Monthly Archives: November 2012

Lemon, Fennel + Olive Pizza

I can’t even tell you how excited I am about this pizza – it was an experiment gone very, very right!

The creamy ricotta, sweet fennel, briny olives, and tart lemon are perfect together. The flavors are crisp and bright, yet the pizza is substantial enough to be a satisfying winter meal. One bight and it skyrocketed to favorite status; another bite and it became an instant classic.

I’m working with Pillsbury this month to create new recipes using their refrigerated pizza dough. Some will be pizza and others will use the dough in different ways, but I definitely want the recipes I develop to be unique. (More “deep dish pizza with brussels sprouts and bacon” and less “salami and chile pepper pizza” if ya know what I mean.)

I’m not even entirely sure how the final concept for this pizza came about. I was sitting at my desk thinking about winter and citrus and how maybe lemon oil would be nice on pizza… the next thing I knew I was in the kitchen topping pizza dough with caramelized fennel and slices of lemon. At the last second, I decided that I needed another bold flavor to tie everything together. I thought anchovies might be nice but, considering I hate them and don’t exactly keep them in the house, kalamata olives made a nice stand-in.

All in all? Pretty perfect if you ask me! Go ahead and give it a try – let me know what you think!

I was compensated by General Mills/Pillsbury for my time creating this recipe. All opinions are my own. 

Braised Onions with Orange + Balsamic Vinegar

These tiny onions cooked in fresh orange juice and balsamic vinegar are my new secret weapon. They’re delicious as a side dish, on top of steak or chicken, on salad, or as a component of a more complex dish. They’re cheap, easy, and fast. Plus, you should have seen Shawn’s face light up when he heard that he’d get to eat little onions again. Seriously ladies, pearl onions are apparently the key to a man’s heart. Who knew?

I originally planned to use these on top of spinach salad with steak and roasted parmesan gnocchi “croutons” but that fell through when I opened my container of spinach and saw that it was past it’s prime. It’s completely maddening how quickly baby spinach spoils; this was only 1 day past the sell by date! Anyway, I ended up wilting the pinch, boiling more gnocchi and tossing everything together with sautéed mushrooms, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and whole peppercorns. I was frustrated (I’d been craving salad all day), so I didn’t take a photo of the final plate but I really with that I had – it was incredible! Definitely something that I’ll make again. I had about a cup of braised onions left so I threw them in the fridge and have been using them left and right all week – they keep great and really are a handy ingredient to have around!

The recipe for these come from Fran of Fran’s Fav’s - I was paired up with her for this month’s Secret Recipe Club. Fran takes food very seriously, testing and retesting different versions of recipes in pursuit of finding the perfect one. She has over 300 cookbooks (and here I thought my collection was bad!) and generally seems like a super fun lady. Hop on over to her blog and say hi – then make these onions!



Pecan-Bourbon Tart + Giving Thanks


Dear friends,

This Thanksgiving, I have so many things to be grateful for that they could fill an entire blog of their own. I’ve been incredibly blessed.

But I’d like to take  minute and say thanks to all of you: thank you for indulging me as I share my recipes and for helping this little blog turn into something that means a lot to me and that has led me on an incredible journey. It’s given me confidence, (in the kitchen and out of it), given me the opportunity to travel to new places and make new friends (and to reconnect with old ones!), and has turned into quite the interesting little job (I know I complain about being overworked sometimes but I never forget how lucky I am to have not one but two jobs that I love with all of my heart). I couldn’t have done any of it without your support.

I’m contributing two dishes to tonight’s feast: Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad and this Pecan-Bourbon Tart. I’ve been making this tart for years, and it’s Shawn’s favorite dessert. Every bit as sticky and gooey as your favorite pecan pie, this tart gets a warm, complex flavor from bourbon and molasses. Cut your slices small; a little bit of this goes a long way!

Happy Thanksgiving from my kitchen to yours!

Lauren

Chicken Pot Pie + visiting The Chew

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a taping of abc’s talk/cooking show, The Chew. Being in the audience of a tv show is something I’ve always wanted to do, but until now I just hadn’t gotten around to it. It was a lot of fun! The episode I attended airs on November 21 at 1pm (12 pacific), but be sure to tune in throughout the holiday season for easy recipe and craft ideas. You can also check out their recipes (or request free tickets to attend a taping yourself!) on their website.

My first impression of the studio was that it was really small, but the made use of the space really well. The counters were all on casters so they could be moved around and rearranged as needed (I wish my counters at home did that!) I was also a little star-struck by the hosts. If you’ve never watched the show the hosts are Mario Batali, Michael Symon, Carla Hall, Daphne Oz, and Clinton Kelly – so much talent in one room! They all seemed to get along really well and seemed really genuine. I could see the teleprompters from where I was sitting and a lot of the show was ad-libbed… it was nice to know that every word wasn’t scripted. During the breaks, the hosts all made an effort to come talk to the audience members too, which was nice. I shook Mario Batali’s hand!

The group of bloggers that I was with was seated at the “tasting table” which meant that we got to sample all of the food that was prepared for the episode. We attended the “Thanksgiving Spectacular” so it was a Thanksgiving feast! Each host, except for Clinton, made one dish. Here are my thoughts:

  • Carla Hall (you might remember her from Top Chef) made the turkey. She brined it – always a good idea – then split it into pieces so that it would cook faster, which I thought was a great idea. She also started it in a pan on the stove to help brown and crisp the skin. Unfortunately, the skin on my piece wasn’t crisp at all and the meat was kind of dry. Kind of a disappointment.
  • Mario Batali’s mashed potatoes stole the show and totally made up for the dry turkey. He used tons of roasted garlic and olive oil instead of butter (the were both vegan and cholesterol free!) After eating at one of his restaurants last fall, I wouldn’t expect anything less than stellar from Batali and he definitely delivered. He also shared a great tip – keeping the whole potatoes in the pot of water until right before you’re ready to mash and serve them will prevent them from drying out.
  • As expected, Michael Symon also turned out an awesome dish: dressing with bread, wild rice, and sausage. I loved the texture that the rice gave it! He added a custard to keep everything rich and creamy, then baked it in a shallow pan so there were loads of crispy bits. Yum! I’m going to be making this one at home very soon.
  • Daphne Oz’s cranberry and apple chutney was popular, but I wasn’t a fan. I thought it was bland and the apples made it too sweet. I liked that she added pomegranate seeds though – they were a nice twist on cranberry sauce.
  • Clinton Kelly didn’t cook, but spent most of the time narrating. He also sang, which was equal parts hilarious and horrifying. He has a good voice though!

L to R: Sydney from The Crepes of Wrath, Kelly from Just a Taste, Nava from Veg Kitchen, me, Sarah from Sarah’s Cucina Bella. If I look terrible, it’s because I had to wake up at 4 to make it to NYC on time!

Since Michael Symon’s recipes are so great, I just had to make another one yourself I’ve been craving pot pies ever since buying these little bowls, so I gave his a try, making a few adjustments here and there to make the recipe easier and to make individual portions (you can’t see it in these photos, but they have moose on them! There’s a photo on facebook). I used rotisserie chicken, but this would also be great with leftover turkey as well. This dish was a huge hit (Shawn especially loved the little onions) and one that I’ll be making again.

Visit BlogHer.com to find links to see what the other bloggers created. For additional crafts and recipes visit abc.com/thechew.


Chocolate-Peanut Butter Covered Oreos

Before we get to these cookies, I’d like to make an announcement: my rockstar of a husband, Shawn, officially lost 75 pounds! As I’ve mentioned before, we both recommitted to Weight Watchers over the summer and he’s been killing it. I promised/threatened that I would post here when he lost 75 pounds, and he did! I’m so proud of him!

It’s kind of ironic that this announcement just happens to coincide with a post about an indulgent recipe like this one, but it’s just further proof that you can eat food that tastes great and still be healthy/lose weight.

With that said, back to the cookies…

It seems like oreos comes in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and flavors these days but I can still remember when oreos were just oreos… except for that magical time of year when white fudge oreos popped up on grocery shelves. Everyone would clamor for them and they’d sell out so fast! We’d always get a box under the Christmas tree, and I remember one year when we each got our own box. I tried to ration mine out and make them last as long as possible.

Oreo and Kitchen Play recently teamed up to ask six bloggers, myself included, to “play up dessert with OREO.” Those white fudge cookies were the inspiration for my contribution. Of course, it seems like you an get them whenever you want now, so I chose a flavor that’s a little more special – chocolate peanut butter! If you’ve never had oreos and peanut butter before, you’re really missing out.

These make a great sweet nibble after a heavy holiday meal, a unique contribution to a cookie exchange, or an easy yet impressive gift for that person who you just don’t know what to get (or who you don’t want to spend a lot of time or money on!). Plus, if you make them yourself before November 28, you’ll be entered to win a great prize pack valued at $70. It includes a Crate and Barrel serving platter like the one shown here, a pie server, an OREO cookbook, and some other goodies. Check out Kitchen PLAY for all the details!

 

This post was sponsored by OREO and KitchenPLAY. All opinions are my own.

Seafood Chowder in Bread Bowls

Soup weather is officially here and I couldn’t be happier! There’s not much that’ better than warm soup eaten out of a bread bowl, is there?

This seafood chowder was inspired by one that I had a few week ago at The Original Soup Man; I love how thick and rich it was and couldn’t get enough of the sweet bay scallops. I drank every last drop and left with plans to recreate it at home ASAP!

This soup is just about perfect in every way: the broth is rich and complex with a subtle brininess from the seafood, but it doesn’t taste “fishy” at all. There’s plenty of sweet seafood to go around, so you’re sure to get some in every bite. This is the kind of soup you want to eat after a day spent wearing bright yellow rain boots and stomping in puddles. Best of all, it’s light enough that you won’t feel like a glutton if you eat it out of a bread bowl. Which you should totally do!

I first saw the idea to make individual bread bowls out of crusty hard rolls on Pinterest, and it’s pretty brilliant! I picked the tallest rolls in the bakery case (high sides will keep the soup from spilling!) and they were the perfect size – just enough bread and just enough soup to leave me on the slightly stuffed side of satisfied.

Be sure to check back on Friday, when I’ll be posting a delicious dessert featuring Oreo cookies – and a chance for you to win a great prize pack filled with goodies like a Crate & Barrel serving platter and pie server, and Oreo cookbook, and some other fun treats!

While I can’t promise that my recipe will be as cute as this little turkey, I can promise you that it will be delicious and simple to make -which is key, since you’ll need to recreate one of the 6 recipes posted on Kitchen Play in order to enter. So grab your oreos and get ready to bake!

 (photo source: http://kitchen-play.com/OREOturkey)

 

 

Be sure to check back on Friday, when I’ll be posting a delicious dessert featuring Oreo cookies – and a chance for you to win a great prize pack filled with goodies like a Crate & Barrel serving platter and pie server, and Oreo cookbook, and some other fun treats!

While I can’t promise that my recipe will be as cute as this little turkey, I can promise you that it will be delicious and simple to make -which is key, since you’ll need to recreate one of the 6 recipes posted on Kitchen Play in order to enter. So grab your oreos and get ready to bake!

 (photo source: http://kitchen-play.com/OREOturkey)