Along with extra arugula, I also happened to have some leeks I needed to use. And Voila! A search for leeks and arugula led me to this Barefoot Contessa recipe.
I cut this recipe in half and served it with an arugula salad (to follow). Also, she made crispy shallots (see original link below for that recipe), but I was too lazy so I just used some french-fried onions (the kind generally linked to Thanksgiving's "Green Bean Casserole."
ROASTED POTATO LEEK SOUP (6-8 servings)
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4" chunks
4 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts, cleaned of all sand (about 4 leeks)
1/4 EVOO
S&P
3 cups arugula, lightly packed
1/2 cup dry white wine, plus extra for serving
6-7 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup heavy cream
8 oz creme fraiche or sour cream
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
Crispy Shallots (see link below for recipe) or prepared french-fried onions for garnish, optional
Preheat oven to 400F.
Combine the potatoes and leeks on a sheet pan in a single layer. Add the olive oil, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper and toss to coat the vegetables evenly. Roast for 40-45 minutes, turning them with a spatula a few times during cooking, until very tender. Add the arugula and toss to combine. Roast for 4-5 more minutes, until arugula is wilted. Remove the pan from the oven and place over 2 burners. Stir in the wine and 1 cup of the chicken stock and cook over low heat, scraping up any crispy bits sticking to the pan.
In batches, transfer the roasted vegetables to a food processor fitted with the steel blade, adding the pan liquid and about 5 cups of the chicken stock to make a puree. Pour the puree into a large pot or Dutch oven. Continue to puree the vegetables in batches until they're all done and combined in the large pot. Add enough of the remaining 1-2 cups of stock to make a thick soup. Add the cream, creme fraiche or sour cream, 2 tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper and check the seasonings.
When ready to serve, reheat the soup gently and whisk in 2 Tbsp white wine and 1/4 cup Parmesan. Serve hot with an extra grating of Parmesan and crispy shallots or onions, if using.
Recipe Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-potato-leek-soup-recipe.html
I love arugula. Love, love, love it. But since there are just two of us, it's hard to not let some of it go to waste. And what a shame.
So, last week I decided to make a week full of recipes using one of those 5 oz plastic boxes of arugula found in the produce aisle. Trying to find, in a way, that we didn't become over-arugula-ed. Some of the salads I have recipes call for using all-arugula but even though I love this particular green, to have an all arugula salad is just too much for me....I have to cut a salad with half-romaine.
But, my first recipe is probably just about the quickest, easiest, most delish pizza you could make. Have some arugula, pizza crust, goat cheese, and romas on hand but only have a few minutes. I gotcha covered. This pizza is wonderful. Nice crispy crust with the lusciousness of goat cheese and the peppery-ness of the greens......you can't go wrong. Need a side dish? A simple Caesar salad rounds this meal out perfectly.
GOAT CHEESE ARUGULA PIZZA (2-4 servings)
1 unbaked pizza crust (I used Boboli thin crust)
6 Tbsp (or so) prepared pesto sauce
3 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
4-8 oz packaged regular or seasoned goat cheese (4 oz was plenty for me_)
2 tsp freshly minced garlic
1 cup fresh arugula
1 tsp EVOO
Preheat oven according to pizza package instructions.
Dab pesto onto the center of the pizza base and spread toward the outer edges. Cut the goat cheese into thin coins (I simply spread it over the pesto), and spread or crumble across the pizza. Arrange tomato slices over goat cheese/pesto. Sprinkle with garlic. Brush the crust edges lightly with olive oil.
Place pizza directly on preheated oven rack. Bake 5-10 minutes or until the crust edges are golden.
After taking pizza out of the oven, allow to cool for a few minutes so that the cheese has time to set. After a couple of minutes, cover the pizza with a handful of arugula.
Cut, serve, ENJOY!!!
Recipe Source: Allrecipes.com
Oh, we are so into my favorite time of the year!!! Halloween may be just about my favorite holiday for no other reason that it's sweater-weather.
These witches' fingers made their debut years ago but I still get a hoot out of looking at them. It's a simple shortbread-like cookie recipe that you make indentations and cuts to resemble fingers. The whole almonds really give the look of a fingernail and the red icing/gel underneath definitely give that creepy-blood look. Oh, and they're good!
Lots of recipes on these. Some call for granulated sugar, some for confectioner's sugar. This time I used 1/2 and 1/2 to give it a more "shortbread" consistency. For a tutorial on how to roll them out, see this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdwpFp5zhzo. Believe me, their results are "prettier" than mine.
CREEPY WITCHES' FINGERS (makes about 5 dozen)
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar (granulated, confectioner's, or a combo)
1 large egg
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 2/3 cup AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
about 3/4 cup whole almonds
red decorating gel/icing
In a bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg, almond and vanilla extracts. Beat in flour, baking soda, and salt. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes (I chilled it several hours and only took out what I need to roll one baking sheet at a time, otherwise it is too soft to work with). Roll a heaping teaspoonful (I weighed mine at 10 grams each) of dough into a finger shape for each cookie.
Cookies will spread slightly, so roll thinly (mine measured about 2 1/2" x 3/8"). Squeeze in the center to create a knuckle shape (squeeze almost until finger and thumb meet, or watch above tutorial for another method). Using a very sharp paring knife, make slashed in between the knuckles for the wrinkled-look.
Place on a lightly greased baking sheet or one lined with parchment or a Silpat; bake 20-25 minutes in a 325F oven until pale golden. Remove from oven. Wait a few minutes and when warm enough (but not hot), remove the almond and squeeze the gel or icing onto nail bed and press almond back in place so the gel/icing oozes out from underneath.
Remove from baking sheets and let cool on racks.
I've had this recipe in my file for a couple of years (don't those files just grow and grow?) I finally put my foot down and decided it was time to make it.
Fabulous choice. This was so good and absolutely easy, and adaptable. Add your favorite pizza toppings. I cut this recipe in half (and baked in an 8x8 baking dish) and the two of us had finished it by evening's end.
PEPPERONI PIZZA CASSEROLE (4-6 servings)
12 oz pasta (I used mini penne)
1/2 pound Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
3 cups (24 oz) pizza or marinara sauce
1/2 cup sliced black olives
4 oz regular or turkey pepperoni
8 oz regular or reduced-fat ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella (regular or reduced-fat)
1/2 cup Parmesan, grated
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Cook the pasta as directed on package but stop 3 minutes early, drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, cook the sausage in a large saucepan over medium heat, about 10 minutes.
Mix in the sauce with the sausage and 3/4's of the olives and pepperoni and set aside.
Mix the ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan and set aside.
Place half of the pasta in the bottom of a large (13x9) baking dish, top with half of the sauce, followed by half of the cheese mixture and repeat with another layer of each, finally topping with the remaining olives, pepperoni, and oregano.
Bake in a preheated 350F oven covered in foil until bubbling at the sides, about 20-30 minutes, remove foil and bake until cheese has melted and started to turn golden brown, about 10 minutes.
Recipe Source (and read for more topping tips): http://www.closetcooking.com/2013/03/pepperoni-pizza-casserole.html
I rarely duplicate recipes, but when something is as utterly delicious as this soup, I have to make sure everyone gets to try it.
We are almost completely into fall weather. Leaves are starting to turn and temperatures are dropping. In other words soup weather!!! As I've said before, I won't name a favorite soup. I love so many: any kind of chicken (noodle, wild rice, creamy/brothy), clam chowder, green pea, on and on and on. And, of course, mushroom.
While I can't name my favorite kind of soup, I generally have a favorite recipe in each category. And let me tell you, this is by-and-far my absolute favorite mushroom soup. And while I would eat this every single day if it were put in front of me, I really to limit it to just a few times a year because it is a wee bit decadent.
So if you, too, are a mushroom soup aficionado you really must try this luscious, delicious variation.
CREAMY ROASTED MUSHROOM and BRIE SOUP (4 servings)
1 Tbsp oil
1 1/2 lb button mushrooms, quartered (save one or two mushrooms to slice and saute, for garnish)
2 Tbsp butter
1 onion, diced
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme (save an extra sprig for garnish)
2 Tbsp AP flour
1/2 cup white wine or broth
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
4 oz brie, cut into 1" pieces
1/2 cup milk, half-and-half, or cream (for best results, use cream or at the very least half-and-half)
S&P to taste
Toss the mushrooms in the olive, place on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast in a preheated 400F/200C oven until they start to caramelize, about 20-30 minutes, mixing them up once or twice during the roasting time.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a pan over medium heat, add the onions and cook until tender, 5-7 minutes.
Add the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
Add the flour and cook for two minutes.
Add the wine and deglaze the pan.
Add the broth and mushrooms, bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer 10 minutes.
Add the milk and brie, let the brie melt, fish out the rinds (I cut the rinds off before adding) and season with S&P to taste before pureeing to the desired consistency.
Recipe Source: http://www.closetcooking.com/2014/03/creamy-roasted-mushroom-and-brie-soup.html
I used to bake and send cookies, etc. to Jim's office. But now that he's home, I'm finding that I have a backlog of sweet things that aren't being used. So once again, I'm on a mission to declutter my pantry.
When I first ran across this recipe, I knew I would try it regardless. But when it had butterscotch chips and chocolate chips (of which I had extras looking for a home), I knew it was next on my "To Make" list.
I have to say, I'm generally a nut-cookie girl. While I'm not a big sweet fan, if I'm going to have a cookie, it must have nuts (usually double what a recipe calls for). So you can imagine my surprise when this nut-less cookie came out so well for me. The oats give it a wonderful chewiness and the combo of butterscotch and chocolate is a match made in heaven.
Check the link below for more info on quick vs old-fashioned oats. Also, Mel used a #40 scoop for her cookies, I used a heaping Tablespoon. While her recipe said it made 3 dozen cookies, mine made about 5-6 dozen so I'm assuming the #40 scoop is much larger (that's what a college degree from an engineering school will do for you!)
CHOCOLATE CHIP OATMEAL BUTTERSCOTCH COOKIES
1 cup (16 Tbsp, 8 oz) butter, softened to room temp
3/4 cup (5.5 oz) lightly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup (5.5 oz) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups (8.75 oz) AP flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups (12 oz) oats
1 cup (6 oz) semisweet, milk or bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup (6 oz) butterscotch chips
Preheat oven to 350F. Line large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease with cooking spray (I use silicone baking pans).
In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or in the bowl of an electric stand mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy, a minute or so. Add the flour, salt, baking soda and oats. Mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate and butterscotch chips.
Scoot out the cookie dough into heaping tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing a couple inches apart. Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes until set but not overbaked.
Recipe Source: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/oatmeal-butterscotch-chocolate-chip-cookies/
