Ultimate Ginger Cookie

So I was home sick today (okay, not really sick, but with a slight case of the shingles and I must be quarantined from all babies and elderly people) and was watching the Barefoot Contessa when I saw this recipe on her show. I said to myself, "hey, I have all those ingredients already!" How do I have crystallized ginger, you ask? Well, it just so happens I had some leftover crystallized ginger my sister in law gave me when I first started getting morning sickness (btw, to any new preggies out there, crystallized ginger really works when you're feeling nauseous and gross. Just suck on a little piece). The cookie result: spicy, gingery, crunchy, chewy, did I mention spicy? I'm sending my Matthew a batch because he loves spicy cookies...hmm, maybe that's why he married me?

INGREDIENTS (16 cookies)

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup unsulfured molasses
• 1 extra-large egg, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups chopped crystallized ginger (6 ounces)
• Granulated sugar, for rolling the cookies

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and salt and then combine the mixture with your hands.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the brown sugar, oil, and molasses on medium speed for 5 minutes. Turn the mixer to low speed, add the egg, and beat for 1 minute. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula and beat for 1 more minute. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the crystallized ginger and mix until combined. Scoop the dough with 2 spoons or a small ice cream scoop. With your hands, roll each cookie into a 1 3/4-inch ball and then flatten them lightly with your fingers. Press both sides of each cookie in granulated sugar and place them on the sheet pans. Bake for exactly 13 minutes. The cookies will be crackled on the top and soft inside. Let the cookies cool on the sheets for 1 to 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Turkey Meatballs

After four tries, I've finally come up with the perfect, flavorful and juicy turkey meatballs. Yes, you heard right: turkey. I believe that the key to these meatballs are fresh breadcrumbs, none of that store bought stuff. I also think that the cheese adds additional creaminess. The recipe is a combination of a Dave Baggs ground beef meatball recipe slightly altered by me. The reason I do turkey instead of ground beef is because there are members in my family that don't eat red meat.

Use these turkey meatballs in a meatball sub and top with your favorite marinara sauce or use them in spaghetti (make it whole wheat spaghetti if you want to add more fiber and protein to your diet) and you will have yourself a really good, hearty meal and you won't even miss the ground beef!

INGREDIENTS (makes 24 to 28 meatballs)

• 2 to 2-1/2 lb. ground turkey
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 Tablespoon dried parsley flakes or 4 Tablespoons of fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cups fresh, soft breadcrumbs
• 1 cup grated mild cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients until they are well distributed. Don't worry about overmixing. Place it in the fridge for 30 minutes to let the breadcrumbs absorb all the flavors.

Form turkey mixture into golf-sized meatballs.

Place them in a greased cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Turn meatballs over and bake another 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. At this point you can store them and use them the next day (I find that leaving them in the fridge overnight makes the meatballs taste better the next day) or place them in freezer bags and freeze and store whenever you need to use them.

To make fresh breadcrumbs: place 1/2" pieces of French bread or thick white bread in a food processor and whiz until you get your breadcrumbs.

To make a very simple marinara sauce: saute 1 large minced garlic clove in 1 tablespoon olive oil for 30 seconds. Add 1 teaspoon fresh oregano and 1 bay leaf. Let it saute 30 more seconds. Add one (28 oz) can of "6 in 1 Tomato Sauce" and 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and several grinds of black pepper. Bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, if needed.

Homemade Frozen Yogurt

I had my first Pinkberry experience last week and I have to say I really liked their frozen yogurt. I especially liked all the exotic flavors the have to offer, but I thought it was a bit overpriced. Then this week I discovered a restaurant in the food court called the Salad Farm and they sell Greek style frozen yogurt. I tried their version and I have to say it rivals Pinkberry's. I actually liked the Salad Farm's version best because it was much tangier and I am I believer in all things Greek!

I remembered that I had an ice-cream maker in the mini-basement and I decided to make my own version of frozen yogurt. Unfortunately, I could not find the Greek yogurt I usually buy as they were out and I'm not a big fan of the Bulgarian yogurt. So I got your regular store bought plain yogurt and strained it (remember 2 cups of plain yogurt will yield 1 cup of strained yogurt). This version came out pretty good, but I can't wait to try it with real Greek-style yogurt.

INGREDIENTS (makes 1 quart)

• 3 cups strained yogurt (see below) or Greek-style yogurt
• 2/3 sugar (if you want yours sweeter, use up to 3/4 cup sugar)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

Mix together the yogurt, sugar, and vanilla. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Refrigerate 1 hour. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Note: to make 1 cup of strained yogurt, line a mesh strainer with a few layers of cheese cloth. then scrape 16 ounces or 2 cups of plain whole-milk yogurt into the cheesecloth. Gather the ends and fold them over the yogurt, then refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. So, for the above recipe start with and strain 6 cups of yogurt.

Recipe from David Levobitz via 101cookbooks.com

Homemade Tomato Sauce

Our tomato plants are producing so much fruit that I've ran out of ideas what to do with them. I am getting a little tired of tomato salads! But I finally decided to make tomato sauce. These tomatoes are not "ideal" for sauce because they are sweeter than your Roma tomato, and their skins are very thin. I found that I prefer the tomato sauce these tomatoes produced because the sauce came out slightly sweet, slightly tangy and I didn't have to seed any of the tomatoes.

INGREDIENTS (makes about 6 cups)

• 15 to 20 small to medium ripe and sweet tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely diced onion (I used spring onions from our garden)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped (I used Italian parsley from our garden)
• 1 teaspoon fresh oregano, finely chopped (I used Greek oregano from our garden)
• 3 fresh sage leaves, finely minced (I also used fresh from our garden)
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup white wine

DIRECTIONS

First cut a small "x" at the bottom of each tomato. Place them in a large pot of boiling water and boil for 30 to 45 seconds to loosen skin. Immediately remove tomatoes and place them in an ice-bath. When cool enough to handle, peel off skin.

Working in batches, place the peeled tomatoes in a blender and blend for 10 seconds. Set tomato sauce aside.

In a large pot heat olive oil on medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, parsley, oregano and sage and gently cook for another 5 minutes. Raise heat to medium-high and add the blended tomato sauce, white wine, one teaspoon salt and1/4 teaspoon pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste for seasoning and add the remaining teaspoon of salt, if needed.

Let sauce cool to room temperature. Place in the fridge overnight. You can jar it in plastic containers and freeze or use immediately in your favorite recipe using tomato sauce.

Panna Cotta with Strawberry Sauce

Next to flan, this is probably my second favorite custard. What's so great about this dessert is that there is no oven involved. Just a little cooking on the stove top and the rest of it is done in the fridge. Also, this is quite a refreshing dessert because there is not too sugary and the strawberry sauce really makes it quite lush. Anyhoo, if you've never had panna cotta before, I think you'll like this recipe--which came from the Barefoot Contessa herself!

INGREDIENTS (4 servings)

For the panna cotta:

• 1/2 packet (1 teaspoon) unflavored gelatin powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cold water
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, divided
• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
• 1/3 cup sugar

For the strawberry sauce:

• 1 cup strawberries
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• A few squeezes of fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin on 1 1/2 tablespoons of cold water. Stir and set aside for 10 minutes to allow the gelatin to dissolve.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup of the cream, the yogurt, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean seeds. Heat the remaining 3/4 cup of cream and the 1/3 cup of sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Off the heat, add the softened gelatin to the hot cream and stir to dissolve. Pour the hot cream-gelatin mixture into the cold cream-yogurt mixture and stir to combine.

Pour into 4 (6 to 8-ounce) ramekins or custard cups and refrigerate uncovered until cold. When the panna cottas are thoroughly chilled, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

For the strawberry sauce: Place the strawberries and sugar in food processor and puree. Strain the sauce to a fine sieve to separate from the seeds. Add few drops of fresh lemon juice and refrigerate.

To serve panna cotta: Dip the panna cotta molds, one at a time, into a bowl filled with hot water. Leave for about 5 seconds. Invert onto a serving plate. Press two fingers on the bottom of the mold and then shake slightly to loosen. Carefully remove the mold from the panna cotta. Top the panna cotta with a spoonful of strawberry sauce.

Chicken Paillard with Tomato-Arugula Salad

I realized that I need to start eating more protein because I have a little alien growing inside me that I need to feed. And if she plans on taking over the world, she's gonna need some good nutrition. My cravings and aversions tend to change from week to week, but this week I started craving all things chicken. And it just so happens that I caught an episode of Tyler Florence's Ultimate show where he made chicken paillard and it's surprisingly easy, fast and very tasty. The only thing I changed was the dressing; I made my own vinaigrette instead of making homemade Caesar dressing since I can't have raw egg yolks at this point. I guess paillard is just a fancy word for schnitzel, because the breading is similar, and I think if you serve the chicken paillard with ketchup, even kids will like it!

INGREDIENTS (2 servings)

Chicken:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs, whipped slightly with a splash of half and half or milk
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Vinaigrette:

• 1 Tablespoon orange marmalade
• 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad:

• 1/2 cup organic grape tomatoes, halved (I used our homegrown tomatoes)
• Fresh baby arugala (enough for two servings)
• Shaved Parmesan, for garnish
• Lemon wedges, for garnish
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

DIRECTIONS

For the chicken: Begin by pounding out the chicken breast gently between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Prepare a breading station with flour, whisked eggs and milk, and panko crumbs. Season all with salt and pepper. Coat the breasts in flour, egg then panko. Lay the coated breasts out on a flat tray and refrigerate to let the crust dry out (about 10 minutes) this will ensure there is less moisture and less chance your coating will break when frying. Shallow fry the paillard in hot oil for approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side depending on how thick the breasts are. Drain well, season with salt and set aside when done. For the vinaigrette: Put the marmalade, cider vinegar, mustard and salt and pepper into a small bowl. While whisking, pour the olive oil in slowly for the dressing to emulsify.

Prepare the salad by splitting the grape tomatoes in half through the middle lengthwise, mixing in arugula in a mixing bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the vinaigrette and toss the salad well. Add more vinaigrette, if needed. Refrigerate the remaining for another day.

To serve lay the warm, crispy chicken paillard on the base of the plate and top with the salad. Garnish with shaved parmesan cheese, a wedge of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil.

Couscous a la Mexicana

Well, this dish was just an experiment. It was OK, although I feel that there was something missing. Maybe some minced jalapenos or some garlic. The beauty of couscous is that it cooks in 5 minutes and you can add any flavors, veggies or proteins you like. I went with a little Mexican theme and it wasn't too bad. After I made it, though, I realized that I'm not supposed to eat Mexican queso fresco since it's unpasteurized...so I had to take it off. Next time I'll just use pasteurized feta.

INGREDIENTS (serves 2)

• 3/4 cup uncooked couscous
• 1 cup chicken stock
• Olive oil
• 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
• Pinch of cumin
• 2 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 small avocado, roughly chopped
• Juice of 1/2 a lime
• Coarse salt and pepper
• 1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro or parsley
• 1 Tbsp. currants (optional)
• Queso fresco or feta cheese

DIRECTIONS

In a medium saucepan cook onion in 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium heat until tender. Stir in cumin; cook for 30 seconds. Carefully add broth and bring to a boil; stir in couscous. Remove from heat. Cover; let stand for five minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the chopped tomatoes, avocado, cilantro and currants in a bowl. Add the juice of half a lime and drizzle in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add a little salt and pepper to taste and gently mix to combine.

Add the tomato mix to the couscous and fluff couscous with a fork before serving. Garnish with queso fresco and more cilantro sprigs, and drizzle more olive oil, if desired.

Fresh Garbanzo Bean Hummus

I twittered the other day that I was in a cooking funk and my friend, who is a chef in training, suggested I go to the market and pick an unusual ingredient and invent something with it. Well, yesterday I was at my favorite market, North Park Produce, and while I was browsing around I found a bag of weird looking peas...or were they grapes? I had no idea. I asked the produce guy he said they were fresh garbanzo beans. I had never seen fresh ones, so I bought the bag, which was $2.19. I got home and the first thing that came to my mind was to make hummus, but I didn't have tahini, so I made up this recipe and, my goodness, it was delish and it tastes like a very light hummus, with hints of white beans and edamame. Just note that it takes FOREVER to shell the garbanzo pods. It took me 12 minutes just to get 1 cup, so this would be a good task for your hubby or wife or your kids to help you with. Thanks, Kerry, for your inspiration!

INGREDIENTS (makes 1 cup)

• 1 cup of fresh green garbanzo beans, shelled
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 small garlic clove or half of a large one, roughly chopped
• 1/8 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/8 tsp. ground coriander
• Coarse salt and fresh black pepper
• 1/4 cup (about a palm full) of fresh parsley
• Juice of half a lemon
• Good olive oil
• Paprika, for presentation (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Place the shelled garbanzo beans in a steamer basket over simmering water and steam for 15 to 20 minutes until tender but not mushy. Drain and cool in an ice-bath or put in fridge to cool off.

In a small pan or sauce pan (the smaller the better) add the sesame oil and the crushed garlic and gently cook over low heat just until garlic begins to lightly brown. Add the cumin and coriander and toast for 30 seconds more and remove from heat. In a food processor add the cooled-off garbanzo beans, the sesame-garlic oil, parsley, juice of the half lemon, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Process until smooth. Taste and add more salt, if needed, or more olive oil depending on how creamy you like your hummus (I added one more tablespoon to mine) and blend again. Place the hummus in your serving bowl; sprinkle some paprika over it and serve with warm pita bread.

Pasta, Eggs and Bacon

I have been in a cooking funk lately, and I think it has to do with me being preggers. I just had no motivation to cook. All I was craving was oatmeal and fruit, but my cravings seem to change on a weekly basis. Then, suddenly, today I wanted bacon! If you recall, just the smell of bacon would make me nauseous during the first trimester of my pregnancy, but today I was craving it. To make matters worse, I was craving spaghetti alla carbonara and that's definitely something my doctor would not recommend I have. Authentic carbonara is spaghetti with lightly beaten eggs (or egg yolks) that are just barely cooked with the heat of the pasta, giving the pasta a shiny, eggy sauce that is nowhere near scrambled. Some people shy away from this dish because the eggs are not fully cooked all the way. So, I had to come up with my own variation and that's why this is pasta, eggs and bacon because it's nowhere near authentic carbonara, but dang, was it tasty!

INGREDIENTS (serves 2)

• 1/4 pound spaghetti
• 4 thick cut bacon slices, cut into 1/2" pieces
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup half and half
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano plus more for sprinkling
• Coarse salt and fresh black pepper
• 1/4 cup frozen peas
• pinch of red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt is very generously and add your spaghetti and cook 8 minutes or according to package directions.

In the meantime, cook bacon pieces in a skillet just until nicely browned and crisp. Remove and drain on a paper towel. Reserve 1 teaspoon of the bacon grease. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, half and half and 1/4 cup Parmesan, a tiny pinch of salt and some fresh ground black pepper.

Place the reserved bacon grease back in the pan (no need to clean it out) and reduce heat to medium. Add the garlic and cook gently until it becomes fragrant. Your pasta should be done by now. Drain the pasta and add the pasta to the skillet. Raise heat back up to medium-high and working quickly, add the egg-milk mixture, the bacon bits and the peas. Keep tossing the pasta until all strands are coated with the egg sauce and keep cooking and tossing until the eggs just begin to set and just barely start to scramble and there is no raw egg left. Remove from heat and serve immediately. Sprinkle a little more Parmesan and just a tiny pinch of red pepper flakes. This makes a great breakfast dish, too!

Last Minute Brownies

What do you do when you're invited to a dinner party a couple of hours before it starts and you don't have a dessert to bring? Brownies, of course. It probably would have been just as easy to go buy already baked brownies or desserts, but I had all these ingredients and why waste my gas and money when I could make perfectly awesome brownies at home. I found this recipe from the Hershey.com website. These brownies are more cakey than fudgey and although I didn't frost them (I didn't have powdered sugar) I'm sure they would have been even better.

INGREDIENTS (makes 16 brownies)

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
• CREAMY BROWNIE FROSTING (recipe follows; I didn't put any frosting on my brownies because I didn't have any powdered sugar, but they are just as good!)

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 9-inch square baking pan.

Stir together butter, sugar and vanilla in bowl. Add eggs; beat well with spoon. In another bowl stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually add to egg mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in nuts, if using. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Prepare CREAMY BROWNIE FROSTING; spread over brownies. Cut into squares. About 16 brownies.

CREAMY BROWNIE FROSTING

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
• 3 tablespoons HERSHEY'S Cocoa
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup or honey
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 to 2 tablespoons milk

DIRECTIONS

Beat butter, cocoa, corn syrup and vanilla in small bowl until blended. Add powdered sugar and milk; beat to spreading consistency. About 1 cup frosting.

Shrimp Risotto

Once you've mastered a basic risotto recipe, you can start making up your kind of risotto flavors, which is what I did with this shrimp risotto. I was craving shrimp and I had 5 jumbo shrimps in the fridge so I came up with this recipe. I also used tomatoes from my garden and all the herbs were from the garden, too. If you have a garden and have a lot of herbs or veggies, risotto is a great way to use them up and flavor your stocks, too!

INGREDIENTS (serves 1 pregnant lady or 2 non-pregos)

• 1/2 cup arborio rice
• 1 shallot, peeled and diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 Roma tomato, diced (I used tomatoes from my garden)
• 1/4 cup white wine such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
• 3 1/2 cups chicken broth, warmed
• 2 fresh sage leaves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped and divided
• 1 small sprig of fresh thyme
• Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
• 5 Jumbo shrimp, with shell on and deveined
• 1/4 tsp. lemon zest
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for passing
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Coarse salt and black pepper

DIRECTIONS

In a sauce pan heat the olive oil on medium-high heat. Add the shallots and saute for 4 minutes. Add the rice and keep sauteing 2 more minutes, until all granules are coated and lightly toasted. Add a small pinch of coarse salt and some fresh ground black pepper.

Add the wine and stir from time to time, with a wooden spoon, until almost all of wine is absorbed. Next lower heat to medium and add one ladle full of the warmed chicken stock (you want enough stock to just barely cover the rice). Then add the chopped tomatoes, sage, 1 tablespoon of parsley, the thyme sprig and the red pepper flakes, if using. Keep stirring from time to time until stock gets absorbed. Repeat the process of adding a ladle full of stock and keep stirring (I find that after 3 ladle fulls, your rice is al dente and pretty much done--this may take 20 to 30 minutes). Taste the rice for seasoning and add salt, if needed.

While your rice is cooking, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the shrimp and cook for 2 minutes. Remove immediately and shock in cold water. Peel off the shells and remove tails and roughly chop the shrimp. Set aside. In a small sauce pan melt the 2 tablespoons of butter on low heat. Add the shrimp to the butter once it's melted and remove from heat.

By now you should have added that third ladle of stock and your rice should be al dente and quite creamy. Add 1/4 teaspoon zest of lemon and the cheese and stir in. Lastly add the shrimp with the melted butter and the remaining tablespoon of parsley. Remove risotto from heat and let stand for a couple of minutes before serving.

Serve in a large bowl with more grated Parmesan and parsley. Dont' forget to serve along with the white wine you used.

Tomato Jam

My hubby got us The Encyclopedia of Country Living and it's a wonderful and useful book, even if you don't live out in the country. It has great gardening tips, advise on how to gut livestock and really interesting country recipes. I was looking for an idea of what to do with all the tomatoes our plants are producing. I've been eating them and using them in savory recipes, but it was getting to be too many tomatoes. I figured perhaps the country living encyclopedia may have suggestions on what to do with an abundance of tomatoes, and that's where I got the idea of tomato jam or preserves. The jam came out really, really good. I kind of made it up as I went along, but the encyclopedia gave me a good idea on how to get my jam started.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 1/2 cups peeled and quartered tomatoes
• 1/2 cup stemed and quartered strawberries
• 3 cups sugar
• 1/2 lemon, sliced thinly and seeded + the juice of the other half of the lemon
• 1 dash cinnamon
• 1 dash nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons butter

DIRECTIONS (makes about 26 ounces of jam)

Put peeled and cut tomatoes, strawberries, sugar, sliced lemon, cinnamon and nutmeg in large, heavy pot and bring to slow boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. When foam rises to surface, add butter and continue stirring and simmering until preserves thicken, about 45 minutes to an hour and a half (mine took about 90 minutes because the tomatoes were very juicy). Add the juice from the lemon and stir. To test, stick a fork into preserves. When preserves cling to tines of fork, it should be thick enough to can.

Pour preserves into sterilized jars (I used a 1 pound 10oz jar, but 3 half pint jars will work, too), seal and process in hot water bath for 15 minutes.

Homemade Turkey Breakfast Sausage Patties

I'm blaming my father-in-law, Jim, for my love of making sausage. I just find it really cool that I can make all sorts of sausages, use different spices and come up with my own combination. These turkey patties were completely something I made up and I have to tell you, they were a success at the Mother's Day brunch I had. Every single patty was gone! I went back and forth with how much salt to use, but finally decided to use the ratio of 1 tablespoon per every 2.5 of ground turkey. I also used water to try to make the patties juicier since turkey is a pretty lean meat. Next time, I may use apple sauce instead.

INGREDIENTS (makes 24 patties)

• 2.5 pounds ground turkey
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt
• 3 tsp. fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp. caraway seeds
• 2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
• 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 to 2 tsp. red pepper flakes, depending on how how you want it
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup (I used Minnesota maple syrup)
• 1/2 cup water

DIRECTIONS

In a small skillet, add the fennel and caraway seeds. Heat on med-low and toast until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Then place seeds in grinder or mortar and pestle, and give it a grind. It's OK if you still have a few whole seeds.

In a large bowl add the turkey, ground fennel and caraway seeds, salt, black pepper, parsley flakes, minced garlic, red pepper flakes and maple syrup. Using your hands, mix the sausage mixture pretty well until well combined. Let it sit 15 minutes. Then add the water and using your hands again, mix to combine. Place sausage mixture in a container with a tightly fitting lid or in a freezer bag and let it rest in the fridge overnight.

Next morning, form 24 balls and flatten each into 3" patties in diameter. Make a small impression in the middle of each patty. Fry in a large skillet with a bit of oil over medium high heat for 3 to 4 minutes aside, or until done.

If you're not going to use up all the sausage mixture, you can form the patties and freeze them flat. After they are frozen, put them in a freezer bag and can be frozen up to 2 months.

Roasted Asparagus with Scrambled Eggs

Ina Garten has done it again! This was everyone's favorite dish at my Mother's Day brunch and I, of course, got the recipe from Ina's cookbook, Parties! I was amazed how delicious these eggs were and how well the roasted asparagus complemented them. If you're not an asparagus fan, you can totally omit them, but I have to tell you these were the greatest scrambled eggs ever....and I think it has to do with the half and half. The key to these perfect eggs is gentle cooking, and use a large, non-stick pan with high sides.

INGREDIENTS (serves 8)

• 2 pounds fresh asparagus
• olive oil
• 1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
• Fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 16 extra-large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups half-and-half
• 4 tablespoon unsalted butter (1/2 stick)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Break off the tough ends of the asparagus. Place the asparagus on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil then toss to coat. Spread the asparagus in a single layer and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender but still crisp. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and return to the oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese melts.

While the asparagus are roasting, whisk the eggs in a large bowl with the half-and-half, salt and pepper to taste. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet. Cook the eggs on the lowest heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, to the desired doneness. Remove from the heat, add 2 more tablespoons of butter, and still until it melts. Check for salt and pepper and serve with the roasted asparagus.

Tilapia with Tomato and Chickpeas

I have a suspicion that this baby I'm carrying is a vegetarian. Meats and some poultry makes me gag, and if I could, I would probably live off fruit or veggie salads. The only other foods I can handle are non-fishy smelling seafood, and fresh Tilapia is a good example of this. I bought a pound and brought it home and had no idea what to do with it. So I came up with this somewhat Mediterranean inspired recipe. It was pretty good and the chickpeas gave it a very nice texture to the dish...and the baby like it, too!

INGREDIENTS (serves 2 to 3)

• 1 lb. Fresh Tilapia fillets
• Flour
• Olive oil and butter
• 1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 Tbs. pitted olives, preferably Greek, chopped
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• 1 sprig fresh oregano
• 4 leaves fresh mint
• 1/8 tsp. cumin
• 1/8 tsp. coriander
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2/3 cup garbanzo bean (chickpeas)
• 2/3 cup water
• Coarse salt and pepper
• Lemon wedges, for serving

DIRECTIONS

Run fillets over cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle a little salt only on one side of each fillet then lightly dredge in flour.

Heat about 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high. Working in batches, fry the fillets one minute per side and set aside on a plate. You may need to add more olive oil on the second batch. Fish will not be complete cooked through yet.

In the same skillet (don't clean it), add 1 tablespoon butter. When melted add the halved tomatoes, chopped shallots, olives, mint leaves, sprig of oregano, all the spices, garbanzo beans and 2/3 cup water. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer.

Place fish fillets on top of garbanzo-tomato sauce and cover. Simmer on very low for 10 minutes.

Before serving, remove the oregano sprig and mint leaves. Serve fillets over some rice and pour some the garbanzo-tomato over that.

Date Nut Spice Bread

I was all Ina'd out this Mother's Day. Not only did I host a brunch at Chateau Blaha, but I also made all the food...and three of my recipes were directly from the Barefoot Contessa herself. I find that Ina Garten's recipes are quite exact and they usually turn out very good. On the menu I had scrabbled eggs with roasted asparagus, turkey breakfast patties, a lovely platter of bagels and lox, fruit salad that my sister-in-law made, and this date nut bread with orange zest cream cheese. I'll post the rest of the recipes throughout the week, but below is Ina's date nut bread, which was delish, indulgent and I only have a small slice left at the house.

INGREDIENTS (makes 1 loaf)

• 2 cups coarsely chopped dates (10 ounces pitted)
• 1/3 cup orange liqueur (recommended: Cointreau or Triple Sec)
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 extra-large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest (2 oranges)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (I forgot to buy ground cloves, so I used Allspice instead)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (3 oranges)
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans (3 ounces)

For the cream cheese spread:

• 6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom of an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pan.

Combine the dates and orange liqueur in a small bowl and set aside for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar together on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl. With the mixer on low, add the egg, vanilla, and orange zest. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. With the mixer still on low, add the flour mixture alternately with the orange juice to the creamed mixture, beating only until combined. By hand, stir in the dates with their liquid, and the pecans. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese, sugar, and orange zest on medium speed until just combined.

Slice the bread and serve with the orange cream cheese on the side for spreading. Yummers!

Wine Making at Home, Part I: Primary Fermentation

On Sunday, May 3rd, I began my wine making journey. Since my husband and I both dream of one day owning a winery and make our own wine, I figured I better learn the process. I've decided to start by using a wine making kit that came with the juice and additives. Eventually I will move on to using my own grape juice that I crushed, but before I get ahead of myself I wanted to start at the very beginning.

I bought this kit from Midwest Homebrewing and Wine Making Supplies in St. Louis Park, MN. They had the best price for the kit that came with everything: primary fermenter, carboy, hydrometer, floor corker, wine kit and 24 wine bottles and a few other necessary items. Additionally, the Vintner's Reserve Merlot wine kit that came with my purchase only takes 14 days to ferment and the wine can be ready to drink by 28 days (but they recommend aging for 3 to 6 months). So I figured, in 5 months my baby will be born so what a great way to celebrate by giving out wine instead of cigars!

The steps below are directly from the Vintner's Reserve instructions. One of the main things that they keep telling any novice or expert wine maker is sanitize, sanitize, sanitize. By making sure all your equipment is sanitized, your wine will come out great and there is less chance of your wine spoiling.

After I cleaned and sanitized the primary fermenter, the lid, spoon, hydrometer and test jar, thermometer and wine thief, I added 2 liters of hot water (all the water used is spring water) to the bottom of the primary fermenter along with a packet of bentonite and stirred well so that there were no clumps.

Then I added the grape juice that came with the kit. I added 2 additional liters of warm water to the empty wine juice bag to rinse it out and poured that into the fermenter. Then I topped the fermenter with additional cool, spring water to reach the 23 liter mark (6 gallons).

I took a sample of the juice and used my hydrometer and test jar to test the specific gravity. The gravity measures the sugar level and it's a way to figure out when your wine is fermented and ready to bottle. Mine read 1.070, which I is good because I was looking for 1.070 to 1.085.

Then I sprinkled the oak chips and stirred them to just under the surface of the liquid.

By now, the wine juice cooled down a little and I needed it to be between 18 to 24 Celsius. I had to wait about an hour to let it cool a little because mine was at 25 Celsius.

Lastly, I sprinkled the package of yeast that also came with the kit, but I didn't stir. I just let it float on the surface. I tightly covered the primary fermenter with the lid and fermentation should begin within 24 to 48 hours. I will start my secondary fermentation in 5 to 7 days! Wish me luck.