Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Almond Butter Sauce

I am always trying to get my 1 year old to each a healthy balance of protein, veggies and grains. Like any child, he gravitates towards the carbs...loves pasta, bread, crackers, etc. So, what if I took the idea of gnocchi (which usually uses white, starchy potatoes) and made it with a healthier potato: sweet potatoes. These little orange root vegetables are lower on the glycemic index (less sugar) and have more vitamins.

The problem with making traditional gnocchi is two fold; the dumpling itself is typically made with white flour and white potatoes, but also the sauce that is served over gnocchi is equally as offensive to carb lovers masquerading as healthy eaters. Since my intention was to make this dish more healthy, I decided to use a nut-based sauce (instead of cream or butter based).  It turned out both good and bad. It tasted delicious, but had a weird texture. I would definitely try this recipe again, but with a few changes in an attempt to improve the sauce texture. 

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Almond Butter Sauce

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

3/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 egg, lightly beaten

salt, to season

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the peeled, diced potatoes and boil until just tender. Drain the cooked potatoes really well, even dabbing with a tea towel or paper towel to remove any excess water (less water = less flour when you form the dough).

Either mash the potatoes really well with a potato masher, or run them through a ricer, and add to a large bowl. Slowly add in the 2 flour types and egg and massage with your hands. Add the salt to season (a pinch will do). Add a tablespoon or two more flour if the dough seems sticky, but remember the less flour the better.  

Continue working the dough until it becomes soft and pliable, but don't overwork it. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to an even thickness, and using a knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into little squares. 

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the dough pieces (about 10 or so at a time). They will instantly sink to the bottom. Once they rise to the top, that means they are cooked. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon and continue cooking in batches until they are all cooked.

Toss gnocchi in sauce and serve immediately. 

Almond Butter Sauce

1/2 cup raw, whole almonds

2 cloves garlic

3/4 cup water

4 T butter

Bring a small pot of water to a boil and add the almonds. Cook 3 minutes, remove from heat and cool slightly. Slide each almond out of its skin (this will be easy once they have been boiled).

In a food processor, add the almonds, garlic cloves and water. Process until smooth, adding water if needed (my almond paste was very mealy, so on a re-do I would monkey with this step to make a smoother, thinner paste).

In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add the almond paste. Simmer until well combined and smooth (well as smooth as you can get it...). Toss with gnocchi and serve!

Like I said, the sauce tasted delicious, but needed to be smoother. My poor gnocchi looked like it had been cloaked in some sort of tahini. 

BBQ Salsa Shredded Chicken

Let me preface this post by apologizing for the awful moniker this poor recipe has been given. Maybe I will come up with something better at a later date, but who has time for that right now? Anyway, a friend of mine was telling me of a dip recipe she often takes to pot luck events, Buffalo Chicken Dip (I know, sounds so much more appealing). I decided to try to make this appetizer, pot luck dish into a dinner. Here goes nothing!


BBQ Salsa Shredded Chicken
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup mild or medium salsa
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
8 oz. cream cheese
Hamburger buns


Cook the chicken in any way, shape or form you like (mine was frozen so I baked it first, then gave it a nice sear in a cast iron skillet; you could grill it, bake, boil it, whatever). Let the chicken rest about 5  minutes once it finishes cooking, then shred it and set aside. 


Combine the salsa and BBQ sauce and heat over medium heat in a large skillet with the shredded chicken. Once it is well combined, reduce heat to low and cut the cream cheese block into cubes; add to skillet. Stir until well combined.


Serve the shredded chicken open faced on the hamburger buns. Try shredded pork too for a different variation! 

Homemade Hot Cocoa

We returned from Christmas to a winter wonderland, 22 inches of snow in Central Park! As soon as we got home (seriously we didn't even unload the car) we suited up and headed out to the park to play in the snow. The wind was gusting, so we only stayed about 20 minutes, but there is nothing like that first real snow of the season. It seemed fitting to come in from the cold and have some hot cocoa. That usually requires milk, right? And I've been out of town for 4 days...Hmmmm, what to do? Bare cupboards. I was able to get my hands on a can of evaporated milk and a can of sweetened condensed milk. I went with the latter, grabbed some cocoa and went to town:


Homemade Hot Cocoa
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 cups hot water
Mini Marshmallows (optional)


In a large saucepan, combine sweetened condensed milk, cocoa, sugar, vanilla and salt and mix well. Over medium heat, slowly stir in the water and heat through (do not boil). Top with mini marshmallows, or enjoy it plain!


Mix it up: try different variations by adding chili pepper for Mexican Hot Chocolate (probably about 1/2 teaspoon), mint extract for Mint Hot Chocolate, or  caramel flavoring for a Dulce De Leche Hot Chocolate!

Bonus: Cannoli Cones!

So, I had some leftover filling from the Cannoli Sandwich Cookies that was too decadent to toss out...oh yes, plus I never throw anything away. I went fishing around in my cabinets for an idea for this creamy goodness and came across some old ice cream cones. I'm talking last Halloween old. I had used them as cupcake toppers posing as witches hats...turns out you only need about 10 when making a plethora of Halloween cupcakes, so my 20 pack of cones was relegated to the back of the cabinet, turns out for 14 months. So. Back to the present, I decided to fill the cones with the cannoli cream. So good. My husband gave these the clever moniker of Cone-olis!


Cone-Olis
Cannoli Sandwich filling (find it here)
1 package of waffle ice cream cones


Simply place the cannoli filling in a zip-top bag, seal and cut a small slit in the bottom corner to fashion a piping bag. Pipe the filling into each cone to imitate an ice cream cone. Store in the freezer. 

Christmas Eve Eve

My little family is traveling this year for Christmas, to my sister's house in PA....so, we decided to have our own little Christmas on the 23rd before we left on the 24th (thus avoiding the packing up of Christmas gifts, just to turn around and bring them back home!). My husband and I decided to prepare a little mini buffet for all three of us to graze on while we opened gifts, Mmmmm....

Ham Rolls

1 package of any small dinner roll that you like (I used a 12-pk of potato dinner rolls)
1 package of plain, pre-packaged deli ham (you could use fresh deli ham, but it makes the rolls harder to assemble)
1 package of swiss cheese slices
1 stick butter, softened
2 T yellow mustard
1 T poppy seeds


Take the rolls out of the packaging and slice each in half, leaving one seam attached if possible. In a medium bowl, mash together the butter, mustard, and poppy seeds until well combined. Add more or less mustard for your individual desire for tanginess. 


Spread the butter mixture on both sides of each roll. You can control how buttery each roll will be at this point; if you want a lighter roll then you will not use all of the butter for 12-16 rolls, etc. Slice each ham and cheese slice to fit your roll size and alternate ham, cheese, ham, cheese on the roll. Fold over the top of the roll (or place the top on if you cut all the way through), and place on a baking sheet. 


Bake at 350 deg F for about 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and rolls are golden brown.   

Sausage Balls (these were not very good, please note the changes I would make!!)
1 1/2 cups honey wheat pancake mix, such as Krusteaz** 
16 oz. ground sausage (mild or spicy)
16 oz. sharp cheddar, shredded


Combine all ingredients in a large bowl until well incorporated and shape into 1-2" sized balls. Place on a greased baking sheet and cook for 20-25 minutes on 350 deg F. 


** I thought using the honey wheat mix would be tasty, but it ended up being very dry, so stick to a white flour based pancake mix, or increase the sausage and cheese amounts to account for the wheat flavor if you use wheat pancake mix. Even my husband agreed these were less than palatable, and that is saying something!

Stuffed Mushrooms
1 lb. mushrooms (like cremini), washed and stems removed
1/2 lb. sausage (mild or spicy)
4 oz. cream cheese
2 T chopped fresh dill


Preheat oven to 300 deg F. Place all mushroom caps on a baking sheet with the inside facing up, spray with cooking spray and bake about 10-12 minutes to soften. Meanwhile, in a skillet cook the sausage and just as the sausage finishes browning, add in the cream cheese and dill and combine well. 


Once the mushroom caps are finished (do NOT over bake them, the will be a mushy mess), fill each cap with the sausage mixture and return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes or so, Serve immediately.


A vegetarian version of this that would be delicious: substitute spinach for the sausage. Either wilt fresh spinach and combine in the skillet with the cream cheese, or thaw and drain frozen spinach and combine over low heat in a skillet with cream cheese.  

BBQ Bourbon Wings (spoiler, this is a cheat recipe, you'll only get the sauce, I used store bought wings!!)


20 pre-cooked wings (I crisped mine in the toaster oven just before tossing in the sauce)
1/4 cup bourbon
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons butter 


Stir the bourbon, brown sugar, ketchup, vinegar, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, honey, and butter together in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, whisking occasionally, until the mixture begins to bubble. Reduce heat to low and simmer, whisking occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 10-12 minutes. Toss in a large metal bowl with hot wings and serve immediately. 

Lemon Ricotta Cookies**

Cookies:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 (15 oz.) container ricotta cheese

3 tablespoons lemon liquor (I used an old bottle from a trip to Italy, but you could also use lemon juice)

1 lemon, zested

Glaze:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons lemon liquor (again, lemon juice can be used instead)

1 lemon, zested

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cookies:

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the large bowl combine the butter and the sugar. Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the dough (about 2 tablespoons for each cookie) onto the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes. (I actually used a Christmas baking pan for fun shapes)

Glaze:

Combine the powdered sugar, lemon liquor, and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread. Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours.

** This is not my recipe, I found it on the food network website and altered it slightly...

Cannoli Sandwich Cookies**

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips morsels

1/2 cup chopped roasted unsalted pistachios

1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) mascarpone cheese

3/4 cup ricotta cheese

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon salt
2-3 sleeves large but thin cookie rounds (I used Goya's digestive biscuits)

Combine the mini morsels, the mascarpone, ricotta, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and salt with a mixer on low speed until just blended; do not overmix or the filling will be too thick. 

To assemble, sandwich about 1/4-1/2 inch filling between 2 cookies. Repeat with the remaining cookies and filling. Roll the edges in the remaining 3/4 cup pistachios.

** This is not my recipe, I found it on the food network website and altered it slightly...

What a ridiculous feast we enjoyed, with an abundance of leftovers of course. Do stuffed mushrooms freeze well? I guess I will find out when we return next week. Time to get to bed so we can hit the road for Christmas tomorrow morning!

White Pizza

Hmmm, seems that pizza is showing up quite frequently...reference the previous post on dinner around Christmastime :). Tonight's version was a white pizza which, just as the last pizza used BBQ sauce instead of marinara because I didn't have any, used a garlic cream sauce instead of marinara. I have made several renditions of the white pizza over the years, including use of sun dried tomatoes, pesto or mushrooms, tonight I took a simple approach (i.e. easy).

White Pizza

1 pkg whole wheat pizza dough

dried oregano, garlic powder and olive oil for dough seasoning 

2 T butter

2 T all purpose flour

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup milk (plus or minus depending on how think you like your sauce)

12 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided

1 15 oz. container ricotta cheese

Roll out the dough and season with dried oregano, garlic powder and a drizzle of olive oil. 

Preheat oven to 350 deg F. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter of medium heat. As soon as the butter is melted, add the minced garlic and sautee about 30 seconds. Add in the flour and whisk together until a paste forms. Cook about another minute to cook the flour taste out.

Slowly pour in the milk, whisking continuously until all of the clumps dissolve. Once the sauce begins to thicken, add 4 oz of the shredded mozzarella and stir until melted. If the sauce is too think, add more milk about 2-3 tablespoons at a time. 

Remove sauce from heat and cool slightly. Pour the sauce evenly over the pizza dough. With a spoon, scoop out dollops of the ricotta cheese and "sling" it evenly across the pizza so you have small clumps of ricotta all around (but not so much that the clumps are touching). Top with remaining mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until cheese is melted and dough is cooked through. 

Christmas Baking

Christmas is my absolute most favorite time of year. I invariably find myself baking in the kitchen frequently throughout December, which often means my dinner landscape suffers, but the goodies are worth it to me. So, what have I been up to this season? 

I volunteered to bake some goodies for the church staff where my moms group meets, so I chose Ginger Blondies and Chocolate-Peppermint Swirls. For a friends going away party I made some Spinach Pinwheels, which doubled as an appetizer for a fondue night we hosted for friends (puff pastry is a wonderful thing). We also hosted a brunch where I debuted some Cheddar Dill Muffins, and of course we made a Christmas staple: decorated sugar cookies. Whew! Here goes:

Ginger Blondies**

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 1.4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 oz mini semi-sweet chips


Heat oven to 350 deg F. Butter a 9 x 13 glass dish. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, and salt. In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat to combine. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Fold in the semi-sweet chips. 


Spread the batter evenly in the pan bake 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely in the pan, then cut into squares. **This recipe came from Real Simple Dec 2008 magazine** Also, if I had to do this recipe over again (this was my first crack at it) I would add a tick more ginger and use a larger pan...the brownies were way to thick...tasted pretty good though. 

Chocolate-Peppermint Swirls**

1 batch Sugar Cookie dough (recipe below)

3 ounces semi-sweetened chocolate, melted and slightly cooled

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg yolk

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

1/2 cup crushed candy canes

Divide the dough in half and add chocolate and vanilla to 1 half and incorporate with hands. Add egg yolk, peppermint extract, and crushed candy to other half of dough and incorporate with hands. Cover both with plastic and chill for approximately 5 minutes. Roll out dough separately to approximately 1/4-inch thickness. Place peppermint dough on top of chocolate and press together around the edges. Using waxed paper or flexible cutting board underneath, roll dough into log. Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Remove dough from the refrigerator and cut into 1/2-inch slices. Place cookies 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat and bake for 12 to 13 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through cooking time. Remove from oven and let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely. **I got this recipe from the Food Network website, it is not my own :) **

Spinach Pinwheels

1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet), thawed

1/3 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained

Heat the oven to 375°F.  Combine the cheese and garlic powder in a small bowl.

Unfold the pastry sheet on parchment paper.  Top with the spinach and then cheese mixture.  Starting with a short side, roll up like a jelly roll half way and repeat with the other side until they meet in the middle. Cut into 30 (1/4-inch) slices.  Place the slices, cut-side down, onto baking sheets. 

Bake for 15 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown.  Remove the pastries from the baking sheets and let cool on wire racks for 10 minutes.

Cheddar Dill Muffins

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 cup dill, finely chopped
2 eggs, lightly beaten
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/4 cups sour cream or plain yogurt
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded


Preheat oven 400 deg F. Combine the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt in a bowl and whisk together to combine well. In another bowl, combine the chopped dill, eggs, melted butter, sour cream or yogurt (I used half sour cream half yogurt because that is what I had on hand), cheese and milk. Whisk until well combined. Pour the wet mixture into the flour mixture and fold until a soft dough forms.


Drop even amounts of the dough into muffin cups and bake about 20-25 minutes or until tops lightly spring back when touched. 

Decorated Sugar Cookies

3 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 tablespoon milk

Preheat oven to 375 deg F. 

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Roll the dough out onto a floured surface (or you can use confectioners sugar). Using cookie cutters, cut out desired shapes and lay shapes on a baking pan. Bake each batch 10-12 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack and decorate as desired. 

I took a short cut this year and bought canned cream cheese frosting. I separated it into 4 different bowls, 1 for white and then used food coloring to make red, green, and blue. I used chocolate frosting (canned) for the detail work, and of course sprinkles!

BBQ Chicken Pizza Saves the Day

I had no idea what to make for dinner tonight and was admittedly not in the mood to cook. What to have, what to have? Let's see, I have left over rotisserie chicken in the refrigerator, and I spot some mozzarella cheese. Let me check the freezer...yep, have an extra pizza dough in there. Problem: no sauce. Solution: BBQ sauce! Everyone has a bottle of BBQ sauce laying around, right? 

So. BBQ Chicken Pizza it was:

BBQ Chicken Pizza

1 pkg whole wheat pizza dough

dried oregano and olive oil to season dough 

1/2-3/4 cup BBQ sauce

1 cup rotisserie or other shredded chicken

1 medium onion, sliced

8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat the oven to 350 deg F.

Roll the dough out and season with dried oregano and brush with olive oil. In a small bowl, combine the chicken and about half of the BBQ sauce until the chicken is well coated. Spread the remaining BBQ sauce evenly over the top of the pizza dough. You may want to adjust the amount based on how saucy you like your pizza.

Top the pizza with the shredded chicken, then sliced onions, and then cheese. (Another version would be to caramelize the onions first, then cover the chicken).  Bake for about 20 minutes or until the pizza is cooked through and the crust is crispy. 

It pays to have a few staples hanging around (like BBQ sauce in the refrigerator and pizza dough in the freezer!).  

Lamb Burgers with Shallots & Vegetable Fries

I saw a recipe online (from Real Simple, I love that magazine) that was a burger topped with shallots and served with veggie fries...I couldn't resist the temptation to try it...well, modify it, then try it...of course. So. I ended up using lamb burgers, because they are my favorite and I had a few frozen patties already in the freezer from when ground lamb was on sale last. Some people really like the taste of lamb, and others do not...so for the latter, this recipe would be just as delicious with ground turkey or ground beef.

Lamb Burgers with Shallots + Vegetable Fries

4 medium carrots (1/2 pound), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick sticks

2 small parsnips (1/2 pound), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick sticks

4 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil

kosher salt

2 large shallots, sliced

1/8 cup balsamic vinegar

3/4 pound ground lamb/turkey/beef

Monterey jack cheese slices

2 whole wheat hamburger buns

mayonnaise and lettuce & tomato, for serving

Heat oven to 450° F. On a large baking sheet, toss the carrots and parsnips with 2 tablespoons olive oil, and salt as desired (about ½ - 1 tsp). Roast the vegetables, tossing once or twice, until golden brown and tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring often, until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and transfer to a small bowl. Wipe out the skillet.

Form the lamb into two ½-inch-thick patties and season with salt and pepper.

Heat the remaining teaspoon oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the patties 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium; melt the cheese slices in the last minute or two.

Serve the burgers on toasted buns with the mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato. Top with the shallots and serve with the vegetable fries.

The original recipe called for rutabagas and carrots, but I really like parsnips...really either would be good...just about any root vegetable can be used for vegetable fries. 

California Chicken Pitas & Sweet Potato Latkes

Remember the avocado morning (Tuesday?). Well, tonight is the night to actually use the avocados for the reason they made it on this week's grocery list. Grilled chicken, sliced avocado and fresh lettuce and tomato stuffed in a whole wheat pita and drizzled with avocado ranch dressing. Yum!

California Chicken Pitas

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1-2 ripe avocados

1 large tomato (I bought hot house this week, good for slicing)

Any leafy lettuce you like (I am using romaine)

2 whole wheat pitas, cut in half

Avocado Ranch (recipe follows)

Pat the chicken dry, season with salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil and grill either on a cast iron grill pan over the stove (as us New Yorkers call grilling), or on a BBQ grill. When the chicken is cooked through, set aside and let rest about 5 minutes or so. Slice and set aside. 

Cut open and slice the avocado(s) into hearty slices (depending on how much you love avocado will dictate how much you slice). Slice the tomato, and rinse and tear the lettuce leaves.

To assemble, simply stuff each side of the cut pita with grilled chicken strips, sliced avocado and tomato, and lettuce and drizzle with avocado ranch. 

Avocado Ranch

1 ripe avocado, diced

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp dried parsley

Combine all ingredients in a small food processor and process until smooth and creamy.


Okay, so on to the latkes...I totally thought I was coming up with something new when I decided to use sweet potatoes for latkes (a traditional latke is a Jewish potato pancake), but it turns out many people have made this version before. I have to say my husband nor I liked how these turned out, they were too sweet...my son sure loved them though, so he ate the majority of them...


Sweet Potato Latkes
2 large sweet potatoes, shredded
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon brown sugar (I would leave this out next time)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cloves (I would not recommend using clove, it's too strong)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (I would use MAYBE 1/2 tsp cinnamon next time)
1/4 cup canola oil for frying


After shredding the sweet potatoes, place them in a few layers of paper towels, or cheese cloth if you have it on hand, and squeeze out all of the liquid (this is very important); repeat with additional paper towels if more liquid is still present...you do not want soggy latkes!


In a large bowl, combine sweet potatoes, egg, brown sugar, flour, cloves and cinnamon; mix well. (again, I would leave out the clove and brown sugar and reduce the cinnamon if you are going to follow this recipe)


Heat oil in large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Form mixture into pancake size cakes, and fry in hot oil. Flip cakes after 2 to 3 minutes (when bottom is browned) and brown other side. Drain on paper towels, and serve hot.

Southern Style

I made a journey back to my Southern roots for dinner this evening: BBQ pulled chicken, stick macaroni and cheese, and sweet & savory "baked" beans. I was looking for an inexpensive but hearty dinner to warm up my family and hasten the end of a cold day. Every Tuesday (well almost every Tuesday) I buy a rotisserie chicken from Whole Foods (most local grocers have these in the deli section). Why Tuesdays? They are on sale for $5.99. I typically can get 2-3 dinners plus 6-8 cups of chicken stock out of each bird. 

For the pulled chicken sandwiches, I just toasted some whole wheat hamburger buns, piled them high with strips of chicken pulled off of the rotisserie, and topped with BBQ sauce. Sometimes I make my own BBQ sauce, but sometimes I just fix up a store bought bottle, as I did tonight. Typically store bought BBQ sauce is full of sugar and too sweet for my taste anyway, so I thin it out with a little cider vinegar (which also stretches the quantity) and add a little ketchup to take some of the sweet out.

I simply gave my macaroni and cheese a prefix, if you will, of "stick" because I was out of elbow macaroni, so I took a box of thin whole wheat spaghetti and broke it up into little sticks, then cooked as usual and drained. It actually turned out looking a bit like a haystack, but whatever.

Lastly, the beans I made on the stove top. I never make baked beans, proper, and always find the stove-top variety just as good. Similarly, I like to concoct my own beans rather than dumping a can of Bush's baked beans in the pot, although I certainly have done the latter in the past and dressed them up.

Stick Macaroni & Cheese

1 lb. whole wheat spaghetti pasta, crushed into small sticks

2 T butter

2 T all purpose flour

2 cups milk

1/2 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded

salt and pepper to taste

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook pasta sticks 8-10 minutes, until tender but firm. Drain and set aside. 

Heat a medium sauce pan over medium heat and add the butter, just as all of the butter has melted, whisk in the flour and stir somewhat vigorously to allow the flour to absorb all of the butter (if the mixture looks to dry and crumbly, add drizzle of olive oil). It should be thick but smooth.

Reduce heat and slowly begin to pour in the milk, whisking continuously to dissolve the clumps of flour. A thick cream will begin to form; whisk in the remainder of the milk. Season with salt and pepper. The pan should remain over low heat.

Add in the shredded cheese and whisk to combine until a thick, cheesy, creamy sauce forms. You can alter the amounts of milk and cheese to your preference for both thickness and cheesiness. 

Pour the cheese mixture over the stick noodles and incorporate well. 

Sweet & Savory Beans

1 can pinto beans (white beans would work just as well, I only had pinto on hand)

2 T molasses

2 T brown sugar

4-6 oz. water

2 T ketchup 

2 T dijon mustard

Rinse and drain the beans and place in a small pot over medium heat. Add in the molasses and brown sugar, then pour about 2 oz. of the water over the bean mixture and stir well. Bring the mixture just up to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer. As the bean mixture begins to thicken, add a few more oz. of water at a time to keep the consistency from getting too thick. After about 15 minutes of simmering, stirring occasionally, add in the ketchup and mustard and stir well. Continue to simmer, adding water if needed, for another 10 minutes or so.

The beans will be slightly sweet from the sugar and molasses and slightly tangy from the ketchup and mustard. If all you have in your pantry is the ubiquitous emergency can of baked beans, simply heat up the beans in a small pot and add the ketchup and mustard, along with a teaspoon of worcestershire sauce to balance out the sweetness of canned backed beans.        

Avocado Shooter

I am invariably frustrated when food goes bad, either because I didn't get around to using it, or I bought too much of it, or I forgot I had it until an unpleasant smell comes wafting out of my refrigerator one day. So this morning, I noticed the avocados I just purchased were already looking ripe; I had not planned to use them until Wednesday or Thursday. So I decided to cut one open to see how ripe it was getting, hoping to get an indication of the ripeness of the other 3 in the pack. Rotten. Completely, unsalvageably (no that is not a word) rotten. Drats! I threw it away with a pang of guilt. 

I sliced open the next one and it was mostly ripe, just a few brown spots. No way this one was making it a few more days, so I decided to have an avocado omelette for breakfast...but I only needed about half of it. My urge to cut open a third was overwhelming, I just had to know if these were all going to go bad. I figured I might as well use them and get to eat them now in an unplanned recipe than not use them at all. The third one was perfectly ripe. I decided to stop there. So now I had uneaten avocados, which was counter intuitive to my entire cause this particular morning. What to do?

I surveyed my refrigerator and a half full can of sweetened condensed milk caught my eye (left over from a previous kitchen creation called Biscones that is a combination of a biscuit and a scone). I swiped the condensed milk, and the regular milk. I diced the avocados (about 1 - 1 1/2 whole ones) and put them in the blender, then drizzled about 1 tablespoon or so of the sweetened condensed milk over them, and added a splash (oh, say 1/4-1/3 cup) of milk. I pulsed the blender on low until my  thick, creamy avocado treat was born. 

This made enough to fill two 4 oz. juice glasses, so I named the mixture Avocado Shooter, gave one to my husband before he headed out the door to work and took the other myself...bottoms up! Avocado disaster diverted and healthy, tasty breakfast drink created.  

Goat Cheese & Candied Walnut Pear Salad with Pomegranate Dressing

I know, this is a really long name for a salad, but all of the ingredients are so scrumptious, I just couldn't bear to leave any of them out of the name. All of these players deserve credit for this light and satiating salad. I used some left over goat cheese from the Cilantro Salad, and left over pears from the Pear Stuffed Chicken dinner. I can't say it enough, if you plan your dinners ahead before you go to the grocery store, you can really save time and money by making multiple meals using congruent ingredients. Case in point:

Goat Cheese & Candied Walnut Pear Salad with Pomegranate Dressing

1 bunch green or red leaf romaine lettuce (any spring mix, or even spinach would be good for this)

2 oz goat cheese, broken into small pea-sized pieces

1/2 cup walnuts (whole or pieces)

2 T light brown sugar
1 T butter, melted

1 Bosc pear, sliced

1/3 cup dried cranberries (any dried fruit would work here; currants, blueberries, apricots, etc)

Pomegranate Dressing (recipe follows)

Wash, drain and cut the head of lettuce. Set aside to dry (or use a salad spinner if you have one). 

Line either your toaster oven pan or a small baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Lay out the walnuts in a single, but closely arranged layer in the middle of the pan. Sprinkle evenly with the brown sugar and drizzle with melted butter. Broil for just about 5 minutes, until the sugar melts and "candies" the walnuts. Don't let it burn! Take the nuts out of the oven/toaster oven and let cool, about 5 minutes. Break apart the candied walnuts and set aside. 

To assemble the salad, simply place a handful of lettuce on each plate and top with goat cheese pieces, candied walnuts, sliced pears and dried cranberries. Drizzle with Pomegranate Dressing.

Pomegranate Dressing
1 T olive oil
1 T pomegranate molasses (or 2 T pomegranate juice)
1 T lemon juice
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 T honey


Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl until combined. Pomegranate molasses is a bit of an unusual ingredient, but I use enough in dinners that I always have some in my pantry. Some grocery stores sell it, but an Indian food store is your best bet. If it's easier, just use readily available pomegranate juice (the dressing will be slightly more runny with juice versus molasses).


By the way, it is a pet peeve of mine when I find a recipe for a fabulous sounding salad, only to discover that there is no recipe for the dressing and store-bought dressing is listed as an ingredient. Homemade dressings are typically quick and easy to whip up in the kitchen, so I always try to make fresh dressing to accompany my salads. Besides, I don't like having all of those crusty-topped, year old salad dressings in my refrigerator door.    

Vegetable Bean Soup

It was pretty chilly in NY this morning, and walking home from church with a wind chill of 26, my husband remarked how nice it would be to have chili for lunch on a day like today. Hmm, I thought, when should I tell him that I had planned to have a pear and goat cheese salad for lunch?? I decided to bag it and try my best to come up with a chili'esque dish, despite the fact that I do not have near the ingredients for chili (mainly the meat!).

As I surveyed my pantry, I discovered that I am low on a lot of the staples, like black beans and corn and crushed tomatoes. I fished out some pinto beans, and diced tomatoes and decided to give a bean and vegetable soup a whirl on the fly. What I ended up with was quite tasty and is totally adaptable to whatever you may have laying around in your pantry.

Vegetable Bean Soup

1 large onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 T canola oil

1 cup frozen "stop light" peppers (or 1 fresh red pepper diced, if you have one)

1 can pinto beans (black beans would have been fabulous for this too)

2 T ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 can diced tomatoes (petite diced would have been even better)

2 cups chicken broth (I used 1 cup chicken stock, from the rotisserie chicken carcass earlier this week, and diluted it with 1 cup water; you could also use vegetable stock)

2-3 T sour cream + 2-3 tsp skim milk, for drizzling over soup 

Heat a large dutch oven over medium-high heat; add oil. Toss in onion and garlic and sautee until onions start to become tender (about 3 minutes). Add in peppers and continue to sautee until tender. Reduce heat to medium. 

Rinse and drain the beans and add to the pot. Add cumin and coriander and stir well until the scent of the spices releases, about 1 minute. Add the diced tomatoes, with juice, and incorporate. Slowly pour in the chicken broth and stir well. Reduce heat to low and simmer about 10-15 minutes. 

Turn off the heat and puree a portion or all of the soup with an immersion blender, depending on how chunky you like it. I ran the immersion blender around the pot a few times to get some of the chunks out, but still had a good hearty mix.

Whisk together the sour cream and skim milk until it is almost runny, then drizzle mixture over each individual bowl of soup. Although I did not have any on hand, crushed up tortilla or corn ships would be great with this!