Julia Child's Ratatouille

Rainstorms always put me in the mood for something heart-warming, cozy, and filling. Lucky for my tummy, it rained the other day and I decided to make ratatouille, an eggplant casserole with tomatoes, onions, peppers, and zucchini. I based my creation on the ratatouille recipe expertly crafted by the queen of French cooking, Julia Child. I changed a few things to the recipe, only to make it easier and a little more colorful. It'll be hard work, but it's so worth it and you'll see why. For the original recipe, please go to the following link Knopf Double Day: Julia Child's Ratatouille Recipe

What you'll need:
1 eggplant
1 zucchini or green squash
1 yellow squash (added to bring a little more color to the dish)
1 tsp. salt
4 tbsp. olive oil
1 yellow onion
1 green pepper
1 red pepper (added to bring a little more color to the dish)
1 green pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves mashed garlic
1 pound red tomatoes (about 4 large tomatoes)
3 tablespoons minced parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Red pepper flakes (added cause Tyler and I love a little kick)
Thyme (added cause who doesn't love thyme)
Shredded mozzarella (added to top with  - really takes the dish to the next level!)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Wash all vegetables. Thinly slice the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, yellow onion, green pepper, and red pepper. Season with salt and set aside. Try not to mix the vegetables. It makes it easier to arrange the vegetables later.

3. Saute the eggplant, zucchini, and squash in olive oil for about 5 minutes browning each side  lightly. Remove to a side dish.  
4. In the same skillet, cook the onions and green pepper and red pepper for about 10 minutes. While that's cooking, mince garlic and mix in with vegetables.
5. Next, dice tomatoes. Mix with onions and peppers. Cook down until tender and soft. Season with salt and pepper and red pepper flakes and thyme to taste.
6. Place the mixture of onions, peppers, and tomatoes into the bottom of an olive oil-coated casserole pan (I used fresh tomatoes and the mixture of onions, peppers, and tomatoes, as the base of the casserole). Sprinkle minced parsley over tomatoes.
7. Arrange eggplant, zucchini, and yellow squash so you can see all the different colors. 
8. Do steps 5 and 6 repeatedly in that order until the casserole pan is full. Sprinkle fresh parsley, more thyme, and red pepper flakes on top.
9. Place in  heated oven and bake for 30 minutes.
10. Serve with shredded mozarella cheese and a good slice of bread to dip into the ratatouille sauce.

 

Almondy Almond Cake

I first learned of this almondy almond cake recipe from Ty's dad when he made it for a neighborhood pool party. It looked and smelled so delicious as he was making it. The fragrance of the roasted almonds and vanilla extract permeated the kitchen. It was hard waiting until the pool party to try a slice. But believe me when I tell you, it was a huge hit and well worth the wait. It was super moist and like the title promises, very almondy, which is a very good thing!

So thank you to Jim for introducing this recipe to me. You made this rainy day that much better; cause on a rainy day like today, there's nothing better than a perfect slice of cake.

What You'll Need:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup ground almonds
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 tsps almond extract
1 2/3 tsps vanilla extract
1 cup milk

1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt pan (or 2 9-inch loaf pans if you don't have one like me). Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and ground almonds. Set aside.

 2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the almond and vanilla extract. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with 1 cup of milk, mixing just until incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan.

 3. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes and invert on a wire rack. Cool 10 minutes longer and then place on waxed paper.
4. While that's cooling, place sliced almonds on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 10 minutes.
5. As that's going, start making the glaze. Combine 1/4 cup milk, 3/4 cup sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Add almonds when finished toasting.
6. Poke little holes in the top of the cake with a fork. This will let the glaze permeate the cake. Do this gently so you don't break the cake. Once complete, pour glaze over cake.
7. Get a glass of milk and eat!!

Watermelon, Mint, and Feta Cheese Salad

Ty and I went to the grocery store the other day and saw the cutest little baby watermelon. I knew it was a little out of season, but I couldn't resist. I had to have it! I did a quick inventory of what we had in our fridge and remembered the feta cheese we used for the chicken roulade. So that's what we did! We grabbed the watermelon, some mint, and headed home to make an incredibly simple, but bright and flavorful watermelon, mint, and feta cheese salad. Enjoy!

What you'll need:
1/2 baby watermelon
2 or 3 leaves of fresh mint
1/4 cup of crumbled reduced fat feta cheese

Directions:
1. Cut the watermelon into 1 inch cubes.
2. Finely chop the mint and mix with watermelon.
3. Mix in the feta cheese and you're done!

Mediterranean Chicken Roulade

As the fall season approaches, the herbs in Ty's garden have begun getting ready for the colder weather. We've been trying all sorts of new recipes to incorporate the herbs before they go dormant. Today we used Ty's oregano plant to make a Mediterranean chicken roulade. It turned out absolutely perfect and I have to say it looked and tasted quite gourmet. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

What you'll need:
1 package of thinly sliced chicken breasts (about 4 slices)
1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
A dash of salt and pepper
A dash of red pepper flakes
A dash of sumac and za'atar
1 package of reduced fat crumbled feta cheese
A handful of oregano
1 lemon
4 cloves of garlic
Toothpicks

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. 
2. While that's heating up, make the filling. Start by finely chopping the oregano and garlic. Once chopped, mix with feta cheese. Zest half a lemon and mix in with filling. Set aside.

3. On to the chicken! Coat bottom of ceramic roasting pan with EVOO. Place chicken breast in pan and make sure both sides are covered with EVOO. Season chicken breast with salt and pepper, red pepper flakes, sumac, and za'atar.

4. Place filling on the skinnier side of the breast. Roll as tight as you can. Set in place with a toothpick or a string of cooking twine.

5. Once all are wrapped, sear the chicken in a frying pan until brown on all sides. This should only take 5 to 7 minutes.
6. Place chicken in roasting pan and bake in oven for 10 minutes. Flip sides and bake for another 10 minutes.
7. Let the meat rest for a minute or two and then begin slicing. Place slices in a separate plate. Once all are placed, drizzle the remaining EVOO from the roasting pan and sprinkle a little more filling if you have some leftover. You can also squeeze a little lemon juice on top and/or place a few lemon slices for presentation.

Lamb Chops with Yogurt-Mint Sauce

Tyler and I went on an impromptu run to Williams & Sonoma this past weekend and boy did we have the best luck! We found a Chinese bamboo steamer (I've always wanted one), a jar of sumac and za'atar (love!), and the star of the meal tonight, a hot mint jelly, which was only $2.99 for a big jar! Ty came up with the idea to make lamb chops with a yogurt-mint sauce for dinner and it turned out perfectly. Not only was it delicious, but it was so easy to make. We made it in less than 30 minutes. Hope you love it as much as we did!

What you'll need:
2 lamb chops
1 tsp. of sea salt
1 tsp. of sumac
1/2 cup of fat-free plain yogurt
4 tbsp. of hot mint jelly
Handful of fresh parsley

Directions:

1. Season the meat with sea salt and sumac. Sumac has a really tart, lemony flavor. It's the perfect seasoning for a more gamey meat like lamb.

2. Grill on the foreman or on the stove. It should take about 10 minutes per chop. Once it's done, set aside. Always let your meats rest to ensure maximum tenderness and minimum runniness.
3. Now it's time for the sauce! Chop up some fresh parsley. We used the parsley from Tyler's herb garden. Mix the yogurt, hot mint jelly, and parsley in a bowl.

4. And you're done! Just add a sprig of parsley on top of the meat and drizzle a little sauce on the chop or you can set it on the side. It's delicious!

Fattoush Salad

Fattoush, which means "crumbled bread" in Arabic, is one of my favorite Levantine mezza dishes. I first had it in Amman and was absolutely floored by the bright flavors I tasted in each bite. Who knew vegetables could be so delicious?! Traditionally, fattoush is a mix of lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, parsley and mint, olive oil, lemon juice, sumac or za'atar (fabulous!) seasoning, and of course, pita chips! When I was looking in the fridge tonight, I realized I didn't have a lot of the ingredients, but I went ahead and tried making my own version, using the ingredients I did have! I'll show you how to make a simplified version of fattoush and you'll be saying "wow". And even better, it doesn't take long to prepare at all! This version is just for one person. Enjoy!

What you'll need:
1 Cucumber
Lots of Grape Tomatoes, around 15
A handful of pita chips
A handful of dill (thanks to Suzanne for letting us pick some from the garden. It was delicious)
A dash of sea salt and pepper
1 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. of lemon juice

Directions:
1. Peel and dice the cucumbers into one inch cubes.

2. Slice the grace tomatoes into small one inch cubes.

3. Mix cucumbers and grape tomatoes together.
4. Finely chop the dill and mix in with the cucumbers and toatoes.

5. Dress the mixture with the EVOO, lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper.
6. Now crush the pita chips. You can either use store-bought pita chips like I did or make your own. If you do decide to make your own, just take a pita, break into bite size pieces, and bake in the oven till golden brown. Season with a little salt and pepper or get creative, and use some interesting seasonings!

7. Mix the pita chips in with everything else. Serve immediately. You don't want the pita chips getting soggy!

 

Homemade Dumplings

After spending a lovely labor day weekend in Charlottesville (what a perfect weekend!), Ty and I returned home after a two and a half hour drive, craving a little something yummy. I looked in the fridge and knew just the thing, dumplings!

It seems daunting to make dumplings, but it's so simple and very healthy. Follow the directions below and you'll find that you yourself can make restaurant-delicious dumplings. :)

What you'll need:
1 package of dumpling or wonton wrappers (you can get these at the Chinese market - Wonton wrappers are more "slippery". They make great soup dumplings. Dumpling wrappers are better for fried dumplings)
1 lb of ground turkey (you can also use ground pork!)
4 spring onions
A dash of salt and pepper
2 tbsp. of soy sauce
1 tbsp. of sesame oil

Directions:
1. Finely chop the spring onions. Remember, vegetables always come before meat! Set aside.

2. Prepare ground turkey. Season with salt and pepper, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Add spring onions. Mix well. Add more seasoning if you need more flavor and set aside.

3. We're about to start making the dumplings! Follow the system I list below.This is how I've made dumplings since I was a kid and I promise it makes the process much easier. Start by filling a dish with cold water. Place the wrappers, cold water, and ground turkey in a line. You'll start by lining the wrappers on all sides with water, fill with a spoonful of the ground turkey, and wrap the dumplings. Make sure all the sides are closed. Set aside.

4. Get a pot of boiling water ready.
5. Place dumplings in boiling water and wait for the dumplings to float to the top. It should only take about 5 to 7 minutes. Once they start floating, they're ready to eat!
6. You can make a dipping sauce with soy sauce and sesame oil and finely chopped garlic, or Ty's favorite, Siracha sauce!