corona. Or margarita. And if you don't have either, a standard beer shall do. And if you don't have a beer in the fridge, what kind of American are you? Kidding. But maybe you should go grocery shopping?

The adult creamsicle

Need an idea for a light, refreshing cocktail? Look no further. I present a twist on the classic (well, maybe it's not a classic, but just something Earl's served in college?) The Adult Orange Creamsicle. One part whiskey, 2-3 parts Vanilla Bean Dry Soda and fresh squeezed juice from a half of an orange. It's not too sweet, not too sour and has a bit of a kick. It gives the spicy grapefruit margarita a run for it's money. But I guess if I had to choose, the grapefruit might still win. I suppose I should do a side-by-side test to settle the score, huh? (Gosh, I just got a headache thinking about mixing the two in one night!)

Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Many a years ago, I came to work and found a bottle of Trader Joe's Yellow Thai Curry Sauce on my desk. Normal people might think, "why the hell is there thai curry sauce on my desk?" But I thought, "hell yeah, I have some tasty-lookin' thai curry sauce!" Low and behold, it was from Kathryn, who was trying to enlighten me of the marvels of Trader Joe's - particularly this sauce. Since then, it's become a staple in my cupboards. Typically, we just cook it with some chicken, add a bell pepper and serve over rice. But the other night, I wanted to get a bit more adventurous...

So we made sauteed the two bell peppers and an onion, adding water chestnuts toward the end. In the meantime, we had some diced chicken cooking in another pan. We added the chicken when it was done, then poured in the thai curry sauce. Then to give it a bit more volume (I love leftovers), we added a half a can of coconut milk. Cooked it until it was bubbling, then let it cool a bit. Then I threw it on a big leaf of iceberg lettuce and we had some mighty fine thai chicken lettuce wraps on our hands. Yes, they were messy, but I happen to think that sometimes the messiest of foods is the best. Because let's not kid ourselves, have you had Memphis-style BBQ nachos? (I just had them and was once again amazed by their deliciousness.)

Zuppa Petes

Contrary to what it may look like on my little blog, I make a lot of non-recipe meals. I like to call them everything-but-the-kitchen-sink dinners. Basically, I scour the fridge to see what we have available and try to concoct a meal. It's generally pretty basic and I don't keep track of what I add or how long I cook things.

But today, I was inspired to make an original recipe - actually have a little forethought or strategy (i.e. grocery run, not cupboard hunting). I wanted soup. (Which should come as no surprise since I crave it immensely in the winter.) So I picked up some of my favorite soup ingredients and hoped for the best. With chicken sausage, kale, carrots and a tomato-y broth, I figured it couldn't taste too bad. But I was pleasantly surprised how delicious and flavorful it turned out to be! In fact, I'm already excited for leftovers tomorrow. Yep, I'll be making this one again.

Zuppa Petes

Ingredients
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 medium onion, diced (no need to get too small)
4 cloves of garlic
2-4 tbs olive oil
1 lb turkey or chicken sausage
1 - 32 oz box chicken broth
1 C water
1 can diced tomatoes, no salt added
1 can cannelleni beans (drained)
1/2 bunch of kale (about 3-4 stocks), chopped
Red pepper flakes (to taste, but about 1 tbs)
Ground pepper (to taste)

Directions
In a standard size pan, brown the turkey sausage. Meanwhile, in a larger pan or pot, add olive oil, garlic, onions and carrots and cook over medium-high. Cook until the onions are soft and see-through. Then add the can of diced tomatoes, juice and all. Break up the tomatoes if they are a little bigger than you'd like. Toss in some red pepper flakes and ground pepper. Add the chicken broth and water, bring to a boil. Cover. Let boil for about 5-7 minutes. Add kale and beans and turn down heat to medium. Then add turkey sausage from the other pan. Let simmer for another 5-10 - feel free to taste a carrot to see if it's cooked enough. Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, if you please.

Erika's Famous Taco Soup

Sometimes you just gotta call it what it is: Famous. I can't even count how many people I've shared my taco soup recipe with - you might even call it the sisterhood of the traveling recipe. Friends, cousins, aunts, coworkers, nanny families (I'm looking at you, Autumn), random strangers (seriously, it was one of the email recipe chains) and more. It's certainly made the rounds and without fail, it satisfies.

This time of year, you'll find this on our dinner table about once a week. It's incredibly easy. It's quick, which is ideal after a long day of work. It's healthy. And most importantly, IT TASTES AMAZING. So the next time you find yourself looking for a crowd pleaser, this is the recipe for you. 

Ingredients
1 lb of ground turkey (or beef if you'd prefer)
1 can of corn
1 can of red kidney beans
1 can of black beans
1 can of diced tomatoes (I usually get petite diced, sometimes with jalapenos)
1 packet of taco seasoning (I used reduced sodium)
Water (1/2-full can or so - just for what consistency you want)
Sour cream (I use fat free because it's mostly about the creaminess)
Cheese (picture doesn't show cheese because we didn't have any)
Tortilla chips
Corona

Directions
Brown meat in pan - add taco seasoning and a little water when it's almost all brown. Meanwhile*, in a large pot, combine all cans - corn, both beans and tomatoes - don't strain, add juices too (it contributes to the delicious flavor). Heat until boiling. Add cooked and seasoned turkey. Add water to taste - depends on how soupy you want it. I usually add 1/2 cup or so. Serve, topped with cheese and sour cream, plus tortilla chips for scooping soup and a Corona on the side.

Note: You can add onions, jalepenos, green peppers or other pepper-like ingredients if you'd like too.

*If you have a large pan or pot, you can just brown the meat, add seasoning and then add the cans of veggies/beans. That's what I normally do, but at one point, I didn't have a pan large enough for the volume of soup the recipe makes.

Poulet Au Vinaigre

During my trip out to DC, we had a team happy hour at the office. Since my team is bi-coastal, we don't always have the opportunity to just socialize with one another - sending emails and having conference calls doesn't really have the same effect as water cooler chats :) So it was quite fun to cheers to an exciting year of work and just mingle.

To our pleasant surprise, the lead partner for our team brought everyone a gift - so sweet, right? She purposefully picked out a different cookbook for each one of us and told us each why she chose it. (She said she was in the bookstore with all the cookbooks lined up, post-it notes with names on each - just trying to find perfect fits!) She gave me The Essential James Beard Cookbook because "he set the bar high in cooking just like [I] do in the Seattle office." Isn't that the sweetest?! She's so great. She also earmarked her favorite recipe, Poulet Au Vinaigre (translates to Vinegar Chicken), so it clearly had to be my first. Her words, "it's so simple, but sounds, looks and tastes very impressive..." Friends, she was right. Just add a simple side of asparagus and your tummy will be thanking you. Delicious.

Ingredients
 
6 tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter (I used 4 tbsp instead)
1 4-pound chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces (I used chicken breasts)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup water
2 scallions, white and green parts, finely chopped (The more the merrier, I used the whole bundle)
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup top-quality red wine vinegar
Preparation

1. Melt the butter in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Working in batches, if necessary, add the chicken and brown on all sides, about 8 minutes.
2. Lower the heat, and season the chicken to taste with salt and pepper.  Add 1/2 cup of water, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Add the scallions and 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley.  Move the pieces of white meat to the top so the dark meat, which takes longer to cook, can get more heat.  Cover again and cook until the meat shows no sign of pink when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife at the thighbone, about 20 minutes.
4. Transfer the chicken to a platter.  Add the vinegar to the skillet.  Increase the heat to high, bring to a boil, and cook, scraping up the brown residue in the pan, until the vinegar has reduced to a thick glaze, about 3 minutes.  Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup of water and mix until smooth.
5. Add 1/4 cup of chopped parsley, pour the sauce over the chicken, and serve hot.

Simple Pasta and Sinful Drinks

A few weeks ago, Maddie and I decided that we wanted a night of good homemade food and drink. We scoured the food blogs for a relatively easy dinner option and only found a recipe for a delicious-sounding cocktail: The blackberry and meyer lemon gin and tonic. Since our focus turned to the beverage of the night, we opted for one of Maddie's quick, go-to recipes: Pasta with peppers, mozzarella and arugula. With only a handful of ingredients, this dish certainly packs a flavor punch. In fact, I liked it so much, I made it for Joe two nights later.

So next time you're looking for an easy meal or a fancy drink, I'd suggest both of these recipes, but the key ingredient: enjoying it all with good company :)

Quick and Easy Sugar Fix

Remember the diet coke brownies? Well, courtesy of my mother, I learned about another quick and easy, two ingredient baked good: The Angel Fruitcake. A box of angel food cake, a can of pie filling of your choice (you can also choose less sugar, if you so desire) - mixed together and baked according to the box and you've got yourself angel fruitcake. I was quite impressed with the outcome - I'm not gonna lie, Joe and I both got seconds. Next time, I think I might give apple filling a try. 

What do you think - would you give this a try? If so, what flavor?

Fancy Dinner

Maddie had a few people over for what she called "fancy dinner." She wasn't lying. It was FANNNN-cy. It was last meal good. It was 'I'm-going-to-fit-as-much-in-even-if-it-hurts' good. If she entered this into a cooking reality show competition, she'd win, hands down. Do you get where I'm going here?

The meal: Top sirloin steak cooked to perfection, homemade pumpkin ravioli with walnut cream sauce (I wanted to dip everything in that sauce!) and some kind of broccoli, cauliflower, bacon and goat cheese deliciousness. Top that off with a white wine sangria - pinot grigio with Julienne apples soaked overnight with a splash of prosecco. Seriously, we were all in heaven.

Makes me think - what would I make for a fancy dinner? Gnocchi with chicken? Crab cakes? Wild boar bolognese? What would you make?

Hearty, Healthy, Summer-y Pasta

I will interrupt your regularly scheduled vacation updates for a little meal I conjured up recently. I'll call it Meatball, Zucchini and Squash Delight. I'm proud to say that I dreamed up this little recipe on my own. Now that Fred Meyer is no longer in my backyard, it's a lot less convenient to go pick up ingredients for a meal each night. I realize that the grocery store is still like only a mile or two away, but with all the stoplights and pedestrians (and the fact that I had already put on scrubby clothes), I try to be inventive with what we have in our cupboards.

So what did I have to work with? I had to use up a package of ground turkey breast, but burgers didn't sound appetizing. I also had some zucchini and squash - I often pick it up with no idea of what I'll do with it, but it's an easy veggie to incorporate into a meal. With a couple eggs (for meatballs), a half of an onion, random spices, garlic, breadcrumbs, pasta, chicken broth and parmesan, it came to me: I'm going to make homemade meatballs.

I won't kid around and pretend I know how much of each ingredient I used for the meatballs*, but I'm sure you can find another recipe like this one. I decided I would boil half reduced-sodium chicken broth, half water and drop the meatballs in for awhile to give them a little extra flavor and cook them all the way through. Then, I drained the liquids and just pan fried them for awhile, until they were lightly browned. (I realize I could have baked them, but that would have been too easy, huh?) At the same time, I was boiling pasta and sauteing the squash. Then I put it all together in a big pan with a little olive oil, sprinkled a little cheese on top, and found myself with Meatball, Zucchini and Squash Delight.


*I did put in too many onions, which made some of the meatballs fall apart since onions take away from the sticky meat/egg factor. Lesson learned.

Salmon Remixed

If you ever find yourself with leftover salmon (Thanks Dad!), you must make a tuna-like salmon sandwich. Just crush up the salmon - while picking out any stray bones - and add a little mayo, celery and black pepper. Throw it on some bread, then top with lettuce, tomato, onion and parmesan cheese.

It's messy, but mouth-watering good!

Anyone else have any go-to recipes for leftover fish?

Sushi Night

We certainly rose to the occasion for our last cooking club - the theme was sushi and our tasty treats could have won over even the most persnickety sushi connoisseur. Spicy tuna rolls, tofu and veggie rolls, yellow tail sashimi, poke, edamame, wontons, sake and more. We topped it all off with some homemade raspberry ice cream and fudge, compliments of Miss Erin Straube. All in all, I think this cooking club raised the bar. How will we be able to top it?! Your ideas are welcome :)

Trout Saratoga

So what to do with all that trout? Trout Saratoga, of course! It's simple, flavorful and probably just tastes better since you know it's fresh. From bottom of the lake to dinner table in less than a day! I don't think you can say that of store-bought fish.

The only downfall? The bones. I hate fish bones. My parents can attest to this, as I used to complain about them during our many meals of fish. I've toughened up since then a bit, but still don't like bones. Is this just me or do others have an intense aversion to fish bones?

Other than that, it's a meal worth making.

Ingredients
1 (4 pound) whole trout, cleaned (We did like 4 small trout, and thanks for cleaning the fish, Dad!)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced (I added more like 3 cloves)
1/2 cup white wine (plus a glass or two for yourself)
1 lemon, cut into wedges
4 sprigs fresh parsley

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Lightly oil a 9x13 inch baking dish. Season the trout inside and out with salt and pepper to taste, and place in baking dish. 

In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, olive oil, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, and minced garlic. Spread evenly over the fish. 

Bake for 35 minutes, or until fish flakes easily. Baste during baking with wine. Serve garnished with lemon wedges and parsley sprigs. 


P.S. Last night, my Dad told me that fishing is in my genes - my ancestors fished off the coast of Norway in Stapnes for over 500 years. Plus, apparently women in the family often bring home the bacon (or fish in this case!) - my Great Aunt Tilda was apparently a force to be reckoned with when equipped with a fishing pole! 

A Quick, Easy Go-To Recipe

After a long day at work, it can sometimes be difficult to think of healthy, filling, and quick meals. But we all have them: our go-to recipes. You know, the meal that never sounds too time-consuming and always sounds delicious. For me, that's taco salad. (Or taco soup for the winter, but I'll get to that another time!) Just pick out your fave veggies, cook up some ground turkey with low-sodium taco seasoning, throw it all onto some romaine lettuce and top with a little salsa and fat-free sour cream. Talk about DE-licious.

Oh, and don't forget to pick up tortillas. The leftovers are perfect for a burrito for lunch the next day.

What are your go-to recipes?

The Ribollita Cure

Someone was feeling a little under the weather yesterday, so the doctor ordered SOUP! I fished around for some delicious, healthy, vegetable-filled recipes and then remembered a recipe Katie had sent me years ago - Ribollita. She continues to taunt me every time she brings it in to work, so it was about time that I gave it a stab myself. (Carol, for the record, it's a Giada recipe!)

Surprisingly, I had a lot of the ingredients at home already, so I just had to pick up a few remaining items. I made several modifications (as noted below), but it turned out great! I like to think that it's the reason a certain someone feels better today. Have you heard of the Ribollita Cure?!

Ingredients
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped (I added another because why not?)
4 ounces pancetta, chopped (I used diced prosciutto)
2 cloves garlic, 1 minced and 1 whole
1 teaspoon salt (didn't add)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste (used 1.5 TB - I didn't want to waste it!)
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 pound frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (I forgot to thaw, so I threw it in frozen)
1 (15-ounce) can cannelloni beans, drained
1 tablespoon herbs de Provence (used Italian Spice blend instead)
3 cups chicken stock (closer to 4 cups made it soupier/allows for even more leftovers!)
1 bay leaf (didn't add)
1 (3-inch) piece Parmesan rind (didn't add)
Grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions
Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, pancetta, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook until the onion is golden brown and the pancetta is crisp, about 7 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir until dissolved. Add tomatoes and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the brown bits. Add the spinach, beans, herbs, stock, bay leaf, and Parmesan rind. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

The Egg Titanic

Nothing says Easter like a delicious brunch. (Except maybe "He has risen" - that certainly says Easter) Nonetheless, my folks came down on Easter Sunday to enjoy brunch, featuring The Egg Titanic. What is this, you may ask? It's basically a cheesey, bacony, oniony, eggy concoction that is poured into a long, hollowed out baguette. Then you throw it in the oven and watch the magic happen.

The moment you pull it out of the oven, you feel like The King of the World. Then you take a bite and you think to yourself, "I'll never let go, egg bake." It's that good. The only tragedy with this Titanic was that I forgot to take photos of the finished product.

A big shout out to Stephanie who reminded me about the delectable Baked Egg Boat recipe from her blog. As you can see, she used individual baguettes - hence "boats" - but we could only find an ultra long baguette - hence "The Titanic." The new name also seemed fitting since Jack and Rose were recently introduced to a whole new generation of tweens. Kids, I have a vintage poster of Jack Dawson that I'll sell to the highest bidder.*

*Ok, not really. It's actually of this guy.

Cali Sandwich

This California Sandwich has been making the rounds on Pinterest and every time I see it, my mouth waters a little. A bell is to Pavlov's dog as Pinterest is to Erika. The recipe is pretty basic: bread, chive spread, avocado, tomato and sprouts. (The original recipe also called for pepperjack, but I nixed it.) I followed this recipe for the chive spread, using low-fat cream cheese in an attempt to keep it healthy. For a little more substance, we paired it with a cup of tomato basil soup. You guys, it was delicious. I think this sammy has made it on the quick, easy and scrumptious list, which means that it'll likely be a regular on the weekly menu.

P.S. Do you like the red wine shadow in the first pic? I'm just keeping it classy.

Mason Jar Salads

I'm always looking for tasty, healthy lunch options. I'm not one of those people who allows enough time in the morning to make lunch each and every single day. (Because of this problem.) I usually rely on leftovers from dinner (my preferred option), pulling odds and ends from the fridge to make something that resembles a salad or a quick PB&J. But these little mason jar salads would be quite a treat. I could just make a batch on Sunday and they would stay good all week! Whaddya think? Would you give these a try?

pic/via