Three Bean Salad

This three bean salad was inspired by the Southern Salad I had at the Stable Cafe' and the Biltmore Estate a few weeks ago. If you look at the photo, the small bit of salad is hard to  find, it's hiding under the strips of smoked gouda cheese! Even though this component of the greater salad was not visible, and not very impressive looking, my husband and I thought it was probably the best part... or maybe a close second to the fried okra! 

While we ate, we tried to dissect the salad and figure out exactly what made it so good... what was it that gave it such great flavor... Ultimately we decided it was just the simplicity of it. I tried recreating it, but was off in a few places. At the Biltmore, it was much creamier, but didn't have mayonaise. I think it was just a product of the beans sitting and starchy liquids coming out. Also, I couldn't find canned navy beans at Whole Foods, so I grabbed some cannelini... not the same, but close. Lastly, at the last second I added a scoop of cottage cheese to help with the creamy factor, but later decided it was unnecessary. You can make it with or without, if you want it dairy-free or if you want it to be able to sit out, omit the cottage cheese.

Three Bean Salad

1 15 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 15 oz. can navy beans, drained (not rinsed)

1 15 oz. can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed

1 tbsp. chives, minced 

2 scallions, minced, white part only

1/2 tsp. paprika

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/4-1/3 c. cottage cheese, if desired.

Add all ingredients to a bowl, gently toss and refrigerate.

This salad is best when it sits for 4+ hours. 

After it sits, taste and season immediately before serving.

Cherry Tomato Salad

I saw this Cherry Tomato Salad recipe on Bridget's blog back in March and starred it. I was waiting for the day I could make it with cherry tomatoes grown from my garden. It was so hard to wait because I saw the recipe on so many other cooking blogs as the months went on, but I made myself wait. I knew if I made it with my own tomatoes, I'd feel so accomplished! 

So finally, a week ago after coming home from a Memorial Day vacation, I saw my tomato cherry trees studded with red gems, and I knew it was time! If you'd like to see my garden, you can visit the blog here! 

So this salad combines so many of my favorite things, cucumbers, kalamata olives, feta, and fresh herbs. It really highlights the amazing little cherry tomato, sweet, fresh and bursting with flavor. The hardest part for me making this salad was to not pop the tomatoes in my mouth as I was cooking! 

Greek Cherry Tomato Salad

adapted from Cooks Illustrated via Bridget at The Way the Cookie Crumbles

2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved

Table salt

1/2 tsp. sugar

2 medium garlic cloves, pasted

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1 medium shallot, quartered and thinly sliced and

2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 tbsp. EVOO

Ground black pepper

1 English cucumber, diced

1/2 c. chopped kalamata olives

4 oz. finely diced Feta

2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil

1 tsp. chopped fresh oregano

Toss the tomatoes, 1/4 tsp. salt and sugar in a bowl, let stand for 30 minutes.

Transfer tomatoes to a colander above a bowl to catch liquids, toss to drain liquid into bowl.

Return tomatoes to a bowl and set aside.

Strain the tomato liquid through a fish mesh strainer into a liquid measuring cup.

Bring 1/2 c. tomato liquid, garlic, oregano, shallot and vinegar to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat.

Simmer until mixture is reduced to 3 tbsp., about 6-8 minutes. 

Transfer to a small bowl, cool to room temperature. 

Whisk in oil and pepper, taste and season with salt. 

Add cucumber, olives, feta, dressing and basil to the bowl with tomatoes, toss gently and serve. 

Margarita Cupcakes

I've seen countless margarita cupcakes, and have been wanting to make them for a long time, so my birthday cupcake extravaganza seemed like the perfect opportunity! I decided to try out this recipe I found in Rachael Ray's magazine that I have had ripped out for a very long time! I used the cupcake recipe, but made my own lime curd filling and tequila-lime butter cream. The cupcakes were pretty standard, somewhat dense, but that was good because you need a more sturdy cupcake when you fill it. I've never made a cupcake that calls for both butter and oil, but I think the added bit of oil makes these more moist. I had more batter than necessary to fill 24 cups, I think I probably could have gotten 30 decent sized cupcakes.

Margarita Cupcakes

adapted from Everyday February 2009

2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened

1 c. granulated sugar

4 eggs at room temperature, plus 1 white

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

3 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 c. milk

1/4 c. gold tequila

Zest of 2 limes

Juice of 2 miles

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350*

Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners.

In the bowl of a mixer, beat butter with sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Turn speed to low, add eggs one at a time, incorporating well after each addition.

Add oil, mix well.

In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and 1 tsp. salt.

In another measuring cup, mix together milk, lime juice and vanilla extract.

On low speed, alternately add flour mixture and milk mixture to butter, starting and ending with flour.

Fill each cupcake liner 2/3 full, bake for 25-30 minutes, until set and slightly golden.

Remove from the oven, cool for 5 minutes in muffin tin, invert onto a wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Lime Curd Filling:

1 cup lime juice

1/2 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

3 tbsp. cornstarch, sifted

1 egg yolk

2 tbsp. butter

In a heavy bottom saucepan, mix lime juice, sugar and salt, heat to a simmer.

In a small dish, whisk together egg yolk and cornstarch.

Slowly pour the egg yolk mixture into the lime juice while whisking quickly.

Continue to whisk and heat mixture over medium until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. 

Remove from heat, add butter and whisk until it melts and mixture is smooth.

Refrigerate until using. 

Tequila Lime Buttercream:

2 sticks of butter, room temperature

2 lbs. powdered sugar

1/4 cup tequila

Zest of 2 limes

pinch of salt

Add butter to the bowl of a stand mixer, beat until light.

Add half the tequila, lime zest and salt, mix.

Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well and scraping down sides as necessary. 

Continue to add sugar and tequila as necessary.

Sunshine Skillet

Fresh corn on the cob and I have had a roller coaster type relationship. Growing up, I had a sever under bite, which resulted in 3 sets of braces, 2 palate expanders, and eventually reconstructive jaw surgery. If you've had braces, you know that corn on the cob is an enemy, and not really possible to eat. If you've had an under bite, you know the logistics of eating corn off the cob just don't work. Pair this with the common occurrence of my parents accidentally purchasing feed corn rather than sweet corn, and you can see why I pretty much avoided eating fresh corn.

However, post jaw surgery, free of braces, and with some common sense (sorry, mom and dad!), I have come to realize just how amazing fresh corn on the cob is. The fact that I can buy 10 ears for $2 of local grown, sweet corn has caused quite the corn addiction. Every week when I grocery shop, I find myself bagging up 10 ears, even though I have no plans for them. What can I say, I'm never one to turn down fresh produce at it's seasonal peak.

So I was reading Kath's blog, as I do daily, and I saw this quick skillet she constructed for dinner with okra (another favorite, which is always stocked in the freezer) and pinto beans (another staple in the pantry), so it seemed like my corn had a destiny. Kath doesn't often list exact recipes, just what she uses to construct her meals, which is my kind of cooking! However, since this is a cooking blog, I did my best to approximate the measurements for you. This skillet is AMAZING with the fresh corn! Be sure to just heat the okra through and then serve or too much stirring will cause the skillet to goo up. Also, because the corn tastes like pure summer and sunshine, that's what I named this skillet :) 

Sunshine Skillet

adapted from KERF

1 tsp. EVOO

1 shallot, minced

3 ears of corn, cleaned and kernels cut off the cob

2 cups frozen okra, rinsed to thaw

1 15 oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

2 tsp. ancho chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. coriander

Juice of 1 lime

2 tbsp. minced cilantro

1 tsp. fresh snipped chives

Accompaniments:

Tortilla Chips

Tomato wedges (or diced)

Greek yogurt or sour cream

Hot sauce

Heat a skillet over medium heat.

Add EVOO and shallot, saute' for 2-3 minutes, until just softened.

Add corn, saute for 5 minutes, season with salt and pepper.

Add okra, beans, chili powder, cumin, coriander and lime juice.

Gently stir to combine, bring to heat, toss in cilantro and chives.

Spoon into bowls, top with greek yogurt and hot sauce, serve with chips and tomatoes.

Fuzzy Navel Cupcakes

I've been trying to slowly get the birthday cupcake recipes up, mixing them in with regular meals because one cannot live on cupcakes alone....right? I can remember back to the days when I first started drinking alcoholic beverages, and like many girls, the bottled Fuzzy Navel Seagram's 4-packs were what I went for. Isn't it funny to track your favorites as you get older? 

I decided to turn the Fuzzy Navel into a cupcake because I love the flavor combination of orange and peach, it's so refreshing and perfect for summer!  I kind of made this recipe up as I went along, and though I enjoyed it, next time I'd like to incorporate peach flavor into the buttercream.

Fuzzy Navel Cupcakes

 cupcakes:

2 sticks of butter, softened

2 c. sugar

3 eggs, room temperature

1/3 c. peach schnapps

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

Zest and juice of 1 orange

1/2 c. sour cream

1/2 c. peach nectar

Preheat oven to 350*

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar for 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Add schnapps, vanilla extract, salt, baking powder, baking soda and orange zest.

Mix to combine.

Add 1 1/2 c. flour, mix until just combined.

Add sour cream and peach nectar, mix until just combined.

Add remaining 1 1/2 c. flour, beat until all flour is absorbed, scrape down mixer to make sure everything is mixed well. 

(Beat no more than 20 seconds after each addition)

Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners, add batter to cups about 2/3 of the way up.

Bake for 18-22 minutes, until puffed and golden brown, cool for 5 minutes in tins, transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Orange Buttercream:

2 sticks of butter, softened

2 lbs. confectioners sugar 

Zest and juice of 1 orange

Pinch of salt

Beat butter, orange zest, juice and salt together in a stand mixer.

Add confectioners sugar 1/2 c. at a time on low speed, add milk or cream to thin.

Ice cooled cupcakes, then top with candy orange slices.

Symon Sundays: Sheep's Milk Ravioli with Brown Butter and Almonds & Roasted Dates with Pancetta, Almonds and Chile

This week's Symon Sundays recipes were chosen by Tasha at The Brick Kitchen. Please visit her site and the other Symon Sundays participants to read about their opinions on the dishes! You can find links to their blogs and the Symon Sundays schedule on the right blog column.

The first dish chosen is from the appetizers section of Live to Cook. I had been eying it for months, and even considered making it for a dinner party, but it slipped my mind. Because it was paired with a pasta dish, I decided to turn it into a salad. There were few ingredients in this dish, but they all are packed with flavor and had something to add to the final product. I would definitely make this as an appetizer in the future, or use the combination of a spin off a warm bacon-dressed spinach salad, just chop the dates so the sweet punch of flavor is in each bite. 

Please visit Tasha's blog for the recipe! 

Roasted Dates with Pancetta, Almond and Chile

The second choice of Tasha's was Sheep's Milk Ravioli with Brown Butter and Almonds. I searched for Sheep's Milk Ricotta, but it wasn't available. Since the recipe called for really thick ricotta, and because I couldn't find sheep's milk, I decided to make my own ricotta. While the ricotta came out extremely thick and delicious tasting, it wasn't really a money saver as I had hoped. A half gallon of organic milk is around $4, and a tub of organic ricotta is around $4.50, so by the time I factor in my time to make it, the price is the same. However, it was fun to know I literally made this entire dish from scratch!

For the ravioli, the dough is made from only egg yolks and white flour, but I substituted a whole egg and a white, and used half whole wheat flour and half unbleached all purpose flour to make it healthier. For the sauce, I couldn't bring myself to use 12 tbsp. butter, so I used 1 tbsp., the juice of the orange, and some vegetable stock. The recipe called for parsley, but I don't like parsley, and love rosemary paired with orange, so opted for that combination. I also served the ravioli with steamed broccoli for a little extra veg in the meal. 

While I varied a great deal from the original recipe, and I'm sure a pool of brown butter would be amazing, my substitutions made this dish quite tasty! 

Sheep's Milk Ravioli with Brown Butter and Almonds

Making the ricotta:

Bring 1/2 gallon milk, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. citric acid to 195*, rest for 5 minutes

Strain in cheesecloth for 5 minutes

Tie up and hang to strain in the fridge for a few hours, very thick ricotta!

Tasha's dates look fantastic! 

Joanne had the same idea and served hers over a salad, but used figs and added goat cheese and cranberries

Joanne also reduced her butter, and added some zucchini to her ravioli

Natashya added dill to her pasta, adding a nice punch of flavour! 

Bistro Style Double Decker Portabella Burgers

While many associate grilling with thick cuts of steak, hot dogs, burgers, sausages and ribs, it's easy to forget that vegetarian grilling is just as appealing. Sure, it's easier to season a steak and throw it on the grill, but there are many vegetarian options that can be just as simple and tasty! Portabello mushrooms are usually the burger substitute that comes to mind as the mushroom is often thought of as the steak of the meat-free world.

In a world where burgers are taken to the next level, created and re-invented, portabellas don't really get the same attention. When I found this recipe, I thought it sounded good, but needed a little more to it. To take it to the next level of deliciousness, I added a marinade to the mushrooms, a sauce duo, and avocado slices slices for a little extra punch of flavor. The burgers were fantastic, and I think this will be the first of many portabella burgers this summer! 

Bistro Style Double Decker Portabella Burgers

4 portabello caps, cleaned, stemmed, gills removed

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup EVOO

Salt and pepper

1 tbsp. minced rosemary

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 red onion, sliced 1/4-1/2" thick

4 oz. blue cheese, crumbled

2 rolls, sliced in half (I used caraway and salt from the bakery)

2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

2 tbsp. Apricot Preserves

1 Haas avocado, sliced

In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, EVOO, salt, pepper, rosemary and garlic.

Add mushroom caps, smear marinade all over and let mushrooms sit for 30 minutes.

Heat grill to medium, spray with nonstick spray and place mushrooms gill side down.

Also add 2 onion slices to the grill.

Cook for 6 minutes, flip mushrooms and add crumbled cheese.

Carefully flip onions, close grill and cook for another 6-8 minutes. 

During the last minute, add buns to the grill and toast the insides.

To assemble, remove buns, place avocado strips on the bottom, add a mushroom, then an onion, then another mushroom, smear the top bun with 1 tbsp. mustard and 1 tbsp. apricot preserves, press the top on the burger and enjoy! 

Mojito Cupcakes

Though I made a variety of cupcakes based on tropical and fruity drinks for my birthday, I'm not really a fan of the actual drinks. However, if I am opting for a fruity drink, it's going to be a mojito. They're tart from the lime, spicy from the mint, and a little sweet, but not in your face sweet. 

For these cupcakes, I started with a simple yellow cake base and added lime zest and juice. Then I made a rum and lime wash for soaking the cake, and finally topped it with a minty cream cheese icing. I think what really made these cupcakes taste so fresh and spot-on mojito was the fresh mint in the icing! I'll definitely be making these again.

Mojito Cupcakes

cupcakes:

2 sticks of butter, softened

2 c. sugar

3 eggs at room temperature

1/3 c. dark rum

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

Zest of 1 lime

Juice of 2 limes

Scant 1 c. buttermilk

3 cups AP flour

Preheat oven to 350*

Cream together butter and sugar over medium speed for 3-4 minutes.

Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, scrape down sides if necessary.

Turn mixer on low speed, add rum, vanilla, salt, baking powder and soda.

Add lime juice and zest to a measuring cup, add buttermilk to reach 1 cup.

Alternately add flour and buttermilk-lime mixture, ending with flour.

Mix on low speed until batter just comes together and flour is absorbed.

Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners, add batter to fill cups 3/4 of the way.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick entered in the center comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes, then remove and cool on a rack.

Rum-Lime Wash:

1/4 c. dark rum

Juice of 1 lime

Mix together rum and lime juice, use a pastry brush and lighly apply to each cupcake top, ice immediately.

Mint Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature

1 8 oz. block of cream cheese, at room temperature

2 lbs. confectioners sugar 

1/4 cup mint leaves, minced

2 tsp. rum

1-4 tbsp. cream or milk

Cream together butter and cream cheese, add mint and rum.

On low speed, slowly add in confectioners sugar, if frosting gets too thick, add milk or cream 1 tbsp. at a time, but be sure to add all sugar.

Ice cupcakes immediately, or keep frosting refrigerated until using. 

Hominy Salad with Basil Shallot Vinaigrette

Now that the weekly weather forecast is showing every day at 90+ degrees, cold dinner salads are becoming more and more desirable. I've cooked my way though countless pasta salads, and I've started to make more grain based salads, but this is my first foray into the world of hominy salads. If you're not familiar with hominy, it's corn without the germ, and dates back to the American pioneer days. Most often, hominy is cooked and ground and made into grits, often called hominy-grits or just grits. 

Eating hominy is it's whole, cooked form, however, has a completely different flavor and texture. It can be found in the canned vegetable aisle of the grocery store, near the canned corn. The texture is pillowy and soft, but still firm, and not mushy. It is great for salads because it's canned, so it just needs a rinse and it's ready to go, there's no need to cook it and chill like pasta or grains. 

I found this recipe in May's Vegetarian Times, and made it right away. Not only do I have copious amounts of basil, but I've also got some delicious cherry tomatoes available for picking! In a country where the "know where your food comes from" attitude is gaining popularity, I find comfort in knowing my tomatoes are pesticide free, fresh, and deliciously grown in my yard. 

*Recipe note - The original called for lima beans, I subbed snap peas. The original also called for cheese, but I omitted it as well. 

Hominy Salad with Basil Shallot Vinaigrette

adapted from Vegetarian Times, May 2010

1 shallot, quartered and sliced thin

1/4 c. red wine vinegar

1 tbsp. EVOO

1 tsp. honey

Salt and pepper

1/4 c. basil leaves, minced

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1 c. sugar snap peas, chopped

1 bell pepper, diced

1 15 oz. can hominy, rinsed

Add shallots and vinegar to a dish, set aside while you chop vegetables.

Add EVOO, honey, basil, salt and pepper to shallots, whisk to combine.

Add tomatoes, snap peas, bell pepper and hominy, toss to combine.

Taste and adjust seasonings.

Garnish with more fresh basil and serve chilled.

Chocomize Review

I like to think that I've become somewhat of a chocolate connoisseur over the years, especially since my sister moved to Switzerland and was constantly sending home the good stuff. 

When Chocomize offered me a chance to customize chocolate bars and have them sent to review, I was very excited. I asked them if I could create 3 bars, featuring each of their chocolate types as a base. 

When I visited their website, I was shocked by all of the different items you can add to your bar to make it perfectly fit your taste. In fact, I spent about half an hour mixing and matching flavors to create the perfect bars! 

It only took about a week for the chocolate bars to arrive at my house! They were packed in cold packs, but the Florida heat caused them to melt anyway. 

I created the first chocolate bar to suit my tastes. I love a good, creamy milk chocolate, so that way my base. I then topped it with dried raspberries, toffee, cashew pieces, and teddy grahams. 

The chocolate was delicious, definitely high quality, buttery, sweet and milky. They were not skimpy with the add-ins at all, and I loved the look of the little bears on the bar, too cute! 

The second bar I made with my husband in mind. He's a white chocolate fanatic, so I opted for that as the base. He also loves macadamia nuts, so I took his bar in a tropical direction and added dried mango, pineapple and coconut. The flavors melded perfectly, the chocolate was creamy, the nuts added great contrast and crunch.

The final bar I made with my sister in mind to taste. She's a chocoholic as well, and was so excited when I showed her the website. She gave me her topping requests, which were pecans, cranberries, chocolate chips and pretzels. We'll be sampling this one together soon, but it looks great! 

Thank you so much to Chocomize for allowing me to create and taste my personalized chocolate bars! 

And for my readers, Chocomize has given me a coupon code for 10% off your next order, just enter 'ayearinthekitchen' at the check out!