Summer Holly Berries

Mmmmm mmmmm…. heirloom tomatoes and fragrant basil fresh from the garden, warmed by the sun.

 

Spinach Artichoke Dip

I find that certain restaurants really nail spinach artichoke dip. Others fail miserably. And that's what I really hate. When you go to a restaurant, craving some of the cheesy, tangy, creamy goodness, and then you're seriously dissapointed when "said restaurant" totally misses the mark. That being said, one of my favorite places to get this amazing app is Claddagh's Irish Pub and one of my least favorite places has to be Applebees.

HOWEVER, I think that the recipe below is a serious contender for the top of my list! I'll deem this "Carla's Spinach Artichoke Dip," named after the coordinator at our wedding reception venue. I cannot remember how we got talking about food, but she told me I had to try this recipe. I have since made this for many social gatherings with friends and family. And every time I take my first bite, my eyes slightly roll back in my head, my knees get weak, I mumble some choice words and am taken to a very happy place. If you're looking for a winner, THIS IS IT.

Carla's Spinach Artichoke Dip
1/4 C butter
2 cloves garlic
1/3 C chopped onion - original recipe calls for 3 Tbsp
10 oz package of frozen spinach
1 can artichoke hearts
1/2 C half and half - I used 1 cup of fat free
8 oz cream cheese - I used the 1/3 less fat variety
1/2 C Parmesan cheese
1/2 C shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Thaw the spinach in the microwave and drain thoroughly.

Roughly chop the artichoke hearts on a cutting board.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan.

Crush the garlic cloves and add to the butter, along with the chopped onions. Sautee for 3 minutes, or until lightly golden.

Add the drained spinach and artichoke hearts and continue sauteeing. After 1-2 minutes, add the creamer.

After incorporated, cube the cream cheese and add it to the mixture. Lower the heat and stir until the cream cheese is completely melted and incorporated. Add the parmesan cheese and stir.

Transfer to a pie plate or shallow dish. Sprinkle with the cheddar cheese. Melt in a 350 degree oven or microwave until warm and melted.

Note: I added extra creamer because I found that it tended to dry out when heated. Also, this last time, I served this out of my mini CrockPot, so I omitted the sharp cheddar cheese. The extra liquid really helped in this case, too.

A Tale of Two Squashes: Part 2

Wow! Let me just say how much I looooove spaghetti squash. I've never worked with this stuff until now and it is SO FUN! It's like my mother-in-law's obsession with popping zits. Once you start, you can't stop! String after string of squashy goodness, peeling away from the skin like magic!

Spaghetti Squash Gratin
1 two to three lb spaghetti squash
1 C light sour cream
1/2 C fat free half and half
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 oz gruyere cheese
4 oz baby swiss cheese
1 tsp dried thyme

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Piercethe spaghetti squash CAREFULLY in many spots. Place in a baking dish and bake for about an hour, or until soft.

Remove from the oven and let rest until it's cool enough to handle, at least with a hot pad holder. Carefully cut the squash in half and remove the seeds and pulp, with tongs or a spoon. Then separate the strands with a fork and remove from the skin.

In a large bowl, combine the squash, salt, pepper, gruyere, sour cream and creamer.

Place the squash mixture in a baking dish coated with non-stick cooking spray. Top with the baby swiss and a sprinkle of dried thyme.

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Place under the broiler for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. This dish easily serves six to eight people.

A Tale of Two Squashes: Part 1

Ahhhh... fall. One of my favorite times of the year because of all the fresh produce that is available. I decided to experiment this year with different types of winter squash. First, the butternut. I've seen this prepared most commonly as a sweet side dish, combined with brown sugar and butter. I decided to prepare this squash with a savory flavor.

Butternut Squash Casserole
1 two to three lb. butternut squash
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/3 C fat free half and half
1/2 C blue cheese crumbles
1/2 C parmesan cheese

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare the squash for baking by cutting it in half WITH A VERY SHARP KNIFE and scooping out the seeds. Rub both halves with a drizzle of olive oil. Place the halfs cut side up in a baking dish with about an inch of water. Bake uncovered for about an hour, or until fork tender.

In a large bowl, combine the squash (after scooping/scraping it out of the skin) and remaining ingredients, except for the parmesan cheese. Mash with a fork to incorporate everything.

Lightly coat a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Transfer the squash mixture to the baking dish and top with the parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

P.S. Sorry for the craptastic picture above, but we dove into the squash dish before I remembered to grab the camera. We had this with pork tenderloin, rubbed with dijon mustard and baked with apples and onions.

Teriyaki Chinese Long Beans with Almonds

I've had my eye on these Chinese Long Beans at our local market for quite some time. They are so unique-looking and always remind me of an internet sensation I heard about in college named Salad Fingers. Observe...


See!?!? The Chinese long beans look just like Salad Finger's fingers! If you haven't seen the Salad Fingers videos and don't get disturbed easily, I encourage you to watch his escapades, which can be found here. If you are easily disturbed, please reconsider watching the videos. You've been warned...

Teriyaki Chinese Long Beans with Almonds
1 bunch Chinese long beans
3 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp splenda
1 tsp corn starch
3 tsp COLD water

Slivered almonds

Steam the long beans in a pot of water, using a steamer basket. In a separate bowl, combine the soy sauce, Splenda, corn starch and cold water.

In a small sautee pan, over low heat, toast the almonds.

After the beans are done (about 5 minutes), strain them and return them to the original pot, sans the water and the heat. Dump in the soy sauce mixture and let the residual heat from the pot and the beans help thicken the sauce. If you need to, turn the heat on low to help it thicken. Add in the almonds, toss and serve ‘em up hot!

I served them with one of my favorites, Peanut Butter Chicken Stir Fry.

Chick Pea and Black Bean Salsa

Oooh, yummy! I had this salsa recently at a planning committee meeting for the Lansing Jazz Fest and the Old Town Blues Fest. We were supposed to have a wine tasting with the vendor for the festivals but he didn’t show (apparently, he was ill). But we were asked to bring a snack to pass in anticipation for the wine tasting and one of the committee members brought this refreshing treat. I nabbed the recipe from her and made it this week. Matt said it was the "best salsa he's ever had." I thought that was a nice compliment.

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn, or fresh (I grilled two ears and used that)
2 scallions, chopped (I used ¼ of a large Vidalia onion)
1 avocado, chopped (I would using a slightly less-than-super-ripe one; mine just mushed in with everything because it was extra ripe)
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/3 bunch of cilantro, ends removed and tops finely chopped
Juice of 2 limes
Drizzle of olive oil
Dash of garlic powder, black pepper and seasoned salt (to taste)

Grilled Vidalia Onions

I saw this recipe on Vintage Victuals, as one of the finalists in her Vidalia Onion Recipe Contest. So simple, yet do delectable. I love the addition of the beef boullion to give it more flavor. I adapted the original recipe a little bit to lighten it up and keep the sodium lower.

2 Whole Vidalia Onions, peeled
2 Tbsp Brummel and Brown spread
1 beef boullion cube

After peeling the onions, slice off the top a bit and cut off the roots that grow on the bottom of the onion. But be sure to leave the “stem”, as it holds the onion together. Take two pieces of tin foil and lay them out, with an onion in each one.

Cut an “X” shape in the top of both onions. Cut the beef boullion cube in half and place half in each of the onions. Place a Tbsp of butter spread on top of that and then close up the onions in tin foil. Heat the grill to medium heat and place the onions on the top rack for around half an hour or until they feel soft.

We served this with filet mignon and some fried morels. I couldn’t believe the flavor of the onion. Who knew that instead of sautéing mushrooms and onions on the stovetop, you could just throw a whole onion on the grill and achieve a similar, yet pleasantly different, result! Plus… less clean up!

Pomegranate Balsamic Vinaigrette with Roasted Hazelnut Oil

I have this amazing Pomegranate Balsamic Vinegar from Fustini’s Oils & Vinegars in Traverse City. I could drink the whole bottle, but I think Matt would be a little suspicious if it all just disappeared. Around Christmastime, I received some Roasted Hazelnut Oil from a gal up at Shanty Creek Resorts. Her husband is a chef and she was able to pick some up for me. The aroma of this stuff is heavenly.

2 Tbsp Pomegranate Balsamic Vinegar
3 Tbsp Roasted Hazelnut Oil
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
Salt & Pepper to taste

Fresh Pasta with Morels and Carmelized Vidalia Onion Cream Sauce - The Roma Bakery Story

First, the story of how this fantastic dish came to fruition...

Some friends of ours visited last weekend from Ann Arbor (booooo, hisssss!!!). Charlie, one of Matt's ushers at our wedding, brought over a large bag of Morel mushrooms that his uncle had given to him. My jaw dropped when I saw how many he had. When he left, he gave us a bag of them, saying he wouldn't be able to eat them all before they went bad. And so they've been sitting in our fridge, burning a hole all week, until I had time to properly prepare them.

So yesterday, on our 11-month anniversary, I knew I was going to cook up the Morels for dinner. I had done some research on the internet and wanted to make a cream sauce to go with pasta. I had gotten off work a little early and had the brilliant idea to stop by Roma Bakery, in hopes of finding some fresh pasta.

One of the staff there pointed me in the direction of their freezer case to find fresh pasta. Much to my dismay, all they had was stuffed ravioli, tortellini, gnocchi and other stuffed pasta varieties (I am DEFINITELY going back to get some of this in the future).

A short gentleman in a white hat walked up and asked if he could help me find anything. I told him about my Morels and that I wanted to have some fresh pasta with them. He shared that they used to carry fresh pasta but stopped making it because no one was buying it. Having my mind set on the fresh pasta, I asked if he knew of anywhere I could pick some up. He gave me the names of a couple shops, I thanked him and walked over to the bakery to admire their delectable-looking treats. I picked out a few dessert treats and a sourdough baguette. While the woman was packaging them in a box for me, the man in the white hat came by and said "I'll tell you what. Come back in half an hour and I'll have some fresh fettucine waiting for you." What what what?!?!!? I couldn't believe my ears. Someone was going to make ME some fresh pasta... just for me?!?!?!? I thanked him profusely, asked the woman at the bakery to hold onto my things for a bit and then drove around for half an hour until it was time to go back.

When I got back to the bakery, out came the man in the white hat with a white box. He opened it up and showed me the pasta he had made special for me.




I thanked him again and then he looked at me and said "There's no charge for this." I almost started crying. What a kind and generous man to be giving me something he had just made with his own hands. He walked back towards the kitchen, whispered something in the bakery woman's ear and then was gone. I was all ready to be rung up for my pastries and bread, still in shock about the pasta, when the woman crossed out my total on the pastry box and said "there's no charge for this." At this point, I think I just stood there with my mouth hanging open and shaking my head. I couldn't believe the kindness shown at this local institution. So I proceeded to the front counter and handed the cashier $2.09 for my baguette. I asked for the name of the man in the white hat. His name is Sostine Castriciano. He and his wife, Mena, own the Roma Bakery.

What Sostine gave to me yesterday embodies the kindness and generosity of the human spirit. If we can all stop focusing on the negative (i.e. the economy, etc.) and embrace each other, I think we can get out of the funk that seems to have settled over our great nation.

More Articles on Roma Bakery:
Roma Bakery Shares Old World Flavor
Roma Brings a Taste of Italy to Mid-Michigan
Lansing Traditions Worth a Taste
Ethnic Groceries Anchor New Economy Neighborhoods

Oh, wait, you want the recipe for the Morels and Carmelized Vidalia Onion Cream Sauce? :-) Recipe follows. I'll also blog about the yummy salad dressing I made and our desserts. Both are worthy of their own post.

8-10 fresh Morel mushrooms
Half of a large Vidalia onion, roughly chopped
3 Tbsp butter
3 oz of 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1 C half and half

Cut the Morels in half lengthwise and dunk in a cold water bath for 5-10 minutes, agitating the water to help remove any dirt on the 'shrooms.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, bring 2 Tbsp butter to a bubble over medium high heat. Add the Vidalia onions and sautee for 15-20 minutes, or until caramelized.

Pat the mushrooms dry and roughly chop. Once the onions are done, remove them from the skillet, add 1 Tbsp butter and the mushrooms. Let sautee for about 5 minutes, or until soft.

Reduce the heat to low and add in the cream cheese. When the cheese had started melting, slowly start adding in the half and half until the sauce reaches a soupy texture. Pour over fresh pasta and serve with some fresh grated parmigiano reggiano.

French Onion Soup

Last Christmas, my parents got Matt a cookbook called "Cheese, Please: The cheese lover's ultimate recipe collection." One of our favorite recipes HAS to be the French Onion Soup. It's made with chicken broth instead of beef and I really like the flavor a lot better. And of course, the gruyere cheese is a wonderful complement.

1/4 C butter - we use about 1 Tbsp
2 large onions, sliced
2 tsp flour
4 cups chicken stock – depending on the size of the onions, you may want to add more stock
1/4 C dry white wine
5 oz Gruyere or Emmental cheese, grated
Approximately 1/3 to 1/2 sourdough (or French) baguette, sliced into rounds
Salt and pepper, to taste

Melt the butter in a large pan. Add the onions and cook for about 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. They must be browned to give the soup a good color.

Stir in the flour and continue to cook until the flour turns a sandy color.

Pour in the stock and wine and bring to a boil, stirring. Season, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Preheat the broiler. Lightly toast the bread. TIP: Watch the bread carefully to avoid burning. Remove from oven and divide the cheese among the pieces of bread. Return to the broiler and heat until the cheese is bubbling.

Pour the soup and place the bread on top. Don’t be afraid to let the bread soak up the soup. It all adds to the flavor.

Tomato Basil Soup with Parmesan Herb Croutons

Today is National Homemade Soup Day! To celebrate this fantastically-yummy holiday, Matt and I made tomato basil soup, from WW Book 6 of the Momentum Plan, Keep on Tracking.

I will say that this soup was not the easiest thing to make. I started a fight with the food processor when, as I was pureeing the tomatoes, it exploded hot red liquid from the top. Apparently, the darn thing doesn't have a good, solid seal.

I thought the blender might make a better friend. Au contraire mon frere! The first batch in the blender went well, but I must not have put the lid on tight enough for the second batch, because it, too, sprayed hot red liquid all over the counter. At that point, I was ready to chuck the blender/food processor across the room. Thankfully, Matt was nearby with paper towels to clean up the mess.

In the end, here's what I learned:
1.) The soup was delicious, so the effort was worth it
2.) I totally need an immersion blender

Tomato Basil Soup
Cooking spray
2 medium leeks, chopped (white parts only)
8 medium ripe beefsteak tomatoes, cored and chopped (about 3 pounds)
1 tsp dry thyme
1 bay leaf
12 oz fat-free evaporated milk
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/8 tsp salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper, or to taste

The first step is an extra one that I will add the next time I make this soup...

Bring a pot of water to boil. Drop the tomatoes in and boil for 1 minute. Immediately drain the tomatoes and dunk in ice cold water. Once the tomatoes are blanched, remove the skins.

OK, back to the original recipe...

Coat a large saucepan with cooking spray and set pan over medium heat. Add leeks and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, thyme and bay leaf. Cook until the tomatoes break down, about 5 minutes.

Add broth and bring to a simmer; reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and remove bay leaf.

Puree tomato mixture in saucepan using an immersion blender. Or, working in batches, puree tomato mixture in a blender until smooth (be careful not to splatter hot liquid). That's what the actual recipe says... Oh, how this recipe mocks me!

Return puree to saucepan and set pan over low heat. Add milk and simmer 1 minute to heat through. Remove from heat and stir in basil, reserving a tad for a garnish. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with the basil and Parmesan Herb Croutons (recipe below).

WW Points Per Serving (a whopping 1 and a half cups worth!): 2 Points

Parmesan Herb Croutons
Day old french baguette
Olive Oil
Handful of freshly grated parmesan cheese (I'm sure the Kraft container stuff would work great, too)
Various herbs (I used oregano, basil and thyme this thyme... I mean, time)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut the baguette into generous-sized cubes and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with herbs. Toss the cubes to coat them well. Sprinkle them with the parmesan cheese.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Guacamole

Avocados were on sale at the grocery store this week for a buck a piece, so of course I picked a few up since I love-love-love guacamole. I'm sure there are so many similar recipes out there, so I'm not bothering to cite anyone since I just made this from memory.

2 ripe avocados
1 beefsteak tomato
1/2 sweet onion
2 cloves garlic
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp salt
Chopped cilantro, optional

Pit and chop the avocados, but be sure to save at least one of the pits.

Chop the beefsteak tomato, removing the seeds first. Chop the onion. Finely chop or crush two cloves of garlic in a garlic press.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. If desired, add in chopped cilantro. Add in the lime juice and salt and begin to mash with a large fork.

When the mixture is nicely mashed, add in the avocado pit. This helps the guacamole to retain its green color for a longer period of time.

Hummus with Pita Chips

Hummus is one of our favorite snacks. It's certainly easy to pick up at any grocery store, but making your own is much cheaper AND you can control the amount of oil you incorporate into the recipe. I used a combination of this recipe and Katie's from Good Things Catered.

Hummus
1 (15.5-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained but reserve the liquid
2 garlic cloves
2 tsp + tahini paste
juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

Drain water from the can of chick peas into a small bowl and reserve.

In a food processor (or blender), mix together the chick peas with the remaining rest of the ingredients, being careful to add second half of lemon juice and tahini slowly, stopping to taste.

Slowly add some of the reserved liquid from beans for correct consistency, until a smooth, slightly fluid paste is formed.

Refrigerate for at least 30 mins before serving. This changes the taste of the hummus by allowing the flavors to form.

WW Points Per Serving (2 Tbsp): 1 point

Pita Chips
Whole wheat pita(s)
Cooking spray
Garlic powder
Lawry's Seasoned Salt

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut the pitas into 6 triangles and split down the middle, for a total of 12 pieces per pita.

Place on a baking sheet. Spray lightly with the cooking spray and sprinkle with the garlic powder and seasoned salt, to taste.

Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until the pitas begin to turn brown.

WW Points Per Serving (6 chips, or 1/2 pita): 1 point

Veggie and Bean Quesadillas

This is one of our quick and easy staple recipes. It is also WW-friendly.

Ingredients (enough for 3 quesadillas; 1 for me, 2 for Matt)
6 six-inch fat free flour tortillas, preferably with a healthy amount of fiber
1 cup fat free refried beans
1/2 package of taco seasoning
1 cup 2% mexican cheese (or other 2% cheese variety)
1/2 of a zucchini, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped 1/3 onion, chopped
3-5 large mushrooms, chopped
Olive oil for sauteeing
2 Tbsp. reduced fat sour cream per quesadilla

Chop all of the veggies and sautee with a small amount of olive oil. Meanwhile, mix the refried beans and taco seasoning. Heat for about 1 minute in the microwave to soften the bean mixture.
Assemble by placing 1/3 of the bean mixture on one of the tortillas. Add 1/3 of the veggie mixture and 1/3 cup of the cheese. Top with the other tortilla. Heat a non-stick skillet to medium heat. Place the quesadilla on the skillet. No oil or spray is needed. When the bottom tortilla is golden brown, flip and brown the other side.

Serve with 2 Tbsp. reduced-fat sour cream.

I love the way the toasty tortilla tastes. It's hard to believe this is mostly guilt-free!

WW Points per quesadilla: 7 points.

TIP: You can also add in some ground turkey, seasoned with the taco seasoning. I suppose you could use soy crumbles, too, if you're into that sort of thing...