Crispy Frizzled Artichokes

INGREDIENTS

Baby or large artichokes, as many as you wish to prep and eat

1 to 2 lemons, halved (1 should be fine for smaller amounts)

Olive oil

Coarse salt

Chopped flat-leaf parsley (for garnish, optional)

DIRECTIONS

Prepare artichokes: Snap back toughest and unevenly sized outer leaves, peeling and plucking until you get to the paler yellowish leaves that are all the full length of the artichoke. Be careful of thorns; almost every leaf ends in one. If they’re particularly bothersome, you can lop off the bottom third of the artichoke at this point. (We will otherwise do it next.) For baby artichokes, cut off bottom 1/3 of leaves. For full-sized artichokes, cut off bottom 2/3 of leaves (more than you see in my photos), leaving only the top parts attached to the stem and heart. Rub all cut sides with lemon.

Use a knife to pare down rough spots where leaves met the heart. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the outermost layer of the stem and “neck” of the artichoke. With tiny artichokes, the stems are sometimes too small or in bad shape to be used, in which case, feel free to trim them off. Rub exposed sides with lemon.

Halve baby artichokes lengthwise through the stem; for full-sized artichokes, quarter them through the stem. Rub cut sides with lemon.

Heat oven or grill: Heat oven to 400 degrees, a gas grill to its highest setting or a charcoal grill to a very high temperature.

Par-boil artichokes: Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add trimmed artichokes and the halved lemon you’ve been using to prevent browning. Boil them for 5 minutes (for baby artichokes) or 10 to 15 minutes (for full-sized artichokes), until a knife point inserted into the neck of the artichoke pierces easily to the center. Drain artichokes well; discard lemon half.

If roasting artichokes: Drizzle roasting pan with olive oil, spread drained artichokes in a single layer, drizzle with a little additional olive oil and shower with coarse salt. Roast baby artichokes for 15 minutes, then flip, and roast for another 10 to 15 minutes, until crisp and browned. Roast full-sized artichokes for 20 to 25 minutes, then flip, and roast for another 15 to 20, also until crisp and browned.

If grilling artichokes: In a large bowl, toss drained artichokes with a glug or so of olive oil, enough that they all glisten. Season with salt. If the grill grates are close enough together, I use tongs to arrange the artichokes in one layer. If not, you might need to use a vegetable tray to keep the artichokes from falling through. Grill until artichokes are crisp and brown.

To serve: Shower with additional lemon juice (from second half of lemon), any extra salt (if needed) and parsley. Eat soon, or someone else will.

Source: smittenkitchen.com

Breakfast Pizza 🍕

I’ve eaten leftover pizza for breakfast. In truth, it’s probably one of my favorites. Pizza with bacon 🥓& eggs🍳, in ADDITION to the herbs 🌿 and cheese 🧀 – even better.

Here’s the recipe:

Breakfast Pizza

Makes 2 ∙ Source Smittenkitchen.com

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 teaspoon dry active yeast

• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons bread flour, plus more for dusting

• Kosher salt

• 6 strips bacon

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

• 2 cups grated mozzarella

• 6 large eggs

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley

• 2 tablespoons minced chives

• 2 scallions, thinly sliced

• 1 shallot, minced

DIRECTIONS

The night before, prepare the dough: Place 3/4 cup lukewarm water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Sprinkle in the yeast, stir and let sit for 5 minutes. Add the flour and 1 teaspoon of salt and mix on low for 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 2 minutes, then increase the speed to high and mix until a smooth dough forms, about 2 minutes more. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, divide into two equal pieces and form each half into a tight ball. Place on a large floured sheet pan, place the pan in a plastic garbage bag, tie the bag loosely and refrigerate overnight.

One to two hours* before baking, place the dough in a warm spot. Adjust the oven rack to the lowest position and set a pizza stone on it. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees 30 minutes before you are ready to bake the pizza.

Prepare the dough and toppings: Fry the bacon in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until crisp. Cool on a paper-towel-lined plate; roughly chop.

Dip your hands and a ball of dough into the flour. On a lightly floured countertop, pat the dough into a disc with your fingertips, then drape the dough over your fists and carefully stretch it from beneath to form a 12-inch circle.

Generously dust the surface of a pizza peel or large inverted sheet pan with flour and place the stretched dough on it. Sprinkle the dough with half of the Parmesan, mozzarella and bacon. Crack 3 eggs over the top and season with salt and pepper.

Bake the pizza: Shake the pizza peel slightly to make sure the dough is not sticking. Carefully lift any sections that are sticking and sprinkle a bit more flour underneath, then slide the pizza directly onto the baking stone in one quick forward-and-back motion. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, rotating after 5 minutes. When the crust is golden, the cheese is melted and the egg yolks are cooked, use the peel to transfer the pizza to a cutting board. Sprinkle half of the parsley, chives, scallions and shallot on top. Let cool for 2 minutes, slice and serve immediately. Prepare the second pizza in the same way.

* The original recipe suggests that you take the dough out one hour before baking but I took mine out two hours earlier, because I always find it takes a looong time to get dough back to proofing at room temperature. In this time, you can lazily prepare the toppings and get your oven nice and hot.

Peach 🍑 Cobbler

It’s that time of year again. Here’s my hands down favorite Peach Cobbler recipe:

Peach Cobbler

★★★★★

Desserts

Makes 6 servings ∙ Source Keyingredient.com

INGREDIENTS

1 cup all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ cup sugar

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into pieces

1 large egg lightly beaten

¼ cup heavy cream

2½ pounds fresh peaches (5 or 6 cups) cut ¼ inch thick

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons apricot preserves

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon cinnamon mixed with 2 T sugar

vanilla ice cream

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350. Put in flour, baking powder and ¼ cup of the sugar in a large bowl. Stir to mix well. Add 4 TBSP of the butter and cut in with a pastry blender or rub in with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Beat the egg and cream together in a measuring cup. Stir into the flour with a fork just until the dough is moistened. Shape the dough into a ball and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

In a medium bowl, toss together the peaches, lemon juice, preserves, cinnamon and remaining sugar. Pour peaches into 1½ qt. oval baking dish. Dot with the remaining butter.Roll out the dough to fit top of the dish. Place it on top of the peaches and crimp the pastry edges to the sides of the pan to seal. Cut a few vents in the dough with a sharp knife. Sprinkle generously with the cinnamon sugar.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the crust is light golden. Serve hot with ice cream.

Sent from Paprika Recipe Manager

BLT 🥓🥗🍅 CHOPPED SALAD

INGREDIENTS:

4 slices bacon, diced

4 cups chopped romaine lettuce

1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup corn kernels

1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese

FOR THE LIME VINAIGRETTE

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Zest of 1 lime

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

2 teaspoons sugar, or more to taste

DIRECTIONS:

To make the vinaigrette, whisk together olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lime zest and juice, and sugar in a small bowl; set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

In a large bowl, combine romaine lettuce, avocado, tomatoes, corn, goat cheese and bacon. Stir in lime vinaigrette.

Serve immediately.

https://damndelicious.net/2014/01/13/blt-chopped-salad/

Burgundy Beef Stew

My Mom got this recipe from a Dinah Shore’s Talk Show guest, Burt Reynolds.  It’s been a family favorite ever since.

Burgundy Beef Stew (Burt Reynolds’s Stew)

★★★★★

Soups & StewsPrep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 120 minutes

Servings: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds beef chuck, cubed

3 slices bacon, diced

flour

1 Tablespoon sugar

salt & pepper

1 medium chopped onion

1 clove minced garlic

6 ounces tomato sauce

1 cup beef broth

1 bay leaf

pinch of thyme

½ cup burgundy wine

2 carrots, sliced

2 stalks celery, sliced

2 large potatoes, cubed

DIRECTIONS Fry diced bacon in large saucepan.

Salt & pepper the beef.

Dip beef in flour and brown in the bacon fat, adding oil if necessary.

Sprinkle beef with the sugar, add onion, garlic & brown.

Add the tomato sauce, beef broth, wine, bay leaf & thyme.

Cook covered S-L-O-W-L-Y for one and a half hours.

Add carrots, celery & potatoes and cook until tender, adding water if necessary.

I be jammin’… 🍓🍯

What ELSE would I be doing in a blizzard?

I love my Ball brand FreshTech Jam maker & it’s perfect counterpart, the BALL Fresh Tech canner. It makes an easy task of homemade jam.

I came across my favorite recipe quite by accident. I wanted to make low sugar strawberry jam, but I miscalculated the amount of strawberries I needed. So I added raspberries. Still not enough volume (3.25 cups needed) I threw in the blueberries.

Perfection 👌🏻

Very Berry Jam – it’s the house specialty 💙

You start with 3.25 cups fresh crushed fruit over 3 Tablespoons of Pectin. Add 1/2 teaspoon butter (or margarine) to prevent foaming. Wait 4 minutes for the beep to add sugar – it’s jam in 21 minutes.

All finished with a great vibrant color ❤️

Sourdough pancakes? Yes, please 🥞🥓

I’m the kind of cook that prefers to make everything from scratch. It tastes better and is better for you (less preservatives).

Well, Dorothy’s™ Sawtooth Sourdough pancake OR Waffle batter changed all that. I can’t believe how delicious something from a mix can taste! I first discovered Dorothy’s at the (seasonal) fruit stand where I bought my fresh peaches 🍑 .

1 cup mix + egg + water + oil = HEAVEN 🤗

Get YOURS at:

http://www.homemadebydorothy.com/sawtooth-sourdough-pancake-mix/

Soup of the Day is Vegetable Beef

There’s a chill in the air 🍂& that means bring on the comfort food 🥣

Delicious Vegetable Beef Soup

★★★★★

Kid-Friendly, Soups & Stews

Makes 8 ∙ Difficulty Easy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup dry white beans

1 pound lean ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup diced carrots

1½ cups diced potatoes

¾ cup diced celery

3 cups canned tomatoes or juice

2 cups frozen peas

1 cup macaroni, rice, barley OR fine egg noodles

1½ TBSP beef bouillon granuals

1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

1/8 TSP cayenne pepper

10 cups water

2 TBSP sugar

½ TBSP salt or to taste

½ TSP pepper

½ TSP basil

½ TSP parsley

DIRECTIONS

Soak beans in 10 cups of water overnight. Cook beans one hour. Brown and drain hamburger. Add to soup pot. In hamburger pan, saute onion & celery til softened; add to soup pot. Add carrots & potatoes to soup. Simmer 30 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 30 minutes more or until macaroni (or barley or whatever) is tender.Absolutely Wonderful! Kids LOVE it and it freezes well.

Sedona White Corn Tortilla Soup

Another favorite from the California Pizza Kitchen. Image shows this recipe combined with their Potato Leek Soup

Sedona White Corn Tortilla Soup

★★★★★

Soups & Stews

Makes 6-8 servings ∙ Source Keyingredient.com

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons olive oil

1½ seven inch corn tortillas, cut into 1 inch squares

1½ tablespoons minced fresh garlic

2 tablespoons minced white onion

1½ teaspoons minced jalapeno pepper

1 pound white corn kernels

1½ pounds chopped ripe red tomatoes

⅓ cup tomato paste

2½ teaspoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon kosher salt

⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper

½ teaspoon chili powder

1½ cups water

1 quart chicken stock (preferably homemade)

24 blue corn torilla chips (optional garnish)

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar (optional garnish)

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional garnish)

DIRECTIONS

1) Over medium-high heat, fry tortilla squares in olive oil until they begin to crisp and turn a golden yellow. Add garlic, onion and jalapeno; cook 1 to 2 minutes, until onion becomes translucent. Add half the corn along with all the other ingredients (except garnishes), reserving other half of corn to be added at the end. Bring the soup to a low, even boil. Boil for 5 minutes.

2) Remove the soup from heat. Use a hand-hand propeller blade or food processor to process in batches to the consistency of a coarse puree.

3) Return the soup to the burner and add the reserved corn. Bring the soup to a boil once again being extremely careful to avoid scorching or burning. Serve, garnished with blue corn tortilla chips, cilantro and sharp cheddar cheese.