Minestrone

The comfort food trend continues… The snow has finally relented but the chill has remained in the air – perfect soup weather!  So today I’m sharing my favorite soup recipe with you.  Well, my favorite soup to eat.  My boyfriend cooks this recipe for me which makes me and my tummy super happy.  I’m sure it will make your tummy happy too!

This hearty vegetable soup is satisfying any time of year but particularly during the cold months.  And unlike many comfort foods you can feel good about eating it.  I can’t think of a tastier way to eat a bowl full of vegetables!  This is one of those recipes you have to let simmer for awhile, but it’s worth the wait.  Just make yourself a big pot so you have some leftovers – this soup reheats very well.

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours

Serves: 2-4

Ingredients

1/3 c. Olive Oil
1 tbsp. Butter
1 small Onion, thinly sliced
2 Carrots, diced
2 Celery stalks, diced
2 medium Red Potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 oz. Green Beans, chopped
1 Zucchini, finely diced
2 Canned San Marzano Tomatoes, chopped
1 Parmesan Rind (optional)
2 c. Beef Broth
2 c. Water
14 oz. can Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed
Salt
3 tbsp. grated Parmesan (I use Parmigiano-Reggiano)

1.  Add the oil, butter, and onion to a large stockpot or dutch oven.  Turn the heat on to medium low and cook until the onions are a light gold.

2.  Add the carrots and after 2 minutes add the celery.  Then add the potatoes, green beans, and zucchini then stir.  (Look at those veggies piling up!)

3.  After 5 minutes add the tomatoes, beef broth, water, and parmesan rind (if using) then season with salt.  Bring the soup to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 2 hours.

4.  Stir in the cannellini beans and allow to simmer 30 minutes longer.

5.  Turn off the heat and stir in the parmesan.  Season to taste with salt and ladle into bowls.  This recipe makes 4 large bowls of soup.  One is probably enough to fill you up (especially if you’re having it with bread) but it you’re hungry you’ll have a hard time resisting going back for another bowl.

I recommend serving this soup with our Rustic Bread for soaking up the delicious broth… YUM!

Pasta with Pesto Goat Cheese Sauce

Outside the snow is piled into 5 foot drifts and the temperatures are beyond frigid.  I suppose I shouldn’t complain – yesterday was a balmy 25°.  Of course now the temperatures have plummeted back into the teens with overnight lows below 0, and there’s snow in the forecast.  That means 2 things: 1) I’ve been spending a lot of time in sweat pants to stay warm and 2) Comfort food cravings.  You know what I mean… When the weather outside makes you want to stay curled up and cozy inside you want hearty food to fill your belly and warm your bones.  So today I’m sharing with you my current comfort food addictions: Pasta with Pesto Goat Cheese Sauce.

This creamy, gooey dish with it’s crisp panko topping really hits the spot.  It’s kind of like a grown-up mac and cheese, and it’s DELICIOUS!  This dish is quick enough and easy enough to make on a weeknight.  It’s also a great way to use pesto (check out our recipe to make your own) leftover in the fridge… maybe from our Pesto Pizza?  One bite of this dish and you won’t be able to put your fork down!

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients

4 oz. Pasta
1/2 c. Milk (Whole is best)
4 oz. Goat Cheese
6 tbsp. Parmesan Cheese
2 tbsp. Pesto
3/8 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper
Topping
1/2 tbsp. Butter, melted
1/2 tbsp. chopped Basil
1/4 c. Panko
1 tbsp. Parmesan cheese
pinch Garlic Powder

1.  Boil pasta according to package directions.  I like to use a fun pasta shape but you can use whatever you like.

2.  While the water is heating for the pasta, warm the milk over medium heat.

3.  Once the milk is steaming crumble the goat cheese into the milk and whisk until smooth.  Then whisk in the parmesan.

4.  Stir the pesto into the goat cheese sauce and  season with salt and pepper.  Cook until sauce reaches the desired thickness.

5.  Stir the sauce into the pasta and transfer to a baking dish.

6.  Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over pasta.

7.  Brown under the broiler, just make sure to keep your eye on it so it doesn’t burn!  You want the topping crisp and golden.

The tang of the goat cheese will make this dish a unique addition to your recipe collection.  You’ll love it!  If you’re looking for a traditional mac and cheese check out our World’s Best Mac and Cheese or if you’re looking for other winter weather dishes try one of our soups (Chicken Noodle, Butternut Squash, **FIX** or Lasagna), our Tortellini with Creamy Tomato Sauce and Sausage, our Semi-Homemade Lasagna, our Lasagna Spaghetti Squash, our Easy Chicken Pot Pie, or our Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole.  Stay warm and keep your tummy happy!

Roasted Garlic Guacamole and Super Bowl Sunday

It’s that time of year again… Super Bowl Sunday!  For sports fans that means potentially one of the best football games of the year – though last year was a big let down.  If you’re not into sports, the day is probably more about the food and the commercials.  Whatever you’re looking forward to, we’re here to make sure your game day menu is delicious!

I’ve got plenty of cooking to do myself so I’m going to keep this short and sweet today.  I have a super-easy, super-tasty recipe to share with you today that is perfect for football munching…

Roasted Garlic Guacamole

Prep Time: 15-20 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 Avocado
2 cloves Garlic, unpeeled
1+ tbsp. Lime Juice
2 tbsp. chopped Fresh Cilantro
1/8 tsp. Salt

1.  First you need to roast the garlic.  Put the cloves, still in their skins, in a skillet and turn heat onto medium.  Once that side is browned, flip the garlic cloves, continuing to cook until it is roasted on all sides.  Set aside to cool.

2.  Once garlic has cooled, peel it and place it in a bowl.  (I use a molcajete, one of those giant Mexican stone mortar and pestles, and it works like a dream.)  Mash the garlic cloves using a fork or pestle.

3.  Halve and pit your avocado (see Tips for Cooking with Avocado) and scoop the flesh on top of the garlic.  Mash until fairly smooth making sure to mix in the garlic.

4.  Stir in lime juice, cilantro, and salt, and you’re done!  It’s generally best to make it about 30 minutes before you want to eat it to let the flavors meld.  If you’re worried about browning, put the pit in the guacamole and press plastic wrap onto the surface.

Serve with a warm bowl of tortilla chips.  If you’re looking to round out your menu, try pairing it with our**FIX** Garden Fresh Salsa or Southwestern Bean Dip.

This stuff is delicious on tacos and pairs particularly well with our Chipotle Stout Braised Beef whether it’s in tacos or empanadas.

Curious about what I’ll be serving today?  We’ll be enjoying Bacon-Wrapped Scallops, shrimp cocktail, crab rangoon, Tomato and Goat Cheese Tartlets, green bean fries, and zucchini chips.  YUM!

Want more ideas?  Take a look at last year’s Super Bowl post or check out these tasty appetizers and snacks that are sure to make your Super Bowl party a hit:

Maple Candied Bacon

Mac and Cheese Bites

Sausage Balls

Spanakopita Bites

Wild Blueberry Pancakes

Blueberry season is in full swing up here in Alaska and we’ve been taking advantage!  Berry picking is a great excuse to get outdoors on a nice afternoon or evening so we’ve collected a lot of berries in the last few weeks.  We’ve been using them for a wide variety of culinary creations from breakfast to drinks…

• Homemade blueberry preserves (from my Tupelo Honey Cafe Cookbook) – delicious on toast or, my personal favorite, homemade Buttermilk Biscuits.
• Blueberry waffles, my boyfriend’s favorite breakfast dish, using my Spiced Buttermilk Waffle recipe (which I’ll share soon).
• Blueberry simple syrup to use in these Blueberry Lime Smashes from Mind over Batter – wonderfully refreshing but not too sweet drinks perfect for sipping on the porch.  I’d describe them as a hybrid between a blueberry mojito and a margarita.

Maybe next weekend I’ll make some blueberry streusal muffins.  But today I’m sharing with you a breakfast classic – Wild Blueberry Pancakes!

I think the recipe for the batter originally came from Anne Burrell but I can’t remember for sure.  What I can tell you is these pancakes are wonderfully tall and fluffy, the best I’ve ever had.  The blueberries almost add a savory quality to this dish.  I know, you’re thinking, “But berries are sweet…”  Well, a) I’m using wild blueberries which are usually not a sweet as the storebought variety and b) next to maple syrup the berries don’t seem as sweet as when they’re eaten alone.

Anyways, these pancakes are sure to start your morning off right.  When it’s not blueberry season I use the batter to make plain buttermilk pancakes so if you don’t have any blueberries or prefer your pancakes without them, give the recipe a try.  These pancakes don’t take much more time and taste much better than flapjacks from the boxed pancake mixes!

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients

1 c. Flour
2 tbsp. Sugar
1 1/8 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 Egg
1 c. Buttermilk
2 tbsp. Butter, melted
~1/2 c. Blueberries

1.  Beat the egg, buttermilk, and melted butter together being careful not to cook your egg with the warm butter.

2.  Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt.  Add the wet ingredients and mix to create a lumpy batter.  Do not overmix the batter or you’ll end up with tough pancakes…

3.  Heat a pan (I use a griddle) over medium heat.  Once the pan has heated, spoon ~1/3 c. batter onto the skillet and sprinkle the top with blueberries.

4.  Cook about 3 minutes until the first side is golden.  There should be small bubbles forming on the surface of the uncooked side.  Flip and cook 2-3 minutes on the other side.  Keep in mind these are thick, fluffy pancakes so they may need a little more time than you expect to cook all the way through.

5.  Transfer the cooked pancakes to a warm oven while you finish cooking the rest of the batter.  You should get about 6 pancakes.

Once all the pancakes are cooked, plate ’em up and serve with syrup.  If you want a very blueberry-y breakfast, you could use blueberry syrup.  I prefer real maple syrup – the good stuff.  I hope these pancakes help get your day off to a great, tasty start!

Bacon-Wrapped Scallops

As I’ve told you before, I never ate seafood before I moved to Alaska.  Once I got up here and tried fresh salmon and halibut I was converted.  For a long time I stuck with fish and shrimp.  It took awhile for me to branch out to other shellfish.  My boyfriend really loves scallops and had been not-to-subtly hinting that I should make them for a while.  So I finally decided to give them a try for his birthday this year.  I had never had scallops before so I figured the way to go was to wrap them in bacon…

Everything’s better with bacon!  Plus, I knew that bacon-wrapped scallops are a very popular appetizer.  I decided to use Tyler Florence’s cooking method and the scallops came out perfectly on the first try!  The savory quality of the bacon paired with the subtle sweetness of the scallop make for an incredible bite.  They are a guaranteed home run!  They’re so easy to make and lend an air of decadence to any meal.  If you serve these at a party, they’ll get gobbled up like candy…

Whenever you’re eating seafood, it’s important to be a responsible consumer.  Make sure you know what you’re eating and where it’s from.  There are a lot of resources out there to help you choose sustainable seafood, but my favorite is Seafood Watch from the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  They have pocket guides that you can print and keep in your wallet, and they have a smartphone app.  Check them out!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

12 Scallops
6 slices Bacon
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

1.  The first thing I do is treat my scallops like I do all shellfish – I rinse them and pat them dry.  As you can see, I had beautiful Alaska weathervane scallops to work with…

Next, slice your bacon in half and soak a dozen toothpicks in water.

2.  Wrap the bacon pieces around the scallops and secure with a toothpick.  If the bacon is a little too short, use a couple toothpicks.  Season both sides of the scallops with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.

3.  Place the scallops on a broiling pan and bake under the broiler, on the middle rack, for 7 minutes, flip, and cook another 7.  Flip them one more time and leave them under the broiler for an additional minute to get the first side a little more golden.  When they’re done they should be nicely browned on both sides and the edges of the bacon should be crisping.  Make sure you keep an eye on them – if your broiler runs hotter than mine they will cook quicker and you don’t want to burn them.

Tip: I like to turn the broiler on a few minutes (3-5) before putting the scallops in so that they don’t start in a cold oven.

Let them rest a few minutes before serving but don’t let them get cold.  I usually leave the toothpicks in so the bacon doesn’t fall off.  This simple but delectable appetizer is sure to please any palette and is perfect for special occasions.  Take a bite and prepare to be blown away!