Baked Pork Chops

(Adapted from www.tasteofhome.com) 

Phew, time for some recipe catch-up, here! I have three great recipes that I'm excited to post, and I'll start with these, probably easiest possible pork chop recipe I could find. I've gone on before about how I wasn't a pork chop fan, then I bought some because they were so cheap, and now I buy them regularly because they're not only cheap, but they can actually be quite juicy and delicious.

This recipe is a perfect example. These were so juicy and the flavor - and the smell wafting out of the oven - was fantastic. I wasn't sure about dipping the chops in milk - but it turned out great. And seeing as how I picked this recipe by googling "pork chops", then narrowing down the list until I found something fast that used only ingredients I had left around the house at the end of the week, you can probably make them without a trip to the grocery store.

I almost forgot about the side - I just sauteed a little garlic in olive oil and then added some eggplant (half-skinned, chopped, salted, and rinsed first) and chopped tomato and let it all sautee and simmer together. Unfortunately, I can't remember if I put some onions in there or not, too...from the photo, looks like maybe I did!


The ingredients listed are for four chops, but I made two and just had some left over. Since the ingredients are mostly for dipping, you can choose how much or how little you want.


1/4 cup fat-free milk 
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese 
1/4 cup bread crumbs 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (I think this is the secret ingredient)
1/8 teaspoon pepper 
2 center cut bone-in pork chops

Preheat oven to 375. Put the milk in a shallow bowl. In a shallow bowl or rimmed plate, combine the cheese, bread crumbs, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Dip each chop in the milk, then dip in the bread crumb mix to coat.

Place the chops in the oven on a baking sheet (cover the baking sheet with tin foil to save a mess; spray with cooking spray if you have it, which I didn't). Bake at 375 for about 10-11 minutes on each side.

Ciderjack Pork Chops

Tonight, I bring you another successful Joef recipe! Joef has been clamoring for pork chops in a cider glaze for, well, months now, so tonight he up and created it himself. This was a great sweet-and-slightly-spicy glaze, easy and quick to make with ingredients you probably have around the house. (Yes, including Jack Daniel's - admit it.)

I decided to broil the pork chops - I definitely over-cooked them, so I haven't provided any cook time. Just...flip them once or twice, and watch them closely. The broiler cooks things fast. Like, a few minutes on each side fast. Cut into the chop to make sure it's cooked, of course.

Served with rice and some zucchini fried up in garlic and olive oil. The zucchini wasn't the best taste complement, per se, but it was good eatin'.

So:
Two pork chops, defrosted and brought to room temperature, lightly salted
1.5 cups apple cider
1 shot Jack Daniel's
3 heaping tbsp brown sugar
Squeeze of lemon juice
Sprinkle of habanero pepper flakes (optional)

Combine all ingredients except the pork chops in a small pot. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, and reduce slightly so that it thickens a bit. Pour over and under the chops and pop in the broiler, broil, and look at that - you're done!

NEW! - Idea from my dad, inspired by the onset of warmer weather: marinate the chops and grill 'em!

Steak with Habanero Butter (with Rabe and Mashed Potatoes)

This was Joef's "welcome home from Japan safe and sound" dinner. Rabe was, of course, a requisite item, as was the addition of something spicy - in this case, habanero butter for the steak, which was seriously delicious.

This is maybe the second time I've made steak. I'm not sure what cut I got - it was inexpensive, didn't have a bone, and was somehow really, really good. Probably because it was just a leeeeetle bit fatty. Mmm.

MASHED POTATOES
4-5 small red potatoes, chopped into largish chunks
Milk
1-2 tbsp butter
Garlic powder
Dill
Salt

Boil the potatoes until softened. Drain, then stir in butter until it melts. Stir in milk, mashing the potatoes, until they're at the consistency you want. Add garlic powder and dill to taste. Season with salt to your liking.

STEAK with HABANERO BUTTER
2 steaks
Salt
Pepper
Habanero butter for serving (see instructions below)

With steaks at room temperature, salt and pepper on both sides, pressing the seasoning into the steak. Cook under the oven broiler. Turn once, cooking for a total of about 6-10 minutes, depending on how well done you want them. For the habanero butter, melt 2 or so tablespoons of butter and add habanero pepper flakes - a few pinches - stir to combine and pour over steaks once they're cooked. Enjoy!

Roast Chicken with Dijon Sauce

(from smittenkitchen.com)

Another new favorite! I'm of the opinion that just about anything with shallots is pretty much a winner, and this recipe holds true to that. The flavor is sweet and tangy. It's pretty simple, provides a nice full meal, and is a nice change of pace (at least for us). Here's all it takes:

3 pounds chicken drumsticks (or about 5 drumsticks), with skin and bones
1 tbsp olive oil
2 small shallots, thinly sliced
3/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons smooth Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives

Preheat oven to 450F. Season chicken generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat oil in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet (I actually used a dutch oven) over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown chicken, skin side down first and turning once, about 5 minutes.

Roast chicken in its pan in the oven until just cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer chicken to a platter, then add shallots, wine, and broth to pan juices the skillet/dutch oven and boil, scraping up any brown bits, until reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Add cream and boil until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Whisk in mustard, chives, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve chicken with sauce over rice.

Super Bowl Chicken Wings - GO PACK GO!

As seems to be the trend with my posts this year, I'm once again a few recipes behind. I made these wings for our Super Bowl party last Sunday (SO excited that the Packers won!), because what else are you supposed to eat watching Aaron Rodgers decimate Ben Roesthlisberger? There were three versions, as you'll see - Medium (sweet 'n spicy), Hot (buffalo style), and "Fun" (Joef). Fun, as you can probably guess from Joef's particular sense of taste, is in this case relative - his wings, as you'll see, contain three tablespoons - yes, tablespoons, of Naga Jolokia powder. I have to commend both him and our guests - those babies got eaten up just about as quickly as the other, milder versions.

Plus, two of these recipes don't even require deep-frying - they're oven-baked! Mmm, healthy!

MEDIUM - Sweet 'n Spicy
from saveur.com
4 lbs chicken wings, kept whole or divided
Dry Rub

-2 tbsp Smoked Paprika

-4 tsp onion powder

-4 tsp coriander

-1 tsp garlic powder

-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

-1 tsp crushed red pepper

-2 tsp brown sugar
-Salt
-Fresh-ground black pepper

Sauce

-1 cup Frank's RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce

-1 cup good quality barbecue sauce (I used Jack Daniels Hickory Maple or something like that)

Combine the dry rub spices in a large bowl, adding salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste. Toss the wings in the spice mixture (we used gallon ziploc bags), and let wings sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Arrange wings on wire racks set over sheet trays. Place the wings in a cold oven and set for 275. Cook for 30 minutes.

Raise oven temperature to 475. Continue to cook wings until golden brown and crispy, about 30-45 minutes more, rotating the trays and flipping the wings halfway through the cooking. If the wings are not crispy after 45 minutes, run them under the broiler until crispiness is achieved. (Ours were crispy by that time.) After the wings are crispy, let them cool slightly.

Mix hot sauce and barbecue sauce together. Add the wings and toss to coat.

HOT - Buffalo (aka omg, I can't believe all this butter)
from saveur.com
Canola oil, for frying
4 lbs. chicken wings, separated into 2 pieces
16 tbsp. unsalted butter (2 sticks)
2 12-oz. bottle Frank's RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce
Heat oven to 200. Pour oil into a 6-qt. Dutch oven to a depth of 2" and heat over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 400. Working in two batches, add chicken wings to oil and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crisp, 10–12 minutes. Stand back! It will get crispy - just wait for it. Using a slotted spoon, transfer wings to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet and transfer to oven.

Meanwhile, melt the butter and stir into the hot sauce. Pour over chicken wings and combine.

"FUN" - Joef
4 lbs chicken wings, kept whole or divided
Dry Rub

-2 tbsp Naga Jolokia pepper

-4 tsp onion powder

-4 tsp coriander

-1 tsp garlic powder

-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

-1 tsp crushed red pepper

-2 tsp brown sugar
-Salt
-Fresh-ground black pepper

Sauce

-1 cup Frank's RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce

-1 cup good quality barbecue sauce (I used Jack Daniels Hickory Maple or something like that)

-2 tbsp habanero flakes
-1 tbsp Naga Jolokia

Combine the dry rub spices in a large bowl, adding salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste. Toss the wings in the spice mixture (we used gallon ziploc bags), and let wings sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Arrange wings on wire racks set over sheet trays. Place the wings in a cold oven and set for 275. Cook for 30 minutes.

Raise oven temperature to 475. Continue to cook wings until golden brown and crispy, about 30-45 minutes more, rotating the trays and flipping the wings halfway through the cooking. If the wings are not crispy after 45 minutes, run them under the broiler until crispiness is achieved. (Ours were crispy by that time.) After the wings are crispy, let them cool slightly.

Mix hot sauce, barbecue sauce, and spices together. Add the wings and toss to coat.

Joef's Candied Yams

Joef's Thanksgiving tradition is these yams. They are also his ultimate comfort food. I have to say, I was dubious about these yams at first, despite their being a fairly traditional - as I've learned - Thanksgiving dish. My family, too, was skeptical when Joef made these for our first Thanksgiving together. But I have to say I've come around, and my family brings them up (with yearning, in some cases) every year now. They are incredibly simple and deliciously sweet.

3-4 yams, peeled and sliced into circles
Brown sugar
Marshmallows, big or small (Joef prefers the big ones)

Preheat oven to 375. Take a square or rectangular baking dish and arrange sliced yams in the dish. Top with generous amounts of brown sugar. Really generous amounts. Place in oven and cook until yams are soft and brown sugar has turned to liquid. Cover the top with marshmallows, then pop back in the oven to allow the marshmallows to brown (making sure they don't, er, catch fire). Remove from oven and serve!

Betty's Oven Beef Stew

This is Joef's favorite meal. His mom makes it the best, of course - it's her recipe, to give full credit. But I think we got it pretty close tonight. It takes several hours, but most of that time is in the oven, so it's perfect for a weekend. A great, hearty meal just in time for fall.

2 tbsp flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
Dash of black pepper
1 1/2 lbs beef chuck cut in 1" cubes/stew meat
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cans condensed tomato soup
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1/2 tsp dried basil
5 smallish potatoes, peeled and cubed
2-3 handfuls or so baby carrots
1-1 1/2 cups frozen peas

Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a ziplock bag; add the meat and shake to coat.

Heat the oil in a pan over medium and add the meat to brown on all sides. In a casserole dish, add the soup, 2 1/2 cups water, onion & basil.

Bake at 250 for about 1.5 hours. Remove and add the potatoes and carrots. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake for another 2-2.5 hours. Turn the heat to 400 for the last 1/2 hour, and remove foil. Throw in the peas right before serving. Serve with crusty bread - butter the bread if you're feeling decadent.

Not Chili

Well, I call it chili. But the husband insists that if it has rice in it, it can't be chili, no matter how good it is (and it is good!). This is how my ma always made chili at home - served over rice - and it's still my favorite (and it might soon become the husband's, too).

1 1/2 cups white rice
2-3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
Olive oil
A little salt
A little ground pepper
1 lb ground beef, thawed
1 tbsp chili powder, plus more
1/2 tsp ground cumin, plus more
1 28 oz can whole tomatoes
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 can red kidney beans (you know, whatever the size is between 8 oz and 28 oz - the regular size), drained and rinsed

Cook your rice.

Meanwhile: drizzle a healthy amount of olive oil into the bottom of the pot, then add your garlic and heat over medium, adding a little salt and ground pepper. Just let that get hot and aromatic, then mix in the ground beef, red chili powder, and cumin. Let the beef brown.

Once the beef is browned, add your tomatoes and tomato sauce. Break up the whole tomatoes well with a wooden spoon. Bring the sauce to a boil, then turn to low and partially cover, simmering for about 1/2 to a 1 full hour. You can sprinkle more chili powder and cumin in at this point, according to your taste.

15 minutes before the sauce is done, add the kidney beans and cook another 15 minutes.

Serve over/mix into rice - yes, RICE! - and enjoy!

Sauteed Pork Chops and Chickpea Salad

(Chops from Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything: Quick Cooking)

I don't think I've ever cooked pork chops before. But I couldn't resist Mark Bittman's foolproof recipe, nor could I resist two pork chops for $2.78. The chops were easy, juicy, and delicious, and I made up the salad using whatever we had in the house - turned out great, and a nice complementary side to boot. We'll definitely be making pork chops a major part of our menu these next couple years!

PORK CHOPS
Here is Mr. Bittman's recipe:

2 center-cut loin pork chops, about 1 inch thick
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup chicken stock (you can use water as an alternative)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or freshly-squeezed lemon juice
Parsley leaves for garnish

Sprinkle the chops with salt and pepper. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat for 2 or 3 minutes. Add the 2 tablespoons olive oil; as soon as the first wisps of smoke rise from the oil, add the chops and turn the heat to high. Brown the chops on both sides, moving them around so they develop good color all over. This whole process should take four minutes or less.

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the wine and the garlic and cook, turning the chops once or twice, until the wine is all but evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of stock or water, turn the heat to low, and cover. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, turning the chops once or twice, until the chops are tender but not dry. When done, when you cut into them, the color will be rosy at first glance but quickly turn pale.

Remove the chops to a platter. If the pan juices are very thin, cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan, until the liquid is reduced slightly. Then stir in the butter over medium heat; add the wine vinegar, pour over the chops, garnish, and serve.

SALAD
1 can chick peas/ceci beans/garbanzos, rinsed and drained
1/2 small red onion, chopped
Handful of green beens, cooked or blanched, and chopped
4-6 baby carrots, sliced thinly
1 clove garlic, minced
1 spoonful balsamic vinegar
2 spoonfuls olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all your ingredients in a bowl, mix, and serve!

La Piccina: Camping Edition

This year's trip to the Boundary Waters was quite the culinary adventure, mostly thanks to my fellow campers/portagers. We had fresh-caught bass and northern pike, steak, bacon, fresh raspberry and blueberry pancakes, and - blueberry compote (or, in camping terms, blueberry "sauce"). Of course, we had our fair share of pastaroni and grilled summer sausage (delicious, actually), too. But considering it's a pack-in, pack-out kind of deal, we did pretty well. Well enough to deserve a special camping edition post.

Dinner: Steaks with Carrots, Potatoes, and Onions
Pat had the brilliant idea to bring some fresh foods in for the first night. He devised a freezer system using a brown box, ice, and plastic garbage bags to keep the steaks and bacon cold. We sauteed - or directly grilled - the steaks over the fire, then ate them with a side of potatoes and carrots sauteed with onions and a little cajun seasoning. A perfect way to round out a day of canoeing!

Breakfast: Bacon
There's not really anything unique about bacon, and there's certainly no recipe. But there are no WORDS for how delicious bacon is when you're camping.

Breakfast: Pancakes
We could've had pancakes every day if we hadn't run out of Hungry Jack and Krusteaz towards the end of the trip. The best part was picking fresh raspberries and fresh blueberries to put in the batter (all you need is water to make a great pancake). And of course we packed syrup. Innovation of the trip: summer sausage cooked INTO a pancake.









Breakfast: Blueberry Compote


But we didn't need syrup when Justin and Joef figured out we could make our own from fresh blueberries, sugar, and water. Proportions are about 1:1 for the blueberries and water, then add sugar to taste. Wash the spider eggs off the blueberries, then combine all ingredients in a pot over the fire and bring it to a boil. Boil it down, occasionally mashing the blueberries against the side of the pot. Add a splash of whiskey with a couple minutes left to boil if you're feeling adventurous.


Lunch and Dinner: Fried Fish
Catch a fish, gut it, bread it in Shore Lunch, and drop it in extra-hot oil and you're done. On the last night, we used the oil we fried the fish in to make crispy tortillas (just drop the tortilla in the oil, watch it puff up, flip it, then put it directly on the grill for a couple minutes). Tony divided his up into wedges and actually made tortilla chips.




























And finally - well, this isn't exactly a recipe, but...Joef made a sauna. Yes, a sauna. Using downed tree limbs gathered from a neighboring island, tarp, twine, some tape, and large granite rocks heated for two hours in the fire. Just pour water over the rocks and you're good to go.

Watermelon Smoothies

This was an old college favorite, and it's still great today. This is one of Joef's recipes, and it's great for summer - and Fourth of July weekends!

He used light ice cream this afternoon as an experiment, and we couldn't taste the difference. Not that this is in any way light. But...well, we try.

Here's all you do: combine roughly 1 part seedless watermelon and 1 part vanilla ice cream in a blender (more ice cream if you want it thicker, less if you don't). Blend and serve!

White Bean Chicken Chili

(concept from Eating Well)

Chili in June? Yes, if it's in the low 60s and raining! The husband and I were totally on the same page today - he came home thinking of soup, I came home thinking of chili, and here we are!

I grew up with chili made with kidney beans, ground beef, and tomato sauce - served over rice - which was always delicious. This is a nice variation on that - plus, I believe it's what the pros call a "one-pot meal". (Look at me, using the lingo.) It's also really easy to vary - spiciness, veggieness, etc. For example, tonight I added yellow bell peppers for the first time, which turned out pretty good.

So, here's what goes in your one pot:
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped baby carrots
1 bell pepper, halved and sliced
1 medium onion, diced
2 4oz cans chopped green chiles
1 15oz can great northern beans, rinsed
2 15oz cans cannellini beans, rinsed
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Cumin
Cayenne pepper
1.5 habaneros
1 cooked rotisserie chicken (thighs, breast, drumsticks - skin removed), torn up/chopped (which is great, because you can eat it as you go...er, I mean...)
1 lime

In a dutch oven or stew pot, drizzle olive oil into the bottom of the pan and turn the heat to medium-high. Add carrots and cook for a few minutes, then stir in onion and cook until softening, adding a pinch of the cumin and cayenne pepper, and a little squeeze of lime juice. Once softened, stir in the chiles, the bell pepper (add the bell pepper earlier, with the onion, if you want it softer), the beans, and the chicken broth. Sprinkle on more cumin and cayenne, and crush in one habanero with a garlic press. Add another squeeze of lime juice. Bring to a boil then turn low to simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken and the .5 habanero, if it needs more spice. Squeeze in half a lime. Stir and cook for about 5 more minutes.

(Also, this dutch oven, which I love, was a wedding gift from my Thrive crew! Woo hoo!)

Tequila-Lime and Lemon-Mustard Chicken Marinades

Wow, I have been lazy, haven't I? This is the only problem with a food blog - it keeps track of how well I'm doing at making my own food rather than ordering Thai or driving to Chipotle.

In any case, after weeks of forty-degree weather, Madison finally jumped right into the 90s today, and the 80s last night, which is when we grilled chicken on our friends' penthouse rooftop (ooh, sounds fancy). We finally found some time to actually marinate chicken (about 3-4 hours), and I say "we" because Joef and I each made our own marinades, according to our tastes. Yes, you guessed it, Joef's had habanero, and mine had garlic. Actually, Joef says he would have "quadrupled" the amount of habanero, and for once I agreed with him that it wasn't overly spicy (it was just about right, really, in my opinion). In any case, these (as always) can be adjusted to your own personal taste.

We each marinated a pound of chicken tenders (man, those things shrink on the grill) by mixing the sauces, adding the chicken, and letting the flavors blend in a bowl or ziploc bad in the fridge for about three hours.

We also both approximated the quantities as we went, so unfortunately our record-keeping in that area is a little sketchy. My sense is, though, that you could vary the quantities according to your taste, just making sure that there's enough sauce to cover all the chicken.

TEQUILA-LIME MARINADE (on the right)
Chili paste/sauce
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 habanero, chopped
Tequila
Juice of 1/2 a lime
Soy sauce

LEMON-MUSTARD MARINADE (on the left)
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
Dijon mustard
Olive oil
Splash of balsamic vinegar
Rosemary leaves
Juice of 1 lemon
Ground pepper
Salt (optional)

Guest Recipe: Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

And my lovely mother, Jill, to thank for this recipe! (Happy Mothers' Day, Ma!) My mom is the best at pies, and this was no exception. With fresh rhubarb from the Farmers' Market, this was a hit, as always. Plus, she showed me a much simpler (and equally delicious) recipe for pie crust that I'll be hanging on to.

(Also, this is another 3-recipe day, so scroll down for Baked Cod and Toothpick Caprese!)

Preheat oven to 350.

FILLING
1 heaping (more like 1.5) cup strawberries (measure, then slice)
2 lbs rhubarb (roughly 10 stalks), sliced into roughly 1 inch sections
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch (maybe more? it was a very juicy pie, but we think we cooked it too quickly - have adjusted this recipe to reflect what we think is a better cooking time)

Combine these ingredients in a bowl, then set them aside while you make the crust.

CRUST
1 1/2 cups flour
1 stick butter, cut roughly into tablespoons
1/4 cup cold water

The less you handle the crust mixture, the better - it makes for a flakier crust. Combine the flour and butter in a bowl, and mix with your hands until fluffy and combined. Add the cold water, and again mix with your hands until you have dough that you can roll out. Add flour if it's getting too sticky. Place floured wax paper on your counter and roll out the dough on the paper (lightly flour the rolling pin, too) until it's about the thickness you want for your crust. Lift the dough over your pie tin, press down into the tin, and trim the edges (save them). Patch as necessary, then pour in the filling.

Take the remaining dough and roll it out again. Slice it into strips and then arrange/weave them in a lattice pattern (the hardest part) over the pie filling. Use your fingers and thumb to pinch together the edges of the pie to get that ripply effect.

Place the pie in the oven and cook for 45 minutes or until crust is golden-brown (check it at 30 minutes to see how it's going). Remove from oven and allow to cool. Serve with vanilla ice cream, or on its own.

Kentucky Derby Mint Juleps

Who says a food blog can't do drinks, too? Joef is a master drink-mixer. This is his own recipe, and a must for derby-watching. (I won, by the way: both first and second place!)

Let the guest blogging begin!
"Serves 4:

8 oz. Bourbon (140 proof) – George T. Stagg – Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
8 oz. Water*
4 oz. Sugar Cane Simple Syrup
30 mint leaves, plus mint to garnish
Paper Towels
Ice

1. Soak the mint leaves in 3 oz. of bourbon in a small bowl for 15 minutes.
2. Remove the mint leaves from the bourbon and roll them into a paper towel.
3. Soak the portion of the paper towel containing the mint in the bourbon and wring the towel into the bowl; resoak and repeat several times. The bourbon should smell thoroughly minty after repeating this process multiple times.
5. When complete, discard the mint and paper towel.
6. Add an additional 5 oz. of bourbon to the minty bourbon along with 8oz. water and 4 oz. sugar cane simple syrup.
7. Stir the mixture with a spoon.
8. Freeze for 30 minutes.
9. Pour contents into four highball glasses filled with ice.
10. Garnish with mint sprigs.
11. Cheer for your horse of choice!

*I used an especially strong bourbon. Hence, I chose to cut the mixture with water. If you are using a lower proof bourbon, I would recommend using less water and more bourbon, aiming for a water/bourbon mixture that is approximately 40% alcohol."

Because this drink is primarily the bourbon, it's probably worth biting the bullet and getting a good one. Here's what we used, along with the sugar cane syrup:

Walnut-Gorgonzola-Stuffed Portabellas

Yesterday, Joef had a walnut-gorgonzola-stuffed portabella in the "cafeteria" at work (I use quotation marks because it's really so much more than a cafeteria...amazing, fresh, local food - and all at cost. But I digress.), and today, he made them at home, using his own recipe! OK, so I gave him a really hard time at the grocery store ("You want to mix what...with what?"), and boy, was I proven wrong. This turned out wonderfully. Very rich, and very good. It was the kind of meal where after my first two bites, I worried that it wasn't going to be enough to satisfy my typically insatiable hunger, and two bites later, I was in a food coma. In a good way.

So, here is Joef's recipe:
Two portabella mushrooms
Olive oil
Onion salt
3 cloves garlic

STUFFING
3 oz crumbled gorgonzola cheese
3 oz walnuts, ground in a food processor

DRESSING/SALAD
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Stone-ground mustard
Baby spring green salad mix

Preheat the oven to 400. Clean the mushrooms by removing the gills, then hand wash and pat dry. Crush the garlic and mix it with olive oil and onion salt to taste, then brush the mushrooms with that mixture, both top and bottom. Set aside.

Combine the gorgonzola and the crushed walnuts together in a food processor, and blend, scraping down the sides as necessary until they're mixed together.

Put the walnut-gorgonzola blend into the hollowed-out sides of the portabellas, and place in the oven on a baking sheet. Cook until the mushrooms have softened, the cheese is melty, and, ideally, the cheese begins to brown on top. (This time, we added the cheese at the very end, and it melted, but didn't get browned. So we're recommending adding it earlier. Maybe you'd want to broil it?)

While the mushrooms are cooking, make a salad dressing from vinegar, olive oil, and a little stone-ground mustard (more oil, less vinegar). Drizzle to taste over salad greens in a bowl.

When the mushrooms are ready, take them out of the oven, place them on the greens, and serve!

And, there's a beer pairing: "I like that I paired a heavy meal with a heavy beer!", says Joef. This is Dragon's Milk, by New Holland Brewing, an oak-aged ale. 10% ABV, very dark with hints of vanilla.


And a final post-script: Joef gave me my birthday presents last night...oh, just about two and half weeks early. I'm so excited, I have to share them...yup, more cookbooks=more recipes, and that glove and the knife mean...oysters! So, a taste of things to come.

Cheeseburgers!

Well, it's April 1 and in the 70s in Madison - definitely time for the first grill of the season.

I have to say, Joef and I make a pretty mean burger. I mean, these things are really good. I think the onion salt is the key. Maybe it's just the joy of being able to be outside for sustained periods of time at 9pm at night without catching frostbite. Maybe it's listening to Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings on record as we prep the meat. Heck, maybe it's just the beer.

In any case, it's definitely:

PATTIES:
1 lb ground beef, lean
Onion salt to taste
Minced garlic to taste
Minced jalapeno to taste

TOPPINGS, in this particular case:
Prosciutto
Goat brie (me), or cheddar (Joef)
Arugula
Sliced tomato
Hawkwind HEAT mustard (made locally, in Baraboo!)

And, of course, the bun.

We mix the onion salt, minced garlic, and jalapeno together in the patty. Then throw it on the grill. Best if you can melt the cheese on the burger while it's still on the grill, at the same time as you're lightly grilling the buns. Joef gets full credit for all the grilling.

What a wonderful way to start the spring.

Lemon Meringue Pie

(taken from "Comfort Food" by Rick Rodgers - Williams Sonoma)

Went out of my cooking comfort zone yesterday - and today - to bake my first pie! I'm usually not one for anything that takes more than a half hour of prep, but it seems to have been a success.

I started this on Saturday night, ran out of time, and had to finish the next day. Also, I took some shortcuts on the crust. Advance warning - this is a long one - both length of the recipe itself and the time it takes to make.

OK, here goes:

CRUST
Flour, 1 1/4 cups
Sugar, 1 tbsp
Salt, 1/4 tsp
Unsalted butter, 5 tbsp, chilled
Vegetable shortening, 2 tbsp, chilled
Ice water, 1/4 cup

Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cut the butter and shortening into chunks and scatter over the flour mixture. Using a pastry blender (what?) or 2 knives (I used my hands, frankly), cut the butter and shortening into the flour mixture just until the mixture forms large, coarse crumbs.

Pour the ice water over the flour mixture and toss it together with a form until the dough forms moist clumps.

Form the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes or up to two hours. (Note - I was running out of time, so I stuck it in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Then I ran out of time while I was rolling it out, so I ended up refrigerating it, formed into the pie dish, overnight. Turned out good enough despite all that.)

FILLING
Crust (above)
Eggs, 8
Sugar, 2 cups plus 2 tbsp
Cornstarch, 1/4 cup
Fresh Meyer lemon juice, 1 cup
Salt, 1/4 teaspoon
Unsalted butter, 4 tbsp, cut into tbsp
Finely-grated Meyer lemon zest, from 3 lemons

Unwrap your dough onto a floured work surface and dust it with flour. Roll it out with a rolling pin into a round about 12 inches in diameter and 1/8 inch thick (you don't have to worry about it being too even, because you'll have to trim the sides anyway). Transfer to a 9-inch pie dish, fitting the dough to the bottom and sides of the dish. Trim the over-long edges off, leaving a bit of an overhang. Fold the overhang under itself, then "flute" the edge with your fingers: give it ridges just along the edge. Use a fork to pierce the dough all over. Line it all with aluminum foil and freeze for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 375. Put the dough-lined dish on a baking sheet and fill it with pie weights. (What? I know. Turns out you can just fill it with rice. It keeps it from getting bubbly. Note that the aluminum is still on at this point.) Bake about 12-15 minutes. Take it out, remove foil and weights, put it back in until it's golden brown - another 12-15 minutes. Take it out and let it cool while you make the filling. Raise the oven temp to 400.

Beat the 3 eggs until blended. Separate the yolks and whites of the remaining 5 eggs, adding the yolks to the beaten whole eggs and putting the whites in a separate large bowl. Cover those whites and set them aside at room temp. Beat the yolks into the beaten eggs. In another bowl, whisk 1 1/2 cups of the sugar and the cornstarch, then whisk in the beaten eggs, lemon juice, and salt. Transfer this to a heavy saucepan over medium heat, and heat it until it comes to a full boil, whisking almost the whole time. It should get nice and thick. Reduce the heat to low and let it bubble for 30 seconds. Remove it from the heat and whisk in the butter. Strain through a coarse mesh sieve into a bowl to get rid of any pieces of cooked egg white. Stir in the lemon zest, then pour it all into the baked crust.

OK, almost done! Using a handheld mixer on high speed, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Beat in the remaining 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar, one tbsp at a time, until it becomes very thick and shiny. Use a spatula to spread this over the filling, making sure the meringue touches the crust on all sides. Swirl the meringue around and make peaks. Pop it in the oven until the peaks get golden brown, about 5 minutes. Take it out and let it cool for at least 3 hours. If you like it nice and cool, put it in the fridge.