Simple but effective

Bacon Wrapped Dates

Get enough pitted medjool dates to feed who you'd like to feed.
Get 1/2 that number of pieces of bacon (not thick cut- just regular).
Cut each piece of bacon in half - so you have 2 pieces about 5" long or so depending on your bacon
Wrap each date with the piece of bacon. It's nice if you have toothpicks to keep the bacon pinned to the date, but not necessary, just keep the side where the bacon edges meet on the bottom.
Put your bacon wrapped dates on a jelly roll pan (a cookie sheet with a lip) and put them under the broiler.
Keep an eye on them and turn them over when the bacon is about 1/2 way done.
Pull them out and devour.

"The Best Burger Ever"

So says J. Personally, I don't think I've reached my peak yet. :)

I was trying to remember, this morning, why I first put truffle oil in a burger. I remember it was when I was living in a house by myself. I had (and still have) a small bottle of white truffle oil in the cabinet. I knew I liked truffle oil, but don't often use it, and when I do use it, it's in tiny quantities because that stuff is powerful. I must have just opened the cabinet (where I kept my spices at the time) and thought: "huh... this might work".

This is a souped up version of the basic truffle burger that was born that night.

The Best Burger Ever

• ground beef - enough for you and yours. I got about 1/2 lb of 95% lean for 2 of us
• white truffle oil - you can pick this up at the regular grocery store near the other oils. Get the smallest bottle you can because it will last a long time.
  
• garlic & herb goat cheese - also called chèvre, get enough for about 2 TBSP per burger
• shiitake mushrooms - as many as you want. I used about 5 or 6 for the two of us
  
• shallot - onion would be fine as well, cut as many as you'd like to go with the mushrooms
  
• balsamic vinegar - depends on how many mushrooms you use. I'd start light and add. this adds sweetness to the mushrooms and helps it caramelize
  
• low sodium soy sauce - just enough to add saltiness. you could just use salt, but the soy sauce adds something. umami, I guess.
  
• salt & pepper
• bolo rolls (grand central bakery) or other not too heavy crusty rolls
• olive oil

Form your patties first. Divide your ground beef into 4 equal balls (for two burgers) and flatten them with a bit of a cup, by pushing them into the palm of your hand as you cup your had a bit. Add about 1/2-1 tsp of truffle oil to each "cup", kneading the oil into the meat with your hand until well mixed, then re-flatten/cup them trying to evenly flatten them w/o risk of any holes. Grab a soup spoon and get a big spoonful of goat cheese (or two). I just put the cheese in one of the "cups", but you could try to form it more into a ball with your hand if you like. Do the same for another "cup". Now you'll close the burgers, putting the empty half on top of the half with the cheese and going around the edge, pinching the two edges together to seal. Set them aside while you:
Slice the mushrooms and shallots. I like a little substance so I slice my mushrooms a little thicker, but you can slice them thin if you like. You could also use any other type of mushroom if you can't find shiitake's near you. If you use shiitakes, take the stem off before slicing.
Spray your pan with some olive oil spray or put some olive oil in a frying pan and start sauteing the mushrooms and shallots on med-high heat, after a minute or so pour a bit of balsamic on and stir. You should start with a couple TBSP and add more if you like. Add the soy sauce and continue sauteing until the mushroom/shallot mixture is really soft and dark brown and caramelized. Put them aside on a small plate and spray some more olive oil spray on your pan (away from the stove if you have a gas burner).
At this point (or any point during this process), you can cut your rolls in half and put a little butter or olive oil on them and broil them until toasted, or you can serve your rolls untoasted (I prefer toasted).
Turn the burner up to high and let the pan get a little hot before dropping the burgers in. Sear them for about 3 minutes, then flip and sear for another 3 minutes. You can then press them down a bit and turn down the heat a little. Flip them again and cook them until desired done-ness.
Put the burger on a roll with some mushrooms and shallot and enjoy! They don't need any condiments, really, the goat cheese is enough!

butternuts and apples

So last time I was in Whole Foods I saw a package of cut-up butternut squash. I grabbed it. Why? I don't really like winter squash that much... but something appealed. I thought maybe I'd throw it into a lentil soup I was going to make. Then last night I was thinking about what to make for dinner and remembered the squash. I recalled, fondly, a butternut squash and apple soup that I had this past fall. So I looked online and saw a bunch or recipes, but most were a little too sweet- or nutmeg/cinnamon heavy. I knew the taste I wanted. Then I found an Emeril Lagasse recipe from Good Morning America. I'm not usually that into Emeril (maybe just not his show, maybe he has some awesome recipes, I'll have to check it out) but this recipe looked like what I wanted. Here it is, with my notes:

Butternut Squash And Apple Soup

• 4 slices bacon - next time 2 would be sufficient
• One-half cup finely chopped onions -fine is relative. they will cook down, but do chop
• White and pale green parts of 1 large leek (about 1 cup) *you can use white onion if leeks are not available -it didn't say how to cut these, so I just sliced then chopped them up about the same as the onions
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• ½ bay leaf
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• One and one-fourth pounds butternut squash, seeded, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 3 cups) - I found the '3 cups' to be inaccurate, so I weighed the squash. Also, I'm not sure what 1" pieces means (one inch square or one inch by 1/4" thick -mine were already in pieces the size of the squash and about 1" thick, so I just sliced them) I think it doesn't matter... not too thick of pieces, not too thin... and cook them until they're soft)
• 1 med-size Granny Smith or other tart apple, peeled and chopped - will use 1-1/2 or 2 apples next time
• 2 cups chicken stock or low sodium chicken broth
• One-half cup water plus additional for thinning soup as needed
• 2 tablespoons sour cream or creme fraiche, plus more for garnishing, optional
• Chopped unpeeled apples, for garnishing, optional -did not use

Cook the bacon in a skillet until crisp. Drain, reserving 1½ tablespoons of the rendered bacon grease. Set the bacon aside and, when cool, crumble the bacon and reserve to garnish the soup. (funny story here- for some reason my brain left me at the supermarket. I knew what I was doing with the bacon, but still picked up microwavable bacon! I think it was to save the mess of grease splatter-even though I have a splatter screen thingy. I got home and cursed myself, so I opened up the package and took the bacon out to just cook it in a skillet. But micro-bacon cooks differently, so watch it. I totally burned most of it, but salvaged about 2 pieces worth, which was plenty)

In a heavy saucepan (I used a stockpot and it was maybe 4 quart-not sure, but still had plenty of space) heat the reserved grease over medium heat, add the onion, leek, garlic and bay leaf and season lightly with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring, until softened. Add the squash, apple, broth and ½ cup water. Simmer the mixture, covered, until the squash is very tender, 20 to 25 minutes. (I simmered about 30-40 min. because I was talking with J about the day) Discard the bay leaf.

In a blender, puree the mixture in batches, transferring as it is pureed to a clean saucepan. Add enough additional water to thin soup to the desired consistency, if necessary. (I didn't need any water) Whisk (stir) in the sour cream or creme fraiche and season with salt and pepper to taste. Heat soup over medium-low heat until hot (do not allow the soup to boil). (I just put the saucepan on 2 and poured the pureed soup in as I went- you don't have to really heat it again, it stays hot) Serve the soup garnished with the crumbled bacon and a dollop of sour cream and finely chopped apple, if desired. (I just garnished w/ the bacon. It doesn't really need the bacon, but I think it gives it a little richness and depth of flavor to cook the leeks/onions in the rendered fat. Also the crispyness of the bacon is nice with the smoothness of the soup. Also I used nf sour cream in the soup)

Makes about 4½ cups
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, courtesy Martha Stewart

The beginning...

The purpose of this blog is two-fold.
One: To chronicle my re-introduction to the kitchen.
I helped my mom cook when I was a kid. I was good at it. I enjoyed it usually.
As many of us have found ourselves, when I became an adult I was too busy to cook....
I've cooked throughout the years, of course. But now I'm trying to really get back in there on a regular basis.
Two: To record my recipes in an easy place. Paperless. Maybe to share what I've made with others. My recipes may not always be very specific (with measurements and so-forth)- at least when I make them up.
simple.
Maybe I'll eventually take some photos of what I make, but I'm no food stylist!

First recipe to record:
Frizzled Shredded Brussels Sprouts
Get a bunch of brussels sprouts- however many would feed you!
Canola oil
Small shallot
that's it!

Shred your brussels sprouts. I just cut them up with my knife (julienne?) but you could shred them on a mandoline, probably.
Chop some shallot finely, or just do very fine slices. You won't need a lot, just a little for flavor.
Get a frying pan or a wok and heat up some canola oil really hot.
Throw the sprout shreds in (watch out, hot oil + damp shreds = sputtering oil)
Cook, stirring, until their nice and crispy (may look burnt- that's okay, they're good that way, like frizzled onions!)
When they're done, throw in your shallots and give them a few stirs, let them cook for a minute or so.
You're done! They taste crispy and caramelized. Yum.