Tomato Basil Soup

4 Tbsp olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup flour
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
3 cups seeded chopped tomatoes (can use canned)
2 Tbsp dried basil
2 tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dill weed
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup half and half

1. Heat large, heavy bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Add oil and when hot, but not smoking, saute onion and garlic until softened (not browned), about 3 minutes. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
2. Add broth, tomatoes, basil, sugar, salt, dill, and pepper. Stir until well blended. Bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, for 25 minutes.
3. Carefully puree in batches in a blender or food processor (or use immersion blender). Return to pot, stir in half and half, and heat until hot, but not boiling. Serve warm.

Source: Joy R. via Jessica M. :)

Try #1 - October 24, 2012
Pretty good!  I didn't have any half and half so I used sour cream and whole milk instead.  This was good with grilled cheese sandwiches.

Pumpkin Pecan Muffins

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (I used regular whole wheat flour)
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cardamom (I omitted this)
1/2 cup unrefined cane sugar or brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup honey
1 cup mashed, cooked pumpkin or winter squash
1/2 cup milk or water
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 375. Lightly oil muffin tin or line with paper muffin cups. Mix together flours, baking powder, salt, spices, and unrefined cane sugar in large bowl; set aside.
2. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add molasses and honey to warm butter and stir together. Put cooked pumpkin or squash in blender, add butter mixture and milk; blend until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla and pulse to blend.
3. Add wet ingredients to dry mixture and fold gently, using a minimum of strokes. Fold pecans into batter. Fill muffin cups full with batter. Bake 25 to 30 minutes.

Source: Feeding the Whole Family, by Cynthia Lair

Try #1 - September 13, 2012
These baked up big, dense, cake-like muffins, and were fun to make with Abby.  We ate them with quinoa chili.  The molasses and spices reminded me of my Christmas spice cookies... mmmmmm.  Will make these again!

Toasted Bulgur Salad with Corn and Tomatoes

1 1/2 cups coarse bulgur
2 3/4 cups water
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups fresh corn (cut from 4 to 6 ears)
1 pint vine-ripened cherry tomatoes, halved
3/4 cup chopped scallions
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar, or to taste

1. In a large heavy dry skillet, toast bulgur over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, 5 to 10 minutes, or until it makes popping sounds and is browned lightly. Transfer bulgur to a bowl and cool.
2. In a saucepan bring water with salt to a boil and stir in toasted bulgur. Reduce heat and simmer bulgur, covered, about 20 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Remove pan from heat and let bulgur stand, covered, 10 minutes. Transfer bulgur to bowl and cool.
3. While bulgur is cooking, in skillet heat oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and cook corn, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes, or until just tender. Cool corn and add bulgur with tomatoes, scallions, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste, tossing to combine. Serve salad at room temperature.

Note: Salad may be made 6 hours ahead and chilled, uncovered.

Source: Epicurious

Try #1 - September 2012
This was easy and good!  I slightly burned the bulgur when trying to toast it, but it turned out fine in the end.  Definitely closer to 5 minutes than 10 for the toasting.  I used frozen corn and chopped heirloom tomatoes.

Pear Crumble with Crystallized Ginger

Make this.  Eat this.  You won't be sorry.

For topping:
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat)
2/3 cup old-fashioned oats
2/3 cup packed golden brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

For filling:
3 lbs firm but ripe pears, peeled, cored, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp minced crystallized ginger
1 1/2 Tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat)

Make topping:
Preheat oven to 375. Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Mix first 5 ingredients in the bowl. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until moist clumps form.

Make filling:
Combine pear slices and lemon juice in large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and toss to blend.

Transfer filling to prepared dish. Sprinkle topping over. Bake crumble until pears are tender and topping is golden brown and crisp, about 40-45 minutes. Cool at least 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Source: Epicurious

Try #1 - September 8, 2012
This might be my best crumble effort ever.  As I'm prone to do, I left out a key ingredient (crystallized ginger), but you don't need it for a stellar pear crumble.  I'm sure it would be good with it, but it's definitely optional.  I reduced the sugar to 1/4 cup for the filling.  The crumble was perfectly tender and just the right amount of sweetness.  I will definitely make this again!

Heirloom Tomato and Beet Salad

2 medium beets (about 1 pound total), scrubbed
2 tsp plus 3 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 small shallot, minced
2 tsp red wine vinegar
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 medium beefsteak tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 Tbsp fresh oregano leaves

1. Preheat oven to 425. Place beets on a large piece of foil on a baking sheet. Top with 2 tsp oil and season with salt and pepper. Fold foil around beets and crimp ends to form a packet. Roast beets on sheet until tender when pierced with a knife, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove beets from foil and let cool, then peel and cut into 1/4-inch slices.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together remaining 3 tsp oil, shallot, and vinegar; season with salt and pepper. On a large platter, arrange beets and tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with dressing and sprinkle with fresh oregano leaves.

Source: Tiny's Organics Newsletter, August 29, 2012

Try #1 - August 2012
I love roast beets.  This was a delicious, simple salad.  I omitted the shallot (didn't have any), so my dressing was a simple vinaigrette.  Very pretty with the fresh oregano leaves sprinkled over top.

Chicken Kale Casserole

Coarse salt and ground pepper
3/4 lb large pasta shells
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 bunches kale, tough stems and ribs removed, leaves coarsely chopped
2 cups shredded or chopped cooked chicken (from 1/2 rotisserie chicken)
1 container (48 oz) part-skim ricotta
3 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
3/4 cup Parmesan (2 1/4 oz), grated, divided

1. Preheat oven to 350. In a large pot of boiling slated water, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; return to pot.
2. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high. Add onion and garlic; cook until onion is beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Add kale, cover, and cook until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to pot with pasta.
3. Stir in chicken, ricotta, lemon zest, and 1/2 cup Parmesan; season with salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to a 9x13 inch baking dish; top with 1/4 cup Parmesan. Bake until top is golden, 30 minutes.

Source: Tiny's Organics Newsletter, August 29, 2012

Try #1 - August 2012
This was pretty good, although I only used 16 oz of ricotta cheese, which to me is the standard size ricotta container.  There are 32 oz containers, but I've never seen a 48 oz container.  However... 16 oz was not enough.  Probably 32 oz would be fine, but with just 16 oz it was too dry (although I also increased the amount of pasta to 1 lb...).  In addition to the kale, I also added some coarsely chopped beet leaves.  An overall decent dish, but I would definitely add more ricotta next time.

Blackberry BBQ Sauce

1/2 cup blackberry preserves (or blackberry jam)
1 1/2 cup ketchup
1/8 cup brown sugar
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp mustard powder
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

In a medium bowl, mix together all ingredients. Use to baste pork or beef ribs while grilling.

Try #1 - August 29, 2012
I actually made blackberry jam in order to make blackberry BBQ, because we were roasting a chicken and I wanted something reminiscent of cranberry sauce.  Basically I wanted a sweet accompaniment... and this was good, because it was sweet and tangy!  Very easy to make.