The leaves are changing

That usually happens around Thanksgiving along with the rain. We ony have had 1 rain storm and that was early and unusually heavy for Oct.

I put a cat cushion out on the deck and the outside cat Diablo sleeps there at night.

I've been up for over 27 hrs. I sleep for 2 and I'm up for another 20.

I made a yellow cake with choc. icing. A rare occurrence.

I had a filet Mignon about 3 oz and 3 scallops for dinner on a bed on spinach with mushrooms.

I have been playing a lot of bridge online. I keep getting dropped and disconnected w msn games and cooper.net.

Lacy is snuggled up hip level and naps with me and keeps me company.

I can't believe that asshole Dr at Ft. Hood. You know that is going to invoke more anti Muslim prejudice. If he was called a rag head before and he and others were discriminated against and not trusted imagine it now. It's not only the name but then he was trained as a psychiatrist on the Army's dime. He was vocal about his difficulty with the war.

The FBI had him on a watch list what is up at that? Is anyone listening/watching, reading the web site?

Now 13 people are dead 30 injured and he is paralyzed. Far from the hero his existence will be HELL.
How could he equate a suicide bomber like a soldier who throes himself on a grenade?

Heads will roll.

What is the vaccine H1M1 shortage? What a up surd thing. Give the contract to China.

I went to the Farmer's Market. There are apples, Asian veggies, tomatoes, and strawberries still. The tomatoes and strawberries are at there end.

Spiced Pumpkin, Lentil, and Goat Cheese Salad

Ingredients:

3/4 cup French green lentils
6 cups 1-inch pieces peeled seeded sugar pumpkin or butternut squash (from about one 2-pound whole pumpkin)
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon hot smoked Spanish paprika
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4 cups baby arugula
1 cup soft goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup thinly sliced mint leaves
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Instructions:

Place lentils in small bowl. Cover with cold water and soak 10 minutes; drain.


Cook lentils in boiling salted water until tender but firm, about 30 minutes. Drain lentils. Rinse under cold water, then drain.


Preheat oven to 375°F. Place pumpkin in large bowl; toss with 2 tablespoons oil, cumin, paprika, and sea salt. Arrange pumpkin in single layer on baking sheet; roast 20 minutes. Turn pumpkin over. Roast until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool.


Combine lentils, pumpkin, and oil from baking sheet with arugula, half of goat cheese, mint, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among plates; sprinkle remaining goat cheese over.


Notes:
Peeling pumpkin is not fun. I would use butternut squash next time. This was a nice weekend lunch.

Cod Provençal

Ingredients:

4 cod fillets (6 ounces each), skinned
1 lemon, halved
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
freshly ground pepper
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
2 small onions, chopped (2 cups)
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
4 medium-ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 t fresh thyme, plus 3 sprigs

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400F. Place cod filets in a nonreactive dish, and squeeze lemon on top. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt, and season with pepper.
Heat 1 T oil in a medium Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions; cook until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Add garlic; cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Top with half the zucchini, tomatoes, and thyme. Drizzle with 1.5 t oil, sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt, and season with pepper. Add cod and remaining zucchini, tomatoes, thyme, oil, and salt. Season with pepper.
Bake, covered, for 10 minutes. Baste with the juices, and bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes more.

Nutritional Information (per 1/4th recipe):
317 calories, 2g saturated fat, 8g unsaturated fat, 80mg cholesterol, 8g carbohydrate, 465mg sodium, 46g protein, 2g fiber


Notes:

Caramelizing the onions properly is very important. You want a deep golden brown, not burned. The delicious flavor is the base of the entire dish.

I think I will put all of the zucchini under the fish next time I make this. The zucchini cooked in the amazing broth was tastier than the zucchini that cooked on top of the fish.
I think this will be a recipe in our regular rotation-- fast, healthy, delicious.
Taking photos when it gets dark so early is difficult-- this tasted better than it looks here!

Sausage and Lentils with Spinach

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound kielbasa sausage, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 large onion, chopped
2 6-ounce packages sliced crimini (baby bella) mushrooms
3 garlic cloves, pressed
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 pound dried brown lentils, rinsed
2 bay leaves
6 cups (or more) low-salt chicken or vegetable broth
10 oz fresh baby spinach leaves

Instructions:

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add sausage and sauté until browned, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to plate.

Add onion and mushrooms to pot; sprinkle with salt and sauté until mushrooms are soft, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and thyme; stir 1 minute. Add lentils and bay leaves; stir to coat. Add 6 cups broth; bring to boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low, cover with lid slightly ajar, and simmer until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally, about 18 minutes. Return sausage to pot. Add spinach in 2 batches, stirring until wilted. Season with salt and pepper.

Recipe Notes: A complete, one-pot meal. Total time: 50 minutes

My Notes:

Local Twin Citians must try the Hardwood Smoked Country-Style Sausage from Prairie Pride Farm (available at the Saint Paul Farmers Market). I am obsessed with it and look for any excuse to use it! I don't see it for sale on their website, but they always have it at the market.
Vegetarians/Vegans can try to substitute veggie sausage.
Chicken sausage could be substituted for those who do not eat pork. Trader Joe's makes a great smoked chicken apple sausage that would be delicious in this.

Art Smith's Goat Cheese Drop Biscuits

Inspiration:
My friend Carli recently treated me to dinner at Art Smith's Chicago restaurant Table 52. We were able to secure seats at the 5-seat bar which overlooks the wood-fired oven. One of the many highlights of our meal were the goat cheese biscuits served to all guests in lieu of the traditional bread basket. We observed the line cook make a number of cast iron pans full of biscuits as we raved about how delicious they were. Upon returning home from Chicago, I immediately searched for a recipe, and thankfully, it wasn't hard to find. You must make these.
Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups King Arthur self-rising flour
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp cold butter (2 oz)

4 tbsp goat cheese (2 oz)

1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
butter to grease pan and top biscuits

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Place one 10 inch cast iron pan into the oven while it is preheating. Place flour and salt into a medium sized bowl. Cut in the butter and goat cheese. Make a well in the middle of the ingredients and pour in the milk. Stir until the mix is moistened, adding an extra tablespoon of milk if needed.
Remove the hot skillet from the oven and place a tablespoon of butter into it. When the butter has melted, drop 1/4 cupfuls of batter into the pan, (use a muffin scoop to drop the batter if you have one). Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter. Bake from 14-16 minutes until browned on the top and bottom. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the grated cheese. Enjoy warm!


Tim's Rating: 9.5/10 "They don't even taste goat-y." (He thinks he doesn't like goat cheese.)
Liz's Rating: 10/10
Posted by Liz at Friday, October 23, 2009 13 comments
Labels: Baking, Liz's favorites, Snacks, Vegetarian
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Taco Cornbread Bake

Inspiration:
Adventures in my Freezer
adapted due to ingredients I had available


Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1 pkg. taco seasoning

1/2 c. water

1 can black beans, drained

1 cup pureed salsa

1 batch corn bread batter (see below)
2 fresh jalapenos, sliced thinly

1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
Cornbread Batter:

1 cup corn meal

1 cup flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 egg

1/4 cup vegetable oil


Instructions:


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Brown meat; drain. Stir in next 4 ingredients. Pour into 8x12 baking dish.

Prepare corn bread batter:
Mix dry ingredients, add milk egg and oil, mix just enough to moisten dry ingredients.
Spread over meat. Top with jalapeños if desired. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Top corn bread with cheese. Bake 5-7 minutes.