Fresh Ricotta Cheese, Homemade Crackers and a couple stories from the last 7 months

Wow has it been a long time since I have written a blog post.  My life has been all over the place with changes and I feel like I am just finally getting a breather since May.  This summer I had some good outdoor adventures including going on the annual Timothy lake trip with my family and my mom and I hiked the entire circumference of the lake, 13 miles.  Below is a picture of us at the end looking ever so proud.  My mother, aunt, and I had another successful pickle fest this summer and canned about 50 lbs. of pickles.  I went peach picking, ate at a lot of awesome new restaurants, grew a fair amount of tomatoes that I processed and made into sauce, and made Giardiniera for the first time.  I had another amazing time in New Orleans and finally got to eat some real po-boys, can't wait to go back in March!  Oh and I made silly video of the mentioned ricotta cheese and crackers.  I will definitely have a few more of these posts in order to catch up before I begin my real cooking posts again.  Hope you all had a fabulous summer and fall!

Cheesy Polenta with Poached Eggs, Greens, and Bacon

So happy it is Friday once again!  Sometimes it feels like the week will never end and it drags on a lot like the GIF I posted below.  My mission in Hood River this weekend is go to antique stores and try and find the perfect lantern hook so that I can finally set up this beautiful copper hanging lamp that my fiance got me for Christmas.  Copper is one of my favorite metals and my goal is to have a kitchen that will have accents of copper all over it whether it be in the design or actual kitchen utensils.  It would be absolutely amazing to one day have an entire copper pan set, but I think only people like Juila Child can afford that kind of luxury...so in the mean time I will stick to copper accents.  Speaking of dreams next week we have a meeting with a home buying specialist through The Portland Housing Center and we are going to get into the nitty gritty of budgeting and qualifying for a home loan.  I think it will be a positive meeting and put us in the perfect position for our next step which is talking with a loan officer and qualifying for a mortgage.  Now onto the food, I adapted this wonderful recipe from Bon Appetit and it was a wonderful evening of breakfast for dinner!

Serves 4

The Ingredients
4 large eggs, room temperature
Kosher salt
1 cup polenta (not instant)
4 ounces bacon, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic chili sauce
1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
1 large shallot, finely chopped
8 cups torn red Swiss chard leaves (from 1 large bunch)
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 ounces sharp cheddar, grated
1/4 cup white vinegar


The Process
1.  Bring 4½ cups water and white vinegar to a gentle simmer in a medium saucepan. Crack an egg into a small bowl, then gently slide egg into water. Repeat with remaining eggs, waiting until whites are opaque before adding the next one (about 30 seconds apart). Poach until whites are set but yolks are still runny, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer eggs to paper towels as they are done; set aside.


2.  Bring same saucepan with new water (4 1/2 cups) to a boil and add a couple pinches of salt. Whisking constantly, gradually add polenta. Reduce heat to low, cover saucepan, and cook polenta, whisking occasionally and scraping bottom to prevent sticking, until tender, thick, and creamy, 25–40 minutes, depending on coarseness.


3.  Meanwhile, cook bacon in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, stirring often, until bacon is crisp, 8–10 minutes. Transfer bacon to a small bowl with slotted spoon. Combine garlic chili sauce and red wine vinegar in another small bowl. 


4.  Pour off all but 2 Tbsp. fat from skillet; cook shallot, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add chard in batches, letting it wilt slightly before adding more, and cook, tossing, until completely wilted, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt, pepper, and some chii-soaking vinegar. 


5.  Remove polenta from heat and season with salt and lots of pepper. Add butter, then gradually add cheese, whisking until melted and combined; thin with a bit more milk if too thick. 


6.  Divide polenta among bowls; top with chard, poached eggs, and bacon. Season eggs with salt and pepper.

Buttermilk Chicken

I am super excited for tomorrow night because my fiance and I are going on a fancy date to celebrate the new year and all the goals we are going to accomplish in 2016.  We are going to Lincoln which is a restaurant I've been dying to go to for years now.  The chef and co-owner Jenn Louis is pretty famous in the food world being voted best new chef by Food & Wine magazine in 2012, being a semi-finalist in the James Beard Foundation's "best new chef", and she wrote her first cookbook Pasta by Hand which and been wildly successful.  There is much more to say about her qualifications but I will let you do your own research on that.  She recently traveled to Jerusalem and her dishes at the restaurant have been influenced by that a lot even though the menu definitely leans toward Italian.  I find it funny because Italian food is a cuisine I don't seek out as often as let's say French but I think I am in for a real treat tomorrow night.  This date will be the one cheat this month during our cleanse month where I will be eating whatever I feel like (still no drinking though).  I feel like we are off to a strong start with the cleanse month, lots of working out, eating very healthy (currently drinking my spinach smoothie for lunch), and drinking lots and lots of kombucha.  Anyway onto this delicious buttermilk chicken recipe that I adapted and paired with vinegar braised broccoli.

Serves 4

The Ingredients
4 chicken thighs, bone-in
1 1/2cups buttermilk
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 (10 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup (gluten free)
Fresh parsley for garnish


The Process
1.  Preheat oven to 425F.

2.  Melt butter in a 9x13 inch pan.

3.  Place ½ cup of the buttermilk onto a shallow dish, set aside the rest.

4.  In another shallow dish, mix together the almond flour, salt and two kinds of pepper.

5.  Dip chicken in the buttermilk and then dredge the chicken into the almond flour mixture.  Place the dredged chicken in the prepared pan.

6.  Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.  Turn the chicken over and bake for 15 minutes more.

7.  Combine the remaining 1 cup of buttermilk and the cream of mushroom soup.  Pour over chicken and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

8.  Transfer the chicken onto a serving platter and garnish with parsley.

9.  Stir the gravy up real well and then transfer to a gravy boat or other serving dish.

Collard Greens

So happy it is Friday!  I can't wait for this weekend of mostly relaxation.  Tonight I am hanging out with a dear friend that I haven't seen in too long and we are going to go to HK Cafe, which yes believe it or not I still haven't been too.  Then tomorrow we are attending a house warming party because our lovely friends just purchased their first home which is pretty exciting.  And Sunday I am going to attempt to make my first batch of sauerkraut in my new fermentation crock.  Sailing last night was a blast, there are a couple pictures at the end of this post to show how perfect of an evening it was.  Let's talk about food now, recently I made this delightfully simple and traditional collard greens recipe to pair with pork and they turned out fabulous.  Enjoy. Also happy international beer day!

Serves 5

The Ingredients
2 tablespoon bacon fat
1 large white onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups vegetable stock
3 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 bunches fresh collard greens


The Process
1.  Prepare the collard greens by first removing the stems. Pull them off by hand or cut them out with a knife. Wash the leaves and stack the leaves and cut across into about 1- inch sized ribbons.

2.  In a large pot over medium high heat, add bacon fat and onions. Saute onions for 5 minutes over medium high heat until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and saute quickly for an additional 30 seconds or so, just until golden and fragrant.  Then add stock, greens, and the salt and pepper and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover, and simmer for 45 minutes, until the greens are tender.

3.  Stir the vinegar into the greens just prior to serving or serve on the side.  And serve!

Mushroom and Beef Chili

I finally got to make my chili...I almost lost it on Monday evening because as I mentioned in my last blog post my oven hasn't been working for 2 1/2 weeks and then I arrived home Monday night and my stove was out of commission too.  With all my chili ingredients in hand to make a fabulous and hearty chili I read the note my landlord left saying sorry he will fix the whole appliance as soon as he can.  All I could think was my day was lame (as it was a Monday), I am starving, and great thanks for being so vague.  After I accepted I wasn't going to be able to make chili I reluctantly sauntered down to Subway because I had no more energy or patience to feed myself any other way, and no it was not satisfying.  Tuesday morning I woke up happy and ready for the day and to my surprise when I got home after a grueling workout my stove and oven were fixed!!  So as you can imagine I made my special mushroom and beef chili recipe.  I know we all deal with lots of dumb things everyday but when it comes down to it cooking makes me forget it all.  Enjoy!

Serves 4

The Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

1 small can of diced green chilies

2 cups crimini mushrooms, quartered

1/8 cup chili powder

1/2 tablespoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon salt, divided

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup broth (I used vegetable)

1 pound ground beef (85-90% lean)

1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

16 ounces fresh tomatoes, chopped

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar


The Process
1. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until it is shimmering. Add the onions, chili powder, cumin, cayenne and ½ teaspoon of the salt. Cook until the onions have softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.

2. Add the beef and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook, breaking up the beef with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 7 minutes. Stir in the beans, diced tomatoes (with their juice), tomato paste, green chilies, mushrooms, Worcestershire, honey, vinegar, broth, and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat so it maintains a slow simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes.

3. Remove the lid and continue to simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste before serving. Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese and chips, if desired.

Pimento Cheese Grits

As you all know well, my friend Rebecca and I are somewhat obsessed with pimento cheese everything...that being said here is another one of our cooking adventures exploring the wonderful world of pimento cheese, original recipe found here.  Since grits are a southern thing we decided to pair this meal with collard greens and the flavors ended up complementing each other very well.  My friend Rebecca and her husband just bought a big beautiful new home with a lovely kitchen so it was necessary to break it in with one of our cooking nights.  In other news 4th of July was a blast!  Two of my friend good friends visited from Florida and we had a BBQ, we went down to the north Portland bluffs and watched fireworks over the river, and we set off our own, all in all a very successful night.  During their visit we also made two river trips to cool off during this heat wave here in PDX.  Our first adventure was up to the Washougal river in Washington where the water was high and still very cold, too cold for swimming in my opinion.  Our next trip was to a secret spot I hadn't ever been to on the Sandy river, the water was warmish, and there was a very large swimming hole with a nice sandy beach (hard to find at rivers in the PNW).  Let the summer adventures continue!

Serves 6

The Ingredients
5 cups water

3 cups whole milk

1 1/2 cups medium-grind stone-ground corn grits

Salt

4 ounces Beecher's Flagship cheddar cheese, shredded (1 1/4 cups)

4 ounces Tillamook medium white cheddar cheese, shredded (1 1/4 cups)

3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1/3 cup finely diced jarred piquillo peppers, patted dry

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

Freshly ground black pepper

Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish

 

The Process

1.  In a large saucepan, bring the water and milk to a boil. Whisk in the grits in a slow, steady stream. Add a generous pinch of salt and cook over moderately low heat, whisking frequently, until the grits are thickened and tender, about 30 minutes.

2.  Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk both cheddar cheeses into the grits along with the cream cheese, piquillo peppers and cayenne; season with salt and black pepper. Scrape the grits into a serving bowl, garnish with thinly sliced scallions and serve.

 

Paleo Fried Chicken

The Paleo diet definitely has its perks, fried chicken being one of them.  The magic ingredient in this recipe is almond flour, while it is expensive it is so much better than regular old white flour.  It adds a rich and filling flavor to any recipe and is the perfect ingredient to bread anything, including chicken nuggets.  In other news Spring has finally come to Portland we had almost two full weeks of sunshine and now we are onto the manic rain showers.  The other weekend it was even sunny enough for us to go enjoy our first Portland Pilots baseball game which was ridiculously fun, can't wait for soccer to start up!  In addition to the Spring time activities we have begun prepping our garden, this is our first Spring at this home so hopefully the soil gives our veggies lots of good nutrients.  Onto the recipe, created by yours truly.

Serves 2

Ingredients
6 chicken legs
1 cup pickle juice
1 cup almond flour
2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 pepper
1 egg, whisked
Spray Oil
Hot Sauce (optional)

The Process
1.  Marinate chicken legs in pickle juice for at least three hours and pat dry when done marinating.  Then preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.  Whisk egg in bowl and set aside.  Next in medium bowl mix together almond flour, Old Bay, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.

3.  Individually dip chicken legs in egg and then almond flour mixture.  Make sure each leg is fully breaded.  Then place on oiled baking sheet.  Next take spray oil and lightly coat each leg.

4. Put chicken in oven and bake for 30 minutes.  Then flip chicken and bake for about 15-20 more minutes or until cooked through.

5.  Serve with hot sauce!

Paleo BBQ Sauce

I came across this recipe after much research and attention to specific ingredient combinations.  When I took the store bought BBQ sauce out of our fridge to look at the ingredients I was very surprised at how much sugar it contained, along with a massive amount of corn syrup.  I had figured it was kind of like ketchup but was still stunned.  This recipe blew me away, it is so flavorful and still sweet.  My favorite ingredient is the apple cider vinegar because not only am I obsessed with it I actually love the taste of it (I know a lot of people that don't).  I have made this sauce a couple times now, once for chicken and in the case for fabulous pork ribs.  Enjoy!

Makes 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients
16 oz tomato sauce
1 cup water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
5 Tbsp. honey
1/2 Tbsp. ground black pepper
1/2 Tbsp. onion powder
1/2 Tbsp. ground mustard
1 tsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. lemon juice

The Process
1. Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium high heat and stir to combine. Taste and adjust any seasonings to your liking. Bring to a boil.

2. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for 1 hour.

3. Pour that stuff on some meat and eat up!

Bacon and Fried Tomatillo Pimento Grilled Cheese

One recent lovely Fall evening I went to hangout with my good friend Rebecca (here is her amazing cooking blog) and we decided to make Bacon and Fried Tomatillo Pimento Grilled Cheese.  We both love pimento cheese spread so so so much!  We actually made the Pimento Cheese Spread that is posted on my blog and fried our tomatillos just like my Fried Green Tomatoes recipe.  But first we cooked the bacon and kept the extra grease in the pan to then fry our tomatillos and then to grill our sandwiches.  We assembled the sandwiches with a layer of pimento cheese spread, bacon, fried tomatillos, more pimento cheese spread and then the top slice of the bread.  We then grilled these massive sandwiches in the cast iron pan.  We used thick and sturdy rye bread which combined very well with the other ingredients.  I would definitely suggest making these glutinous amazing sandwiches!  Today I am writing this post in honor of Rebecca because at 1:33am she gave birth to a baby boy!!!  Congrats to the three of them, and surely her son will one day have to have one of these wonderous sandwiches!

Fried Green Tomatoes

Because in Portland at a higher elevation apparently, and with how wet this year has been the majority of tomatoes we grew never made it past green...or the damn deer ate all the ripe ones, either way with a little bit of a bitter tone in my voice I decided to make fried green tomatoes.  They were good, real good.  On a side note have I mentioned how much I LOVE analyzing and scrapping data from twitter tweets?  Definitely one of my favorite ways to pass time currently... especially when I am sick, irritated and tired at work.  Onto the scrumptious food.

Serves 2

The Ingredients
3 medium green, or greenish tomatoes, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup cornmeal
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil


The Process
1.  In a shallow dish mix together cornmeal, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.


2.  In small bowl whisk together buttermilk and egg, and turn on stove top to medium heat.

3.  Place medium sized skillet on the stove and put oil in it to heat up.

4.  In the mean time dip tomato slices in milk/egg mixture and then put in cornmeal mixture and evenly cover tomato with mixture. Do this with all the tomato slices.

5. When pan is hot add tomatoes to pan in a single layer and cook for about 4 minutes each side or until golden brown.  When done cooking this batch put them on a plate with a paper towel on it to soak up the extra oil.  And continue this process till all the tomatoes are fried.

6.  Then serve!  They are also pretty good with hot sauce or any kind of yogurt sauce.

Superb Pimento Cheese Spread

That is right another pimento cheese spread recipe, except for this one is WAY better than the last one, and it is a lot closer in taste to the ever so famous and amazing pimento cheese spread from Russel Street BBQ.  This process began with Becca and I reviewing about 4 or 5 recipes to combine the most perfect recipe for this wonderful feat.  I will say that the longer the spread sits in the fridge (like overnight) the more amazing it tastes.  So here is the recipe, and mind you this is a great treat to indulge in especially for college football games, GO DUCKS!

The Ingredients
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup Monterey cheese, grated
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/2 cup pimentos (from the jar)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 small yellow onion, grated (or we actually re-hydrated dried onion bits but I bet fresh onion is better)
Black Pepper to taste, we used a lot
Stone Ground Wheat Crackers

The Process
1.  In a small bowl mix together the red wine vinegar and pimentos.

2.  In medium bowl mix together everything else, then add pimento mixture.

3.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour, but for best results but in fridge overnight.

4.  Serve on the wheat crackers, although little crostinis are amazing too!

Also I am super excited because I am leaving for Infocamp Seattle tonight, it is an amazing "non-conference" full of wonderful presentations and people!

Hummingbird Cake

Yes you read that title right....once again I have attempted baking.  So this beach trip I mentioned in the previous post was also for my birthday, and while I usually love to make and eat pie more than anything else (in the baking world) I decided it was time for a challenge, especially after seeing this cake and how beautiful it was.  I also did not adapt this recipe at all because honestly that would be asking for a disaster/failure.  Here is the original recipe and please take the time to look at the link and see how well the cake is decorated pretty cake.

Serving 1 full cake

The Ingredients

The cake:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnomin
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
1/2 cup sweetened dried coconut, shredded
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup loosely packed dark brown sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk, beaten
4 ounces fresh pineapple, finely chopped
3 very ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

The frosting:
1 stick butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon coconut extract
5 cups powdered sugar
16 ounces cream cheese, cold
fresh pineapple chopped

And now for the Process I am going to have you actually go to the original recipes site because I really want you all to see how beautiful the cake is! Birthdaygirlblog.

Here is my cake, its pretty but not half as impressive :)

Pimento Cheese Spread

Alright as I have warned you in the past, there will be some fat kid recipes on my blog, because I mean truly who isn't one at heart....I mean seriously.  So here we go.  This is inspired by Russell Street BBQ, every so often...well more often than not my wonderful friend Rebecca (who has an amazing food blog too) and I go to Russell Street BBQ to grab a drink and their oh so awesome pimento cheese spread.  Now the other day we had one of our rendezvous after a shitty monday at work, and we got our typical drinks and we about to order the pimento cheese spread....but no they were all out.  Before I almost lost my shit we decided on the Frito chili pie, while it was good I still had to have two cocktails to make up for it.  So since then I have been craving the pimento cheese goodness like no other and I decided to make it, knowing of coarse that it wouldn't be as good as Russell St. and guess what I was right....but still this version was pretty damn good.  So make this and get fat and be happy:)

From Paula Deen

makes 3 cups (i.e. more than enough)

Ingredients

3 oz cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup sharp cheddar, grated

1 cup monterey jack, grated

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon House seasoning (recipe follows)

3 tablespoons pimentos, diced

2 teaspoons grated onion

The Process

1. Mix together cream cheese, cheddar, monterey jack, mayo, pimentos, grated onion, and house seasoning. 

2.  Serve on mini garlic toasts.

House Seasoning:

1/2 cup salt

1/8 cup black pepper

1/8 cup garlic powder

mix well

I will say that it is a pretty salty recipe even for my likings (and i love salt), so be weary. 

Shrimp and Okra Gumbo with Creamy Yogurt Grits

So as I said previously my parents were out of town so they had me up to house sit the crazy dogs.  Before they left I bought the newest cooking light magazine cause they have so many good recipes.  Anyways my dad was flipping through it and said " i want this upon my arrival home sunday night."  Of course my automatic response is "u wish!" ...but then I thought that would be nice of me, it does sound good, and I can add one more thing to my blog.  So surprise here it is, and yes it was very very good.  Not to mention my mother has a camera so I was able to actually take my own picture of this dish:)

Serves 4
Adapted from Cooking Light

The Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup fat-free chicken broth
1 cup yellow onion, chopped
4-ounces smoked ham, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
2/3 cup celery, diced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 pound fresh okra pods, sliced
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1(28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 pound pre-cooked, tailless big shrimp
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Grits:
2 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup quick-cooking grits
1 cup fat-free Greek-style yogurt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper


  
The Process
1.  Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large sauce pan.  Add flour and cook for 1 minute or until lightly browned and stirring constantly with a whisk.

2.  Add chicken broth and stir with whisk until thick.  Pour into a bowl and set aside.

3.  Wipe same pan clean with paper towel.  Heat up last tablespoon of olive oil in pan over medium heat.

4.  When hot add onion and ham, cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.

5.  At this point start boiling water for grits, when boiling gradually whisk in the grits, then cover and reduce head to a simmer.  Simmer for 8 minutes or until thick.

6.  After ham and onion cook for 10, add yellow bell pepper, celery, thyme, garlic and okra.  Cook this for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

7.  Add broth mixture, water, cayenne, paprika, ground black pepper, salt, allspice and tomatoes.

8.  Bring to boil and then simmer for 10 minutes.  Then stir in shrimp, cook for 4 minutes.  Sprinkle with parsley in end.

9.  Put grits in bowl and put gumbo with parsley over that.

Some nutritional info as well:
calories 300, fat 10.5g, saturated fat 1.4g, protein 26.6g, fiber 7.3g