A Special Salad and a Treat for your Tastebuds!

Bad blogger, bad bad blogger... you were so intent on eating gobbling this salad down that you forgot to take pictures. Even after you helped yourself to seconds thirds of delicious salad, you did not take a single photo of this awesome meal. Nor did you take a picture of anything you ate at the dinner. No pictures at all not a single one, no photos of roast pork or corn pudding or pumpkin cheesecake.  Bad bad blogger!
Mixed Greens with Spiced Pecans, Chevre, and Hot Cider Dressing
from Cold Weather Cooking
Serves 6
"At first glance this salad may appear to be a lot of work: but the spiced pecans can be made up to 2 weeks in advances, leaving only the salad ingredients and dressing until the final preparation. The salad has such an exquisite array of contrasting flavors and textures that I am very content devouring it as an entire meal rather than relegating it to a daintier accompaniment portion."

This is one of my 3 favorite salads. It is so rich in texture and flavor.  I love how the hot cider dressing warms up the salad and wilts the lettuce slightly... so delicious.  We used to have this salad every year for Thanksgiving. However, we don't really need the salad (there is too much amazing food on the plate already). So this is just a special occasion salad. There is a lot that goes into making this dish, but it is so worth it. Yum!

Spiced Pecans: (also available at Trader Joe's)
2 cups pecan halves
2  1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon grated cloves
1/4 teaspoon grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

Prepare the spiced pecans: Place the nuts in a small bowl, cover with boiling water, and let soak for 15 minutes. Drain well and pat dry on paper towels.
Preheat the oven to 300˚F. Spread the nuts on an ungreased baking sheet and toast stirring occasionally for 45 minutes. Remove the  nuts and increase the oven temperature to 350˚F.

Whisk together the vegetable oil, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and mustard in a medium sized bowl. Add the hot pecans and toss to coat thoroughly. Spread the nuts in a single layer on the baking sheet and roast 15 minutes. Let cool, then store in an airtight container up 2 weeks.

Hot Cider Dressing:
2 cups apple cider
8 slices of bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 shallots, minced
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon honey mustard
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and black pepper to taste

Salad:
12 cups torn mixed salad greens, such as leaf lettuce, radicchio, endive and watercress
1 cup thinly sliced fennel bulb
1  1/2 large Macintosh apples, cored and thinly sliced
4 ounces crumbled chevre such as Montrachez

When ready to prepare the salad, place the cider in a small saucepan and boil until reduced to 1/2 cup, 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside.  Saute` the bacon in a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat until crisp.  Drain on paper towels and discard all the  but 3 tablespoons of the fat remaining in the skillet. Add shallots to the skillet and saute` over medium heat until softened, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the cinnamon and mustard and cook 1 minute more. Add the reduced cider and olive oil; season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep the dressing hot over medium-low heat.
Toss the salad greens, 1 cup of spiced pecans, the reserved bacon, fennel, apples and chevre together in a large salad bowl. Toss with hot cider dressing and serve at once.

Enjoy!

Beautiful Baklava

Baklava is one of those amazing perfect foods that no one really is sure how to make. This crazy delicious pastry is so simple to make, but it takes a little work and a lot of butter.  I learned how to make this delicious baklava from my friend in Indy. Sarah and I worked together for almost 2 years. She is an amazing seamstress, everything she sews is perfect. While I can't re attach a button, she makes custom dresses and wedding gowns.  

The best part of the baklava is the flakey layers (from the butter).  And when you add the honey and let it sit overnight, the crispy, buttery layers of phyllo become soft, sweet, and completely addictive. I warn you that the hardest part of making baklava is after you add the honey and you want to eat the soft little bits on top. DON"T!  The baklava is so much better if you don't mess with it while it is absorbing the honey. I know this is hard, but it is a truly amazing treat to make.  

 Enjoy! 

2 cups good honey

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, melted

1 lb. phyllo dough, 1 package

1½ cup sugar

3/4 cup ground Almonds I use almond meal (Trader Joe's)

2 tablespoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon rose water (optional)

Melt butter and lightly spread butter on the bottom and sides of a 9 x13” glass pan. In a bowl, mix the cinnamon, sugar, and almonds, set aside. Using all of the dough, spread 1 layer on the pan, brush with butter, and repeat for 5 or 6 layers. Spread ½ cup of the nut mixture evenly. Continue until all of the phyllo is gone. Before the spreading the butter on the top of the last piece of phyllo, cut the dough into small small squares or triangles. Trust me, it is hard to cut the buttery phyllo dough, but it is almost impossible to cut the baked phyllo dough. Then butter and sprinkle the final nut mixture over the top. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes at 325˚ . Do not let the top brown or burn. Once golden, warm the honey under warm, running water; pour the honey evenly over the baklava. Let it sit out over night, cover with plastic. 

Extreme Comfort Food

If you subscribe to the Not Just Vanilla's Facebook or Twitter page you will know that I took a short break from blogging while my Uncle D. was in the hospital. I am back with some amazing comfort food recipes. 

With a few long days in the hospital and lots of cold, icky weather... we were due for a week of soups, stews and just good comfort food!  My mom and I both love the Fine Cooking Magazine, and the newest issue is all about soups and stews.  This Lamb Tagine is so full of rich and exotic flavors. I love saffron, but I don't cook with it due to the cost. This dish is worth making again. It is a new family favorite and absolutely worth the cost of saffron. It is hard sometimes to get lamb with out going to Indianapolis, but this stew would be delicious with chicken or beef. Enjoy! I know you will love it.  

Lamb Tagine with Honey, Prunes, Onions and Toasted Almonds.
from Fine Cooking  Soups & Stews, Number 34 page 52
Serves 6
Moroccan tagines are stews that are best served over couscous or with chunks of warm, crusty bread.

16 pearl onions
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 lb. lam stew meat cut into 1-inch cubes, or 1/2 leg of lamb cut into 1-inch cubes, bone reserved
1 medium onion, finely diced
10 threads Spanish saffron
1  1/2 cups homemade or lower-salt beef broth
1/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1.8 teaspoon ground mace
1 cup (about 24) pitted prunes
20 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup whole almonds

Heat the oven to 375˚ F. In a small saucepan filled with boiling water, blanch the pearl onions for 1 minute. Drain and let cool. Peel the onions and set aside.
In a medium Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Brown the meat in batches on all sides. Transfer the meat to a platter. Add the diced onion to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
Grind the saffron in a mortar and pestle (or rub it between you fingers) and add it to the beef broth. Return the meat to the pot. Stir the saffron mixture into the pot with the lamb, along with any bones. Stir in the honey, turmeric, cinnamon, mage and prunes. Add the cilantro. Cover the pot tightly with foil and then with a lid. Put the pot in the oven and bake until the lamb is tender, about 50 minutes. Add the pearl onions, cover and cook for another 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small dry nonstick frying pan, toast the almonds until golden. Set aside.
Remove the foil and lid. Carefully spoon off any grease. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1  1/2 teaspoon pepper. Return the pot, uncovered, to the oven, and let the sauce reduce slightly, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the tagine with the toasted almonds, Serve on rimmed plates or in shallow bowls.

World Nutella Day... Late!

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   Happy World Nutella Day... 

   Happy Late World Nutella Day!
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Nutella... what can you say  about Nutella. It is a perfect food. You can eat it on a spoon , spread it on a slice of toast, or dip strawberries in it .
   
   
    Nutella  is chocolaty, rich and sweet with a surprisingly smooth peanut butter  like consistency, that at room temperature spreads like a dream This sinful and oh so rich melt-in-your mouth mousse is truly full of  nutella flavor.  The decadent and  creamy  nutella mousse is  light as air and  absolutely sinful. This mousse is so easy to make   it will be a perfect Valentines day treat. As we all know, everyday is Nutella day (in my house).  World domination is not far away for Nutella!!! 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Happy Nutella Day!!!!!!!!!
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Nutella Mousse with Strawberries
   recipe adapted from Recipe Zarr
   
   
   1 cup whipped cream
   1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons nutella
   1 teaspoon cinnamon
   whipped cream optional
   strawberries optional
   
   
   
   
   1. 
      
      In a medium bowl, beat the cinnamon and cream together  for 2 to 3 minutes until the cream becomes thicker. Add in the nutella and beat with electric mixer on medium for 1 minute. minute.  Scrape sides and bottom of bowl, and continue beating for about 1 minute until very soft peaks form.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
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      (Note: Mousse mixture is very soft/loose at this point, but will firm up when chilled.) Divide evenly into individual serving dishes, and chill at least 4 hours.
   2. 
      
      If desired, top with whipped cream and strawberries just before serving.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Balsamic Onion Jam

3 white onions
3/4 to 1 cup of balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
1 teaspoon cream (optional)
salt
pepper

Using a very sharp knife or a mandoline, slice the onions very thinly in long strips, carefully remove the core of the onions.

In a medium-sized pot, melt the butter with the olive oil and stir till it begins to bubble and foam. Add in the onions and stir. Turn down the temperature to low and stir occasionally for 10 to 15 minutes until the onions are translucent and soft. You do not want to brown the onions.

Change the heat to low or warm and start adding the balsamic vinegar 1/4 cup at a time until the onions have soaked up all the liquid, about 5 minutes. Continue adding the balsamic vinegar until the onions can not hold anymore liquid or you run out of the 1 cup balsamic vinegar. Turn off the heat and let the onions rest for 5 to 10 minutes.  Salt and pepper to taste.  I made 2 batches and the second batch was to vinegary, the onions weren't as sweet. so to softened the taste I added the cream and then the sugar to the slightly warm onions.  This helped a lot, but isn't so diet friendly.  Enjoy!

This balsamic vinegar jam is wonderful with goat cheese and a crostini or on chicken, beef or fish.

Strawberry Delight

Strawberry Sorbet

A cool and sweet treat that you can normally  can eat it spring and summer. An icy sweet treat that is addictive as well as delicious and healthy. I crave fresh fruits, berries and vegetables all year long and unfortunately when I get a craving for strawberries, well needless to say, it isn't spring yet.

 Welcome to winter in Indiana !

This recipe caught my eye a few weeks ago when I bought the

 Perfect Scoop by Dave Libovitz.  This recipe makes a very full flavored strawberry sorbet. It is smooth with the light texture of the strawberry seeds. It is also sweet but not super sweet and strawberries are wonderful after a very heavy rich or garlicky dinner. They refresh your palate and are just delightful. I loved this sorbet!

 I made it first with very expensive and bland strawberries (winter berries) and it was not to bad. But I wanted to experiment with frozen strawberries.

I sometimes freeze my own fruit and vegetables in the summer, I only froze 3 farmers dozen of corn on the cob this year. However, I found frozen fruit at the grocery on sale, 1 pound for $2.49. First I added the strawberries and sugar together in a large bowl and covered it with plastic wrap. I also filled a larger bowl full of hot water ( not hot enough to cook) and placed the bowl with the strawberries in to the hot water bowl.  After about 20 to 25 minutes, when the strawberries were almost completely defrosted, I added in the lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of raspberry liquor.  I then put the mixture into the blender and transfered it to the refrigerator for about 1 hour.   

Strawberry Sorbet

Ingredients:

1 lb. fresh or frozen strawberries, rinsed and hulled

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. kirsch optional)

1 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Pinch of salt

This is a quick and very easy recipe perfect for Valentines Day.

Slice the strawberries and toss them in a medium bowl with the sugar and kirsch, if using, stirring until the sugar begins to dissolve.  Cover and let stand for 1 hour, stirring every so often. You can strain the mixture to remove the seeds it you want, I liked the texture with the seeds and it is much healthier to keep the strawberry seeds in the sorbet.

Puree the strawberries and their liquid with the lemon juice and salt in a blender or food processor until smooth.  Press the mixture through a strainer to remove the seeds if you wish.

Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

First post with pictures taken by my new camera, the Cannon SX 200IS

I topped off the strawberry sorbet with a bit of vanilla ice cream.

 Enjoy your bit of spring in January.

Tomato Heaven: The Perfect Food

This is just a tomato sitting on top of a piece of crostini with goat cheese. Nothing special, nothing to get excited about... it is just a tomato.  It is only food.

Almonds and Apples... Yum!

Apple and Almond Crisp
Apple crisp is one of my favorite deserts. In fact anything with fruit and a crunchy sweet topping is good! One thing that never gets old is finding new ways to use apples in desserts. I make yummy baked apples and carmel apples,  I have been planning to make a super easy baclava this  week, but as I went to make baked carmel apples on Wensday, I ran across the almond meal in the pantry.  Light bulbs started to flash and an idea came to me... what is better than almonds and apples. I got so involved in the process of making the crisp that I totally forgot to take pictures.  Here are some pictures I took before I licked the plate.  I really hope you like this... don't forget to lick the plate, spoon and everything else that touches the delicious apple and almond crisp.   Enjoy!

Apple Mixture:
3-4 large apples ( I used  granny smith and braburn apples)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 /2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon  ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons heavy cream (it sounds odd, but makes the apples really rich)

Crumb Mixture:
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup almond meal
2 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

Using a mandoline, slice the apples into thin pieces and slice the apples into small bite-sized chunks. Mix together the spices, cream, flour and sugar with the apples.  Stir well and place into the bottom of a greased glass dish, I use a bread or pie plate.  You can also divide it up into ramekins.
In a separate small bowl, mix together the spices with the flour, oats, almond meal,  and sugar.   Slice the butter into chunks and add it into the oat mixture. Pinch the butter into small pieces, mix well. Spread evenly over the apple mixture and sprinkle sugar on top. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 375˚F.
As the apples cook the juices will rise up and bubble over the sides of the crisp. Let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving with vanilla or cinnamon ice cream. This dish is super easy but it looks and tastes like it took all day to make!

Individual Warm Chocolate Cakes

Warm Chocolate Cakes
recipe from Entertaining Simply
These are delicious served warm with vanilla bean ice cream.
Serves 8

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup)
9 ounces  bittersweet chocolate
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
3 tablespoons all-purpose

Butter generously and flour 8 (6 ounce) ramekins (small souffle dishes).

Melt butter and chocolate in a double boiler over low heat. Whisk until smooth. Beat eggs with egg yolks, sugar, vanilla and salt with an electric mixer at high speed, until thick and pale yellow in color.  Fold egg mixture into the chocolate mixture. Stir in flour/ Pour or spoon batter into prepared ramekins.

Refrigerate batter-filled ramekins for up to several hours, if desired. Bring back to room temperature before baking.

Place cakes in oven on a cookie sheet and bake at 425˚ for 9 to 12 minutes, until the sides are set but centers is still very loose. Take out of oven and let cakes rest for 1 minute. Cover each cake with an inverted plate and carefully turn over. Let sit for just a few seconds and then pull ramekin off. Serve immediately.

Thank you to the R. Family for making this recipe. It is a new favorite for me!

Roasted Pears and Winter Weather

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• I love winter. I love cold and I love snow, especially the big snowflakes. It makes me feel so special when it snows, like someone is giving me a present. The whole world changes, everything becomes calm, quiet and reality is muffled by the fluffy white snow. In a few minutes your everyday view becomes pure, white, fresh... and you can start again with a childlike exuberance.  Along with winter comes necessities like mittens and  wool socks. In my book to that list you should add roasted fruit with cheese or bacon. Yum!

• These roasted pears are a recipe from Back To Basics by the Barefoot Contessa and my very good friend Diane made it for our annual Christmakah celebrations. This salad was do delicious! Rich and roasted to perfection, sweet and sharp, the fruit with the sweet pear and the toasty bite from blue cheese, so good they just warm your insides !  

• Roasted Pears with Blue Cheese
• 3 ripe but firm Anjou pears
• Freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
• 3 ounces coarsely crumbled sharp blue cheese such as Stilton
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup walnut halves, toasted and chopped
• 1/2 cup apple cider
• 3 tablespoons port
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 6 ounces baby arugula
• Kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 375˚.

Peel the pears and slice them lengthwise into halves. With a small sharp paring knife and a melon baller, remove the core and seeds from each pear, leaving a round well for the filling. Trim a small slice away from the rounded sides of each pear half so that they will sit in the baking dish without wobbling. Toss the pears with some lemon juice to prevent them from turning brown. Arrange them, core side up, in a baking dish large enough to hold the pears snugly.

Gently toss the crumbled blue cheese, dried cranberries, and walnuts together in a small bowl. Divide the mixture among the pears, mounding it on top of the indentation.

In the same small bowl, combine the apple cider, port, and brown sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour the mixture over and around the pears. Bake the pears, basting occasionally with the cider mixture, for 30 minutes, or until tender. Set aside until warm or at room temperature.

Just before serving, whisk together the olive oil, 1/4 cup of lemon juice, and 1/4 cup of the basting liquid in a large bowl. Divide the arugula among 6 plates and top each with a pear half. Drizzle each pear with some of the basting liquid, sprinkle with salt, and serve warm. Yum!