Straddling the Seasons: Tomato Zucchini Soup

Fall is finally in the air, there's a little bite to the air in the mornings and evenings and that's just the way I like it.  Even though sweet, crunchy apples and buttery, rich squashes are popping up in the farmer's markets around here, there are still plenty of late season zucchini and tomatoes to be enjoyed before they disappear.  I wanted to take advantage of the last of the summer veggies in a hearty soup to celebrate the turning of the cooler season.  I used this recipe and it did not disappoint, even my tomato and zucchini adverse husband liked it.  

Ingredients: 

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 cup celery, diced

1 cup carrots, diced

4 cups zucchini (I used three zucchinis)

1 large yellow onion, chopped

5 cloves of garlic, minced

3 Tbsp of thyme, removed from stems

2 bay leaves

salt and red pepper flakes (to taste)

4 cups (2 28 oz. cans) of crushed tomatoes, similarly you could use 4-5 ripe, chopped tomatoes

2 cups of chicken broth

2 cups of water

2 cups of whole milk

1) Heat a large soup pot with the olive oil over medium heat.  Add in diced celery, carrots, zucchini and onion.  Saute until tender and translucent, about 11-12 minutes.  Stir in the garlic, cook down for one more minute. 

2) Stir in thyme, bay leaves, salt and red pepper flakes.

3) Add in the tomatoes, chicken broth and water and stir to incorporate.  Bring the soup to a simmer and then leave uncovered and cook down for 30 minutes. Taste and add your salt if you need to.  

4) Remove soup from the heat and cool slightly.  Then blend in batches in a blender until your desired texture.  

5) Pour back into the soup pot and stir in the milk.  Note: the soup tastes delicious on its own so if you are a vegan, just omit the milk and enjoy as is.  

This soup is really quick to make but tastes like it has been slowly cooking all day.  It's chock full of summer goodness but in a hearty fall form.  I enjoyed mine with an arugula salad or chunk of chewy bread. If you have picky eaters, this soup is a very sneaky way to get kids (or husbands) to eat their vegetables, it would accompany a grilled cheese beautifully. 

Pancetta and Swiss Quiche: New Recipe!

I hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day Weekend.  Ours was OK, the weather was less than fantastic so it made our lack of plans seem slightly better. I've been really tired the past week because I started teaching an introductory course at my Alma mater for 125 students(!!!) last week on top of my other job. With such long days I'm relying heavily on things I can cook ahead and eat later. This quiche, enhanced with pancetta by Emily was a cinch to make and was a hit for breakfast, lunch and even a dinner last week.

Pancetta and Swiss Quiche:
- 1 Deep Dish pie shell
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2-3 onions, sliced
Salt and Ground Pepper
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup of milk (I used skim)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3 large eggs
- pinch of nutmeg
- 1 1/2 cups of grated Swiss Cheese
- 1 package (2 cups) of pancetta, chopped

1) Heat up 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Salt and then sweat onions for 10 minutes until they are translucent.  Lower heat to medium low and continue to caramelize another 40 minutes.  Add balsamic vinegar and cook down for another 10 minutes.

2) In the meantime grate your cheese and chop your pancetta.

3) Place pie shell on a baking sheet and pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

4) Whip together the eggs, milk and heavy cream.

5) Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.

6) Spread half the cheese on the bottom of the pie shell.  Then add the caramelized onions over the cheese. Add the egg mixture on top of the onions and then add the pancetta and the rest of the cheese.

7) Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes before cooling on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes.

This quiche heats up beautifully for several days and pairs wonderfully with fruit salad or some lightly dressed greens like arugula.  I hope your first days back to work aren't too painful!

Blueberry Crisp Recipe

My mother-in-law and I had dinner over the weekend and she made a great summer meal full of fresh ingredients.  The crown jewel in a simple, yet delicious seasonal meal was this blueberry crisp she pulled out for dessert.  It's a Martha Stewart recipe that my mother-in-law (and I) tweaked just slightly.

Ingredients
Filling:
- 3 pints of blueberries
-1/2 cup of sugar
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp salt

Topping:
- 3/4 cup of flour
- 1/2 cup of rolled oats (If you want a lot of topping, increase to 3/4 cup)
- 1/2 cup of chopped nuts (my mother-in-law and I used walnuts)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, soft
- 1/3 cup of sugar

1) Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees.

2) Combine all filling ingredients together and mix in with the blueberries.  Pour the filling covered blueberries into an 8x8" baking pan, or you can split into two bread loaf pans (I did this.)

3) For the topping, cream together butter and sugar. Combine flour, oats, nuts and baking powder and then add to the butter/sugar mixture.  Pour over the top of the blueberries.

4) Bake for one hour.

5) Serve warm on its own or a la mode.

So happy to have my good camera back for the tasting of this crisp

This is a really simple and delicious crisp.  I like that it is not overly sweet, the tartness of the berries is definitely apparent in this recipe.  The crunch of the walnuts is a nice twist.   I will be  making this again but will be adding in some ripe peaches!

What are your favorite summer foods?  Peaches, blueberries, corn and tomatoes are my favorites (to name a few) :D

Go To Recipe 2: Gazpacho

When the temperatures rise, my appetite for hot meals plummets.  I eat loads of salads during summer but when I want something even more seasonally refreshing I make myself a big bowl of gazpacho.  Over the years I've sampled multiple gazpacho recipes but I always come back to this* one. As easy as this recipe is, the flavor profile is spot on. It yields one of the chunkiest, flavorful gazpachos out there.  It's also very easy to doctor; this time I added some jalapeno and lemon.

Ingredients:
- 1 cucumber, seeded
- 2 large ripe tomatoes
- 1 small red onion
- 1/2 jalapeno, seeded and ribbed
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 red pepper, seeded and ribbed
- 3 cups of low/no sodium tomato juice
- 1/4 cup of white wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- 1/2 tbsp of kosher salt
- coarse ground pepper
- zest of one lemon

1) Chunk your cucumber, tomatoes, onion, jalapeno and pepper.

2) Whisk together garlic, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl.

3) Pulse each vegetable (I did my jalapeno and red pepper together) separately in a food processor. 5-7 pulses worked for me but I wanted chunk-tastic veggies.

4) Add veggies into the bowl and coat with the olive oil/vinegar mixture.  Add in the tomato juice and lemon zest.  Taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed.

5) Chill for at least 4 hours, but longer is better! I waited overnight to sample mine.

Serve on its own or with chopped cilantro, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, avocado slices, or with a hunk of fresh bread.  *While this is not a traditional Andalucian gazpacho made with a bread crumb base, you could absolutely add a cup of fresh bread crumbs into this recipe if you wanted a heartier, more traditional soup.

I want to know, what do you eat when it gets hot out? Are you a gazpacho fan or does cold soup weird you out? I would love to know! 

Go-To Recipe 1: My Beloved Banana Bread

Whether you are a world class chef or a world class microwaver, every one of us has a set of "go-to" recipes.  A go-to recipe is one you can make from memory and always have ingredients for.  As I get older, I'm perfecting my go-to recipes, especially in the appetizer, entree and dessert arenas. 

I'm starting a new series here on i Dabble where I share some of my favorite go-tos with you. I thought I would start with something easy, banana bread.  This recipe yields a fluffy, moist loaf that keeps for more than a few days (if it lasts that long.) The best part? It's husband approved! 

Cast of Characters:

1/2 cup of unsalted butter, melted

1 cup of sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup of sour cream

2 medium bananas, ripe and sliced (I used 3 smaller bananas this time)

1/2 cup of walnuts (optional) (I opt out, Jamie doesn't do nuts)

1) Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a loaf pan and set aside.

2) Combine butter and sugar in a bowl with a hand mixer.  

3) Add in eggs one at a time and then vanilla extract.  Mix well.  

4) Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt and slowly add them into the butter/egg mixture.

5) Stir in the sour cream and sliced banana. If you are using walnuts, stir them in now. 

Pour the mixture into a loaf pan and spread evenly.  Bake for 60 minutes.  

The bread will be a nice, golden color and a fork when inserted will come out dry.  Cool for a few minutes in the loaf pan, then turn out and cool completely on a wire rack.  Cut yourself a nice big piece and enjoy with some coffee, tea or a cold glass of milk.  

Do you have go-to recipes? Maybe I should do a link-up for go-to recipes so we can share?  Let me know if you like that idea and I'll set it up for my next go-to recipe post! 

Caramelized Onion Dip: A party (and personal) favorite

I have a confession to make. This dip rocked our Superbowl party back in February but I did not want to post it. I was embarrassed to share it because a) it is not photogenic and b) that frosted-tips, backward-sunglasses-wearing Food Network star known as Guy Fieri made it.  While I watch Diners, Drive-ins and Dives for entertainment value, the food snob in me never expected to cook (and love) something of Mr. Fieri's own creation. After re-making the dip Memorial Day weekend to rave reviews, I decided to just go ahead and share it.  It is very easy to make, rich in flavor and makes enough to feed an army of hungry Superbowl viewers summer bbq'rs.  The original recipe is here; I followed Guy's recipe exactly the first time, the second time I tweaked it a little bit.

Cast of Characters: 
- 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil
- 1 Tbsp of butter
- 2 large Vidalia onions, sliced into onion rings and halved
- 2 large shallots, sliced into rings
- 1/2 cup of light mayo
- 1 cup of fat free sour cream*
- 1 tsp celery salt
- 1 tsp Worcestershire
- Salt and Ground Pepper to taste

1) Heat a large skillet (the biggest you have) over medium heat then add vegetable oil and butter.

2) Once the butter is melted completely, add the onion and shallots. Cook over medium heat, stirring every 3-5 minutes until the onions and shallots are golden brown or to your liking. Guy's recipe says 35 minutes, I took them 45 minutes.

Pre-chop cooling

3) Set onions and shallots aside to cool to room temperature.  Once cool, chop them finely and set aside.

4) Combine mayo, sour cream, celery salt, Worcestershire, salt and pepper in a bowl.

5) Stir chopped onions and shallots into the mayo/sour cream mixture, cover and chill for at least one hour, but I would recommend overnight.  It only gets better with some time to hang out.

The perfect accompaniment to Monopoly

Serve with chips, pita, crudite, whatever you like to dip with.  Personally I love Ruffles Natural Sea Salt chips because they are thick enough to hold lots of dip and slightly salty.

*The recipe calls for 1 full cup of mayo and 2 cups of sour cream but I halved it simply because I didn't have any more mayo or sour cream on hand. It's great either way (Guy's or my) but the halved dip will leave you a much chunkier dip. If you want a more creamy dip go Guy's route, and if that is still too thick you can add a splash of milk.  You can also substitute Greek yogurt for the sour cream to get some protein in there. Longest footnote ever.

** Sorry for the lack of photos/truly awful ones but it was late Thursday night when I made this. 

Simply the Best: Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

I am convinced Tina Turner sings "Simply the Best" about this cookie recipe. It really is "simply the best, better than all the rest." It has earned titles like, "the only chocolate chip cookie recipe I will need to know how to make for the rest of my life" and "Best Chocolate Chip Cookie...Ever" With such hype I knew I had to see taste what all the hype was about.  This cookie is the chewy, chocolaty stuff of legends but it does require some time and patience. The original Jacques Torres recipe is here, my notes are below.

Cast of Characters:

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons cake flour (8.5 oz) (check the tippy, top shelf at your grocery)

1 2/3 cups bread flour (8.5 oz)

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt (I used sea salt that I ground up into a finer salt)

1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed (10 oz)

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (8 oz)

2 large eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons good vanilla extract

1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks, at least 60% cacao (I used one full bag and an additional 1/4 cup of Ghiradelli 60% cacao chips because two grocery trips failed to produce disks. My cookies were just as delicious with plenty of chips.)

1 Tbsp of sea salt

1) In a bowl sift together cake flour, bread flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Set aside. 

2) Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream together butter, brown sugar and sugar on medium  (speed 2-3) until light and fluffy. This should take between 4-5 minutes. 

3) With your mixer still on medium, add eggs one at a time scraping down the bowl between each addition.  Then add in the vanilla extract.

4) Reduce speed to slow and begin adding in dry ingredients. Incorporate them completely but do not over work your dough.

5) Add in your chocolate chips/disks with a spoon/spatula.  The dough will be very heavy with chips.

6) Cover your dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.  36 hours is the recommended time frame but I let it sit 41 hours because, "time to bake cookies" isn't an option on my leave slips at work.

7) Post fridge-time, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Line several cookie sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.

8) Scoop generous golf ball sized dough balls onto the cookie sheets. I put 6 cookie dough balls per sheet. Sprinkle with a dusting of sea salt. Bake until golden brown, approximately 18-20 minutes but watch them, I had one batch done in 17 minutes.  

9) Cool completely on a baking rack (or until you can no longer wait to stuff one in your face.) 

The original recipe calls for 18 large cookies, somehow I made near 30 big cookies. This recipe may seem fussy but it is entirely worth the effort.  The cookies are chewy and soft, salty and sweet and definitely a crowd pleaser.  Now go dance like Tina Turner singing "Proud Mary" to burn off the 1 2 cookies you just ate. :)

Got any recipes that lived up to the hype? How about recipes you want to try but don't have time for? Send it my way, I'm always looking for something fun to make! :)    

Rhubarb in Disguise: Coffee Cake Recipe

As a kid I remember my mom growing a small plot of rhubarb in our backyard. No one other in my family other than my mom enjoyed the tart, red, celery-look-alike. Every spring she'd reap her rhubarb and bake it into a strawberry rhubarb pie that only she would eat. While I have yet to attempt her pie, when I saw a coffee cake including rhubarb I thought it might be time to give rhubarb another try.  This coffee cake does not disappoint, and is a very easy way to try rhubarb.*

Cast of Characters: 

1/2 pound rhubarb, chopped
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 3/4 cups cake flour (all purpose works fine)
1/3 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup cake flour (again all purpose works fine)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons softened butter, cut into 8 pieces.

1) Pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees.  Grease a 8 inch square pan (a 9 inch square will work). Wash and trim your rhubarb, then pat dry.

2) Combine the dry rhubarb with 1/4 cup of sugar, 2 tsp of cornstarch, 1/2 tsp ground ginger and set aside. 

3) For the crumb mixture, combine 1/3 cup of brown sugar, 1/3 cup of sugar, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a bowl.  Add in softened butter and stir until combined.  Slowly add in the flour with a wooden spoon until it forms a dough. Leave the crumbs pressed together in the dough until you are ready to use it. 

4) In a small bowl mix sour cream, egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract and set aside.  In a stand mixer combine dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking soda/powder and salt) with softened butter and a spoonful of the sour cream mixture.  Mix on medium until the flour mixture is moist. Scrape down the sides and then slowly add in the sour cream mixture in two batches and beat for 20 seconds each time you add sour cream. Scrape down the sides in between sour cream additions. 

5) Set aside1/2 cup of the cake mixture, then add the remaining cake mixture to the greased square pan. Pour the rhubarb through a strainer and then add the dry rhubarb** on top of the cake mixture.  Pour the remaining 1/2 cup of cake over the rhubarb. Crumble the crumb mixture over the top of the rhubarb and then bake for 50-55 minutes (mine needed closer to 65 minutes because my rhubarb was too wet.)

Unfortunately, I do not have a picture of the finished product as I was trying to get to First Position (fantastic by the way) and did not have time. This is a great treat to enjoy with a cup of coffee, tea or cold glass of milk! It's a winning combination of sweet and sour, moist cake and a crumbly topping.

Have a great start to your weeks! 

*Did you know rhubarb is a vegetable, not a fruit? 

**Only drain your rhubarb if it is especially wet. The first time I made it I did not have this issue, but this past time I did.