Hannukah in St. Louis

My boyfriend and I took our first holiday vacation together this past winter. It was great to be able to get two weeks away from work but what was even better was being able to spend time with each others families. Within the first 24 hours of being in St. Louis I was introduced to a couple dozen of my boyfriend's family and friends during his cousin's bar mitzvah.

The following day was a family Hanukkah party. As I knew we were going to be attending this family party and I had no clue what to bring or do, I brought a jar of home made cranberry & walnut chutney (Kosher made) so that I wasn't empty handed. I also traveled with my recipe for matzoh toffee. My boyfriend had already warned me that there would be several hungry family members. What I didn't quite understand was that by several, he meant about 50 or so. 

I was a bit overwhelmed for a few reasons. 1) there was no way I could remember everyone's names. 2) I hoped they liked me. 3) I'm not Jewish (by religion) and was a bit behind on the prayers. So now Hebrew is on the list of things to learn in 2015, as is tracking down a bit more information on the Jewish heritage that showed up on my DNA test.

To my great relief and happiness the chutney was a hit. I was asked for the recipe by several people. I normally serve this on top of cream cheese with Ritz crackers on the side. It also goes well with crusty bread, pork, and all sorts of other holiday yummies. I was so blessed to be welcomed into his family and can't wait to be able to share more meals & recipes with them in the years to come.

Cranberry & Walnut Chutney

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup port or other sweet red wine
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup dried tart cherries
1 (12-ounce) package fresh cranberries
2/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind $
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Orange rind strips (optional) $
Preparation

Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Add cherries, and cook 1 minute. Stir in cranberries; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until cranberries pop. Remove from heat. Stir in walnuts, grated rind, and extract. Garnish with orange rind strips, if desired. Cover and chill.

Sriracha2go

It may be unlicensed but I have a lot of friends who will want this.

http://www.eater.com/2014/11/7/7173731/sriracha2go-is-the-most-adorabl-unlicensed-sriracha-experience-around

Easy Rustic Spanikopita

What I like about my spanakopita, besides the fact that it tastes very good, is that it's super healthy. I also like that it's quick and so easy to make that my boyfriend was excited to try to make it himself for us. Leftover slices can be eaten out of hand as the phyllo isn't as flaky but it is delicious! This recipe makes one 9-inch pie.

2 pounds fresh 'Power Mix' Greens (Kale, Spinach, Chard) or frozen version

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, minced

7 ounces Greek feta

3 large eggs

Salt and pepper to taste

8 sheets phyllo dough

4 to 5 tablespoons oil (olive or avocado)

1. Heat the oven to 350 F. Put the greens in a colander, wash, rinse and squeeze out as much water as you can. Finely chop & put in a large bowl and set aside.

2. Heat the 2 tbs olive oil in a pan and add the minced onion. Sauté for around 8 minutes, until the onion is fragrant and golden. Scrape the onion into the bowl of greens.

3. Crumble the feta into the bowl of greens. Add the three eggs, salt and pepper to taste. Then mix until all the ingredients are well-combined and the mass is relatively uniform. You will have little pockets of feta cheese here and there.

4. Lightly oil a 9-inch springform pan. Open the package of phyllo dough and lay a damp towel over the phyllo sheets. Working quickly, line the pan with one sheet of phyllo dough, then brush it lightly with some oil (olive or avocado). Layer another sheet on top and oil that. Repeat with all the sheets of phyllo until the springform pan is fully lined. Scrape the spinach mixture into the phyllo-lined pan and smooth the top. Fold the phyllo dough over the top of the pie (see photo above). Brush a little oil on the tops of the phyllo dough sheets.

5. Put the pan in the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, rotating halfway through. The filling will be set and the phyllo golden-brown and crackling when the pie is done. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before removing the ring of the pan. Cut into slices and serve immediately. If cooled completely and then wrapped carefully in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, the spanakopita can be frozen for a few months.

Easy Pumpkin & Bacon Cinnamon Rolls

It's Fall & almost everyone is going crazy for pumpkin right now. Pumpkin everything; lattes, bread, pies, & even shower gel. So I decided instead of full on scratch baking that I would cheat a little. They were still pretty tasty!

1 can Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls (I get mine frome Trader Joe's)

5 bacon strips (as there are 5 rolls per can)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Place bacon strips in skillet and fry for 2-3 minutes until still soft but slightly cooked. Remove bacon and pat dry with
paper towels.

Pop open the can of rolls and unroll them into long strips. Lay one strip of bacon on each cinnamon roll strip, then roll them back up. Place each bacon roll in a greased pie pan.

Cook according to package instructions, then drizzle with icing from the package.

Bacon Baklava

Of course I can make Baklava in the standard way but bacon makes everything better!!

Ingredients

1/2 pound raw walnut pieces
1/2 pound raw pistachio meats
1 cup cooked and crumbled bacon (about 12 slices)
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 1/4 cup (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 package (16 ounces) phyllo dough, thawed
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 cup honey
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 cup orange flower water or rose water
Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F

In a food processor, pulse the nuts until they are ground, but not turned into meal. Add the bacon, sugar, and cardamom and pulse a few more times until the nut mixture is finely chopped and evenly blended.

Begin layering the baklava. Brush a jellyroll pan, or sheet pan with sides, generously with the melted butter. Unroll the phyllo dough and cover the sheets with a piece of plastic wrap and a damp towel. This keeps the sheets from drying out while you are layering the baklava. Read the package for detailed handling instructions.

Place a sheet of phyllo on the sheet pan and brush it with melted butter. Repeat with 6 more sheets of phyllo dough and butter for a total of 7 sheets. You do not have to cover every last inch of the phyllo with butter, but try and have it evenly dispersed between all of the layers. Spread 1/3 cup of the nut mixture evenly over the phyllo. Top the nuts with two more buttered sheets of phyllo. Continue sprinkling with 1/3 cup of the nut mixture adding two sheets of buttered phyllo until all of the nut mixture is used. Top with a final layer of 7 buttered phyllo sheets.

Use a sharp knife to cut the uncooked baklava into 24 diamond shapes. Bake the baklava until it is brown and crisp, 30-35 minutes.

While the baklava is baking, combine the water, sugar, and honey in a saucepan. Gradually heat the mixture until the sugar dissolves. Add the cinnamon stick and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly and simmer for 25-30 minutes. Remove the pan from heat, add the orange flower water and cool slightly. Pour the syrup evenly over the baklava as soon as it comes out of the oven. Make sure you get the syrup in every crack and crevice. Leave to soak for several hours. Serve at room temperature and store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Eggs in Purgatory

So after I posted a picture of my breakfast on FB, my friends & family asked for a recipe. It's super easy & yummy!

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small clove garlic (peeled)
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon Harissa or Siracha
1 x 14 oz can diced tomatoes
½ teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)
2-4 large egg (as needed)
1 cup spinach (if you like)

Place the first six ingredients in a pan. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Add spinach & cook till wilted. Add eggs & cook till your preferred done-ness. It's that easy. I served with crusty bread.

May the 4th be with you

It's been awhile since I've been able post. This is not a recipe or restaurant post. Simply want to wish you all a Happy Independence Day. Be safe this weekend with your family & friends where ever you are.

I'm heading to a friend's for a BBQ. And I'm bringing this little nerdy crowd pleaser...

Happy Valentine's Day & Snow Day

It has been an adventure in snow here in the DC area. The original plan was to head down to Loundoun Grown; which is a local county food, wine, & spirits festival. However, since some of the roads had about 18" of snow to traverse through, plans to attend have been changed.

So my Valentine & I went grocery shopping and so I decided to put together an AWESOME charcuterie platter: Primus 2010 "The Blend" wine, dark chocolate covered cherries/coconut/banana chips/cranberries/blueberries, coco dusted almonds, salt n pepper pistachios, various grapes, blackberries, blueberry goat cheese, cranberry goat cheese, french brie, prosciutto, peppered salami, fresh baguette, brown buttered 3 cheese ravioli, marinate mozzarella balls, & various water crackers.