Summer is hot here. We don’t use air conditioning, haven’t for the several years we have lived in this house. Frankly, it is too expensive, but I also like the idea of flowing with the seasons..experiencing them rather than manipulating them. I know..I am so weird.

Nothing is worse than cooking a hot meal in a hot kitchen and serving it in a hot dining room. That is why God made salad.

Check it out.

Who isn’t going to eat that? Colorful, cool, with a variety of flavors and textures, Chopped Salad is an awesome meal to set on the table when it is too hot to cook. I always make the tortilla chips homemade, you can by them and crumble them if you like, but if it doesn’t taste as good don’t blame me.

The only secret is trying to get most of the ingredients chopped to the same size so the flavor/texture stays balanced.

Serve this with some ice cold melon or mango, or a fresh fruit sorbet and you are good to  go.

Chopped Salad

• 1 package organic baby herb salad
• 1 red onion chopped
• 1 can garbanzo beans
• 1 can dark red kidney beans
• 1 can black olives, chopped
• 1 large bell pepper, chopped
• 2 jalapenos chopped
• 2 ripe tomatoes chopped (I did not have any the day I made it for this image)
• 1 avocado, chopped (optional)
• 1 bunch of cilantro chopped
• 2 hard boiled eggs chopped
• 1/2 lb diced Monterey Jack cheese cubed (pepper Jack is awesome)
• 2 cups tortilla chips, tortillas cut into squares before frying
• Recipe Chipotle Vinaigrette

Mix all ingredients together and serve immediately. It looks better if you plate each salad individually and add the chips last but you can serve it family style in a big bowl.  Yes it is that easy! Serves 8

Chipotle Vinaigrette

• 4 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 4 tbs lime juice
• 1 tbs dijon mustard
• 1-2 tablespoons strong honey (this is always best raw and local!)
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 2 tsp chopped chipotle in adobo sauce (canned, you can find it in the ethnic section of your market)
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 2 tbs fresh cilantro, minced
• kosher salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together, check seasonings and allow to stand for 30 minutes before using. Makes about 3/4 cup.

image:marye audet (c) 2009

Post from: Baking Delights

I love Pasta Primavera.  It is light, flavorful, and really fast.  Can you ask for more? I don’t think so!  The only thing I thought it was missing is a little “bite-cha-back.  You know what I mean.

Chipotle.

This is my entry for  Presto Pasta Night.  You gotta use the freshest ingredients that you can find.  Nitrate free applewood smoked bacon, baby asparagus, the whole thing.  Fresh and fast for the best flavor- keep the vegetables crisp and serve it immediately upon mixing.  The whole thing takes less than 15 minutes.

Because I am using stronger flavors in this I am using a whole wheat angelhair pasta.  The whole wheat gives the pasta a chewy texture and enough flavor to hold up to the intense flavors.  If you are thinking of a light and romantic pasta primavera you don’t know me at all.  This is intense, passionate, and it will bite you back.

Pasta Primavera

1 lb whole wheat angel hair pasta

1/2 lb excellent bacon, chopped

1 lb asparagus, chopped and any tough ends removed

2 onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1 cup steamed baby artichokes, sliced

1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds

2 teaspoons finely chopped dried chipotle, or to taste

1/2 lb baby spinach

1/2 cup grated romano cheese

1. Cook bacon until crisp.  Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.  Pour off all but 1-2 tablespoons of bacon grease.
2. Steam the asparagus just until crip tender, and set aside.
3. Steam the artichoke and set aside.
4. Add the garlic, onion, pumpkin seeds and chipotle to the bacon pan.  Saute until the onion is tender and cooked.
5. Meanwhile, cook the pasta.  Do not over cook it!

1. Drain the pasta.  Add to the pan with the vegetables in it.
2. Add the bacon and spinach.
3. Stir the pasta, mixing in a the ingredients well.  Continue stirring over the heat just until the spinach begins to wilt.
4. Sprinkle with the Romano cheese and serve immediately with more grated cheese.

images;(c) marye audet 2009

Post from: Baking Delights

This is my entry for this weeks Presto Pasta night hosted by Haalo of  Cook Almost Anything.

One of my favorite things to experiment with is pesto.  It is just so darn good!  I like to grow different kinds of basil because each one adds a different complexity to the pesto.

Then I started experimenting with different herbs as the basic ingredients.  I found that one of my favorite spins on fresh pesto is to make it with cilantro and pecans.

Welcome to Texas.

To me the combination is fresh, rich, and delicious.  It gives it a nice twist.

Here is the recipe for the cilantro pesto.  Go ahead and make it first, that way the ingredients will mellow while you are making the rest of it.

Rotini Pasta with Mascarpone and Cilantro Pesto

• 1 pound rotini pasta or other shapes that will hold the sauce, cooked a la dente
• 8 oz mascarpone cheese
• 1/4 cup cream
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 cup pesto or more to taste
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• a few chopped cilantro leaves

1. Drain the pasta.
2. Heat the mascarpone and the cream together until very well blended and creamy.
3. Adjust seasonings.
4. Stir the pasta into the cream mixture.  Blend well so that the pasta is well coated.
5. Stir in the pesto and parmesan and toss the hot pasta so that the pesto is evenly mixed in.
6. Place on the serving platter and sprinkle with pecans, cilantro and a little more parmesan.

That’s it.  Another really simple recipe from me.  I must be getting lazy.

No worries there.  Daring Bakers is coming up. :/

images:marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights

While many of you may not think of cheese flautas as being basic they are a fantastic easier-than-you-think addition to your cooking repertoire.

They go together in minutes, nearly everyone loves them, and the filling variations are endless; cheese, cheese and chile, cheese and chicken, chicken and chile, left over beef, taco..the list is endless and can end up with such interesting variations as brie, chipotle, and pecan…or mushroom and parmesan…

You can have your own Mexican Restaurant at home.

If you aren’t hooked yet, then consider that they can be everything from an appetizer, to a snack…main course to dessert (can you imagine pecan praline flautas with cinnamon ice cream?)  There ya go..now you’re getting it!

The hardest thing about flautas is holding them together while they are frying.  There are a few ways to do it.  You can secure the rolls with toothpicks or you can hold them partially in the hot oil and wait for the heat to glue them together.  I use the latter method but I would suggest the toothpick method to use at first.

Some people use a layer of oil in the frying pan.  I prefer using the deep fryer, I think you get more consistent results.

So, here is the basic recipe. Use any variation that appeals to you.  If you have 15 minutes you have time to make these for dinner.

Cheese Flautas

8 ozs grated cheese

4 tbs canned chiles (or chipotle, or…)

12 corn tortillas

Deep fryer heated to 375F

Warm the tortillas in a microwave until they are pliable.  Keep them covered so they stay warm.  Place 1 tbs cheese and a sprinkle of the chiles down the center of the tortilla.  FOld in the ends and then roll so that the cheese is sealed inside.  Secure with toothpicks.

Repeat

*Tip: lower the basket slowly into the oil to keep them form unwrapping!

Fry a few at a time until crispy and golden.  Allow to drain, turn out on absorbent toweling and serve hot with salsa, queso, or ranch dip.

Need a bigger meal?

For a more substantial meal add Chicken Tortilla Soup , a salad, and finish with Sopapillas!

Is that all? You bet! That is it.  You can use any type of tortillas you like.  Breakfast, lunch or dinner…Slow food that is FAST!

image:marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights

I love pasta.  It is quick, cheap, easy, and filling..what more can you ask?

This is my entry for Presto Pasta.

Ruth is hosting it this week so go by her blog tomorrow and check out the awesome creations!

• 2 lbs penne pasta, cooked a la dente
• 2 pounds sweet Italian sausage, taken from the casings
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 cup chopped bell pepper
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup red wine if desired
• 1 pint homemade or organic marinara
• 1 large can Muir Glen Fire Roasted tomatoes
•   2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Fontina

Brown the sausage, onions, peppers, and garlic in the olive oil until the sausage is cooked through.  Add the marinara, wine,  and fire roasted tomatoes, as well as the mushrooms and simmer for a few minutes to allow the flavors to blend.

Preheat oven to 400

Place the penne in a casserole and pour the sauce over it,  stir to blend.  Sprinkle cheese over the top.

Bake for 20 minutes, until heated through and top is bubbly and starting to brown.

Image:marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights

Yeah. I said it. Poser.

Sometimes getting breakfast around here is a big headache.  Imagine what mornings are like with 12 people, 8 of them kids…and of those kids all of them pretty much prefer different things. Cereal is not an option..way too expensive with that many people and teenage boy appetites.

I make doughnuts, and pancakes, and french toast… sometimes when I remember the night before I make cinnamon rolls…The other morning I decided to try cinnamon rolls made with biscuit dough and…IT WORKED! AMAZING!  Cinnamon rolls in under 30 minutes.

The texture is not as light…but they are an acceptable…QUICK substitute for cinnamon rolls.

 Quick Cinnamon Rolls

• 2 c flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1tsp. baking soda
• 1Tbs sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 c cold unsalted butter

• 3/4 c buttermilk

Filling

• 1/4 c unsalted butter, melted
• 1/3 c sugar
• 2Tbs cinnamon (or more to taste)
• 1/2 c chopped nuts

Icing

• 1/4 c unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla
• enough confectioners sugar to make a good icing

Preheat oven to 375F.

Mix dry ingredients well.  Grate the chilled butter into the dry ingredients and mix up.  Add the buttermilk all at once.

Turn out on a floured surface and knead lightly until your dough is manageable.  Rol out in a rectangle.

Spread cooled melted butter over the rectangle.   Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and then the chopped nuts.  Roll up like a jelly roll and cut into 12 slices.

Place Cut side down on lightly greased cookie sheets and bake for 15 minutes, or until done.

Remove from oven.

Mix icing ingredients and frost the cinnamon rolls while still hot.  Serve warm for best texture and flavor.

12 cinnamon rolls.

Image:Marye Audet

Post from: Baking Delights

Cool picture, huh?

In Texas we don’t really eat much Mexican food. Everything is sort of a Tex-Mex blend. But there are just times that I really need to eat tex-mex. Comfort food. Cheap, quick, easy, yummy. Enchiladas are exactly that.

In Mostly Martha, Martha says that it takes a great chef to make a simple food (By the way, if you haven’t seen that move, and subtitles don’t bother you, get it immediately. Sigh. We loved it. ). This is simple food. You can make it with homemade Texas style chili, or a couple of cans of Wolf Brand. I know, I know..I am almost embarrassed to write that…but yeah…we like it with the canned chili.

I feel like I should be on one of those shows where the guest tells all their dirty secrets.

Tex-Mex Chili Cheese Enchiladas

12 corn tortillas

2 cans of chili with no beans, or 4 cups of homemade chili

1 1/2 cups grated colby, cheddar, or monterey jack cheese, or a blend

1 onion sliced and sauteed

Preheat the oven to 375F

Spread a thin coating of chili on the bottom of a 13x 9″ casserole.

Warm the tortillas so they are flexible. Warm the chili up. Dip the tortilla in the chili and scrape off the excess. Lick your fingers. Look to see if anyone is watching, then continue.

Spoon a couple of tablespoons of chili down the center of the tortilla. Roll up and lay in pan, seam side down. Repeat until you have made all the enchiladas you want or the chili is gone. Sprinkle with the cheese, then lay the onions on top. I do it this way so the kids can pick off the onions but if you don’t have that problem you can actually put the onions inside with the chili. Bake for 15 minutes, or until it is warmed through and the cheese is melted.

Serves 6

Post from: Baking Delights