January 5, 2009

Mushroom & Spinach Tart with Goat Cheese

Today is a sad day. It is my last day on maternity leave. booo!
To help me through this “rough” time, I decided to treat myself to a special “going away lunch”-if you will.

I had my eye on this recipe for AGES. So I figured I should get my special lunch fix in while I can. Casey isn’t too keen on mushrooms so this is all mine baby!

Or maybe I’ll share some with the neighbors. That would be the neighborly thing to do.

I have to say that this was pretty easy to complete…Very flaky, hearty and tasty. Totally satisfying on an overcast day like today. I paired a slice with an arugula salad dressed in a honey mustard vinaigrette.

Come on! ANYTHING on top of puff pastry HAS to be good.

Cooper cried a little bit through the endeavor, but I think it’s because he REALLY wanted the corner of that puff pastry crust. Someday son!!! I guess that’s what momma gets for attempting this sooo close to nap time. The nerve…

Mushroom & Spinach Tart
(recipe via EVERYDAY FOOD)

Ingredients

Serves 4

-Flour, for rolling out puff pastry
-1 (from a 17.3-ounce package) sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package instructions
-1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-Coarse salt and ground pepper
-2 packages (10 ounces each) white mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
-1 packages (10 ounces) fresh baby spinach
-2 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry out to a 16-by-10-inch rectangle. Trim uneven edges. Place the pastry on a baking sheet. With a sharp knife, lightly score dough to form a 1-inch border. Using a fork, prick dough inside the border every 1/2 inch. Bake until golden, rotating pan once, about 15 minutes or until tender.

2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, toss onion with 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt. Cover and cook over medium heat until onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir. Continue cooking with cover on for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Set aside.

3. In a large saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, heat remaining oil. Add mushrooms; cover and cook until tender and all liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Fold in spinach; season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes more. Drain any liquid.

4. Top dough with mushroom-spinach mixture. Scatter onion and goat cheese on top. Bake until cheese is lightly browned, about 15 minutes.

recipes, Uncategorized

January 3, 2009

Mango, Coconut & Lime Mousse

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!

So now that Cooper is 3 months old I think it’s time to start being AGGRESSIVE with this watching my weight situation….and it’s 2009 so I might as well start my resolution to get rid of the extra baby weight.

I was waiting until the holiday gluttony was over….boy did I indulge this year.

To start the new year off, I made a very light dessert from the Williams-Sonoma Fresh & Light cookbook.
It was a very good palette cleanser after a night of over-doing-it. The perfect amount of sweet that had NO guilt attached to it. It felt like a little taste of a Hawaiian vacation!
But a little more light & fluffy 😉

Needless to say, this is something that was NECESSARY as we gorged ourselves on:

Linguini & Clams

Garlic Bread (my biggest weakness)

and TO-DIE-FOR Fresh Steamed Crab!

pretty fancy huh? my sister-in-law is the other “martha” of the family

A good way to end 2008 huh?

So let me show you more of this mousse—-

Mango, Coconut & Lime Mousse
(Williams-Sonoma Fresh & Light Recipe)

Serves 4

Ingredients:
(serves 4)

-1 1/2 lbs ripe mangoes
-1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
-3 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
-1/2 cup Fat Free Evaporated Milk
-2 tablespoons sugar (i added a little extra because 1 mango wasn’t super ripe)
-1/4 teaspoon coconut extract
-2 tablespoons flaked coconut
-fresh mint for garnish

1. Place a bowl in the freezer to chill. Peel the mangoes and cut the flesh from the pits.

2. In a small saucepan, sprinkle the gelatin over the lime juice and let stand for 5 minutes. Place over low heat and stir until the gelatin dissolves, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.

3. In a food processor (or blender) combine the mangoes, gelatin mixture, sugar and coconut extract and process until smooth. Pour the mango puree into a large bowl.

4. Remove the chilled bowl from the freezer and pour the evaporated milk into it. Using a whisk, beat until thick and foamy, about 5 minutes. Fold the evaporated milk into the mango puree just until no white streaks remain.

5. Divide the mousse among 4- 3/4 cup bowls. Cover and refridgerate until set, about 6 hours.

6. While the mousse is chilling, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the coconut onto a baking sheet and toast in the oven until golden. Should take about 5-8 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.

7. Just before serving, remove the molds from the fridge and sprinkle each one with the toasted coconut. Garnish with mint and serve.

around the home, Uncategorized

December 29, 2008

before i take it all down

here’s a brief glimpse of our Christmas decorations this year….

I am going to be sad when I take it all down!

around the home, Uncategorized

December 24, 2008

season’s greetings!

Uncategorized

December 23, 2008

Rose’s Baked Artichokes

sooo good.

nuff said.

if you like baked/stuffed artichokes but hate the hassle- try this recipe.

you will crave it

day and night

like me!

Rose’s Baked Artichoke Hearts
(recipe via Martha Stewart.com)
serves 8ish

Ingredients

-1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
-1/4 cup finely chopped fresh curly leaf parsley
-2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1/4 cup)
-2 ounces Pecorino Romano, grated (1/4 cup)
-1 tablespoon mixed dried herbs such as thyme, oregano, and savory, or Italian seasoning blend
– 1 teaspoon coarse salt
– Freshly ground pepper
– 3 packages (9 ounces each) frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and drained
– 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for baking dishes
– 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
– 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
-2 garlic cloves, minced (2 teaspoons)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine breadcrumbs, parsley, cheeses, herbs, and salt in a medium bowl, and season with pepper.

2. Brush oil inside one 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Spread artichokes into a single layer. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over artichokes, pushing it into cracks between hearts. Tap bottom of dishes on counter to settle breadcrumb mixture.

3. Whisk oil, lemon juice and zest, and garlic in a small bowl. Drizzle dressing evenly over breadcrumb topping. Cover dishes with parchment, then foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Increase temperature to 375 degrees. Uncover, and bake until breadcrumbs are golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve immediately.

Uncategorized

December 20, 2008

Chewy Molasses Cookies

i love this cookie. if i wasn’t already married, i could possibly marry it. (sorry honey!)
But i don’t think one of these cookies would look as good in a suit…so fantasy ABANDONED.

so please make these…and then send me some….cuz I fear I might run out soon!

Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies
(recipe from Martha Stewart’s Cookie Book)
Makes about 36

Ingredients:
-2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
-1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
– 2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
-1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 1/2 cups sugar
-3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
-1 large egg
-1/4 cup molasses

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a shallow bowl, place 1/2 cup sugar; set aside.

2. With an electric mixer, beat butter and remaining cup of sugar until combined. Beat in egg and then molasses until combined. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in dry ingredients, just until a dough forms. Put dough in the fridge and chill it for at least an hour.

3. Pinch off and roll dough into balls, each equal to 1 tablespoon. Roll balls in reserved sugar to coat.

4. Arrange balls on baking sheets, about 3 inches apart. Bake, one sheet at a time, until edges of cookies are just firm, 10 to 15 minutes (cookies can be baked two sheets at a time, but they will not crackle uniformly). Cool 1 minute on baking sheets; transfer to racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 4 days.

around the home, Uncategorized

December 18, 2008

11 weeks!

11 weeks have passed since Cooper came into the world. 11 weeks! I remember when 11 weeks of being pregnant felt like half a lifetime!!!

He’s the happiest baby! Right now he’s squealing and smiling…and I am totally smitten.

Having a child is worth all of the work. When you wake up grumpy and you look over and there’s the sweetest little face looking at you and smiling because they are sooo excited to see their momma- that’s love…. It’s the most precious thing I’ve ever experienced! And I am lucky that I get to spend my days with such a cute little man!

Even if he has some really foul diapers! 😉