Sage-butter Grilled Cheese

How much easier could this possibly be?  Combine softened butter, sage and a sprinkling of cheese, spread on the outside of bread and place more cheese in between the bread  slices.  Cook in a hot pan (or even a panini press pan) and et voila, you have this delicious dish!  You can even experiment with different herbs depending on what you have on hand (basil would be great with some tomato soup on the side).

Makes two sandwiches

Ingredients


2 tablespoons softened butter
2 tablespoons chopped up sage (or other herb)
2 tablespoons grated cheese
Thinly sliced cheese
Bread of your choice

1) Combine butter, sage and grated cheese
2) "Butter" the bread with this mixture
3) Place remaining cheese slices in between the non buttered pieces of bread
4) Cook in a hot pan on the stove, turning when the bottom side is brown.
5) Lay a cover over the pan and let finish cooking until brown on the other side
6) Remove and serve with soup of your choice!

Pepper and Garlic White Pizza

In my fantasy world I eat pizza every night of the week, but in my real world it is more like once a week.   Regardless, I'm always trying new types of pizza, like this pepper and garlic white pizza (aka no tomato sauce).  I didn't follow the normal "white" pizza recipe and use a sauce, but rather I just lightly spread olive oil on the dough and sprinkled with some delicious farmer's market cheese.  Try this with feta or goat cheese or cheese curds if they are available.

Pizza dough (prepare at least two hours before you are ready to make the pizza)

2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons rapid rise yeast
3/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup olive oil

Mix dry ingredients in the food processor.  While food processor is running add 1/2 cup of warm water in a slow stream.  Next add olive oil.  If dough still has not formed a ball, add remaining water plus a few extra teaspoons if necessary until dough forms a ball.

Place dough in an oiled bowl and over with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel.  Allow to rest for at least two hours.

Preheat oven to 425

Pizza toppings

1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves of garlic minced
3-4 peppers of your choice
1 cup of cheese of your choice

1. To prepare, add garlic to olive oil and let marinate.
2, Gently stretch dough by hand until it is formed into a nice medium thin pizza crust about 12 or 14 inches across.  Place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet.
3. Lightly brush with olive oil mixture
4. Sprinkle cheese and peppers across your pizza canvas
5. Bake until cheese is golden and crust is golden, about 12-15 minutes depending on if you could wait for your oven to heat up.

Remove and let rest a minute before serving and enjoying!

Easiest beef short ribs

I've never cooked short ribs until this last week and it was surprisingly easy to whip up a delicious tasting comfort food for not too much money.  I hope this is the last "winter" post for a while but the latest forecasts for Seattle are still not that optimistic.  If you start this dinner three hours before you will be pleased with the results when the meat literally falls off the bone.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 pound beef short ribs
1 medium onion finely diced
1/2 cup tomato paste
3 1/2 cups water
salt/pepper
4 large yukon gold potatoes
3 tablespoons dijon mustard
A swig of red wine (like pinot noir)

1) Heat neutral oil or olive oil in a large dutch oven, when oil is hot add meat and brown on each side (about 15 minutes total).  Generously sprinkle with salt and pepper
2) Remove the meat and let rest on a plate.
3) Add onions and brown for about 5-7 minutes.
4) Add tomato paste, water and stir to break up paste.
5) Return meat to the pot and cook on low for 2 hours
6) Add diced and peeled yukon potatoes to the stew pot and turn heat up to medium.
7) Let potatoes cook until tender or about 45 minutes then add mustard and red wine and stir just before serving.

This is great with some crusty bread and a light salad!

Lemon(lime)drop Martini

This one will really knock your socks off!  David made this for me the other night and it was absolutely hands down the best Lemondrop I've ever had!

Serves 1

Ingredients


1 1/2 oz vodka
1 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz lime juice (Nellie and Joe's key lime juice is perfect)
1 tablespoon cane sugar
ice

Combine all ingredients and ice in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously for 2 minutes.  Pour into a chilled martini glass and enjoy!

Veal Piccata

If you saw the "Lovely Lemons" post then you will understand where this recipe idea came from.  We brought back these mega-huge lemons from Arizona a few weeks ago and in looking for a lemon recipe, we came across chicken piccata and even better....VEAL PICCATA.  While you can use chicken in this recipe, I definitely recommend trying veal at least once in your life because it is delicious!  We served some nice buttery potatoes and broccoli on the side but you could also do a small portion of a lightly sauced tomato pasta.

Serves 2

Ingredients


2/3 pound of veal cut for scallopini
1/2 cup of flour
moderate salt and pepper
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of capers
1 lemon
3/4 cup white wine

1) Pound the veal with a meat tenderizer or a heavy skillet until thin
2) Mix flour, salt and pepper and place on a plate in preparation for dredging
3) Heat a pan over medium high heat and melt the butter
4) When butter is melted and foamed away, coat the veal in the flour mixture and put immediately into the frying pan.  It is okay to cook these in two batches if necessary.
5) After two minutes, flip the veal to the other side and let cook another minute or 90 seconds
6) Remove from pan and put on a plate
7) Once all of the meat is cooked pour the white wine into the hot pan and start scrapping the bottom with a wooden spoon.  Add the lemon juice and capers and let cook about five minutes until the sauces is nice and brown.  You have the option to add another tablespoon of butter here as well.  When sauce is done add some salt and pepper to taste.
8) Return the veal to the sauce mixture and let cook on each side another minute or so to warm up the meat.
9) Serve the meat with pasta or potatoes and veggies and be sure to spoon the extra sauce on top.  Enjoy a glass of white wine for all of your fine work!

Creamed Nettles and Gnocchi

Last month some awesome friends and I had a good old-fashioned staycation and we had one of the best dinners of my entire life at an amazing restaurant called "Hitchcock" on Bainbridge Island.  Very unpretentious (the chef came to our table and talked to us for a good 10 minutes) and really well priced, this restaurant is a complete deal for both atmosphere and food.  If you are in the Seattle area you have to take a ferry ride to Bainbridge and eat here for yourself.

One of the dishes we had were creamed nettles with gnocchi.  When I was at the Farmer's Market two weeks ago I saw nettles for sale and I bought them immediately.  It sounds like a weird green to eat but it was absolutely delicious and perfect for a spring dinner.  These greens will sting you until they cook so watch out.  I played around to mimic the recipe from Hitchcock and here is my best shot.  Enjoy!

Serves 4


Ingredients


1/2 onion finely diced
4-6 cups of fresh nettles (they sting badly so use tongs!) - you could use spinach if you prefer
1 cup heavy whipping cream at room temperature (this prevents curdling)
1/2 cup parmesan or gruyere cheese grated

1 package gnocchi or torture yourself and make your own: http://cookedinmykitchen.blogspot.com/2011/03/gnocchi-heaven.html

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees (dish looks gorgeous when baked for 10 minutes)
2) Saute onions in a tablespoon of butter about 5 minutes
3) Add greens to pan and cover to let steam
3) After three or four minutes, use tongs to turn the greens and coat with onion and butter
4) Continue to turn greens every minute and ensure they are cooking down and really wilting
5) Mean while boil water and cook gnocchi to package specifications, when those are done drain them and immediately transfer to dish for baking
6) After 10 or so minutes of "steaming" the greens remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes
7) Add the cream and cheese and stir to coat, place back on medium low heat for another few minutes while the cream does its magic.  Add some nice salt to taste.
8) Transfer creamed nettles and pour over gnocchi in the baking dish
9) Sprinkle some more parm on top and cook in the oven for about 10 minutes for a nice golden crust.
10) Serve with some fresh ground pepper and enjoy!

Homemade Tortillas and all of the fixings!

I have to say that I will NEVER buy store-bought tortillas EVER AGAIN.  Making my own was just too easy and too delicious to ever do anything else.  I got the recipe from Mark Bittman and topped mine with jalopeno infused cheese from the farmer's market and some roasted tomatillos and anaheim peppers but you can pretty much do anything!

Some ideas for use:

Peanut butter and jelly wrap
Hummus and veggies wrap (add turkey or ham and even some cilantro!)
Scrambled eggs and cheese
Taco night
Mini pizzas

Ingredients (makes six 8 inch tortillas)


1 1/2 cup flour (more if needed)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup warm water (more if needed)

1) Combine flour and salt in food processor
2) Pulse in the butter until butter and flour are well mixed (about 1 minute)
3) Add water slowly while processor is running and mix until all ingredients form a ball in the bowl
4) Remove from bowl and place on a lightly floured surface
5) Kneed the dough for another minute or two and then wrap in plastic and let sit for an hour (or more if you can wait)
6) Divide dough into six pieces and roll each piece out as thin as possible
7) Meanwhile heat a cast iron pan on medium high heat on the stove (leave it dry, no oil necessary)
8) Add rolled out dough to hot pan and let cook until brown spots form on the bottom
9) Flip and repeat!
10) Serve however you like!