Jackie Dodd-Mallory
Senior Editor

Creamy Butternut Soup With Pomegranate and Goat Cheese

15.10.2012 34 Comments

I’m so excited to share this with you. It is my favorite soup right now, and one of my favorite recipes so far this year.

It’s interesting to see which posts get tons and tons of traffic and which ones get ignored, because really, you never know. My highest trafficked post isn’t even in my top twenty favorites.

My most popular post, Inside Out Caramel Apples, makes me cringe a bit. Although it has been pinned about 200,000 times and shared on Facebook and Twitter thousands more, I don’t really love it. It was posted about a year ago, and there seems to be mixed results with success. As a blogger, that’s hard. I want everyone to have a home run every time they make the recipe, and that one seems to be hit or miss. I hate that. And I hate that I have no idea why it fails for some people, and works for others.

And sometimes, the recipes that I love and can’t wait to share, get ignored. You just never know what is going to be a runaway pinterest hit, and what is going to get nothing more than a passing glance.

But this soup, I LOVE this soup, and I hope you do too.

Seriously, I’m going to make it again this week.

Creamy Butternut Soup With Pomegranate and Goat Cheese

Ingredients

1 head garlic
1 tbs olive oil
1 large (or two small) butternut squash
2 shallot, minced
3 tbs olive oil
2 cup chicken broth
2 cup water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
pinch cayenne
1/2 cup cream
1 cup pomegranate seeds
3 oz crumbled goat cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425.
Cut the tip of the head of garlic, exposing the tops of the cloves. Place on a small sheet of aluminum foil, drizzle with 1 tbs olive oil. Fold foil around garlic to form a tight package.
Cut the butternut squash in half. Scoop out the seeds. Place on a baking sheet. Place garlic package on the baking sheet as well.
Roast at 425 for 25 minutes, remove the garlic and allow to cool. Continue to roast the butternut squash for an additional 20 to 30 minutes (45 to 55 minutes total) or until flesh is soft and easy to scoop out.
Scoop out flesh (should be about 5 cups) and puree in a food processor until smooth.
In a large pot or dutch oven, add the shallots and olive oil over medium heat. Caramelize the shallots over medium heat, stirring occasional, for about 10 minutes, or until a dark golden brown. Don’t cook over high heat or the shallots will burn.
Add the chicken broth, water, butternut puree, salt, pepper and cayenne. Squeeze the soft garlic head until the cloves push out (should be soft and mushy) add cloves to the soup. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and to maintain a simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
Remove from heat, add cream and stir.
Scoop into bowls, garnish with pomegranate and goat cheese.

Makes 6 servings.

Sweet Potato Beer Biscuits With Maple Sage Butter

11.10.2012 24 Comments

I didn’t grow up eating Sweet potatoes.

I never saw them on my Thanksgiving table or at Sunday dinner. They just didn’t exist in my world. Until one chilly afternoon in College when I stopped by the dorm room of a Souther friend of mine who had just pulled a Sweet potato, covered in butter and brown sugar out of the microwave. She was nuts. A Vegetable with sugar on it? I couldn’t get over how strange it was to enjoy a vegetable as if it was some kind of dessert. She offered me a bite, and my instinct to recoil was overtaken by my overwhelming curiosity. I was hooked.

I shocked at how much I love it. It was a comfort food, and it was a vegetable. Biscuits, made from scratch, are a bit the same. Although I didn’t grow up with anything other than a biscuit from a tube with a fear inducing opening method, those always seemed amazing to me. Another incredible comfort food.

And the beer isn’t just here for the novelty of it. Beer is a mild leavening agent, giving this biscuits a lighter, more tender texture. For this recipe, I like a Hefeweizen or a Pumpkin Ale.

Sweet Potato Beer Biscuits With Maple Sage Butter

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the Biscuits:

1 large sweet potato
2/3 cup beer
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
1 tbs sugar
1 stick butter cold, cut into small cubes
1 tbs melted butter

For the Butter:

3 tbs butter room temperature
1 sage leaf minced
1 tsp pure maple syrup

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425.
Pierce the sweet potato all over. Microwave on high until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool enough to work with. Remove and discard skin, add sweet potato to a bowl (should be about 3/4 cup of sweet potato mash).
Add the beer to the sweet potatoes and using a potato masher, stir and mash until completely combined.
In a bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Mix to combine.
Add the butter cubes and using your fingers or a pastry blender, rub the butter into the flour until completely combined.
Add the sweet potato beer mixture and mix until just combined.
Form dough into a ball and place on a lightly floured surface. Form into a square, about 1 1/2 inches high, and about 1 foot long. Cut into square biscuits. Place on a baking sheet covered with a Silpat or parchment paper. Brush with melted butter.
Bake at 425 for 15-18 minutes.
In a small bowl, add the maple syrup ingredients and stir until combined.
Serve biscuits warm, with maple sage butter.

Broccomole: Broccoli Guacamole

10.10.2012 145 Comments

It’s broccoli guacamole. You’re skeptical, I can tell. But this is really great, and with a creaminess that was slightly shocking, I will be making this again.

And, if you set a serving size at an ounce, as Livestrong is telling me to do, it’s only 22 calories a serving. And only about 250 calories if I eat the entire bowl, which I am prone to doing.

I love guacamole. I profess honest culinary devotion to avocados and guacamole. It is chocked full of healthy fats, vitamins, and protein. A great food that can not be improve upon. This recipe isn’t about improving guacamole. It’s a new food, a lower calorie creamy green dip that is about 1/3 the calories of that guacamole I love. But with twice the protein and less fat.

And broccoli is known cancer fighter, bone strengthener, cardiovascular health champion, bone-fide superfood and one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet. We could all stand to be a wee bit addicted to a bowl of this stuff.

And it was so tasty, I ate it for lunch. And dinner. It’s like a dip with a mission, you don’t even have to feel bad about it. You are preventing heart disease and stroke one bite at a time. Really, it’s like medicine.

This recipe was inspired by Ludo Lefebvre. While giving an interview about his book, Ludo Bites, he spoke about a Broccomole he made. This is my version.

Broccomole

Ingredients

3 cups chopped broccoli
1 jalapeno, chopped, seeds removed
2 tbs green onions
1 tsp olive oil
2 ounces fat free cream cheese (or silken tofu, goat cheese, sour cream, cashew cream, something creamy)
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 tbs cilantro
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Instructions

Cook the broccoli in lightly salted water until very soft. Overcook the broccoli in comparison to the al dente cooking that most recipes recommend.
Drain broccoli very well.
Transfer to a food processor. Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth, add additional olive oil for a smoother texture.
Serve warm

Stove Top Beer And Bacon Mac And Cheese

09.10.2012 52 Comments

I’m not a beer snob. To be honest, the term has always rubbed against the grain.

I’m a beer fan, a beer lover, a girl fascinated by beer, but I’m not a snob.

I spent years on the fringes of the music industry in LA, and the beer snobs I meet now echo those same phrases I heard then. And so do my responses.

If you loved The Killers when we saw them play free shows at The Spaceland, you should still love them when they win Grammys.

Good music, is good music. Regardless of how many, or how few, other people like it.

If you loved Rogue Dead Guy Ale when no one carried it, you should still love it when it has mass distribution.

Good beer, is good beer. Regardless of how many, or how few, other people like it.

At a beer event a few months ago I asked the rep from North Coast Brewing why he hadn’t brought any Scrimshaw, "The Beer Snobs would eat me alive if I poured that!" And then whispered to me that it was what he drank more than anything else.

Stop doing that.

Good beer is good beer. Don’t be afraid to drink what you like, even if everyone else likes it too.

In celebration of good beer, I give you my favorite one pot, quick and easy, make this for Thanksgiving, you will never make it from a box again, Mac & Cheese. Hope you still love it even when everyone else does too.

Stove Top Beer And Bacon Mac And Cheese

Print Recipe

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

2 cups elbow macaroni
4 strips of bacon cut in half
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg
2/3 cup beer pale ale, blonde, bock, and Hef work well, an IPA will give you a very strong beer flavor
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese fresh grated, pre-shreaded has additives that prevents it from melting properly
2 tbs butter
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
pinch cayenne pepper
salt to taste

Instructions

In a large pot of boiling water, add the noodles and cook until just before done. Don't over-cook the noodles or this will end up mushy.
Drain the pasta, return the pot to the stove and cook the bacon until crispy, remove from pot and allow to cool.
Drain off bacon grease and return drained noodles to the pot.
In a separate bowl, add the beer, egg and sour cream, beat until well combined.
Add the butter and the beer mixture to the noodles and return to medium heat. Stir until the butter has melted.
About 1/4 a cup at a time, add the cheese. Stir until cheese has melted before adding more.
Add the spices and chopped bacon, stir.

Join me: Facebook, Twitter

Pizza Stuffed Pretzel Rolls

08.10.2012 45 Comments

I’m going unprocessed this month. Which, as my favorite byproduct of this exercise, has pushed me out of my grocery buying comfort zone and reminded me to wander into local bakeries and specialty food stores to rely on what they have to offer. I love supporting local mom & pop shops, and even though I eat a very unprocessed diet on a regular basis, this is a great way for me to double check all of my eating habits.

When I had the idea for these stuck in my head, I wanted to make it as easy as possible for the both of us. I found out a few interesting short cuts for pizza dough. While I am working on perfecting a pizza dough recipe, I realize that good dough takes time and my pizza making cravings don’t allow me the requisite 24 hours that good dough really needs. I did learn that most pizza places will sell you raw and ready to use pizza dough if you just ask, but don’t count on them delivering. Also, look for an Italian deli, I have two really great ones in my neighborhood. They usually sell homemade pasta, home cured meats, homemade cheese AND (you guested it) raw and ready to go pizza dough. Sometimes you even get handmade recipes passed down from generation to generation shipped over from the Motherland. So much better than I could ever do myself. As much as I WANT to make everything from my own hands, even on my best day I could never top an Italian Grandmother on her worst. So, my secret to these is "store bought" dough is getting it from my local Italian deli.

You can also look at your local regular-guy markets (Trader Joe’s, Fresh & Easy, Whole Foods) if you don’t have any Italian culinary entrepreneur in your neighborhood. But it’s worth a Yelp search, just incase they flew under your radar, or call the nice folks at your local pizza restaurant to see if they will break you off a hunk of their dough.

Pizza Stuffed Pretzel Rolls

1 batch Pizza dough

1/2 cup marinara sauce

2 oz peperoni, chopped

1/2 cup cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, whatever you want)

1/4 cup baking soda

2 tbs sugar

3 tbs melted butter

course salt

Preheat oven to 350.

Start by placing the hunk of dough on a lightly floured surface.

Shape the dough into a long log. Cut into two equal halves, then cut each half in half (giving you four equal logs)

Then cut each log in half the other way

Now you have 8 pieces! Cut each piece in half and you are finally done with the cutting and you have 16 dough pieces ready to be filled.

Roll each dough piece on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin. Top with about 1 to 2 tbs sauce, 2 tbs cheese and 1 tbs pepperoni.

Wet the edges of the dough (the best way to do this is to place a small bowl of water near you and wet your fingertips) and pinch the edges tightly together.

Place on a baking sheet, covered with a Silpat.

Fill a large pot with water, making sure you have enough room for it to bubble up, but deep enough for the rolls to fit in. Add the 2 tbs sugar and allow to boil, add the baking soda (there will be lots of bubbling), add the buns (about 4 at a time) and allow to boil for about 30 seconds, remove with a large slotted spoon and return to baking sheet.

Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse salt.

Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or until a dark golden brown.

*Note: if you want to freeze these, allow to cool, place in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 weeks. To re-heat, bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until cooked though.

Triple Berry Blueberry Beer Cobbler

04.10.2012 18 Comments

You inspire me. You really do. One of my favorite moments of my day is reading emails from you, those of you who read my blog and like what I’m doing.

And sometimes,the emails have a common theme. A thread that runs through out the world, across the internet, and remind me of how we are all connected, in one way or another, and more similar than we all think.

In the past month I’ve received four emails from all over the world about blueberry beer. Not so much along the avenue of, "I love this, you MUST try it!" but more in the vein of, "This is interesting, but not totally drinkable, what do I do with it?"

And to be honest, I feel the same way. At a beer event six months ago, an overly zealous beer server shoved a glass of Shipyards Smashed Blueberry into my hand. And, as one who will never let a beer go untasted, I began to drink. It was interesting. The presence of blueberry with bready, toasty notes that where really well balanced. It wanted to love it, but it just wasn’t for me. It’s a great example of a blueberry beer, one that you should go out and drink, if fruit beers are your thing, but just not for me. Even still, it stayed with me, because in my world there is a different place for cooking beers. And this was a great cooking beer. One that I believe in, in theory, a well crafted beer with great flavors, but one that I wasn’t eager to run home and drink.

So here we are, me and you, with blueberry beers that we find interesting but not necessarily ones we want to fill our glasses with.

So here is what I propose: an easy berry cobbler made with this intriguing beer. And here are some great ones to go out and try:

SLO Brewing Blueberry

Dark Horse Tres Blueberry Beer

Bluepoint Blueberry Ale

Shipyard Smashed Blueberry

Triple Berry Blueberry Beer Cobbler

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Six cups of berries I used 2 cups each blackberries, strawberrries, and blueberries Frozen is fine
1/2 cup brown sugar plus 2 tbs divided
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tbs corn starch
1 1/2 cups blueberry beer
2 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
12 tbs butter 1 1/2 sticks cut into small cubes
1/2 cup beer
1/4 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tbs beer

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450.
In a pot over medium high heat, add 4 cups berries (reserve 2 cups mixed berries for the end), 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, corn starch and beer. Allow to simmer until reduced and thickened, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
Remove from heat, add reserved 2 cups of berries, stir to combine. Add to a deep dish pie pan.
In a bowl, add 2 tbs brown sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and stir to combine.
Add the butter, rub into the flour until well combined and resembles course meal.
Add the milk and 1/2 cup beer, stir until combined.
Gently add the flour topping, a bit at a time, to the pie pan until the berries are covered.
Bake at 450 until the topping has turned a light golden brown, about 18 minutes.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the cream, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 2 tbs beer. Whip on high until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes.
Serve the cobbler topped with whipped cream.

Kale Caesar with Goat Gouda, Avocados and Homemade Croutons

03.10.2012 12 Comments

A few weeks ago I was invited to the opening of Messhall in Los Angeles to partake in an amazing media dinner. I was stuffed with steak tartare tacos, lobster mac n cheese, incredibly memorably cheese grits, the best pork chop of my life and a kale caesar salad I can’t stop thinking about. I was fortunate enough to accompany the incredibly dashing Greg Henry of Sippity Sup, sit with a small group of food writers, publicists, bloggers and magazine editors on the patio of the iconic space that once housed The Brown Derby. a Los Angeles landmark turned into the hip new Mess Hall with a summer camp chic vibe and a menu that is both familiar and vibrantly new.

Although all the food was memorable (how can I forget corn on the cob with smoked tomato butter?), there was something about that salad that I couldn’t stop thinking about. The simplicity and perfectly balanced flavors, how the kale was such an improvement over Romaine, how had I never thought of this?

Even weeks later, when a waiter at a different Los Angeles restaurant attempted to talk me into ordering the kale salad at his place, I had to mention to him the perfection of Mess Hall salad.

So here is my version, a Kale Caesar with Goat Gouda, Avocados and Homemade Croutons. But if you’re in Los Angeles, stop by Messhall for the real thing.

Kale Caesar with Goat Gouda, Avocados and Homemade Croutons

Ingredients

1 egg
3 tbs lemon juice
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp anchovy paste
1/2 cup parmesan
1/2 tsp black pepper
3/4 cup canola oil
2 cups dry crusty bread, cut into cubes
2 tbs butter
1 head of kale, chopped into thin ribbon
1 large beefsteak tomato, chopped
1 large avocado, chopped
salt and pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated goat gouda

Instructions

In a food processor, add the egg, lemon juice, garlic, Worcestershire, red pepper, mustard, anchovy, black pepper and parmesan. Allow to process until frothy. Add the oil to a microwave safe bowl, microwave for 1 minute or until very hot and steamy. While the food processor is running, very, very slowly add the oil and continue to process until dressing has emulsified, about 3 minutes. Place the dressing in a container with a lid and refrigerator until chilled, about 1 hour (can be made up to 3 days ahead of time).
If the bread you are using for croutons is fresh, place on a baking sheet and dry out in a 250 oven for 10 minutes.
In a skillet over medium high heat, melt the butter. Add the prepared bread cubes and cook, tossing occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes.
In a bowl, add the kale, tomato and avocado. Add the dressing and toss to coat, salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with goat gouda and croutons.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

(I was provided with a delicious free dinner & cocktails from Messhall,

however I was not monetarily compensated for this review.

All ideas and opinions are my own.)

How To: Make Corn Tortillas From Scratch

02.10.2012 15 Comments

Homemade corn tortillas are one of the perfect food trifectas: easy, cheap & delicious.

SO much better than anything you have ever found at on a store shelf, takes about 5 minutes, and only a few cents each.

This needs to be added to your "To Make" list. Right now.

Check out the step by step guest post I did for Andrew of Eating Rules, and sign up for the pledge if you get a chance!

Get the recipe here!

Beer Braised Chicken and Hefeweizen Cornmeal Dumpling Soup

02.10.2012 6 Comments

Although most of you are starting to pull out those wool sweaters you neatly packed away a few months ago, here in Los Angeles we are in the throws of a record heat wave that drug us into 108 degree heat yesterday. While most of the sane people of LA stayed indoors and avoided the oven, I spent the morning interviewing ex-cons turn foodies, and then came home and made soup.

Like i’ve mentioned before, my inherent rebellion pushes me to buck tradition and even reason. I drink stouts in the summer, eat ice cream in the winter and make soup in triple digit heat.

Beer Braised Chicken and Hefeweizen Cornmeal Dumpling Soup

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For The Soup

4 tbs butter
4 boneless skinless chicken thigh fillets cup into bite sized peices
3 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup white onions chopped
1/2 cup celery chopped
1/2 cup carrots chopped
1 cup sweet white corn kernels fresh is best, frozen is acceptable, canned is disgusting
2 cups Hefeweizen Beer
2 cups chicken broth
2 tbs flour
1/4 cup cream

For The Dumplings

1/2 cup Masa Harina corn flour used to make corn tortillas
1/2 cup fine ground corn meal
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 tbs butter cut into small cubes
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup Hefeweizen beer

Instructions

In a large pot with a lid, like a dutch oven or enamel cast iron pot, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook until seared on all sides, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, onions, celery, carrots and corn, stir. Add the beer and broth, stir. Allow to simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the pot and whisk until combined. Remove from heat and slowly add the cream while stiring. Return to medium/low heat.
In a large bowl, add the masa, cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and rosemary, stir to combine. Add the butter and rub into the flour with your fingers until completely combined.
Add the milk and hefeweizen and stir until combined. You don't want the dough too thin or it will fall apart during cooking, you want a biscuit like consistency.
Drop mounds of dough, about 3 tbs in size, equally spaced on top of the pot until all dough has been used. Cover the pot and cook on low heat until the tops of the dumplings are dry, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

01.10.2012 16 Comments

I spent the morning interviewing ex-cons.

For them, the employees of Homeboy Industries, it’s a second chance and fresh start. A non-profit that works with gang members, fresh out of jail, provides culinary training, GED prep, job placement, parenting skills and so much more. "It’s like a big family, but everyone believes in you." Said one guy, back for a second chance at his second chance.

But sitting at the front of the Homegirl Cafe, interviewing and photographing the employees, it felt like a second chance and fresh start for me too. I was hired to write an article about food. Paid to go there, talk to people and take photos. A rare opportunity it seems for me to bulldog my way into this food writing world that I’ve been fighting so hard to be a part of. An article I hope to do justice to, undoubtably spending the better part of the next week working on.

So here we are. Me and them. My transformation so much less dramatic, so much less important to my survival. They inspire me. When I asked the man I met, the one who is back for his second time and only 3 days out of jail, how he is going to do things different this time around, he shrugs, "I’m just going to keep showing up. That’s all."

I think he’s on to something there.

Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

1 1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into cubes
2/3 cups white sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup bread flour
2/3 cup cake flour
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Makes 2 dozen

Instructions

In a pot over medium high heat, add the butter. Stir until butter has melted. Continue to cook, swirling the pot continuously, until the butter has turned an amber brown color and remove from heat. This will take about 5 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature.
In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and the sugar. Add the vanilla and the browned butter, stir until combined.
In a separate bowl add the remaining ingredients and stir until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined, don’t over mix.
Line two baking sheets with a Silpat or parchment paper.
Form dough into balls a bit larger than a golf ball. Place on the baking sheets.
Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, and up to 24.
Preheat oven to 350. Bake for about 18 minutes or until light golden brown. Keep an eye on your cookies at about the 12 minutes mark. Cookies that aren’t as chilled will cook much faster.

Pumpkin Ale Cheesecake with Beer Pecan Caramel Sauce

27.09.2012 54 Comments

I conducted a very non-sientiffic study on my Facebook page about pumpkin beer. To be honest with you, I have always been a touch hesitant of fruit flavored beer. And although pumpkin is a squash, therefore not a fruit, it seems to fall under the same umbrella in my mind since I make pies out of them.

But I love nothing more than trying new and exotic beers. And I always want input and feedback from other craft beer fans. So, my very un-scientific study yielded the final conclusion: based only on comments and likes, I want to search the town for the following Pumpkin Beers for another non-scientific Beer Tasting Study:

Dogfish Head, Pumpkin

Avery, Rumpkin

St Arnold, Pumpkinator

Southern Tier, Pumpking

If you have any suggestions, please chime in. I’m looking to expand the reach of my non-scientific study.

Pumpkin Ale Cheesecake with Beer Pecan Caramel Sauce

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For The Cheesecake

9 standard sized graham crackers
2 tbs brown sugar
4 tbs melted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
16 oz cream cheese softened
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup pumpkin ale
1/4 cup plus 2 tbs flour

For The Caramel Sauce

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup pumpkin beer
1/4 cup corn syrup
1 tbs butter
1/4 cup cream
1/3 cup pecans

Instructions

In a food processor add the graham crackers and brown sugar, process until only crumbs are left. While the food processor is still running, add the melted butter and process until it resembles wet sand. Dump into the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan. Press into the bottom until well compacted.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the brown sugar, white sugar and cream cheese. Mix until well combined. One at a time, add the eggs and vanilla, mixing until well combined, scraping the bottom, before adding more.
Add the pumpkin puree, cinnamon nutmeg and salt, mix until very well combined.
Add the beer and stir until combined.
Sprinkle the flour over the bowl, stir on medium speed until just combined.
Pour over the crust.
Bake at 350 for about one hour or until the center no longer jiggles when you shake the rack the cheesecake sits on, it will still look wet in the center. The secret to a great cheesecake is not to over bake it, it's better to slightly under bake it for a smooth mousse like texture.
Chill until set, about 3 hours.
To make the caramel sauce, add the sugar, beer and corn syrup to a pot and stir over medium high heat for about 1 minute. Stop stirring and allow to boil, untouched, until it turns an amber color, about 10 minutes (230 on a candy thermometer). Add the butter and cream, stir until combined. Add the pecans and stir. Allow to cool to approximately room temperature before serving over chilled cheesecake.

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cups

26.09.2012 33 Comments

I’ve got a bone to pick with Reeses. First, they make the only store bought candy that I can’t stop eating. The only Halloween treat I’m actually tempted to eat in bulk.

But my real issue is with their so called Peanut Butter Cup Pumpkins.

On first glance this Halloween treat seems like it contains, or at least tastes like, pumpkin. Which lures me into breaking my self imposed ban on store bought candy only to be left with the realization that the only thing Pumpkin about it, is the shape.

So I give to you the exact opposite. An Unprocessed, homemade treat that is not shaped like a pumpkin but contains real life, home roasted pumpkin.

If you want to make it a touch easier, you can combine canned pumpkin pie filling with peanut butter until it tastes right to you, but I like to roast my pumpkins myself. I just love real life produce that much, I pledge my allegiance to the framer and not the factory.

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients

2 cups dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 tbs honey
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

(you will also need mini muffin tins and mini muffin papers)

Instructions

In a microwave safe bowl, add the chocolate. Microwave on high for 20 seconds, stir and repeat until melted. Line a mini muffin tin with mini muffin papers. Add about 1 1/2 tsp of melted chocolate to each paper. Using the back of a spoon, gently "paint" the chocolate up the sides of the papers, making sure to leave enough on the bottom for a sturdy base.
Place muffin tin in the refrigerator, chill until set, about ten minutes.
Place the remaining ingredients in a bowl and stir until well combined. (Taste filling, add more honey for a sweeter filling.)
Once the chocolate has set, add a small amount to the middle of the cups, making sure to avoid the top edges.
Remelt chocolate if necessary.
Top the muffin papers with melted chocolate, tap the muffin tin lightly on the counter to evenly distribute chocolate. Make sure the pumpkin filling is completely covered.
Chill until set, about 10 minutes.

Makes about 2 dozen.

Pumpkin Ale Waffles & How To Roast A Pumpkin

25.09.2012 33 Comments

Although most of you are in the giddy early stages of fall, here in Los Angeles it’s still over 90 degrees. So what the rest of the country is referring to as "Fall," I am calling Pumpkin Season. And to curb my near constant urge to shove as much pumpkin into everything I consume, I have elected to only make pumpkin from scratch, no cans.

It’s only really helped a little. It’s pretty easy to roast a pumpkin and turn it into massive quantities of pumpkin treats.

If you haven’t roasted your own, don’t be intimidated, its pretty simple.

Start with a pie pumpkin. They go by various other names, but they are not Jack-o-Lantern pumpkins used for carving. They are small, about the size of a cantaloupe.

Preheat oven to 375.

Remove the stem by running a butter knife around the edges and then prying it off. The most stubborn one I removed by whacking it on the edge of the counter. Popped right off.

Cut the pumpkin in half, right through the hole left by the stem.

Scoop the seeds out with a spoon.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place pumpkins on baking sheets, cover tightly with aluminum foil. Roast at 375 for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until a fork can easily slide into the skin.

Allow to cool and sccop the flesh out.

For a smoother texture, process in a food processor for about 3 minutes.

See, that’s not so hard. You can totally do that.

Pumpkin Ale Waffles

Print Recipe

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
4 eggs divided
1/2 cup milk
2/3 cup pumpkin puree
1 stick melted butter
1 cup Pumpkin Ale

(Makes 6 to 8)

Instructions

Preheat waffle iron.
Get out three bowls.
In the largest bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking power, baking soda, salt, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon, stir until well combined.
Divide the eggs between the last two bowls, egg whites in one, yolks in the other.
In the yolks bowl, add the milk and pumpkin puree, stir until well combined. Add the melted butter and stir.
Using a hand mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, about 4 minutes.
Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry mixture and stir until just combined, don't over mix. Add the beer and stir until combined. Gently fold in the egg whites.
Spray waffle iron with butter flavored cooking spray. Cook waffles according to manufactures directions.

Skinny Baked Potato Soup 210 Calories

24.09.2012 21 Comments

Raise your hand if you ate way to much this weekend.

I finally found pie pumpkins in my city wide search and participated in hours of pumpkin glutton. Those posts will be up later, but I needed a bit of a pumpkin detox before jumping back in for more. I have no plans to stop my fall pumpkin worship, but I needed a break.

I am also preparing for October Unprocessed. Have you taken the challenge? I signed up. Andrew of Eating Rules has asked if we could all go just one month without eating processed foods. I did it last year and found that it was both easier and more challenging that I had thought. What is processed food? That’s quite the debate, but it gets you thinking. It was, more than anything, a great reminder to read every single label on every single package I buy. Why am I buying a jam with ingredients I don’t recognize when I can just buy the one with only two: Strawberries, sugar.

Why don’t I just buy my bread from the baker down the street, with his 4 ingredients rather than the package from across the country with 17 ingredients?

More produce, less cans, no Doritos. You can do it.

There is no fixed answer to the question, "What is unprocessed?" but the simple answer is: do you have (or could you have) all of those ingredients in your kitchen and could a person reasonably make it themselves.

For instance, I have lots of friends who are home brewers and they make beer themselves. So that makes beer OK to have, it passes the Kitchen Test. If you could reasonably assume you COULD make it, it’s OK.

However, I have no idea how to pronounce half of the ingredients in Oreos, I don’t have those in my kitchen, I could not make that product, with those exact ingredients, so sorry, no Oreos for me. For more in depth answer to the questions, you can read this.

The best thing about this challenge, is that it gets us thinking. About what we eat, who we "vote for" with the dollars we spend, and what we are training our bodies to crave.

And if you can’t go a month with eating just real whole food, then why not? Why is that hard for you?

I encourage you sign up, even if you know you can’t be perfect. Can you do Unprocessed Wednesday Night Dinners? Sign up and give it a try. It will get you thinking about what you’re eating, and what you are feeding your family.

This soup recipe could even be debated (although it is not yet October). While some ingredients easily pass the kitchen test, it reminds you to read the labels on the brands of sour cream and cheese you buy. Some will only have three or four easily recognized ingredients while some brands will have several more. It’s just about being mindful of what you buy.

Skinny Baked Potato Soup 210 Calories

Ingredients

1 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 leek, chopped (only white and light green part)
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups fat free chicken broth
4 cups cauliflower, chopped
1 large russet potato, peeled and chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 cup milk

Garnishes:

1/2 cup light sour cream
1/4 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese, 1 large tomato, chopped
1/2 cup green onion or chives, chopped

(Makes 4 servings)

Instructions

In a pot over medium high heat, add the leeks and onions, cook until softened, stirring frequently. Add garlic and stir. Add the chicken broth, potatoes, and cauliflower and allow to boil until vegetables are softened, about 15 minutes.
Remove from heat. Using an immersion blender or a food processor, puree until smooth. Stir in the spices and milk, return to heat and allow to simmer until thickened to desired consistency (the longer you simmer, the thicker the soup will become).
Divide among 4 bowls, top each one with 2 tbs sour cream and stir. Top with remaining garnishes and serve.

DIY Glow In The Dark Halloween Ghost Craft

21.09.2012 19 Comments

DIY Glow In The Dark Halloween Ghost Craft

Maybe you don’t know this, but the first post I ever did for this blog was a craft post on how to make Homemade Paper Lanterns. It wasn’t too much longer that I was sucked into the food blog scene and haven’t really looked back.

I do still love to get my crafting hands dirty, and this little DIY is so easy, I hope you forgive me for my break from those food posts I love so much.

Make a dozen or so to hang from your trees on Halloween, they turned out a little creepy in the best way.

Materials (for 1 ghost):

1 large clear plastic christmas ornament (I found this at Michael’s Arts & Crafts for $1)

1 to 3 glow sticks (or glow necklaces) that are small enough to fit inside the ornament

Round black felt stickers, or black felt cut into cricles

6 feet of cheese cloth (most grocery stores sell this in the baking section)

Remove the metal top from the ornament. Place the glow sticks inside (but wait until dark to break the glow stick). I found that two or three work better once its dark.

Replace the metal top.

Add the black felt stickers (or cut out circles and glue them) to the ornament to resemble eyes.

Cut the cheese cloth into 2 foot strips. You can also cut it into various lengths to add a bit of dimension.

Layer the cloth over the ornament and push the metal ring through the cloth.

DONE!

That’s it, takes about 5 minutes.

Here is day time creepy ghost:

And night time creepy ghost.

Beer Pretzel Bread Bowls & Oktoberfest

20.09.2012 20 Comments

Although Oktoberfest has morphed into a festival of beer, it began as a celebration of a royal wedding more than 200 years ago. It starts in September, last for 16 days and ends on the first Sunday in October.

I can assume that most of you won’t be making it to Munich to participate in the festivities at the celebrations birth place. But, if you want to throw yourself your own little Oktoberfest, I have some facts for you that can help you celebrate in a more authentic fashion than those American street fairs in late October with macro beer and sorifity girls in period inaccurate midriff baring wardrobes.

First, you’ll need some local beer, Oktoberfest only serves beer brewed in the Munich city limits. Follow suit and find the breweries closest to your own home, or talk that home brewer you know into making you a batch, those guys are always up for sharing.

Second, learn the opening salute. For the past 60 years the celebration has been kicked off by the mayor of Munich yelling, "O' zapft ist!" (it’s tapped!) after the very first keg of Oktoberfest beer has been tapped.

Make fun of people who can’t hold their liquor. Really, this is always a good idea, but at the festivals in Munich, those who get too drunk and pass out are teased with the label "Bierleichen" (beer corps). Please, know your limits.

Traditional foods include: Roast pork, sausages, pretzels, potato dumplings, cheese noodles, potato pancakes, sauerkraut, and spiced cheese-butter spread.

Although not technically a traditional Oktoberfest food, beer cheese soup has made it’s way onto Oktoberfest menus all over the word. Throw in some sausage and sauerkraut and serve it in a pretzel bread bowl to make it a little more credible.

Beer Pretzel Bread Bowls & Oktoberfest

Print Recipe

Ingredients

3 cups bread flour
1 packet of dry active yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 1/4 cup wheat beer
2 tbs olive oil
water
1/3 cup baking soda
3 tbs melted butter
2 tbs coarse salt

Instructions

(Makes 4 bread bowls or 8 dinner rolls. Bread bowls are fairly small and only hold about a cup of soup each.)

Add flour, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachement. Stir to combine.
In a microwave safe bowl, add the beer. Microwave for 20 seconds, test temperature and repeat until the beer reaches 110 degrees (if the beer is too hot, it will kill the yeast). Sprinkle the beer with the yeast and wait for it to foam (this is called proofing the yeast, if it doesn't foam the yeast is bad).
Pour the beer into the bowl and stir at a low speed until well combined, turn the speed up to medium until the dough gathers around the hook and is smooth.
Oil a large bowl with olive oil. Remove the dough from the mixer, form into a ball and place in prepared bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to sit in a warm, dry area until doubled in size, about 40 minutes.
Remove the dough from the bowl, knead on a light flowed surface until smooth, about 2 minutes. Break into 4 equal pieces (you can also make 8 dinner roll size portions) form into balls. Cover balls with plastic wrap, allow to sit until doubled in size, about 20 mintes.
Preheat oven to 375.
Fill a large pot with water, making sure there is room for it bubble up without spilling over, but deep enough for the large dough balls. Bring water to a boil, add the baking soda. Cut an X into the top of each bread ball. Place gently in the baking soda water and cook, turning once, for about 30 seconds. Remove from water and place on a baking sheet covered with a Silpat, or sprayed with cooking spray, cut side up. Repeat for all bread balls.
Brush liberally with melted butter, sprinkle with salt.
Bake at 375 for 25 minutes, or until a dark golden brown in color.

Crab Cake Eggs Benedict with Bacon Hollandaise

19.09.2012 16 Comments

I think we know each other well enough by now that I don’t have to try and pretend. If a dish is easy, I’ll tell you. If it’s quick, I’ll tell you. If it’s healthy, I’ll tell you.

This is none of those things. It is, however, worth the effort. It’s a special occasion breakfast to keep in your back pocket, for, you know, if Bradley Cooper stops by for breakfast. It could happen.

It’s actually not that difficult. Although, I do hesitate to say that since my "not that difficult" is someone else’s "Oh my GOD, is she nuts??"

But really, you can do this. I even gave you a food processor version of a hollandaise, which is SUPER easy, you don’t even have to worry about turning your sauce into scrabbled eggs, which is what I did the first time I tried to make it the traditional way.

If you want to make this in stages, you can assemble the crab cakes ahead of time, put them on a plate, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then cook the following day. You can also make the sauce ahead of time, and then reheat slowly in a double boiler. You can EVEN replace the poached eggs with fried eggs to make it even easier. But really, it’s not that difficult.

And I believe in you.

I think all food people have a small stash of items that we buy at Gourmet Food Stores that we save for special recipes. Spices, the good salt in those fancy containers, crab meat, things like that. This is a recipe I found worthy of breaking into my Gourmet Food Store stash. Rare for a breakfast recipe, but this one made the cut.

Crab Cake Eggs Benedict with Bacon Hollandaise

Ingredients

For The Crab Cakes:

1 egg
2 tbs green onions, chopped
1/4 cup roasted red pepper, chopped
1 tbs melted butter
8 oz lump crab meat
1 cup Panko bread crumbs, plus one cup divided
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
pinch cayenne
1/4 tsp Old Bay seasoning

For the Hollandaise:

4 strips bacon
4 tbs butter
4 egg yolks
2 tbs lemon
pinch cayenne
4 eggs (for poaching)

Makes 4 servings

Instructions

Combine all the crab cake ingredients in a bowl (reserving one cup of Panko for the coating). Form into 4 patties, about 1 inch thick. Place remaining Panko in a bowl. One at a time, place the patties in the Panko and press until well coated on all sides with bread crumbs. Place on a plate and refrigerate until ready to use.
In a pan over medium high heat, cook the bacon, turing frequently, until crispy and cooked trough. Remove the bacon and set aside. Once the bacon is removed, add the crab cakes to the pan, cooking in the bacon grease until golden brown on the underside, flip carefully and cook on the other side until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from heat.
In a food processor, add the bacon, process until only crumbs are left. Add the egg yolks and process for about 3 minutes. Melt the butter in a pot on the stove (or in the microwave) until hot and steaming. While the food processor is running, slowly, slowly add the butter until well combined with the yolks. Add the lemon and the cayenne, process until combined. If your sauce is too thick, add water to thin, about a teaspoon at a time.
Poach the eggs in simmering water.
Place one crab cake on each plate, top with poached egg, then sauce.