recipes – Page 2 – Peaceful Reader

Ah summer! Cheers to Brunch.

I’ve relaxed into my first full week of summer. I’ve done an equal share of cleaning, reading, and organizing so far. Oh and a little napping tossed in. I’ve had lunch with a few friends, celebrated two birthdays, had a pedicure, and started each day with yoga.

One major accomplishment was hosting a brunch last weekend. We have a group of theatre friends and colleagues that we like to get together with to talk about all things theatre and beyond. I like the idea of people sitting around our large kitchen table having interesting conversations about the world. All I needed to do was pick easy yet delicious recipes that I could put together the night before and in the morning. I didn’t want to be in the kitchen while guests were arriving or at the table. Sometimes I seek out recipes online but this time I went straight to a a cookbook that I love from The Cottage in La Jolla, CA. I’ve shared this cookbook before in a post about the amazing Buttermilk Coffee Cake (recipe included) and another post about Blueberry Muffins (recipe also included). If you love brunch this is the perfect cookbook for you.

I made the coffee cake, Carmel Brunch, an egg dish, and their roasted potatoes and I pre-prepped the egg dish the night before so I had one less thing to mix up in the morning. I put my husband in charge of one dish for the gathering (he is the theatre person in our house after all + he loves jicama!) and I found that recipe, Jicama, Avocado, and Mango Salad in Friendsgiving by Alexandra Shytsman.

Everything turned out well and people ate heartily around the table. One friend brought warm french bread with Wild Blueberry Jam and warm blueberry muffins as well. One friend tried his first Bloody Mary ever and that was a hit. I do love brunch and this was a perfect way to bring friends together. If you need me to share any of the recipes I used please let me know. Enjoy! Salud!

Guests

(source)

We’ve had a major weekend here at the Peaceful Reader house. My in-laws arrived on Friday night for Groovy Girl’s dance recital on Saturday. Her recital is pretty much an all-day event and you have to really be prepared. We had a delicious breakfast to start our day and by 11 am were waiting at the event venue so we could get good seats. In between the 1:00 pm show and the 6 pm show we met at one of our favorite healthy joints in the Cedar Valley, Greenhouse Kitchen, so we could make it through the second show. Unfortunately she hurt her leg during one of the dances, danced two more dances and then gracefully exited the stage after it became unbearable. She’s wearing a brace and hobbling around with a borrowed pair of crutches. Hopefully it heals fast for her.

Beyond the injury I love having guests to cook for and my in-laws enjoy good food. Here’s a smattering of recipes I’m using this week. Tristan and his girlfriend joined us overnight so I needed a few vegan options as well.

Basil Chicken Coconut Curry: delicious and I made a second version with scrambled tofu for our vegan/vegetarians. The flavor was amazing and I would make this recipe again.

Curried Chickpeas with mint and cilantro chutney: I made this early in the week for everyone to have for dinner during the busy week. I already had a jar of chutney from an Indian grocery store so I didn’t make that part of the recipe. This was so yummy Groovy Girl happily ate it and she is not a fan of chickpeas! I used two cans of organic coconut instead of the one the recipe called for-it just looked like it needed more.

Cheesy Grits Casserole: I made this easy yet delicious (you can never go wrong with cheesiness) breakfast recipe on Saturday morning. We also had Icon donuts and Milkbox bagels for everyone. You need to calorie load even when you are just going to watch the day of dance.

Tomorrow night we host book club at our house for Their Eyes were watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. I’m going to make this Best Black Bean Soup from the New York Times for our gathering.

Bombay Frittata: I have yet to make this but I plan to one day this week for breakfast.

I hope you are cooking some amazing food at your house as well.

Cooking with L-O-V-E

On Father’s Day – way back on June 16th – I made some delicious flaky biscuits to serve as the base for my husband’s favorite Southern breakfast. I cooked the whole meal in about an hour that Sunday morning so both of these recipes are worth it and they tasted delicious according to him.

(My very own flaky biscuits)

Grandma’s Flaky Buttermilk Biscuit recipe came from Ann at Cooking Maniac. She talks a lot about how wonderfully flaky these biscuits are and they did not disappoint. They were very easy to split open and serve with our favorite toppings; Groovy Girl and I had ours with vegan butter and jam; he had homemade sausage gravy. I would definitely go back to her website when looking for authentic homemade recipes. I searched and searched for a good homemade gravy recipe and I found the perfect one on the Food Network from (not a surprise) Ree Drummond. My husband enjoyed several helpings and there was enough for leftovers for him to eat two other mornings.

(See link below)

I created another special meal for longtime friends of ours. Tim is retiring and moving to their cabin home in Maine while his wife, Lynne will remain here and teach for another year or two at UNI. We wanted to have them for dinner before the major move. I made this perfectly summery Lasagna with spinach and roasted zucchini; a recipe I found using my NYT food app. It was light with minimal cheese and fresh sauce and it didn’t feel wintery heavy. I had a fresh pea shoot salad and fresh baguettes for everyone. I love to cook and browse recipes so much that this app is better than Instagram for me.

(See link below)

Last night we had a Cedar Falls Food Co-op potluck at 2nd State Brewery downtown and Groovy Girl and I made a really delicious pot of Quinoa and Wild Rice Salad with Ginger Sesame Dressing. This was a last minute recipe and I did not want to run to the grocery store during a perfectly good lazy summer day and after all, I had most of the ingredients. I did not have cilantro, or fresh lime, spring onions/scallions, or Asian sesame oil. I substituted fresh basil from my porch pot, Rose’s Lime Juice (hey, it worked), left out onions and sesame oil. Our dressing instead was a spicy ginger-lime with a little cayenne and curry compliments of Groovy Girl. She can’t help herself with the spices – she just goes to town with our well-stocked spice cabinet. I would definitely make this recipe again and we had lots of wild rice and quinoa left over to repurpose.

Have a delicious rest of your week!

Fall Recipes

My brother Jason introduced me to the fine art of making risotto. He makes a pea risotto that I adore. My daughter is not a major fan of peas though so she asked me to find a different special ingredient to add to this dish. She suggested sautéed carrots.

(source : Food network)

I had a beautiful butternut squash on my counter and as I browsed through Giada’s Kitchen; new Italian favorites by Giada de Laurentis I found the perfect recipe. Groovy Girl didn’t really love the butternut squash but I thought it was a perfect fall pairing.

Butternut Squash and Vanilla Risotto

Giada (123)

4 cups vegetable broth
1 large vanilla bean
3 cups butternut squash, cut in 1-in pieces
3 T. unsalted butter
3/4 cup finely chopped onion (one small onion)
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice or med.-grain rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 T. finely chopped fresh chives

In a medium saucepan, warm the broth over medium high heat. cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds and add them and the bean to the broth. When the broth comes to a simmer, reduce the heat to low. Add the butternut squash to the simmering broth and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer squash to a side dish. Turn the heat on the broth down to very low and cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy saucepan, melt 2 T. of the butter over medium high heat. Add the onion and saute until tender but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat with the butter. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has completely absorbed, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of broth and stir until almost absorbed. Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth one cup at a time, making sure liquid absorbs each time, about 20 minutes total. discard the vanilla bean.

Turn off the heat under the risotto (and the remaining broth, if any). Gently stir in the butternut squash, Parmesan cheese, 1 T of butter, and the salt. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with chives. Serve immediately.

Really delicious. Perfect fall recipe. I also made these zucchini fritters-they were so-so but I’d like to play with the recipe a bit the next time.

Recipes + Books

That’s what it’s really all about.

I made a lovely dinner a few nights ago after dance. I had extra ricotta cheese from our big shells recipe and after a quick search I found this Lemony Ricotta Pasta (from The Kitchn). Groovy Girl loved it. She is working on eating less cheese/dairy and certain items seemed to trigger more. Ricotta cheese doesn’t seem to be a problem. Pizza, though, huge problem much to her huge dismay!

I had to laugh today as I discovered this post from long ago (2014) as I searched for a pie crust recipe for my mother. Good to know we like what we like!! Do take a moment to click back; it’s worth it.

This was not a stellar reading month for me. Only two books. I did watch all of Season 1 and 2 of The 100, a dystopian drama series. I highly recommend it but it did get in the way of my reading.

1. Piecing me together by Renee Watson (2017)- What a gorgeous cover that is. I want to know that young woman. Jade struggles with the two worlds she is part of; one with her mother where there are never enough money or groceries at the apartment she shares with her mother and uncle. Jade attends a private high school on a scholarship and she pushes herself to take every opportunity to get ahead. When she is asked to be part of a new Woman to Woman mentor program she starts to see clearly what she wants from her life even as her mentor struggles with her own path. Jade’s character is strong with an artistic flair. Renee Watson has a few other books out that I am now interested in. Jade’s coming-of-age tale of friendship, survival, finding your own wings should be enjoyed by many.

2. The Autography Man by Zadie Smith (2002)- As I’ve carried this book around to dance classes, church, coffee shops, and brew pubs over the last few weeks I’ve had many ask me how I like the book. My answer has been the same; weird. The autograph man is Alex-Li Tandem and he is drifting through life, drugs and alcohol are his entertainment, and his friends are merely bystanders as Alex messes one thing up after another, including his long-term relationship with Ester. On a buying trip to NYC through a chance encounter he meets the woman of his dreams. She’s now 70 but he loves her anyway. As he makes plans to bring Kitty Alexander back to England with him, it’s unknown whether this will help him recoup the life he’s wasted. It’s an interesting journey. I like Zadie’s writing. I’m just not sure I feel invested in the autograph man’s story.

I’m really ready for May. And some warmer weather. Although after seeing this photo sent to me yesterday by a Colorado relative I’m glad I’m not there. It only feels like winter here.

Weekly Recipes 14

I love to cook in the summertime. The fresh flavors, the amazing produce, the tomatoes plucked right from the vines in my backyard, the craft cocktails to cool you down…it’s all perfect.

(this into that)

I’ve made a few spectacular meals the last few weeks that you might like. I’ve cooked meals and I’ve done some canning. My mother brought me 3 large boxes of tomatoes from her farm and I turned those rosy reds into about 24 jars of salsa. She also brought me two buckets of fresh-scented basil that I churned into pistou (pesto w/out nuts). I will love pulling that fresh green sauce out in the winter to enjoy with crackers or over pasta; bringing summer rushing right back.

One of the meal’s that I had fun planning was a vegan meal for my son’s girlfriend, Heather, who is vegan. On One Green Planet I found a delicious recipe for Stir Fried Brussels Sprouts with Ginger and Curry leaves. I love all those ingredients and luckily I knew Heather like brussels sprouts from a previous meal around our table. I was excited that I even had curry leaves on hand from other Thai meals. I love it when a rare ingredient like that is actually inside my cupboard already. The stir-fry was good and pretty easy to put together. I would add more sauce next time, more tomato to keep it altogether.

Groovy Girl and I experimented to make an interesting vegan dessert: donuts! Never made donuts before-why not give them a try right before a celebratory meal! Yes, yes that’s just what we did and for first-timers it turned out great. Next time we will spray the nonstick pan first. It was a fun recipe to try and they enjoyed eating them even though our second batch stuck mostly in the pan. Thankfully Tristan just poured almond milk over and ate them like cereal or in our family, just like chocolate cake. Here is our donut recipe and the sugar glaze we used for some while others we just sprinkled with a cinnamon mixture. Groovy Girl loved helping me with this meal, especially the donuts, and I think I love that she may move into being a talented sous chef for me.

I had book club last week and we discussed Alice Hoffman’s The Museum of Extraordinary Things, which we loved. I had a large amount of bell-shaped yellow tomatoes from our garden and I used them to make these little mozzarella bites. I laid my tiny skewers on a bed of fresh greens and very peppery arugula and then drizzled a balsamic/olive oil mixture over the top. Getting to book club on time is always a major feat for me so no photo exists. And we ate them all. Love that.

Besides cooking I’ve finished my summer with voracious reading; I finished The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney and Chris Bohjalian’s The Guest Room; both excellent reads.

So much delicious food…Weekly recipes

We are getting oh, so close to the end of the school year. It’s a busy time. We’ve been here, there, and everywhere so I’ve got a smattering of recipes from a few different places.

{Natasha’s Kitchen}

I went to an end-of-the-year school party hosted by one of our teacher’s beautiful houses. She had a gorgeous backyard with a big open space where we could all gather. A small stream trickled through a maze of rocks giving the backyard a great zen sound. Groovy Girl would have loved the large trampoline set up in the corner of the spacious green space. Inside her sliding glass patio doors we had tables of food to choose from with every kind of dip and desserts galore. I generally only eat meat at my own house and a few select restaurants (Go local!) so it makes it kind of easy to bypass certain meat-laden dishes and focus on veggies and desserts (my downfall).

One of the salads, created by a kindergarten teacher, was amazing. It’s a perfect summer salad made with cucumbers, red onion, tomatoes, cilantro, avocado, and a squeeze of lemon. The flavor combination was incredible. I looked it up the next day and am sharing it here with you. I have not made it yet but plan to for an upcoming huge group picnic.

Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad

I also made these brownies for two events; my 6th grade book club party AND a party for a retiring teacher-librarian. They were SO good and easy. So good you wouldn’t think they were so easy. I made them before school and frosted them at school. I’ll keep this recipe handy for the next bake sale, picnic party, or kid-event. They are in no way organic or healthy but my intended eaters were 6th graders and I wanted something they would love for our last party together.

Hershey’s Best Brownies

We were out of town for an overnight in Rochester, MN for the Med-City Marathon and we ate at two incredible places. Right downtown we tried Victoria’s and it was a wonderful experience. I had a martini with blue cheese olives and the walleye with vegetables and rice. The flavors were perfect all mixed together and the vegetables were slightly crisp-just how I like them. It was such a big portion I had to share a lot with my husband after he finished his veggie pasta.

On our way home today we stopped at the Four Daughters Winery and Vineyard right outside of Stewartville. Wow. Can’t believe I’ve driven past this place for years. It was a lovely day, cloudy with still a good amount of sunshine peeking through and we chose to sit outside on the patio for that reason. We each ordered a flight of their wine, a good deal at $5 for 5 wines. My husband ordered white and I the red. After looking over the menu we decided to order lunch as well. He had the pork pancakes with eggs and I had the guacamole served with chips. It was all delicious. I scraped the bowl and ate all the chips. His plate was even cleaner than mine. The wines were good and overall we prefered three of his whites over any of the reds.

Now I’ve got to fit in some extra yoga tomorrow after all this delicious food. Tomorrow we head to a family party and I’m bringing the best margaritas!

Craft Cocktails for the end of summer

Summer Cocktails

By Maria Del Mar Sacasa

I’ve had this checked out from our public library for a few weeks…and have yet to take the necessary time to make any of the recipes.

I love craft cocktails especially made from garden ingredients; think cucumber or rhubarb.

I wanted to make quite a few recipes from this book-that would have been a lot of cocktailing through September…I tried to pick a few of my top favorites-there were so many delicious choices though.

Bee Sting

2 ounces Barenjager honey liqueur

Champagne, prosecco, or sparking wine

Pour honey liqueur into a champagne glass or flute. Top with champagne. Serve.

This is an easy one but I love bees and this would be a great celebration cocktail!

There is a delicious recipe for Long Island Iced Tea that I would love to try because it would be far superior to the cocktail I drank in college on crazy nights. I’m interested in the homemade sour mix.

Also she talks about a Dark and Stormy and her recipe includes actual ginger slices with ginger beer-that would take it up a notch so, of course, I’m going to give that a try.

This would be perfect for a gathering of friends even in late fall:
La Dolce Vita

2 Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into cubes

2 tsp finely grated lemon zest

1 T granulated sugar

2 cups brandy

1 t lemon juice

2 bottles of Asti Spimante, chilled

2 cups fresh tangerine juice, strained and chilled

2 cups dry lemon soda, such as San Pellegrino, chilled

1 cup homemade sour mix

Ice chunks

1 cup red/green grapes, thinly sliced

Fresh thyme and rosemary twigs for garnish

Place apples in a large bowl. Rub lemon zest into sugar until no strands remain and sprinkle onto apples. Add brandy and lemon juice. Let sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours.

Stir together wine, tangerine juice, lemon soda, and sour mix in a punch or other serving bowl. Add several large pieces of ice, the apple brandy mixture, and grapes. Stir. Serve drink in ice-filled cups, adding a scoop of fruit to each. Garnish with sprigs of fresh thyme and/or rosemary and serve immediately.

Salty Lime Soda (I love limes about as much as I love lemons)

6 fresh curry leaves
2 kafir lime leaves, cut into thin ribbons
2 T granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 ozs white rum
Ice cubes
1/4 cup club soda, chilled

Toast curry leaves in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant and dry, shaking pan often, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a shaker. Add lime leaves, sugar, and salt and muddle. Add lime juice, rum, and ice and shake vigorously. Strain into an ice-filled glass and top with club soda.

I’m not exactly sure where I’m going to find curry or kafir lime leaves but it will be totally worth it.

Enjoy!

Weekly Recipes 5

I’ve been pretty low maintainance on making actual recipes this week as most of my family is out of town. Teenage Boy and I have had the week to ourselves and it has been lovely. We’ve watched a few movies together. I’ve watched a binge-worth of Parenthood and I am finally on season 4. Yeah for Jasmine and Crosby! A little worried about new adoptee Victor. My son thought it best if I turned it off as I was cleaning and watching like my 7th episode, tears running down my face. Pitiful.

The son and I also went thrifting this week. We both found clothing items we liked and while he continued to browse I headed to the book section. I found several fiction titles I was mildly interested in but not enough to add to my already huge piles at home but as I kept browsing my treasure came to me: a Jamie Oliver hardcover cookbook. I have a foodie crush on Jamie and I love a good revolution. This book is one of his first though and tackles easy-to-prepare recipes. I’ve not made one yet but I’ve loved reading through the pages and listening to his stories.

I’m thankful for this week with my son. It’s been a blessing and I’ve also tackled mounds of clutter. I did make time to visit with friends yesterday and Kay made a rhubarb Prosecco cocktail that was perfect. I don’t have her recipe YET.

{Source}

I also experimented with some bread again. I wanted something yeasty and quick. This 5-minute Artisan bread did not take long to put together but it didn’t rise quickly. I gave it some time. Meditated over it and kneaded it again. I love the way the dough feels in my hand; it’s very calming. I baked it around 11 pm (late for me), went to bed after I took the steamy loaves out of the oven. The smell drove me crazy while I was desperately trying to get to sleep. I gave up and went down stairs and cut myself two slices-luckily it was still steamy. Amazing.

Weekly Recipes 4

While I visited with Barb and her family I made dinner several nights just to share recipes. Her kitchen is an excellent place to cook and I like that. She, like me, is an ex-vegetarian who now eats good, local meat. It was fun to cook for her family. They like unique dishes just like me.

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Quinoa Tabbouleh with chickpeas-It was delicious; light and refreshing, a perfect summer dish. Simple ingredients all tossed together:

1 cup cooked quinoa
1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
½ pound Persian cucumbers or 2 hothouse cucumbers (if using hothouse, seed the cucumbers first), sliced
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup finely chopped green onion, white and green parts
1 cup chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 cup chopped mint leaves
⅓ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 2 large lemons)
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

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And I made these black bean burritos with sweet potato added in. They were so yummy; I could have eaten 3 or 4 but I kept it to one. It’s all about eating good food in small quantities.

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Once we returned home I made this kid-friendly dish (crock pot enchiladas) on a very busy day so dinner would be ready when the family walked through the door. I was gone-off to hear music at the Gentleman of the Road tour-and it was fantastic! even though it was a little strange to be away from the family, off doing my own thing at our sacred dinner hour. Every once in while you need to surprise them with a twist. I made them dinner so they would still love me while I was gone.

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Another day I made this berry tart which also turned out great. Barb sent me home with a few pie shells so I didn’t have to make the dough, which made it simple.

What did you create this week?