Cranberry Pomegranate Sauce

Hey, blogging world!  I have been way too absent lately and I'm hoping to change that soon.  Work is crazy, my kids are busy, and we're entering "the holidays" which, as awesome as they are, makes my to-do list grow exponentially.  I keep saying I just need to find my groove, but... well, I'm still waiting...

This is a recipe that I made for the first time last Thanksgiving and I've been waiting since then to post it.  I've always just done cranberry sauce from a can, and you have to admit that it's pretty good.  However, I've always wanted to try a fresh version, so I was happy to see that The Pioneer Woman posted a recipe that looked unique, easy, and delicious.

This was just sweet enough without being overpowering.  I loved the healthy addition of pomegranate sauce, and I especially loved the fact that I could make it in the morning and let it chill all day.  Any recipe that can be done in advance scores some serious bonus points from me!

We host a crowd of 20+, so I doubled the recipe below.  You can bet that it will be back on my table this year!

Cranberry Pomegranate Sauce
from The Pioneer Woman

• 1 bag (about 12 To 16 Oz) Fresh Cranberries
• 16 ounces, fluid Pomegranate Juice
• 3/4 cups Sugar, More Or Less To Taste

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Mixture will thicken as it cooks, and will thicken more as it cools.

Cool in a jar or bowl in the fridge. Serve with Thanksgiving turkey.

Roasted Asian Veggies

I'm really not a huge side-dish-during-the-week kinda person. If my main dish doesn't already have a veggie in it, I'll throw a frozen bag into the microwave and call my meal balanced.

Now that I'm on summer break, however, I'm trying to be better about serving fresh vegetables and this one from weelicious is just perfection. It takes barely any effort, and as long as you have the time it takes to roast in the oven, you're good to go.

I would never ever have thought to infuse broccoli and cauliflower with Asian flowers, but I'm glad somebody did. This was awesome, and my kids inhaled it. I combined the leftovers with some couscous and grilled chicken for a perfect lunch.


Roasted Asian Veggies
from Weelicious

• 2 Cups Broccoli Florets
• 2 Cups Cauliflower Florets
• 2 Tbsp Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil
• 1 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Seeds

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Place florets on a greased baking sheet, top with soy sauce and sesame oil, and toss to coat evenly.

Bake for 30 minutes until golden, then sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Serve.

Taffy Apple Salad

I have had this recipe for years... well before my oldest son was born. I make it multiple times each summer for barbeques and parties; I have NO idea why I've never blogged about it before.

I omit the nuts because my father and son are both allergic, but I think they'd be a wonderful addition. Even without, though, it's a refreshing and delicious side dish. The marshmallows somehow melt away to meld with the rest of the ingredients and the fruit combinations are endless. I've subbed fresh pears for some of the apples or canned for the pineapples. Mandarin oranges would work nicely as well - mix it up!


Taffy Apple Salad
from The Pampered Chef

• 1 8oz can pineapple tidbits in juice
• 2 medium red apples, cored and diced
• 2 medium Granny Smith apples, cored and diced
• 1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
• 4oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup thawed, frozen whipped topping
• 1 cup miniature marshmallows
• additional chopped dry roasted peanuts (optional)

Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Whisk cream cheese into juice until smooth. Stir in whipped topping; mix until blended.

Add pineapple, apples, peanuts, and marshmallows to cream cheese mixture; mix gently. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Sprinkle with additional peanuts if desired.

Baked Onion Rings

I LOVE onion rings. I don't know why I don't buy them more often, but thanks to Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes, I don't have to. These make-your-own are easy (albeit slightly time consuming but that's my own fault for not remembering that they needed to soak for a few hours) and taste delicious!

Everyone in my house gobbled these up, and I am pretty sure it won't be long until I make them again.

(Her recipe says to bake for about 12 minutes - mine needed about 6 minutes longer.)


Low Fat Baked Onion Rings
from Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes

• 1 medium onion, sliced into 1/4 inch rings
• 2 1/4 cups low fat buttermilk
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup Italian seasoned whole wheat bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup crushed corn flake crumbs
• salt to taste
• olive oil baking spray

Place slices of onion in a shallow dish. Pour the buttermilk over the top and let them soak for about 1 - 2 hours, refrigerated.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.

Combine panko, bread crumbs and corn flakes in a large dish, season with salt.

Dip each soaked onion ring into the crumb mixture; coat well. Place rings onto two cookie sheets. Lightly spray with oil. Bake about 12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Asian Couscous Salad

Couscous has only been on my radar for a year or two and I'm sorry for the years I've missed out.  It's so easy to make and has such a distinctive flavor.

I've seen this salad on several different sites, and even though I was afraid my husband wouldn't like this, I added it to the menu alongside some meatballs.  It comes together so quickly, making it the perfect weeknight dinner.

Asian Couscous Salad

from Aggie's Kitchen

• 1 cup uncooked whole wheat couscous
  
• 1 1/4 cup water
  
• 3/4 of 16 oz bag of pre-shredded coleslaw mix
  
• 2 carrots, shredded
  
• 3-4 green onions, thinly sliced
  
• 1/2 cup sliced and toasted almonds
  
• 1/3 cup crunchy chow mein noodles (optional)
  
• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
  
• 1/2 cup olive oil (or oil of your preference)
  
• 1 TB hoisin sauce
  
• 1 TB honey
  
• 1-2 cloves minced or pressed garlic
  
• salt and pepper to taste
  

In small bowl, whisk together rice wine vinegar, oil, hoisin, honey, garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Bring 1 1/4 cups water to boil. Add 1 cup uncooked whole wheat couscous. Take off heat and set aside for 5 minutes. Once couscous has absorbed water, fluff with a fork and let cool.

In large bowl combine shredded coleslaw mix, carrots, green onion and almonds (and crunchy noodles if adding). Add cooled couscous to mixture and gently combine. Add dressing to salad and toss. Taste for additional salt and pepper. Can be served immediately at room temperature or refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Crockpot Baked Sweet Potatoes

I loooove baked potatoes, especially sweet potatoes, but I just don't get home from work early enough to give them the proper baking time.  Many people have success throwing them in the microwave, but for some reason I'm too incompetent to go that route.

I was cooking a roast chicken in the crockpot today and decided I really wanted baked sweet potatoes.  I put the chicken in my 6-quart crockpot and used my new 4-quart for the potatoes.

I pretty much had zero expectations, but these were absolutely delicious.  They were cooked to almost the consistency of mashing them, which was fine with me.  Nice and comforting, they made a perfect companion to roast chicken.

(I kind of feel dumb "claiming" this as my recipe because I didn't really DO anything... also, I have no measurements because I just kind of did it without giving it much thought.)

Crockpot-Baked Sweet Potatoes

from Lauren's Kitchen

• 4 sweet potatoes
  
• olive oil
  
• cinnamon
  
• brown sugar
  
• butter

Scrub and dry the potatoes and stab several times with a fork.  Pile into slow cooker.  Drizzle some olive oil over the potatoes and sprinkle with a couple of healthy shakes of cinnamon.  Cook on low for 6 hours.

Slice open and serve with a little bit of butter and sprinkled brown sugar and cinnamon.

Fluffy Cous Cous

Guess what. Until the other night, I have never consumed nor cooked cous cous.

I really don't know why.

I loved this little side, and have already scoured the internet from yummy variations. Feel free to leave your favorites in the comments.

Thank you, My Kitchen Cafe, for opening a whole carb world to me. I'm so excited to have other starchy side dish options besides potatoes, pasta, and rice.


Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups couscous
• 1 small onion, minced
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups water
• 1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Melt two tablespoons of the butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the couscous and cook, stirring often, until some of the grains are just beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer the couscous to a large bowl.

Melt the remaining two tablespoons butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and salt and cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the water and broth and bring to a boil.

Pour the boiling liquid over the toasted couscous and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let it sit until the couscous is tender, about 12 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap and fluff the couscous with a fork. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Superbowl Snack Throwdown: Zinfandel Cranberry Sauce

Happy Day-After-Thanksgiving! While you are digesting your turkey and pie, click here to vote in this week's Throwdown, where the secret ingredient was wine. Scroll down a bit and vote for your favorite on the right.

For many families, Thanksgiving and football really go hand in hand. My family, however, has recently begun taking that relationship to new levels; yesterday, they played in the 2nd Annual Gellar Bowl (yes, we're a little obsessed with Friends here).

Prior to the feast, a bunch of the guys get together for a football game played on an open stretch of grass across the street from my house. Little by little, this game gained a life of its own, including jerseys, playbooks, and a delivery of pylons to my front door.

The Sparkling Wiggles (my brother-in-law, husband, and cousin):


Two-time champions, Semper Fun (my cousin's husband flanked by my two brothers):


After a champagne victory celebration and a few showers, we sat down to our traditional Thanksgiving feast. We've been hosting it at our house since 2003, and enjoy the coming together of both of our families.

While I really look to making things as easy as possible for myself (especially since I have to simultaneously care for my toddler and infant!), I also love to try new things. This year, I decided to ditch the cans of Ocean Spray and try my hand at homemade cranberry sauce.

I perused several recipes online and came up with what you see below. This dish was fabulous and super easy to create. It is elegant enough to grace your Thanksgiving table, but also casual enough for a laid-back football get-together. And as an added bonus, your house will smell fantastic as these are cooking!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup white zinfandel wine
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 12oz fresh cranberries
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in the crockpot. Cook on high for two and a half hours, stirring every half hour or so.

After two and a half hours, mash the cranberries. Continue to cook on high for a half hour, uncovered.

Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Salad

We had our families over to grill last weekend, and I was looking for a yummy side to go with everything else. I headed over to Colleen's blog, intending to get the recipe for the Tri-Colore Orzo she made when we got together a couple of weeks ago, but instead found this Corn, Tomato, and Avocado dish.

It was super quick to prepare, looked awesome on the table, and was delicious. I did think that the lime was a bit too overpowering for my taste, so next time I would just use slightly less. But there for sure WILL be a next time!

Ingredients

• 10 ounces frozen corn, thawed completely
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 avocado, diced
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon good quality olive oil
• kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper, to taste

Combine corn, tomatoes, scallions in large bowl. Whisk together lime juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper and pour over vegetables. Chill for 1-4 hours.

When ready to serve, add gently fold in avocado and allow salad to come to room temperature. Season again with salt and pepper if needed.

Sweet Potato Fries

I've made sweet potato fries before, but one of the things that really attracted me to this particular version from Annie was the little tip about soaking the fries in cold water prior to baking. Finally - an answer to my soggy fry woes!


I didn't get to fully enjoy the benefits, however, because I was also making Chicken Cheesesteaks which required the broiler, so my oven temps were weird and inconsistent. That aside, these were very tasty, if a tad mushy, and I can't wait to try again without temperature interruptions!

Ingredients

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil greased with cooking spray.

Halve the sweet potatoes lengthwise and cut each half into long spears. (Soak in cold water for 20-30 minutes before continuing for crispy texture outside. Drain well and pat dry.) Place the potato spears on the sheet pan and toss with olive oil. Spread them in a single layer. Combine the brown sugar, salt, and pepper and sprinkle on the potatoes. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn with a spatula or tongs. Bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and serve hot.

Roasted Potatoes

I was inspired by a Crisco ad, although I can't seem to find the ad that I ripped out and used as a basis. Below you'll find roughly what I did, although this side is ridiculously forgiving and versatile. Go with what you like and/or what you have on hand!

I haven't made potatoes in awhile unless I've mashed them, and these were a nice change. I am definitely saving the rest of the bag to make these again soon.


Ingredients

• Cooking spray
  
• 2 pounds red potatoes, scrubbed and chopped into bite-sized chunks
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 425. Spray a jelly roll pan with cooking spray.

Place the potatoes and oil into a large ziploc bag and add the rest of the ingredients. Toss around to coat.

Spread potatoes in a single layer on pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until fork-tender.

Barefoot Bloggers: Chive Risotto Cakes

Yet another super late recipe - I think I was supposed to have made these in November...?

Anyway, as you can tell from the pics, cakes these are not, and like them I did not.

I did not pay attention to the recipe (shocking) and realized after I already started that I would NOT have enough time to make them the right way.


Neither Pat nor I really liked the flavor combination at all, which means I will likely not try them the real way. Of course, that could make a big difference, but it just seems like a lot of work for something that I don't think I'd like. I'm posting the recipe as is, rather than my random version.

Ingredients:
Kosher salt
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
½ cup Greek yogurt
2 extra-large eggs
3 tablespoons minced fresh chives
1 ½ cup cups grated Italian Fontina cheese (5 ounces)
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¾ cup panko (Japanese dried bread flakes)
Good olive oil

Bring a large (4 quart) pot of water to a boil and add ½ tablespoon salt and the Arborio rice. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. The grains of rice will be quite soft. Drain the rice in a sieve and run under cold water until cool. Drain well.

Meanwhile, whisk together the yogurt, eggs, chives, Fontina, 1 ¼ teaspoons salt, and the pepper in a medium bowl. Add the cooled rice and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight, until firm.

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

Spread the panko in a shallow dish. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Form balls of the rice mixture using a standard (2 1/4 –inch) ice cream scoop or a large spoon. Pat the balls into patties 3 inches in diameter and ¾ inch thick. Place 4-6 patties in the panko, turning once to coat. Place the patties in the hot oil and cook, turning once, for about 3 minutes on each side until the risotto cakes are crisp and nicely browned. Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and keep warm in the oven for up to 30 minutes. Continue cooking in batches, adding oil as necessary, until all the cakes are fried. Serve hot.

Pumpkin Risotto

Two of my current culinary obsessions together in one bowl! What could be better!!

This side from Ashlee was really good, and pretty easy to make. I served it alongside of the Pioneer Woman's Crispy Yogurt Chicken, and it was quite a nice compliment.


Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1 small yellow onion, minced
• salt and ground black pepper
• 1 c. arborio rice
• 1/4 c. dry white wine
• 2 c. warmed chicken stock
• 3/4 c. canned pumpkin puree
• 2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

In a large nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, season with salt and pepper. Toss to begin cooking. Add rice, toast for 2 minutes. Add white wine and cook until the liquid is evaporated.

Add 1/3 c. chicken stock, stirring in between additions, about every 3 minutes.

After all of the stock is absorbed, add the canned pumpkin. Turn heat to low and let the rice cook and pumpkin absorb into the rice.

Add parmesan cheese, stir, and plate.

Sauteed Shredded Zucchini

I thought that Bridget's recipe for Sauteed Shredded Zucchini was going to be a disaster from the start when I realized that a certain husband who shall remain nameless misplaced a part for my KAMixer shredder attachment and I couldn't use it.

Luckily, zucchini is not a dense food, so taking care of five of these bad boys on my box grater was not a problem.

I was surprised that, even though the recipe warned me, I got such a small quantity of ready-to-eat zucchini. I wonder if my zucchini were just too small... or maybe I should up it next time...

Anyway, ridiculously fast and easy and SO GOOD. My husband didn't even know it was zucchini, and my son ate a ton of this. I served it as a bed for Teriyaki Pork Chops.

Ingredients:

• 5 medium zucchini (about 8 ounces each), ends trimmed
• Table salt
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1-2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon
• Ground black pepper
  

1. Shred zucchini with shredding disk of food processor or large holes of a box grater. Toss zucchini with 1½ teaspoons salt and place in colander set in medium bowl; let drain 5 to 10 minutes. Wrap zucchini in kitchen towel, in batches if necessary, and wring out excess moisture.

2. Place zucchini in medium bowl and break up any large clumps. Add shallots and 2 teaspoons oil to zucchini and toss to combine thoroughly.

3. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat. Add zucchini mixture and spread evenly in pan with tongs; cook without stirring until bottom layer browns, about 2 minutes; stir well, breaking up any clumps with tongs, then cook until “new” bottom layer browns, about 2 minutes more. Off heat, stir in lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

For the tomato-basil variation: Combine 3 cored, seeded and diced plum tomatoes, 1 clove of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar, 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves in small bowl and set aside. When the zucchini has finished cooking, remove it from the heat and stir in tomato mixture and salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to serving platter, sprinkle with ¼ cup finely grated Parmesan, and serve immediately, drizzling with additional olive oil, if desired.

Spinach and Onion Risotto

I could eat risotto every day. Have I mentioned that before? Because I could.



This recipe for Spinach and Onion Risotto is slightly adapted from Mary Ellen, a fellow risotto lover. I sauteed the onion rather than caramelizing them, and I used a ton of spinach.


Loved. It. It's almost completely gone. It's ridiculous.

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 cloves raw garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 5 cups low sodium chicken broth, warmed
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1 cup fresh chopped spinach
• 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in the oil over medium heat and saute the onions and garlic. Add the rice; stir for 1-2 minutes. Add the white wine and stir until it is absorbed.

Add the chicken broth 1 ladle-full at a time, letting it fully absorb before adding more. This process takes about 17-25 minutes, depending on the day!

Halfway through, add the cheese.

Before the final ladle of broth, add the spinach.

Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

"Mexican" Sour Cream Rice

I put the "Mexican" in quotes because I omitted the peppers and the cilantro, perhaps the two main ingredients that make this dish Mexican.



Anyway, here's something else from my friend Brooke. It was SO good - a perfect side dish to my quesadillas. Since I omitted the peppers, I kind of wish I had added in some tomatoes or something, just to give it a little extra oomf.




(I left the recipe below as I found it on Brooke's blog since I really took out two of the main stars!)


Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
• 1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
• 1 cup reduced fat sour cream
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
• 1 (8.75 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
• salt and ground black pepper to taste

In a large pot, bring the rice and chicken broth to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish.

In the pot with the cooked rice, mix the sour cream, green chile peppers, 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, corn, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish, and top with remaining cheese.

Bake uncovered 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.

String Beans with Shallots

I love trying new things with veggies. I saw this one on Emily's blog: Rediscovering the Joy of Cooking. Well, I personally am glad she is rediscovering, because I got to eat the benefits tonight.

I bought a bag of string beans that was only 12oz and not a full pound, and then I forgot to adjust the rest of the recipe. I ended up with beans that were slightly too buttery/greasy as a result, but they were still really good!

It was my first time blanching, and I'm happy to report that I don't think I messed it up! Oh, and I also learned what haricots verts are; I've always wondered...

Ingredients:

• 1 pound French string beans (haricots verts), ends removed
• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon good olive oil
• 3 large shallots, large-diced
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  

Blanch the string beans in a large pot of boiling salted water for 1 1/2 minutes only (if using regular string beans, blanch for about 3 minutes until they’re crisp-tender). Drain immediately and immerse in bowl of ice water.

Heat the butter and oil in a very large saute pan (12-inch diameter) or large pot and saute the shallots on medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, tossing occasionally, until lightly browned. Drain the string beans and add to the shallots with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and the pepper, tossing well. Heat only until the beans are hot.

Risotto with Tomatoes and Mushrooms

I have recently discovered risotto, and always enjoy it. This one, however, was by far the creamiest I've ever had - which is ironic, since I added the liquid all at once and not a little at a time. I've never done it that way before... but I guess Heidi knows what she's talking about...


This one awesome. Loved every bite. I really need to stop making risotto, though, or I am not going to be able to fit through the door to go buy more Arborio...

Ingredients:

• 1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 ½ cup chicken broth
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 2 tbsp EVOO, divided
• 1 package sliced mushrooms

Season the drained tomatoes with the salt and stir to combine. Allow the mixture to drain while prepping other ingredients.

Place a medium saucepan with a heavy bottom over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the Arborio rice to the saucepan and stir to evenly coat the grains of rice with the oil. Sauté the rice, stirring, for about 1 minute.Add the garlic, the white wine, and the broth and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring once.

Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook the rice for about 20 minutes: you want the rice to be tender, but still slightly firm to the bite. While the rice is cooking, prepare the mushrooms.

Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté until all the moisture has evaporated, about 10 minutes.

To the skillet add the drained tomatoes. As soon as the rice is cooked, add it to the skillet.
Stir to combine. The texture should be moist and creamy. If necessary, add a bit more broth. Taste and add more salt if desired. Serve immediately garnished with some freshly-grated Parmesan cheese.

Barefoot Bloggers: Jalepeno Cheddar Cornbread

Not only am I several days late in posting this recipe for Jalepeno Cheddar Cornbread, I'm also committing another blog sin - no photo!! My batteries were charging when I made this, and by the time they were ready to go, there were only crumbs left. I didn't think anyone would want a picture of crumbs...

Anyway, this is my third (I think?) BB recipe, and so far, my least favorite. I am not a big jalepeno fan to begin with, and I just didn't really love this one. As far as cornbread goes, let me plug Brooke's cornbread - super yum!!

I did, however, really like the flavor of the scallions on top, so I might try to mesh that (and the cheese topping) with the ones I linked above.

Sorry Ina - I never thought I would not like one of your recipes...!

(I halved this recipe.)

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 cups milk
• 3 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus extra to grease the pan
• 8 ounces aged extra-sharp Cheddar, grated, divided
• 1/3 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts, plus extra for garnish, 3 scallions
• 3 tablespoons seeded and minced fresh jalapeno peppers
  

Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, eggs, and butter. With a wooden spoon, stir the wet ingredients into the dry until most of the lumps are dissolved. Don't overmix! Mix in 2 cups of the grated Cheddar, the scallions and jalapenos, and allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking pan.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with the remaining grated Cheddar and extra chopped scallions. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and cut into large squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Caprese Salad

When Jen and I were both on maternity leave, we loved having lunch at Panera. One of our new favorite orders was a basil-tomato-mozzarella salad, and we were bummed when they took it off the menu for the fall.

I was determined to make this at home, and was really astounded at how easy and simple it is. It has become a go-to crowd pleaser.




Ingredients:

• 8oz fresh mozzarella, chopped
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinagrette dressing
• 24oz vine-ripened cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup fresh basil, coursely chopped or torn

Combine all ingredients in a bowl; adjust dressing and basil to taste. Voila!