There’s a major lack of pictures for this post because I was trying to make this in a hurry, as I was late getting dinner on the table for a dinner party.  Many apologies!

There’s a lot that goes into this lasagna, making it great for entertaining, but probably a bit more work than most people want to put into a weeknight dinner.  No picture this time, because I was working in a hurry, but you’ll need: no boil lasagna noodles, zucchini, peas, asparagus, sausage (just leave this out for a vegetarian- not vegan-  lasagna), a sweet onion, two leeks, garlic, a lemon, ricotta cheese, milk, butter, flour, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper.  Plus cheese of course- some fresh mozzarella, and grated Asiago, Fontina and Parmesan.  Or you could swap in pre-shredded Italian cheese blend or mozzarella.  Keep salt, pepper and olive oil handy.

Start by making the bechamel (white sauce).  Important note- I didn’t do this first, as suggested by the original recipe, because I was trying to hurry everything else along. As a result I didn’t pay it enough attention and it wasn’t perfectly smooth.  Which really irritated me.  Not so much that I didn’t enjoy the lasagna, because it was still delicious, but enough that I was a little mad every time I took a bite with too much lumpy bechamel.  So, to save yourself that frustration (not to mention end up with a better lasagna), do this first and set it aside.

Slightly heat milk, nutmeg, and a small dash of cayenne pepper in a saucepan over low heat, stirring to ensure that the milk does not scorch.  Meanwhile, melt butter in a large pan.  When melted, add flour and whisk to combine.  Let cook briefly to help lighten up the flour flavor.  Slowly add milk in two or three sections, whisking to combine then adding more when the previous batch is absorbed.  Let cook until thick and smooth.  Set aside off the heat until needed.

Heat oven to 450.

Now that the bechamel is ready, prepare the vegetables and cook the sausage.  Slice the zucchini very thinly, then place it on cookie sheets, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, and bake until they are dry (mine took roughly 8 minutes, if really thin will take less time).

Cook the pound of sausage in a pan until browned, then set aside.

Slice the onions and the leeks (white and light green parts only) thinly, then saute in olive oil until slightly browned.  You could caramelize them if you want, but I decided to just go for a little color.  Slice the asparagus into bite-size pieces, saute them for a couple of minutes until they are softened, and maybe slightly brown.  If you have a 12 inch pan you can saute them with the onions and leeks during the last few minutes of cooking.  Set all of the vegetables aside.

Reduce oven heat to 350.  Grease a 9 x 11 baking pan.

In a small bowl, mix together the ricotta, lemon zest, chives, and salt and pepper. Also set this aside.  If not using pre-shredded cheeses, pull out your grater and shred the Asiago, Fontina, and Parmesan.  Cut the mozzarella into thin slices.  Get out the frozen peas.  Mince the cloves of garlic.

Spread the bottom of the baking pan with 1/3 of the bechamel.  On top of the bechamel, place a layer of lasagna noodles.  Top with 1/3 each of the ricotta mixture,  the onions/leeks/asparagus, the sausage, the peas, and the zucchini strips.  Finish the layer with 1/2 of the garlic (only 2 layers need garlic).  Repeat 2 times.

Over the final layer of zucchini, finish the lasagna with the cheeses.  mozzarella, Asiago, Fontina, and Parmesan.  Be sure that all of the noodles are covered with the toppings, or they will become crunchy instead of soft… no-boil noodles can be difficult.

Bake the lasagna until the cheese is melted and browning, ours took 45 minutes.  Let it set out of the oven for at least 10-15 minutes before serving so that it can finish setting up.

So many delicious layers and veggies! You can see all of them once you cut out a piece.

Serve with salad and crusty bread.  Enjoy!

Like the delicious salad our friend made with homemade caramelized walnuts and blue cheese

Spring Lasagna with Asparagus, Peas, Zucchini, and Sausage
Adapted from Sass and Veracity, Lasagna with Bechamel and Spring Vegetables

For Bechamel:
2 cups of milk
1 pinch of salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
dash nutmeg
pinch of cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons of butter
1/4 cup of flour

For Lasagna:
1 box of no boil lasagna noodles (shouldn’t need all of them)
olive oil
3 small zucchini or summer squash, slice thinly
1 pound mild Italian sausage links, remove meat from casings
1 bunch asparagus (thinner stalks are more tender), cut to bite-size
1 sweet onion, slice thinly
1 leeks, slice white and light green portions thinly
1 cup frozen peas
2 garlic cloves, mince
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
zest of one lemon
1 tablespoon fresh chives, chop
5 to 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, slice thinly
1/3 cup Asiago cheese
1/3 cup Fontina cheese
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

1.  Bechamel:  Gently heat milk in a small saucepan with spices, stirring to prevent it from scorching.  Meanwhile, melt butter in a pan.  When melted, add flour and whisk to completely combine, let cook for a moment.  Slowly add milk in several batches, whisking constantly until it is smooth before adding next batch.  Let cook until thick, then set aside.

2.  Heat oven to 450.  Place zucchini slices on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.  Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Bake for 5-8 minutes until dry.  Set aside.  Reduce oven heat to 350.

3.  Meanwhile, on stove top, cook sausage (removed from casings) in a pan until brown, breaking up pieces as you go.

4.  In a large pan (12 inches) heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  When hot, add sliced sweet onions and leeks.  Cook until translucent, then add the asparagus pieces. Add more oil if the pan is too dry or vegetables start to burn.  (Can be done in 2 pans if necessary)  Continue to cook until onions, leeks and asparagus are slightly browned.

5.  Mix the ricotta, lemon zest, chives, and some salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Grate the Fontina, Asiago and Parmesan cheese.  Get frozen peas ready.

6.  Grease 9 x 11 baking dish.  Spread 1/3 of the bechamel in the bottom of the dish.  Cover with one layer of no-boil lasagna noodles.  Cover noodles with 1/3 of the ricotta mixture.  Then add 1/3 each of onion/leek/asparagus mixture, sausage, peas, and zucchini slices.  For first two layers, add 1/2 of the minced garlic.  Repeat 2 times, so there are 3 layers.  (Bechamel, noodles, ricotta, veggies and sausage)

7.  On top of the final layer of zucchini, spread all four of the cheeses: fresh mozzarella, Asiago, Fontina, and Parmesan.  Be sure that all of the noodles are covered so they don’t become crispy.

8.  Bake in 350 degree oven until the cheese is melted and browning, roughly 40 to 45 minutes.  (May be longer or shorter depending on type of baking dish used and oven)  Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving to set up.  Enjoy!

- First up, the recipe I mentioned above.  Homemade pad thai from Big Girls Small Kitchen.  One of the few recipes that I don’t alter at all, and I make it at least once every two weeks.  Try it- it’s easy and way cheaper than ordering from your local Thai restaurant, plus you can pick what toppings you want (bean sprouts, peanuts and extra egg are my favorites!).

- Girl Scout cookies!  I limited myself to two boxes this year, but I have to admit that the sight of Girl Scouts selling their cookies at the grocery store always makes me smile.

- The cherry blossoms in DC.  They are gorgeous (pink and white and EVERYWHERE), and going to see them is one of the few things that I make a big effort to do every year.  And beyond their prettiness, the history of how they came to the U.S. is interesting and worth learning about!  They’re expected to peak early this year, mainly because of how warm it’s been, possibly in just four days, unfortunately well before the official festival starts.  I guess we know where I’ll be after work this week!  The photos below date all the way back to 2007.

See what I mean by everywhere? They bloom all the way around the Tidal Basin

- My Sodastream machine. I got it for Christmas over a year ago, and I love being able to make sparkling water, not to mention experimenting with adding different juices for just a smidgen of flavor.  Oh-so-fun.

- This recipe for homemade Galbi from Rasa Malaysia.  Galbi (Kalbi?) are Korean BBQ’d shortribs.  They were easy to make and DELICIOUS, plus making them meant that my boyfriend got a taste of Korea at home (he lived there for a while), which made it feel like a really special meal.

- I’ve been wishing that I could buy a new quilt, and this one from Anthropologie is just beautiful!

- Finally, my pasta maker, it’s one of the hand-crank ones.  I just ordered a gorgeous new cookbook to go along with it, and I can’t wait to share some of my learning experiences with you!

What are some of your favorite things?  Happy Spring everyone!

Have you ever tried the macaroni and cheese at Panera?  I have.  And I blame my little sister 100 percent for my addiction to the stuff.  It just so happens that back around the holidays, she and my mom happened to find the recipe.  Panera made it publicly available!  Kudos to you Panera.  Anyway, they made a batch for Thanksgiving, and while they were a little disappointed that it didn’t come out quick as saucy as the version you get in the restaurant, they said that it was still tasty!  I had to try it.

Last week seemed like the perfect time to give it a shot.  I was in the mood for some comfort food, and the idea of a mac n cheese dinner that didn’t come out of a blue box or have to be baked in the oven was really appealing.  So I went back to the Panera blog, pulled up the recipe, and decided to give it a shot.

Now the Panera mac n cheese is thick, cheesy and saucy, with a nice smooth flavor.  So I have to admit that I was a little bit surprised to see hot sauce listed in the ingredients.  But excited too, because it made the twist that I wanted to take much more logical!

As far as ingredients go, they’re all pretty common mac n cheese components.  Shell style pasta, cheese, milk or cream, flour and butter (for the roux, the thickening base), hot sauce, salt, and Dijon mustard.  I decided to take it up a notch, replacing some of the cheddar cheese with pepper jack, doubling the hot sauce, and adding one of my favorite things, bacon!  I know that there’s been a number of bacon recipes on my blog, and as much as I’d like to apologize to those of you who don’t eat bacon… I just can’t.  Because, as I said, it’s one of my favorite things.  And it made this go from ‘just another mac n cheese recipe’ to ‘OMG that was good, we’ll be making it again and again.’  But if you don’t eat bacon you can leave it out and just use butter.  But I feel bad for you.

To start, put a pot of water on to boil, add some salt.  When it’s at a rolling boil cook the pasta according to directions, then drain and set aside until you’re ready.  The recipe called for small shells, but I already had large ones.  It still turned out wonderfully.

Meanwhile, get out a big pot.  Cut your bacon into little slivers (technically called lardons, but I prefer to call them ‘crispy slivers of goodness’), and add them to the pot.  Cook over medium heat until they are crisp, then remove them to a plate covered with a paper towel.  The paper towel will absorb some of the grease.  DO NOT discard the grease in the pan.  You will use it in place of some of the butter in the original recipe, and it will add a ton of flavor.

I used the time while the bacon was cooking to prep the cheeses and measure out the milk.  Shred the pepper jack and cheddar (total of 8 ounces- I used six of sharp white cheddar and two of pepper jack, but will up that to three of pepper jack next time).  Cut or rip 7 slices of white american cheese into pieces and set all the cheese aside.  Measure out the liquids, I used 1 cup of light cream and 1 1/2 cups of skim milk… I don’t buy 2% like the recipe called for, but still wanted the end result to be just as creamy.Now, estimate how much grease is already in the pan.  I used thick cut bacon, and it looked like three pieces of bacon had released about 2 1/2 tablespoons of grease.  Add enough butter to bring the total amount up to four tablespoons.  I added a little bit less than 1 1/2 tablespoons.  Set the heat on the burner to low and let the butter melt.

Now add 1/2 cup of flour, and whisk for at least one minute.  Letting it cook while you whisk will help to get rid of the flour flavor.  All right, now you have the base for a roux!  Bring the temperature back up to medium and add the milk/cream slowly, maybe 1/3 or 1/2 of a cup at a time, whisking the mix together and then adding more as it starts to get thick.  When all of the milk is added, continue to whisk and cook the mixture until it is thick and bubbling.

Now remove it from the heat, and mix in the cheeses, hot sauce, mustard, pepper and salt.  Stir together until the cheese melts.

Add the pasta back in, and cook on the stove top over medium heat until the mixture is smooth and cheesy and pasta is hot again.  The sauce will ooze into every pore of the pasta.  Wow.

Note- I had to add more milk during the final cooking process to get it to where I wanted it, smooth and saucy, because it was a little drier than I expected.  Keep that in mind, and keep an extra half cup of milk nearby (that’s about what I added).  Just slowly stir in extra milk (warm it if you’d like and it will mix better), letting it continue to cook and get to where you want it.  The sauce was a little bit thicker than the restaurant version, but delicious all the same!

Now dish up some of that pasta, top it with a little bit of bacon, and go to town.  Serve immediately, because as it gets cold the sauce will thicken and get goopy.  This mac and cheese is REALLY rich and filling, so it can stand on its own as a main course (will serve about 4), or be a great side dish.  We enjoyed it with some fresh bread, as an ode to Panera Bread (although that was a lot of carbs for one meal), and a wonderful red Malbec wine.  Some green vegetables and fruit would go a long way with this recipe, making the meal seem a little bit lighter!  Enjoy!

P.S. This reheats well in the microwave, I took the leftovers to lunch at work and enjoyed them again.  If the sauce seems too thick after heating it in the microwave, just stir in a little bit of milk (warm it first, or microwave with the pasta if possible)… I didn’t find that necessary though!

Stove Top Pepper Jack and Bacon Mac ‘n Cheese
Adapted from Panera, The Ultimate Macaroni and Cheese

1 16 oz box of shell pasta
3 slices bacon, cut into slices (lardons)
butter to supplement bacon grease, up to 4 tablespoons
1/2 cup flour
1 cup light cream
1 1/2 cups milk (not whole milk)
7 slices white American cheese, torn into pieces
6 ounces sharp White Cheddar cheese, shredded
2 ounces Pepper Jack cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper (or ground black pepper)
1/2 tablespoon hot sauce

optional, 1/2 cup additional milk to thin sauce

1.  Boil pasta in salted water according to package instructions.  Drain and set aside.

2.  In large pot cook the bacon until they are crispy.  Remove bacon to plate covered in paper towel, leaving the grease in the pot.

3.  Estimate how much grease is in the pan, add butter to bring total up to 4 tablespoons.  Over low heat, melt butter.  Add flour, whisking constantly until mixed in.

4.  Add milk gradually, in at least 3 batches.  Whisk constantly until the flour is all mixed, then add next batch of milk.  Increase heat to medium and cook until the mixture is hot and bubbling.

5.  Remove from heat, and stir in cheeses, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper and hot sauce, stirring until cheese is melted and completely incorporated.  Add pasta, return pot to heat, and stir.  Cook briefly, until pasta is hot and sauce is smooth.

6.  Top plates with bacon pieces and serve immediately.  Enjoy!

If you’ve never had a no bake cookie before, drop everything and go make some.  Ok, well maybe not this instant, but really, you should try it.  They’re the only kind of cookie that I will willingly make on a weeknight!

They take no time whatsoever to throw together, and chances are that you already have the needed ingredients in your kitchen.  I saw a recipe for Nutella no bake cookies on the Novice Chef blog a few weeks ago, and realized that she was a genius, because replacing the peanut butter usually in no bake cookies with Nutella would result in the extra special double chocolate flavor that I was looking for.  So I decided to adapt the recipe that I’ve used for ages to work with Nutella.  Largely because I didn’t have marshmallows (in which case I would have used her recipe), and going to the store would have negated the laziness of this recipe.  But also because I really like the consistency of my old recipe.  Just chocolatier.  They’re a bit dense, which makes them filling so I only eat one or two, and fudgy.  Plus, oatmeal is healthy, right?

The ingredients list: quick cooking oats (I only buy them for baking these, but it’s worth it… if you use old-fashioned oats cook them with the milk, butter, etc. in step one), cocoa powder, milk, butter, almond extract (or vanilla extract), cinnamon, salt, some chocolate chips, and, of course, Nutella.  If you just want normal no bake cookies use peanut butter.  But they won’t be triple chocolate no bake cookies anymore.

To make things really easy later, have the oats, Nutella, and chocolate chips already measured out in a bowl.  That way you can mix them in quickly.  Add the salt and a dash of cinnamon to the bowl too (I dropped the Nutella right on top of the salt and cinnamon).  Do the same with the almond extract… just make sure to measure it correctly (I accidentally doubled it).

Now you will need to bring the sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa powder to a boil.  Make sure that they boil, bubbles, foam and all, for at least one minute.  Otherwise they’ll never set up and you’ll have to eat them with a spoon.  Although if that’s your thing go for it.  Make sure to stir frequently so that it doesn’t scorch/burn.

When the mixture is done boiling, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the Nutella, cinnamon, chocolate chips, almond extract and salt.  Don’t leave out the salt!  And be careful, do NOT use a full teaspoon of almond extract, which is what I did because I was distracted.  They were still good, but the extract kind of overpowered the Nutella, which was really sad.  Stir it up until well combined.

Then drop the mixture in spoonfuls onto wax paper.  Let it sit out until it’s cool.  Or eat it while it’s hot.  Both are viable options.  Quickest cookies ever.  Enjoy!

This pic came out really wonky color-wise... that is why I made it so small

Triple Chocolate No Bake Nutella Cookies
Inspired by The Novice Chef, Nutella No-Bake Fudge Cookies

1/2 cup milk (I use skim)
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 cups white sugar
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup Nutella
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4-1/2 teaspoon almond extract (strong flavor, so base on your preference)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
dash of ground cinnamon

1.  Measure out the oats, Nutella, chocolate chips, sea salt, and cinnamon into a bowl and set aside.  Do the same with the almond extract in a separate dish or shot glass. (Must be added quickly and at once, this makes it really easy.)

2.  In pot over medium heat, bring the milk, butter, cocoa powder, and sugar to a boil.  Stir frequently to mix ingredients and prevent the mixture from scorching.  When the mixture is bubbling, let it boil for at least a full minute, stirring frequently.  They won’t set up if you skip this step.

3.  After one minute, remove from heat and quickly stir in the ingredients measured out in step 1.

4.  Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto wax paper to cool.  Let cool for at least one hour.  Store in air-tight containers.  Enjoy!

Print Recipe for Triple Chocolate No Bake Nutella Cookies

Beef burgers with flecks of sausage for flavor

The last two months have brought with them some of the most confused weather that I have ever experienced.  In fact, so much so that it now seems almost normal for the weather to go from 30 to 50 to 70 and right back to 30 within a single week.  In FEBRUARY!  As a result, my menu-planning skills have been all sorts of derailed.  I mean, last week I was all set to make a baked pasta dish that I’ve been getting really excited about (and which I promise that I’ll make and share with you eventually), when I walked outside at lunchtime and realized that it was 70 degrees.  Baked pasta on a day where I had to take my coat off to go get lunch?  No way Jose.

All that I could think about was how much it sucks that in spite of the wonderful temperature, it was still February.  Which means that it gets dark way too early for me to prep a dinner and get it cooked on the grill while there was still light outside.  But was that going to stop me from making a meal that I usually save for May, when we first hit 70 degrees in a normal year?  Heck no.  Because I have a George Foreman thanks to Santa.  Also known as my mother.

Making these burgers is easy, and a bit nostalgic for me!  A point that was hammered home for me when I did research on making good burgers a few years back (thanks Cook’s Illustrated!) is that you should be careful to make the burgers as light and loosely packed as possible.  That way they won’t turn out to be as dense as bricks.  So don’t over-mix the meats, then form the patties as lightly as possible.  Making them on a regular grill or in a pan also helps a little, as the George Foreman lid squashes them a little, but I like that with the Foreman the grease can drip out, like it would on a regular grill.  Important since there is sausage in there.

So, the ingredients.  Roughly one pound of beef, half a pound of mild sausage (not sage flavored), paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt and pepper.

Start by placing half a pound (half of the package pictured above) of sausage into a large bowl.  Break it into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon.  Doing this before adding the beef will help to keep the mixture lighter, so that it won’t become dense as mentioned above.  Then add the beef and start to mix the two meats together.

When you have mixed the two meats most of the way together, add the spices and lightly mix all of the pieces together until you can’t see large patches of spice anymore.

Now you will create the patties.  The only good way to do this without smashing everything together too much is with your hands, so hopefully you’re prepared to get a little bit messy.  This recipe yielded 8 small burgers for us, if you want to make quarter pound burgers split the meat into 6 equal patties.  Stack them on wax paper to keep them from sticking together until you are ready to cook them. (Like in the first picture above.)  I’ve heard that if you use your thumb to make a small indentation in the middle of the patty, the burgers won’t puff up when they cook, but forgot to try it.  If you try it let me know whether it works or not!

Now it’s time to cook the burgers!  I used a George Foreman, and it took roughly 4-5 minutes per burger.  If you are cooking on the stove top it will probably take 2-3 minutes per side, depending on how well you like your burgers cooked.

Our burgers after just a minute on the George Foreman

When your burgers are done, you can top them with all of your favorite toppings.  We did bacon, avocado slices, tomato and lettuce.  And served them with crispy sweet potato fries.  Oh my goodness, so yummy.  Bleu cheese, bacon and caramelized onions are lovely.  Barbecue sauce is also good on these flavorful burgers!  Go crazy, get creative!  At this rate grilling season will be in full swing by the end of March.  And I won’t complain, not even a little.  Enjoy!

Bonus side note: These burger patties freeze really well.  I just wrap each patty in aluminum foil or parchment paper (so I can thaw them out individually if necessary), then put all of the extras into a freezer bag.  Then they’re ready for an evening when you need a quick meal.

 Flavorful Beef and Sausage Hamburgers

1 pound (roughly) lean ground chuck
1/2 pound mild sausage (not sage) (1/2 a package)
2 teaspoons paprika (or smoked paprika for a bold flavor)
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

Toppings of your choice- buns, cheese, bacon, avocado, tomato, lettuce, onions, pickles, relish, mustard, ketchup, etc.

1.  In large bowl, use a wooden spoon to break up the half pound of sausage into smaller pieces, then add ground beef and mix the two meats together.

2.  When nearly mixed together, add in the spices.  Lightly mix them in until you can no longer spot big patches of seasoning.  Could even just toss the mixture with spoon or hands at this point.

3.  Form patties, keeping them loose so that they don’t become dense.  Mixture will make 6 quarter pound burger patties.

4.  Cook burgers on grill (2-4 minutes per side) or George Foreman (4-5 minutes total).  If cooking in pan, add oil to the pan first and let it heat up.  Flip burgers after they have cooked 2-4 minutes on the first side (they should no longer stick to pan when they are done).  Cook another 2-3 minutes on second side.*

*Discard grease between batches if necessary.

Print Recipe for Beef and Sausage Hamburgers

We decided to give this recipe a try after a trip to the Asian market the other day.  You’re right, there’s nothing about this dish that screams ‘Asian flavors’!  It just so happened that on Saturday, after hiking, we stopped at the Super H Mart, a big Korean grocery store in Virginia.  And the boyfriend picked up two gorgeous salmon fillets.  I don’t tend to cook a lot of salmon, even though it’s delicious and good for me, so when we got home we looked through some of my cookbooks for inspiration.

Where did we find the recipe that caught our eye?

James Villas’ The Bacon Cookbook.  Duh.  Isn’t that where everyone looks for inspiration?  I got this for my birthday from my best friend a couple of years ago (does she know me or what?) and it has some great recipes in it.

Anyway, Villas has a recipe in the book for ‘Norwegian Bacon Wrapped Salmon.’  Yes, please!  We also checked my bible, the Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook, but there was nothing that intrigued us so much as the bacon wrapped goodness in the Bacon Cookbook.

The recipe is extremely simple. Make a sauce with coarse mustard (also known as stone-ground), dill, salt and pepper.  The coarse mustard makes up most of the flavor, so make sure to use the good stuff.  Slather one side of the salmon with it, then wrap a piece of bacon around each piece of salmon.  Broil.  Eat.

Collect your ingredients!  I added garlic, in part because everything is better with garlic, and partly because we were having this with garlic and rosemary roasted potatoes, and the garlic pulled it all together.  I also subbed in dried dill, because I didn’t have any fresh dill, knew I wouldn’t use all of it if I bought some fresh dill, and, well, I’m on a budget.  And we used ground pepper because I didn’t want to be chasing peppercorns everywhere as I tried to crush them without a mortar and pestle.  This turned out perfectly with the dried dill and ground pepper.

You’ll need metal skewers or toothpicks to hold the bacon in place.  If you’re using toothpicks soak them in warm water for 15-20 minutes so that they won’t just burn under the broiler.

Turn the oven on to broil.  Move the oven rack up, so that it is as close to the broiler as possible, while still leaving room to put in the broiler pan with the salmon on it.  You don’t want the salmon to touch the heating coils, but you do want it close, which will help to crisp the edges and the bacon.

We used two big salmon fillets, and cut them into four pieces.  It was skin-on salmon, and the skin ended up being melt-in-your mouth tender.  If you have a mental block against skin-on fillets, just buy skinless.  It won’t make a huge difference.

Mince the garlic, then mix it with the mustard and dill (plus salt and a lot of pepper) to make this lovely sauce.  The coarse mustard adds soooo much flavor.

Spread it over the fleshy (not skin) side of the fillet.  Then wrap each piece with bacon.  Use toothpicks or metal skewers to secure, pushing them through the meaty parts of the bacon (the fattier parts will just rip).  Because we’re using American style bacon, which is long, I just tucked the ends under.

Place the salmon onto a broiler pan, with the fleshy side (which should have the mustard sauce and most of the bacon on it) down.  Place under the broiler for 4 minutes.  Remove.

Flip the fillets carefully with a set of tongs, so that the bacon and sauce side is now up.  Place back under the broiler for another three minutes, four at most.  The bacon should be at least slightly crisp, and the salmon will definitely be cooked through.  I didn’t want to over-cook the salmon, so I removed ours even though the bacon wasn’t fully crispy.

The bacon adds a rich flavor, and provides a great contrast to the tangy mustard.  This is a winning flavor combination on so many levels!  Move to a plate, serve and enjoy!

Bacon-wrapped Salmon with Mustard-Dill Sauce
Adapted slightly from The Bacon Cookbook

Serves 4

Four salmon fillets, roughly 6-8 ounces apiece (with or without skin)
1/2 cup coarse/stone ground mustard
1 tablespoon dried dill
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon freshly ground pepper (or lightly crushed peppercorns if you have them)
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 pieces of bacon, preferably thick cut

4 metal skewers or 8 (soaked in water) toothpicks

1.  Heat broiler on oven.  Move oven rack as close to broiler as possible, being sure to leave room to easily slide the broiler pan with salmon in and out.

2.  Mince garlic, then mix with mustard, dill, salt and pepper.  Coat the top of each piece of salmon (fleshy side) with sauce.

3.  Wrap each piece of salmon with a piece of bacon, securing through the meat with a skewer, or a toothpick on each end.

4.  Place on broiler pan, bacon and sauce side down.  Broil for 4 minutes.

5.  Remove from oven, and flip all 4 steaks over.  Place back under the broiler for 3-4 minutes, until salmon is uniformly colored and bacon is at least starting to crisp.  Don’t over cook.  Enjoy!

Print Recipe for Bacon-Wrapped Salmon with Mustard-Dill Sauce

We had these potatoes a couple of weeks ago with the pot roast.  And we had them again on Monday night, which happened to be President’s Day.  We ate them with what was, hands down, the best salmon that I have ever made.  And possibly ever eaten.  That’s a bold statement, and I stand beside it one hundred percent.  That recipe is coming your way Friday, so stay tuned.  The meal was perfect after a holiday weekend which included some hiking on Saturday and a really long walk with Jazz on Monday.  The fact that he got to go to the park (twice) and Petco to pick out new toys all in the same weekend seemed to kind of blow his mind.

We're not sure what was under that tree, but he was going to find out! He was super muddy when all was said and done...

And he’s been exhausted ever since.  Definitely good news!

The whole ride home he was trying to stay awake to see what was going on, but had this funny sleepy expression on his face

Roasted potatoes are easy to make and you can find a recipe just about anywhere, this is just how I make them.  Feel free to experiment with different spices or find a different recipe.  There are only three steps.  Chopping, mixing, and roasting.  Then they’re ready to eat.  Easy peasy.  Grab potatoes, olive oil, garlic, dried rosemary, and some Italian seasoning. Keep your salt and pepper handy.  (Yes, Italian seasoning includes rosemary, but don’t skip the extra, it really makes the potatoes.)

Chop up some potatoes.  Baby red potatoes, or the even smaller ‘red creamers’ as they’re called at my grocery store, work great.  Small yellow potatoes would also work well, but I tend to steer clear of the full size potatoes, they just aren’t the same.  I cut them into fourths or eighths, depending on how big they are.  You want them to be bite-sized, small enough that they’ll get crispy on both sides.  Put them into a big bowl.

Now mince some garlic.  The other night we made probably a pound and a half of potatoes, and I used 2 cloves of garlic.  You can use garlic powder if you need, but it won’t be quite the same.  If you’re using whole dried rosemary leaves, give them a quick chop too.

Now put the garlic and rosemary into the large bowl with the potatoes.  Pour in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, start with two and add more if it doesn’t quite coat your potatoes.  Add a couple of shakes of Italian Seasoning, plus salt and pepper.  Toss the mixture together (or use a spoon, but that isn’t as much fun).  Pour them onto a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil, using a spoon or spatula to scrape out any oil and seasonings left behind.

Roast at 450 for roughly 30 minutes, stirring/flipping them halfway through.  When they’re done, they’ll be golden brown and the outsides will be crisp.  So easy!  Set them aside to cool until the rest of your meal is ready.

Don’t leave them unattended though, or you may come back to find the pan half-empty.  I don’t think this thievery can be blamed on the dog!

Garlic and Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

1 to 2 pounds small red or gold potatoes
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 tablespoon dried rosemary
roughly 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning (add more to taste)
2-4 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1.  Heat oven to 450.  Wash potatoes, then cut into fourths or eights depending on size.  Put in large bowl.

2.  Mince garlic.  Roughly chop rosemary.

3.  Add garlic, rosemary, Italian seasoning, and two tablespoons of olive oil to bowl.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Toss to coat potatoes, adding more oil if needed.

4.  Spread potatoes out on baking sheet covered in aluminum foil.  Roast potatoes in oven for roughly 30 minutes, stirring halfway through so they cook evenly.  Serve!

Print Recipe for Garlic and Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

Roasted cauliflower?  I should have known it would be awesome.  Roasted cauliflower is a whole different ballgame.  It’s tender, flavorful, and anything but boring.  Add eggplant and garlic, and you’ve got a winning combo.

(I made this just for dinner for myself, not expecting to take pictures.  When I changed my mind I idn’t notice that things were strangely blurry until afterwards… sorry about that!)

This salad came together as a bit of an accident.  While I was at work last week, I was trying to figure out what I could make for dinner with what was already in my house.  The options were a baked pasta dish that I’ve been wanting to make for a while (but which I didn’t want to take the effort to put together), or something with the head of cauliflower that I bought while they were on sale.  Add in a bag of spinach and an eggplant, and I was off to the races.  This made a great meal, but it would also be a great side salad.

There are lots of recipes out there for cauliflower and eggplant, but they are almost always Indian in nature, flavored with curry.  This may be controversial, but I don’t love curries.  I have to be in just the right mood, and even then it’s usually chicken curry that I want.  So I decided to just roast the vegetables the same way that I usually roast cauliflower alone (with garlic), but stop short of getting really crispy, so that they would contrast nicely with the spinach.This doesn’t take much by way of ingredients.  Half a head of cauliflower (will easily feed two people), an eggplant, two or three cloves of garlic (I use a lot, but some might like less), spinach, olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon pepper.  If you’d like to add cheese, you could add bleu cheese, feta or goat cheese.  The only dressing it needs is a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Start by washing the eggplant and chopping it up into bite-size pieces.  Set them aside in a large bowl.

Now grab the cauliflower.  Cut off the green leaves at the base, then cut off as much of the thick stem as you can.

Once the stem is out, you can start to cut off the florets.  If you’re going to use the entire head of cauliflower, then just go to town.  Otherwise gently cut out the florets that you need.

Slice the florets into thick slivers, then slice each of those into thin pieces (maybe 3 or 4 per sliver).  Place into the bowl with the eggplant.

Mince the garlic cloves, or use a garlic press.  Toss the veggies with the garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon pepper.  Spread onto a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil, and roast in the oven until they start to turn golden, roughly 30 minutes.  Toss halfway through.  Feel free to roast them longer if you want crispier veggies.

When they’re done, pull out the veggies.  Plate over a bed of fresh baby spinach.

Add cheese if desired.  If you really want to go big, add some cooked crumbled turkey bacon or toasted nuts (walnuts, almonds, etc.).  Drizzle the salad with a little bit of balsamic vinegar and enjoy!

Roasted Cauliflower and Eggplant Salad

Serves 2 (main) to 4 (side dish)

1/2 head cauliflower, sliced into small slivers
1 eggplant, chopped into bite-size pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil (enough to cover veggies)
2-3 cloves garlic (to taste)
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
salt and pepper

Baby spinach
Crumbled cheese- bleu cheese, feta or goat cheese
Balsamic vinegar

1.  Heat oven to 450 degrees.  Mince the garlic finely, or use a garlic press.

2.  In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower and eggplant with the olive oil, garlic, lemon pepper, and some salt and pepper to taste.  Don’t skimp on the salt.

3.  Spread the vegetables on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil.  Roast in the oven until they are golden on both sides, roughly 30 minutes.  Toss them halfway through.

4.  Plate the vegetables on a bed of spinach while still warm.  Top with cheese and drizzle with Balsamic vinegar.  Enjoy!

Print Recipe for Roasted Cauliflower and Eggplant Salad

If you can’t find Biscoff Spread, try Trader Joe’s.  I hear that they sell something called Cookie Butter that is essentially the same thing, and may be easier to find.

I decided that it would be nice and simple if I could find a way to turn a peanut butter cookie recipe into a Biscoff Spread cookie recipe.  They are essentially of the same texture and consistency.  After some experimentation, the result was deemed delectable, and I’m happy to share it!

I find that when I’m baking, it’s especially important to collect all of my ingredients ahead of time, since it’s so much more exacting than cooking.  Grab everything you’ll need, and have your measuring spoons/cups handy.  Biscoff Spread of course, baking soda and baking powder, one stick of butter, one egg, brown sugar, vanilla, and spices (cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon).  Flour and white sugar are in the red containers.

One of the benefits of peanut butter cookies is that they are easy to put together.  A few ingredients make a delightfully tasty cookie.  Although these cookies have more ingredients (because I decided to spice them), they remain simple to put together.  They turned out beautifully, lightly spiced and melt-in-your mouth good, particularly when warm.  Next time I may add more ginger, but that’s just because I really like ginger-y baked goods (I even add extra ginger to gingerbread mix).

Start by creaming the butter and Biscoff Spread together in a large bowl with an electric mixer.  You could use a stand mixer, but it isn’t really necessary for this recipe.

Next beat in the sugars, white and dark brown, and the baking soda and baking powder.  I use dark brown sugar in this recipe because it imparts a flavor that is heavier in molasses, but you could easily use light brown sugar instead.  Biscoff Spread is extremely sweet, so I cut down on the sugars in my favorite peanut butter cookie recipe slightly by measuring out the half cup, then scooping out two tablespoons.  Beat them in until the sugar is fully incorporated and the batter is smooth.

Add the spices, egg, and vanilla.  Mix in until combined.

Begin to slowly add in the flour.  I added 1/4 cup at a time, so that I could mix it in slowly without it ending up all over the kitchen.  If it gets too heavy at the end use a wooden spoon, but I had no trouble getting it all with the mixer.  Scrape the dough into the center of the bowl with a spatula, then cover and set it in the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour.

Heat oven to 375.  When oven is preheated, spoon tablespoon sized balls of dough onto a parchment paper covered cookie sheet, and press with fingers to flatten slightly.  I like small cookies, but you could make these larger if you’d like. Keep the dough cool until it’s time to bake. 

Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until they are golden brown on the bottom.  Remove from oven and cool.

Enjoy with a glass of milk!  Store in an airtight container.

Spiced Biscoff Spread Cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup Biscoff Spread
1/2 cup minus two tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup minus two tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup flour

1.  Cream together butter and Biscoff Spread in a large bowl with an electric mixer.

2.  Add granulated and brown sugar, and the baking soda and baking powder to the bowl, and mix together.

3.  Blend in egg, vanilla, spices and salt.

4.  Slowly add in flour.  If the dough becomes too heavy for the electric mixer, switch to a wooden spoon.  Use a spatula to scrape the dough from the sides of the bowl, then cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.

5.  Heat oven to 375.  Spoon tablespoon sized balls of dough onto a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper.  Flatten slightly with your fingers.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown.  Don’t overcook; the centers should remain slightly soft.  Remove from oven and cool.  Enjoy!

Print Recipe for Spiced Biscoff Spread Cookies

When I first found the Pioneer Woman’s pot roast recipe, I decided that we must be soul mates, because just like she makes so clear, I think that potatoes which have been cooked for four hours with a roast come out tasting less than appealing.  I took her agreement for approval, and immediately stopped cooking potatoes in my pot roast.  I used her recipe for inspiration as I rethought my old pot roasts, and came up with a new recipe which I’ve become quite fond of.  The boyfriend was a fan too, hushing me so that he could better savor the roast while we ate.  I took it as a sincere compliment!

This isn’t the easiest roast to make, I suppose, in part because it still takes multiple dishes, but once it is prepped, it requires no attention until it is done.  In my opinion, a pot roast that has been seared, along with its vegetables, has a deeper flavor, so I go ahead and sear everything before it goes into the crock pot.  Well worth it, but if you’re in a real hurry you could skip that step.

Start by collecting all of the ingredients.  A roast, onions, garlic, carrots, parsnips (if you’ve never tried them they are like lightly colored sweet carrots), and turnips.  Those make up the hearty base of my roast, I’m partial to vegetable heavy roast.  Then for the liquid you’ll want a can or bottle of beer and some beef broth, plus a dash of Worcestershire sauce.  This is not the recipe for low-salt beef broth because the salt creates flavor, but if you are on a low salt diet go for it.  The flavor gets finished off with salt and pepper, plus thyme, oregano, rosemary, a smattering of crushed red pepper, and a small bit of cocoa powder for richness.

As usual I forgot things, this time it was the rosemary, Worcestershire Sauce, and crushed red pepper. The parsnips and turnip are already peeled here.

Start with the vegetables.  Cut the onions in half, cut off the tops and bottoms, and peel off the skin and outer layer.  Wash the carrots extremely thoroughly, trimming spots if necessary, but no need to peel them.  Wash and peel the parsnips.  Chop both into large pieces, roughly two inches.  Wash and peel the turnip, and cut it into pieces roughly the same size as the carrots and parsnips.

In a large pot, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil until extremely hot.  Add the vegetables in one sort at a time, allowing them to brown on the outside.  They don’t need to cook through, just gain some color.  I never did this before finding the Pioneer Woman’s recipe, and can’t believe how much flavor I was missing out on!  Set them aside when they’re brown.

Next move on to the roast.  The roast is clearly the most important piece of the puzzle.  Chuck roast is what I generally use, but I’ve also had good luck with round roast.  For just myself and the boyfriend I only use a 2 1/2 pound roast, but this recipe would work for up to a 5 pound roast.  Although you’ll need a bigger crock pot.  Or fewer vegetables.  Prepare the roast by seasoning it on both sides with salt and pepper.

Add more oil to the pan if necessary, then brown the roast on all sides.  Use tongs to hold it up while you brown the sides.  Remove from pot and place directly in your crock pot, set on low with a splash of broth and beer inside.

Here it is seared on one side. I haven't seared the edges yet. The brown bits on the bottom of the pan are what you'll whisk up in the next step- great flavor is held in those crispy bits.

Turn up the heat on the pot on the stove top again.  Pour in some of the beer and a splash of beef broth, and use a whisk to scrape the brown stuff out of the bottom of the pan.  Add all of the spices and whisk together.

Now turn your attention back to the crock pot.  Pour all of the lovely juices, spices and brown bits from the pot into the crock pot.  Add beer.  For my small roast, I used about half a beer.  If it had been a less strong beer (such as Yuengling or a light beer), I may have used more.  Add enough beef broth to cover the meat.  (If you decide to make this on the stove, the liquid should cover roughly 2/3 of the meat, working on the assumption that your pot will be a wider vessel than the crock of a crock pot.)

Add in all of the vegetables, onions, garlic, carrots, parsnips, and turnip pieces to the crock pot or large pot.  Add extra liquid if you feel the need, better to have too much than not enough.

Can you spot the roast? It's hiding under all the great veggies...

Cover the crock pot and cook on low for roughly 8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hrs.  The roast is done when it can be pulled apart with a fork, and is cooked all the way through.  The vegetables should be tender enough to be speared by a fork.  Alternate cooking method for oven included below.

Knife not even needed.

Plate some of the beef and vegetables, and pour some of the juice over the top.  Serve with potatoes. I served this with roasted red potatoes, which are super easy to make and only take about half an hour to make.  Or you could serve with mashed potatoes, as the Pioneer Woman suggests.  Or baked potatoes.  You really can’t go wrong with meat and potatoes.  Enjoy!

Pot Roast
Inspired by the Pioneer Woman Cooks, January 2008: Perfect Pot Roast

1 chuck roast, 2 1/2 – 5 pounds (other roasts fine, choose one with lots of marbling)
2 yellow onions
3 cloves of garlic
7 small carrots, washed thoroughly
3 parsnips, washed and peeled
1 turnip (roughly 1/2 pound) peeled and washed
olive oil
1 cup to 12 oz beer
2-3 cups beef broth
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
1 1/2 tablespoon rosemary
1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder
dash of crushed red pepper

1.  Halve onions, remove skin and outer layer.  Peel garlic cloves.  Chop carrots, parsnips, and turnip into two inch pieces, preferably bite-size.

2.  Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot.  Get out a crock pot as well.*

3.  Brown all of the vegetables (onions, garlic, carrots, parsnips and turnips) in the olive oil on all sides in batches.  Onions and garlic in one, carrots and parsnips in another, then finally the turnips.  Set aside in a bowl when done.

4.  Add an extra tablespoon of oil to the pan, then brown the roast on all sides. Set roast directly into a crock pot turned onto low with a splash of beer and beef broth.

5.  Add a splash of beer and beef broth to the pan, and use a whisk to scrape up the brown pieces in the bottom of the pan.  Add all of the spices and whisk it together.  Pour over the roast in the crock pot.  Add liquid until roast is at least 2/3 covered (for a small roast use 1/2 beer, 1 full beer for 5 pound roast).  Add tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce.

6.  Add all of the vegetables to the crock pot.  Cover with a lid.  Cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 8-10 hours, in part depending on the size of the roast.  Roast is done when it can be pulled apart with a fork.  Serve with potatoes: mashed, roasted, or baked.  Enjoy!

*Roast can also be made in oven, making this a one-pot dish.  Use a large oven-safe pot to brown the veggies and sear the meat.  After whisking up the brown bits, return roast to the pot and cover 2/3 of the way with liquid.  Add vegetables and cover.  Cook in oven heated to 275 for 3-4 hours.

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