The Way Too Easy - No Butter Scone

Last Year's Post:  Baked Egg Bowls
Two Years Ago:    Southwest Eggrolls (baked not fried)

If you like scones, this recipe is for you.  And if you've ever had a dried-out hockey puck of a scone in a bakery, give this one a chance.  Yes, you can buy a scone mix, but this recipe is easier than making cookies and you can customize it any way you want.  My favorite part is that you can mix up the dough the night before and then just bake the scones in the morning while you sip on coffee.  Warm scones for weekend breakfast!  Since I'm not particularly a morning person that really appealed to me.  (Thanks to my good friend Brad for the recipe!)

Scones seem to be sort of a cross between a biscuit and a muffin.  Some recipes lean more toward the more tender/crumbly biscuit end of the spectrum such as this cornmeal herb scone or this savory breakfast scone, but this recipe is soft and skews more toward the muffin side.  You can add your favorite spices, dried fruit, chocolate chips, flavored extracts and even grated lemon or orange zest to make it your own creation.

If you're having people for breakfast or brunch, this is an easy way to serve warm, fresh baked goods without fussing around with muffin papers or fancy pastries.

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The Way Too Easy – No Butter Scone

Makes 8

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon (or other spices)

1 ¼ cups raisins (or cranberries, chocolate chips, nuts, or a combination)

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 ¼ cups cream, cold

1-2 teaspoons flavored extract (vanilla, orange, etc.), optional

Topping

Eggwash (one egg beaten with one tablespoon water) or melted butter

Coarse sugar (can substitute regular sugar, just not as pretty)

Preheat oven to 375d.

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl, stirring in raisins or other add-ins last.  Add cream and stir until ingredients are just combined.  Form a ball of the dough and place on a floured surface.  Flatten and then fold a few times, then flatten into a circle about 1” thick if you’re going to cut wedges, or into a log about 12” long if you’re going to cut rounds.

Cut the circle into 8 wedges and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  If you formed a log, cut it into 8 equal pieces and put it on the parchment lined sheet.  Brush the tops with egg wash or butter, then sprinkle with sugar.  Bake about 15 minutes until golden.  Let cool on baking sheet about 10 minutes before serving warm.

Make Ahead:  Follow the recipe until you’ve formed the round or log.  Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour and up to overnight.  Remove and proceed with the rest of the recipe.

Chicken with Caramelized Onion and Cardamom Rice

Last Year's Post:  Mustard Swordfish Kebobs

Two Years Ago:   Spaghetti with Chicken, Herbs and Cherry Tomatoes

I found this recipe on the New York Times website and was intrigued by the fact that it came from a cookbook of food from Jerusalem ("Jerusalem: A Cookbook" by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi).  I looked the book up to see if there was a defining characteristic to the food of the city, and found (not surprisingly) that it's been influenced by Muslims, Jews, and the diverse ethnic make-up of the region - I think of it as sort of a unique Middle-Eastern blend.

In any event, the most surprising part of the recipe to me was that it was at once familiar and comforting (it is chicken and rice, after all) while also being mysterious and exotic (when was the last time you cooked with green cardamom pods?).  The deeply caramelized onions make the house smell great, and the spices add their fragrance as the rice and chicken cook.  The low-and-slow cooking method results in very tender and moist chicken and perfectly cooked rice, and the herbs are the final bright touch.  The fact that it's a one-pot recipe doesn't hurt, either.

I adapted the recipe, which you can see here (including a video), because I prefer boneless skinless chicken thighs and also because it seemed to contain way too much rice for four people.  I'd suggest warning people about the whole spices when you serve it - the cinnamon sticks are pretty obvious but the green cardamom pods tend to blend in (they aren't really all that green) and the cloves are the same color as the currants. No one wants to break a tooth.  I guess in theory you could try to fish out all the whole spices before serving, but you'll still probably miss one or two so I'd warn everyone anyway.  Plus they look cool on the plate. 

Speaking of currants, I tried to find barberries but was unsuccessful even with the local upscale grocer, Trader Joes and Whole Foods.  I might have made the trek to a Middle Eastern market but I already had currants in my pantry and I don't think it would have made much of a difference anyway.

You can never have too many chicken recipes, right?  This is a great and very healthy alternative to get you out of the same old rut.

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Chicken with Caramelized Onion and Cardamom Rice

Serves 4

2 tablespoons sugar

1 ½ tablespoons barberries, or currants

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs

Salt and freshly ground pepper

6 green cardamom pods

Scant ¼ teaspoon whole cloves

 1 ½ cinnamon sticks, broken in two

1 ¼ cups basmati rice

1 ¾ cups boiling water

1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

1/3 cup dill leaves, chopped

¼ cup cilantro leaves, chopped

½ cup plain Greek yogurt, optional

Put the sugar and 2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan and heat until the sugar dissolves.  Remove from the heat, add the barberries, and set aside to soak.  If using currants, skip this step.

Heat half the olive oil in a large sauté pan for which you have a lid over medium heat.   Add the onion and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown.  Transfer to a small bowl and wipe the pan clean.

Place the chicken in a mixing bowl and season with 1 teaspoon each salt and black pepper.  Add the remaining olive oil, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon and use your hands to mix everything together well.  Heat the sauté pan again and place the chicken and spices in it.  Sear the chicken until golden brown on each side and remove from the pan.  The spices can stay in the pan, but don’t worry if they stick to the chicken.  Add the rice, caramelized onions, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.  Drain the barberries and add them (or the currants) also.  Stir well and return the seared chicken to the pan, pushing it into the rice.

Pour the boiling water over the rice and chicken, making sure the rice is submerged.  Cover the pan and cook over very low heat for 30 minutes (check at about 20 minutes to see if a little more water is needed to prevent burning).  Take the pan off the heat, remove the lid, quickly place a clean tea towel over the pan, and seal again with the lid.  Let stand for another 10 minutes.  Finally, add the herbs and use a fork to stir them in and fluff up the rice.  Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.  Serve hot with optional yogurt on the side.

Note:  warn guests that the dish contains whole spices that should be picked out and not eaten.

Baked Pumpkin Spice Granola

Last Year's Post: Wild Mushroom and Gruyere Quiche
Two Years Ago:  Wild Mushroom & Wild Rice Chicken Soup

"Baked pumpkin spice granola" - doesn't that just sound good?  Like it will make your kitchen smell great.  And it's true.

The Lawyer and I like to sprinkle granola over yogurt for breakfast, and it's also fabulous in pancakes to add crunch.  Or, eaten straight out of hand, it makes a delicious mid-afternoon snack.  One time I gave some homemade granola to a friend who didn't particularly like to cook, and she told me later that she had it for dinner every night for a week.  However you eat it, granola is delicious.  This particularly granola is only lightly sweet but has the most wonderful flavor combination where no one flavor overwhelms.  At first you taste the spices, then a hint of coconut comes in, and then the pumpkin comes through.  

This granola is slightly darker than most you'll find at the store, due to the spices, dark brown sugar, maple syrup and pumpkin.  It's about the color of "normal" granola before it's baked, so don't freak out when it turns slightly darker during baking.  Just be sure to stir every ten minutes and it won't turn too dark.

Granola is incredibly easy to make and much less expensive than buying it in the store.  Its a fun little weekend project that you'll appreciate during the following week.  And it makes a great gift, too.

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Baked Pumpkin Spice Granola

Yields approximately 5 cups

3 ¾ cups old-fashioned rolled oats

2/3 cup unsweetened coconut

2/3 cup sliced almonds

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice*

1/8 teaspoon salt

½ cup pumpkin puree

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325d.

Line two large baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.  In a large bowl, toss the oats, coconut, almonds, spices and salt together until well combined.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, add the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, vegetable oil, brown sugar and vanilla; whisk until smooth.  Pour over dry ingredients and mix until everything is moistened.  Divide evenly between the baking sheets and spread out into a thin layer.

Bake each batch for 40 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes.  Allow granola to cool on the baking sheets for 20 minutes.  Cover tightly and store at room temperature.

* Or use ½ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon ground allspice.

Chicken Curry

Last Year's Post: Farm Stand Salad

Indian food has not been one of my favorites, so I have absolutely no idea why I decided to try this recipe in the first place ten years ago.  The reason why I remember how long it's been is because The Lawyer and I were in the process of a corporate move to Louisville, KY.  He had gone ahead to begin work and I stayed for a period of months in a small apartment in Minneapolis which didn't really give me much creative outlet for my cooking obsession.  I spent my spare time dreaming about all the great new recipes we would prepare when I finally arrived in Louisville.  Unfortunately, I decided that we needed to make a brand-new recipe the very day I arrived.  I also decided for some reason that all the boxes need to be unpacked in one weekend.  The two decisions collided, and not in a good way.

By the end of the first day of unpacking boxes we were both exhausted, but I had reached that point where you're so tired that you become unreasonably stubborn.  (Or at least I do.  Well, some would say I'm always unreasonably stubborn and that it's just a matter of degree.)  The Lawyer tried to talk me into going to a restaurant or at least ordering a pizza, but NO - I was going to make this recipe come hell or high water.  It's not hard, but a brand-new recipe is not a great idea for one of those nights. I don't recall most of the actual preparation but even through a haze of exhaustion I clearly remember how great it tasted. 

I always thought of Indian food as being heavy and fiery hot, but this dish is very light and fresh-tasting and has warmth from the spices rather than heat.   If you're new to Indian food this is a good introduction.  And it's fun to make because you can see and smell all the individual spices that go into making the overall complex flavor and can adjust them up or down to your taste the next time.  It's much more interesting and instructive than just buying a jar of curry powder and dumping it in.  My guess is that it was the homemade spice mix that attracted me in the first place.

The one fact you do need to come to grips with is that you need quite a number of spices.  Hopefully you already have many of them in your cupboard.  For the rest, I always recommend Penzeys (your local store or online www.penzeys.com) for the widest variety of fresh and inexpensive spices.  And remember, even after buying several spices this meal will still be cheaper than if you went to a restaurant.

The preparation is really pretty straight forward - coat chicken cubes in your homemade spice mix and brown, then remove.

Add onions, ginger and garlic to the pan and cook, then add some more spices - cardamom, bay leaf and cinnamon. I wrap them in cheesecloth and tie with kitchen string so they're easier to fish out later (you can find cheesecloth in some grocery stores and most kitchen supply stores).

Add tomatoes and the chicken pieces and simmer, then add a little yogurt, raisins and some cilantro.

Garnish with toasted sliced almonds and serve with basmati rice.  Don't skip the almonds - they're an important component for both flavor and crunch.

Not at all hard, but I do recommend trying it some day when you're not feeling unreasonably stubborn.

printable recipe

Chicken Curry

Serves 4-6

2 ½ teaspoons whole coriander seeds

2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon ground ginger

Pinch of ground cloves

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2 “cubes

2 tablespoons peanut oil

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 large or two medium onions, halved and thinly sliced

2 whole cinnamon sticks, about 3” long

1 bay leaf

3 green cardamom pods

4 cups whole canned tomatoes with juices

1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth

¼ cup plain yogurt

¾ cup golden raisins, roughly chopped

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Sliced almonds, toasted, for garnish

Hot cooked basmati rice

Special equipment needed: 

spice grinder

cheesecloth and kitchen string, for tying spice bundle

In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast coriander and cumin seeds until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.  Transfer to spice grinder, add crushed red pepper flakes, and grind to a powder.  Place in a large zip top bag, and add turmeric, ginger, cloves, salt and black pepper.  Add chicken and toss to coat.

Heat peanut oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add chicken, cooking until browned, 3 to 5 minutes.  Remove chicken and set aside.

Reduce heat and add ginger, garlic and onions.  Cook until softened and browned, 8 to 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, place cinnamon sticks, bay leaf and cardamom pods in a square of cheesecloth and tie with kitchen string.  When the onions are brown add the spice bundle and cook for an additional 10 minutes, making sure the spice bundle is covered with onions.  Add the tomatoes and roughly crush with a potato masher or snip with a kitchen scissors.  Add the chicken stock and browned chicken and raise the heat to medium high.  Cook until the liquid is somewhat reduced, about 15 minutes.  Reduce heat to low and stir in yogurt and raisins.  Cook until warmed through, then add cilantro.  Taste and adjust salt and pepper.

Serve with basmati rice and garnish with toasted almonds.

Moroccan-Spiced Chicken with Roasted Squash

My mother often made roast squash when I was a kid.  She cut and cleaned an acorn squash, then roasted it until tender.  She would scoop out the flesh after it cooled, and re-heat it in a frying pan with butter, salt and pepper.  That simple method is still probably my favorite today. Since it's fall and there are so many beautiful squash varieties to choose from I wanted to feature her recipe in a post.  Roast squash is rich, smooth and ever-so-slightly sweet so it pairs perfectly with spicy flavors.  In particular, it pairs perfectly with the spicy chili powder, cinnamon, cloves and ginger in the Moroccan-Spiced Chicken.

The spice blend for the chicken is fabulous.  Be sure to cook enough chicken to have some left over for a second meal of either a Moroccan Couscous Salad or a quesadilla (see below).  You'll have a little spice mix left over from the first meal that you can use in the second meal also.

The squash takes an hour to cook so start with that first, then you can mix the spice blend while it roasts.  I found a really pretty red-orange squash at the market.

The flesh inside was just as vibrant as the outside.

Clean out the strings and seeds and get the squash in the oven so you can start mixing your spice blend.  The recipe calls for hot chili powder but I only had regular so I added a 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

After the spices are mixed, you add a little olive oil to make a paste and smear it on the chicken.  Note that the chicken now needs to go into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.  (I somehow missed that until after the squash was done so it delayed dinner by about an hour.)

If you want to serve this dinner on a week night, roast the squash in advance and put the chicken breasts smeared with spice mix in the refrigerator overnight.  Then all you'll need to do is re-heat the squash and cook the chicken breasts, which only takes 4 minutes per side.  Dinner will be ready in about 15 minutes!

You can't tell from the pictures, but these were giant chicken breasts.  The two of us shared one for dinner with our squash and had one left for another great meal.  Suggestions for meal number two are a Moroccan Couscous Salad or a quesadilla.  For the Moroccan Couscous Salad, cook some couscous and add a little of your leftover spice blend, plus some dried currants or raisins, sauteed zucchini, toasted pine nuts, parsley and a little lemon juice.  Cube up your leftover chicken and toss everything together.

If you'd rather have a quesadilla, thinly slice the leftover chicken and put it in flour tortillas with mexican shredded cheese, mild diced green chiles, a little lime juice, a little more spice blend and some cilantro.  Saute in butter until both sides are golden, then serve with guacamole and sour cream.

All three meals are easy, healthy and delicious.  Even if you think you don't like squash, try the roasted squash recipe.  As my mom always said, "it might be your favorite new thing".

click here for a printable recipe

Moroccan-Spiced Chicken and Roasted Squash

Serves 4

For the squash:

1 hard-shell squash such as acorn, buttercup, etc.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper

 For the spice mix:

Grated zest of one orange
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon hot chili powder (or 1 teaspoon regular chili powder and ¼ teaspoon cayenne)
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cloves

For the chicken:

3 tablespoons plus two teaspoons Moroccan spice mix
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 small or 2-3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 pound)
1 tablespoon canola oil

Preheat the oven to 350d.  Line a baking pan with foil or parchment paper. Cut the squash in half horizontally and scoop out the strings and seeds with a spoon.  Brush the cut sides with olive oil and place the squash halves cut side down on the baking pan.  Bake for 60 minutes or until the squash is tender and pierces easily with a fork.  Allow to cool.

Meanwhile, make the spice blend by mixing all spice mix ingredients together thoroughly.  Make a paste by mixing the measured amount of spice blend with the olive oil, then smear it on both sides of the chicken breasts.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

When cooled, scoop the squash flesh out of the shell and into a bowl, then mash with a potato masher until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper.  Heat a frying pan over medium heat and add the butter.  Add the squash and cook, stirring occasionally, until fully heated.

Heat the canola oil in a second frying pan over medium heat.  Saute the chicken breasts until cooked through, about 4 minutes per side.

Slice the chicken and serve with the hot squash.

Make Ahead: roast the squash and scoop the flesh into a bowl; cover and refrigerate overnight.  Prepare the spice mix and smear the paste on the chicken, cover and refrigerate overnight.  Proceed with the rest of the recipe the following evening.

Spicy Homemade Peanut Butter

I heard on the news this week that a peanut butter recall is going on nationwide so it seemed like a good time to publish this particular post.

Any time I make something that's readily available in a store I think of my mother and smile.  A few years back I called to chat and she asked me what I had done that day.  When I replied that I had baked hamburger buns there was this pause on the other end of the line.  Then she said, "why would anyone make hamburger buns when you can buy perfectly good ones at the store?"  Therein lies the difference between us.  I make things because it's fun.  Or because I've never tried them before.  My mother, on the other hand, was the original devotee of boiling bags and all things microwaved.  She gave away her pots and pans and now owns exactly one small knife that I think she uses to slice bananas.  The servers at local restaurants know her by name.  She occasionally wonders aloud how she could have a daughter who likes to cook - she primarily likes to discuss politics. 

Anyway, I was surfing the Internet looking for a recipe for a sandwich from the Dominican Republic and ended up finding one for spicy peanut butter from the Dominican Republic instead.  Of course I was immediately intrigued because I've never made peanut butter before.  It didn't seem too hard - all you do is grind up some peanuts with a little oil, salt and a hot pepper - so I ran out and bought the ingredients and some cute little jars.

The name of the peanut butter is Mamba.  It's made in varying degrees of spiciness by using anything from no peppers at all to using scotch bonnets, one of the hottest peppers on earth.  For my first experiment I decided to use a jalapeno because I was familiar with the degree of heat it has.  I first added half a pepper and The Lawyer and I both tasted it.  We could barely taste any heat at all so I added the remainder.  It still has just a slightly spicy flavor so the peanuts and oil must suck up the heat somehow. (technical explanation)  The overall flavor is more fresh than normal peanut butter and the texture is lighter and less sticky. It's great on toast or anywhere else you normally use peanut butter.  Next time I make it I think I'll experiment with adding some mild chile powder in addition to the jalapeno.  That's the fun of making your own!  If spicy isn't your thing, think of adding some cinnamon instead of the pepper - cinnamon and peanut butter go really well together.  Or how about pumpkin pie spice?  Get creative and you can experiment with all kinds of flavor combinations.

I used unsalted dry-roasted peanuts and noted that I needed a full two tablespoons of peanut oil to make it turn into a paste when the recipe only called for one.  I have the feeling that the author used oil-roasted, not dry-roasted peanuts.  Just be aware if you try the recipe that the amount of oil will vary according to what type of peanuts you use.  Be sure to use unsalted peanuts or taste before adding the salt if you can only find salted peanuts.

So, if you're one of those curious people like me, give it a try and see what you think.  It's really easy and you don't have to run out and get cute jars, you could just put it in any container you have to refrigerate it.  But I had seen these jars at Crate and Barrel and it was a great excuse to buy a couple.

* * click here for a printable recipe * *

Spicy Homemade Peanut Butter
Makes about 4 ounces

1 cup unsalted roasted peanuts
1-2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 spicy pepper (such as jalapeno or hotter), stemmed and seeded
½ teaspoon salt

Pulse the peanuts in a food processor until it becomes a smooth paste. Add oil, one tablespoon at a time, to make the paste smoother to your liking. Add half the pepper and the salt and pulse until well mixed. Taste, and add the second half of the pepper if you want it spicier. Pulse again until smooth.

Pour into a clean container with a tight-fitting lid and keep refrigerated.

Smoky Peanut Mole with Pork Tenderloin

Mole (molay) is a sauce that originated in Mexico's colonial period that typically contains one or more types of chiles, ground nuts, tomatoes, spices, and sometimes chocolate.  (The word "mole" actually means sauce in Nahuatl so saying "mole sauce" is actually saying "sauce sauce".)  A mole can have 20, 30, or even more ingredients and is one of the classic sauces of the world.  I've tried mole a few times and was never that fond of the chocolate element in the sauce, plus some moles can be very heavy and smother the meat flavor. But I was watching a food network special the other day on "the best sauce I ever had" and Michael Chiarello (a famous chef from the Napa Valley) chose the mole served with pork at Rick Bayless' restaurant Frontera Grill in Chicago as his favorite sauce.  I'm a big admirer of Rick Bayless' Mexican cuisine so I was immediately curious.  After a few minutes of surfing I found the exact recipe and was happy to discover his version didn't contain chocolate and it "only" had 16 ingredients.  And it was served over grilled pork tenderloin, one of my favorite meats.  So I had to try it.  Of course.

First you should know that this sauce took a little over 90 minutes to prepare so plan accordingly.  It wasn't at all hard, it was just time consuming.  Thirty minutes are occupied with letting some chiles soak in water and another 45 minutes are spent letting the sauce reduce and stirring it once in a while.  I would estimate active prep time at around 40 minutes. Having said all that, it was SO worth it.  The sauce has a warm smoky richness without being heavy or overly spicy.  It complemented the grilled pork perfectly but it would also be great with chicken or turkey.  Rick Bayless scores again!

I wanted to pass along a few things I learned along the way.  First, the recipe doesn't specify whether the peanuts should be salted or not, and whether the chicken broth should be low-sodium or not.  I always err on the side of less salt so I used unsalted peanuts and unsalted broth.  You add salt at the end and I found 1 teaspoon to be the right amount with the unsalted products.

Second, I found dried ancho chiles in my regular store with other dried chiles.  You might also check the Mexican food aisle.  They look like this.

The recipe tells you to stem and seed the chiles, then tear them into flat pieces so you can toast them briefly in a dry skillet to develop a smoky flavor.  The torn chiles look like this.

The other chile in the recipe is canned chipotles in adobo, which is readily found in most stores' Mexican aisle.

The final tip I wanted to pass along is my new favorite "how did I ever live without this" gadget called a Thermapen.  I stumbled across it on another food blog and learned it's the instant thermometer of choice for most competitive BBQ enthusiasts and many professional chefs, so I had to have one. What makes it so great is the really thin probe that can measure the temperature of even the thinnest piece of fish, plus the fact that it reads temperature in 3 seconds flat.   The Lawyer uses it every time he grills and thinks it really helps take the guesswork out of grilling.  He used it for the pork tenderloin in this recipe and it came out absolutely perfect - tender, moist, and slightly pink in the center. 

The thermometer turns on when the probe is opened, then turns off when it's folded back into the body for storage - couldn't be easier.  If you're a serious food person or you've ever had trouble deciding whether a chicken or turkey or roast was done, you need this.  You might not know it, but you do.  You can check it out at http://thermoworks.com/products/thermapen/.   I don't receive anything by endorsing it but I highly recommend it anyway. 

Try the mole.  It's one of the famous, classic dishes of the world, and rightly so. Now is a good time if you have tomatoes in your garden, plus it's another one of those food adventures we like to have.

* * click here for a printable recipe * *

Smoky Peanut Mole with Pork Tenderloin
Serves 6

2 medium dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 tablespoons canola oil
½ small white onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled
8 ounces (1 medium-large round or 3-4 plum) ripe tomatoes
1 cup dry roasted peanuts, plus additional chopped for garnish
2 slices firm white bread, torn into pieces
2 canned chipotle chiles en adobo, seeded
½ teaspoon cinnamon, preferably freshly ground Mexican
1/3 teaspoon allspice, preferably freshly ground
About 3 ½ cups chicken broth
½ cup fruity red wine
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 bay leaves
Salt to taste
2 (1-lb) pork tenderloins
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
Cilantro for garnish


Tear the dried ancho chiles into flat pieces. Heat an ungreased skilled over medium heat and add the chile pieces. Briefly press the chiles down with a spatula. Listen for a crackling noise and watch for the color to change. Do not allow the chiles to start smoking – a burnt taste will significantly change the flavor of the mole. Place the toasted chiles in a small bowl, cover with hot water, and let soak for 30 minutes. Pour off the water.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add white onion and garlic cloves. Sauté, stirring frequently, until the onions and garlic are browned, about 10 minutes. Scoop the onions and garlic into a blender.

Preheat the broiler with a rack at the highest level. Remove the core from the tomatoes and place on a baking sheet lined with foil. Place under the broiler for 5 minutes, turn the tomatoes, and broil for an additional 5 minutes until the skin of the tomatoes is blackened. When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, peel the skin off and place the entire tomatoes, juices included, into the blender.

Add the peanuts, bread, chipotles, drained ancho chiles, allspice, and cinnamon to the blender. Add 1 ½ cups chicken broth and blend until the mixture is smooth. Add a little more chicken broth if the blades of the blender aren’t running smoothly. Put the mixture through a medium-mesh strainer into a bowl.

In the same large saucepan used to cook the onion and garlic, heat 1 tablespoon canola oil over medium-high heat. Add the peanut puree. Stir continuously for about 5 minutes as the mixture thickens and darkens. Stir in 2 cups chicken broth, red wine, cider vinegar, and bay leaves. Turn the heat down to medium-low, partially cover the pot, and let the mixture simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring regularly.

Taste the mole and season with salt (1/2 – 1 ½ teaspoons) and sugar. Remove the bay leaves. Keep warm.

Preheat the grill to high heat. Rub pork tenderloins with olive oil and season generously with kosher salt and pepper. Place on the grill and sear each side, about 2 minutes per side. Turn the heat down to medium-high and cook for an additional 7-12 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145-150 degrees. Let the pork rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Serve several pieces of the pork with the mole sauce and garnish with chopped peanuts and cilantro.

Scandinavian Muesli

Muesli (mew-slee) is a Swiss-German breakfast cereal.  Although I grew up in a very Scandinavian part of the country and had heard of muesli, I had never actually tried it until we were at a buffet breakfast in St. Petersburg, Russia and there it was.  Maybe that's because we were close to Scandinavia?  Anyway, the Lawyer likes it so I decided to give it a try. I thought muesli would either be like oatmeal since it has rolled oats, or like granola since it has nuts and fruits.  Actually it's like a cross between the two that's served cold with yogurt or milk. 

At this particular restaurant the muesli was mixed into yogurt to soften overnight, which is traditional.  It reminded me of a summer version of oatmeal because the texture was similar but it was cool and creamy rather than hot. (It would be really good on a warm summer morning.)

mixed with yogurt

 I really like it, and especially like the fact that you can mix it up the night before.  I also like that it's very healthy with whole grains, the cholesterol-fighting properties of oats, calcium-rich dairy, probiotics (good bacteria) in the yogurt, and some protein. 

Speaking of Russia, if you ever have the opportunity to go I highly recommend it.  St. Petersburg is very beautiful and looks like a European city, while Moscow has those great funky buildings that look like Johnny Depp and Tim Burton might have designed them for an Alice in Wonderland movie.

Back to Muesli - I like this particular recipe because the grains, almonds and coconut are toasted to give them a little additional crispy texture and nutty flavor, and  I also like the touch of sweetness and cinnamon.  Even when mixed into yogurt the night before, the muesli will retain some crunchiness due to the nuts. You can easily double the recipe - although it states that it will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, you could freeze some for later. It's a really easy and healthy way to start your day.

* * click here for a printable recipe * *

Scandinavian Muesli
8 servings, about ½ cup each

Note: you can substitute any combination of chopped dried fruit for the raisins and can add fresh fruit just before serving. Walnuts can be substituted for almonds. You can also eat the muesli with yogurt or milk mixed in right before serving rather than the night before. The texture will be different – try it both ways and see which you prefer.


2 cups old-fashioned or quick-cooking (not instant) rolled oats
2/3 cup rye flakes, wheat flakes, or whole grain nugget cereal
1/3 cup coarsely chopped almonds
2 tablespoons flaked coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
½ cup raisins
2 tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of cinnamon


Preheat oven to 350d. Cover a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Spread oats and rye flakes (or wheat flakes or nugget cereal) on the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Stir in the almonds and bake for an additional 5 minutes, then stir in the coconut and bake for a final 5 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and turn it off.

Microwave the honey for 10 seconds, then stir in the vanilla and cinnamon. Drizzle over the muesli and stir very well to coat.  Return the muesli to the turned-off warm oven and let cool completely, about 2 hours.  Add the raisins and stir again. 

Cover and refrigerate for up to two weeks.

To serve: combine with low-fat yogurt or milk (twice as much yogurt or milk as muesli) and refrigerate, covered, overnight.

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

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Weekend breakfasts are a great time to sip on a big cup of coffee and make something special for your family, especially when it turns cold outside.  These pumpkin pancakes are one of my favorites for several reasons - the pumpkin makes them rich and moist while the spices perfume your entire house.  Everything about them says that it's fall and the leaves are blowing off the trees and it's time to get the sweaters out of the closet.  If you take the time to mix the dry ingredients the night before, all you do in the morning is mix in the wet ingredients just like you were using a packaged mix (except it tastes much better!).
 
Tip of the day - freeze any leftover pancakes in a single layer on a cooling rack in the freezer until frozen solid, then pile them into a large ziplock bag.  They won't stick together so you can take out as many as you want at a time.

Mike the Wonder Dog was particularly fond of pancakes.  The major mistake that we made early on was to feed him leftovers of people food so he was attracted to our table by the smells.  With those little dinky dogs (I call them "snack dogs" because they're usually the size of a sub sandwich) that's not a problem, but when your dog is taller than the table it can be problematic.  Mike was an Irish Wolfhound.  For those of you not familiar with the breed, it's the largest dog breed in the world.  Mikey weighed 160 pounds and measured 8 feet from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail.  I'll dig up a picture and post it soon.  Mike (or as we occasionally called him, "Young Frankenstein") has been gone now for over eight years but we'll certainly never forget him and some of his exploits.  More some other time!

* * click here for a printable recipe version * *

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes
Makes approximately 14-15 pancakes

Note: the dry ingredients (flour through salt) may be mixed the night before, then proceed with the rest of the recipe in the morning.

2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1-1/2 cups milk
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons white vinegar

Maple syrup and toasted chopped pecans (optional garnish)


Combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger, and salt) in a medium bowl, whisking to mix well. Add the brown sugar and mix again. In a large bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Add the dry ingredients to the large bowl and stir just enough to combine.

Cook on a preheated (350d) griddle or lightly oiled frying pan on medium-high heat. Note that the pancakes may take slightly longer to cook than normal due to the moistness of the pumpkin puree – watch for the bubbles to burst on the top of the pancakes, then they’re ready to flip (approximately 4 minutes per side).

Serve with pure maple syrup and toasted pecans (optional).