simple sunday: roasted asparagus with parmesan and balsamic vinegar
This is one of Whitney’s and my favorite vegetable dishes. Whitney likes it because it tastes good. I like it for that reason too, but even more because it is so easy!
The parmesan gives the asparagus a salty, savory flavor and the balsamic vinegar adds just the slightest bit of sweetness.
These are the ingredients that you need:
Start by snapping the ends off of the asparagus. If you can find the natural breaking spot, this is pretty easy and they make a clean break. This is usually about an inch from the end of the stalk.
Once you’ve snapped all of the tough ends off, lay them on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.
Next, grate parmesan cheese over the asparagus. You can use as much or little as you’d like. I often sprinkle just a teaspoon or two over my portion and multiply that by a million for Whitney’s asparagus. He does triathlons. He can eat as much cheese as he’d like.
Bake the asparagus at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, depending on how thick the stalks are.
After they start to brown and become tender, remove them from the oven and drizzle balsamic vinegar over the asparagus.
Stick them back in and bake for 5 more minutes. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the asparagus just before serving.
Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan and Balsamic Vinegar
1 bunch asparagus
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
1/4 c olive oil
grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
Rinse and dry the asparagus. Snap the tough ends off then lay the asparagus on a baking sheet.
Drizzle with the olive oil, tossing slightly to coat. Grate the desired amount of parmesan cheese over the asparagus.
Roast in a 350 degree F oven for 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the stalks.
Remove from oven and drizzle with balsamic vinegar, then return to oven for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper before serving.
bully cheese
Christmas is always filled with lots of delicious food deliveries… Kringles, Maker’s Mark old fashioneds, pecan balls, and Mississippi State University cheese!
The Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station is housed on MS State’s campus and makes delicious cheese, jam, ice cream, salsa, peanut butter and a lots of other treats.
I got home from work the other day to find a box at my front door from MS State University / MAFES.
I knew immediately that it had to be cheese and I could barely contain my excitement when I opened it to find not one, but two, cheeses! Thanks, Mom!
The first was Vallagret, a buttery, nutty Swiss-style cheese. It is perfect for serving with crackers and chutney. This is a perfect pre-dinner snack!
The other was a total surprise! Its a jalapeno pepper cheese block, which sort of looks like its the consistency of Velveeta. The MAFES website says it is made by mixing and heating server lots of natural cheese with jalapeno peppers. I have never had it before but it I cannot wait to use it for spinach madeline. Stay posted!
teriyaki-balsamic flank steak
I love this marinade! You can use it on chicken, pork tenderloin and steak. The best part is that all of the ingredients are pantry staples so its a cinch to throw together at the last minute.
Whitney likes it because it is bold and spicy, but has a slightly sweet flavor from the brown sugar.
Here’s what you’ll need:
In a gallon ziplock bag, mix together the teriyaki sauce, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, mustard powder, olive oil, garlic and ginger.
I often have fresh ginger on hand, but dried ginger is a perfect substitute when I don’t.
Stir all of the ingredients in the bag together then throw the steak in.
Marinade the meat for 30 minutes up to a full day. The great thing about this marinade is that it flavors the meat in a short amount of time, so this is an easy weeknight dinner.
Grill the steak on one side for 8 minutes…
The flip for another 8 minutes.
Let rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes before cutting the meat.
Slice the meat against the grain. Mmmm.
Serve this with a full-bodied Cabernet like the 2008 Bonterra ($14.99). It’s dry with black currant and cherry notes that pair well with the steak marinade.
Teriyaki-Balsamic Flank Steak
1 lb. flank steak (you can also use chicken, pork or another cut of steak)
½ cups Olive Oil
¼ cups Brown Sugar
4 cloves Garlic, Peeled And Halved
3 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
3 teaspoons Montreal Steak Spice
1 teaspoon Dried Mustard
1 teaspoon Fresh Ginger, Grated
½ cups Teriyaki Sauce
Mix all ingredients except the meat in a gallon ziplock bag. Once combined, add the meat and marinade for 30 minutes up to a day.
Grill the flank steak over a medium flame for 8 minutes per side.
Let the steak rest for 5 minutes before slicing it against the grain.
simple sunday: crock-pot chicken tacos
Thanks to Lacey for this fabulous recipe. I hardly believed her when she told me it had three ingredients and required no prep. I still wouldn’t believe her except that I make it about twice a month!
After cooking in the tomatoes and seasoning, the chicken is so tender that it just falls apart. The flavor is really authentic and tastes like it was cooked by a Mexican grandmother in Monterrey.
The short list of ingredients:
In the bottom of a crock-pot, layer the chicken breasts, rotel and taco seasoning.
Cover and cook for 8 hours on low. Then, using two forks, shred the meat. It should fall apart at this point.
And will look like this:
Serve on tortillas with your favorite taco accompaniments and a cool, crisp glass of white wine. JMo brought the Albarino below over and we really liked it! It is 2009 Burgans Albarino ($13) from Spain with great citrus and melon flavors.
Crock-Pot Chicken Tacos
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can Rotel
1 packet taco seasoning
tortillas, sour cream, guacamole, cheese, fresh salsa
In a crock-pot, layer the chicken breasts, then the rotel tomatoes and the taco seasoning. Cook on low for 8 hours.
After the meat has cooked for 8 hours, use two forks to shred the meat.
Serve on tortillas with sour cream, guacamole, cheese and fresh salsa.
fresh salsa
I was inspired to make fresh salsa after I found these jalapenos, tomato and bell pepper in my garden this week.
Of course, I had to buy a few tomatoes — my plants just aren’t producing fast enough.
This is my mom’s recipe and its a family favorite. The cilantro gives it a really bright flavor and the jalapeno adds a nice kick.
We eat it on tacos and fajitas and use it as a dip for tortilla chips. You can chop the ingredients as small or large as you like to reach your preferred consistency. I really like it with small pieces of tomatoes and onions and my mom likes it chunkier.
Be sure to make it early enough to let it sit for a few hours or overnight so the flavors really meld together.
Here is what you will need:
I like to use red onions, which have a milder flavor, more in this salsa. But I didn’t have any and wasn’t running to the store just for that. Onward.
Start by chopping the tomatoes and adding them to a medium-sized bowl.
Squeeze the juice of one lime over the tomatoes…
Then drizzle in about 1/4 c olive oil…
Sprinkle a couple of teaspoons of salt and cumin…
Add the chopped onion and jalapeno…
Then the chopped cilantro.
Stir it together and taste for seasoning. Add more salt and cumin if necessary. Refrigerate for a few hours before serving. Will keep for 3-4 days covered in the refrigerator.
Serve with tortilla chips for dipping or spooned onto tacos.
Fresh Salsa
8 roma tomatoes, chopped finely
3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped finely
1/2 red onion, chopped finely
1 lime
1/4 c olive oil
2 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. cumin
Mix all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Taste to check for seasoning and adjust as necessary. Refrigerate for a few hours before serving.
raiding-the-fridge breakfast casserole
I remembered Saturday night at 11 pm that we were supposed to bring breakfast to Sunday school the next morning. I thought about grabbing a dozen doughnuts on our way to church in the morning, but after taking a look in our refrigerator I realized I had all of the ingredients to make breakfast casserole.
There’s a recipe below, but this is definitely a dish that is open to changes. Don’t like breakfast sausage? Use ham, bacon or omit the meat entirely. No potatoes on hand? No worries. Skip ’em.
Here’s what I had:
I started by slicing the potatoes in half and throwing them on a cookie sheet. I baked these at 400 degrees F for about 25-30 min.
In a skillet, brown the sausage and chopped onions.
Cook the spinach according to the package directions (for me, this meant the microwave!) then squeeze out all of the liquid.
And in a bowl, combine the eggs, milk, worcestershire sauce, mustard powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Spray an 8″x8″ dish with Pam then layer the potatoes…
Then the onions and sausage…
And the spinach…
Then pour the egg mixture over all of it.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes then sprinkle some cheese over the top and bake for about 5 more minutes.
Serve warm!
Raiding-the-Fridge Breakfast Casserole
6 eggs
1/2 lb. sausage
1 small onion, chopped
potatoes (1 large or 8-10 small fingerlings)
1 pkg. chopped spinach
1/4 c + 2 tbsp. milk
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. mustard powder
Slice the potatoes into small pieces and arrange in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees F for 25-30 minutes. In a skillet, brown the sausage and onions. Cook the spinach according to package directions and drain well.
Beat the eggs with the milk, Worcestershire sauce, mustard powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
In the bottom of a greased 8″x8″ baking dish, layer the potatoes, sausage and onions, then spinach. Pour the egg mixture over the other ingredients.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes. Sprinkle cheese over the casserole and bake for 5 more minutes.
Serve warm.
turkish spicy lentil soup with red pepper and dried mint
Whit and I just got back from Turkey last month. We spent time in both the countryside and Istanbul, and one of our favorite things was trying all of the different foods!
We loved the spicy food that was so prevalent in the countryside – they used lots of red peppers. Turkish cuisine is also known for consisting mostly of vegetables and grains. This soup is a perfect example of the food in the countryside.
The recipe comes from a cooking class we took at Cooking Alaturka while in Istanbul. Eveline Zoutendijk, a Dutch expat who trained at the Cordon Bleu in Paris, teaches the class with her sous chef Feyzi.
In addition to the spicy lentil soup, we also made zucchini pancakes with white cheese and herbs served with garlic yogurt, green runner beans with tomatoes, lamb stew over smoky eggplant puree, and quince stewed in syrup with grated apple. Needless to say, it was one of the best meals of our trip!
Here’s what you’ll need for the soup:
The jar in the middle of the picture above is red bell pepper paste.
It’s not the easiest thing to find in the US (check out Mediterranean markets in your area) but you can also use extra tomato paste and red pepper flakes in its place.
I used French green lentils in this recipe because they are the highest in protein. Red lentils would be prettier in the soup, so if I was serving it then that’s probably what I would use. They all taste the same, so use whatever you have.
Start by bringing a pot of water about 2-3 fingers high to a boil. Add the lentils and lower to a simmer. Cook for 15 – 20 minutes, until they just start to fall apart. Drain the lentils and set aside.
In another pot (large enough for the soup) melt the butter. Then add the oil and flour, stirring quickly.
Cook until the roux becomes a light caramel color.
When the roux is the right color, add the dried mint and chili flakes.
Stir in the tomato and red pepper pastes.
Be sure to keep stirring so it doesn’t burn!
Add the lentils and cold stock, then bring the mixture to a boil.
Once the soup comes to a boil, add the bulgar.
After the bulgar is added, remove the soup from the heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Turkish Spicy Lentil and Bulgur Soup with Dried Mint and Red Pepper
1 1/2 c red lentils, washed but not soaked
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp dried mint
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp red pepper paste (can substitute more tomato paste)
5 cups chicken stock, room temperature or cold
1/4 c coarse bulgur
lemon wedges, to serve
red pepper, to serve
Cook the lentils 15-20 minutes in 2-3 fingers high of water, until they fall apart. If needed, foam can be skimmed off the surface while cooking. Set aside when ready.
In a large soup pot, melt the butter and add flour to make a light roux. Add the mint, chili flakes, tomato and red pepper pastes. Stir continuously so nothing burns. Add the lentils, then the cold stock and bring to a boil, still stirring. Add the bulgur once the soup is boiling. Remove soup from heat after the bulgur is added. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with lemon wedges and red pepper on the side.
Serves 6.
simple sunday: roasted parsnips
Roasted parsnips are a really easy side and the method can also be used on other root vegetables, like carrots or sweet potatoes.
Start by peeling the parsnips like you would do with a carrot. Then slice them into 1/4″ to 1/2″ thick slices. Arrange them on a cookie sheet in an even layer and drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper on them.
Roast them in the oven at 400 for 40-50 minutes, flipping the parsnips halfway through cooking.
The outside of the parsnips caramelizes, giving them a nice, mildly sweet flavor.
dinner at fearing’s
LSU won the Cotton Bowl!!!!
I went to Dallas this weekend to watch the game and had the chance to eat at Fearing’s Thursday night.
Fearing’s is Dean Fearing’s restaurant in the Ritz which he opened after leaving the Mansion on Turtle Creek. It opened just after we moved to Houston, so I hadn’t eaten there yet.
Our meal started with an amuse bouche of butternut squash soup with spiced apples and picante. (I forgot to take a picture before I drank it!)
My first course was Dean’s Tortilla Soup. The bowl is brought to you with artfully arranged slices of avocado, cubed chicken, grated cheese and tortilla strips. Then the waiter pours the soup into the bowl. It is smooth and creamy without being thick. The spice stays with you after each bite without burning your tongue. This was one of my favorite things at the Mansion – so glad I got to eat it again.
My main course was scallops with shredded shortribs, mashed sweet potato with foie gras, trumpet mushrooms, and fennel confit. The scallops were perfectly cooked – medium-rare – and the sweetness of the scallops complimented the earthy flavors of the shortribs and mushrooms. The mashed sweet potatoes with foie gras were rich and decedent. In short, a great plate.
My dad ordered the filet with chicken fried lobster. It was a fun play on a surf and turf dish.
Before dessert, we had another amuse bouche. It was essentially a raspberry smoothie and was delicious.
For dessert, I had a cheese plate with a local Gouda, house-made sesame crackers, jam and honeycomb. I love having cheese for my last course, and this was really great. The Gouda was slightly sharp and paired well with the crackers and honey.
My sister had the banana pudding with house-made vanilla wafers and beignets. So good!
It was such a treat to get to have dinner at Fearing’s and everything about the meal – the food, service and atmosphere – was fabulous! The highlight was singing the LSU fight song with the table behind us! Geaux Tigers!
ginger-sumac roasted chicken
A few caveats here.
The recipe actually called for poussins. At first glance, I skipped over it because I thought it called for opossums. I’m from Louisiana but I have to draw the line somewhere. Its somewhere between eating gas station food (good) and eating roadkill (bad).
Anyway, it turns out poussins are actually just baby chickens. Like veal, but with poultry. I have
no problem eating poussins; I just I couldn’t find any. The smallest chicken Central Market even had was 3 lbs. So I used that.
Other caveat: I didn’t know what sumac was. Turns out its a spice that is really common in Middle Eastern dishes. It has a nice, fruity-tart flavor which is not quite as strong as lemon. Its pretty easy to find; I got some in the bulk section of Central Market. If you happen to be like me and just not have some on hand — and don’t feel like running out in search of it (I hear you here, sister), then just substitute some grated lemon rind.
This recipe came from a cookbook I just got as a gift — The Blackberry Farm cookbook. I’ve always wanted to visit Blackberry Farm and was super excited to receive the cookbook!
Okay, onto the chicken. Here is the cast of characters
Start by slicing the onion and putting the slices in the bottom of the roasting pan. Drizzle vegetable oil over the onions.
In a small bowl, combine the softened butter, sumac, grated ginger, salt and pepper with a fork.
Rinse the chicken and pat it dry with a paper towel. Really dry. You are going to want butter to stick to it in a minute.
First though, stick your fingers underneath the skin on the breasts and separate it from the breast meat. Push about a third of the butter mixture under the skin in an even layer.
Spread the rest on the outside of the chicken, then place the chicken on top of the onions in the pan.
Bake at 475 for about 40 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 350 and roast for 20 more minutes. Its going to start smelling really good around the 30 minute mark. But its still raw. Wait until a thermometer in the thickest part of the breast reads 170. Let your chicken rest for 5 minutes before carving.
Ginger-Sumac Roasted Chicken
1 medium Vidalia or other sweet onion
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon ground sumac (zest of one lemon or a teaspoon of lemon juice can be used instead).
1 tablespoon freshly grated peeled ginger
salt and pepper
3-4 lb. chicken
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
Cut the onion into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place the slices in a roasting pan, brush them with the oil, and set the pan aside.
In a small bowl, stir together the butter, sumac, ginger, and ½ teaspoon of the salt; set aside.
Rinse the chicken inside and out under cold running water and pat it dry with paper towels. Sprinkle it inside and out with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Use your fingers to gently loosen the skin over the breasts, being careful not to puncture the skin. Push about a third of the butter mixture under the skin and over the breast meat, then gently smooth the skin back into place. Massage the skin to evenly distribute the butter. Spread the remaining butter over the entire outside of the chicken.
Place the chicken on top of the onion slices in the roasting pan.
Roast the chicken for 40 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and roast for 20 minutes more, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (but not touching bone) registers 170 degrees, or when the juices run clear when the thigh is pierced with the tip of a sharp knife.
Let the chicken rest at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving.
Is there any wine left? 
