Almond Allspice Cookies

Here's a little twist on the macadamia nut cookie recipe I posted quite awhile back...I thought I'd shake things up by switching out the nuts and playing with some flavors.

Ingredients

2 cups almonds

7 tbsp. milk

1.5 cups light brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. almond extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. allspice

Pinch of salt

1 cup granulated sugar

Directions

1. First, if you don't buy blanched almonds, you'll have to blanch them yourself. This is not hard...and totally worth the cost savings. So, to blanch:

2. Place 2 cups of almonds (or more if you'd like to make some for another recipe later on) into a medium bowl.

3. Fill a small saucepan with water and bring it to a boil over the stove. Once it boils, pour the water into the bowl of almonds until all of the nuts are covered.

4. Let sit for two minutes and no longer, or the almonds might get soggy. Drain and let cool.

5. Now, the skin of the almonds will have loosened from the nut, and they will be ready to peel. The almonds should pop right out of the skin, so peeling them should go pretty quickly.

 

6. Now, you can begin the cookie dough. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

7. Place the blanched almonds and milk into a food processor and blend until smooth.

8. Place the blended mixture into a medium mixing bowl. Add the brown sugar, eggs and vanilla. With a hand- or stand-mixer, beat until well combined.

9. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, allspice and salt.

10. Slowly add the flour mixture to the almond mixture and blend until just incorporated.

11. Place the granulated sugar into a small bowl.
12. Roll the cookie dough into small balls and roll them in the sugar. The dough is really sticky, so the sugar will help you shape them.
13. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

14. Bake for 9 minutes. Remove from the oven to a wire rack to cool.

15. For extra almond flavor, you can make a glaze to drizzle over the top of the cookies. To do this, combine 2 cups powdered sugar, a tsp. of almond extract and a tsp. of milk. Mix with a spoon, adding some extract or milk as needed to reach the desired consistency. Since you will be drizzling it, the glaze should drip right off of a spoon.

Chopped Salad

In the spirit of continuing to talk about restaurants in Chicago that I L.O.V.E. (see my suggestions for some good Mexican fare), I'll talk about the chopped salad. I am not a fan of salads whose main ingredient is some almost-white Iceberg lettuce. But I am a sucker for a hearty salad full of fresh vegetables and lots of flavor. Enter the chopped salad...with everything chopped to the same size and a TON of ingredients thrown in, who could resist? Some of my favorites can be found at Tavern at the Park (pair it with the Fig and Proscuitto flatbread...seriously, amazing!), Aja (their salad is piled high with 18 different seasonal veggies) and yes, Portillo's...a classic.

Some good friends were coming over for dinner last week, so I thought I'd try my hand at my own version of a chopped salad.

Ingredients

1 head romaine lettuce

1 cucumber

3 carrots

3-4 stalks celery

1 bell pepper

1 can hearts of palm

1 can green beans (you can get the beans fresh if they're in season)

1 can yellow wax beans

6 radishes

3-4 green onions

1 avocado

Fresh dill

Olive oil

Red wine vinegar

2 cloves garlic

Salt and black pepper

Directions

1. I find it easiest to prep all of the vegetables first. So clean, peel and seed all your veggies.

2. Finely chop the lettuce leaves, removing the white rib from each leaf.

2. Chop the radishes.

3. Chop the cucumbers.

4. Chop the carrots and celery.

5. Chop the red bell pepper and onions.

6. Chop the hearts of palm.

7. Mince the fresh dill (or any other fresh herb you happen to have around the kitchen).

8. Add the green and yellow wax beans.

9. I also added some chicken that I shredded from a rotisserie chicken. You can also add bacon and bleu cheese if you like, but I didn't have those on-hand.

For the dressing:

1. Combine 1/4 cup vinegar, minced garlic cloves, salt and pepper.

2. Add up to 3/4 cup olive oil (I use less because I really like the sharpness of vinegar on salads).

3. Drizzle over the salad and toss to coat. Add more salt and pepper, if desired.

4. Add the avocado last so it doesn't get smushed while you're tossing everything together.

Hey, Mo!

Tomatillo Salsa

I L.O.V.E. mexican food. It's not unusual for me to find myself doing something in the middle of the afternoon suddenly paused at the thought of spiced meat in a warm corn tortilla, topped with sour cream and crunchy additions and a good margarita.

But it's hard to find a great Mexican restaurant, isn't it? One that offers a good variety of authentic, fresh, some spicy, some not-so-burn-your-tongue-off-spicy tacos...guacamole that just tastes like it should...and salsas that round out the taste-bud heaven? I'm fortunate to live in a city with just about any type of restaurant, and a variety at that. Some good places that excite my taco cravings right here in Chicago are De Cero, Moe's Cantina (though I can only recommend their lunch offerings...I was WAY underwhelmed when I went with a friend for dinner) and Mercadito. YUM!

My eyes keep catching themselves on tomatillos at the grocery store...these little green bundles that scream MEXICAN FOOD! What is a tomatillo, you might ask? I think of it as a green Mexican tomato...it's the base of many a Mexican dish and it has a pretty sweet flavor. And anyone who knows me knows...once I get my eyes on a new or different veggie...it's go time!

Here's a recipe for my version of tomatillo salsa (a.k.a. that good green salsa stuff).

Ingredients

6 fresh tomatillos (look for those that are nice and green, solid and whose outer-paper-layer looks healthy)

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded

4 cloves garlic

1 cup fresh cilantro

1 lime

Salt and black pepper

Directions

1. Remove the tomatillos from their paper husks by simply peeling away the paper. You will find a sticky substance on the outside of the tomatillo, so go ahead and rinse them under cold water.

2. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a medium skillet. Place the tomatillos on the heated skillet and cook until browned, rotating so they cook evenly.

*Note: you can just throw them into the salsa right away, but I find that roasting and browning just about any vegetable intensifies their flavor. And since these little guys are the star of the show...well, why not?

3. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

4. Meanwhile, remove the seeds from your jalapeno and coarsely chop. Smash the garlic cloves and remove your cilantro leaves from their stems. Set aside.

5. Quarter the tomatillos and place in  a food processor along with the jalapeno, garlic, cilantro leaves and the juice of one lime. Blend until just combined but not totally smooth...you want some chunks in that salsa!

*I served the salsa on the top of some shredded chicken (leftover from the rotisserie chicken I used to make a chopped salad), warmed corn tortillas and a little avocado salsa (diced avocados, onion and tomato will a sprinkle of salt and pepper, as well as a squeeze of fresh lime). 

**I ate the rest with some tortilla chips. The salsa will keep for quite awhile in the fridge, and it actually tastes better the longer it sits, as the flavors continue to combine.

Oatmeal Cran-Raisin Cookies

I had a wicked craving for oatmeal raisin cookies last week. Combine that craving with an impending trip to Toronto and I had my excuse to whip up a batch of these delicious cookies adapted slightly from Smitten Kitchen.


Ingredients
1 stick butter, softened
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups Quaker oats
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried cranberries


Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. With a stand- or hand-mixer, combine the butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until well-combined.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
4. With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix until just combined.
5. Add the oats, raisins and cranberries and mix until just incorporated.
6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (this is a MUST with this one...you'll find the dough is pretty sticky).
7. Form the dough into small balls and place them on the baking sheet. Be sure to leave ample room in between - these babies spread out!
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies are just golden on the edges.

Savory Crepe Cake

I must be doing a lot of browsing on the Smitten Kitchen site these days...I've noticed more of her recipes popping up here and there. When you see the pictures she takes, you'll understand why - she makes everything look so delicious! I often have  "I've gotta try this one" moment.


I adapted her recipe for Mushroom Crepe Cake, which she adapted from Alton Brown at the Food Network. I'll call my version the "Savory Crepe Cake" because I added more vegetables. I have to say, I was really pleased. The only down side? There weren't enough leftovers!


Ingredients
1 onion, small diced
2 leeks, thinly sliced, white and light green parts only
1 bundle asparagus
2 lb. baby portabella mushrooms, small diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
Fresh chives, minced
6 tbsp. butter
1 cup extra sharp white cheddar cheese, finely grated
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp. flour
Salt and pepper
*Crepes


Directions
1. *Prepare crepes with any basic recipe and set aside. My roommate is the Crepe-master in this apartment, so I asked her to whip some up, and she was gracious enough to do so. I used about 12 10" crepes.
2. Place asparagus in a single layer in a medium skillet. Add water until just covered and salt.
3. Bring water to a simmer and cook until asparagus is just softened. Discard water, place asparagus in an ice bath (a bowl of ice cold water) and set aside. This ensures the asparagus will keep its bright green color.

4. While the asparagus cooks, dice the onion, leeks and mushrooms. Mince the garlic.
5. Melt 3 tbsp. butter in a large skillet. Add onions, salt them and saute until translucent.
6. Add leeks and saute for a few more minutes.

7. Meanwhile, remove the asparagus from its ice bath and dice it into small pieces. Add it to the skillet, along with the mushrooms, garlic, salt and three more tbsp. of butter.

8. Saute until all the vegetables are softened.
9. Meanwhile, grate the cheese and set aside.
10. Add the milk and flour to the vegetable mixture and stir until well-combined and flour is dissolved.
10. Taste for quality assurance and add salt and pepper as needed.
11. Now, assemble the cake.
12. Place two crepes on a serving dish.
*Note: use two for the bottom layer to ensure that no holes form.
13. Spoon a thin layer of the vegetable mixture onto the crepe, leaving a 1/2-inch margin around the sides. Add some cheese and fresh chives.
*Note: you will not need to put a lot of the mixture between each layer. It may even seem that you are not putting enough. Just remember that not every inch has to be covered, because there will be so many layers. Putting too much will result in either 1) running out of filling, or 2) having a mound-looking cake that doesn't lay flat.
14. Repeat steps 12 and 13, using only one crepe at a time. Repeat until all of the crepes have been used.

15. Top with one final crepe. Serve immediately!

Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed peppers are such a traditional meal, everyone seems to have their own recipe for them. Mine is below...I had some leftover Italian sausage in the freezer from when I made meatballs, so I threw it in, and I really liked the added flavor. You'll also notice there's no rice in here, but I just found that the peppers didn't really need the extra filler. The meat was hearty enough. 

Ingredients
4 bell peppers
1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1 lb. ground turkey
1/2 lb. mild Italian sausage
4 sprigs fresh thyme
Olive oil
Onion powder
Salt and pepper


Sauce:
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
5-7 dashes Tabasco sauce


Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously.
3. While the pot is heating up, cut the stems off of the bell peppers and remove the seeds.

4. Once the water reaches boiling, submerge the peppers into the water for 3 minutes to soften.

5. Drain and remove peppers from pot. Slice the bottom of each pepper with a knife so that liquid can drain from them as they bake. Place the peppers cut-side up in a small baking dish to cool.

6. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. 
7. Dice the onion and saute until translucent.
8. Mince the garlic cloves and add to the onion. Saute for one additional minute.
9. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground turkey and sausage with a fork.

10. Dice the tomatoes. Add them to the mixing bowl along with the onion and garlic.
11. Dice the thyme leaves and add them to the mixture, along with salt, pepper and onion powder to your liking. Combine the mixture with a large spoon. Set aside.

12. Combine the ketchup, Worcestershire and Tabasco sauces.
13. Mix half of the sauce into the meat mixture, reserving the other half.
14. Spoon the meat mixture into the peppers.

*Note: this recipe makes enough filling for 6-8 peppers, depending on how tightly you stuff them. I didn't want to make that many, so I froze half of the meat mixture to use at a later date.
15. Top each pepper with a quarter of the remaining sauce that you reserved.

16. Bake, uncovered, for 50 minutes.