Candied Peanuts

Cookout #2 was today, and thanks to a wonderful brunch with Angela, I was short on time for preparations.  Luckily, David Leibovitz came to my rescue, yet again. These candied nuts are simple as could be, but vigilance is the trick. I walked away from the stove at one point, and when I returned a minute later, I was this close to having a skillet full of burnt nuts.


The end result was delicious. In fact, better than delicious. Like the Lay's potato chip company said, "Bet you can't eat just one!"

Candied Peanuts

Recipe Adapted from David Leibovitz
Ingredients:
2 cups raw peanuts
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
a sprinkle of coarse sea salt
ground cinnamon

Directions:
In a wide, heavy-duty skillet, mix the peanuts with the sugar and water. Cook the ingredients over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until the liquid seizes up. It will take a few minutes.

At this point, the peanuts will get crusty and the sugar will crystallize.

The peanuts will become dry and sandy, which is perfectly normal. Don’t worry; you didn’t mess up. Lower the heat and keep going, scraping up any syrup collecting in the bottom of the pan and stir the peanuts in it, coating them as much as possible.

As you go, tilt the pan, removing it from the heat from time-to-time to regulate the heat and the syrup, so you can coat the nuts with the liquid as it darkens without burning the peanuts or the syrup.

Right before they’re done, sprinkle the peanuts with a sizable pinch of flaky salt (and pinch of cinnamon or chili powder, if you want), stir them a couple of times, then tilt the peanuts out onto a baking sheet or countertop.

Let the peanuts cool completely, then break up any clumps. Store in an airtight container, where they’ll keep up to a week.

Cornbread and Tortilla Soup

Sun and fun was the name of the game last week as I headed to the Outer Banks of North Carolina to celebrate the wedding of my friends, Nicole and Grant. Their water-side wedding was beautiful and intimate, and it was a great way to catch up with friends and soak up some much needed Vitamin D.


Now that I'm back, it's been a tough return to cold and overcast. Slowly, the sun is finding its way back to Seattle, but it is taking its sweet time! A day of hiking in eastern Washington helped remind me that the sun does indeed shine on this state, and even better, I hear the end of the clouds and cold is near!


In true Memorial Day fashion, this has been the weekend of cookouts! Nora and Jason hosted yesterday, and it was the perfect, relaxing afternoon. These cornbread muffins are a little sweet for my taste, but they are incredibly easy and I would absolutely make again.  Tortilla soup, well, who doesn't love that?

Tortilla Soup

Recipe Adapted from Big Girls, Small Kitchen
Ingredients
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1.5 cups medium salsa
1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro stems
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup brown rice
1 can black beans
1.5 cups fresh corn kernels
1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves
1 cup broccoli
1 lb zucchini
Optional toppings:
Two 8-inch tortillas, sliced into 1/4 inch strips
1 avocado, diced (optional)
1/4 cup jack or mild cheddar cheese (optional)
1 limes, cut into wedges (optional)

In a medium Dutch oven, saute the onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and the cumin, and saute for another 2 minutes until fragrant.
In the meantime, puree the salsa and cilantro stems in a small food processor. Add to the pan along with the veggie stock and the salt. Bring to a boil. Stir in the rice and the beans. Turn the heat down to medium-low, cover and cook for 35-40 minutes, until the rice is tender. Stir in the corn, broccoli, zucchini, and cilantro, and taste for seasoning.
Preheat the broiler.
Toss the tortillas with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and arrange in one layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Broil in the oven until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
Ladle the soup into bowls or mugs, and top with the tortilla strips, lime wedges, avocado and cheese (if using). Enjoy!

Cornbread
Recipe from Food Network
Ingredients
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/4 cup honey

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Into a large bowl, mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the whole milk, eggs, butter, and honey. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and stir until just mixed.
Place muffin paper liners in a 12-cup muffin tin. Evenly divide the cornbread mixture into the papers. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden.

Sweet Potato Hash with Golden Beets

Unlike my dear friends on the east coast enjoying 80 degrees of glory, Seattle still hasn’t quite gotten the memo that springtime is here. There have been hints of sunshine and warmth, but it’s still a daily gamble when it comes to the temperament of our meteorological forces. Ready to look Mother Nature in the eyes and say, “Go ahead, rain on our hike. I dare you.”, we set out to Mount Si today.

Eight cold, rainy (and snowy) miles later, I concede. Mother Nature, you win. Hope you had your laugh. I suppose it is Mother’s Day, after all. Now can it be summer?

After a hot shower and reminding my body what it feels like to actually be dry, it was time to make dinner. On tap: something relatively easy to put together, nutritious, and warm. This is so simple and so delicious. It can easily be made vegetarian by swapping the chicken for tofu or foregoing the protein completely. Any other mild herb like parsley or thyme would also suit this dish well.

Sweet Potato Hash with Golden Beets
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium sweet potatoes, cubed
4 golden beets, scrubbed and cubed
3 chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch squares
2 tablespoons canola oil for cooking
1 small onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, minced

Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Toss cubed sweet potatoes and beets with olive oil. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast until tender (about 30 minutes).
Heat the canola oil in large pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until just starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until garlic is fragrant, another 2 minutes. Mix in minced rosemary. If you’re using raw chicken, add to the pan and cook until chicken is white throughout.
Add roasted sweet potatoes and beets, and cook until all ingredients are mixed thoroughly. Season to taste with about ½ teaspoon salt and pepper.

Childhood in a cookie

I would like to thank my friend, Jessica, for having a birthday this week. And America for turning Cinco de Mayo into a holiday. And for any other excuse to get together with friends and celebrate.

OK fine, you’re right. We don’t ever need an excuse, do we?

Jessica has a sailboat and invited us to come celebrate her birthday on this lovely vessel. It was a hysterical outing, and thanks to the 12 layers of long underwear and wool we had donned, warm and intimate. She should have birthdays more often.

What better way to celebrate a birthday than to reconnect with your inner child?  That’s where this dessert comes in. Peanut butter and jelly is a foundational part of every child’s growing experience. Thank goodness I wasn’t born allergic to peanuts (my condolences to those less fortunate).

Let me tell you, I was disappointed with these bars when they first came out of the oven.  I thought they were dry and bland. Rather than throwing them out, I tossed them in the freezer overnight. Next day, they had transformed! Moist, and flavorful, it was like eating an entirely different cookie!  Warning--these guys are rich. I suggest cutting them pretty small.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars
Adapted from Food Network - Ina Garten

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

2 cups (18 ounces) creamy peanut butter

1.5 cups all-purpose flour

1.5 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 1/2 cups (18 ounces) raspberry jam or other jam

2/3 cups salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch cake pan. Line it with parchment paper, then grease and flour the pan.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light yellow, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla, eggs, and peanut butter and mix until all ingredients are combined.
In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture. Mix just until combined.
Spread 2/3 of the dough into the prepared cake pan and spread over the bottom with a knife or offset spatula. Spread the jam evenly over the dough. Drop small globs of the remaining dough evenly over the jam. Don't worry if all the jam isn't covered; it will spread in the oven. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and cut into squares.

Green Piece

This past week has included a lovely stint in Denver for a pediatrics conference, a submission of my first full thesis draft (!), and a butt-kicking “hike” (read: sprint) up Tiger Mountain.  

I’m struggling to find the best way to describe the conference, but I think if you imagine being in one building with 1000+ doctors, you can begin to get a picture of this experience. Egos, brains, and industry...oh my!

Following the conference with the thesis submission was exciting. Of course, receiving the feedback on the first draft might be less exciting. Until then, ignorance is bliss!

If success with doctors, research, and gravity was possible, mastering greens can’t be far off!

Friends, this is a yummy little number. It’s flavorful and filling, and it looks much more impressive than it is. This is going in my “make for other people” category of recipes. One note--it is a tad heavy on polenta. Next time, I might reduce the cornmeal and/or increase the volume of the filling. If you try it out and vary it up, let me know how it turns out!

Leeks and greens...so pretty!

Polenta Gratin With Leeks, Swiss Chard And Gruyere

From NPR-Going With Whole Grains
Makes 6 servings
6 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
1 3/4 cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup grated Gruyere (I had mozzarella on hand, and it worked great as a substitute)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 leeks, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 bunch Swiss chard, washed and chopped, with the rib removed
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

Directions:
To make the polenta, bring the 6 cups of water to a boil in a heavy large saucepan. Add the salt. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Add half of the Gruyere. Remove from heat.
Meanwhile, in a frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the leeks and rosemary and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the chard, the wine and a few tablespoons of water, stirring well to coat with oil. Add more water as necessary until the chard is wilted and soft.
In a 3-quart gratin dish, spread half of the polenta, then top with the leek-chard mixture. Sprinkle the rest of the Gruyere over the top. Spoon the remaining polenta over the chard, smoothing with a spatula. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and Parmesan.
Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes or until the gratin is hot and bubbly.