Jalapeno Poppers

Are you ready for some March Madness??? These jalapeno poppers will be the perfect addition to a viewing party! They are adapted from this Skinny Taste blog recipe.

If you know me then you might be wondering why I made these! The answer, of course, is they were a request from Patrick and I like to be as obliging as possible when it comes to requests my loving husband makes even if I am less than enthusiastic about said request.

I did attempt to eat one of these and they were tolerable. I made half the poppers spicy by leaving in most of the seeds and membranes and then the other half were stripped of all seeds and membranes (these were ones I could tolerate). Before I made these I asked Patrick how spicy he wanted them and he said some seeds and membrane would be okay... buttt not all of the spicy ones got eaten so be ware!

Beer Battered Jalapeno Poppers

   Ingredients
6 jalapenos* 

4 oz cream cheese, room temperature

1/3 c shredded cheese
garlic powder

bread crumbs
paprika

2 eggs

splash of beer
*Be very careful when handling the jalapenos. Make sure to wash your hands immediately handling them and not to touch your face before doing so otherwise there may be some tears shed.

   Directions
Prep the jalapenos.
   Slice the jalapenos in half. For spicier poppers, leave in seeds and membranes. For the least spicy poppers, remove all seeds and membranes. To distinguish between spicy and not spicy poppers, I removed the stems from non spicy poppers.
Make the filling.
   Mix together cream cheese, shredded cheese, and a dash of garlic powder (1/2 tsp or so). Smear on the halved jalapenos.
Assemble dipping station.
   In a shallow dish, combine the eggs with a splash of beer. In another dish mix the bread crumbs with a dash of paprika.
Bake.
   Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 20-25 minutes. Serve immediately.

Happy March Madness!! Are you ready to fill out some brackets?!

Six Months Anniversary Dinner

Last month, just a few days before Valentine's Day, we celebrated our six month anniversary! We had a very exciting Valentine's date planned so we moved our traditional Valentine's meal of manicotti to our anniversary dinner night.

We've been venturing into the homemade pasta world recently (see here here and here) so we decided to make an adapted lasagna roll-up (with homemade noodles) that would somewhat mimic manicotti. This turned out okay but not amazing so we'll share a recipe once it turns out a little better. I think what went wrong was our placement of the filling when rolling it up; we placed the filling only on one half of the noodle which meant after rolling it up there were a few rotations of just the noodle and that was a bit heavy. Next time we will slather the whole noodle with filling before rolling it up!

For dessert I chose a chocolate shortcake with strawberries in honor of Patrick's very first Valentine's gift to me. Way back in 2010 he had an Edible Arrangement sent to me with a bear stuffed animal. His accompanying note read "You are berry special to me." So I couldn't resist making him a berry special dessert as we celebrated our first Valentine's as a married couple!

Chocolate Strawberry Shortcakes from Taste of Home
   Prep 20 min | Bake 10 min | Serves 4
Ingredients
1/2 quart fresh strawberries, sliced
1/3 cup sugar, divided
1 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp baking cocoa
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp miniature semisweet chocolate ships, divided
~1/3 c half-and-half cream
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tsps sugar
1/4 pint heavy whipping cream
1 1/4 tbsps confectioners’ sugar
1/3 c hot fudge ice cream topping, optional
10 fresh strawberries or grated chocolate for garnish, optional

Directions
   Combine strawberries and 2 tablespoons sugar; refrigerate if desired. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and remaining sugar. Cut in butter and 1/3 cup chips until crumbly. Add half-and-half and stir until just moistened.
   Divide dough into 4 patties, about 3/4-in. thick. Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Brush with egg white; sprinkle with coarse sugar and remaining chips.

   Bake at 450° for 13 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat whipping cream and confectioners' sugar until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate.
   To assemble, split shortcakes in half. Place cake bottoms on dessert plates. Top with about two-thirds of the strawberries, whipped cream and fudge topping. Replace shortcake tops; top with remaining berries, cream and topping. Garnish with additional berries and chocolate if desired.


We celebrated Valentine's in downtown Durham! We started the evening at King's Daughters Inn for a wine and canape paired tasting. Then we went to the highly anticipated Book of Mormon musical at DPAC. Finally the evening concluded at Mateo's Tapas restaurant. It couldn't have been a better evening!

Bananas Foster Crepes

We've tackled risotto and homemade pasta... in my opinion, these are two scary things for the home chef to tackle for the first time. With our confidence from those successful ventures we've now tackled crepes! Whenever Patrick and I go out to brunch he usually orders sweet dishes and I'm usually ordering something a bit more savory. One of the dishes Patrick really loves is crepes with fresh fruit.

Since I make all things from ABC's The Chew these days, it must've been no coincidence that Mario Batali made crepes one day! He must've known that Patrick loves them. With this encouragement off I went to the store for crepes ingredients and a special Saturday morning breakfast.

Mario Batali's Bananas Foster Crepes

Mario Batali's Bananas Foster Crepes from ABC's The Chew
   time 30 min | serves 6
Ingredients
   For the Crepes
1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
4 Eggs
2 cups Whole Milk
3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
pinch of Salt
Butter (to oil crepe pan)
   For the Banana Foster
1/2 stick Butter
1/2 cup Dark Brown Sugar
1 stick Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated Nutmeg
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
4 Bananas (diced)
1/3 cup Dark Rum
Salt (to taste)
   For the Melted Peanut Butter 
1 cup All Natural Peanut Butter
Water (plus more as needed)
Salt (to taste)
Confectioners Sugar (to garnish)
**We halved everything!

Directions
For the Crepes: Place the flour in a mixing bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking to combine. Add the milk bit by bit and whisk to combine until all the milk is incorporated. Whisk in the extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and allow the batter to stand for 10 minutes to an hour.
   Heat a 6-inch nonstick pan over high heat until hot and add a dab of butter. Turn the heat down to medium and pour 1 1/2 tablespoons of batter into the pan and swirl to coat. Cook until pale golden on the bottom, about 1 minute. Flip and cook just 5 or 10 seconds on the second side. Remove and set aside. Continue the process until all the batter has been used. Keep warm on a plate and cover with a warm towel.

For the Bananas Foster: Melt butter over medium heat in a large non-stick skillet. Add the brown sugar, spices and vanilla and cook until caramelized, stirring occasionally. Toss in the bananas and coat with the sauce. Add the rum and flambe until flames extinguish.

For the Melted Peanut Butter: Heat peanut butter in a small sauce pan over low adding water as needed to thin to desired consistency. Season to taste. Garnish with confectioners sugar to serve.

To Assemble: Fill crepes with a large spoonful of the filling and serve with a drizzle of melted peanut butter.

I had a little trouble making the melted peanut butter drizzle so I just added a good sized dollop to to the bananas foster and let the warmth melt it. I would definitely recommend making this with a partner! The crepes are a bit labor intensive and require constant attention. So Patrick was handling the crepes while I was working on the bananas foster. When we make it again we will definitely make the crepe batter the night before (as Mario recommended) if for no other reason than breakfast will come together so much quicker than having to let the batter rest.

I even let Patrick light the rum on fire...

Ricotta Pancakes

Every now and then Patrick and I will have a pasta dish that calls for ricotta. Like manicotti, lasagna, and/or ravioli. Typically the second half of the ricotta container goes bad because we don't use it again. I finally decided to put an end to wasting ricotta and found another recipe for it! I used the ricotta for brunch -- pancakes to be exact! Read on for the recipe!

Ricotta Pancakes from thekitchn.com

   Serves 6

Ingredients
1 cup ricotta cheese
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
pinch salt
3/4 cup milk
3 eggs, divided
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
   We halved the recipe!

Directions
   Set ricotta in a fine mesh strainer about 30 minutes before you start cooking, to drain off excess liquid.
   Whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Combine ricotta, milk, egg yolks, and vanilla in a separate bowl.
   Beat the egg whites in an electric mixer until stiff. Add the dry ingredients to the ricotta and milk mixture, stirring gently until just combined. Whisk in a small amount of the egg whites to lighten the batter, then fold in the remaining whites.
   Heat a griddle over medium-high heat, and brush the surface with butter. Use a ladle or measuring scoop (we used a 1/3 cup measure) to pour batter onto the griddle. Cook pancakes for about 3 or 4 minutes, then flip, cooking until both sides are golden brown.

We served with Greek vanilla yogurt and bananas sprinkled with cinnamon. Warmed honey was then drizzled over the dish.

Adapted Straw and Hay

Remember that one time Patrick had an odd request for dinner? Simply ground chicken soup? You forgot, you say?! Refresh your memory here. Well that happened again. This time it was "pasta with sweet Italian sausage". Sometimes asking Patrick for dinner suggestions creates more trouble than help! Luckily I didn't have to think too hard about this one.

One of our favorite neighborhood restaurant offers such a dish! Here's how their menu describes it:

City Beverage “Straw and Grass” – Italian Sausage, Portobello Mushrooms and Rosemary on Spinach and Egg Noodles with a Parmigiano Cream Sauce and Crostini.

It's a take on the straw and hay/grass pasta dish which traditionally has both spinach and egg noodles in the dish to resemble straw and hay/grass. I believe other traditional components included prosciutto and peas (but I'm not 100% sure).

I used Ina Garten's recipe as a starting point. You can read her recipe here. I made a few modifications and switched things up a bit so it's an adapted version of Straw and Hay. Instead of prosciutto I used Patrick's request of sweet Italian sausage. Patrick & I were attempting fresh pasta again this night and I thought making two batches of pasta (egg pasta and spinach pasta) would be a bit cumbersome; I decided to make the egg pasta and throw in some fresh spinach to the cream sauce. Read on for what we did!

Adapted Straw and Hay
Ingredients
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3/4 lb sweet Italian sausage
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 cups cream
4 oz basil goat cheese*
1/2 lb fettuccine
1 small package frozen peas, cooked according to package directions
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
   *Ina Garten's recipe called for gorgonzola which you could substitute for and also fresh basil. I had basil goat cheese on hand and thought that would be a fine cheese to use for the dish.
Directions
   Fill a large pot of water with 1 tablespoon of salt and bring to a boil. Once boiling add pasta and cook according to directions.
   Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook until browned and no pink remains. Remove to a plate and set aside. Wipe the remaining fat out of the pan.
   Add the other tablespoon of oil to the pan and begin to saute onions. Once tender add garlic and cook just until fragrant (one minute more). Add the cream, goat cheese, and a small handful of the Parmesan; salt and pepper to taste. Bring the sauce to a boil; lower the heat and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes.
   Then add cooked pasta to the sauce (reserving pasta water). Return the sausage to the sauce and add the peas and fresh spinach. Toss well; add some of the reserved pasta water if the sauce needs to be loosened.
   Top with remaining Parmesan to serve.

Be on the lookout for a post detailing more of our homemade pasta adventures!

Roasted Cherry Tomato & Artichoke Flatbread Pizza

This is a great simple meal for a quick weeknight dinner. I used a pita sandwich bun for the crust which I already had in the pantry. The roasted cherry tomatoes act as a sauce and the parmesan cheese satisfies the craving for melted cheese. Throw this with a side salad and it's a win-win! Patrick isn't a big fan of artichoke hearts but he did say he would eat this again. So that makes this a win-win-win! Read on for the recipe.

Roasted Cherry Tomato & Artichoke Flatbread Pizza from health.com
Ingredients
1 pint grape tomatoes (2 cups)
1 (13 3/4-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 naan flatbreads or lavash I used pita bread
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
   Preheat broiler.
   Toss tomatoes and artichokes with 1 teaspoon oil, and arrange in a shallow baking pan. Broil, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes or until charred and tomatoes are wilted.

   I tossed the tomatoes and artichokes with a little salt and pepper to taste plus a dash of Italian seasoning.
   Preheat oven to 450°. Top each flatbread with half of tomatoes and artichokes. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan; bake in bottom third of oven 10 minutes or until golden brown and crisp.
   While the pizza is baking, prepare the side salad. We used buttercrunch lettuce and added sunflower seeds.
   Cut pizza into wedges, and serve with salad alongside.

Bacon Egg & Cheese Grits + Avocado

Time to put a spin on bacon egg and cheese! Have any of yall been watching "A Chef's Life" on PBS?? It's a documentary that follows Chef Vivian Howard and her husband who brought fine dining at its best to eastern North Carolina. Here's a description from the PBS website:

"Vivian Howard originally made a name for herself in the Manhattan restaurant world and with her own gourmet delivery service. Acclaim and potential investors poured in, but it was the offer from her own parents that called to her the loudest. They would help her build a restaurant — but with one catch. She had to open it back home in Eastern North Carolina, a place to which she swore she would never return.
And so The Chef & the Farmer, located in Kinston, North Carolina, was born. Six years in, Vivian and her restaurant have won numerous accolades, including her selection as a James Beard semi-finalist, but the challenges continue. As the series opens, Vivian and Ben are juggling the restaurant, raising twins and anxiously building their own home — right next door to her parents."

It's a really interesting show to watch especially when you have ties to eastern NC! In one episode Chef Vivian decides to offer grits with various toppings. She called it "Pimp my grits"; click here to see the episode and more information. So with this as inspiration I set off to pimp some grits for Patrick (we had grits leftover from shrimp and grits!).

For the grits

I wanted to find some good stone ground grits like Chef Vivian uses in the show but I think I need to go to a specialty store... Harris Teeter let me down here. I settled for the Quaker Quick Grits which cook in 5 minutes. For two servings all you had to do was boil 2 cups of water (I used chicken stock) and then add 1/2 cup of the grits. After the five minutes I whisked in 1 tbsp of butter and a dash of milk.

For the topping

As soon as the grits were ladled into the bowl I topped them with shredded cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon, an avocado, and a fried egg.

Want to learn more about Chef Vivian Howard? Watch full episodes of A Chef's Life here.

Or visit their restaurant Chef and the Farmer in Kinston, NC. Patrick and I plan to visit before too long!