Farro Salad

Farro is a delicious and slightly crunchy variety of wheat. I have read it was a staple in Roman times. We don't hear a lot about it because there are much higher yielding varieties of wheat, which are more profitable to produce. Farro is not too difficult to find, and it is well worth the search.

I added 3 cups of farro to eight cups of water in a pot. After it starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium , cover and let it cook for 20 minutes. Add a little salt, reduce the heat further and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. The grains will be al dente. Drain, place in a mixing bowl and let cool to room temperature.

At this point, you can add whatever veggies you'd like. I reconstituted some dried Roma tomatoes and chopped them roughly. Cut up some yellow onion and some radishes from the garden. Finally, I cooked some frozen green beans, put them under cold water and drained them well.

All of the vegetables are mixed into the farro. I have made this before with varities of sweet peppers, olives, asparagus, pea pods, scallions... You get the idea.

We are entertaining a friend who is vegan this evening, but you could add meat as well. I suppose.

Use your imagination. Be whimsical.

The dressing I made is based loosely on that for Greek horiatiki salad. I whisked together some red wine vinegar, olive oil, a spoonful of Dijon mustard, some black pepper and a generous, a very generous spoonful of dried oregano.

Mix the dressing into the salad thoroughly. This can be refrigerated, but it is best, in my opinion, at room temperature.

I plan to serve it with some leaves of a few varieties of lettuce. Not ice burg mind you, but you could.

Bon appétit!

Bulgogi

Bulgogi is a Korean griddled beef dish. I made it for JongSeob, our Korean student as part of his graduation dinner. Along with cheeseburgers.

Sirloin steak is sliced very thinly, tenderized with a mallet and cut into bite-size pieces. Susie did the meat prep because of my ailing arms.

The marinade consists of finely sliced Asian pear, yellow onion, sliced scallions, crushed garlic, sesame seeds, sugar, soy sauce sesame oil and black pepper.

The meat marinates for about an hour. No more than two hours or it will become too salty.

The meat along with the marinade is cooked in a pan over medium heat until cooked through. The marinade forms a glaze on the meat and the excess can be served over rice, or used as a dipping sauce.

Quite simple really.

I served it with rice and lettuce leaves from the garden. Meat and rice is rolled into a lettuce leaf and then enjoyed. Thoroughly.

We all loved it. It was so delicious, and so simple to make. It will happen again. Sooner rather than later.

Bon appétit!

Duck Eggs in Potato Crusts etc...

An on-the-fly name for something I winged from the outset. I'd welcome better name ideas.

This was a little time-consuming for me, but worth it in the end.

I started by grating a couple red potatoes and then wringing as much water out of them as I could. (A little tricky considering my recent and lingering injuries). I tossed the potatoes with a little melted butter and then used the mixture to form little crusts in a lightly-oiled muffin tin. Into a 450° oven for a half hour, or until golden and crispy.

On to the assembly. I placed a mozzarella ball in each cavity, then added a fresh duck egg from the back yard. I finished by adding a pinch of fresh finely-chopped chives to the top along with a little salt and pepper. That went back into the oven (now at 400°) for 20 more minutes.

After ten minutes I put the asparagus, also from the garden, into the oven. I love asparagus cooked this way. Simply roll the spears in a little olive oil that has been spread on a cookie sheet, then season however you'd like. This morning I used a little alderwood smoked salt.

During the final ten minutes of baking, I cut the English muffins and got the Canadian bacon ready for assembly.

Next came the Hollandaise sauce. I don't think I could ever be a saucier like Chef in Apocalypse Now! I just don't have the patience for whisking anything over low heat until it thickens. But, I did it anyway. Two egg yolks (this time chicken, from the store) and two tablespoons water, until frothy, then over a double boiler on low heat, until thickened. One third cup melted butter is then slowly whisked in. Slowly, to keep the sauce from breaking. Finish it off with a little lemon juice, some white pepper and a pinch of salt.

We are just about ready to eat.

Toast the muffins, place a slice of Canadian bacon on each, add a potato-crusted egg thingy (that is the technical term for you novices out there), and spoon a little sauce over the top. Don't forget the asparagus!

This came out really nice. Even the sauce, although I would be a little more patient while adding the butter. It did separate a little. Susie woke up when the muffins were just about done toasting, just in time to eat. She is finishing up the dishes as I write this.

Bon appétit!

Savory Cinnamon Rice

This dish is all about the cinnamon. A friend brought me a big honkin' stick of cinnamon bark from her recent trip to Vietnam. "Honkin'" is the most appropriate adjective. Trust me. I was thinking of a side dish for dinner and happened to remember the cinnamon. But what could I do with it? Rice popped into my head. Well, why not?

First I preheated the oven to 350°.

I started by melting a couple tablespoons of margarine over medium heat, in an oven-proof skillet. I added a yellow onion that had been finely diced and cooked it until it was translucent. Then I added a cup of white rice and a couple ounces of whole wheat noodles that had been broken into small pieces. I cooked this for about a minute, stirring constantly. Next I added a little salt and about a teaspoon of freshly grated cinnamon. I used my microplane for the grating. It worked wonderfully. I gave the skillet a quick stir and added a can of chicken stock.

The skillet is covered and placed in the preheated oven to cook for about a half hour, or until the liquid is absorbed. Fluff the rice a little and serve.

This came out beautifully. The warmth of the cinnamon added a really nice depth to the rice and noodles that was a great complement to the grilled pork chops with which it was served. The simplicity of the flavors didn't try to steal the show from the entrée. Definitely something I will be making again, with little if any variation.

Sorry, no picture.

Bon appétit!

Key Lime Cheesecake

The days of payday cheesecakes may be behind me, but I still make a mid-month cheesecake for Susie to take to the good people at Benton County Mental Health. This month she requested a Key Lime Cheesecake. Who am I to argue? Especially since they usually save me a slice after the feeding frenzy has subsided.

For the crust I used Golden Oreos. Golden Double-Stuffed Oreos. No need for butter with all that creamy filling serving as a binding agent. I pressed the crumbs into my parchment-lined cheesecake pan and put it in the freezer to set.

Cream cheese and sugar are beaten on medium-high for 3 minutes. No more. No less. The number is three. I digress, but tip my hat to the Pythons. I turn the mixer down to medium at this point. Two eggs plus two egg yolks are incorporated, one at a time. Then key lime juice and vanilla are added. Finally, I gently mix in a tablespoon or so of lime zest. Just for the visual effect.

The mix is poured over the frozen crust and placed in a 325° oven for 45-55 minutes. I placed a pan with some water on the lower rack to try to keep the air moist and hopefully, prevent the splitting that sporadically plagues my cheesecakes. (For the record: It worked).

While the cake baked, I mixed up the topping. Sour cream, sugar, key lime juice and vanilla are mixed together in a small bowl.

After 45 minutes, I removed the cake from the oven and let it cool for ten minutes on a wire rack. (Leave the oven on!) I then, very carefully, poured the topping on the surface of the cheesecake. Even more carefully, I spread the topping evenly over the entire surface. To finish it off, I sprinkled a bit of lime zest over the topping.

Back into the oven for five more minutes, and the cake is done. Allow it to cool for a couple hours before covering with plastic wrap and refrigerating.

I'll have to wait for reports from the mental health workers to see how it came out, but if the batter that I "cleaned" off the mixing bowl, paddle, and spatula is any indication, it will be delicious.

Bon appétit!

Focaccia

From an article in The Register-Guard. I love focaccia and learned that it is not for sandwiches. Traditionally that is. I thought I'd go the traditional route with it.

The "sponge" is made by sprinkling yeast over warm water and whisking it, then setting it aside for about 10 minutes until it is creamy. A cup of flour is then mixed in and it is covered tightly with plastic wrap and set aside for a half hour, until it has risen and is puffy and bubbly.

In my stand mixer, I combined the sponge, 1/2 cup water, 1/3 cup white wine, and 1/3 cup olive oil. I used the paddle attachment for this part. 2 1/2 cups of flour, and two teaspoons of coarse salt are incorporated, and when the dough comes together, I switched to the dough hook. I let the mixer go for a few minutes, stopping a couple times to push the dough down off the hook.

The dough is removed from the bowl, and with a couple spoonfuls of flour, is kneaded for six to 8 turns, at most. The dough should be soft, but not wet.

Place the dough in a bowl that has been lightly oiled, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and allow to rise until it has doubled in size. This takes about an hour.

Oil a jelly roll pan well, and press the dough into it, working it out to the sides. If the dough springs back, let it rest a couple minutes until it stays in place.

At least a half hour before baking, pre-heat the oven to 425° and place a baking stone on the next to the lowest rack. (The recipe says the lowest rack, but you need to place a shallow pan of water under the stone when you bake the focaccia).

With your fingers, dimple the surface of the dough. Then drizzle a little olive oil over the surface, allowing some of the oil to pool in the dimples. I spread, sparingly, some thinly sliced red onion, some rosemary needles, and some quartered kalamata olives over the oiled dough. I finished by sprinkling about a teaspoon of coarse kosher salt over the top.

Place the pan in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 400°. On the lowest rack, place a shallow pan of water to provide steam during the baking process. Bake the focaccia for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. Enjoy immediately, or at room temperature.

We enjoyed it immediately, and continued to do so until it reached room temperature. There was only about one fourth of the focaccia left at that point. It was excellent!

Bon appétit!

Chocolate Truffles

For Valentine's Day, I thought I'd make Susie some chocolate truffles. They are pretty easy to make. All things considered.

Cream is brought to a simmer and then butter is added. When the butter has melted, the chocolate is added. (I used bittersweet, 60% cacao). This is stirred until all the chocolate is incorporated and the mixture is smooth and glossy. At this point, it is basically a ganache.

The ganache is poured into a bowl, covered with plastic and refrigerated for several hours until firm.

With a melon ball scoop, or spoon, or whatever, form the mixture into balls and roll them in whatever strikes your fancy. I used chopped nuts, unsweetened coconut, powdered sugar, and unsweetened cocoa powder. Not all mixed together. See the picture for what I mean.

I placed each truffle in a mini cupcake paper cup and put them in a box.

I think Susie will like them, perhaps more than I liked licking the mixing spoon and bowl.

Bon appétit!

Chicken Thigh Bake

I was inspired by the show Jamie At Home for this dish. It is easy to prepare and works great for a fairly quick work night dinner. A beauty of this is that you can use pretty much whatever veggies you'd like. The same is true of the herbs.

I boiled some new potatoes and reconstituted some dried tomatoes in another pan of boiling water. I tossed in a couple cubes of frozen basil puree for good measure. When the potatoes were tender, yet still firm, I removed them from the water. The tomatoes and basil were drained through a fine strainer.

On to the chicken. I cut a package of skinless and boneless thighs into hunks slightly bigger than bite-size. Maybe even a little bigger than that. I placed the chicken in a frying pan with some olive oil and let it go until it was nearly cooked through. This took 10-15 minutes.

While the chicken was frying, I took a bundle of asparagus spears and cut them into one-and-a-half inch pieces. I set the spear tips aside.

In a mixing bowl I combined the potatoes, tomatoes, basil, chicken and the asparagus (except the tips). I splashed in some red wine vinegar, some black pepper and some olive oil. Mix thoroughly. Gently.

This is spread evenly in a baking dish. Then I scattered the reserved asparagus tips over the top. A drizzle of olive oil over everything and into a 400° oven for 45 minutes and it's dinner time.

This came out absolutely spectacular. Susie and I both loved it. We still do.

Bon appétit!

Ravioli

There is really nothing quite as good as homemade ravioli. Once it is done and everything is cleaned up. There is no limit to what filling can be concocted. No limits on sizes or shapes of the little pillows. Just one's imagination.

The filling was the easy part. I simply put all the ingredients in the food processor and mixed it thoroughly. I used frozen spinach (thaw, then squeeze as much liquid out of it as possible), eggs, Parmesan cheese, prosciutto, chicken, ricotta cheese and garlic. Really. It was that simple.

The pasta gets a bit trickier. Flour, eggs, salt, olive oil and water are standard. Any pasta recipe should work fine. The important thing is to let it rest for an hour after it has been thoroughly mixed and kneaded. Something to do with the gluten. I can't explain the science of it. I saw it on TV and sometimes that's good enough. Just sometimes.

I divided the pasta dough into four equal sections. Just to make it easier to work with. I attached the pasta machine to the counter and began to pass a ball of dough through at the widest setting. Fold the sheet in half and run it through again. Repeat that a few times until the sheet looks solid. Then, rest the pasta machine to one size thinner. Pass the sheet through a few times, folding in half as on the first setting. When I got to setting number five, I had the thickness I was looking for.

I cut the sheet in half and laid one half on my work surface. I then used a small (one inch) ice cream scoop and placed dollops of the filling on the sheet, allowing adequate space between them. With my fingers, I gently patted the balls of filling, flattening them slightly. The second sheet of pasta is then laid over the top. Carefully, I pressed down around the developing raviolis to expel excess air. Then, using a semi-decorative cutter, I cut out the individual raviolis.

Place them on a cookie sheet and then freeze them before packaging them. Unless you want to eat them right away. I froze four packages, and had a few extra to eat right away.

I just topped them with a little tomato sauce, and boy were they delicious. I am planning a surprise dinner for Susie on Wednesday and will use some chopped kalamata olives, reconstituted sun-dried tomatoes and olive oil. For starters.

Bon appétit!

Almond & Pine Nut Cookies

Another idea from the 12 days of cookies feature I stumbled across. Almond & Pine Nut Cookies. Looked simple enough. Why not? As with most of my holiday cookie production, I doubled the recipe.

First, I got past what I deemed a bit of pretentiousness on the part of the contributor (organic free-range eggs, high-quality vanilla extract, superfine sugar). I use eggs, vanilla and sugar. But that's just me.

Almonds and pine nuts are roasted in a 350° oven for five minutes. A couple handfuls of these are reserved for later. The rest go into a food processor and turned into a coarse powder.

The rest of the ingredients are then added directly. Well, almost all of them. Flour, sugar, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, eggs, baking soda. I think that's it. This gets processed until a pasty dough is formed. This is where I ran into a bit of trouble. Doubling a cookie recipe in a food processor just doesn't work well. Fortunately, the mess was minimal as I transferred everything to a mixing bowl and finished the job with my hand mixer.

Oatmeal is added, and then the reserved nuts, after rough chopping them first.

The dough was absolutely delicious. But it is probably better to form one-inch balls and place them on a cookie sheet. Or use a couple spoons. Do not flatten, even a little, the balls of dough. They bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Let them rest on the cookie sheet for a couple minutes after coming out of the oven. They are very soft and delicate, but firm up quickly.

There is an almost savory flavor to these cookies, as a counterbalance to the sweetness of the sugar. Yes. Plain old sugar. They are now officially admitted to my pantheon of holiday cookies, and will be made every year.

Sorry. I forgot to take a picture.

Bon appétit!

Rugelach

I expanded my holiday cookie repertoire this year. To truly make it a "holiday" array of cookies, I looked up a recipe for rugelach in my Jewish Holiday Cookbook. I tried my hand at these tasty morsels before, with a limited degree of success. I was confident I could improve on the final result. Well, hopeful that I could.

The dough is made from cream cheese, butter and flour. That's it. The dough is quite thin and gets covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for at least two hours. At least. I let it chill for five hours. Until it was almost rock hard.

After struggling to remove the dough from the bowl, I cut it into four equal parts. Actually, eight because I had doubled the recipe. Each section is rolled out into a circle approximately nine inches in diameter. I brushed the circle with melted butter and sprinkled it with cinnamon sugar.

With the side of a spatula I cut the circle into 16 pizza-like slices. Then, starting with the outer edge, I rolled each slice into a crescent roll shaped morsel.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment, or a Silpat and space the rugelach a couple inches apart. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes, rotating the cookie sheet after 15 minutes.

Remove to cooling racks and enjoy. Really enjoy!

Bon appétit!

Rapid Pull-Apart Rolls

I was watching the Cooking Channel today. I do that from time to time. And time and again. The show Kelsey's Essentials came on, and as I lay back on the sofa to watch a half hour of quick bread recipes, I became intrigued. The recipes were actually for rolls, but you'll have to indulge me. Won't you? After the first recipe, for quick pull-apart rolls, I decided to act. It's Friday, and the thought of oven-warm rolls dripping with butter and jam was too tempting. It all looked easy enough.

Preheat the oven to 400° right off the bat. You'll see why later.

In the stand-up mixer bowl, three tablespoons of yeast is covered with 1.75 cups warm water and allowed to sit for five minutes. A half cup of honey is stirred in, followed by 1/2 cup melted butter, with the mixer on low speed, using the paddle attachment. Next come two beaten eggs and two teaspoons salt.

After this is nice and mixed, four to six cups flour are added slowly, until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. I used the full six cups, and still needed to add more. At this point I switched to the dough hook and added more flour, a spoonful at a time, until the right consistency was achieved.

The dough is placed on a work surface and divided into 24 portions, formed into balls and placed in baking pan or an oven-safe skillet. I used a baking pan. The tray of dough balls is covered with a towel and placed on the oven, to rise for 20 minutes. This is called proofing and the warmth from the preheating oven will aid in this.

After the dough balls have doubled in size, they are brushed with melted butter and put in the oven for 25 minutes, until golden brown. Another brushing with melted butter after they come out of the oven and they are ready to eat.

These were simply yummy!

Bon appétit!

Puff Pastry Chicken Fajita Braid

Inspired by something I saw on the Cooking Channel, the main difference in my version is that I used a puff pastry sheet instead of Pillsbury crescent roll dough.

Chicken breast is cut into 1 by 1 by 1/2-inch strips. Or thereabouts. A little vegetable oil is heated in a skillet and the chicken is added, along with some chili powder, salt, and garlic. I also added a splash of chipotle marinade for a little, just a little extra kick. Sliced onion, and strips of red add green bell peppers are added. When the chicken is cooked through, remove from the heat.

Line a baking sheet with a silpat. Now spread out a sheet of thawed puff pastry dough. Yes, on the silpat. Spread the chicken and vegetable mixture on the center third of the pastry sheet. Spread about a quarter cup of salsa over the top. Sprinkle with grated jack and cheddar cheese.

Now the tricky part. Or as tricky as any part of this recipe gets. With a knife, make cuts one inch apart on the long sides of the pastry sheet not covered with the filling. Careful not to cut into the silpat! Carefully life the strips of dough, alternately, and cross them over the filling, to form a roll. Gently press the opposing edges to seal. Finally brush the top of the roll with a little egg wash.

Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes until the top is a deep golden brown. Cool for a few minutes. To serve, cut crosswise into slices. When I entered this into Weight Watchers recipe builder, I figured 8 servings and that came to five points. Goody! I can have two servings.

Bon appétit!

Sweet Potato Cheesecake

It was suggested that I make a seasonal cheesecake this month. I immediately thought of the Caramel Apple Cheesecake, but not only have I made it a couple times, but it is a very labor-intensive recipe.

A co-worker suggested a vegetable cheesecake like pumpkin. Yawn. I forget exactly how I settled on sweet potato, but I did. I did a google search and the first recipe that popped up look good.

A graham-cracker crumb crust is used. Instead of freezing the crust, it is popped in the oven for ten minutes. The crust is set aside to cool.

To save time and effort, instead of baking sweet potatoes, peeling them, and then pureeing them, I simply used a can of sweet potatoes and mashed them down into the measuring cup.

The mashed sweet potatoes are mixed with cream cheese, sugar, sour cream and heavy cream until smooth. Three eggs are added, one at a time, and mixed at fairly low speed until incorporated.

The batter is poured over the crust and placed in the oven at 350° for an hour. The oven is turned off and the cake rests in the oven with the door ajar for another hour.

Now the topping. In a saucepan, butter and brown sugar are heated until melted. The heat is increased and the mixture is brought to a boil. Heavy cream is added followed by chopped pecans. This is poured over the cheesecake and then refrigerated. The topping concealed the small cracks that developed in the surface of the cake.

I don't have a verdict on how this tastes yet, but if the batter I licked of the mixing paddle is any indication, it is delicious!

Bon appetit!

Tinga Pueblana & Green Rice

Again with the Cooking Channel? Yes. Again with, or rather, from the Cooking Channel. From the same episode in which I found the Mexican Corn Soup.

Tinga Pueblana is Mexican Pulled Pork, and the recipe says prep time is 15 minutes. Maybe on Jupiter. It became a lot more involved that I had anticipated. But, in the end, it was well worth the effort.

Two large russet potatoes are boiled, then diced and set aside.

Pork loin is placed in a large pot of cold water along with an onion half, garlic and bay leaves. This is brought to a boil and the heat reduced to low. The meat simmers until it is cooked through and no longer pink. This took about an hour, though the recipe says 45 minutes. No big whoop. The meat is set aside and the cooking liquid is discarded.

When the pork is cool enough to handle, it is shredded, either with fingers, or with a couple forks. I tried both methods, and settled on my fingers as the most effective method.

In a large skillet, chorizo is sauted until cooked through, removed to a paper towel-lined plate and onions are softened in the chorizo grease. The shredded pork, canned diced tomatoes and finely diced chipotle chiles are added to the pan and cooked until the tomatoes begin to break down. Five to ten minutes. Remember the potatoes? They are now added to the pan, along with the chorizo. Finally, some apple cider vinegar, dried thyme & marjoram are added. This cooks until some of the liquid has evaporated. Another five to ten minutes.

I served this with warmed flour tortillas, and Green Rice, the recipe for which is coming up next. Now even.

Chicken broth, poblano peppers and cilantro are pureed in a blender, and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, diced onion is sauteed in corn oil until translucent. Garlic and white rice are added to the pan and cooked for a minute while stirring. The green puree is added and brought to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice cooked through and tender. The recipe says about fifteen minutes. After 25 minutes the rice was not quite done, but my impatience got the better of me. And everything else was getting cold.

The pork was spectacular. The rice needed something. Perhaps complete cooking. I liked the rice despite a slight crunch. Susie didn't care for it at all. But she loved the pork.

Bon appétit!

Mexican Corn Soup

When I saw this on the Cooking Channel, it looked like a tasty, and easy soup to make. I was correct.

Corn, tomatoes, chicken broth and oregano are pureed in a blender, and then set aside. In a large saucepan, bacon is cooked until crisp. The bacon is removed and onion is softened in the bacon fat. Garlic is added and cooked for an additional minute.

The tomato-corn puree is added to the pot, along with additional chicken broth. This is brought to a boil and more corn is added. This simmers until thickened, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. The recipe calls for any foam that develops to be skimmed off and discarded. I didn't bother.

The soup is finished with some heavy cream and some chopped flat-leaf parsley. Rather than garnish with crumbled bacon, I just mixed it into the soup, after crumbling it. I garnished with a small dollop of sour cream, and a bit of flat-leaf parsley.

This came out superbly! I loved it. Susie loved it! No doubt the dog would have loved it as well, had we been willing to share.

Bon appétit!

Deep-dish Polenta Pie

My inspiration for this came from a Weight Watchers' recipe. Even the name. I added a few things. I love polenta! You can do so many things with it. And I can too.

Milk (1%), water and salt are brought to a boil. The heat is reduced to medium-low and yellow corn meal is slowly drizzled in while whisking continually. Continue whisking until the polenta thickens to the consistency of mashed potatoes. This takes about seven minutes. Stir in a tablespoon butter and three tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese.

Away from the heat, the rest of the ingredients are mixed in. Chopped broccoli, diced cooked chicken, reconstituted sun-dried tomatoes, chopped garlic, and chopped onion. Mix thoroughly until all the ingredients are well coated with the polenta.

The mixture is pressed into a lightly-oiled 10-inch deep-dish pie pan. I used a spring-form. A tablespoon of grated Parmesan is sprinkled over the top. It bakes at 400° for 35 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes. Or serve at room temperature.

This makes eight servings, each of which counts as 4 Weight Watchers' points. Just 4! At that rate, you may have seconds! If you've been good.

I served each slice with a spoonful of salsa and a couple slices of avocado. Absolutely yummy!

Bon appétit!

Ginger Honey Cheesecake

In fact, the name of this cheesecake is Honey & Ginger Cheesecake. My rework of the name is a nod to Gilligan's Island. You fill in the rest. This is the penultimate payday cheesecake I will make for work. After five years of cheesecakes and other payday desserts, I am calling it quits.

The crust for this cake is made with ginger snap crumbs and melted butter. The crust mixture is pressed into the cheesecake pan and then it is frozen.

The batter begins with two packages cream cheese and a cup of sour cream. I have been struggling lately with cracks appearing on my cheesecakes, so I mixed the cheese and cream on medium-low speed, to minimize the amount of air that would be incorporated. Next came flour, brown sugar and honey. When that was fully blended in (again on slow speed), two eggs were added, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Ground cinnamon and ginger were mixed in next. Finally, the recipe calls for candied ginger, minced. Well, I have some ginger candy. That would have to do. I chopped it up and folded it into the batter. By hand.

The batter is poured over the frozen crust and bakes at 325° for 55-65 minutes. I lowered the temperature by 25° from what the recipe said because I read that 325° was at the upper maximum for baking cheesecakes, without cracking them. Or drying them out.

After an hour, I removed the cake from the oven, only to find a crack. A fairly small one, but a crack nonetheless. Not the yawning abyss that developed on the cheesecake I made for Benton County Mental Health earlier in the month. But a crack nonetheless.

Bon appétit!

Quick & Spicy Tomato Soup

We had to have more than just the Linguine with Shrimp & Lemon Oil. Didn't we? From the same episode of Everyday Italian, hosted by Giada De Laurentis on the Cooking Channel, I made Quick and Spicy Tomato Soup.

Olive oil is heated in a large soup pot. Carrots, onion and garlic are added and cooked for two minutes, or until soft. A jar of marinara sauce, two cans of chicken broth, a can of butter beans, a cup of mini farfalle patsa, salt, pepper and achiote (a spice used in Cuban cuisine) are added. This simmers for ten minutes, and is ready to serve. I sprinkled a little grated Parmesan cheese over the top of my bowl.

It was delicious. And, as importantly, quick and easy.

Bon appétit!

Linguine with Shrimp & Lemon Oil

This dish is as seen on the Cooking Channel. Again. A light, quick and easy entrée that can be whipped up in a jiffy. And again, I diverged from the original recipe in places.

A couple hours ahead of time I zested a lemon into some olive oil. Then I watched some television.

When it was time to get down to it, I boiled some salted water in which to cook the linguine. The pasta is cooked until al dente.

While the pasta cooks, olive oil is heated in a large skillet. Sliced scallions and garlic are added and cooked until softened. Shrimp are added and cooked until pink. This takes about five minutes. To the skillet are then added the cooked, drained linguine, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper. This is tossed to combine. Arugula and chopped flat-leaf parsley are then added. The lemon zest is strained from the olive oil and the oil is added to the skillet and tossed to coat the pasta. The zest is discarded.

That's all there is to it. I told you it was quick and easy.

Bon appétit!