Glazed Holiday Ham

Beautiful Jolie, our bread baker. This picture captures how happy we were to be together that night! 

For our Christmas dinner test run, we used a Kirkland Signature Applewood Smoked Master Carve Ham from Costco. This is my favorite ham because it's boneless, fully cooked and can be sliced for sandwiches or quickly heated up, just 10 per minutes per pound at 350 - much quicker than a bone in ham, and stays so moist and delicious.

The rich, naturally sweet, smoky flavor of this ham will win everyone over. It comes with a really good red currant glaze, but Rachel treated us to her famous mustard glaze we've all come to love. The next day I made my mother-in-law's raisin sauce to go with our leftovers (glaze and sauce recipes below).

RACHEL'S HAM GLAZE 

Recipe modified from Epicurious

Ingredients:

1/2 cup apple cider

1 jar whole grain Dijon mustard

2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and warm over low heat until smooth.  It should be a fairly thick consistency, like honey.  Spread about half the sauce over ham during the last 30 minutes of cook time.  Thin the remaining sauce with a little more cider and serve on the side for those who want a little for dipping.



RAISIN SAUCE FOR HAM
Recipe from my awesome mother-in-law, Molly

Combine in a saucepan:

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/8 tsp salt (this is optional)

Stir in: 

1 cup fresh apple cider

a handful of raisins

Sprinkle in: 

Ground cloves

Cinnamon 

Cook and stir for about 10 minutes. 

Add: 

1 Tablespoon butter

Serve the sauce very hot over ham. 

Peanut Butter Cup Peanut Butter Cookies

Whoever first decided peanut butter and chocolate should go together is brilliant.

This is my sister-in-law Kristi's recipe and one of our favorites that I make over and over again. I'm in charge of bringing a dessert to my work holiday party and decided this was the way to go, since these little bites of goodness are always a huge hit. I made a double batch of dough (to freeze some) and have extras for us to eat at home and to bring to the rest of the holiday events that will arise this month.

I used Kirkland Signature peanut butter cups instead of Reese's. Last year we had a big group of people at my parent's house and did a blind tasting and if I remember correctly, one did not win over the other. But if you ask me personally, I prefer the KS cups and Curtis likes Reese's better - so you really can't go wrong. I do not, however, recommend Trader Joe's version of peanut butter cups (but don't worry, I'm a huge fan of Trader Joe's and love 98% of their products!).

Available at Costco

If you want to make this a super easy, 2-ingredient recipe, then you can use store bought peanut butter cookie dough (or chocolate chip is good too) - but I  like to use Kristi's peanut butter cookie recipe, below!

Peanut Butter Cup Peanut Butter Cookies 

Ingredients: 

Mini peanut butter cups, unwrapped (you'll need lots, some for the cookies, some to pop in your mouth)

Store bought peanut butter cookie dough or the following:
1/2 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup peanut butter (I use Kirkland Signature Organic Creamy PB)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

1. Cream together the butter, peanut butter, white and brown sugar.

2. Add eggs and vanilla, beat until combined.

3. Add flour, baking soda and salt - being careful not to over mix.

4. Chill the dough for a few hours, it will make it easier to roll.

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll the cookie dough into balls and put it in ungreased mini muffin tins. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Push a mini peanut butter cup into each ball as soon as they come out of the oven

Push 'em in like this!

 and let the cookies cool in the muffin tin for at least 20 minutes (I put the dough back in the fridge in between batches).

Caprese Torta

This is not my official tomato post. This is a classic, so delicious and so easy that I couldn’t resist sharing. And it only has four ingredients! But don’t worry, I will try a tomato recipe that’s new to me and post about it before the end of the month!

For this fabulous sandwich that’s perfect for an easy weeknight dinner (no dishes!) yet fancy enough to serve when girlfriends come over for lunch, all you have to do it pick up four simple ingredients from Costco:

#1: Torta Rolls – my new favorite sandwich / Panini bread

#2: Fresh tomatoes – if you’re like me and your home grown tomatoes are still green

#3: Pesto – this is one of Curtis’ new and improved items at Costco and one of my very favorite foods!

#4: Mozzarella – if they have fresh buffalo mozzarella in brine, get it. But when it’s in, it goes quickly so this is a good back up.

Caprese Torta 
Turn on your broiler. Spread one side of the sliced torta with pesto and put a few slices of mozz on the other side. Broil just until the bread is slightly toasted, the pesto is bubbling and smells divine and the cheese has started to melt. Take it out of the oven, add a few slices of fresh tomato and voila! One of the best food combos known to wo-man. And it’s that easy!  Note: Curtis says you’re not supposed to heat up / cook pesto, but add it to hot food after the fact. So he toasts his bread and then spreads on the pesto. But I don’t listen to him.

And I’m a purist, but Curtis likes to omit the tomatoes and replace them with salami!

And as long as you have pesto, tomatoes and mozzarella on hand, you can also make Pesto & Tomato Frittata from The Little Yellow Kitchen. That's what I plan to do this weekend!

Lemon Lamb Chops

Every Thursday night at our house is date night.

Before you get too excited, all that means is we cook a good dinner, open a bottle of wine and settle in on the couch for Thursday night TV. We try not to make other plans or social engagements so we can have Thursday evening to unwind from the work week and relax before our weekend begins. It's glorious, really. 

This is Curtis’ favorite lamb dish. So even though we’ve made it several times, I felt like I should make it again and post here since March is the month of lamb. And it’s our favorite for a reason, so easy and so delicious that it must be shared!

The best part of this recipe is that you cut (even better if you can get your husband to cut it for you) and marinate the rack of lamb a day in advance, so on the day of all you have to do is grill each little chop for about 2 ½ minutes per side. It’s perfect recipe for company or a Thursday night date at home!

I served it with coconut rice and spinach sautéed with garlic and balsamic vinegar. Then we settled in for all our favorite TV shows!

Note: This recipe came from my mom (who got it from epicurious) and she serves it with Tzaziki sauce.

Lamb Chops with Lemon

3 large shallots, minced (I just used a regular onion)
6 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
6 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
6 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon sugar
24 lamb rib chops (from a rack of lamb (I bought ours at Costco), cut between bones into individual chops)
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel

1 tablespoon salt

Black pepper  

Fresh oregano sprigs (for garnish)

Directions: 

I either chop or blend all the above ingredients and marinate the lamb overnight (easy, peasy).

But here’s what the real recipe says to do:

Mix minced shallots, chopped mint, chopped oregano, minced garlic, sugar, and 1 tablespoon salt in small bowl. Press 1 rounded teaspoon shallot-herb mixture onto eye of each lamb chop. Turn chops over onto large rimmed baking sheet. Press remaining shallot- herb mixture onto eye of each chop. Cover lamb chops with sheet of plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, and lemon peel in small bowl until slightly thickened and well blended. Season lightly with salt and generously with freshly ground black pepper. Spoon oil mixture lightly over chops. Turn chops over and spoon remaining oil mixture over. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill lamb chops to desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer lamb chops to platter. Garnish with fresh oregano sprigs and serve.

Bon Appétit
April 2011
by Michael Symon

Lamb Cassoulet

I’m taking our lamb recipes from Greece, northwest to the country of France.

And I will admit as much as I loved this dish, I’ve had a ridiculous craving for Greek food ever since I read Amber and Missy’s posts. I’m going to have to satisfy that craving sometime very soon! But I chose some serious comfort food which was fitting since it’s currently snowing in my part of the world. I love all cuts of lamb, but it’s hard to beat shanks: tender pieces of meat falling off a big bone and drenched in a fabulous sauce.

Cassoulet is a rich, slow-cooked casserole originating in the south of France, containing meat, pork skin (not mine) and white beans (thank you, Wikipedia). And I believe it traditionally has bread crumbs over the top. 

I found this shortcut version and kind of took the crock pot approach (in a Dutch-oven) and just started throwing in whatever sounded good, so sorry for my lack of measurements. The few “real” cassoulet recipes I looked at use dried beans (hence the extra long, slow cooking) but I just used two cans of white beans. I think my broth would have been much thicker had I gone the traditional route, but this was super easy and delicious!

I served the juicy lamb over mascarpone cheese polenta and we had a kale and spinach salad on the side. And of course we had some good red wine to wash it down.

The cassoulet smelled amazing as it was cooking! I started to get really hungry while waiting the 3 hours for it to cook. As we were checking the shanks to see if they were falling off the bone, Curtis suggested using the leftover veggies, beans, lentils and broth to make minestrone soup. So on night #2, we had a completely different meal – it was brilliant!

We also really love rack of lamb (I’ll try to get around to making our favorite recipe and posting about it as well) but my other go-to lamb dish is buying lamb shanks from Costco, pre-marinated and pre-cooked. When we have company over, I throw them in my Dutch-oven on low on the stove top add in some fresh herbs and then act like I made them from scratch. Works like a charm every time!

My dirty little secret. Thank you, Costco.

Here is a picture of my raw lamb shanks just to prove I really did make this recipe from scratch (this time)!

PCC lamb shanks, $7.99 / lb.

(Short Cut Version of) Lamb Cassoulet over Mascarpone Cheese Polenta

1. Preheat the oven to 300
2. Heat ghee or high heat oil in a Dutch oven or oven-safe dish and sear the shanks on each side, about two minutes per side. I only made 2 lamb shanks, but you could probably fit up to 6 in a pan. Set the shanks aside.
3. Turn off the heat and add to the pan (this is where you can use whatever mix of veggies, herbs and liquid that sound good to you) :

-          1 can tomato paste

-          Carrots, chopped

-          Celery, chopped

-     Lamb shanks

-          Lentils (I used pre-cooked from Trader Joe's - they’re a super food!)

-          2 cans white beans
-          Fresh rosemary and thyme

-          1 box beef broth

-          Red wine (just because we had some on tap, shhh! Don’t tell Curtis)

-          Garlic (lots)

-          Parmigiano-Reggiano rind (I always save my rinds to flavor soups and dishes like this)

-          Salt and Pepper, to taste

-     And I meant to throw in a chopped onion as well, but forgot. 

      Put the lid on the pot (or cover with foil) and bake in the oven at 300 degrees for approximately 2 1/2 hours or until lamb is tender. Remove the lid and cook for an additional 30 minutes or until sauce has reduced slightly. Sever over mascarpone cheese polenta.

Mascarpone Cheese Polenta

Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse

I cut this recipe in half since there were just two of us.

4 cups milk

¼ cup olive oil

1 cup polenta (coarsely ground yellow cornmeal)

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup Mascarpone cheese

Parmigiano-Reggiano for grating on top

Bring the milk to a boil. Add olive oil, salt, and pepper. Very gradually, add the polenta in a steady stream, whisking constantly. Add the salt and whisk to combine. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring frequently with a heavy wooden until thick and creamy, 20 to 30 minutes. Add the mascarpone to the polenta and adjust the seasoning to taste. Top with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. This polenta recipe rocks, it is so creamy and delicious!

Night #2

Lamb Broth Minestrone Soup

Bring lamb broth with veggies, beans and lentils to a boil and then turn down the heat so the soup is simmering (it may need to be thinned with some water).  Add tortellini, kale and chicken sausage to the broth.

Cook until the pasta is done. Serve with some good crusty bread for dipping!

Thirsty Thursday - Belinda's Bellini

My sister Linde is, like, the smartest and funniest person on the planet.  I asked her to do a guest post for Thirsty Thursday this week because she also makes the best Bellini on the planet.  Which basically makes her also the ruler of the planet.

From Linde (aka the Planet Queen):

THE BELINDA BELLINI

Greetings.  It is Pitiful Relatives Month at Beauties and the Feast, which is why I have been invited to pen a guest post for today’s Thirsty Thursday recipe. I am Amber Asbjornsen’s sister, Linde Pirtle.  You may have known me by a few other names.  The name on my social security card is Belinda Pirtle, but I only go by Belinda when the government or a university transcript request is involved, or, as is the purpose of this blog post, when I am impersonating a champagne cocktail.  I also had a different last name until recently, and I will use that as a launching point into the main message of this space:

When I first was introduced to the delightful peachy drinkie that is the bellini, my name was Linde (Belinda, really, but we’ve been through this) Feeney, and I was digging the fact that the drink and my last name rhymed.  I am a girl who loves some good word play almost as much as she loves her happy hour, so I thought it would be uber-clever to create an eponymous cocktail and call it the Feeney Bellini.  Even better, Feeney Bellini sounds like something you might hear called out in the middle of a circus announcing the sparkling, breath-taking, sequined signature event of the evening:

“And now, ladies and gentlemen, please direct your attention to the center ring, where you will witness the international sensation … the amazing … the spectacular … the death-defying … the one … the only … FEENEY BELLINI!!!!!!!” All of this, of course, to deafening applause and, eventually, a syndicated talk show and my own line of clothing at H & M:

 

At least that’s how I imagined it (and I wish I had that outfit to wear to work).  In all honesty, though, if a Feeney Bellini circus act actually existed in real life, it probably would look more like this:

But alas, divorce rates being what they are, one day I was no longer was Linde Feeney.  I reclaimed Linde Pirtle.  Which presented a bit of a dilemma in the bellini department.

But wait!  Holy birth certificates, Batman!  There’s another name in our possession that just might work!  We could craft the Belinda Bellini!  Yes … yes … it’s not as mellifluous, but it could be functional enough.  While Feeney Bellini sounds so perky and could spring right off the tongue like a coked-up cheerleader, Belinda Bellini is just a wee bit more cumbersome and sounds like you’ve thrown back a few too many, and, well, that’s the whole idea, isn’t it?  The universe loves simplicity.

And so, the Belinda Bellini was born.

She was the signature event for Amber’s 30^th birthday, which sounds so glamorous (and I should leave it at that, with you imagining us in sparkling ball gowns and stilettos, surrounded by tuxedoed hotties in top hats, gliding around a yacht that we chartered specifically for the event).

But really we were pretty much house-bound in Bellingham, decked out in the same sweatsuits for days, while our two two year-old sons jumped on a blow-up mattress and we took turns holding her newborn baby.  Here’s a picture of us on her birthday:

(OK.  That might actually be a picture of a pile of laundry, but it has the same metabolism and motivation we did and it and is moving at the same speed we were during her birthday week, so you get the general idea.  The resemblance is uncanny, really). 

And there’s nothing like your post-partum 30^th birthday to make your sister want to get her drink on, so we might have had some Belinda Bellinis to celebrate.

Here’s how you make them:

Ingredients:

1.      One bottle of champagne (or sparkling wine, if you must buy American. Thanks for doing your part for the economy.)

2.      One can canned peaches in heavy syrup (this is very pedestrian, but cuts out a lot of steps, and if you have three boys under the age of three up in your grill, you’ll thank me)

3.      A handful of fresh raspberries

4.      Peach Schnapps (amount depends on your taste and the speed with which you need to get your buzz on)

5.      Juice of one lemon

Directions:

Puree the peaches and syrup and lemon juice.  You can puree the raspberries with the peaches, too, or if you’re feeling ambitious, do them separately and drizzle the raspberry on the inside of the glass first. Pour some peach mixture into a champagne glass.  Top with champagne and one ounce Peach Schnapps. Serve chilled. That’s it.

Now, that’s a drink, my friends.  But what happens if you run out of canned peaches and champagne and you’re house-bound because one or all the little boys are napping, and you’re moving at the speed of a pile of laundry?  This actually happened to us.

Fortunately, Amber is of the mindset that if it is at Costco, one must buy it, so she had a lovely collection of canned fruit cocktail in her pantry.  She also had a bottle of chardonnay hiding in the back of her refrigerator behind the Gogurt. We were desperate, as it was getting perilously close to 4:30 p.m. and we were uncertain about our happy hour prospects, so we threw some fruit cocktail into a glass of chardonnay.  It worked, sorta.  Having tried it, though, I cannot in good conscience recommend this as a consumable alternative to a legit bellini, except in the following cases:

1.       You are served up a side of fruit cocktail on your school lunch tray, and you chose a pint sized carton of white wine instead of chocolate milk.  If this scenario presents itself, by all means throw that grainy, sugary fruit mix into your drink.  It will make fifth period much more enjoyable.

2.      You are served up a side of fruit cocktail on your tray in the nursing home (I am sorry to break it to you that if you are reading this blog, this is actually a more plausible possibility for you than Scenario 1), and you and your geriatric friends have a bottle of Two Buck Chuck left over from the last time you snuck out and squandered some more of your social security check at Trader Joe’s.  By all means, mix and enjoy.

If neither of these scenarios applies to you, however, please, stick to the original recipe, whatever you choose to call it.  As they say, a bellini by any other name still tastes as sweet.  Cheers!

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Poblano Penne and Cheese

Posted by Emily

I was thrilled when Amber announced the secret ingredient for January is penne pasta. I know we’re all supposed to avoid or eat less carbs, but I will tell you, with pride, that I LOVE pasta and we eat it all the time!

I have a standard penne pasta recipe I make (quite often) that consists of Italian sausage, caramelized onions, mascarpone cheese, broccoli, bell peppers and lots and lots of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Fortunately, Curtis likes this dish as much as I do. But since this blog is about broadening our horizons, I decided to try a new recipe.

When Megan posted her recipe for Honeycrisp Apple Sangria, she introduced me to yet another food blog which I’m now following: Nutmeg Nanny. In Nutmeg Nanny’s 2011 round up she posted this poblano pepper macaroni and cheese recipe as one of her top 10 recipes of the year.

I love macaroni and cheese and from the moment I first tasted Beecher’s macaroni and cheese in Pike Place Market I realized “macaroni” and cheese should always be made with penne pasta, not macaroni. My two favorite homemade mac n’ cheese recipes are Beecher’s and a Leek and Manchego recipe from Food & Wine magazine, both of which I always make with penne.

Not only was this obviously a top recipe but I was intrigued by adding chilies, lime zest and cilantro to mac n’ cheese. I love the idea of putting a Southwest spin on one of the best dishes known to man (and woman). And I also loved that Nutmeg Nanny made her mac n’ cheese in a cast iron skillet vs. a square baking dish. Makes for a much better photo opp and presentation!

Next time Curtis has his smoker fired up, I’ll pop a couple of poblano chilies on to soak up a smoky flavor for smoked poblano penne and cheese. But this time, as I followed the recipe and broiled the poblano peppers I was instantly transformed back to freshman year of college. The two boys who lived across the hall from us (now lifelong friends) were from Santa Fe and they’d cook chili peppers and who knows what else in their dorm room and stink up our entire floor!

My favorite cheese to use for macaroni and cheese (and for everything else, really) is Coastal Cheddar. But when I was at Costco picking it up, I noticed they also had Beecher’s No Woman, so I grabbed a block of that too. Since this recipe kicks it up a notch, I figured spicy cheese would only add to it!


The verdict? Really good! Curtis named it as one of his top three macaroni and cheese recipes (although I think Beecher's and the leek recipes may fall into 1st and 2nd place). It had some spice and good flavor. I gave Curtis the option of salad or broccoli on the side and he picked broccoli (guess he thinks like Ansen) and for dessert – the most important part - we had Costco pistachio gelato with homemade Kahlua hot fudge sauce (what New Year’s Resolution???).


Poblano Penne and Cheese
Adapted from Nutmeg Nanny and The Homesick Texan Cookbook Spotlight & Cook-Off

3 Poblano chilies
16 oz. penne pasta
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 cloves of minced garlic (I used more!)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon mustard powder (I didn’t have any so I squired in some hot mustard)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or cayenne powder like the recipe called for)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon lime zest (I just zested the whole lime)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (couldn’t find fresh, so used a paste)
Salt and pepper to taste
4 cups grated white cheddar (I used ½ Coastal and ½ No Woman No Cry)
1/2 cup feta cheese

Roast the poblano chilies under the broiler until blackened, about 5 minutes per side. Place the chilies in a paper sack or plastic food-storage bag, close it tightly, and let sit for 20 minutes. Take the chilies out of the bag and rub off the skin – I wore gloves, and this step is kind of fun! Remove the stem and seeds and chop the chilies into 1-inch long pieces (make sure you get all the seeds out, I left a few in and they are H-O-T-hot!).

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook al dente (about 6 minutes); it will cook more in the cheese sauce in the oven. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375. Grease a large baking dish or a large cast-iron skillet.
In a pot (you can use the pot the pasta cooked in or you can do this while the pasta boils), on low heat melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the flour and cook until a light brown, toasty paste is formed, about 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and stir until it’s thickened a bit but still fluid, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the mustard powder, cayenne, cumin, lime zest, cilantro, and chopped poblano chilies. Adjust seasonings and add salt and black pepper.

Slowly add half of the cheddar cheese and stir until it’s melted and well combined into the sauce. (If the sauce has cooled too much and the cheese won’t melt, return the pot to low heat on the stove seems a little thick return it to the stove until soft again. If however, the sauce gets too thick, like custard, you can thin it by stirring in milk, a teaspoon at a time.)

Mix the pasta in with the sauce and pour it into your baking dish or cast iron pan. Sprinkle the remaining half of the cheddar cheese over the top and bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until brown and bubbling. Sprinkle with feta cheese, broil for a minute or two, and serve immediately.