Mediterranean Dinner

What better way to celebrate the new year than with wonderful friends, great stories, 

and a big, fat Mediterranean dinner party?

~~~

Mediterranean Menu

  

Layered Hummus & Vegetable Dip 

with Pita Chips, Carrots and/or Bread

  

Chicken & Tomato Stew

  

Cinnamon Couscous

White wine with the Appetizer & Red with the Mains

~~~

  

Layered Mediterranean Dip

     adapted from Annie's Eats

Ingredients
Hummus
Pesto
1 cucumber, seeded and diced
1 small red onion, diced
Sun-dried or oven-dried cherry tomatoes**
4-6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
banana peppers (optional)
olives (optional)

**Oven-Dried Tomatoes
1 pint cherry tomatoes, washed and dried.
Preheat oven to 225 degrees.
Cut tomatoes lengthwise, place in a baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil, sugar, salt, and pepper and bake for 2.5-3 hours. Tomatoes will look shriveled and slightly blackened on the edges. They will be delicious.

Directions
On a large serving plate, spread an even layer of hummus. Next, an even layer of pesto.

Evenly distribute the cucumber, onion, (other veggies if you're using them), feta, and tomatoes.

Chill in the refrigerator before serving. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Serve with pita chips, carrots, or bread.

Chicken & Tomato Stew with Cinnamon Couscous

     from theKitchn

Stew Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp dried oregano

1- 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes, in puree

1- 16 oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 cup chicken broth

Salt & Pepper

1 rotisserie chicken, cut into bite sized pieces, skin removed

Dash of cinnamon

½ of freshly squeezed lemon

Cinnamon Couscous
2 cups chicken broth

1 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp salt
1- 10 oz. box plain, quick-cooking couscous 

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 freshly squeezed orange

Directions

Over medium heat, add olive oil in a heavy pot or dutch oven. Add onion and cook until softened, 5-8 minutes. Add garlic and oregano, cook for one minute while stirring.

Pour in tomatoes, chickpeas, chicken broth. Season with salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes.

Add chicken, lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Just before serving, make the couscous. This takes all of 8 minutes.

Bring chicken broth, oil, and salt to a boil. Add couscous, stir, remove from heat and cover.

Let rest until all liquid has been absorbed, about 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork, add cinnamon and orange juice. Fluff until everything is fully incorporated.

Remove stew from heat, add lemon juice, stir.

Serve the stew hot over couscous. Cheers! Or as we said in Greece, yiamas! 

Deeply Chocolate Layer Cake

2013 will be the year of the cake. 

I am making the wedding cake for my beloved friend Stephanie's June wedding. To ensure the best cake possible for that day I'm making a boat load of test cakes from here on out. And today I am starting with a chocolate cake. 

Deeply Chocolate Layer Cake with Vanilla Whipped Cream, 

     Chocolate Buttercream & Raspberries

     from The Little Red House

Chocolate Cake

2 oz. semisweet chocolate

¾ cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder

¾ cup boiling water

6 tbsp melted butter

1½ cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

1¼ cups cake flour**

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

**After seeing how fragile the cake turned out, I would recommend decreasing the cake flour to ¾ cup and ½ cup all-purpose flour.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

!IMPORTANT! Line bottom of two 8" pans with a round of parchment paper. Grease both side of the parchment paper and sides of pan.

Finely chop the chocolate, in a bowl combine it with boiling water and cocoa powder. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

In a bowl add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In large bowl of a standing mixer, beat butter and sugar until combined.

Add eggs, one at a time, until the mixture has thickened slightly and light colored, about 3 minutes.

Slowly add buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate, beating until combined well.

Add flour mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined.

Pour batter into the two pans, bake in the center of your oven for 22-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool, turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Vanilla Whipped Cream Ingredients

     (double if making 4 layers)

1 cups whipping cream

¼ cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Directions

Using an electric mixer, whip the cream on high speed for 2 minutes until soft peaks form. Add sugar and vanilla. Whip until light and fluffy.

As my pictures may suggest, the cake is falling apart. It's very fragile and crumbles easily so be prepared. 

It might look a little rustic.

Chocolate Buttercream

     (double if making 4 layers)

1 stick butter, room temp

½ cup cocoa powder

2 cups powdered sugar

a few tbsp milk

Directions

Beat butter, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and a little milk. Beat, adding more milk, until you reach your desired the consistency.

Layering the cake...

This cake can be 2 or 4 layers. My cake turned out very fragile so I left it in two layers.

Spread the first layer with a hefty portion of whipped cream, adding a small handful of raspberries. Spread a layer of chocolate buttercream on top. Place the second layer of cake on top, frosting with the chocolate buttercream then whipped cream. Top with lots of raspberries.

This is cake very rich, very chocolately. So don't say I didn't warn you, chocoholics.

Christmas Gifts

I had every intention of publishing this post before Christmas, but Santa had this kitchen elf working overtime up until the big night.

Hoping you had a wonderful Christmas!!

My family did! It was made all the merrier when surrounded by friends and tasty treats.

Here are some edible, homemade gifts I made for friends and family this Christmas...

Ginger Cookies

     You'll remember these from a few weeks ago. The smell of ginger and cinnamon always remind me of Christmastime. Click here for the recipe. 

~ ~ ~

Cranberry, Almond & Cinnamon Granola

     adapted from The Barefoot Contessa

     yields 10 cups

Ingredients

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

2 cups sweetened, shredded coconut

2 cups sliced almonds

1½ cups dried cranberries

½ cup vegetable oil

⅓ cup honey

2 tsp cinnamon 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl toss the oats, coconut, and almonds together. Drizzle the vegetable oil and honey over the oat mixture, stirring together, until fully coated.

Pour out onto a sheet pan, baking for 25-30 minutes. Every so often stir the mixture to ensure everything is baking evenly. 

Remove from the oven when the granola is a nice golden brown color. Stir in the cranberries.

Allow to cool, stirring occasionally, breaking up any large chunks.

Store the granola in an airtight container. Save it for later, serve it immediately, with yogurt, milk, or fruit. The sky's the limit!

 

~ ~ ~

Lemon Curd

     from Willow Waldeck

Ingredients

½ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice, about 2 large lemons

¾ cup sugar

3 large eggs

2 oz. unsalted butter, cubed

Directions

In a double boiler over medium heat, combine the lemon juice, sugar, and eggs. Whisk together. Once combined add in the butter and stir constantly until the lemon curd thickens. This will probably take 10 minutes. Be patient - it's well worth it. 

Once the curd is thick enough to stick to a spoon, see above, remove from heat and stir the curd until it cools. To speed up this process you can put the pan in an ice bath (large bowl filled with ice water) and stir. 

Here's the finished product, ready for serving or canning.

The consistency and color you're aiming for.

The curd will last up to once week. Serve it on toast, pancakes, waffles, in tarts, with pastries, etc...

Enjoy!

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This is a family tradition and holiday staple. It's not Christmas without Nona's Pumpkin Bread. 

Nona's Pumpkin Bread

    from Nona Anne

    yields 2 large or 5 small loafs or 24+ muffins

Ingredients

3 cups sugar

1 cup oil

4 eggs

2 cups pumpkin

⅔ cup warm water

3⅓ cups flour

1½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp baking soda
1 cup nuts, optional

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F and center racks.

Using a standing mixer, combine all the wet ingredients. In a medium bowl gently whisk together all the dry ingredients. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet. Scraping down the sides of the bowl, making sure everything is fully incorporated.

Have loaf pans greased and prepared. Fill each loaf a little more than half way.

For the large loaf pans bake for 1+ hour, for the smaller pans check at 40 minutes. They are done when set and golden and a toothpick comes out almost entirely clean.

These breads last a long time if wrapped in plastic. They are soft and flavorful. 

~ ~ ~

Merry belated Christmas!

Butternut Squash & Apple Soup

The flavors in this soup are amazing! 

The squash and apple are sweet and the curry and onions give a nice spicy balance.

I made this soup for a lunch my mom hosted for her coworkers. It got rave reviews.

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

     adapted from The Barefoot Contessa

     yields 3 quarts

Ingredients

2 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tbsp olive oil

3 large yellow onions, chopped (I accidentally left the food processor on too long, pureeing them - don't worry if this happens to you, too, the whole thing is pureed at the end)

2 tbsp mild curry powder

3 lbs butternut squash (2 large)

2 sweet apples

2 tsp kosher salt

½ tsp black pepper

2 cups apple cider or juice

water

Directions

Over low heat, warm the butter and olive oil in a large stock pot. Add the onions and curry powder, cook uncovered for 15 minutes. Stirring occasionally. 

To prep the squash:

- cut off top and bottom

- peel the skin

- cut in half

- cut lengthwise

- remove seeds and dice

Peel and chop the apples, or use a food processor to chop them. Add the squash, apples, salt, pepper, and 2 cups of water to the pot. Bring to a boil 

Once boiling, cover the pot, reducing the heat to low and cook for 35-40 minutes, until the squash and apples are very soft.

Using a food processor with a steel blade or food mill, puree the soup.

Return the pureed soup to the stock pot on the stove. Add the apple cider. Over a very low heat stir the soup. It will be sweet, smooth, and thick. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot!

As this soup was for a lunch party I only helped myself to a small bowl in the kitchen, 

but it was damn tasty, if I don't say so myself.

Hope you enjoy it!!

Chocolate Kissed Ginger Cookies

Soft, chewy, chocolaty, and spicy. If you like that combination then you will love these cookies.

Chocolate Kissed Ginger Cookies

     from Becky Bakes

     **dough must chill in the refrigerator for 3+ hours or overnight

Ingredients

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
1½ unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup molasses
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
Granulated sugar
Semisweet, bittersweet and/or dark chocolate disks
Unsalted butter

Directions
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Sifting

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the molasses, egg, and vanilla. Mix together, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. In three parts add in the dry ingredients. Stopping the mixer when the last of the dry ingredients has been combined.

Cover dough and let chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a small ice cream scoop or your hands, create small balls of dough and roll them in the sugar, coating entirely. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes. The cookies should appear set but not firm. 

As soon as you take the cookies out of the oven, use the back of a teaspoon to create a well in the center of each cookie. Let the cookies cool on a wire rack.

Using a double boiler, melt ≈ ⅓-½ cup semisweet, bittersweet, and/or dark chocolate. Add 2 tbsp of butter, cut into pieces, to the chocolate, stirring constantly. You do not want the chocolate to burn. Once the chocolate is melted remove from heat and stir for 4-5 minutes. If the chocolate is dull looking, add another tbsp of butter and stir. The butter not only helps the consistency but also adds shine. You want shiny chocolate.

Use a spoon to fill the cookie wells with chocolate. Let cool completely.

The cookies will be spicy and chewy and the chocolate will be soft and rich. Yum.

Spaghetti & Meatballs

Oh this is the night 

It's a beautiful night...

Come on. We're all thinking it.

Here's a classic and a staple for anyone's culinary arsenal. 

Spaghetti and Meatballs

     adapted from The Barefoot Contessa

     yields a ton

Ingredients

For the Meatballs

1 lb. ground turkey 

1 lb. ground beef

1 cup bread crumbs

¼ cup seasoned bread crumbs

2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or 1+ tbsp dried parsley

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 tsp salt

½ tsp ground black pepper

¼ tsp nutmeg

1 large egg, beaten

¾ cup warm water

Vegetable oil & olive oil

For the Sauce

½ yellow onion, diced
½ red onion, diced
3-4 heads garlic, diced 
1 can, 28 oz., canned plum tomatoes 
1 can, 28 oz., canned tomato sauce
3 tbsp tomato paste
Red wine
Oregano, Nutmeg, Basil, Italian spices, your choice of seasoning
Spoonful of sugar
Salt & pepper
Capellini, or Angel Hair pasta

Directions

Start your sauce as early as possible so that it can simmer, bringing out all the flavors.

In the large sauce pan saute the onion. Add in the garlic once the onion softens. Garlic burns very fast so once the garlic is fragrant add in the plum tomatoes,  sauce, and some red wine.
Turn down the heat to low. 
After 10 minutes or so add in the tomato paste, sugar, and season to taste. Let simmer on the lowest heat, stirring occasionally, while you make the meatballs.

In a large bowl, use your hands to combine all the ingredients. Don't mash the ingredients together. You want to keep the meat - for lack of a better word - fluffy and light. Form small 2-inch balls with your hands.

 

In a large frying pan, add equal parts vegetable oil and olive oil to ¼ inch depth. Heat the oil on medium-low and in small batches brown the meatballs. Browning on all sides should take 8+ minutes for each batch.

Put the meatballs on a plate, dry off excess oil with paper towels. Discard the oil. 

Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer on low for 25 to 30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. 

Cook pasta according to its directions. Capellini noodles take about 3 minutes.

Serve hot with a side salad and glass of Sangiovese.

This is a great dish to serve at a dinner party, family style. 

It's comforting and delicious.

Enjoy!

Good Ol'Apple Pie

Another day, another pie.

Sunday dinner with my parents. Dad made the pot roast and I made the apple pie.
This meal was very 1950s.

Apple Pie
     from Tyler Florence

Ingredients
Pie dough (see previous post)
5 medium-large Granny Smith apples
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
½ cup flour
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp butter, cubed

Directions

Make pie dough, divide into 2 discs, chill dough in the refrigerate while prepping the filling.

Peel and thinly slice the apples. If they start to brown lightly sprinkle lemon juice on them. Preheat oven to 375°F.

For a classy baking experience I recommend a glass of bubbly.

In a large bowl, combine the apples and sugars. Sift the flour and cinnamon over the apples and toss until coated.

Remove dough from the refrigerator and roll out on a floured surface. One will be the base, the other the top,  or lattice, or shapes. Transfer to a 9 or 10-inch pie pan. Pour in the apple filling then top with the other pie dough. I used a heart shaped cookie cutter and placed dough cut-outs to form the crust edges and topping. 

Before putting the pie in the oven, dot the top with the cubes of butter. 

Bake for 25 minutes then check to see if the top is getting too brown, if so cover with foil. Bake for another 22-25 minutes.

Remove from oven once the top is golden brown. Sprinkle top with sugar. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

 Happy baking! Happy eating!