Weekly Menu 11/30 - 12/05/09

We are home from our extended Thanksgiving vacation. We drove down to Memphis to visit my parents. We decided to take some extra time to drive there & follow the Mississippi on smaller roads rather than drive the direct route. We also decided to avoid the typical road trips food stops like McDonalds, Culvers & such as much as possible.

Lunch in LaCrosse was at the Hungry Peddler (it was hard to find anything but bars in downtown LaCrosse). We had a fantastic & huge lunch here for very little money. Gotta stop for Wisconsin cheese curds to snack on in the car. Sunset over the Iowa farmlands.

We had an amazing Vietnamese dinner at the Pasteur Restaurant in Moline, IL. We ended up here thanks to recommendations on Urban Spoon & Yelp. The kind of neighborhood place where the owner greets everyone & knows if you are new to the restaurant. He is very proud of the food they cook & quick to tell you they don't use any MSG & make all their sauces from scratch. One of the best Vietnamese meals we've had.


Scenes from Muscatine, IA where you can apparently get fried bologna sandwiches at Hardee's.


In St Louis, we had boiled peanuts & barbecue at Bandanas. The next morning we drove through the city to see the arch & the Budweiser Plant.

In Memphis, we mainly ate home-cooked meals at my parents but Matt did try some Zapp's Voodoo Gumbo Chips & we had some great seafood at Pearl's Oyster House for lunch on Friday. We were also treated to a beautiful sunset over the Mississippi on Thanksgiving.
We ate at a few other special places we'll highlight in later posts.

On to Menu Planning Monday....

Ancho Pork and Hominy Soup

Maple Roast Chicken & Squash

Spanish Spaghetti

Roast Vegetables & Goat Cheese over Couscous

Chicken Lentil Stew

Turkey Cabbage Rolls

Matt is making Corn & Sausage Chowder & a Clam Chowder for lunches this week. This week's Christmas cookie will be a Brown Butter Sugar Cookie.

Don't forget to enter our Thanksgiving giveaway which ends on Thursday, Dec. 3! Also We are featured in 20 Questions on Refrigerator Soup this week, read all about us here.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

A Good Appetite Christmas List

Looking for some ideas for what to get the cooks on your list for Christmas? Here are a few favorite things from our kitchen as well as a few things that are on Christmas list.

	Krups Electric Kettle - I learned the joys of an electric kettle while vacationing in northern England over New Years. The boiler went out in our rented house & the only hot water we had for anything including bathing came from our electric kettle. Believe me we can to appreciate how fast this kettle bring water to a boil! This works so much faster than a kettle on a stove.
	Kyocera Wide Julienne Slicer - We got one of these for Christmas last year & absolutely love it. We do have a full on mandolin but find this so much easier to use & there is less to clean-up. It comes in so handy for those summer coleslaws.
	Salt & Pepper Mill Ball Set - This is on my wish list this year. We have salt & pepper grinders but I really wanted a ones that could be used with just one hand. So often I'm trying to season a piece of raw meat & have to keep running back & forth to the sink to wash my hands. With these I can have one hand to flip the meat & another to grind the seasoning.
	Crockpot 6-Quart Round Slow Cooker, White - I never thought I would use a slow cooker as much as we do. It's such a lifesaver on busy days.
	Le Creuset Round French Oven - This is the most expensive item on this list but it is our go to pot. It's perfect for soups & stews on the stove but you can also use it to braise or bake in the oven.
	Silpat Nonstick Silicone Baking Mat - Forget greasing your pans when you've got these pads! I use mine to move my bread from the counter to the baking stone since it can stand the heat. They also make clean up easier.

Next Saturday I'll tell you which cookbooks are on our wish lists.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.

© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

8 Weeks of Cookies - Hazelnut Cinnamon Crescents

This is another cookie from the latest issue of Bon Appetit. I'm attracted to this type of cookie, very buttery and not overly sweet.

This dough comes together quickly in a food processor and the cookies are easy to shape so they aren't too time consuming. I realized after I tried one that it is basically a Mexican wedding cookie or Russian tea cake just made with hazelnuts instead of almonds or walnuts. Next time I make them I will add more cinnamon (maybe even double the amount) since I don't feel like you can taste the flavor of it at all which seems strange for a cookie with cinnamon in its name. Not to say I don't like them this way, I did eat 5 before they got packaged up for the freezer!

Hazelnut Cinnamon Crescents
(from Bon Appetit Dec '09)

4 oz hazelnuts
1 1/2 c powdered sugar, divided
1/4 t salt
8 oz unsalted butter, room temperature
1 t almond extract
1/4 t cinnamon
2 c all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Place hazelnuts on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes until golden brown. Place hazelnuts into a clean dish towel & rub to remove any loose skin, don't worry about removing all of it. (If your hazelnuts are already toasted skip this whole step.)

Place the nuts, 1/2 c powdered sugar & salt into a food processor. Pulse on & off until the nuts are finely ground. Add the butter a little at a time, processing to blend with each addition. Add the almond extract & blend. Add the cinnamon & about 1/4 of the flour & blend. Continuing adding the flour a little at a time. Blend until the dough comes together. Remove the dough from the food processor. Form into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap & chill for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon pads.

Scoop the dough into 1 tablespoon size balls. Roll the balls out to logs about 2 1/2-inches long, slightly tapering them at each end. Shape into crescents. Place on baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Bake for 20 minutes until puffed & beginning to brown. Sift remaining powdered sugar over hot cookies (you may not need the whole remaining cup.) Let cookies cool completely in the baking sheets then roll in the excess powder on the sheets.

Makes about 40 cookies
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8 Weeks of Cookies 2009

Chocolate Chunk & Hazelnut Biscotti

Salted Chocolate Covered Caramel Cookies

Chocolate & Peppermint Covered Shortbread

8 Weeks of Cookies 2008 (somehow I ended up with 9 weeks)

Anise Mandelbrot

Candy Cane Cookies

Apricot Foldover Cookies
Swedish Peppernut Cookies

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies
Chocolate Truffle Cookies

Pfeffernusse & Chocolate Covered Pfeffernusse
Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies

Sacher Bites

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

Handmade for the Holidays

Why not avoid all the Thanksgiving weekend shopping madness & buy handmade this holiday season? HandmadeMN, a collective of Minnesota crafters & artists, are having a sale on Etsy this weekend. Over 50 stores are part of the sale and you can find accessories, art, bags, bath & body products, children's gifts, housewares, jewelry and vintage items.

Everything in my store, The Snuggery, will be 10% off Friday through Monday.

Visit HandmadeMN for a list of all the participating shops.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

A Thanksgiving Giveaway

Thanksgiving is the season to remember all the things you are thankful for. Matt & I are thankful for all of you who spend a little time with us reading this blog & especially those of you who take the time to comment. As a way of saying thanks we would like to share part of this year's harvest with one of you. Here's what the prize package contains...

Spiced Honey, Black Forest Preserves, Pickled Jalapenos, Zucchini Pickles, Zesty Zucchini Relish, Corn Relish, Hot Pepper Jelly and Port Wine Jelly. All of which will come packed in a zippered cotton tote bag made by me, perfect for farmers' markets trips!

To be entered in the drawing to win leave a comment on this post. Please, please, please leave an email where we can contact you. A random winner will be picked on Thursday, December 3rd. Sorry, we can only ship to the US or Canada.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

Prosciutto Wrapped Tenderloin with Apples and Brussel Sprout

This is one of those simply fabulous meals. It's super simple to make yet the finished dish looks & tastes fabulous.

Matt has a pork tenderloin wrapped in prosciutto when he ate at One Market in San Francisco & wanted to try making it at home. I had some brussel sprouts I wanted to use up & Matt wanted to cook apple with the pork so we just did both together. The brussel sprouts & apples were great together especially because the apples got all caramelized. Their flavor really complimented the pork as well.

Prosciutto Wrapped Tenderloin with Apples Brussel Sprouts

1 pork tenderloin
6 slices prosciutto
2 c brussel sprouts, if large cut in half
2 apples, peeled, cored & cubed
olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Wrap the prosciutto around the pork & lay carefully in a roasting pan. Coat the brussel sprouts and apples with a little olive oil & put in the roasting pan around the pork. Roast for 30 - 35 minutes until pork is done & the vegetables are brown.

4 servings

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

Corn and Pepper Soup

Matt has a list of soups to make for lunches this winter so we won't get bored having the same ones over and over again. This was a soup he found of Elly Says Opa. I can see why it made it to his list since the Southwestern flavors always seem to appeal to him

I was a little worried I wouldn't care for this soup especially with how strong the smell of peppers was while he was cooking it. In the end we both really liked it. The flavors were really great together & I especially liked the sweetness of the corn (we used MN sweet corn I froze this summer). Matt added a little extra hot sauce to his before eating while I added a scoop of yogurt, I liked the tanginess it added.

Matt stuck pretty close to the original recipe though he added some water.

Corn and Pepper Soup

2 T unsalted butter
1/2 medium onion chopped
2 poblano peppers, seeded & chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded & chopped
1 red pepper, seeded & chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t cumin
1/2 t oregano
1/2 ancho chile powder
2 c corn, divided
1 c water
2 c chicken stock
1 c milk
1/4 c masa

In a large soup pot melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and peppers & cook until tender. Add the garlic, cumin, oregano, ancho chile powder and 1 cup of corn. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of water & puree in a blender or with an immersion blender. Add the remaining corn and the chicken stock. Mix the milk & masa together & add to the soup. Heat through. Serve with hot sauce & yogurt.

Makes 3 - 4 servings

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

What we did with CSA box #14 and what's in box #15

I have to admit we didn't do very well with box #14 especially since we headed to San Francisco the day after we go it. Basically we used an onion here, some garlic here, a little spinach here, but we have a lot left. Luckily much of it will last.

& what's in box #15....


Cabbage - Matt is joking we need to make saurkraut, I'm serious about it!

Carrots

Festival Squash - One of these makes a perfect side dish for the two of us, steamed with a little butter

Red Cipollini Onions - These will be perfect in a stew

Scarlet Turnips - I think I'll try this sweeter variety of turnip in a stew

Beauty Heart Radishes - I really haven't figured out how best to use these yet. Maybe I'll pickle them for a banh mi

Onions

Garlic

Sweet Potatoes - These are going to Memphis with us to be part of the Thanksgiving dinner, probably with some maple syrup & pecans.

Parsnip - Perfect roasted with a chicken

There was also some greens in our box but I left them in the swap box as since we are leaving town & they need to be used the quickest.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

8 Weeks of Cookies - Chocolate and Peppermint Covered Shortbread

I love shortbread! I think it could be tied with snickerdoodles for my favorite cookie. So, when I saw this cookie in the December issue of Bon Appetit, it went on my list for this year's holiday cookies.

This is a super easy cookie to prepare & the results will make a pretty addition to the holiday cookie tray. Matt & I both really liked the flavor & he commented that he liked the fact they weren't overly sweet (I think the bittersweet chocolate helps with that).

I made a few tweeks to the original recipe. First of all I increased it by 50% because my baking pans are bigger than what they called for. Next, I melted my chocolate before putting it on the hot shortbread, they say the heat from the cookies will melt the chocolate but I didn't really trust that. I asked Matt to crush the peppermint candies for me. He put them in a food processor & ended up making more of a peppermint powder instead of chunks, I actually think it looks really pretty & sparkly. Finally, they swirled white chocolate all over everything & I didn't think it needed that.

Chocolate and Peppermint Covered Shortbread
(adapted from Bon Appetit Dec. '09)

12 oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 c sugar
1 1/2 t vanilla
1 large egg
1/4 heaping t salt
3 c all-purpose flour
9 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 c peppermint candies

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Spray a 12" x 16" baking sheet with sides with cooking spray. Line with a piece of parchment paper that hangs over the edges.

In a mixer beat the butter until creamy, about 2 minutes. Slow add the sugar and beat until light & fluffy about 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and egg.

Mix the flour & salt together. Gradually add to the batter, mixing on low until just incorporated.

Spread the batter out evenly in the prepared baking sheet. Prick all over with a fork. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes until golden brown.

While the cookies are baking melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. Put the peppermint candies in a food processor & process until they reach a sugar like consistency.

When the cookies are done. Spread the chocolate over the top in a thin even coat. Immediately sprinkle with peppermint (a sifter worked well for this). Chill in the refrigerator until the chocolate is set, about 30 minutes. Use the parchment paper to lift the cooled cookie from the pan to a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut into pieces. (It's really hard to get all perfect pieces but think of it like a bark which is all different shapes. I found rocking the knife was the best way to get a clean cut.)

To freeze these cookies, layer them in a plastic container with wax paper between the layers.

Makes about 72 1" x 1" squares

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8 Weeks of Cookies 2009

Chocolate Chunk & Hazelnut Biscotti

Salted Chocolate Covered Caramel Cookies

8 Weeks of Cookies 2008 (somehow I ended up with 9 weeks)

Anise Mandelbrot

Candy Cane Cookies

Apricot Foldover Cookies
Swedish Peppernut Cookies

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies
Chocolate Truffle Cookies

Pfeffernusse & Chocolate Covered Pfeffernusse
Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies

Sacher Bites

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

Beef and Pumpkin Chili

I came home from working at the library last night & was greeted with the smell of chiles, cinnamon, pumpkin & a just a hint of chocolate, amazing. Nothing like coming home to a dinner cooked by your husband, especially one that smelled & tasted as good as this one.

We picked up some baking pumpkins earlier this fall at the farmers' market & Matt said he wanted to use one to make chili. He took the inspiration for this chili from the flavors of molé. It's a rich, dark chili with lots of layers of flavor, a slight sweetness from the pumpkin, spiciness from the chiles, a little bitterness from the beer, smokiness from the cumin and that distinctive flavor of cinnamon.

Beef & Pumpkin Chili

1 small pie pumpkin
olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 T cumin
1 t oregano (Mexican preferably)
1 t cinnamon
2 t cocoa powder (we used dark cocoa)
1 t ancho chile powder
1/2 t cayenne (this chili was a mild on the Matt scale but hot on the Kathy scale so adjust the cayenne accordingly)
14.5 oz can black beans (or 1 c dry black beans that have been simmered until softened)
14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 bottles (24 oz) dark lager (we used Sessions Black)
salt

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Cut the pumpkin in half, seed & remove pulp. Cut into 8 wedges. Coat with a little olive oil & season with salt & pepper. Place on a baking sheet & roast for about 45 minutes until soft. Remove skin & cube. Save 2 cups for the chili (any remaining pumpkin can be frozen for another use).

Heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in a large heavy soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until tender. Add the ground beef, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, cocoa, chile powder and cayenne. Cook until the beef is cooked through. Stir in the pumpkin, beans, tomatoes & beer. Let simmer for 45 - 60 minutes until all the flavors blend. Taste for seasoning & salt to taste.

5 - 6 servings

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

Stuffed Squash

You might think from reading this blog that every dish we make is a tasty success but let me tell you right now that isn't the truth. Take last night's dinner for instance.

This dish wasn't a total failure, the stuffing was actually pretty good, the problem was the squash. We decided to try a variety that was new to us called Buttercup & its flavor did not blend well with the stuffing at all. I actually didn't care for its flavor on its own either and am wondering if the squash was a bit off. I do think the idea of this recipe was good though & would make it again but I'd use an acorn or butternut squash instead.

Our stuffing here is really pretty basic. I didn't add any seasoning to it because the Italian sausage is so flavorful. Matt makes our Italian sausage and adds plenty of fennel, garlic and red pepper flakes. If your sausage doesn't have as much flavor add some of these seasonings to the stuffing. A note on the greens, we blanch then freeze chard and kale when they are in season to use all winter so it is already wilted & ready to use. If you use fresh chard add it to the hot sausage & rice & let it wilt in the pan.

Stuffed Squash

1/2 c wild rice
1 small yellow onion, chopped
8 oz Italian sausage
1/2 c wilted chard or kale , chopped
1/4 c grated Parmesan
1 large butternut or 2 acorn squash, seeded and cooked until tender

Put the wild rice in a pot with 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and let simmer for 45 - 50 minutes until rice is tender.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

In a skillet over medium-high heat cook onion until tender. Add sausage cook through. Stir in the chard. Add about 3 tablespoons of the parmesan and stir.

Scoop enough pulp out of the squash to make a bowl, leaving about 1/2-inch around all of the sides. Stir the removed pulp into the stuffing. Stuff the squash with the filling. Top with the remaining 1 tablespoon of cheese. Bake for about 5 minutes until the cheese is melted.

4 servings

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

Red Beans and Rice Soup

I knew I wanted to make a bean soup this week but the type of soup would be decided by the beans we chose to go in it. We went through all the new varieties of beans we had picked up from Rancho Gordo in San Francisco & decided on the Sangre de Toro beans. According to the Rancho Gordo website these beans are great for red beans & rice so I went with that idea for the soup.

I spiced the soup up a bit by adding some guajillo peppers & some smokey serrano hot sauce. (Matt tried the Boulder Hot Sauce Company hot sauce at Birchwood Cafe the other morning & liked it so much he bought two varieties from them on line.) I don't think I've ever seen Matt like a soup as much as he did this one. The broth came out just amazing & full of flavor. And these beans! Oh, these beans! They were just perfect in the soup, they're tender but they didn't get mushy or lose their shape. They had a wonderful mouth-feel.

The bread with paired this with is the Olive Spelt Bread from Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Matt had had some olive bread at One Market while in San Francisco last week & loved it so he suggested that. I was going to just add olive to a loaf of bread when I saw Zoe & Jeff already had an Olive Bread in their book. They say it is one of their favorites so we figured go with that. The bread was really good with a great crumb but we think we needed a saltier olive to really stand out. By the way, thanks to this book we're in love with spelt flour.

Red Beans and Rice Soup

1 c dried red beans (we used Rancho Gordo Sangre de Toro beans but you could use any small red bean of choice)
2 dried guajillo chiles
2 strips bacon, chopped (we use cooking bacon with lots of fat in it)
2 c yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 t dried thyme
1/2 t dried oregano
4 c chicken broth
2 c water
14.5 oz can whole tomatoes
1 ham shank or hock
1 T kosher salt
few grinds fresh pepper
dash or two of hot sauce (we used Boulder Hot Sauce Smokey Serrano)
1 c basmati rice

Put the beans in a pot with about 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil & let boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover & let sit 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Drain.

Cut off the stems & seed the guajillo chiles. Put them in a bowl & pour 1 cup of boiling water over the top. Let sit 15 minutes or until soft. Chop the chiles reserving the soaking water.

In a large soup pot cook the bacon over medium-high heat until just beginning to get crispy & rendering its fat. Add the onions & garlic. Cook until softened & the onions are turning translucent. Add the thyme, oregano and chopped guajillos. Stir. Add the chicken broth, water. tomatoes, ham shank, salt, pepper, hot sauce & reserved soaking water. Stir, crushing the tomatoes a bit with your spoon. Add the beans. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat & simmer for 2 1/2 hours. Bring back to a boil & add rice. Stir, cover, reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 30 more minutes until rice is tender. If the soup is too thick add more water (we actually added another 2 cups before storing the leftovers & it didn't effect the flavor at all).

Makes 6 - 7 servings

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

Weekly Menu 11/15 - 11/20

Not much exciting to write about from this weekend. I spent my time filling a large order for gnome Christmas ornaments on my Etsy shop.

While Matt had the fun of cleaning out the gutters before winter, what an icky job. Too bad I have vertigo & can't get up the ladder to help, yup, too bad ;)

Menu Planning Monday....

Since Matt is back from San Francisco the two of us are back in the kitchen together dreaming up new recipes for the week. Next week we are off again & heading to Memphis for Thanksgiving with my family. We've decided to take a few days to do the drive & meander our way down the Mississippi so look for pictures & such next week.

Bean Soup (we'll have to pick from the 9 varieties of Rancho Gordo beans we bought in SF)

Beef & Pumpkin Chili

Sweet Potato Curry

Sausage & Wild Rice Stuffed Squash

Prosciutto-wrapped Pork Tenderloin with Apples & Brussel Sprouts

Clean out the fridge dinner

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

We have a winner!

The winner in the Singing Dog Vanilla contest is #31 Carol in Indian Springs Village.

Carol, I don't have your email so email me at katbaro at yahoo dot com with your mailing address.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

8 Weeks of Cookies - Salted Chocolate Covered Caramel Cookies

It's hard to find a candy I like more than chocolate covered salted caramels. (If you live in MN you have to try the Byerley/Lund's brand, they are to die for.) It's probably because I am such a fan of salty & sweet together (remember I'm the girl who put bacon on cupcakes & ice cream twice.) Then Ino at Kitchen 22 started talking about making cookies with this flavor on Twitter so I had to try it.

And the results are pretty darn close to the candies. The cookies themselves are very chocolaty, almost fudge-like, since they have very little flour in them. The caramel bits stay nice & chewy, especially where they melt out of the cookies. Be generous with the salt on the top of the cookies as it makes for a good counterpoint to the sweetness. Really these cookies are quite decadent.


Salted Chocolate Covered Caramel Cookies
(adapted from Culinary Muse)

2 c chocolate chips or chunks (I used bittersweet)
1/4 c unsalted butter, room temp
2 eggs
1 1/2 t vanilla
3/4 c brown sugar
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/4 t baking powder
1 c caramel bits

fleur de sel

Melt 1 1/3 cup of the chocolate either in a microwave or double boiler. Stir in the butter until melted.

Whisk the eggs & vanilla together. Quickly whisk in a little of the melted chocolate to temper the eggs. Add remaining melted chocolate & brown sugar then stir until completely mixed. Stir in the flour & baking powder, mix well. Fold in the caramel bits & remaining 2/3 cup chocolate chips. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Scoop batter by heaping tablespoons onto a baking sheet that has either been greased or covered with a silicon pad. Flatten the cookies slightly. Sprinkle each with salt & press to make the salt stick. Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes (you want the caramel to have a chance to set before moving the cookies) then cool on a rack.

Makes 36 cookies

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8 Weeks of Cookies 2009

Chocolate Chunk & Hazelnut Biscotti

8 Weeks of Cookies 2008 (somehow I ended up with 9 weeks)

Anise Mandelbrot

Candy Cane Cookies

Apricot Foldover Cookies
Swedish Peppernut Cookies

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies
Chocolate Truffle Cookies

Pfeffernusse & Chocolate Covered Pfeffernusse
Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies

Sacher Bites

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

Mac and Cheese Stuffed Squash

So, even though I'm back home in Minneapolis Matt is still working in San Francisco for the rest of the week which leaves me to create some single girl meals. I'm feeling a little lazy after the busy weekend so decided to see what I could make up based on what I had on hand instead of going to the grocery store. I had a little pasta, some Fontina cheese and some cream so mac & cheese made perfect sense. But I also had a lot of spinach & squash I wanted to use as well thus this dish was born.

I know it's not that unheard of to put squash in mac and cheese but I thought why not use it as the serving dish, just for fun. (Just because I'm eating dinner alone doesn't mean the presentation isn't still important.) I figured the spinach would kick up the nutritional value to this dish since there isn't any other green vegetable in it.

This really tasted quite good. I like the flavor of the Fontina cheese with the squash a lot. The crispiness of the top of the mac & cheese added some good texture.

Mac & Cheese Stuffed Squash

1 large acorn squash, cut in half, seeds & pulp cleaned out
4 oz elbow pasta
1/2 T unsalted butter
1/4 c onion, chopped
1 T all-purpose flour
1/3 c milk
3 T heavy cream
2 1/2 oz fontina cheese, grated
pinch of dry mustard
salt & pepper
1/2 c spinach, torn
panko

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Scrape the pulp out of the squash to create a bowl, leaving about 1/2-inch about all the sides. Save the scrapings if you want to include them in the mac & cheese or for another use. Place the squash cut side down in a baking dish & add about 1-inch of water. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta until al dente, about 6 minutes. Drain.

While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions & cook until translucent. Stir in the flour & cook for 1 minute. Turn the heat to medium-low & slowly stir in the milk & cream. Stir until hot & thickened. Add the cheese & stir until melted. Season with the mustard, salt & pepper. Stir in the spinach & squash scrapings if using. Stir the drained pasta in until coated.

Take the squash out of the oven. Pour off the water & flip over. Fill with the mac & cheese. Sprinkle panko on top. Bake for 30 minutes until the cheese is golden brown & top is crispy.

2 servings

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