broccoli salad and small fingers helping

I made the best salad last night!  Miss D from work has been talking about this salad:  broccoli, grapes, pecans, feta, a bit of red onion if you have it, and some vinaigrette.  Now I tweaked it a bit.  She uses raw broccoli but I do not really like that.  My Beloved would.  But I will have you know before we even got half way through this salad he was saying we could have this again.  My suggestion, if you make it, is make twice as much as you need because that is how good it is.

Now I fussed a little bit.  I roasted the broccoli.  My Beloved teased me about the grapes in half.  I had a feta in the refrigerator that had black pepper in it.  That made a very nice bite.  I used green onion instead of red because I had a lot of it from the CSA box (and more in the garden).  I did the fussing while the broccoli roasted.

Broccoli Salad

2 head of broccoli

2 tablespoonns of olive oil

a large pinch of salt

a large pinch of pepper

about 1/2 pound of grapes, cut in half

about 1/2 cup pecans, chopped

about 8 ounces feta

about 1/4 cup chopped onion

2 to 6 tablespoons of vinaigrette (to your taste)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  On a baking sheet pour the olive oil.  Cut up the broccoli heads.  We liked little bits but do what you will.  Put on the baking sheet and toss.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake for 20 minutes, stirring once in between.  If you want crisper broccoli, let it stay in the oven longer.  Not so crisp shorter.

While the broccoli is roasting, prepare the rest of the ingredients, except the vinaigrette.  Put in a large bowl.  When the broccoli is done, add to the bowl and toss.  Add the vinaigrette and toss again.

I could have this again tonight but we are cleaned out of everything that is in it.  Sigh.

I have been machine quilting and I have small fingers quilting.  Small Mister is very interested in the letters on my machine head.  He is a pretty good helper as long as he is interested.  Otherwise.....  He gets put down.  He liked seeing where all those safety pins went that he helped me with last night.  This makes me smile.

chocolate pudding

Yesterday, I came home to "People!" (Think Mr. Bennett as played by Donald Sutherland in Pride and Prejudice).  We had a bit of bread and chocolate with tea.  I admit to still wanting chocolate today.  After the library and CSA, I put together a chocolate pudding.  Yes, I needed to cook the pudding longer and the flavor was delightful.  My Beloved and Small Mister just slurped it up.  But can I say I really am not a pudding person.  I do keep trying and I do not know why.  

Like I said, the flavor on this one is good so I would make it again for Small Mister.  I just probably would not eat it.

chocolate pudding

Note:  I modified this from KrisitnRosenau of Pastry Affair

1 1/2 cups whole goat milk

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon cocoa 

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 egg yolk

40 grams dark chocolate, chopped fine

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a bowl, mix 1/2 cup milk, the cornstarch, cocoa, salt, and egg yolk.

Put the rest of the milk in a pan.  Bring to just a boil.  Keep stirring.  Turn the heat down and mix in the milk and cocoa mixture.  Stir and keep stirring until the back of a spoon is thickly coated.  Take off the heat and add the chopped chocolate.  Mix until melted.  Add and mix in the vanilla.

This fit in four ramekins.  Refrigerate (or eat warm if you like).

Small Mister slurped this up faster then a banana or peanut butter (his favorites). I am just not a pudding person.  Oh well.

banana pancakes

The computer's hard drive died.  At least it was still under warranty, yes?  We have almost everything backed up except for maybe the last day of pictures.  I am hoping some *.pdfs I was working got backed up as well.  I have the files other places but the idea of redoing is a bit overwhelming.  I know I can do it with a very deep breath first.

My Beloved has been having problems eating pancakes.  They have been upsetting his stomach.  I was thinking that it may be the grains.  When I heard about this banana pancake recipe, I decided to give it a try.

banana pancakes

For each person:

One very ripe banana

one egg

1 tablespoon of peanut butter.  

Blend it all together and cook on a griddle like a pancake.  They need a bit lower heat because of the sugar in the bananas.

They are very light and fluffy with a light banana flavor.  You do have to like banana though.

I was just thinking, some chocolate sauce and/or peanut butter sauce on these would make a lovely dessert.  But those are some of my most favorite flavors together.

Tinga (Puebla Simmered Spiced Beef)

This is an old recipe from Sunset magazine that I resurrect occasionally.  I was in graduate school when I found this so that means that it is over 20 years ago.  

This is one of those recipes that I find works on top of the stove or in the crockpot.  It would probably work very well as a braise as well but I have not tried it.  Yet.  A salad.  Tortillas.  Or roasted vegetables.  You have an easy meal.  

My family likes this one.  If they are hungry at lunch, they will take a jar of this, a jar of cooked beans, and a jar of pumpkin and make a chili like concoction.  Or just a bowl of tinga.  

tinga

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 pounds beef flank steak, cut into strips

1/2 pound chorizo

3 small onions or 1 large onion, chopped

1 head garlic, finely chopped

4 large bay leaves

1 cinnamon stick

10 whole cloves

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 to 4 tablespoons of chipolte chilies in adobado sauce, blended

1/2 cup cider vinegar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

14 ounce can diced tomatoes, blended

In a large pot, put the olive oil and heat.  Add the onion and let start to cook.  When translucent and the chorizo and garlic.  When the chorizo is brown, add the chipolte and tomatoes.  Add all the spices, vinegar, and sugar.  Let bubble a way for a few minutes.  Add the flank steak.  The meat should be covered with liquid but I will let you play it by ear.  My family prefers when I do not add any more water, cover, and let cook.  The meat is done with it can be shredded.  I fish out the bay, cinnamon, and cloves to the best of my ability before I serve it.  Those are just not surprises I wish to find!

I do exactly the same thing with the crockpot.

With either, just make sure there is enough fluid but not too much.  

It can make a lot.  My famliy actually suggests that if I were to quadruple the recipe, I would just need to quadruple the meat, quadruple the spices, and only double the tomatoes.  

We just had a jar from the freezer yesterday.  So easy when it is already made!

I am pretty sure this sounds like a babble.  It has been a long day.

prosciutto, roquerfort, and pine nut pasta

I needed a fast dinner recently and we had a few bits in the frig.  Prosciutto.  Roquerfort.  The combination sounded good so I put the combination together.  It really worked.  Just ummmed as we ate because it was too good to stop.

prosciutto, roquerfort, and pine nut pasta

1 pound dry pasta

about 1/4 pound roquerfort cheese

about 1/4 pound prosciutto, sliced in small pieces

about 1/4 cup pine nut (probably more)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Cook your pasta.

In a frying pan, heat the oil.  Add the prosciutto and pine nuts.  You want the prosciutto crispy and the pine nuts starting to toast and have brown bits.

When the pasta is al dente, drain and portion into bowls.  Top with the prosciutto and pine nuts.  Break up the roquerfort and sprinkle over.

Enjoy!