Arugula Pesto

There's something about a pesto, the bright green color, the sharp taste of herbs and garlic, it just brings back summer. I need a little reminder of summer, it's been raining too much here. Winter rain is the worst.  Also, what else are you going to do when you have too much arugula and parsley staring at you in the fridge?

Arugula Pesto

• 1 cup (packed) fresh parsley
• 1 scant cup walnuts
• 6 cups arugula
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 cup good olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon flavored olive oil
• juice of 1/2 lemon

Put all ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until uniform.  If it needs a little more liquid, add some more lemon juice and/or oil. Adjust salt to taste. If you don't have lemon flavored oil, I would just use regular oil and grate a little of the lemon zest into pesto.  Store this in the fridge.

Ideas for use:
-toss with pasta, chicken, and your fav veggies
-mix a little into your scrambled eggs
-thin it out with a little more oil for a salad dressing
-mix into your hummus
-put it on a sandwich! There's a restaurant here that makes a 'bangin' sandwich that's a baguette spread with arugula pesto, slices of fried sweet potato, grilled tofu, other veggies...mmmmmm
-mix with cream cheese and spread on crackers, pour over a log of goat cheese and serve with some fresh bread

Cauliflower-Garlic Rice

Once a month I cook part of a meal for a local charity called 'Community Cooks'.  It's a self-described 'network of volunteers offering home-cooked meals to hungry and vulnerable neighbors of our community'.  I get assigned a different part of a meal every month and cook enough for about 12-people.  I've been doing it since October, and I've made:

October - Roasted Zucchini & Pesto Penne and Cornbread Chili Casserole (I had to make double for this month, I think the recipes explain themselves)
November - Apple-Slaw (A Mark Bittman recipe that turned out way too oniony. Good concept though, cabbage, apple and a mustard dressing)
December - Gingerbread Trifle (this was a great recovery using a botched batch of gingerbread cupcakes that did not rise properly and would not come out of the muffin tin.  I layered vanilla pudding, crumbled gingerbread cupcakes, Cool Whip and crushed vanilla Oreo's)
January - Spaghetti Squash Casserole (Spaghetti squash, mushroom, green pepper, onion, garlic and spaghetti sauce mixed together and topped with a mixture of melted butter and breadcrumbs)

I've really enjoyed cooking for this charity.  It's been a great way to give back and I get to cook in the process! Doesn't get any better than that.

This month my assignment was to make a rice dish.  I have to say I was pretty stumped until I came across a great recipe on one of the cooking blogs I check regularly. I modified it a little bit (of course) but the basic concept is to make a creamy sauce by blending together cauliflower and garlic cooked in butter, then stir the sauce into some rice. 

Cauliflower-Garlic Rice
(original recipe click here)

• 3 cups dried brown rice
• 1 tablespoon or 1 large cube veggie bullion
• 1 extra-large head cauliflower
• 1-2 tablespoons chopped garlic (depending on how much you like garlic)
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley

1. Cook the rice according to the directions on the package.  This can be done ahead of time, use leftovers, whatever works :)
2. Roughly chop the cauliflower (include stems too, just not the leaves) and put it in a pot, then fill the pot with water to just under the level of the cauliflower.  Add the veggie bullion and bring to a boil. Boil for approximately 10-minutes until cauliflower is tender.
3. While the cauliflower cooks, peel and finely chop the garlic. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter and olive oil in a saucepan and add all the garlic.  Cook over low heat until the garlic just starts to turn golden.  Turn off heat and add the last tablespoon of butter (this last of the butter will melt quickly and more importantly bring the temperature down and keep the garlic from burning). Set-aside (and try not to eat all the butter with a loaf of bread, because seriously, it will smell that good).
4. When the cauliflower is done, drain it but reserve about 2 cups of the cooking liquid.  Use an immersion blender, or a blender, or a food processor to blend the cauliflower, adding some of the reserved liquid as needed to make the cauliflower mixture the consistency of a thick sauce (don't think you have to use all two cups).  Add the butter/garlic mixture and blend*.  Salt and pepper to taste.
5. Mix the sauce in with the rice.  If it's too thick, add some more of the reserved liquid.  Top with chopped fresh parsley and serve.
   

*You don't have to use all of the cauliflower-blend if you think there's too much. When I made this I actually boiled/blended two extra-large heads of cauliflower but then only used about half of that puree. It wasn't a bad thing though, the puree tastes good on its own.

Happy Valentine's Day! and homemade chocolates

I have to admit, I didn't make these chocolates this year... however, I did  make them both last year and I've made the first recipe a couple of times, so that counts, right?  These recipes are delicious and EASY to do. For real. No candy thermometer needed.  Kid friendly. Delicious. (just make them already!)

 In the future I'm going to try to adjust these recipes to have less dairy in them (myself and dairy don't get along like we used to), but for now I'll present them unaltered.  The first recipe is from a magazine clipping. I used to clip recipes from magazines and past them into a 3 ring-binder, in middle school!  There are some good recipes in my little notebook and this is one of them!

On the subject of Valentine's Day, I get a weekly dose of a good love story here:

NYTimes Modern Love

I also recently came across this and it makes me tear up every time, in a good way:

When We Got Married

 Enjoy!


Fudgy Bonbons
1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips (2 cups and/or 12 oz)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
2 cups unsifted flour
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla
60 milk chocolate candy kisses or white-chocolate stripped candy kisses; unwrapped

Decoration:
2 oz white chocolate
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Heat semisweet chocolate pieces and butter in a heavy, medium sized saucepan over very low heat, stirring until melted.  Add condensed milk and stir until combined.  Add vanilla and stir.
3. Combine flour and chopped nuts if using.  Add flour mixture a little at a time to the chocolate mixture and stir until combined.
4.  Shape 1 level tablespoon of dough around each candy kiss, enclosing completely.  Arrange 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.
5. Bake in oven for 6 to 8 minutes; cookies will be soft and look shiny, but will become firm as they cool.  Transfer bonbons to wire racks to cool completely.
6.  Melt white chocolate and oil together in a bowl in the microwave (20-30 seconds at a time, then stir and cook another interval if needed).  Drizzle over cooled bonbons. (you can add some food coloring to this if you're looking for color).

  

Chocolate Truffles
Adapted from EHChocolatier

Makes about 50 truffles

10½ ounces (about 1½ cups) chocolate (your favorite), chopped

½ cup heavy cream

1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons light corn syrup

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft but not melted

Cocoa powder, for coating

1. Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch-square pan with plastic wrap.
2. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
3. In a small saucepan, bring the cream and corn syrup to a boil. Pour over the chocolate and let sit for 1 minute. With a spatula, stir the cream, corn syrup and chocolate until the mixture looks like thick pudding. Stir in butter until fully incorporated.
4. Pour the ganache into the prepared pan, spreading evenly. Let sit at room temperature until set, 2 to 4 hours. (very important to let it cool all the way, or it will be very sticky to work with)
5. Transfer the ganache to a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares.
6. Place cocoa powder in a shallow bowl. Dust hands with cocoa powder. Roll ganache squares into balls and roll the balls in cocoa powder to coat.

Birthdays, boozy brownies and old friends

I have the privilege to live near and still be friends with a girl who is probably my oldest friend.  We were neighbors growing up and her family moved very far away in highschool.  In our early twenties, we both moved to the same big city, which is where we're both still living.

Circa 1986?

My oh my, how time changes some things!  I get the feeling from looking at this picture that I should thank my friend more often for hanging out with me back then.  She was so cute and I was so... pink...

Ahem, anyway, she had her 31st birthday last weekend and to celebrate we all met at the local watering hole.  I had some homemade Irish Cream left over from ice fishing, and after some internet searching decided to use it to make some boozy brownies (boozy, birthday brownies, that is).

Boozy, birthday brownies are better in boxes!

Irish Cream Brownies

• 2 packages of brownie mix
• 1 cup Irish Cream
• 2/3 cup oil
• 2 eggs

Icing:

• 1 stick butter or margerine
• 5 tablespoons Irish Cream
• 4 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder

Directions:

1.Preheat the over to 350 degrees and grease a 11x15x2 inch pan.

2.Put the brownie mix in a large bowel and beat or whisk in the irish cream, oil and eggs until it forms a (relatively) smooth batter.

3. Pour into the pan and spread it around evenly.  Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 30 minutes. A toothpick in the center should come out clean and the edges of the brownies should start to pull away from the side of the pan.  Cool brownies completely before icing.

To make the icing:

1. Beat butter with an electric mix for a minute or so.  Alternate adding the irish cream and powdered sugar a bit at a time.  Don't forget about the cocoa!  After all the ingredients are incorporated, beat for a few additional minutes to get a light, fluffy icing.

To complete your boozy brownies:

1. Ice the brownies. Sprinkle with colored sprinkles if so desired.  Put in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight to set.

Tips:

-These don't taste very boozy, it's just fun to say 'boozy brownies'

-I had a hell of a time cutting them into nice squares, which is why I recommend refrigerating them after icing them.  I think that should firm them up enough to make cutting them easier.  Anyway, they tasted really good so the cutting part isn't that important...

Cheers to old friends!

My complicated relationship with brussel sprouts

I want to like them, but they always have this aftertaste for me that I could only describe as 'sulphery'.  When I would tell people this, especially people that love brussel sprouts, they would generally look at me like I'm crazy.  But here is an article, explaining why brussel sprouts can taste sulphery! I feel vindicated for a life-time of brussel-sprout-dislike-shame!
http://www.wbur.org/npr/170570081/understanding-the-brussels-sprout


I hope to try some of the recipe's in that article to see if they can cut the mustard.

Mmmm, mustard...

Ice Fishing!! (and Homemade Irish Cream!)

Phew! It has been over a year since I last posted something.  A lot of things have happened in my life, good things, but first things first... ICE FISHING!

Have you ever wanted to go hang out on a frozen river/lake/pond and try to catch fish? No?! Not even just once in your life?! Well, I went ice fishing this past Saturday up near Augusta, Maine with some friends both new (like I met them that night) and old.  Ice fishing up in Maine is apparently a 'thing', there are businesses that you can book a 'hut' with and they set you up with fire, wood, hooks, string, worms, etc. etc.  We had 4 huts reserved.  Our huts were reserved from 9pm to 3am (way past my bedtime) AND, by the way, the entire east coast was in the middle of some seriously arctic temperatures.

To my knowledge, there is only one way to endure those conditions and that is by drinking coffee laced with booze.  Now are you a little more interested?

I scanned the internet for some recipes and I ended up meshing a bunch of recipes to come up with my own.  We drank this mixed with hot coffee I brought in a thermos.  We didn't catch any fish worth mentioning, but we had a lot of fun.  I hope you get a chance to make this and enjoy it either on or off the ice!

Homemade Irish Cream

• 2 cans coconut milk
• 2 cans light coconut milk
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups strong coffee
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 bottle Irish Whiskey (750 mL)

1. Put the coconut milk in a large pot and whisk in the sugar and cocoa powder.  When I made this I used 1/2 cup of cocoa but it was a little too chocolately for me, so the next time I make it I would cut it back to a 1/4 cup. However, use however much or little you would like.
2. Over medium heat, bring this mixture to a low boil.  Boil for approximately 20 minutes, whisking frequently, until the mixture thickens.  There is really no going wrong here, you can  make this as thick or as thin as you want.
3. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the coffee, salt and vanilla until fully incorporated.  Let this mixture cool for a little while, until its cool enough to handle/drink.  It can still be warm, that's fine.  (I cooled mine on the back porch in approximately 20 minutes, but like I said, we've been having arctic temperatures around here.)
4. Now add the booze!  I added an entire bottle of whiskey, but if you're worried about it being too strong I would start with 2 cups of whiskey and add more to taste.

Be sure to refrigerate the mixture once it cools.  If you'd like to store it for longer than a week or so, put it in the freezer.  The coconut milk will firm up in the freezer but will return to liquid when you thaw it.

This makes plenty for a bunch of people if you're mixing it with coffee.  I've been drinking what was leftover with ice, and that's also delicious!

Gingerbread cookies

Merry Christmas Everyone!  Christmas has a lot of different meanings for me, but most importantly in the Carey household, it means COOKIES!!!  And not just one type of cookie, but usually as many as you can stand to bake.  This gingerbread recipe is exactly how I think gingerbread should be; it's spicey, molasses-ey and NOT crispy but soft and delicious.  Decorating them is optional, of course, but you'd be missing out on a lot of fun.  My dad and sister turned decorating these cookies into some sort of competitive art/sport this year, and the results are pretty awesome (see below).

My favorites include 'red-overall' gingerbread man (top right) courtesy of my sister, and my dad's self-portrait gingerbread man (bottom center).  Also present is the traditional Christmas foot (right center) (possibly baby Jesus' footprint?). Anyway, they all taste good :)

I found this recipe online, and then adjusted it to fit my belief in VMETB (vanilla makes everything taste better).

GINGERBREAD Cookies    

Equipment: hand-held electric mixer; cookie cutters. Store in airtight containers.

2 sticks (1 c.) unsalted butter, softened
1 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
1 lg. egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. dark unsulfured molasses
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
5 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt

In a bowl sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.  In another large bowl, cream the butter, add the sugar, and beat until fluffy.   Beat in the egg, vanilla, molasses, and vinegar one at a time. Add the flour mixture into the butter mixture, a little at a time. (The dough will be soft.) Quarter the dough, dust it with flour, and wrap each piece in wax paper. Flatten the dough slightly and chill it for at least 3 hours or overnight. Butter 2 baking sheets and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Roll out the dough, one piece at a time, 1/4 inch thick on a floured surface ( I think the thicker the better). Flour the cookie cutter and cut out cookies. Transfer the cookies with a spatula to the baking sheets, arranging them 2 inches apart, and bake them in the middle of the oven for 6 to 8 minutes, or until no imprint remains when they are touched lightly with the fingertip.

Transfer the cookies with the spatula to racks and let them cool. Make cookie with the dough scraps in the same manner.

After they've cooled, I decorate them with icing made of simply powdered sugar and water.  Add some food coloring and sprinkles and go to town!