I have never been the type of person to like the red-meat-and-pint0-beans chili flavored with an overabundance of taco seasoning.  I think I’ve only had chili once in the last 15 years.  Seriously.  I don’t know if it’s the tomato-beef-pinto combination or the taco seasoning…although let the record show that I really don’t like taco seasoning.  Several years ago my cooking mentor, Cozy, gave me this recipe for White Bean Chili; I ignored this recipe for quite a while.  Then Cozy made White Bean Chili for dinner and didn’t tell me that “Chili” was in the title.  Wowza, it was delicious!  The chicken and the spices and the green chilies and the hint of sour cream.  Goodness, I think I need another bowl of it, stat.

White Bean Chili
Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 large shallot, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large chicken breast, cubed
1/4 cup white wine
salt and white pepper
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 cans Great Northern White Beans, rinsed & drained
1 small can green chilies
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon white ground pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup whipping cream

mozzarella cheese
fresh thyme

Heat oil and saute onion, shallot and garlic in a large pot.  Add chicken and white wine, salt and pepper and cook until chicken is done.  Add broth, beans, chilies and spices and bring to a boil.  Turn down heat and simmer 30 minutes.  Before serving add sour cream and whipping cream and heat through.  Garnish with mozzarella and fresh thyme.

It is no secret that I am addicted to all things gingerbread.  I found this recipe in my “to make” stash of gingerbread recipes, which I am constantly adding to, and decided that today was the day for a little gingery-goodness.  First of all, this cake is fairly spicy with both fresh ginger root and ginger powder.  If you want to decrease the spice a bit use less of the fresh stuff and you’ll be good to go.  This recipe makes 12 mini-cakes (baked in a cupcake tin) and is perfect for a dinner party, or, ya know, if you want to eat one or twelve all by yourself.  Whatever.

Gingerbread Mini-Cakes with Chocolate Glaze
Preheat oven to 350′
Butter and flour a 12-cake cupcake tin, set aside.

1 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup boiling water
Dissolve soda in water and set aside.

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg, room temperature
2/3 cup molasses
1 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger root, grated
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ginger powder
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

Beat butter and sugar until super fluffy (2-3 minutes, do not be stingy with this part).  Add egg, beat, add molasses, fresh ginger and soda water, beat to combine.  Sift together flour, baking powder, ginger powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt.  Add to mixture and beat to combine.

Fill buttered and floured muffin tin, each about halfway full and bake 20 minutes.  Let cool 15 minutes, remove cakes and cool completely on wire rack.

Chocolate Glaze
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

Over medium-high heat bring cream to full boil, stirring constantly to prevent burning.  Turn off heat, add chocolate and swirl pan to cover completely.  Let stand 5 miuntes, whisk until smooth.

When mini-cakes are cooled completely, shave off top muffin crown so cake sits flat on it’s top, spoon 1 tablespoon of glaze over each cake and serve with crystalized ginger or crystalized lemon (neither of which I had on-hand, bad chef).

I love anything with balsamic vinegar, and when I saw this recipe for pomegranate juice and balsamic vinegar I felt compelled to make it as quickly as possible.  At the grocery store I could only find pomegranate juice by the vat, so now I feel like I need to make 7 other dishes featuring pomegranate juice.  Or I suppose I could just make this dish 27 times…yes, I think I’ll do that.  I served the glazed carrots with chicken breasts drowned in balsamic glaze which was absolutely fantastic for a quick dinner.

Pomegranate-Balsamic Glazed Carrots
Serves 8

1/4 cup pomegranate juice
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
1 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 lbs. carrots, cut into small sticks (2″ x 3/8″ wide)
2-3 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon Emeril’s Essence
2 tablespoons lightly packed, thinly sliced mint (optional)

Whisk together pomegranate, vinegar, honey and 1 tablespoon diced butter–refrigerate.  In skillet heat 1 tablespoon butter and olive oil add carrots with salt to taste, toss to coat.  Saute carrots without stirring, 4-5 minutes until bottom layer is lightly browned.  Use tongs to flip, and leave undisturbed for 1-2 minutes, continue until all carrots are cooked.  Add chicken broth and cook, covered, 2-3 minutes.  Uncover, add pomegranate mixture and Essence, cook until glazey.  Remove from heat and garnish with mint…or, if you’re like me, with copious amounts of balsamic glaze.

I found this recipe for “Kall Dem Vad Du Vill” Bollar on Pia’s blog and did a little math and a lot of experimenting to convert this traditional Swedish dessert/snack into American measurements.  I have made these several time and love the not-super-sweet flavor and “healthy” components of oats and coconut.  (Coconut is healthy, right?  It’s like fruit, yes?)

Pia’s Swedish Chocolate Balls

2/3 cups butter, softened
1 1/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/4 cups oats
6 tablespoons cold coffee or Pero
1-2 cups shredded coconut for rolling

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy, add cocoa powder and vanilla.  Stir in oats and coffee/Pero and let dough chill 15 minutes.  Using a cookie scoop (or your fingers) roll into small balls, press chocolate ball in coconut and press to make stick.  Chill at least an hour prior to serving.

You’ve probably seen the movie with the cute little rat who dreams of being a chef, right?  You’ve probably either seen Julie & Julia or read a book on Julia Child.  If you are anything like me (and because you’re here reading this, I like to think that you are) I like to think you have a) done all of the above and b) those collective experiences made you want to start cooking more frequently.  I never particularly loved squash flavored things growing up, but when I saw Ratatouille I suddenly had a craving for French countryside squashiness.  After a little googling and a lot of tweaking I came up with this fantastic recipe for Ratatouille.  Note: I add Italian Sausage to mine to mask a little of the extra squashy taste, however if you prefer it strictly vegetarian simply omit the sausage.  Because you are slicing all the veggies, it is helpful to find similar sized eggplant, zucchini and squash…look for long and skinny eggplant (the Japanese variety are shaped perfectly for this) and a long and skinny red bell pepper.

Ratatouille with Italian Sausage
Preheat oven to 375

1/2 lb. Italian Sausage
1 small onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 cup tomato puree
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons oregano
salt & pepper
1 small eggplant (I used Japanese eggplant)
1 small zucchini
1 small yellow squash
1 long red bell pepper (long and skinny is key)
3-4 springs fresh thyme

In large skillet brown sausage, add onion, garlic, and salt and pepper.  Remove from heat and add tomato puree, oregano and generously salt and pepper.  Pour mixture into oval 10″ baking dish and set aside.

Trim ends of eggplant, zucchini, squash; core bell pepper.  Slice very thin (use mandolin or super sharp knife), arrange atop tomato mixture in dish, concentrically, alternating veggies.  Drizzle with remaining tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper.  Sprinkle with thyme leaves.  This just looks gorgeous in the pan, see?

Cut a piece or parchment to fit the top of the dish, cover veggies with parchment and bake 45-55 minutes.  Vegetables should be tender, not brown,  and sauce should be bubbly.  Serve with Romano cheese (or goat cheese).

It’s fall, which means I crave all things gingerbread and pumpkin.  I was wandering around Williams Sonoma last week and picked up a jar of Pumpkin Parmesan Pasta sauce.  I was immediately intrigued, I usually only have sweet pumpkin things (pie, cookies, hot beverage) and the idea of pumpkin pasta sauce had me reeling, in a good way.  I carefully read the ingredients and searched a couple of recipe’s when I got home–none of which looked particularly delightful, but bits of which could be combined to be something amazing.

People…Pumpkin Parmesan Pasta sauce not only sounds delicious (hello, amazing alliteration) but it is pure heaven on the tongue.  I decided to have mine with gnocchi (store bought) but this would be delicious with any kind of pasta.

So, without further ado…

Gnocchi with Pumpkin Parmesan Sauce
Sauce serves 4

Cook gnocchi/pasta until al dente, drain

2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, diced
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
5-6 mushrooms, diced
2 teaspoons salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup chicken stock
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons fresh sage, minced

Melt butter in saucepan, saute onion, garlic & mushroom until tender, add salt & pepper.  Add pumpkin, cream & chicken stock, bring to a boil.  Turn heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes, add parmesan cheese and stir to melt.  Serve over gnocchi (or other pasta), garnish with parmesan and minced sage.

I am one of those people who always thinks breakfast is a good idea.  Always.  And I’m not necessarily talking about always eating breakfast sometime before 10:00 am; I love breakfast food any day, any time, anywhere.  Love it.  Last week I stopped by a fruit stand to get some tomatoes and they had delicious smelling pears that were just begging to be taken home.  I picked up three of them and they have sat on my counter ever since, ripening and smelling lovely.  I had all sorts of good intentions to bake them into a streusel or something, but a burst of breakfast inspiration left me craving pears on french toast with vanilla ice-cream.  This was, by far, the most delicious breakfast I’ve had in several weeks (and the healthiest, I’m sure…bread, fruit, milk…ahem).

Vanilla French Toast with Caramelized Pear Topping

Pear Topping:

2 tablespoons butter
3 large ripe pears, peeled, cored and chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon Mexican vanilla

Melt butter in skillet, add pears, sugar and vanilla and simmer over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes until pears are tender.  Remove from heat and carefully scoop out pears with slotted spoon and set aside.  Let pears stand for a few minutes and drain any juices back into skillet.  Return sauce to heat and simmer 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly, until sauce starts to thicken and becomes caramelized.  Remove from heat and set aside.

French Toast:

2 eggs
2/3 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon Mexican vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of fresh-grated nutmeg.
4 slices of bread (french, challah, whatever)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
vanilla bean ice-cream or whipped cream (or both)

Whisk together eggs, half-and-half, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg in a shallow dish like a pie plate.  Place bread slices in mixture and let soak for 2 minutes, turn and let soak additional 2 minutes.  Melt butter in large skillet.  Sprinkle soaked bread with brown sugar and cook 2-3 minutes on each side until slightly crispy and firm, be careful not to burn the sugar.

Transfer bread to plate and top with pears, caramel sauce and ice-cream or whipped cream.  Enjoy!

It is officially Fall!  I am one of those people that is obsessed with the flavors of fall, specifically, gingerbread.  I love dark gingerbread cake, I love crispy gingerbread men and the smells of hard-baked gingerbread houses.  However, my favorite ginger-flavored snack is, hands down, soft gingersnaps.  Most bakeries hard-bake their gingersnaps and while that is tasty, it just doesn’t compare with deliciously soft gingersnaps.  This recipe came from a former co-worker, Heather, and is my all-time favorite and they are particularly delicious with RA’s Pumpkin Dip, recipe  originally posted here.

Gingersnaps
Makes about 36 cookies
Preheat oven to 350

3/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
4 tablespoons molasses
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt

sugar for rolling

Beat shortening and sugar together until fluffy, add egg and molasses and mix again.  Sift flour together flour, soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt.  Add to sugar-molasses mixture and beat until a thick dough forms.

Using a cookie scoop* form dough into balls, roll in sugar and place on parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven when balls and puffed up and cracking, but before they darken around the edges.  Let cool on baking sheet 3-5 minutes, transfer to wire rack.

I have always loved marinara and alfredo sauce mixed together with my pasta.  Always.  I love how the cream-sauce cuts the acidity in the marinara and it doesn’t hurt that you are now eating a lovely pink-hued pasta dish.  I perfected my own spaghetti sauce recipe early in my college years and rarely measure anything anymore.  However, when I re-found Mel’s recipe for creamy spaghetti sauce, I knew my life would forever be changed.  The following is a mishmash of Mel’s recipe and my own college masterpiece.  I don’t love meaty sauce, and I tend to add a little bit of whatever veggies I happen to have in the fridge, feel free to tinker with quantities.  At any rate, I hope you enjoy it.

Creamy Spaghetti Sauce

Serves 4

16 oz. favorite pasta, cooked al dente

1/2 lb. ground beef or sausage
1/2 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, diced
1 section green bell pepper
1/2 small zucchini, diced
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons fresh ground pepper (I always use more than this)
2 16 oz. cans of diced tomatoes
1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon oregano
2 teaspoons basil
2 teaspoons rosemary
1/2 teaspoon Emeril’s Essence

Cream Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup milk or cream
2 tablespoons flour
dash of salt
1/2 cup Romano cheese

In large skillet brown meat, then add onion, garlic and green pepper, saute until onion is translucent, about 5-7 minutes.  Add mushrooms, green pepper and zucchini, saute 2 minutes.  Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, sugar and spices.  Bring to a boil and simmer on low to reduce liquid.

Meanwhile melt butter in a small saucepan, add milk , flour and salt and cook on high, stirring constantly, until bubbles form and sauce starts to thicken, add cheese and remove from heat.  Stir to melt cheese.  Add cream mixture to marinara sauce and remove from heat.

Spoon sauce over pasta and top with Romano or Parmesan cheese.  Enjoy!

I have fallen in-love with my Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookie recipe, I think I make them once a week.  The other day I pulled out my electric mixer and was ready to add the chocolate chips (note: that is the last thing to do before baking) when I realized–horror!–I was out of chocolate chips!  I panicked!  I could have run up the street to the grocery store, but I decided to scour my cupboards one more time.  I came up with a bag of Craisens and a half-bag of white chocolate chips.  I decided to just throw both of those in and see how things turned out.  I thought to myself, “I like Craisens.  I like white chocolate chips.  I like oatmeal cookies…it’s fail-proof,  right?”

Correct!  This is my new favorite combination for oatmeal cookies.  The white chocolate is sweeter than semi-sweet, but the tart Craisens temper it enough so as not not overload your sweet sensor.  Goodness, I think I need to go make these again!

Craisen Oatmeal Cookies with White Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 325

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup oats
2 good-sized handfuls of Craisens
6 oz. white chocolate chips

Beat butter & sugars until fluffy, add egg & vanilla and beat again. Sift flour, soda & salt to sugar mixture, add oats. Stir until just combined. Add Craisens and chocolate chips, stir to combine.

With cookie-scoop, scoop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 10-11 minutes, let cool 5 minutes, transfer to cooling rack.