French Onion Soup Stuffed Mushrooms- Pioneer Woman

This weekend is Grant's birthday, again :)
It always falls close to the Super Bowl, so I have a little birthday/SB dinner. We were a little bummed the 49ers didn't get into the big game.  What was up with that? We have a thing for Alex Smith, since he played at the U of U a few years back. Met him a few times at games. Great kid. Oh, maybe he's a man now?  Here's a cute pic of him with my boys at the Fiesta Bowl.

Anyway. Superbowl=appetizers. A stuffed mushroom fit for the Super Bowl. Is that two words? or one? My spell check says it's two.
Are you a French Onion Soup lover? I am. Remember when I posted Classic French Onion Soup? It's my favorite soup in the world. When I was a kid, my dad made it for us. And we had these little bowls, special for French Onion Soup, I think it was the only time we used them. Which must have been once a year?  Funny how I remember those bowls.
Ok, the appetizer. Tastes just like French Onion Soup. In a mushroom. I made these and everyone went crazy. A love fest. For the mushrooms. If your people love onions and mushrooms, you have to make these.

Pioneer Woman's French Onion Soup Stuffed Mushrooms

Pioneer Woman Cooking
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2 tablespoons butter
2 whole large onions, halved and sliced thin
1/4 cup beef broth
7 dashes Worcestershire Sauce
splash of red or white wine ( I used cooking wine)
1/2 cup grated Gruyere or Swiss Cheese
Kosher salt
24 whole white Or Crimini mushrooms, washed and stems removed
minced parsley, optional for garnish


In a medium skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add onions and saute for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very soft. Splash in wine, broth, and Worcestershire. Cook for another 5 minutes, or until liquid is cooked down. Set aside.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Throw in mushrooms and toss around for 2 minutes, just to start the cooking process. Sprinkle mushrooms with salt.

Place mushroom caps face down in a baking dish. Heap cavity with sauteed mushrooms, then sprinkle Gruyere over the top. Bake at 10 minutes on 325 degrees. Turn on broiler and broil for a couple of minutes, until the top of the Gruyere starts to bubble and slightly turn brown.

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Salsa de Pina - Pineapple Salsa

I Pinned this recipe several months ago, and have made it a few times since. Love it.  We usually eat it up so quickly, I forget to take a photo. Perfect with fish tacos, enchiladas, or tortilla chips. It's simple and fresh, and everyone loves it.
Everyone except one 15 year old boy, who will remain nameless.

Salsa de Pina Picante- Pineapple Salsa
adapted slightly from Savuer magazine
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1 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple
¼ cup chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 ½ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 jalapenos, stemmed and minced
½ small red onion, chopped fine

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients. Serve at room temperature.

Tips:

-If making this ahead, refrigerate and add red onion just before serving. The acidity of the pineapple may make the red color in the onion bleed onto the fruit if prepared ahead.

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Goat Cheese, Blackberry and Pear Bites

Christmas is over.
When Brookie was about 18 months old, we were driving through a neighborhood in Seattle, and the Christmas lights that once lit up the houses were few and far between.  I said something about missing the lights and about Christmas being "over".  All of a sudden, a little voice from the back seat yelled "CHRISTMAS IS NOT OVER!!!"  Twenty years later, our family still laughs when we hear those words.
Well, Christmas is over, and now it's on to celebrating the New Year. 2012. Where does time go? I know I'm getting older when I say things like that. Pardon me, I'm turning 50 this year. If you stick around, I'm sure by November 2012, you will be thinking- enough already, turn 50.   Anyway.
New Years food to me is all about fun appetizers. I cooked up these little bites at an appetizer class a few weeks ago. Yummy. They are so simple, and a little froufy. Is that how you spell froufy? Apparently not since my spell check keeps highlighting it.



Goat Cheese, Blackberry and Pear Bites
adapted slightly from CulinaryCory.com
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4 oz. plain goat cheese, room temperature
*
3 tablespoons honey

¼ tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. lemon zest

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 pear, peeled and chopped to size of peas

6 oz blackberries, fresh

2 packages of Phyllo dough cups, about 30

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cream the goat cheese, honey, nutmeg, zest, juice, and pear in a small mixing bowl until well combined.
Spoon a single tablespoon sized amount of the mixture into each Phyllo cup.
Place one blackberry in the center of each filled cup.
Place the filled cups on a baking sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 8 – 10 minutes, or until the mixture is slightly bubbly and the berries are just about to burst.

Tips:
-*I like using 1/2 goat cheese and 1/2 cream cheese for a more mild flavor. Two ounces of each.
-The packages of frozen Phyllo cups are found in the frozen section. If you can't find cups you could buy sheets of Phyllo, cut them into squares and form them into mini muffin cups.
-You may place the berries on top before or after baking. The baked berries change color a little and lighten up. I like them both ways. People in the class commented that the cooked berries made the bites taste more like a warm berry pie! If you like the berries to be more true to their original color, bake them less, about 6-8 minutes.

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Scalloped Sweet Potato Stacks

Sheri, my SIL found this recipe in Southern Living mag last spring. She served it at a family dinner and her brother, (my hubs) loved it so much he ate three or four in one sitting. Did I mention he usually won't touch sweet potatoes?  You can make this as a side dish in a regular size muffin tin, or in a mini tin for an appetizer portion. I've made Scalloped Sweet Potato Stacks several times and the  result is the same every time.  Everyone loves this recipe. It's perfect for my favorite holiday of the year.
Thanksgiving!!!!!!
Two more weeks.
Can you tell I'm excited?

Scalloped Sweet Potato Stacks adapted from Southern Living Magazine, 2011

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1 1/2 pounds small sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced *
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or rosemary, divided 

1 cup (4 oz.) freshly shredded mozzarella or Gruyere cheese, divided*
2/3 cup heavy cream 

1 garlic clove, pressed
1/2 to 3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Garnish: fresh thyme or rosemary

Preheat oven to 350°. Layer half of sweet potatoes in a lightly greased 12-cup muffin pan. Sprinkle with a light layer of salt.  Then sprinkle with 1 1/2 tsp. thyme and 1/2 cup cheese. Top with remaining sweet potatoes. (Potatoes should come slightly above the rim of each cup.) 

Microwave cream, next 3 ingredients, and remaining 1/2 tsp. thyme or rosemary at HIGH 1 minute. Pour cream mixture into muffin cups (about 1 Tbsp. per cup).
Bake at 350°, covered with aluminum foil, 30 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake 5 to 7 minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly golden.
Let stand 5 minutes. Run a sharp knife around rim of each cup, and lift potato stacks from cups using a spoon or thin spatula. Transfer to a serving platter. Garnish, if desired.

Tips:
-Try to buy potatoes that are no larger than about 2 inches wide. When sliced these fit nicely into the muffin tins. Stagger the slices as you stack to get a fully formed stack. Is you are unable to find long, slim sweet potatoes or yams, use a wider potato and cut the slice in half.
-I prefer to use a sweet potato or yam that is orange in color, not the whiter type sweet potato.
-Make sure to stack the potatoes about 1/2 inch above the rim if you want  a nice stack, the potatoes will shrink during baking.
-I like this recipe with thyme, rosemary or sage.
-If you don't have a mini muffin pan, and want to serve these as an appetizer, just stack the potatoes about half way in the baking cup (instead of to the top) and bake until the edges are browned a bit. This will make them closer to bite size and they will hold together better when picked up.
-One more thing...You can make these early and take them to a gathering. Just pop them into the oven for about 3 minutes at 350 to warm them up a bit. Or they are fine served at room temperature.

This is an example of a stack that was used for an appetizer portion, not stacked quite as high in the cup, and baked a bit more. 

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Pumpkin Butter

Hope you have a great weekend. We are looking forward to upper 70's here in B-town!

Here's a super simple recipe for Pumpkin Butter. It was passed on to me from my dear friend, Laurie. We served this at the open house last week at South Fork. People couldn't get enough of it!  Wouldn't this be a great little gift for a friend spooned into a jar and tied with a ribbon? 

I almost forgot! If you are close to Holladay, Utah and want to go to an amazing boutique filled with the best of Utah's handcrafted gift and decorative items, check out this art show: 

Pumpkin Butter 

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1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Mix 1 cup canned pumpkin, ½ cup sugar, and 1½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice in saucepan.
Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves.
Chill before serving.
Good as a dip for apples or a spread on waffles, pancakes, crackers, or baguette slices.

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Pico de Gallo

Final installment of our "Cafe Rio Style"recipes.
Why is this called Pico de Gallo? In Spanish, Pico means spicy or beak. And gallo means rooster. So Pico de Gallo literally translated, is a spicy rooster, or beak rooster?  Or maybe it's spicy beak of a rooster? Grant (who speaks fluent Spanish)  and I had a discussion about this. He says the words have a double meaning. Still doesn't make sense to me... I'm wondering why tomatoes, jalapeno and onions are (translated) "spicy beak rooster".  Forget the economy, or why Bronco didn't wear the "Band of Brothers" t shirt  to the Utah/BYU game last Saturday, after wearing it to the first two games (what was up with that?) ,  these are the profound questions that keep me up at night.
When making this salad, Pico is like the frosting on a cake. It takes less than five minutes to chop and mix up. Pico + chips = my dinner, two nights in a row. YUM.
Hurry and make some before the fresh tomatoes disappear...



Pico de Gallo
A Bountiful Kitchen
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4 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 small onion, about 1 cup chopped, white or sweet variety
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 clove garlic, optional
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a medium size bowl.
Best if made at least one hour before serving.
Serve at room temperature.

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Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

Every Friday night for years, my parents played cards with the next door neighbors, the Snow's. During those years(late 1960's), we established a ritual where the parents played cards at one house, and the kids would hang out at the other house, eat treats and watch "Nightmare Theater"- a local  Seattle weekend show hosted by a vampire "The Count" (who looked nothing like Edward Cullen). Nightmare Theater double featured scary movies like "The Thing" and "The Screaming Skull".  Every Friday night.  Doesn't that sound like fun?  No wonder I won't watch anything scary as an adult.

The food: Totino's Pizza Rolls and boxed brownies. Serious.  I LOVED this stuff.  I have no logical explanation for this behavior. Totino's Pizza Rolls?  I know. What can I say? I haven't  had one of those for  years, but I did have a serious love for those little greasy hot pockets of melted cheese, sauce and itty-bitty pepperoni pellets. Yes, the pepperoni looks like pellets (see photo left).
Enough about my food indiscretions. The SRC blog I was assigned this month is Lean Green Bean.  Lindsay, the blog author lives in Ohio and studying to become a Registered Dietitian. She loves to cook and bake, is married and has a page on her blog devoted to her "furry family" (two dogs and two cats ).
When I saw her recipe for Pepperoni Pizza Puffs, I had a flood of Friday night childhood memories and knew I had to give them a try.
Jake loved these, and inhaled almost the whole tray himself. I subbed home made pizza sauce for canned, since it takes about a minute to whip up. Perfect appetizer for a casual party (football games) or kid gathering.

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs
Lean Green Bean
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3/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup skim milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup reduced-fat (or regular) mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup turkey (or regular) pepperoni, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup pizza sauce (see recipe below for home made)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder; whisk in the milk and egg.
3. Stir in the mozzarella and pepperoni; let stand for 10 minutes.
4. Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, 20 minutes.
5. Microwave the pizza sauce until warmed through, then stir in 1 tablespoon basil. Sprinkle the puffs with the remaining tablespoon of basil. Serve the puffs with the pizza sauce for dipping.


Pizza Sauce
1 cup tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
dash hot pepper sauce
salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in bowl.
Serve with pizza puffs.

Tips:
-Unless you are having 2 people over, I suggest doubling the pizza puff recipe.

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Tessa's Southwest Chicken Rollups

I've had this recipe in my files for years. Every once in a while I pull it out and make a batch. They usually disappear about as quickly as they come out of the oven. This week, I served them with Sheri's Simple Salsa. Great mid-week meal, with chips and fresh fruit or a salad.




Tessa's Southwest Chicken Roll ups
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3-4 cups cooked, chopped chicken breast meat
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 medium onion
1 1/2 cups corn (if in season, about 2 large cobs, cooked and cut off cob)
1-15.5 oz can black beans, washed and drained
1 1/2- 2 cups fresh spinach, washed
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 cups grated Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese, grated
14-16 10 inch tortillas, I prefer thin flour tortillas for this recipe
salt and pepper to taste

Place all filling ingredients together in a medium to large bowl.  Mix lightly.
Spread about 1/4 to 1/3 cup filling in the middle of each tortilla, depending on how thick or thin you want the rolls to be.  Roll tightly and place on a lightly greased or parchment lined cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. Brush the top of the tortillas lightly with canola, vegetable or olive oil. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove and serve immediately or at room temperature with salsa, sour cream or guacamole.

Tips:
-Great as an appetizer or main dish.
-Great as a make ahead dish. Prepare, cover tightly with foil. Place in fridge until ready to bake and serve.  Remove foil before baking. Make up to 2 days ahead.
-This recipe was altered from Tessa's original recipe - her recipe called for most of the same main ingredients, I just increased the amounts of the ingredients, to make the recipe more user and family friendly. Instead of 1/4 cup of black beans, I altered it to include the whole can of black beans.

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Guacamole Taquero (Taco-Shop Guac)

Found this recipe in last months issue of Saveur magazine. I altered it a bit. LOVE it. Perfect as a stand alone dip, or with tacos, or  on top of enchiladas, taco salad, etc.  Tonight we had it with some Southwest Chicken Roll ups, which I'll post soon.  Guacamole Taquero takes about 5 minutes to make. Makes me feel a little closer to my kid serving a mission in Mexico.  Last week was his 6 month mark! Wanna see a pic?

Guacamole Taquero
adapted from Saveur
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6-8 oz tomatillos, husked, rinsed and chopped
1/2 cup packed cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons fresh line juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 clove garlic
1 jalapeno, ( 1/2 of the jalapeno seeded)
1 Anaheim chili, chopped
1 large or 2 small avocado, pitted and peeled
1/2 small white onion

Puree all ingredients in blender until smooth.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Makes about 2 1/2 cups, keeps in refrigerator for about 1 week.


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Beef Empanadas with Black Bean Dipping Sauce

One of my favorite features in Bon Appetit is R.S.V.P. Readers Favorite Restaurant Recipes . Here's how it works- readers write in and ask BA to get recipes for them from their favorite restaurants.  After acquiring the requested recipe, the magazine publishes the request along with the coveted recipe.  I've found loads of great recipes over the years in this section of BA. Here's my latest find, in the June 2011 edition... the reader says:

"We spent our honeymoon at Grace Bay Club in Turks and Caicos  (really? We spent our honeymoon at the Homestead in Heber City) .  One of my best food memories is the Beef Empanadas served at the lounge. I'd love the recipe. "


Since Grant LOVES empanadas, I decided to give these a try. They are not quite like traditional empanadas you'll find in South America...the chef at Grace Bay Club says "Every cook in the Islands knows this dish." So I guess this is the "island" version of empanadas.
Result: We loved them as much as the Turks and Caicos lady.
YUM. And we didn't even need to leave Bountiful to get them.
Shoot.

Oh, since I like you so much, here's a little step by step tutorial.

Cut

Cook, Mix, Cool

Brush

Fill

Bake

Beef Empanadas with Black Bean Dipping Sauce

adapted from Bon Appetit

Empanadas
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 lb ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1  17.3-oz packages frozen puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed
2 large egg yolks, beaten, for glaze

Dipping Sauce
1/2 15-oz can black beans, drained & rinsed
1/2 cup sour cream
1 Roma tomato, seeded, chopped, divided
1 lg scallion, chopped, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Empanadas
Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef, chopped onion and garlic; cook, stirring often and breaking into small pieces with a wooden spoon until beef is cooked, about 3 minutes. Add tomato paste, cumin, and cayenne. Reduce heat to medium; cook, stirring often, to let flavors meld, about 4 minutes. Add cilantro; season to taste with salt & pepper. Let filling cool to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut each pastry sheet into four 4 1/2" squares for a total of 8 squares. Lightly brush edges of squares with glaze. Spoon filling into center of each, dividing equally. Fold edges over, forming triangles, and press to seal. Crimp edges with tines of a fork. Divide triangles between prepared sheets. Brush tops with glaze.

Do Ahead: Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Cover & chill.

Bake until tops are puffed and golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Dipping Sauce
Meanwhile, puree beans and sour cream in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in half of tomatoes and half of scallions. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle remaining tomatoes and scallions over.

Tips:

- I think ground turkey would be a great substitute, or maybe an equal amount of shredded chicken. 

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Sheri's Super Simple Salsa

This is our family go-to salsa. It's made with canned, crushed tomatoes so you can make it year round. It's as good in December as it is in July. In July, just add some fresh cut tomatoes to freshen it up a bit.
It takes about 5 minutes to throw together, and it's as popular with kids as it is with adults.
Perfect for the busy 4th weekend.















Sheri's Super Simple Salsa
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1 large can (28 oz)  crushed tomatoes
1  4 oz can chopped green chilies
1 small sweet onion, chopped
1 can Rotel (see photo below)
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
juice of 1-2 limes (optional)

Mix all ingredients in medium size bowl.  Serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to 7 days.

Tips:
- This is best when served at room temperature.
-In the summer when fresh tomatoes are available, add 1-2 large chopped tomatoes.

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Roasted Pepper and Goat Cheese appetizer and Mother's Day Giveaway!

When we stayed at River's Run last fall, Miss Lisa served up these delicious appetizers before dinner one evening.  My boys (including Grant) usually steer clear of anything involving a red pepper. They loved this dish.  I made these last week and loved the soft red pepper, creamy goat cheese, crunchy pine nuts and sweet, soft golden raisins.  One of the best appetizers I have ever eaten.

This would make a perfect appetizer for Mom on Sunday.  To start Mother's Day/Cinco de Mayo week off right, we're having a little giveaway.  Ina Garten's cookbook " How Easy is That?",  a $25 gift certificate to Mrs. Cavanaugh's chocolates (wonderful chocolates, local to Utah, but you can use the certificate as mail order),  and some darling cloth napkins from "Stack'd, by SisterMade" .

Leave a comment about what you love about your mom, or being a mom.  As always, followers get two entries. I'll announce the winner on Wednesday.  One winner, three gifts.  Keep them for yourself, or share with mom!

Roasted Peppers Stuffed with Goat Cheese
adapted from Bottega Restaurant and Cafe,  Birmingham, AL
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4 large red or yellow peppers, roasted (see below) peeled, slit open, seeded, and sliced into three inch strips
Sea salt, fresh ground pepper
1/4-1/2 pound mild soft goat cheese
6 basil leaves, 4 leaves chopped, 2 leaves reserved or garnish
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup golden raisins
bread crumbs, optional
2 tablespoons olive oil
pinch of cayenne

Roast the peppers using either a barbecue grill, gas cook top or broiler in your oven.  Complete tutorials here.

Position a rack in the upper third of oven and preheat to 475 degrees.
Place the peppers peeled side down on a cutting board and slightly flatten. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Spread with about a tablespoon of goat cheese down the center of each pepper strip. Scatter the cut basil, pine nuts, and golden raisins on top of each pepper. Fold each pepper over to create a package (like a canoe on its side). Press down gently to flatten slightly
Place the peppers on a baking sheet (I prepared the peppers directly on the baking sheet). Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and drizzle with a little olive oil over each one. Sprinkle with cayenne.
Bake for about 10 minutes, until breadcrumbs turn golden and the goat cheese is bubbly.
Using a spatula, arrange the peppers on a small plate and tear the remaining basil leaves over for garnish. Drizzle with a bit more olive oil if desired.

Tips:
-I didn't fold the red peppers over after topping.  They were a little difficult to eat unless you have a plate and fork. If you want to make this into a "finger food" place each cooked pepper onto a toasted baguette and serve as  bruschetta.
-This is an easy make-ahead appetizer. Completely prepare, leave on baking sheet. Before serving, place under broiler for 1 minute, to warm up.

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