texas toast

Let's talk bread.  Thanks.  I didn't think you'd object.

It's pretty much a staple.  Very rarely can you call anything a "meal" without it.  (Or maybe that's just me?  Are you so enamored with the yeasty, floury deliciousness?  Never mind...don't answer that.  I prefer to happily continue to live in my dream world of rolls and loaves.)

Serve this garlicky toast with some New England Clam Chowder.  For the 24x24 meal, I did.  And it was enjoyed by all.  You can't go wrong.


Texas Toast
Serves 10

Ingredients:

• 2 loaves white bread
• 1/2 c butter, softened
• 4 large cloves garlic, pureed
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• generous chookie chookie of oregano, onion powder and garlic powder

Let butter sit out until it softens.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Once it's soft, mix butter with garlic (I pureed the garlic in a food processor), red pepper flakes, oregano, onion powder and garlic powder.  Cut the loaves of bread into 1" slices and spread the butter generously on the slices.  Bake on a baking sheet for 5-10 minutes, until butter is melted and it's just starting to brown around the edges.  Check the bread often while baking, so that it doesn't burn.

strawberry dark chocolate new york cheesecake

What better way to finish an amazing meal than with New York Cheesecake?   If you quickly replied, "Nothing," we should be friends. 

Cheesecake with strawberry sauce and dark chocolate chips might be one of the best foods ever made.  It's healthy, too.  Really.  I've got the math to prove it.

Strawberries=Fruit
Graham Crackers=Grain
Milk, Cream Cheese, and Sour Cream=Dairy
Eggs=Protein
Dark Chocolate Chips=Antioxidants

See??  It's true.

Okay, it may not quite as healthy as I make it out to be.  But, it's still ridiculously delicious.  Any guilt from indulging in this treat will quickly be forgotten when you take the first bite.  Promise.


Strawberry Dark Chocolate New York Cheesecake
Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com
Cheesecake serves 12-14

Cheesecake Ingredients:

• 15 graham crackers, crushed
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 3/4 c dark chocolate chips 
• 32 oz cream cheese
• 1 1/2 c sugar
• 3/4 c milk
• 4 eggs
• 1 c sour cream
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1/4 c flour
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9" or 10" springform pan.   In a bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs and the butter.  (I used a gallon ziptop bag and a rolling pin to make the crumbs).  Press the graham cracker crumble into the springform pan.  Top the crust with a sprinkle of dark chocolate chips.

In a stand mixer, combine the cream cheese and sugar just until smooth.  (Over-mixing the filling will cause the cheesecake to crack.  Believe me, I know.  Hence, the corner pictures of the cheesecake.)  Blend in the milk, then the eggs one at a time.  Mix in sour cream, vanilla, flour, and lemon juice.  Continue to combine just until the filling is smooth.  Pour filling over the crust and chocolate chips.

Bake the cheesecake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  This is the hard part: do NOT open the oven door at all during or after the baking.  Just trust it.  After the hour, turn the oven off and let the cake SLOWLY cool in the oven with the oven door closed for 4-5 hours.  By not opening the oven door, the cake cools more slowly and will avoid cracking.  Chill the cake in the refrigerator until ready to serve.  Serve the cheesecake topped with strawberry sauce (recipe below).

Strawberry Sauce Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb strawberries, pureed
• 1/2 c sugar

Puree 1/2 lb of strawberries.  I did this step in a small food processor in a couple batches.  Pour puree into a small saucepan and add the sugar.  Cook the strawberry sauce over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly while maintaining a gentle boil.  Cool the sauce (or refrigerate, if not serving soon) before topping the cheesecake.

new england clam chowder

As I was applying for May's 24x24, I decided to plan a meal around regional dishes that are popular around the country.  I wanted a soup course for the meal, so I thought of New England Clam Chowder.

I have no idea why.  I've definitely never made it before and had barely even tasted it.  I wasn't even completely convinced that I liked clams.  But, I'd committed to it and had to figure out how to make it and make it well.

I found a recipe that looked pretty easy to follow and called for canned clams.  That's a good thing, considering I would have no idea what to do if you put a fresh clam in front of me.

So, with the help of my sister, we put together this clam chowder for the dinner party.  We made a few minor adaptations to the recipe, but generally stuck to the original.

Despite our clam chowder insecurities, it turned out great.  I actually think it was my favorite part of the meal.  The chowder turned out creamy, savory and delicious.  This recipe will likely become a new staple at our house. 

So, go crazy.  Try something new.  You never know what might be a surprising hit.


New England Clam Chowder
Recipe adapted from Foodnetwork.com
Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 medium onion
• 2 stalks celery
• 4 Idaho potatoes
• 3 tbsp flour
• 2 c vegetable broth
• 3 (8 oz) cans chopped clams in juice
• 1 c half & half
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and pepper
• fresh parsley, for garnish

First, finely dice the onion and put it in a medium-sized bowl.  Clean and quarter the stalks of celery (without the leaves) then cut the strips into 1/2" pieces.  Add the celery to the bowl.  Peel and dice (about 1/2" cubes) the potatoes and add them to the bowl.

Heat the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add the bowl of onions, celery and potatoes to the melted butter.  Saute the veggies until the onion and celery start to soften, mixing it often.  Add the flour and stir it in well to distribute it in the veggies.  Pour in the vegetable broth, the juice from the cans of clams (set clams aside to add later), the half and half, and the bay leaves.  Bring the soup to a boil, stirring often.  Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the soup has thickened and the potatoes have softened.  Add the clams and salt and pepper (as necessary).  Cook the clams in the soup for only about 2 more minutes, just until they're firm.  If you cook them too long, they'll become too firm.  Remove the bay leaves from the soup before serving and garnish soup with fresh parsley.  Serve hot with Texas Toast or Cheddar Bay Biscuits.

asian-style salmon

For this weekend's 24x24 meal, the main dish was Alaskan salmon prepared Asian-style.  It turned out much better than I'd expected.  I love smoked salmon, but am very much a salmon-newbie.  I definitely had never made it myself before this past weekend.

My sister and husband (who generally aren't salmon fans, because it usually is a pretty strong-tasting fish) really enjoyed it and my dad, mom and grandma loved it.  My parents both said that it was some of the best salmon that they've ever had.

This marinade really cuts through the "fishy" taste of the salmon without being overwhelming.  It has a little bite to it, but I wouldn't consider it spicy.  Marinading the fish beforehand kept it really juicy and tender.

I will definitely be making this recipe again.  I would use the marinade pretty much for any kind of fish/meat/"meat".  It would be great on veggie "chicken", on veggie stir-fry, or even on tofu.

For any fish-lover (or even non-fish-lovers) this is a must try recipe. 


Asian-Style Salmon
Recipe adapted from Blogchef.net
Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs fresh salmon fillets, cleaned
• 1/2 c soy sauce
• 2 tbsp chili (sriracha) sauce (found in the Asian section of the store)
• 1 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger (found near the garlic at the grocery), grated
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lime, juiced and zested
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 bunch green onions, chopped
• sesame seeds

In a medium bowl, mix the soy sauce, chili sauce, grated ginger, garlic, lime zest, lime juice, brown sugar and 1 chopped green onion to make the marinade.  Cut the salmon into the size pieces you'd like to serve, skin side down (if it has skin).  Cover the bottom of 1 or 2 glass baking pans with parchment paper, so the fish won't stick.  Place the salmon on the the parchment paper and drizzle the sauce over it.  Lift the fish gently, so the underside of the fish gets some sauce marinade.  Cover and refrigerate the salmon for about an hour, so it has time to marinade.

Uncover and bake the fish at 350 degrees for 12-18 minutes (depending on how thick the pieces are), until it's flaky and opaque in the middle.  Garnish the fish with extra chopped green onions and sesame seeds.  Serve it warm.

amber waves of grain: a culinary tour of the usa

I was super-excited to hear that I was selected to be one of the May 24x24 participants, hosted by Foodbuzz.  So, with the help of their stipend, I was able to host one of the 24 amazing meals that took place within the same 24 hours on May 26th.  It was so much fun and really delicous!

Luckily, I'm still between semesters this week, so I was able to spend the necessary time planning and preparing for this dinner party.  My husband and I invited my mom, dad, sister, and Chookie Chookie grandma over to our apartment for a theme dinner--Amber Waves of Grain: A Culinary Tour of the USA.

Each item on the menu is a local or regional specialty that has taken the national stage.  See the menu (map) below.  It was quite a bit of work getting the meal prepared, but with the help of my wonderful husband and sister, I was able to pull it off.

*I will be linking posts with recipes to all of the menu items over the course of the week.  The links will be appearing below with the associated picture.*

Here's what we served:

New England Clam Chowder Recipe

Texas Toast Recipe

Asian-Style Alaskan Salmon Recipe

Strawberry Dark Chocolate New York Cheesecake

We started the meal with California Wine and Wisconsin Cheese appetizers.  We had Red Rock Merlot and Chateau St. Jean Riesling to drink and snacked on sharp cheddar, a soft butterkase, and some dill and garlic white cheddar.

 The pup really wanted to join us for the cheese portion.

 

Here's the main course:

This was dinner from my perspective.

We started dinner with New England Clam Chowder and some Texas Toast.

We enjoyed Alaskan Salmon (Asian-style), Southern Collard Greens (vegetarian), Idaho potatoes (sour cream and chive) and Great Lakes Brewing Co. Holy Moses White Ale (from the local brewery here in Cleveland, OH--notice Moses parting the Lake to Cleveland in the background).

 

We finished off the meal with a New York Cheesecake (with dark chocolate chips and fresh strawberry sauce).

Here's the disaster of a kitchen we ended up with by the end of the meal.  Thank goodness for amazing husbands!