Zucchini Corn Fritters

It's National Zucchini Day and I'm on a quest for the perfect zucchini fritter!  I love zucchini and I'm always looking for new ways to cook them.  About 6 months ago I tried my first zucchini fritter and I fell in love.  Who doesn't love food in pancake form?

I've made them a few times over the months and while I loved them, I was looking for them to have a little something more.  Recently I saw this recipe on Foodnetwork.com from their magazine, it has corn kernals and cornmeal in it, a little extra added texture.  I made my first batch last night.  The recipe called for sauteeing the onion and some garlic and then adding it in, I got lazy and omitted this step and just grated my onion right in with my zucchini.  Feel free to make it either way you like, sometimes easier is just better.

Fried these off in a non stick-pan with a little vegetable oil and topped them with a dollop of sour cream. Super yummy!  Perfect for a nice summer lunch, side dish or light summer dinner.  Next time I may kick it up a notch and add just a tiny bit of finely diced jalepeno pepper to the fritters, add a little lime juice and lime zest to the sour cream.....and....voila!  Perfect recipe! 

Enjoy!

Zucchini Corn Fritters adapted from Food Network Magazine

2 medium zucchini, coarsely shredded

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 small onion, shredded

1/2 cup corn kernals (fresh or frozen) 

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 large egg

Vegetable oil, for frying

Sour Cream, for serving

Wrap the zucchini and onion in a kitchen towel and squeeze the liquid out over kitchen sink, place in a bowl and add the corn kernals.

Whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk the buttermilk and egg in a large bowl, then stir in the zucchini mixture. Add the cornmeal mixture and stir until just combined.

Heat about 1/8 inch vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, scoop scant 1/4 cupfuls of the batter into the oil and use the back of the measuring cup to flatten the scoops. Cook until the fritters are golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Serve warm or at room temperature with a dollop of sour cream. (You can make the fritters up to 2 hours ahead; reheat in a 375 degrees F oven on a rack set on a baking sheet.)

Recipe shared on:

Chocolate, Chocolate, and More - Thursday's Treasures

My Turn For Us - Freedom Fridays

Pizza Spaghetti

Shortest....post....ever!  This one is for Zack!  To celebrate his great report card, I offered to make a special meal of his choosing.  Zack saw a picture of Pizza Spaghetti on Twitter and went searching the web looking for a recipe.  This super easy recipe popped up on myrecipes.com and was originally from Southern Living.

Very cute and fun dish to make with the kids! My youngest, who hates spaghetti, ate two helpings and declared that spaghetti with pepperoni was just awesome!!

Pizza Spaghetti adapted from myrecipes.com

serves 8

12 ounces uncooked spaghetti

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 lb Italian sausage

2 ounces turkey pepperoni, sliced in 1/2

1 (26-oz.) jar tomato-and-basil pasta sauce or your favorite homemade sauce

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 (8-oz.) package shredded Italian three-cheese blend

Cook spaghetti with 1/2 tsp. salt according to package directions. Drain well, and place in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish (can also 1/2 the recipe and cook in a round 9" baking dish).

Brown sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain and set aside. Wipe skillet clean. Add pepperoni, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, 4 minutes or until slightly crisp.

Top spaghetti in baking dish with sausage; pour pasta sauce over sausage. Arrange half of pepperoni slices evenly over pasta sauce. Sprinkle evenly with cheeses. Arrange remaining half of pepperoni slices evenly over cheese. 

Bake at 350° for 30- 40 minutes or until cheese is melted and just begins to brown.

Recipe Shared On:
Wednesday's Adorned From Above Blog Hop
21st Century Housewife - the Hearth and Soul Hop
Foodie Friends Friday

Malfatti - Delicious Dumplings From Heaven

Malfatti, when translated from Italian, means "poorly made".  I have no idea how anyone could call these delicate, light, fluffy and delicious dumplings "poorly made".  They are like little bites of heaven to me!  Malfatti are really a Tuscan version of Gnocchi, that are made with flour, ricotta, and spinach (or kale, swiss chard, etc.).

I was recently told about these heavenly dumplings from a friend who had seen the recipe in Saveur Magazine.  I looked them up online and saw that they mixed ricotta cheese with swiss chard and a small amount of flour for what turns into incredibly light pillows of goodness that they serve with a Sage and Browned Butter Sauce.

How could I resist!  I had just been to the farmers market and had close to 2 lbs of kale at home just begging for a new recipe.  Saveur used 4 lbs of swiss chard and the picture of their Malfatti is of an extremely dark dumpling.  I decided to try it with my 2 lbs of kale.  Perfect flavor, the kale was not overpowering but rather light and added a nice green color to the dumpling.

Now, this is a simple recipe and didn't take too long but I will warn you to keep flour on hand to shape your malfatti.  I ended up using two spoons to shape them and dumping the newly formed malfatti onto a plate of flour and rolling the dumpling in that before placing on a cookie sheet.  This kept them from sticking to the cookie sheet or my hands.

The sauce is simple but delicious.  You could serve these with a marinara sauce as well but I really enjoyed the simple flavors of the browned butter sauce with the crispy sage leaves.  My mouth is drooling just thinking about it!  :)

Malfatti via Saveur


1 lb. ricotta
1 tsp. kosher sal
approx 2 lbs Kale (can use spinach or swiss chard)
16 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup flour, plus more for shaping
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
4 egg yolks
1 egg
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
24 sage leaves
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Put ricotta in a cheesecloth-lined strainer set over a bowl and let drain overnight in refrigerator.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add kale; cook until soft, 3–4 minutes. Drain kale and let cool. Squeeze kale with your hands to expel liquid and transfer to center of a tea towel, bring up edges, and squeeze to expel remaining liquid.  Transfer kale to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Place kale in a large bowl along with drained ricotta, 1 tsp. salt, 8 tbsp. butter, flour, nutmeg, egg yolks, and egg. Season with pepper and mix until smooth. (Test 1 dumpling: Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Measure out 1 tbsp. of mixture, roll in flour, and boil until the dumpling floats. If dumpling falls apart, stir 1/4 cup more flour into mixture.)

Grab a large spoonful of the mixture (1 - 1 1/2 tablespoons of mix) and using two spoons shape portion into an oval and roll in flour on a plate. Transfer dumplings to a lightly floured baking sheet and repeat with remaining portions. (If not cooking immediately, cover and freeze malfatti for up to 6 months.)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add dumplings; cook until dumplings float, 1–2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer dumplings to a baking sheet. Meanwhile, heat remaining butter in a 10" skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add sage and cook until leaves are crisp, 1 minute. Divide dumplings between 4-6 serving plates, drizzle with sage butter, and garnish with more Parmesan and nutmeg, if you like.

SERVES 4–6

This recipe shared on:
The 21st Century Housewife - The Hearth and Soul Blog Hop
Foodie Friends Friday
My Turn For Us - Freedom Fridays

White Bean, Sausage and Kale Soup

One week ago we were having 100 degrees weather, air conditioners were on, the pool was full of people. Fast forward to today and we are at 70 degrees.  Chilly mornings and evenings, sunny days with gentle breeze.  Fall is here! The drastic change had me thinking about my favorite fall foods and craving apple pie, pumpkin bread and soup.  I love soup!

  
I've been drinking green smoothies with kale for the last couple of weeks and have a refrigerator full of kale, so I knew I wanted to do something that had kale in it.  Don't say "ewww"!  Kale is fabulous and so good for you!  It has very little flavor and basically takes up the flavor of whatever ingredients you cook it with.  In a smoothie it will taste like all of the yummy fruits you mix it with.  It tastes fabulous sauteed with garlic and prosciutto.  It is also perfect in soups. Sausage in the freezer, cans of white beans, fresh thyme out in the garden!  Sounds like the ingredients for a great soup to me!

This is a very easy soup with very few ingredients and it comes together in no time at all.  Feel free to experiment with it and add more vegetables, different beans, you could even use a different type of sausage.  The point is, this is a very good, easy, and healthy soup that will warm you up on a cold fall night!

See? I don't just sit around all day eating cupcakes!  I even like to eat the healthy stuff!  LOL  ;)

Enjoy!

White Bean, Sausage and Kale Soup

1 lb Italian Sausage (I used Italian chicken sausage), cooked and sliced

1 small onion, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

6 cups chicken broth

2 cans white beans (such as great northern), drained and rinsed

1 piece parmesan rind

1 bay leaf (not California)

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

1 lb kale, stems and center ribs discarded and leaves coarsely chopped

salt and pepper, to taste

hot sauce, to taste

Cook onions in oil in an 8-quart pot over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add cooked sausage, beans, broth, cheese rind, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper, and kale. Simmer, uncovered, about 30 minutes.  Check seasoning, add hot sauce to taste.

Recipe shared on:

Foodie Friends Friday

"The Hearth and Soul Blog Hop" at 21st Century Housewife

"Thursday's Treasures" at Chocolate, Chocolate and more Chocolate

Orange Chicken

This, my friends, is what I like to call a "main dish"!  I know, I know, I know....you are not used to such things from Baker Becky, with the rare exception of baked main dishes you primarily see my baked desserts.  The blogging world knows me as a baker but believe it or not I make part of my living as a caterer and I really LOVE to cook!  I posted this picture on Baker Becky's Facebook page and had some requests for the recipe so I decided share with you all.  

I do the meal planning in my household but I like my boys to be part of that so I try to let each of them plan the menu for one night per week.  This week, my youngest chose his favorite "going out" meal....Orange Chicken.  I will confess that I have never made it from scratch before but I figured it couldn't really be all that hard.  

After checking several recipes I decided to follow this one because if looked so easy and I figured it was best to start with an easy recipe and tweak it later if it needs it.  The only change I made to the recipe was to add salt and pepper to the corn starch.  Yes...you heard it....corn starch.  The chicken is dredged in corn starch instead of flour, which makes for a light and crispy crust.  Trust me, it will work!

Give it a try and serve with white rice and broccoli or stir fried veggies!  Your kids will love it, you will too, and it will save you the money you would spend on chinese take-out!!

Orange Chicken (adapted from America's Test Kitchen)

Serves 4

Marinade and Sauce:

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut in 1 1/2-inch pieces

3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth

3/4 cup orange juice , plus 1 1/2 teaspoons grated zest 

6 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

3 medium cloves minced garlic

1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger 

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Coating:

3 large egg whites

1 cup cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3 cups peanut or canola oil

FOR THE MARINADE AND SAUCE: 

Place chicken in 1-gallon zipper-lock bag; set aside. Combine chicken broth, orange juice, grated zest, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, and cayenne in large saucepan (with at least 3-quart capacity); whisk until sugar is fully dissolved. Measure out 3/4 cup mixture and pour into bag with chicken; press out as much air as possible and seal bag, making sure that all pieces are coated with marinade. Refrigerate 30 to 60 minutes, but no longer.

Whisk the cornstarch into the remaining mixture and bring to a boil over high heat.  Simmer sauce, stirring occasionally, until thick and translucent, about 1 minute.  Set sauce aside.

FOR THE COATING: 

Place egg whites in pie plate; using fork, beat until frothy. In second pie plate, whisk cornstarch, cayenne, salt, pepper, and baking soda until combined. Drain chicken in colander or large mesh strainer; thoroughly pat chicken dry with paper towels. Place half of chicken pieces in egg whites and turn to coat; transfer pieces to cornstarch mixture and coat thoroughly. Place dredged chicken pieces on plate and repeat with remaining chicken.

TO FRY THE CHICKEN: 

Heat oil in 11- to 12-inch Dutch oven or straight-sided sauté pan with at least 3-quart capacity over high heat until oil registers 350 degrees on instant-read or deep-fry thermometer. Carefully place half of chicken in oil one piece at a time; fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes, turning each piece with tongs halfway through cooking. Transfer chicken to large plate lined with paper towels. Return oil to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining chicken.

TO SERVE: 

Reheat sauce over medium heat until simmering, about 2 minutes. Add chicken and gently toss until evenly coated and heated through. Serve immediately.

Recipe shared on:

Chocolate, Chocolate and More Chocolate "Thursday's Treasures"

Foodie Friends Friday

Caribbean Turkey Jerk Sliders with Mango Salsa (and Pina Colada Jello Shots)

I promise you that I have a recipe to share with you today, but you will have to bear with me for a bit while I go off on a blogging tangent....but in a good way!  :)

Today I am feeling like a blogger!  What is a blogger?  According to Dictionary.com a blog is a Web site containing the writer's or group of writers' own experiences, observations, opinions, etc., and often having images and links to other Web sites.  A blogger is the keeper of such weblog or blog.  What this definition doesn't tell you is that as a blogger you can become part of a community of people who have the same hobbies or love of a craft.  In my case it is baking and cooking.  I never knew that I would meet and interact with so many other people who have this same love as I do.  I did not know that I would feel so much love, praise, encouragement, acceptance and friendship from so many strangers all over the world.

I started my blog because I am always baking and cooking and trying new recipes.  I am forever bugging my facebook friends and my children with pictures of all these experiments and I decided it would be nice to see if I could connect with other people out there who share my love of food and cooking.  I didn't know what I was getting myself into.  I have been lucky to have such supportive friends and family who have passed my blog along to all that they know.  I feel so honored to have such support and love from all of them.  Growing followers outside of friends and family has taken more effort.  I learned a lot searching the web and doing my research.

One of my greatest finds was Foodbuzz.com.  This is a wonderful site where bloggers, chefs, and people who just love to cook can share blog posts, pictures, recipes, etc.  It is a site where you can connect with these people and become friends with these people.  I feel so lucky to have found all of these wonderful bloggers who make me feel like a superstar baker!  These fellow bloggers are all over the world, reading my recipes and sharing theirs with me too.  I receive emails from some of these friends, lovely comments, and wonderful humor!  Pretty awesome!!  With Foodbuzz changing, I hope that I will find other ways to keep up with all of these wonderful bloggers!

Ok....back to the food!  I was recently invited to a themed get together.  The theme.....Tropical!  Put on your coconut bra and grass skirt, and pull out the rum!  What a great get together with so much yummy food!  Marinated shrimp, Grilled chicken with tropical salsa on coconut rice and my contribution.....Caribbean Turkey Jerk Sliders with Mango Salsa and Pina Colada Jello Shots!

I will admit....I have failed my blog!  I took only one picture of the sliders and none of the jello shots!  This could have something to do with tasting (just a tiny taste, I promise) the jello shots as I was making them (no really, probably just a sip).  But even without pictures I can promise you.....DELISH!!  Next time I make these I will post more pictures but for now, you will have to use your imagination!

Enjoy!

Caribbean Turkey Jerk Sliders with Mango Salsa

Sliders:
1 lb ground turkey

1 tablespoon jerk seasoning

2 tablespoons jerk marinade, plus more for after cooking

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 dozen slider buns or dinner rolls

Mix together and form your sliders.  I cook mine in my electric skillet but you can use your stovetop non-stick skillet.  Be sure to spray with non-stick spray.  Heat over medium-high heat for 3 minutes on each side.  Take off of the heat and brush the tops of your sliders with more jerk marinade.

Jerk Mayo:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons jerk seasoning

Mix together and set aside.

Mango Salsa:
3 fresh mangoes, peeled, pitted and chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 small jalepeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
1/4 fresh cilantro, chopped
Juice of one lime
salt to taste

Mix all ingredients aside and let sit to meld the flavors together

Assemble the sliders:
Spread jerk mayonnaise on both sides of roll, place slider on roll and top generously with fresh mango salsa.

Pina Colada Jello Shots

1 packet unflavored gelatin

1 cup pineapple juice

1 cup Malibu Rum

Heat pineapple juice to boiling and pour over gelatin.  Mix until disolved.  Allow this to cool to room temperature before adding your Malibu Rum.  Stir in rum.

Pour into small plastic or paper condiment cups and refrigerate until firm, approximately 2 hours.

Enjoy!!!

Award Time!


I have recently received an award from one very sweet and talented blogger!  The name of the blogger is Miss Messy (I love this name) and she makes such beautiful and yummy food, her pictures are always fabulous!  Please check out her blog Mess Makes Food.... (here)

The award was the Addictive Blog Award.

The rules are as follows:
Thank the person who nominated you and link them back.

• Share a little bit about why you started blogging.
• Copy and paste the award onto your blog.
• Nominate up to 10 other bloggers you think are addictive enough to deserve the award.

My nominations are:

Choc Chip Uru at http://gobakeyourself.wordpress.com/

Jess at http://www.onsugarmountain.com/

Raven at http://ravienomnoms.com/

Anita at http://hungrycouplenyc.blogspot.com/

Kim Bee at http://www.cravingsofalunatic.com/

These bloggers tempt me every day with their wonderful posts!  They inspire me to keep trying new things and expand my skills in the kitchen!

Chicken Pot Pie

Last weekend it felt like the middle of July here in the bay area, way too hot!  Luckily we are back to the cooler weather of spring and before it gets too hot I want to get a few more cold weather comfort dishes in. I have always loved chicken pot pie with all of those yummy veggies and chicken surrounded by creamy goodness and topped with a flaky golden crust!  (wait a minute while I mop the drool from my chin...)  

I really love Ina Garten's recipe for pot pie, it makes a nice creamy sauce and is full of wonderful vegetables.  I added even more vegetables to the mix and used leftover roasted chicken from dinner the night before.  Feel free to prepare your chicken any way you like, I prefer to roast my chicken and then use the bones to make my homemade stock.  

I also chose to use puff pastry to top the pie but you can make any pastry you like to top yours.  One sheet of puff pastry doesn't quite cover the entire 9 x13" pan so I used 1 1/3 sheets and pinched them together and then ran my rolling pin over to get rid of the seam.  Make sure that you use an egg wash on the top to help give your crust a beautiful golden color!

Better make this soon before the summer weather comes back!!

Enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie

5 cups cooked chicken, cubed or shredded

5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 red onion, chopped

1 cup sliced mushrooms

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 cup medium-diced carrots, blanched for 2 minutes

1 cup cubed yukon gold potatoes, cooked until tender

1/2 cup asparagus, 2" pieces, blanched

1/2 cup frozen peas

1 cup frozen small whole onions

1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

puff pastry or homemade pastry dough

1 egg beaten w/ 1 tablespoon of water (for egg wash)

In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions and mushrooms over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until onions are translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and heavy cream. Add the cubed chicken, all of the vegetables, and parsley. Mix well.

Place in 9x13" dish and top with pastry.  Brush with egg wash and cut slits in pastry for the steam to escape.  Bake in 375 degree F oven for 35-45 minutes or until bubbly and the crust is golden brown all over.

Serves 8

Recipe adapted from Ina Garten on Foodnetwork.com

Greek Macaroni and Cheese

There is a fabulous restaurant in my area called "Homeroom" that specializes in a menu of Mac and Cheese!  They have the greatest mac and cheese combos like "Trailer Mac" with hot dogs and potato chip topping, "Mexican Mac" with chorizo and peppers, "Mac the Goat" with tangy fresh chevre, "The Exchange Student" which is Greek-style with artichoke hearts and spinach, and many, many more!   They also have great soups, salads and yummy homemade desserts, even homemade oreos!!  Each time I go I am inspired to try to make these delicious cheesy dishes at home.  My favorite thing to order is "The Exchange Student", I love feta cheese and I love artichoke hearts and spinach!  Last night I decided to try and re-create this dish.  Not so easy since I don't know what they actually put into it or what type of cheese is used in the bechamel.  I know that it doesn't look or taste like there is any cheddar in at all.  

I made a bechamel, which is a white sauce made by whisking warm milk into a roux of butter and flour.  Once that thickened I added gruyere and parmesan cheeses, salt and pepper and some spices for a little kick.  In a a saute pan I carmelized shallots and then added the chopped artichoke hearts and spinach.  Mix it all together and top with feta and buttered bread crumbs and you have a wicked yummy meal!!!  I'm not sure if it's even close to the same as Homeroom's recipe but it is just as good (if not better)!  The vegetables add great flavor and the cheese sauce is yummy and gooey!  I love this recipe and I hope you do too!  

ENJOY!!

Greek Macaroni and Cheese

1 pound large elbow macaroni

8 tablespoons butter, plus more for casserole dish

5 cups milk

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 

4 cups grated Gruyere cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

2 large shallots sliced

1/2 cup chopped artichoke hearts (drained, not marinated)

2 cups chopped fresh spinach

1/2 dried bread crumbs or panko bread crumbs

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter a 9 x 13" casserole dish; set aside.

Heat milk in a medium saucepan.  In a high sided skillet melt 6 tablespoons butter over medium heat.  When butter is melted, add flour.  Cook stirring for 1 minute.  Slowly pour hot milk into roux while whisking.  Continue cooking over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.  This can take quite a while.  When the bechamel has thickened, remove from the heat and stir in salt, pepper, nutmeg, cayenne, Gruyere cheese and Parmesan cheese.  Set cheese sauce aside.

In a saute pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter and add sliced shallots.  Stir occasionally cooking until softened and caramelized but not browned.  Add chopped artichoke hearts and spinach and saute until spinach is tender and slightly wilted, 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Cook elbow macaroni according to package minus 2 minutes, until cooked but slightly under done.  Drain and rinse with cold water.

Mix cooked pasta and vegetables with sauce and pour into prepared casserole dish.  Sprinkle all of the feta cheese over the top of the mixture.  Melt remaining tablespoon of butter and toss with bread crumbs, sprinkle over the top.  Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes.

Serves 12 people

Butternut Squash Galette

A while back I was desperate to use up a butternut squash and I really wanted to try something different.  I ran across a recipe for Butternut Squash Galette on a fabulous food blog called smittenkitchen.com.  The recipe looked pretty simple so I gave it a try and I'm so glad I did.  This recipe is fabulous!  I have made it a few times now and put my own little twist to it and it has become one of my favorite dishes!  This dish looks beautiful for company, just add a nice green salad and a crust french bread and you are set!  

If making homemade crust scares you, feel free to use store bought crust, I'm sure it will still be delicious.  However, if you are new to making pastry, I would try this recipe!  It is an easy recipe to make and the dough is very forgiving.  Unlike regular pastry, the dough was easy to roll out and didn't stick to my board at all even though I dusted it with very little flour.  The dough makes an incredibly tender crust that I can only attribute to the sour cream and lemon juice (which you cannot taste, in case you were worried).  So....don't be so afraid of pastry....give it a try!!

BUTTERNUT SQUASH GALETTE

Pastry:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/4 cup sour cream

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup ice water 

In a bowl, combine the flour and salt and add the butter, using a pastry blender, cut it in until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Make a well in the center. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice and water and add this mixture to the well. Stir until dough forms ball. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Filling:

1 small butternut squash (about one pound)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 to 2 tablespoons butter 

1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced in half-moons

pinch of salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste

3/4 cup gruyere cheese (about 2 1/2 ounces), grated 

2 oz pancetta, cooked and crumbled

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Peel squash and cut into 1 inch pieces. Toss pieces with olive oil and salt and roast on foil lined (for neatness sake) sheet for 20 minutes or until pieces are tender, turning it midway if your oven bakes unevenly. Set aside to cool slightly.

While squash is roasting, melt butter in a heavy skillet and cook onion over low heat with pinch of salt, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Stir in cayenne.

Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Mix squash, caramelized onions, cheese, pancetta and sage together in a bowl.

Assemble galette: On a floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch round. Transfer to a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread squash, onions, cheese and herb mixture over the dough, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Fold the border over the squash, onion and cheese mixture, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open.

Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, let stand for 5 minutes, then slide the galette onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm or at room temperature. 

Recipe adapted from Smittenkitchen.com

Recipe shared on:
Foodie Friends Friday

Sleepovers and Homemade Pizza!!

If you have children you will understand why I am so exhausted today!  This weekend my two boys had sleepovers and in total there were five teenage boys in the house (technically 4 teens and 1 pre-teen).  Let me start by telling you that I LOVE having a house full of children.  The house is filled with laughter and kids running around and yummy food smells and it's basically like an indoor carnival! Plus, I am lucky enough to have great kids with great friends who like to hang out with me.  It is always fun but it is tiring too.  Last night I didn't get much sleep between the marshmallow gun wars, the loud video games, the Spongebob show playing and oh yes, the goldfish cracker basketball game.  I awoke to what looked like a Pepperidge Farm masacre, goldfish everywhere!

The highlight of the sleepover (for me) was making homemade personal pizzas!  We had all the usual toppings and the most delicious pizza crust ever!  I always use Tyler Florence's recipe for pizza dough (excuse me while I fan myself, just thinking of him gives me a hot flash) because it is a never-fail recipe.  The only thing I change is that I prefer to use bread flour for my pizza dough, it makes a crisper crust.  Everyone fixed their own pizzas and they turned out great!  We finished off the meal with some homemade s'mores whoopie pies! Happy kids, happy Mom!!

Pizza Dough

1 package active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting


In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water; stir gently to dissolve. Let the mixture stand until the yeast comes alive and starts to foam, about 5 to 10 minutes.


Turn the mixer on low and add the salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the flour, a little at a time, mixing at the lowest speed until all the flour has been incorporated. When the dough starts to come together, increase the speed to medium; stop the machine periodically to scrape the dough off the hook. Get a feel for the dough by squeezing a small amount together: if it's crumbly, add more water; if it's sticky, add more flour - 1 tablespoon at a time. Mix until the dough gathers into a ball, this should take about 5 minutes.


Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold it over itself a few times; kneading until it's smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a round and place in a lightly oiled bowl, turn it over to coat. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot (i.e. over a gas pilot light) until doubled in size, about 1 hour.


Once the dough is domed and spongy, turn it out onto a lightly floured counter. Roll and stretch the dough into a cylinder and divide into 3 equal pieces. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes so it will be easier to roll out.


Preheat oven to 500 degrees F and place rack on the lowest rung in the oven.


Roll or stretch by hand each piece of dough into a 12" circle and place on baking sheet or pizza stone.  Add your favorite toppings!  Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until crust is brown and crispy!


Recipe adapted from Tyler Florence on Food Network

Mushroom and Caramelized Onion Tart

I may not have mentioned this before but most of the time I work at home.  This has it's great advantages and disadvantages. The advantages are that I am always around when my kids need me, I can work in my jammies and my slippers all day long and I can arrange my work schedule to fit my school schedule.  There are only a couple of disadvantages and the biggest of them all is.....the kitchen is here!  The oven calls my name....making me think about all the things I can make!  Today is no exception.  I have all of these beautiful mushrooms that need to be cooked and I have the second half of a pastry recipe that I either need to use or freeze.  I guess this means we are making a mushroom tart!!

I got as far as par-baking my pastry crust in the tart pan when I realized that not only have I never made a mushroom tart before but I do not even have a recipe for one.  What I do have is a love for all things caramelized and so I did that to some onions and found a block of Gruyere cheese in the the refrigerator (if you know me well, you will know that it is like a cheese shop in my refrigerator, probably another obsession of mine I'm sure).

The following recipe is what I came up with on the fly this morning!  It was a fabulous lunch and will likely be a fabulous dinner as well.  My only regret is that it is too early in the day to have a glass of wine with this tasty treat!  I hope you enjoy it!

Mushroom and Caramelized Onion Tart

1 flaky butter crust (store bought or homemade)

½ medium onion, sliced

3 tablespoons butter

2 cups sliced mushrooms

3 large eggs

¾ cup heavy cream

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon fresh thyme

Pinch of ground nutmeg

1 cup grated Gruyere cheese

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Prepare tart shell.  Roll out dough to an 11 inch circle and transfer to 9 inch tart pan with removable sides, trim crust.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Line the pastry with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans.  Bake until the crust is set, about 12 minutes.  Remove the weights and bake another 8 - 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and set aside.

In a medium skillet, cook the onions in 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-low heat.  Cook while stirring often, until caramelized.  About 15 to 20 minutes.  Put onions in the bottom of the pie crust.

Using the same skillet, cook the mushrooms in the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat until tender and beginning to brown.  Remove and add to the crust with the onions.

Sprinkle the cheese on top of the mushrooms and onions.

Combine eggs and the cream in a bowl and whisk well.  Add the salt, pepper, nutmeg and thyme.  Whisk to combine.  Pour into the tart shell and bake until risen and golden brown, about 35 minutes.

Let me know if you need me to publish a recipe for pastry dough...I have one that I love and have used for as long as I've been baking!