White Bean Stew with Spicy Pork Sausage

Popping in with a quick and hearty recipe in anticipation of fall weather!  I adapted this recipe from Simply Recipes - omitting the bacon, adding more sausage, using canned cannellini beans instead of dried lentils to trim the cooking time, and seasoning with red pepper.

I think it's gonna be a homework night over here. xoxoxoxo

Can't wait for Albuquerque Lindy Exchange this weekend!!

White Bean Stew with Spicy Pork Sausage

Adapted from Simply Recipes

INGREDIENTS

1 large yellow onion, chopped 

2-3 large carrots, diced

2-3 large ribs celery, diced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 can cannellini beans, drained

1.5 cups chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon dry thyme

1 bay leaf

3 spicy pork sausage sliced

1 teaspoon sherry vinegar (can sub cider vinegar)

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, with a little extra for garnish

crushed red pepper (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Heat a large, thick-bottomed pot (6 to 8 quart) on medium  high heat. Add the carrots, onions, celery, and cumin. Stirring frequently, scraping up the browned bits at the bottom of the pan, cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook a minute more, until fragrant.

While vegetables are softening, cook Italian sausage in a skillet.

Add the beans, stock, water, thyme, bay leaf. At this point add a teaspoon of salt and some pepper. You will season more to taste later. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook partially covered for about 15-20 minutes, adding in the Italian sausage at about the 10-minute mark.

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Add sherry vinegar and parsley to stew. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste (I also added crushed red pepper to the top of mine and really liked that).

Erica's Baby Shower Menu

Congratulations, Erica!  I think all the ladies had a lovely time at the shower today, and Erica and Adam have some seriously awesome baby stuff!

Special thanks to the lovely Kate and Kadie for helping pull everything together at the last minute, And of course, my amazing husband Todd, who has been a major trooper, even waking up with me at 5:15 a.m. this morning after running 520 Swing yesterday night. 

Here are the details of what I made for the shower.  Enjoy!

Mary Quite Contrary Garden Salad
Pink of Perfection
10 ounces mixed greens
3 ounces blue cheese (my heart flips for for the cow’s milk Bleu d’Auvergne)
1 sweet and tart apple (like honeycrisp), chopped
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Whisk together extra-virgin olive oil, cider vinegar, pure maple syrup, and mustard. Season dressing with coarse salt and ground pepper. In a large bowl, combine greens with apple. Drizzle dressing over and toss gently until leaves are thoroughly coated. Sprinkle with blue cheese and serve.

Miss Muffet's Lemon Curd
Honey and Jam
Makes 1 cup (240 g)
1/2 cup (125 ml) freshly-squeezed lemon juice

1/3 cup (65 g) sugar (or 1/2 cup, 100 g, if using regular lemons)

2 large egg yolks

2 large eggs
pinch of salt

6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, cubed

1. Place a mesh strainer over a bowl, and set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the lemon juice, sugar, egg yolks, eggs, and salt.
3. Add the butter cubes and set the pan over low heat, whisking constantly until the butter is melted.
4. Increase the heat and cook over moderate heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and just begins to become jelly-like. It’s done when you lift the whisk and the mixture holds its shape when it falls back into the saucepan from the whisk.
5. Immediately press the curd through the strainer. Once strained, store the lemon curd in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to one week.


Cream Scones
Honey and Jam
2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour, preferably a low-protein brand such as Gold Medal or Pillsbury

1 tablespoon baking powder

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons chilled, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

1 cup heavy cream

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425°F.
2. Place flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in large bowl or work bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade. Whisk together or pulse six times.
3. If making by hand, use two knives, a pastry blender or your fingertips and quickly cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few slightly larger butter lumps. If using food processor, remove cover and distribute butter evenly over dry ingredients. Cover and pulse 12 times, each pulse lasting 1 second. (it definietly took me more than 12 pulses to get the rid sized butter bits!) Transfer dough to large bowl.
4. Stir in heavy cream with a rubber spatula or fork until dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.
5. Transfer dough and all dry, floury bits to countertop and knead dough by hand just until it comes together into a rough, sticky ball, 5 to 10 seconds. Form scones by pressing the dough into an 8-inch cake pan, then turning the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, cutting the dough into 8 wedges with either a knife or bench scraper.
6. Place rounds or wedges on ungreased baking sheet and bake until scone tops are light brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.


Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Galette
Smitten Kitchen
Click Here for Recipe!
Note: you can also use a bag of frozen butternut squash for this recipe, which will save you loads of time!

Baby Shower Baking

Some of the prep work for the baby shower tomorrow ... 

More food photos to come after the shower!

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Chili Beans

Hi bloggies!  Hope you had a great Wednesday!  Mine's been busy.  I'd like to think if I can just get through all the stuff due this week, things will be better, but I can't really see a breather at the moment :/

I have a new recipe for you!  Todd and I thought this recipe was good, but we're going to tweak it for next time.  For instance, the original recipe doesn't call for red pepper, but I thought it'd taste good with it as we were eating, so I added it then.  Of course, next time I'll just season the whole pot ;)  Also, make sure to add some red onions and avocado - we didn't do that, and we thought it tasted like it was missing something.

BAKED SWEET POTATOES WITH CHILI BEANS // Serves 4

Slightly adapted from Sprouted Kitchen

4 Small Yams/Sweet Potatoes
1 drained can of pinto beans

1 drained can of black beans
1 Yellow Onion
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. Chili Powder
1 tsp. Cumin
1/2 tsp. Paprika
1 tsp. Salt
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
Bunches and bunches of shakes of crushed red pepper (optional)
Cilantro
Chopped Red Onion
Avocado
Sour Cream or Whole Milk Greek Yogurt

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Pierce holes in the sweet potatoes/yams, lightly wrap them in foil, and bake on the middle rack for about 45-55 minutes (or just cook potatoes in microwave.  We put out potatoes in the oven for 45 min, but since they still weren't done, we nuked them in the microwave to finish).
2. Thinly slice the onion. Over medium heat in a heavy bottomed pot, cook the onions and garlic until softened. Add the spices and the jar of tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and reduce for about 20 minutes while the beans finish cooking.
When the beans are cooked, drain and add them to the tomato mix, cook another 10 minutes for all the flavors to marry. Taste for salt and spices, add more if desired.
3. Split open the baked sweet potato/yams and create a little cavern down the middle. Fill the cavern with the chili beans and add toppings as desired.

Picnic in the Park

Todd and I went on a picnic in the park date yesterday!  We've been especially meaning to go on a picnic since we received some cool picnic gear forour wedding...

We hit up Trader Joe's for some snacks, including red wine salami, Gruyere, crackers, edamame, and apples.  Since we went hungry, we ended up with way more food than we needed ... I hope no one minds if I bring crunchy veggie sticks to the law library ;)

There was also some beer, per usual.  Ranger IPA for him and Fat Tire for her.

 

After eating, Todd and I strolled around for a bit then saw The Debt. I loved, loved, loved that movie.  It's suspenseful and a great story!  Admittedly, my eyes were covered for certain portions :)  


What was really scary, though, was the preview for Dream House.  I flipped out big time, like  I'm pretty sure people turned in my direction.  Still, l want to see it!? 

Todd and I are off to get in a leg workout and some cardio at the gym before dinner with Adam and Erica at the new Acaica for Arizona Restaurant Week.

Oh and check out my blingin' new hair accessory.  I got it Claire's!  Definitely forgot about that place when I turned 13 - thanks Cat for reminding me about it ;)

Macadamia Nut Brownies

Oh, hai!  Todd and I have been having super productive day today!  


The lovely Katy R. and I gossiped over iced tea on the porch at La Encantada while the Mr. Food for Todd met up with a friend at Sparkroot downtown.  I also finished the last of the baby shower invitations!  I can't believe there's going to be a baby so soon!  Happy!


Then Todd and I did back and biceps at the gym.  Here's what it looked like:
Gravitron, 3 sets of 12
Bicep curl machine, 3 sets of 12
Low back machine, 3 sets of 12
High row, 3 sets of 12
Compound row, 3 sets of 12
Bicep curls with free weights, 3 sets of 12 on each side
Traps with free weights, 3 sets of 12
Bicep w/ EZ bar, 3 sets of 12

We also picked up some groceries, including the ingredients for these brownies.  I'm testing these brownies out to see how they work...  forgot to roast/toast the nuts beforehand, so that action will need to happen next time.  I also think I got a little overzealous with the stirring, as they turned out kinda crumbly - or at least I think that's why they turned out crumbly (I know that's why cornbread muffins can turn to crumbles).  Or maybe I let them cook too long.

Or, maybe, just maybe, it was not my overzealous stirring but rather our overzealous eating that caused us to nom these when we should have let them cool longer...


Macadamia Nut Brownies
From Cooking for Seven

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 2/3 cup butter
• 2 cup sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chopped roasted and salted macadamia nuts plus extra for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter a 13×9x2-inch baking pan.

2) Melt the chocolate and butter in a large heavy bottomed saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently to make sure the chocolate doesn’t burn. Mix in sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt, and nuts. Spread in pan. Sprinkle with remaining nuts.

3) Bake in preheated oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until the brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pans. Do not overbake. Remove from oven and cool slightly. Cut into bars and serve warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container.

Makes approximately 24 bars

Eggplant and Chickpea Curry

This dish is a winner in our book.  We tend to make a lot of curries, but this one stands out among them.  It's a nice compromise between super spicy and bland, and I really like the addition of eggplant.


Some of the prep ....

Once the eggplant is done roasting, making this goes by quickly.


So, I have a confession.  I may "make" a meal but I always seem to give Todd the most difficult assistant task ;)  Here he is peeling the eggplant ...

And can I brag about Todd a little more?  Here's how I found him one afternoon after coming back from the library! 

And one more picture for the road....

Eggplant and Chickpea Curry

Slightly adapted from Fat Free Vegan

1 large eggplant

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper seeded and diced

1 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 minced garlic clove

14 ounces diced tomatoes (fire-roasted preferred)

2 teaspoons ginger paste

1/2 teaspoon cayenne or other hot red pepper (less or more, to taste)

15 ounces chickpeas (don't drain)

1/4 teaspoon curry powder

Preheat oven to 400F. Prick eggplant with a fork several times and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until eggplant is sunken and soft all the way through. Remove from oven and set aside until cool enough to handle. Peel and chop the eggplant flesh.

Heat a non-stick skillet and then spray it lightly with vegetable oil. Add the onion and cook until it begins to turn golden. Add the bell pepper and cook for a few more minutes. Clear a spot in the center of the skillet and sprinkle the cumin seeds directly on the hot surface. Stir and toast them for about a minute, until they become fragrant. Stir them into the onions and peppers and add the coriander, turmeric, garlic, tomatoes, ginger paste, and red pepper. Add the eggplant and cook over medium heat, pressing eggplant with the back of a spoon to break up large pieces, for about 10 minutes. Add the chickpeas in their water, cover tightly, and turn heat to low. Cook for at least 15 minutes, stirring periodically, until sauce has thickened and flavors have blended. (You can hold this dish on low for up to 45 minutes while you prepare the rest of your meal, but add additional liquid as needed and don't forget to stir, scraping the bottom.)

Just before serving, add curry powder and salt to taste.