Magazine Wednesday - Martha Stewart Living - Roasted Red Potatoes

I have a ton of food magazines, but Martha Stewart Living is one of my favorite magazines to find food inspirations and recipes. One thing I really love about Martha Stewart Living is the pull out recipe cards. It has been years since I started collecting them and I'm still going strong. Every time I get a new Martha Stewart Living magazine I read through the whole thing once, then remove the recipe cards and put them in a safe place. One of these recipes have become a "go to" recipe. Now, I don't need to look at the recipe card to know what to set the oven to or how long the recipe needs to be cooked...

That recipe happens to be for roasted red potatoes, which are simple to make - amazing to eat - and look great if you want to serve them at a dinner party...

Photo from Martha Stewart Living, October 2004

Roasted Red Potatoes
Martha Stewart Living, October 2004
Prep Time: 5mins Total Time: 35mins

If you prefer, use fresh thyme instead of the rosemary. Any leftover potatoes can be mashed the enxt day (the crisp pieces add unexpected cruch), or tossed with mayonnaise or dressing to make potato salad.

1½ pounds baby red ptoatoes, quartered
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
course salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 425°.
Toss potatoes, oil, and rosemary on a rimmed baking sheet.
Roast, stirring once halfway through cooking, until potatoes are golden brown and crisp outside and tender inside, about 30 minutes.

See, told you it was simple... I use all kinds of herbs for this recipe besides just rosemary... It really depends what I'm in the mood for and the herbs I'm using in other parts of the meal. The potatoes are great with Herbes de Provence instead of rosemary... I almost always add garlic to these (dried or fresh) - to taste.

I really hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have and do..

Here's to warm ovens and full bellies.
- Cait

Spotting Dinner - Fig, Goat Cheese, Prosciutto and Arugula Pizza

I've been in such a pizza mood lately. I even bought some ingredients to make pizza for myself this week. When I found eggsonsunday's Fig, Goat Cheese, Prosciutto and Arugula Pizza on TasteSpotting, I knew I'd have to show it off. It's a beautiful pizza. It would be perfect for even a dinner party (done in small versions for something elegant).

Photo from Eggs on Sunday

Fig, Goat Cheese, Prosciutto & Arugula Pizza

via Eggs on Sunday

Ingredients
1 lb pizza dough (I most often use the recipe listed here, using 2 cups AP flour + 1 cup semolina flour)
fig spread (recipe below)
4 ounces fresh goat cheese
about 2 ounces prosciutto
two generous handfuls of arugula, gently tossed with a little olive oil and coarse sea salt

Directions
Preheat the oven to 525 or 550 degrees F with a baking stone inside. Place your pizza crust on a lightly floured pizza peel (or the back of a lightly floured aluminum sheet pan). Spread some fig spread on your pizza crust, enough to coat it but not too thick. Dot with crumbled goat cheese, then slide the pizza onto the baking stone. Bake until the crust is browned and the cheese is melted, about 5-8 minutes. Take the pizza out and top with folds of prosciutto and a mound of dressed arugula.

Fig Spread

This spread is just sweet enough — more like a savory & sweet fig puree than a cloyingly sweet jam.

Ingredients
4 ounces dried black Mission figs, chopped
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine or ruby port
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar

Directions
Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and caramelized. Add the chopped dried figs, the balsamic vinegar and the red wine, scraping up any brown bits that have accumulated on the bottom of the pan. Once the wine is almost evaporated, add the water and sugar. Simmer to reduce until the water is mostly evaporated and the figs are soft. Pour the mixture into a food processor and puree to the thickness you desire (I like mine fairly smooth.) Remove and cool; store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Makes about 1 cup.

It's great that eggsonsunday includes a pizza dough recipe link in the pizza recipe. Yum. I made homemade pizza once - It was well worth the wait (waiting for the dough to rise). This pizza would be delicious with creamy fontina cheese instead of goat cheese (if you don't like goat cheese). If you're trying goat cheese for the first time (worth trying!) I'd go with a soft and creamy cheive. It's the kind of cheese I like to use for a bunch of different things.

Here's to pizza stones and warm bellies.

-Cait

Spotting Lunch - Mussels with Saffron Broth and Spinach Salad with Gorgonzola

These mussels caught my eye the other day, so I had to post them today... I love different kinds of seafood, mussels are great. I've never made them for myself before, but this recipe is something I'm going to have to try. I thought this dish would be great along with a salad. I knew the spinach salad was it when I saw it. What a wonderful lunch these two recipes would make. I found both dishes on TasteSpotting... the mussels were posted by sippitysup and the salad was posted by beloit08.

Photo from sippitysup

Mussels in Saffron and Mustard Broth
via sippitysup

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter

1/2 cup chopped shallots

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon thyme, leaves only

salt and pepper

1/3 cup Dijon mustard

2 cups dry white wine

2 big pinches saffron threads

4 lbs mussels

1/4 cup minced parsley

freshly ground black pepper

1. Melt 1 1/2 sticks of butter in a large pot over medium heat. Once the butter bubbles, but before it gets brown add shallots, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low.

2. Cook this mixture until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

3. At this point add 2 cups of a dry white wine. Bring the heat back up and let the liquid come to a boil.

4. Once it boils, bring the temperature back down to low, and reduce it for a few minutes.

5. Once a little viscosity is built in, add the saffron to the pot. Then remove the pot from the heat and cover it with a lid. You want to keep all that saffron essence inside your pot. You can also do this hours in advance, letting the broth wait at room temperature and re-heat it at serving time.

6. When you are ready to serve whisk 1/3 cup of Dijon mustard into the prepared broth. Bring this to a simmer (not a boil).

7. Add the clean and de-bearded mussels to the pan. Turn the heat up a bit, cover the pot and cook about 2 minutes, quickly remove the pan from the heat. The mussels should have opened up and look spectacular! Toss in a few tablespoons of chopped parsley and give it a good grind of black pepper.

8. Serve immediately…

Don't those mussels sound good?

Now onto the salad...

Photo from G.Turner

Spinach salad with Gorgonzola and balsamic walnut vinaigrette

By G.Turner

(serves 2, 4 if served as a side salad)
Enough spinach to fill a good-sized bowl (you know how much you want to eat)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
4 tbl crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
4 tbl extra virgin olive oil
2 tbl balsamic vinegar
kosher salt

Tear the spinach leaves and pile them in separate bowls. Divide the crumbled cheese and sprinkle liberally over the spinach. In a small skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. When it develops a slight sheen, carefully add the walnuts. Cook them until they begin to release a rich, nutty aroma (probably about 2 minutes), and the color begins to deepen. Add the balsamic vinegar and let it sizzle and reduce, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle with a couple good pinches of salt, then pour the walnuts, oil and vinegar over the spinach and cheese. Serve warm.

If you happen to drink in the afternoon... Serving this lunch with a glass of white wine would be amazing. You could go with red if you prefer, but the weather is getting warmer and I prefer cool drinks... I'd suggest serving with some freshly baked baguette. Is there a great local bread bakery in your area?

Here's to warm ovens and full bellies.

-Cait

Spotting Breakfast - Sunday Morning Waffles

Lately I've been in the mood for "sweet" breakfast foods. I love pancakes and homemade waffles. They are a real "treat" for me, probably because I don't eat them very often and usually have egg white omelets. I got a waffle iron for Christmas two years ago, and it has been a "blessing". Homemade waffles are AMAZING, so when I came across aggieskitchen's Sunday Morning Waffles I knew that would be "breakfast".

Photo from aggieskitchen

Sunday Morning Waffles
Recipe from Aggie's Kitchen

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup turbinado sugar (or regular sugar)
3 TB baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups lowfat buttermilk (can substitute lowfat milk)
3 eggs
1/3 cup applesauce
2 TB flax meal
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a bowl. Add buttermilk, eggs, applesauce and flax meal to the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Pour approximately 1/3 cup of the batter per waffle into the waffle maker and cook according to waffle maker directions.

Serve with a small bit of butter, maple syrup and fruit.


If you want to give homemade waffles a "go", try this recipe. It's simple to prepare and you probably already have most of the ingredients. If you don't, the recipe even tells you what you can substitute... For a flavored maple syrup - add a few teaspoons (to taste) of your favorite jam or preserves (not jelly) to the syrup and heat either on the stove or in the microwave.

Here's to the upcoming berry season and full bellies.
- Cait

New Hope's Second Saturday

It's that time again... April 11th is approaching - every second Saturday of the month New Hope has it's "Second Saturday" celebration.

From ilovenewhope.com
"New Hope celebrates the arts every Second Saturday of each month. From 5 - 9 pm art galleries, restaurants, and boutiques remain open late during the festive celebration. Musicians playing in the streets will put anyone in the mood to take our gallery walk in good weather conditions. During cooler months art galleries are still celebrating, inside their individual shops, with open receptions featuring some of the most talented artists from Bucks County to Istanbul Turkey. Come join us for this festive event. "

One of my favorite restaurants - Havana - is located in New Hope. There's a large outdoor bar, which has heat lamps turned on when it's cool outside. They usually have live music and some other activities going on. Checking out the art galleries and hitting up one of the restaurants (all of which are great) is worthwhile. It would definitely make for a Saturday night that's more interesting that dinner and a movie.

Here's a link to the Second Saturday map...

To visit the Second Saturday website go HERE.

For a list of restaurants and prices to expect at them go HERE.

Here's to interesting Saturday nights and full bellies.
- Cait

Spotting Dinner - Pasta Like a Rock Star

Spring produce is exciting after the cold winter months in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The freshness is welcome and long awaited and bountiful. A vegetable I most look forward to and reminds me of spring is asparagus. When I was TasteSpotting for dinner ideas I came across a pasta dish posted by thepinkpeppercorn. It utilizes there of my favorite ingredients - pasta, mushrooms, and of course asparagus!

Photo from thepinkpeppercorn

Pasta Like a Rock Star
via thepinkpeppercorn
Adapted from InStyle Magazine, creator unknown
(4-6 servings)

1-450 g package penne
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups thinly sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp dry marsala (or madeira)
1 bunch asparagus, cut to 3/4 inch pieces
1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs - flat-leaf parsley, tarragon, chives
1/2 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano
drizzle of white truffle oil (optional)

1. Bring to a boil a small pot, with 1 inch of boiling water. Add the asparagus for thirty seconds, only to blanch it briefly. Remove into a strainer, and briefly rinse with cold water just until cool. Set aside.
2. Cook the penne according to package directions, but more al dente than suggested (there is ample liquid in the sauce for it to absorb) Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water before draining.
3. Meanwhile, heat the butter and olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Once it is bubbling, add the mushrooms, and cook 5 minutes. Lower the heat, and add the shallots and garlic; cook 4-5 minutes until the shallots soften.
4. Add the wine, and cook until evaporated, 1-2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and cook until the mushrooms are tender and the pan is almost dry. Add the marsala, and salt.
5. Add the cooked penne, asparagus, reserved pasta water, chopped herbs, and parmigiano to the saucepan. Continue to cook until heated through, being careful not to overcook the pasta, but trying to have most of the liquid absorbed by it, 3-4 minutes (depending upon personal taste). Check for seasoning. Drizzle with white truffle oil, but truffle salt is nice too. Serve.

What wonderful spring flavors... If you wanted to, you could easily "beef" up this dish by adding grilled chicken breast to it. That would be perfect served outside with some cool white wine. Don't forget candles for your outdoor table. Oh what a lovely "date" night that would make. A crisp spring salad and perhaps a bowl of lemon sorbet with fresh berries would round off the meal nicely.

Here's to spring nights and full bellies.
- Cait

Spotting Lunch - Grilled Lamb Pitas

I love lamb... I don't eat it often at all (maybe once or twice a year) so it's a real treat for me. I enjoy it roasted, braised, grilled, seared... For me, it's best cooked rare - medium rare. When I was checking out TasteSpotting for a lunch inspiration I came across healthydelicious's marinated grilled lamb pita with yogurt sauce. It would make for such a perfect lunch that I actually want to make it this week.

Photo from Healthy. Delicious

Mediterranian Lamb in a Pita
via Healthy. Delicious

• 1 lb lamb leg slice (can substitute boneless chicken breast)
• 3 T olive oil
• juice from 1 lemon, divided
• oregano, marjoram and thyme
• 1 small container fat free plain Greek yogurt
• 1 cucumber, shredded
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1 tsp dill
• sea salt (optional) and cracked pepper
• 2 c romaine hearts, torn
• 12 kalamata olives, chopped
• 4 tsp crumbled feta
• red onion, sliced
• 4 pita breads

Mix together oil, 1/2 the lemon juice, oregano, marjoram, and thyme. Let lamb marinate in the mixture for a half hour.

Meanwhile, make the sauce: wrap cucumber in a paper towel and squeeze out excess water. Combine cucumber, yogurt, remaining lemon juice, garlic, dill and cracked black pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Grill lamb to your desired level of done-ness (I suggest medium-rare). Let sit for 5 minutes before slicing against the grain into thin strips. Rub each pita with a little sea salt (optional) and throw on the grill for a few seconds to warm. Top each pita with yogurt sauce, romaine, lamb, feta, olives, and onion.

This recipe is simple and looks delicious... It would be perfect on a warm spring or summer day and could be a great substitute for the traditional grilled summer burger. If your lemon is extra firm - roll it on the counter or stick it in the microwave for a few seconds to help release the juices.

Here's to spending warm spring afternoons outdoors and full bellies.

- Cait