See?

This is one of those “Dear Lord what am I cooking tonight?” dishes. The refrigerator was skimpy and so was the pantry. I used to have a regular day for everything…Grocery shop on Monday,clean on Tuesday and Wednesday, day off on Thursday, paperwork and scheduling on Friday…

Please note the words “used to”. Now I get so busy I forget to shop and then we have the unique meals that would totally ruin any reputation as a foodie I have. I have not yet lowered myself to the point of making peanut butter ravioli with jelly sauce..but I am not saying it couldn’t happen…

This was made of a few scraps of Fontina, some left over pecans, a whisp of celery and a couple of spinach leaves that would have had to go to the chickens by the next day..

Yumm…sounds appetizing doesn’t it? Just remember; it isn’t you you start…it’s how you finish!

This makes a great luncheon dish, side dish, or vegetarian main course. There is lots of flavors and textures happening on the plate. If I make it again I am going to try adding some unpeeled, chopped apples just lightly sauteed. I wish I would have thought of it this time.

A friend of mine saw Maple Pepper on a trip to New Hampshire. She sent me a jar of it and…wowza! That stuff is potent. If you don’t have access to the maple pepper, add a tablespoon of maple syrup to the vegetables at the end of saute time, and add a finely chopped chipotle pepper in adobo as well.

Need a menu? Try this with:

Autumn Dinner

Autumn Pasta with Fontina and Pecans

Honey Glazed Roasted Parsnips and Carrots

Baguette or  Rosemary Cracked Pepper Bread

Apple Bundt Cake

This is my entry for Presto Pasta Night. PPN is the brain-child of Ruth of Once Upon a Feast and Abby of Eat th Right Stuff is the hostess for this week.

Autumn Pasta with Fontina and Pecans

• 1 lb  whole wheat penne, cooked a la dente
• 1/2 to 1 cup pecans, chopped and  toasted*
• 1 cup fresh baby spinach cut on a chiffonade**
• 4 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup mushrooms of choice, sliced ( a mixture of several is nice here)
• 4 oz fontina, grated
• 1/2 tsp maple pepper
• salt to taste
• olive oil and butter combo for saute pan (about 2 tbs each)

*To toast pecans toss them in a heavy pan and stir over medium high heat watching that they don’t burn.

**To cut chiffonade: layer several spinach leaves on top of each other. Roll up tightly and then cut horizontally very thinly. You will end up with thin strips of spinach.

1. Saute onion, garlic, and celery in pan until just soft
2. Add mushrooms and saute until done
3. Add maple pepper and stir well
4. Put penne in a large serving bowl, spoon ingredients over the top
5. Add pecans, fontina, and spinach
6. Toss lightly and serve immediately with extra fontina

serves 4-6 (8-10 appetizer or side dish servings)

image:marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights

Autumn is my favorite season of all. Back in the day when women were having their colors done I found that I was an autumn, with near black hair that was actually the darkest of dark auburns, extremely light skin and green eyes that I like to describe as the color of fresh cow manure.  Romantic, huh?

I always loved spicy perfumes, spicy scents, and autumn colors so I suppose I am autumn right to the center of my soul. The things I like the best are the easy recipes of the fall season.

Braised Chicken with Farfalle Is Autumn Easy
This recipe is so perfect for those autumn days when you would just rather be outside than cooking. You can make it as a slow cooker recipe and allow the flavors to simmer all day. Be warned though – when you open the door you are going to be smacked in the face with the most intoxicating scent since that amazing fresh from Heaven new baby smell.

This recipe is based on a recipe for braised rabbit in my CIA cookbook. I changed it up and slow cooked it so it was butter tender and perfect for serving over whole wheat farfalle for a rustic, filling meal. Serve it with a simple salad, rosemary-cracked pepper bread, and maybe a baked apple or poached pear for dessert. A glass of Chardonnay was just right with this.

This braised chicken with farfalle is my entry to this weeks Presto Pasta Night. This week it is hosted by Ruth, the Pasta Diva herself.

Braised Chicken with Farfalle

• 1 pound mushrooms, sliced
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups shallots
• 2 cups sliced carrots
• 1 cup celery
• 1 cup canned plum tomatoes
• 1/2 cup roasted red peppers
• 2 cups white wine
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tsp thyme
• 2 springs fresh rosemary
• 4 cloves
• 1 tbs culinary lavender buds
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Flour for dredging
• 2 lbs of chicken breast, cut in large cubes OR 2 chickens quartered
• 2 lbs of whole wheat farfalle, cooked in salted water

1. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and brown on all sides in the olive oil about 10 minutes.
2. Remove the chicken from the oil and add the shallots, mushrooms, and celery. Saute until vegetables begin to soften.
3. Add broth and one cup of the wine to a slow cooker turned on medium. Add all of the rest of the ingredients except the pasta.
4. Slow cook for 6 to 8 hours, until chicken is very tender.
5. Add the remaining wine and cook 15 more minutes
6. Serve in shallow bowls over buttered Farfalle, sprinkled with grated Parmigiano Reggiano

serves 8

image:marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights

Really, does it get better than that? Last week I had taken on an assignment which required a series of ten articles. I had about five days to finish them, and that was on top of my normal stuff. And…as luck would have it, there was no food in the house. A trip to the grocery store was in order. Quick and easy were high on my list of priorities.

Most of you probably have never, and will never, experience regular grocery shopping for a family the size of ours. It is a long and drawn out adventure, full of peril and pitfalls. It takes me about three hours to complete the chore, which culminates in a stress headache at the checkout.  When I went last week I found an unusual treasure- local heirloom tomatoes. Misshapen and off color (compared to commercial tomatoes-perfectly round and fire engine red) no one was buying them and they were marked down.

SCORE!

I wanted to keep the rest of the meal as fresh as those wonderful tomatoes and I immediately thought of pasta. My neighbor had given me a large batch of basil from her garden, and I had several pounds of local Texas sweet onions that needed to be used. My plan was coming together…

You could easily add some grilled chicken to this. I just like to cut back on the meat a couple of times a week to beef up my budget. Get it? Beef up?

So the very fresh menu for that evening was:

• Farfalle with Basil and Romano
• Sliced heirloom tomatoes with a splash of balsamic
• Grilled Romano sourdough (make garlic butter and add the cheese before spreading and grilling)
• Sliced local RIPE peaches.

It was perfect. The entire kitchen smelled fresh and summery.

This is also my entry to Presto Pasta Night for this week. It is hosted by Joanne of Eats Well with Others.

Whole Wheat Farfalle wth Basil and Romano

• 2 lbs whole wheat farfalle, cooked a la dente
• 2 Vidalia, 1015s or other sweet onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Add the olive oil to a large saute pan and saute onion and garlic until soft. This should be done over a medium heat so that the onion and garlic do not caramelize and the oil gets infused with the flavors.
2. Add the basil and the pasta. Cook, stirring lightly until heated through and basil is wilted – about three minutes.
3. Salt and pepper to taste
4. Place in serving bowl and toss with Romano cheese

Serves 8

Post from: Baking Delights

This is my entry for Presto Pasta Night.  The host this week is Ivy of Kopiaste.  If you haven’t checked out her blog you should.  Why? Because it is always incredible, that’s why.

I am finding interesting and varied pasta shapes more and more in the local stores.  This may be old news to some of you but trust me, around here you just don’t get the variety that you do in other places.  Apparently that is changing, something for which I will foreve be grateful because I get bored easily.

I was making BBQ sandwiches, a perfectly respectable Texas dinner, when I realized that I didn’t feel like making french fries, didn’t have time to make potato salad, and didn’t want corn.  That pretty much leaves pasta, right?

So, I cooked these pasta wheels, tossed in some other ingredients and came up with something that could easily be a vegetarian main course as well as a nice side.

Pasta with Spinach and Chickpeas

1 lb pasta of choice, cooked

• 1 lb spinach, chopped
• 1/4 c olive oil
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 tsp chipotle, or red pepper flakes
• 1 can chickpeas, drained
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan

1. Saute the chipotle, onion and garlic in the olive oil.  Don’t allow the garlic to caramelize or scorch.
2. Add the chickpeas and stir until warmed through.
3. Add the spinach and pasta and continue to stir until it is well mixed and the pasta is coated with the olive oil.
4. Serve with the Parmesan sprinkled over the top

About 6-8 servings

images: (c)Marye Audet 2009

Post from: Baking Delights

When I am in a rush, and I seem to often be rushed lately, nothing goes on the table quite as quickly as a pasta dish.

There are times I like to make fresh pasta but I always keep a couple of packages of organic whole wheat, and organic semolina pasta on the shelf for “Those Days”.

This was a fantastic hit at my house.  The pasta was garlicky and olive-y with just a hint of fresh tomato taste.  Fresh basil adds a nice touch.  I used elephant garlic but use what you have on hand.  If you are substituting regular garlic for elephant garlic use about 5 good sized cloves.

This is my entry for Presto Pasta Night.  This week it is being hosted by Hillary of Chew on That. Thanks Hillary!

Pasta, Garlic, and Olives 

1 lb of pasta cooked a la dente

1 c widely grated mozzarella or  parmesan

Sauce: 

3 tbs olive oil

1 clove elephant garlic, sliced thinly

1 onion, chopped

8 oz black olives, your choice

1/2 c fresh basil, chopped

2 c chopped fresh tomatoes or a big can of Muir Glen diced tomatoes.

1 tsp dried chipotle (optional- it adds a spicy smoky flavor)

Saute the onion, chipotle, and garlic slowly in the olive oil until the onion is transparent. Do not let it brown.  Add the tomatoes and the olives and warm through.  I like to leave the olives whole but you can slice them if you like.  Kalamata olives are fantastic in this, I just didn’t happen to have any the day I took this picture.  Now, mix the drained pasta into the sauce, sprinkle with fresh basil and then top with the mozzarella or parmesan.  This is great hot or at room temperature.

Pasta Presto! Serves 10

Image:Marye Audet 

Post from: Baking Delights

Sometimes I feel that I have no time to cook. I really hate that because I love cooking but my life right now is just so busy that cooking seems to take a back seat.  I know I have been scarce in visiting your blogs…blame it on a huge amount of writing assignments and Chris being home…both good things!

Even my photography seems to be BLAH.

I have midwestern roots.  Yeah I do. I know,  know..I don’t say “pop” or “prit-neer” abd U do say y’all.  I admit it.

But I know that a salad can be jello with bananas,  marshmallows, and whipped cream and served as a side dish with any meal, o.k.? Not only do I know that salt rising bread makes the best toast EVER I happen to have an addiction to pickled ring bologna.  I know where Lapeer is and I have eaten Howell melons.  So..there.  I have even eaten fish at Whiteys, which probably doesn’t even exist any more.

Now, one of the main things about midwestern cooking is the ability to mix anything with macaroni and beef and call it a casserole. Stop laughing. You know I am right.

I have kale growing really well in the garden. It seems to be one plant that can withstand anything Texas can throw at it.  It is very good for you, lots of iron.  It can taste strong unless it is cooked with other foods that can handle the flavor.  Onion, garlic, olive oil, and a good sprinkle of sea salt all help the flavor to calm down and be perfect. It is a great addition to this filling meal.

Best of all? It is done in less than 30 minutes..Oh yeah!  It is not gourmet, it is not something that is going to make people oooh and ahhhh…but it is good and wholesome  comfort food.  Guess what else? You can use it for OAMC. It makes a great freezer meal.

This is my entry into  Presto Pasta Night.  Kevin at Closet Cooking is hosting this event this week!  You know what that means..yeah..fantastic images!
In the grand tradition of my ancestors I present to you:

Macaroni, Kale and Beef Casserole

2 lbs Macaroni, cooked and drained

2  lbs good ground beef

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped,

A good size bunch of kale, washed and chopped

3 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

Cubed mozzarella, or cheese of choice, as much as desired

Sea salt and cracked pepper to taste

Brown beef, onion, pepper, kale, and garlic in a large frying pan.  Stir constantly and salt and pepper to taste as the meat is browning.  Stir in Worcestershire sauce, macaroni, and cheese. Warm through.

Serves 12

Image:Marye Audet 

Post from: Baking Delights