Not Your Average S'mores

I love when restaurants take a popular dish and add a unique flair. The best example of this lately was at House Wine off South Lamar (behind P. Terrys). Set in a renovated home, House Wine offers a casual setting that feels like your living room. They feature an extensive wine list and several appetizers like hummus and cheese plates. I was there for open mic night, so I had the pleasure of listening to talented Austin musicians play out front in their great outdoor "yard" as well.

When I saw the roasted mozzarella appetizer I was instantly sold. Marinated mozzarella balls are brought to the table with a small table top fire and skewers so you roast the mozzarella yourself. Think smores, but with cheese and crackers. As if it couldn't get better they serve it with olive tapenade and sun dried tomato puree to make the perfect gooey cheese and cracker bite.

Amazing!

Our favorite wine of the night

The Time Between

The weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are often crazy, stressful and usually a lot of fun. I find myself attending holiday parties, shopping for great gifts and soaking up time with good friends before we travel for the holidays.

With all the hustle and bustle around the holidays, I have a hard time focusing on recipes and being creative in my own kitchen. When its finally cold in Austin the last thing I want to do is chop tons of veggies and do dishes. I want to be outside enjoying being bundled up in a city that rarely dips below 60 degrees. However, its still important to me to save money and stay healthy by eating at home during this busy time. I compromise with what Sandra Lee calls "Semi-homemade".

With a mix of great deli prepared items, fresh fruits & veggies, lean cuts of meat and fish I've been successfully making 15-20 minute meals that usually take one dish to make. Here is a sample menu from this week:

-sauteed quartered brussel sprouts, mushrooms and diced chicken in a raspberry chiptole sauce
-breakfast tacos with eggs, cheese and mushrooms in corn tortillas
-seared salmon (season with lemon pepper, salt, olive oil) and deli prepared roasted root veggies
-deli prepared egg salad sandwich with cucumber and tomato salad (toss diced cucumber and tomatoes in olive oil, salt, pepper, herbs)
-package of whole wheat ravioli tossed with brown butter, sage, ground turkey
-thin crust pizza (used Pillsbury dough) with pesto, ground turkey and veggies
-scrambled eggs and apple slices dipped in almond butter

There's an Octopus in my Breakfast

I'm pleased to have my first guest blogger today! One of my cooking inspirations- someone who can make any leftover taste amazing. The man that had a toasted bagel with cream cheese and pesto waiting for me every morning growing up. Cooking with Care welcomes- Tom Vander Ark!

"Put today's breakfast in the win column: egg white omelet with pesto veggies topped with Pico party--diced avocado, onion, tomato, cilantro, with feta and Chalula. 

But that's bush league compared to Tom's Big Breakfast at Lola (2000 4th, Seattle).  It starts with a little garlic Greek yogurt in a bowl topped with sauteed octopus, pumpkin, spinach, bacon, and finished with a fried egg."

Photo from Seattle.net

Tom and crew also ordered the Lola specialty- doughnuts with seasonal jam and vanilla mascarpone. These little nuggets of goodness have been featured on Food Network and have chef Giada de Laurentiis raving from a recent visit to Seattle. Tom called me after breakfast raving- and I cant wait to try this out myself!

Photo from TripAdvisor

All of the Tom Douglas restaurants in Seattle have been family favorites. Mom's frequent request is always Etta's, which is a block from the Pike Place market and has amazing crab cakes and bloody mary's. On my last trip to Seattle I visited Serious Pie for happy hour with some girl friends. Their happy hour features popular pizza's in a smaller size for $5. I brought home the chanterelle mushrooms & truffle cheese pizza and had my family addicted immediately.

I'm looking forward to Christmas in Seattle - cant beat family and good food!

Peppercorn Bistro & Bar

Federal Way, WA (my hometown) finally has a unique, classy restaurant that is on par with those found in Seattle and Tacoma. Peppercorn Bistro & Bar was a pleasant surprise in a city filled with restaurants that often lack creativity. As we walked in the front door a Christmas tree filled the air with a fresh pine scent, that along with jazz music playing set the mood for an amazing Latin inspired meal. A funky beach wood wall and B&W photos of Seattle highlighted the Northwest flair of Peppercorn.

The small, but perfect menu boasted flavors for all food palates. Traditional Latin recipes were modernized and highlighted Northwest seafood. We shared:

Pasta de la Casa (pasta, salmon, artichokes, asparagus, olives in a thin cream sauce)

Gorgonzola Spinach Stuffed Pollo (served with Polenta and crisp green beans)

Mariscada (prawns, sausage, mussels in a rich tomato broth served)

Photos from Yelp customer reviews

We topped off our entree's with Dash Point Margarita (peach puree, simple syrup, tequila) and a bottle of Cab Sav. Needless to say it was a great experience that we are sure to relive again soon.

A Perfect Thanksgiving

This week I had the pleasure of sharing another relaxing, scrumptious and most of all fun Thanksgiving with my family. To top off a perfect day we woke up to a fresh dusting of snow. 

This year I planned the menu about a week in advance and stared shopping for groceries 6 days before. With the threat of major snowstorms the week of Thanksgiving I knew it was best to get as much in advance as possible. We saved seafood and fresh produce for our last minute purchases. My mom and I made the pies the night before and started the other dishes in the morning so they could just be warmed before eating. Working on dishes throughout the day allowed us to keep the kitchen clean and the mood stress free.

After devouring the amazing meal we sat around the table for another hour chatting and laughing. Shortly thereafter we all assumed spots under comfy blankets on the couches with the dogs cuddled around where we napped and watched football afternoon. Doesn't get much better in my opinion. 

Our amazing spread of food consisted of:
(click the titles for the recipe links)

Steamed King Crab (served with melted butter infused in garlic and lemon juice)
Sauteed Shrimp and Scallops (marinated in lemon juice and Chipotle Tabasco)
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes (added lots of fresh herbs and mixed in shredded cheese)
Quinoa Stuffing
Green Bean Casserole (subbed heavy cream for cream of mushroom and used crunchy onions instead of bread)
Chocolate Pecan Pie

Paula Deen's pies y'all

All the dishes!

The perfect plate

Thanksgiving Potluck!

This past Sunday my Girls Night group had a Thanksgiving Potluck at my place. It was such a fun way to practice and test our favorite holiday recipes with each other. I loved tasting everyone's dishes and picking up a few tips, tricks from my friends. Everyone has such fun stories about dishes they remember from their childhood. Sitting around the table drinking wine and enjoying the food was the perfect way to spend our Sunday. 

Our pretty table!

Here was our amazing menu:

-Goat cheese stuffed figs wrapped in proscuitto

-Baked asparagus wrapped in prosciutto

-Pillsbury rolls

-Green bean casserole

-Honey Baked ham

-Stuffing

-Mashed potatoes & gravy

Stay tuned for recipes and pictures to be posted later this week!

Tastes Like the Holidays!

Last month's cooking magazines were full of fall recipes. Squash, turkey, ham, fresh herbs and sweet potatoes could be found in almost every recipe. There is something about those flavors that brings back such wonderful memories- just tastes like the holidays. Below is a great recipe from Rachael Ray's October 2010 (pg. 77) EveryDay Magazine. Like most recipes I made a few changes and it turned out amazing. The brown butter puts this recipe over the top- and brought out the flavor in the whole wheat pasta.

My adjustments were:
-Use whole wheat pasta. You could sub lasagna noodles with whole wheat spaghetti, penne or any other shape you like.
-Didn't have a lemon so I skipped in the brown butter and didn't miss the flavor
-Added seasoned ground beef/sausage (about 1/2 pound) for added protein, flavor
-Added a zucchini with the squash

Pasta with Squash, Brown Butter and Rosemary

Ingredients:
    • One 3-pound butternut squash—peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
    • 1 onion, chopped
    • 2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    • 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
    • Salt and pepper
    • 2/3 pound lasagna noodles, broken into pieces (use whole wheat pasta!)
    • 4 tablespoons butter (unsalted butter works great)
    • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
    • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
    • 3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

Directions:
• Preheat the oven to 400°. In a large bowl, toss the squash, onion, olive oil and rosemary; season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast until the squash is tender, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente; drain and transfer to a large bowl.
• In a small skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 7 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice. (I browned the meat in this pan first- then wiped out and used for the butter)
• Add the roasted squash, brown butter (and meat if you added) and 1/3 cup Parmesan to the pasta and toss; season with salt and pepper. Top with the pine nuts and remaining Parmesan.