Mushroom and Rosemary Goat Cheese Sandwich with Red Onion

Repetition is a funny thing. Practice makes perfect, and all that.

It truly does help you learn. Including things you didn't even want to learn. 

Like, for instance, dinosaurs.  I am now able to recite a dinosaur name that starts with A all the way through the alphabet to the letter Z.  I'm also pretty good now at telling you whether that dinosaur was a carnivore or an herbivore.  Give me a few more weeks, and I will be able to tell you whether that dinosaur lived during the Triassic, Jurassic, or Cretaceous period, and on what continent.  All extremely boring facts that I never cared to learn.  All extremely boring facts that are taking up precious brain resources, leaving fewer brain cells to deal with the important life stuff.

And all learned because we read this book at least two times a day.  Two times a day, this book is recited. Two times a day, I say the name of the dinosaur, some facts about it, its preference for consuming meat or leaves, and the time in which it lived and the place.

My second grade self would be proud of all the dinosaur knowledge I've finally acquired. 

But repetition is also funny in its inconsistency. 

Goat cheese is apparently an acquired taste. But acquired how?  

In my case, it was not a gradual repetitive attempt to embrace it. Repeated attempts at eating it did not actually lead to enjoyment.

It was a sudden and random realization, a realization that did not occur in the vicinity of goat cheese, that now - now would be a good time to try it again. Now will be the time that I like it.

And so that instinct was right. I'm obsessed. Though, arguably, the reason could have been that I picked up a better tasting brand of the stuff this time.  Apparently, however, the little guy already somehow acquired the ability to enjoy the stuff, shoveling it in his mouth after his first bite.

To celebrate this new-found appreciation, a sandwich was made.  A sandwich stuffed with browned mushrooms scented with rosemary and balsamic vinegar, a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, kale leaves, and slices of red onion.  A sandwich that warrants repeating.

And to learn more about one of our very favorite ingredients, an ingredient that wasn't an acquired taste, but easily and readily embraced from the outset - the mushroom - click here.  Cooking Light has compiled a super informative article about our edible friend, including storage and selection tips and some fun trivia!

Ingredients
For the mushroom and rosemary mixture:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1/4 of red onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
pinch kosher salt
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

For the sandwiches:
sour dough bread
goat cheese
grated parmesan cheese
handful baby kale
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
lemon wedge
sliced red onions
mushroom mixture
canola oil, for skillet

Instructions
To make the mushroom mixture: Melt the butter and olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Once the butter has melted and the bubbles in the mixture have started to subside, add the sliced mushrooms, rosemary, and onion slices. Stir continuously, allowing the mushrooms to absorb the butter and oil mixture and the onion to soften. After a few minutes, the mushrooms will brown.  Turn heat down to low and add the garlic, pinch kosher salt and pepper.  Once fragrant (about a minute), remove from heat and add vinegar.

To make the sandwich: Assemble sandwich by spreading a layer of goat cheese on a slice of bread. Sprinkle with 1-2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese.  Add a handful of baby kale leaves.  Sprinkle the leaves with just a bit of kosher salt, pepper, and a drizzle of fresh lemon juice.  Add a layer of sliced red onions, then the mushroom mixture.  Add the other slice of bread.  Heat oil in skillet on medium-high heat.  Bronze the sandwich on one side, then flip over to get that brown color on the other side.  

Turkey Sliders with Kale and Roasted Broccoli Spread

I'm generally okay with getting older.  Some people desire the ability to time travel back to high school, longing to be 16 again and rejoining cheerleading squads and all that jazz.  I'm not one of those sorts.  I have the "older is wiser" philosophy of life. However, while I don't wish to relive the past, I do wish I possessed the ability to stop myself from doing certain things.  But I digress.

One of the things I'm not okay with is my waning lack of enthusiasm for thrill rides.  And more specifically, roller coasters.  There was a time when I absolutely could not wait to be tall enough to go on a roller coaster, and as soon as I became tall enough, gleefully and joyfully rode those roller coasters.  I considered my love of roller coasters as an integral part of my identity, akin to being a reader or a person with brunette hair.

But now?  My love has has been frittered away.  I find them painful.  Painful.  Both physically, and now emotionally, as being tossed around in a tiny car appears to not be a kind thing to do to this almost 30 year-old body.  And emotionally, as this thing that I would look forward to doing each summer, this thing that I was always proud of doing, is no longer mine to claim.

One thing that will not wane, or I absolutely refuse to let it - is an enthusiasm for miniature foods.  I have fond memories of mini hamburgers (i don't remember calling them sliders at the time) being served by my mom. And absolutely loving their adorable size, a trait that never ceases to thrill me to this day.  Here we made little turkey burgers, and punched up their umami flavor with some tomato paste, Parmesan cheese, ground dried porcini mushrooms and Worcestershire sauce.  The patties were moist (we may have had a casualty) but it is worth the trade off.  Topping them with a slice of Parmesan and a roasted broccoli spread punches up the flavor, while raw kale adds a bit of crunch. A food for the ages.

And if you are obsessed with the idea of miniature burgers and need more recipe ideas, Cooking Light has you covered! This slideshow here features all sorts of these mini sandwiches - from Bacon and Cheddar to Beet and Brown Rice! Endless possibilities!

Ingredients
For the turkey patties:
20 ounces ground turkey
1 teaspoon ground dried porcini mushrooms (run the dried mushrooms through a spice grinder)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon Greek yogurt
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
pinch kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

For the roasted broccoli spread:
3-4 cups broccoli florets
4 garlic cloves
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
drizzle of lemon juice
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon of mango flesh
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground pasilla
2 tablespoons chives
1 scallion
cayenne, to taste
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the burgers:
12-14 miniature burger (slider) buns
slices of Parmesan cheese (I like using my y-shaped vegetable peeler for this)
kale leaves (tough stems removed)
cooked turkey patties
roasted broccoli spread

Instructions
To make the turkey patties: In a large bowl, mix together the turkey, ground mushrooms, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, Greek yogurt, garlic powder, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.  Form the mixture into small patties.  I get 12-14 patties from it.

To make the roasted broccoli spread:  Heat oven to 425.  Spread the florets and garlic on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice.  Roast for 20-30 minutes, until browned.

Remove the broccoli/garlic from pan and place in bowl.  Add the Greek yogurt, olive oil, mango, lemon juice, pasilla, chives, and scallion.  Blend with an immersion blender (or put everything in a food processor to make the spread).  Adjust cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste.

To make the burgers:  Heat canola oil over high heat in a cast iron skillet.  Add the patties.  Brown one side (about 3 minutes or so).  Flip the burgers over and add a Parmesan cheese slice to each.  Keep the heat on high to brown the bottoms.  Cover skillet with a baking sheet or lid and turn the heat to low to finish cooking the turkey and to melt the cheese.  Once the burgers are fully cooked and the cheese has melted, remove from pan.

To assemble the sliders:  Place a piece of kale and a cooked burger patty on each bun.  Spread the roasted broccoli sauce on each before closing.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

A Plum Sandwich, with Prosciutto, Provolone, Arugula, and Sage

There is nothing like ever so carefully building up the foundation of a lovely day in your head... and then having it all come crashing down.

Okay, maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration.  But not by much (I can be extremely melodramatic).

I thought I was going to have a nice Saturday with the tot.  It was a gorgeous day, and Seth was at work, so I figured I would put on my fun-mom hat (okay, more like a slightly embarrassing sun hat) and go to the beach - play in the sand, prance around in the water, then grab some food in the harbor and watch some boats sail on by.

We arrived at the beach.  Within 2 minutes, Max was found throwing sand.  Totally not allowed. A thing he has been banned from doing.  I'm not really sure why sand looks so appealing to throw, as opposed to say, scooping into funnel shaped toys that have wheels that spin when sand is dumped into them.  But I digress.

So I gave him a warning.  If you throw the sand again, we are leaving.  His response was a gleeful "go bye-bye."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes and wonder how he could possibly be okay with leaving the beach.  Why wouldn't someone want to play here for awhile?

I got us away from the ever-so-temping sand and into the water.  We frolicked and splashed in the water for about 20 minutes.  Then we got out of the water.

As soon as we got back to our towels, the sand throwing began anew.  Another warning was given, and subsequently ignored.  And thus we left the beach after all of 30 minutes. And out of those 30, about 1/5 were taken up with admonishments.

So we trekked home, no longer stopping for lunch.  And as we made our way home, I called Seth to complain, pointing out that none of the other kids were throwing sand.  He tried to comfort me by offering up the explanation that the other sand-throwing kids were already taken home.

So once we got home, I needed food.  Something comforting.  Something interesting.  Something that would make up for the shattering of my Saturday plans. Something that would help assuage my fears that my offspring will forever be the annoying kid throwing sand.

Sometimes our best laid plans are thwarted by toddlers.  And I suppose when life gives you lemons you are supposed to make lemonade.  I didn't make lemonade.  But I made a grilled cheese stuffed with things like provolone, prosciutto, arugula, sage, plums, and a lemony spread.  I guess there are worse things in life than having a Saturday turn into a warm crispy sandwich.

For more information about one of my very favorite fruits, the plum, check out this slideshow from Cooking Light! Sooooo many varieties of plums that I need to try!

Ingredients
2 slices sourdough bread
2 slices thinly sliced prosciutto
1 slice provolone
4-6 sage leaves
1 plum, sliced
handful arugula leaves
drizzle of olive oil
lemon wedge
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
canola oil, for cooking

For the sauce:
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
Mix mayonnaise, yogurt, mustard, lemon juice, lemon zest, and sumac in bowl.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste.  Refrigerate.

On slice of bread, make a bed of arugula leaves.  Drizzle with just a bit of olive oil and lemon juice, and sprinkle salt and pepper.  Next add the prosciutto, then the provolone, the sage leaves, the slices of plum, then, finally, the desired amount of the sauce.  Heat some oil in cast iron skillet or other frying pan.  Add sandwich, brown on one side (about 2-3 minutes).  Flip, and brown on the other.

Mango Camembert Quesadilla with Vanilla and Honey Tangerine Dip

5 years ago, I fell in love.  It was with a red dress.  The most perfect red dress in the world.

After finding my soul mate, I just assumed we would grow old together.  I mean, I guess I didn't really expect to be like 85 and still wearing it.  Okay, fine, a small but irrational part of me hoped to be 85 and rocking some long silver hair and the dress.  But the reasonable part of my brain expected at least a solid decade together. Ten years of museums and restaurants and street fairs and barbecues and trips to the grocery store to experience with each other.

It has recently come to my attention that this red dress is no longer perfect.  Instead of an expanse of flawless red, it is now red with greyish black gunk on the bottom.  It is as though I decided to drag the dress in a vat of gasoline.

I have no idea how it got there.  Nor do I know what the stain is.  I have tried all the stain removal tricks I can find.  But it won't budge.  I will probably take it to a cleaner to see if they can work some magic, but I'm not optimistic.

I have started to mourn the loss.  The loss of the dress.  The loss of our years together.

There isn't much that can fill this void.  But food helps.  Food all cheesy and fruity, and with a honey-tangerine dip.

Though our time together was perhaps cut short, I will always carry its spirit with me. I just know it would love this quesadilla.

Adapted from Cooking Light's Peach and Brie Quesadilla

Ingredients
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons tangerine juice
1/2 teaspoon tangerine zest
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 scallion, chopped
4 ounces Camembert cheese, thinly sliced
1 cup sliced mango
4 flour tortillas
canola oil, for cooking

Instructions
To make the honey dipping sauce:
In a small bowl, mix the honey, tangerine juice, tangerine zest, and the vanilla extract together.  Set aside.

To assemble the quesadillas:
Take the flour tortilla and put some chopped scallions, some mango, and a slice of Camembert on half of the tortilla.  Once all your ingredients are in, fold the tortilla. Heat canola oil (about a tablespoon) in a cast iron skillet. Place the quesadillas in two at a time. Once a side has a nice golden brown color, flip it over. Once both sides are golden brown, take off heat and serve with the honey tangerine dipping sauce.

A Not So Usual BLT Sandwich - Creative Cooking Crew Challenge

I am not an imaginative person. Whether this is caused by, or results from, similarly unimaginative dreams remains to be seen.  But because of this personal failing, I had to actually Google ideas for playsets to encourage Max in imaginative play.

One suggestion that popped up a few times was the ever so vague "office worker."  It was suggested I place a not-loaded stapler, a rolodex, some paper clips, and junk mail, amongst other things, in a box for a child to pretend to be an office worker.

I kinda get it.  I love office supplies with all my heart and walking through an office supply store is like attending a place of worship for me.  

But - really?  This seems more like an imagination killer.  I have to believe that there are better ways of encouraging fantastic, epic play, the kind of play that as an unimaginative adult I have yet to think of.  Better than shoving a stapler and junk mail in a child's face and telling them to "be creative."     

And then maybe I wouldn't be so completely bereft of ideas for "imaginative play" that I have to resort to looking up things on the internet.  And perhaps I wouldn't have needed to lug out cookbooks and flip to the index, looking through all the words that start with B, L and T.  Because all of a sudden, I couldn't think of any foods that started with a B or an L or a T.

This month's Creative Cooking Crew Challenge is a sandwich, one built around three ingredients that start with the letters B, L, and T and are not bacon, lettuce, and tomato.

After frantically rifling through glossaries just to even think of foods starting with these three letters, we finally came up with a BLT combination of berries, liver mayonnaise and leaves, and turkey.  Works really well, actually. 

Here is this month's round-up of all the BLT sandwiches made by the Creative Cooking Crew this month - definitely check it out!

Ingredients
Berries, sliced (we used strawberries and blackberries)
Liver aioli
Leaves (arugula and mint)
deli Turkey meat (we used smoked turkey)
slices of multigrain bread

For the liver mayonnaise:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
1 small sprig rosemary
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 pound chicken livers
1 cup mayonnaise (homemade or store-bought)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions
To make the liver mayonnaise:
Melt the butter and oil in a small pan over low heat.  Add the onions and rosemary.  Cook until the onions are nice and soft, about 8-10 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute.  Increase the heat to medium and add the chicken livers (add more oil if needed).  Cook those until they are cooked through and no longer red, about ten minutes.  Once the livers have cooked, take off heat. In a bowl, combine the liver and onion mixture with the mayonnaise and puree with an immersion blender until everything is smooth. Chill until ready to use.

To assemble the sandwich:
Toast two slices of bread.  Spread the liver mayonnaise on one of the slices.  On the other, stack slices of the turkey, arugula leaves and a bit of mint, then the berries.  Top with the remaining slice of bread and eat!

Sriracha-Glazed Bacon and Apple Scallion Sliders with Coconut Cashew Spread

It is funny how life has a way of making things disappear, only to reappear when you least expect it.  After the hope has evaporated.  And by life, I mean cats and toddlers.

For Valentine's Day, Max picked out a pack of pink balls to give to the cats. One of these, a tiny pink soccer ball, was given to Rambo.  Within five minutes, the ball was lost. We ( I ) looked and looked in all the usual places, eventually giving up the search.

It was lost, but not forgotten, as Max would ask me for the pink ball just about every day.  It became a sort of joke between us. Randomly, he would ask for it, and smile, and I would say I don't know and he would giggle.

Magically, just a few days ago, the elusive pink ball appeared in Max's hand as we made our way down the stairs.  I've tried asking where he found it, but I get no response to my inquiry.

Silence is the same response given to questions about the mysterious whereabouts of JiJi's collar.  Though not as surprising, since they are cats and all.

About 4 years ago,  when our puff cat was tiny and resembled more of a "puff" than an actual cat, we gave her a collar.  A red collar.  And that red collar, or so we thought, looked super cute on her.  At this time, our puff preferred staying in our bedroom, away from our pig cat.  A new home and big feline brother were a lot for this puff to take in.

The puff and pig would occasionally play paw games under the door.  A toe spot paw would wave its little black spot and the pig cat would come and play with her.  One day, this game evolved into "pass the collar under the door."  JiJi was caught passing her collar under the door to Rambo, who, we can only imagine, had instructions to hide it.  A not-so-subtle sign that she was not happy about that collar.

A few months later, no longer wanting to be confined to the bedroom, the collar completely disappeared.  Not even stumbled upon during our move to Dana Point.  We figured it was lost to the nether.

About four months ago, years after the move, a red collar was mysteriously placed on the floor of our bedroom.  A taunt.  A "Haha you thought it was gone, but we knew where it was the whole time," kind of taunt.  It was picked up and placed in a drawer.

Nut butter has made a similar, though not as dramatic, disappearance and reappearance in our lives.  Seth has never really liked nut butter, except in some savory dishes.  For me, it was something I enjoyed as a child, but not so much now.  Useful as an ingredient, but never the star of the show.  My affections for the stuff never ran deep, and it was never a pantry staple until Max came around.

Then we got word of March's Creative Cooking Crew challenge - a Chopped-style assignment using the following four ingredients in one dish - Granny Smith apple, bacon, vinegar and nut butter.

Here we were, face to face with nut butter, a not so beloved ingredient.  We decided to make our own nut butter with our favorite nut - the cashew (okay okay it isn't really a nut, but it totally acts like a nut, so we are just going with it).

Making our own cashew butter has actually forced a reevaluation of our nut butter stance.  We were seriously smitten with it.  Using a spoon to shovel the stuff right from the jar smitten.  It was so good, we decided to do a post just for the cashew butter.

The real reason for it, however, was as a spread for these bacon sliders.  We glazed the bacon with maple syrup and Sriracha.  The apples and vinegar became a salad/slaw concoction - a crispy, fresh, and tart counterpoint to the rich bacon.  The cashew coconut spread and a minty basil leaf added complexity to each bite.

Now the yelps of other nuts can be heard, begging to be turned into butter as well.  And we will gladly oblige their requests. The stuff will not be disappearing from our lives again.  And neither will these sliders.  To check out the rest of the CCC posts for this month, click here!

Ingredients
Sriracha and Maple Glazed Bacon
8 strips bacon
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons Sriracha

Apple and Scallion Salad
1 large apple, julienned
1/4 cup chopped strawberries
2 scallions, chopped
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon ume plum vinegar
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Cashew Coconut Spread
2/3 cup cashew butter
1/4 cup coconut milk
2 teaspoons lime juice

slider rolls or mini Kaiser rolls
basil leaves

Instructions
For the glazed bacon:
Heat oven to 400.  In a small bowl, mix maple syrup and Sriracha.  Place bacon on parchment-lined baking sheet.  Brush syrup mixture on bacon strips.  Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until browned and crispy around the edges.

For the apple salad:
Toss apple, strawberries, and scallions in a large bowl.  Drizzle oil and vinegar, and coat the apple mixture.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

For the cashew coconut spread:
In a medium bowl, stir together the cashew butter, coconut milk, and lime juice.

To assemble the sliders:
Toast the rolls.  Spread the cashew spread on the top bun.  On the bottom half, layer the glazed bacon, a basil leaf and then a generous helping of the apple salad.  Close the sandwich and eat!

Homemade Cashew Butter

My mind is is filled with clouds.  Some are stratus clouds, keeping running mental lists of groceries, chores and projects to complete, activities to do with Max.

Some are more like the wispy cirrus kind, with nascent, fleeting thoughts.  The sliver of a Max story to remember to tell Seth.  The name of the book I absolutely need to read. Ohh my god, I need a muffin.  The stream of consciousness stuff.

Some are puffy cumulus clouds, obsessing about watching the next episode of West Wing (yes, we are like a decade late to this), or what I want to eat for dinner.  Or exactly what kind of sweet treat I'm in the mood for (we've all experienced the crushing disappointment of eating cookies when really, you need some ice cream).  There are probably a lot of food clouds floating around.  Okay, there are DEFINITELY lots of food clouds.

Then there are the nimbus clouds, brooding over climate change and foolhardy austerity measures.   Wondering what it all means when someone who was all about Gap Dream grew up into someone more like a Gap Om. Fretting about growing income inequality and finances.  Worrying that WE ALL ARE JUST CHARACTERS in a book (never again will Pat the Bunny and Goodnight Moon be the same).  Grieving over the cancellation of Don't Trust the B in Apt 23 (Dawson forever!!), etc.

With all the clouds swirling around, I can sometimes be oblivious to things going on around me.  The physical world.  The tangible.

Until the physical finally brushes up against me.  Or, I brush up against it.

Like the other night. When my hairbrush went up against the largest knot I have ever had the joy (dismay) of experiencing. Just hanging there. All tangled and big. Did I mention tangled?  Bringing up the extremely pressing questions of "how long has this been there" and "how did I not notice this before??!??" Errands, playground trips, all likely done by the girl with the giant knot in her hair.

This cloudy world I inhabit seems to also have obscured the deliciousness of cashews.  I've always liked them, but never did I realize how wonderful they are.  It is more than just like - it is love.  I have begun to make up for lost time by throwing them in everything that remotely appears to be a good match for them.  Like this chicken salad, or these meringues.  And now they have been turned into cashew butter.  It's got a flavor that will part the clouds any day.

Ingredients
10 ounces roasted and salted cashews
2 1/2 teaspoons wild dandelion honey
2 tablespoons walnut or other nut oil
2 tablespoons canola oil (feel free to use more if needed)
pinch kosher salt

Instructions
Run the cashews in a food processor until very fine.  Add in the honey and walnut oil and process until everything comes together (this may take a bit, just be patient).  Slowly add in the canola oil and process until the mixture reaches your desired consistency.  I made mine on the thick side, as it would work better in a recipe I was using it in.  Add kosher salt to taste.

Parsnip, Fennel and Tarragon Soup with Squash and Apple Turkey Cheddar Sandwiches

We used to have this designated area in our living room, originally called "the reading nook."  It was a futon mattress covered with pillows and surrounded by books.  This eventually got phased out to make space for the nugget boy. But that reading nook actually had very important second function, which became our more commonly used term for the space.  It was called "the mope hole."  The mope hole was a fun place for - you guessed it! - moping.  Mad or sad or stressed about something?  Just go to the mope hole and hug a pillow!  Snuggling into a makeshift fort of books and pillows is a surefire way to lift a dark mood.  After a good mope, the sun shines brighter, the birds chirp more beautifully, the grass is greener, the sky bluer, I'm sure you get the cliched picture.  But alas, I am a woman without a mope hole.  So instead, I look to delicious food to eradicate a foul mood.  A warm bowl of parsnip, fennel and tarragon soup served with a grilled turkey, apple, and squash sandwich, all melty with cheddar, was just the thing to help me recently on a cold, (relatively) dark day.

Ingredients
6 peeled parsnips, cut in half lengthwise
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced on mandolin
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
salt, to taste
white pepper, to taste
1/3 cup tarragon leaves
2-3 tablespoons of juice from Meyer lemon
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 cup ricotta
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 cups chicken stock
deli turkey slices
slices of good quality cheddar
a roasted slice of acorn squash
slices of Granny Smith apple
good quality Dijon mustard
slices of whole wheat bread
1 tablespoon canola oil

Instructions
Heat oven to 400.  Place parsnips and fennel in baking dish.  Cover with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until tender and brown.  Remove from baking dish and place in a pot.  Add tarragon, lemon zest, lemon juice, ricotta, whipping cream, and chicken stock.  Blend everything together with an immersion blender (or pour into a blender or food processor), and puree until smooth.  Gently heat the soup until hot.  To assemble the sandwiches, place the turkey, cheddar, squash, and apple slices between the slices of bread, and smear one piece of bread with the mustard.  Heat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat and place the sandwich(s) in it.  Bronze one side of the sandwich, then flip over to bronze the other side.  Serve the soup with the turkey sandwiches, and feel your mood, hopefully, become a happy one.

Melt In Your Mouth, Grilled Teriyaki Wagyu Beef Sliders

This story will break your heart.  Shatter it.  Into millions of pieces.  I'm warning you.  I should probably just start penning a book called "Jenn's Super Sad Story."  Seth has been working nights and weekends (in addition to regular daytime hours). For months.  Then one glorious sunny Saturday, he decided to take a break and not go in for the day, just spend the day at home.  Even though I was feeling sluggish from not sleeping well and had a weird feeling in my throat, I was going to make the most of the day.  So we decided to do something low-key but fun - like grill!  We figured out what to grill, went out for lunch and afterwards obtained the necessary ingredients for our dinner.  And once all that happened, I realized I was sick.  Sore throat, headache, all that fun stuff.  So I helped make these sliders, but totally couldn't enjoy them the way they were meant to be enjoyed. Instead I savored some ice cream.  Since that never fails an ailing throat.  So that is the super sad story about how I was sick on the one day Seth was home and couldn't enjoy these sliders and "had" to eat ice cream instead.  I warned you that it would tug on your heartstrings in a profound way.  That said, Seth gave me some of this meat, fresh off the grill, and I can say it was absolutely melt-in-your-mouth amazing.  He insists they are the best sliders he's ever had, and still fresh in his mind a week later.  He even liked the pineapple on them!  And he hates pineapple!

Ingredients
2/3 cup mirin
1 cup soy sauce
4 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
¼ cup brown sugar
7 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon minced jalapeno pepper
1 inch strip of orange peel

3/4 pound thinly sliced waygu beef
butter lettuce
Japanese cucumber, sliced
radish sprouts
Maui sweet onion, halved then sliced thinly
fresh pineapple slices, cored
scallions, chopped
jalapeno slices
Sriracha
mini kaiser rolls

Instructions
To make the teriyaki sauce:  Place the mirin in a medium pot and boil over high heat.  Reduce to medium low and add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, jalapeno, and orange peel.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  Refrigerate to cool.

Once the teriyaki sauce has cooled, marinate the beef.  Place the beef in a resealable bag and cover with the sauce.  Let it marinate for at least an hour in the refrigerator.

Preheat grill to high (roughly 400°).  Lay down grill-proof griddle and allow 3-4 minutes to preheat.  Working in batches, as necessary, place marinated beef on griddle and flatten out.  After 30 seconds to a minute, flip the meat and let cook for another 30 seconds to a minute before removing.  Both sides should be browned and only slightly charred.

Brush onion slices, pineapple slices, and cut sides of rolls with canola oil.  Place canola oil in a small bowl.  Using a paper towel or cloth, dip in canola oil and rub over hot grill grates to prevent sticking.  Grill the onions and pineapple on high heat until they have a light char on either side.  Place the rolls, cut side down, on the grates, and remove when lightly toasted.

To assemble the sliders:  Place a lettuce leaf on bottom slice of the bun.  Then layer cucumber slices, grilled pineapple, meat, grilled onions, jalapeno slices, scallions, radish sprouts, and top with a drizzle of Sriracha.

Grilled Cheese with Fontina, Pear, and Walnut Spread and Mixed Greens

I should probably just go ahead and call this "the lunch I ate the other day."  With the key word there being "I."  This was all mine.  Almost everything else we eat is for sharing, it's communal, it is for togetherness.  It is all so lovely and nurturing and familial.  I mean, we are super huge fans of dipping for this communal aspect!  But sometimes you just need something to call your own.  Like a room.  But instead of a room, I had some lunch.  A good something, though fleeting.  

Max was asleep, blissfully (or so I assume) asleep in his bed.  Alternatively, he could have been scampering around his bedroom pulling out books to "read" and toy cars to play with and diapers to drape over his arms.  Either way, nary a peep was heard from him.  Seth was the opposite of "blissful," putting in yet another round of weekend hours on a project at work.  

So I made this - and for 15 wonderful moments I savored each and every bite.  I stood at the kitchen counter with food in one hand and flipped through a magazine with the other.  Multitasking at its finest.  All while standing on one leg (It has come to my attention that I am often found standing in a weird birdlike position - on one leg with the other bent out, and I know this because I have caught Max copying me and realized what I was doing).  I somehow even managed to get all the dishes cleaned up before Max awoke.  It was as though it never happened.  But I at least know it did.

Ingredients
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
1 peeled pear
1 tablespoon olive oil
pinch kosher salt

Fontina cheese, sliced
slices of pear (to cover the cheese)
2 slices whole wheat bread
1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
dollop of honey
2 cups mixed greens

Instructions
To make the sandwich: Start by making the chunky walnut spread.  Throw the walnuts, pear, olive oil, and salt in a food processor.  Pulse for 30 seconds to a minute, until a chunky spread forms.  Save any unused portion for later.  Spread on a slice of bread.  Add pear slices and fontina cheese to taste.  Top with the other slice of bread.

Melt the butter in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.  Once one side has turned golden-brown, flip to brown the other side.

To make the salad:  Whisk the vinegar, olive oil, mustard, salt, pepper, and honey together.  Toss the mixed greens with the salad dressing to taste.  Add toasted walnuts, if desired.

Strawberry, Bacon and Fried Egg Sandwich

Today is a very exciting day for us, for two reasons.  The first involves bacon.  Strawberry and bacon.  Remember a few weeks (months?) ago when we made these fun mini sandwiches?  Well we were so taken by the strawberry bacon combination that we decided to make another sandwich with our new obsession, but this time, a breakfast one.  Because breakfast needs some of that strawberry bacon love.  The second thing that makes today exciting is that we are guest posting over at Chef Dennis’s site!  We are so super excited and honored to be over there today!  Not only does he serve up mouthwatering food, he provides indispensable blogging advice.  So go and check him out!

See the full recipe and ramblings here...

Mango Strawberry Black Bean Wraps

So I’m pretty new to the whole bean/legume thing.  Except for green beans, which are a legume, I think.  The majority of the legume family always weirds me out a bit, though.  I’m not sure why.  Maybe it’s because I associate them with being chalky.  I’m totally okay though with pureeing them and turning them into a dip, of course.  But one day I wanted something different for lunch.  I ran to the market near us, picked up some things and thought, maybe this won’t be too bad all together.  And while I’m at it, I’ll try out this whole big world of food to which I’ve previously turned a blind eye.  It turned out that I liked it.  It doesn’t mean I’m a total convert to this branch of the food family.  I think it would take decades before I would ever come around totally.  But I’ve stuck a toe in the water.  And it was nice. 

Ingredients
½ teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and ground
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
kosher salt, to taste
15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 mango, diced
3 strawberries, chopped
½ teaspoon lime zest
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 avocado, pitted and sliced then drizzled with lime juice
2 tablespoons cilantro, for serving
2 scallions, chopped, for serving
flour tortillas

Instructions
In a small bowl, combine coriander, cinnamon, cumin, and ginger.  Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat then add the black beans.  Sprinkle the seasoning mix over the beans and stir.  Add the mango, strawberries, lime zest, and lime juice. Once everything has been warmed and mixed together, take off heat. Adjust salt to taste.  Then assemble wrap using the black bean mixture, avocado, cilantro, and scallions in the tortilla.

Cucumber, Bacon, Strawberry Mini Sandwiches with Fresh Pea Spread and Sriracha Whipped Cream

Originally, these started out as a crostini with three toppings – the pea spread, a cucumber slice, and a slice of strawberry.  Well, it was okay, but not very interesting… at all.  So then we decided that something salty and savory was needed, like bacon.  Because bacon! So smoky and crisp, how can that not add something fun to the mix?  To be honest, I think strawberry and bacon are actually pretty magical together.  Then we asked the very normal question – what does Sriracha whipped cream taste like?  We determined that the answer was good, and interesting!  So we added that to the crostini.  Then we were left with a flavorful, but unwieldy appetizer.  We solved that problem by slapping another slice of baguette on top and calling it a sandwich, but mini-size!  You can, of course, make these as regular size sandwiches, but where is the fun in that?  They’re so cute and bite size, what is not to love?  Even the word mini is super fun to say!  Mini!

Ingredients
1 baguette, sliced
1 hothouse cucumber, sliced
4 strawberries, sliced
Pea spread
Sriracha cream
5 pieces bacon

½ cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons Sriracha hot sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Pea spread:
12 ounces peas, cooked according to package directions
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped mint
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
For the pea spread:  Place the cooked peas in a bowl and toss with butter and olive oil.  Once the butter has melted, add lemon juice, chopped mint, and parsley.  Puree in a food processor or with an immersion blender.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste. 

For the Sriracha cream:  Place whipping cream, Sriracha, and lemon juice in the bowl of a stand mixer and whip on medium-high until the mixture holds soft peaks. 

For the bacon:  Fry up bacon slices on a griddle over medium heat.  Once both sides have crisped, remove from griddle and place on a paper towel.

To assemble, spread the pea spread on a baguette slice.  Top with cucumber, strawberry, bacon, and Sriracha cream.  Finish with another baguette slice.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sliders with Jicama Slaw

As I sat in the dentist’s chair during a cleaning, I started to daydream.  I mean, what else can you really do while you sit in the chair?  Of course, I started thinking about food.  Then, I started thinking more specifically about jicama… which is strange.  Why is that strange?  Because I had never had it.  I wouldn’t even have been able to tell you what it looked like.  Now that I think about, how can you even daydream about something you’ve never had?  Maybe it wasn’t daydreaming?  Maybe I was just thinking about it, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it.  I had it in my head it was crunchy.  I don’t know why I thought that, but alas, that is what I thought I knew about jicama.  And indeed, I was actually right about that!  So I thought, hmm, maybe it would be cool in a coleslaw kind of thing.  But then, I don’t really want to eat just coleslaw.  So what could go with it?  After I got home, the question was still burning, so I asked Seth.  He suggested pulled pork.  Bingo!  Plus, it was an opportunity to give some love to a much neglected piece of equipment in our kitchen, the slow cooker.  So, thanks to a trip to the dentist, here are some juicy and tender pulled pork sliders with red cabbage, carrot, and jicama slaw dressed in a cider and walnut oil vinaigrette.  I wonder what the dentist would think about all this…

Ingredients
For the pulled pork:
3-4 pound pork shoulder, bone in
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, chopped
1 jalapeno, minced
20 ounce container ketchup
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
1 bottle beer (we used Fat Tire amber ale)
King's Hawaiian sweet rolls
Frank's Red Hot Sauce (optional)

For the slaw:
2 cups julienned red cabbage
1 cup julienned carrot
2 cups julienned jicama
2 teaspoons walnut oil
½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoon lime juice
2 tablespoons sour cream

Instructions
Sprinkle salt and pepper on the pork shoulder then place in crock pot.  In a medium pot over medium heat, melt the butter.  Add the garlic, shallots, and jalapeno and sauté until soft (about 3 minutes).  Stir in ketchup, vinegar, maple syrup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and liquid smoke.  Simmer for 3 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved.  Stir in the beer, and then pour the entire mixture over the pork shoulder in the crockpot.  Turn on high and cook for 6.5 hours, or until the meat is falling off the bone.

Place the cabbage, carrot, and jicama in a large bowl.  In a small bowl, stir walnut oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, lime juice, and sour cream.  Pour the walnut oil mixture over the vegetables and toss to coat.  Refrigerate until serving time.

To assemble, cut King's Hawaiian sweet rolls in half, and stack with pulled pork, hot sauce, and jicama slaw.

A “Whale” of a Grilled Cheese, with Roasted Broccoli, Garlic and Caramelized Onions

This weekend, our town, Dana Point, is hosting its annual Festival of Whales!  We celebrate with cheesy things like a town parade featuring a giant whale balloon, a sprawling block party, and all kinds of whale and marine themed activities in the harbor.  It’s actually a lot of fun, and one of the reasons we really dig living in Dana Point.  So we figured we’d run with the whole cheesiness theme, and whale theme, by making whale-shaped grilled cheese sandwiches!  Or, to be more accurate, vaguely-whale shaped grilled cheese sandwiches (That little broccoli floret is supposed to be an eye)…Of course, since we like to experiment when we cook, we added things like roasted broccoli and garlic as well as caramelized onions.  We also like to get both nice creamy cheeses like Jack in there along with sharp cheeses like extra-sharp cheddar and parmesan.  I have to say, it’s one of the best grilled cheeses I’ve ever had.  And I’ve had a lot…

Ingredients  
Extra-sharp cheddar cheese, cut into slices
Monterey Jack cheese, cut into slices
Grated Parmesan cheese
Sourdough bread slices
Whale-shaped cookie cutter

Roasted Broccoli:
1 bunch broccoli, cut into small florets
olive oil, for drizzling
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 lemon wedge
balsamic vinegar, for drizzling

Roasted Garlic:
1 garlic bulb
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt

Caramelized Onions:
2 onions, peeled, halved, then sliced

Instructions
To roast the broccoli: Heat oven to 425.  Place florets on baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle red pepper flakes, salt, and freshly ground black pepper over pieces.  Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over pieces.  Roast for about 25 minutes, until pieces are soft and have that delicious browning on them.  Remove from oven and drizzle fresh lemon juice and balsamic vinegar.  Set aside.

To roast the garlic:  Heat oven to 400.  Take off the papery outer skin of the garlic bulb.  Don’t remove all the skin, just the stuff that comes off easily.  The head of garlic should still remain intact.  Slice off the pointy end of the bulb to expose all the cloves.  Place in a small greased ramekin and cover with the olive oil.  Sprinkle just a pinch of salt and cover with aluminum foil.  Place in oven and roast for about 45 minutes.  The cloves of garlic will be all nice and soft.

To caramelize the onions:  Place a tablespoon of olive oil in large sauté pan over medium heat.  Add the onion slices.  Don’t stir too often yet.  Let the pieces brown, without getting burnt.  After about 15 minutes or so, once slices have mostly browned, I like to turn the heat down to low or medium low.  Stir frequently.  I like adding a bit of water or oil every so often to keep the pieces from burning or sticking too much.  After about 40 minutes or so, the onions should have a dark brown, jam-like quality.

To assemble the sandwiches:  Place slices of cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses on slice of bread.  Place pieces of roasted broccoli on top, followed by some caramelized onions.  Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.  Spread clove or two of roasted garlic on the top piece of bread.  Butter both sides of the sandwich and place on greased griddle.  Once one side has turned golden brown, flip and let the other side develop a golden brown color.   Once the sandwich has cooled a bit, use the cookie cutter to cut out the whale-shape.

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We'd also like to take the opportunity to acknowledge our three fellow bloggers who were nice enough to give us our first blogger-to-blogger awards!  Averil, from The Cook, The Baker and the Clay Boy Maker, and Dara Reppucci, from Generation Y Foodie, both recently awarded us the Versatile Blogger Award; while Greg, from Crostini and Chianti, awarded us the Liebster Award.

Averil's site, The Cook, The Baker and the Clay Boy Maker, is a wonderful new blog sharing great recipes and stories filled with humor and heart.  We are drooling over her O is for Oodles of Sesame Noodles and Whiskey Hoisin Meatballs.

Dara's site, Gen Y Foodie, has actually been one of our favorites for awhile now.  She cooks adventurous, varied, mouth-watering, and healthy dishes, always paired with fantastic photos and entertaining writing!  We'd love to make just about everything she posts, but her Shepherd's Pie with Horseradish Cheddar Mashed Potatoes has been particularly on our minds lately.

Greg's blog Crostini and Chianti is a great food blog that mostly focuses on Italian food, with occasional forays into other cuisines.  His recipes are varied and interesting, and if you haven't seen it, I'd recommend hopping on over.  I really like his Irish Dinner Party post from earlier in the year.  The mashed potato cakes look so cool!

It means so much to us to see support like this from our fellow food bloggers.  You guys are awesome, and we look forward to being a part of the community for many years to come!  Can't wait to see your next recipes!

Grilled Chuck Burgers with Extra Sharp Cheddar and Lemon Garlic Aioli

These cheeseburgers have become our classic, standby recipe when we are just craving some juicy grilled beef.  Each component plays an integral role in the taste sensation - the meaty bite of beef, the intense sharpness of cheddar, the peppery arugula, the sweetness of grilled red onion, and creamy, lemony aioli to bring it all together.  We love this burger because it comes together rather easily when we have the sudden urge to fire up the grill.  We know it's not technically grilling season yet, but well... when you gotta have a burger, you gotta have a burger.  They're good all year round.

Ingredients  
1 pound ground chuck (enough for 4 burger patties)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
8 ½ inch slices of a good extra-sharp cheddar cheese
4 honey wheat buns or Kaiser rolls
1 red onion, cut into ¼ -inch circular slices
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
extra salt and freshly ground black pepper
arugula, for topping

Lemon Garlic Aioli:
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 cup chopped parsley
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions  
To prep the burgers:  In a medium bowl, toss in the ground meat, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.  Mix together with a fork.  Once the ingredients have been combined, form four patties.

To prep the red onion:  Brush extra virgin olive oil on both sides of all the slices and then sprinkle with some salt and pepper.

For the lemon garlic aioli:  In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients together.  Place back in refrigerator until burgers are cooked.

To cook:  Preheat grill to around 350.  If using cast iron grates, use a paper towel or cloth to wipe all grates with canola oil.  Place burger patties on grill.  Close lid and prep the buns by brushing canola oil on insides.  After a few minutes, check the patties.  If the bottom half looks just about cooked, roughly 3 minutes, flip over, and place cheese on top.  Add red onions and buns (cut side down).  Close lid.  After another 3 or so minutes, remove everything from grill.  The cheese won’t be completely melted, because of the thickness, but it’s okay, that’s the point ;-)  The cheese will stay extra sharp if the inside isn’t melted.  On the red onions, you’re looking for good char marks on one side, but the onion still a bit crunchy.  For the buns, you’re looking to get the bottoms nice and charred, but not so much as to make the bread tough.

To assemble the burger:  Place a handful of arugula leaves on the bottom slice of the bun.  Place burger with cheese slice on top.  Add the grilled red onions.  Slather the aioli liberally on the top half of the bun.

Cucumber Sandwiches

Cucumbers are an unappreciated vegetable, oftentimes just tossed haphazardly into salads.  Recently, Seth and I ordered sandwiches from a deli that seemed promising.  Though the thickly-packed sandwiches were a bit lackluster in flavor, we couldn't get enough of the big, fresh chunks of cucumber hidden within.  Bright, crunchy, and delicious, this vegetable became the star of the show, and we found ourselves hoping to encounter more cucumber with each bite.  In tribute, here is a cucumber sandwich recipe to celebrate its secret awesomeness.

Ingredients

1 loaf rye bread

1 English cucumber, sliced

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

4 tablespoons butter, softened

dash Worcestershire sauce

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon paprika

fresh parsley sprigs

lemon wedges

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Beat the cream cheese, butter, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.  Spread some mixture on a slice of rye bread.  Place slices of cucumber on top of the mixture.  Add sprigs of parsley to the top of the cucumber.  Sprinkle some fresh lemon juice, salt, and pepper on top of that.  Place another slice of bread on top, and cut off the crusts. 

Pork Patty Bánh Mì

A product of French colonialism in Vietnam, this sandwich is one the classic testaments to the benefits of cross-cultural cuisine.  With the wide variety of fusion delights we have available these days from gourmet food trucks and restaurants, and the exploding popularity of Bahn Mi sandwiches in particular, I think it's only natural we pay our homage to not only what is one of our favorite sandwiches but one of our favorite philosophies about food in general.  Simply put, break the rules, don't stick to tradition, and flavors always come first.  This is one of our favorite versions of the sandwich, packed with colors, flavors, and cultural influences.

Ingredients

1 baguette - (It is best to use a baguette that has not been all the way cooked yet, our grocery store calls them take and bake.)

half of a cucumber, sliced
1 carrot, shredded

1 jalapeno, sliced and seeds removed
half of red onion, sliced
handful of cilantro sprigs
1 scallion, chopped

1/8 lb deli meat (we like to use slices of turkey breast, but feel free to experiment)

20 ounces ground pork

2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 onion, minced
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tablespoon butter

fresh lime juice
mayonnaise
Sriracha hot sauce

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix ground pork, garlic, onion, oyster sauce, and salt and pepper and form into long thin patties to fit the baguette.  Melt the butter on a griddle or skillet over medium high heat and grill patties on both sides until they are cooked all the way through.

Cook “take and bake” baguette in the oven for about 5 minutes at 350 degrees, just until the outside starts to crisp.  Remove from oven, and using a bread knife, cut into desired length, then cut in half lengthwise leaving enough connected on one side to “hinge” it together.  Then, scoop out as much of the inside of the bread as you can with your fingers.  It’s usually best to just do the bottom, as the ridges on the top of the baguette can cause problems when scooping.

On the inside, spread mayonnaise and drizzle on Sriracha.  Place pork patties down first, then the deli meat, and then the cucumber slices, carrot, red onion, cilantro, scallion, and jalapeno to taste.  Drizzle with lime juice.

Sautéed Mixed Greens Recipe

Bags of organic arugula at the store always tempt me. "Buy me!" they say, "Eat salad for a week, it'll be great!" Of course after three or four days the bag is half full and the contents start to look rather wilted and sad. Then comes regret. Why did I buy that bag in the first place? Recently I found the solution to the problem of wilting greens, a problem that I'm guessing may also be yours.


It turns out arugula is quite wonderful when lightly sauteed in olive oil. It's somewhat bitter and earthy but in a good way. It's even better if you mix it with some other greens. I use a bit of frozen spinach which is mild but silky and some fresh escarole which has a lovely spring flavor and juiciness when it's cooked. The mixture of flavors and textures creates a compelling dish that isn't just a terrific side dish, but begs to be layered in a grilled cheese sandwich. With or without ham or bacon, this is good stuff!

I buy arugula a lot. But you could just as easily use fresh but beginning-to-wilt spinach, swiss chard, kale, mustard greens, turnip tops or beet greens. Experiment! The amounts of greens are up to you and what you have on hand. I almost always have some individually quick frozen (IQF) spinach in the freezer but don't use it if you don't have it, this is all about cooking economically and making do with what you have. No garlic on hand? No problem! Want to use red chile flakes in addition to onion and garlic? Go for it! You have nothing to lose but some greens that are probably not ready for a starring role in a salad, Mr. De Mille. The basic technique is just to place the ingredients in the pan in order from most sturdy to most fragile. The sturdy stuff will take a little longer to cook than the fragile stuff, but we're talking only a few minutes.

Sautéed Mixed GreensServes about 4 as a side dish

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic minced
1 cup frozen spinach
8-10 leaves of escarole
1/2 bag of arugula, about 4 handfuls

Instructions

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and when hot, add the onion. Cook for three minutes, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, add the garlic and cook for just 30 seconds then add the spinach and the escarole. Cover and turn the heat down to low. Let it cook for a minute or two, just until the spinach barely defrosts. Remove the lid and stir, then add the arugula and stir. The arugula will wilt very quickly, in just a couple of minutes. Season with salt and you're done!

Enjoy!