Bless Her Heart

Patrick's (Super Simple) Oven Potatoes

 
 We have a friend named Patrick that cooks and does demos for Central Market.  Whenever we shop there the Girl always goes to his department to see if he's demoing food.  One day he was busy on the mic when she went to visit, so we waved and moved along to do the rest of our shopping.  Ten minutes later we were in the coffee department, smelling the bulk coffee beans, when he found us with a small plate of these potatoes for her.  He was demoing a chicken dish, but he knows the Girl is vegetarian so he just brought her some of the accompanying potatoes.  After we were done shopping, she asked to go back and talk to Patrick...where she asked him for his recipe for these potatoes.  She made a batch that very night...she calls them "Patrick's Oven Potatoes" and often requests them as a side or after-school snack. They are not what you'd call fancy, but sometimes you can't beat a really simple potato dish, where the flavor of the vegetable is allowed to speak for itself.

Patrick's (Super Simple) Oven Potatoes

1 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced about 1/4"

1-2 glugs of olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees while you peel and slice the potatoes.  Toss the sliced potatoes in a bowl with the olive oil and salt and pepper. Arrange the potato slices in a single layer on a cookie sheet or two. Bake for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are golden and cooked through.  

Goodbye Fall...

 
The Girl collects things from outside and leaves them around the house in various bowls, cups etc.  I noticed as I was faffing about yesterday that the collections have moved from acorns and leaves to brightly colored buds and blossoms.  Everything is so green here in the ATX, and although the oak pollen is off the charts, we are enjoying the cool mornings and warm days...and we're trying stave off thoughts of the hot, hot texas summers that will be here before we know it.

Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

This recipe is best made with the darkest rye you can find (it really sets off the Swiss Cheese)....but I've made them on simple pumpernickel in a pinch.  This is one of those meals that is great for our half veggie/half carnivore family, because I just add a bit of pastrami to the carnivores' and leave the veggie ones without...or sometimes throw in some avocado for added yumminess.  We had these last night with Cream of Zucchini soup and Oven Potatoes (recipes for another day).

 
 
  Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

1/4 cup pesto for grilling

2 pieces of dark rye bread per sandwich

3 slices of swiss cheese per sandwich

1-2 slices of tomato per sandwich

1-2 slices of pastrami per sandwich for the carnivores

avocado (optional)

Spread a thin layer of pesto on both pieces of bread and place pesto side down on a skillet at medium high heat.  Layer the swiss cheese (divided between the two slices of bread).  Add the tomatoes to one side, and then the pastrami or avocado.  Put both halves together and grill, turning occasionally until the cheese has melted and you have a nice crisp toast.  I usually add a dab more pesto to the top piece of toast when I'm done.  It gives it a little more depth of flavor and adds a nice fresh green finish.   Serve warm.  

edit:  There is going to be a Grilled Cheese Pageant over at happypanini.com  If you have a great grilled cheese sandwich recipe you should submit it here. Don't worry, I'm not soliciting votes, the winner is randomly picked.  She's going to start parading the sandwiches on Tuesday, April 20...so make sure to check out her site for more great grilled cheese recipes.

Got Berries? Have I got the recipe for you!

I splurged on a new cookbook last week and I just can't put it down.  Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros is a beautiful combination of recipes, photography and family memories.  Her recipes are written in a very casual and accessible way.  It feels like "common sense" cooking to me.  I love that her measurements are sometimes described as "a child's fistful of chopped nuts" or "blobs of butter".  It feels like she's saying my meal is going to be a little different than hers and that's not only okay...that's the way it should be.  It makes me feel like if I tweak her recipe a wee bit, I won't be bungling something...it will still be yummy...it will just be more ours. Local berries are starting to make their way into our markets so I went hunting for a berry recipe for an Easter weekend brunch. I ended up making her Pear and Berry Crisp...twice.  If you count that I also made gluten free versions...then I actually made 4 crisps.  On the second day I used a little less sugar...and my friend Kim suggested that she might not use any at all. That way you would get a little more of the tartness from the berries to contrast the natural sweetness of the pears.  I have included her recipe below.  To make the gluten free version, I substituted Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose flour and added 1/2 tsp of xanthan gum to the flour.

 
 Pear and Berry Crisp from Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros

3 large pears

1 cup of mixed berries

1/3 cup superfine sugar

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/4 pound (1 stick), plus 3 tablespoons butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Generously butter a 14 by 8 1/2 by 2 1/2-inch (or a 13 by 9-inch) ovenproof dish. Peel, core, and slice the pears, and put them in the dish. Mix in the berries and scatter half the superfine sugar over the fruit.

Mix together the flour, brown sugar, and the other half of the superfine sugar in a bowl. Add the butter and vanilla and rub them in with your fingertips, working until the mixture isn’t smooth but looks like damp clustery sand. Your fingers might be tired.

Scatter the topping over the fruit to cover it completely in a good thick layer. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the top is nicely golden and some berry juice has oozed up a bit over teh crust and darkened it here and there.

Let it cool down a touch and then serve warm with whipped cream, a bowl of custard, vanilla ice cream, or Greek yogurt.

Yield: 8 servings

Super Yummy Banana-Oat Bread

 
This banana bread is a family favorite even though it has all sorts of goodness in it.  Shhhh, don't tell.  If you were really daring, you could sneak your kids some bran or wheat germ or something like that. Anyone wanna help me figure out how to make it gluten free so that my gut won't ache when I eat it? After I typed it all out, it looks like a lot of work...but I'm telling you, after you make it once, it really goes together quickly.  We had it for dessert last night. Warm. With butter. Nom!

Super Yummy Banana-Oat Bread

Dry ingredients:

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2/3 cup rolled oats (NOT the quick kind)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients:

1/3 cup of sugar

1/4 cup of softened butter

1/3 cup molasses

2 large eggs

1 1/3 cups mashed ripe bananas (the ripest you can find)

1/3 cup plain yogurt

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 4 1/2" x 8 1/2" loaf pan to keep your bread from sticking.  

Mix the dry ingredients in a medium size bowl.  In a larger bowl, mix the sugar, butter and molasses until creamy.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time.  Mix in the banana, yogurt and vanilla.  Slowly add the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients.  Stir until the batter is moist, but don't overbeat it.  Spoon into your loaf pan and bake for about 1 hour and 5 minutes depending on your pan and your oven.  You know it's done when a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean when you test in the center.