Let the Games Begin!

The Bacon Games, that is!

The first month's announcement has been posted over at The Bacon Games - stop by, check it out, and spread the word!

Caramel Croissant Pudding

Normally when I have my parents come to visit, I make very detailed plans for the meals we will consume during their stay. This time, I went the other direction and tried to leave things a little more loosely planned, with suggestions instead of recipes. I laid out certain cuts of meat for the main courses, and then improvised side dishes from there.

NORMALLY, this would drive me crazy.

However, what this approach did for me was make room to add new dishes, which came in very handy when my new Thanksgiving issue of Food and Wine magazine arrived on Saturday.

See, I have a thing for bread pudding. Any kind of bread pudding. Throw caramel into the mix, and I am a goner.

See what Food and Wine did to me this month? CARAMEL CROISSANT PUDDING. Yes, they are evil. And yes, you guessed it, I went straight out in search of croissants for this pudding, which we had for dessert on Sunday night. And Monday. With vanilla ice cream on top.

This dessert was extremely easy, but what I liked best about it was the size. It is made in a ONE QUART baking dish. No 9x13 pan here. This dessert is the perfect size for a family of four, for ONE meal. And it is ideal if you just happen to have a couple of croissants leftover (which, I didn’t, but you get my point). Small ingredients, small portions, big flavor.

We all enjoyed this dish, and I’m officially putting it into the desserts rotation!

Caramel-Croissant Pudding

Ingredients
2 stale all-butter croissants, coarsely torn
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons bourbon
2 large eggs, beaten

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly butter a 1-quart shallow baking dish and arrange the croissant pieces in the dish. In a small saucepan, stir the sugar and water over moderately high heat until the sugar dissolves; wash down any crystals on the sides with a wet pastry brush. Cook without stirring until a medium amber caramel forms, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream, milk and bourbon. Cook over low heat just until any hardened caramel dissolves.

2. In a bowl, whisk the eggs. Gradually whisk in the hot caramel. Pour over the croissants and let stand for 10 minutes, pressing the croissants to keep them submerged.

3. Bake the pudding in the center of the oven for 20 minutes, until puffed and golden. Let cool for 10 minutes, then serve.

Punkin Chunkin’!!

Have you ever heard of Punkin Chunkin’? If you have, you can officially consider yourself a redneck at heart. Usually, when people come visit me for the first time, I try to find a good, old fashioned tractor pull to take them to, just so they can say they truly experienced life in “the country”. Well, my dear friends, I have discovered a new redneck game. It is called, as you may have guessed, Punkin Chunkin’.

What is Punkin Chunkin’? You may ask....

Well, basically, this is a bunch of good-ol-boys, holing up in their machine sheds under the guise of night, designing, building, and fine tuning their own personal version of a potato gun. A canon, if you will. Only...much bigger. And more powerful. I imagine Tim “the tool man” Taylor having these in his garage....with the end sticking out a hole in the roof....and lots of male-ego-grunting going on with his buddies....and the faint sound of an ambulance siren in the distance, growing closer and closer....

Notice the name of this cannon....it says a lot...

THIS, dear readers, is a Pumpkin Cannon.

After witnessing the Punkin Chunkin’ contest at the Pumpkin Festival in Girard, Illinois this weekend, I think we should seriously consider sending a contingent of our country punkin chunkers in search of Bin Laden. For real. They scare me.

If you look REALLY closely, you can see the pumpkin shooting out of the cannon

These bad boys have propane tanks for air compressors (and no, I’m not talking about the little ones you attach to your grill), a huge barrel, and a whole lotta power. From what I hear, the world record for shooting a pumpkin is in the neighborhood of 5000 feet. Yes, I said five THOUSAND feet. The winners at this weekend’s festival (our very own Punkin Chunkers from Carlinville, IL!) shot right around 3300 feet. They use spotters in the field with GPS systems to measure distance, and after the distance shooting competition, they lowered the cannons and did a little target practice at a mini van, a camper, and a station wagon. We can safely say those vehicles were totaled. A chunked punkin really packs a punch!



Ty had so much fun watching the chunkers with his grandpa (did I mention my parents were in town this weekend?) that we practically had to drag him away.

Lucky for us, the local chunkers from my town made a special appearance at our own Pumpkin Festival the next day, just for fun and at lower power levels, and treated the youngins to a very special day when they announced that the kids could all take a turn firing the cannon. 

Getting set up to fire the cannon

Ready, Aim, FIRE!!!

My Little Man got extra special treatment and got to fire it twice (with Grandpa’s help, of course). He was in Little Boy heaven.

I’ve got to say, these guys are pretty impressive. They may need a little psychological help, but then again, it may just be a case of  “boys will be boys”. In any case, if you ever have the opportunity to see one of these exhibitions, I highly recommend it for an unusually good time.

Our annual picture of Ty at the Pumpkin Festival

I Heart Cooking Clubs – Benvenuto, Giada!

I can’t tell you how happy I was when Giada was voted in for the next six month term for I Heart Cooking Clubs. I was torn between her and Lidia Bastianich, as I love them both, but I already have all of Giada’s books so I was pleased that I wouldn’t have to buy any new ones. (Not that I ever HAVE to buy new books for each chef, but come on... you know I have to.)

The first weekly theme for our visit with Giada is “Benvenuto! Party Foods!” and that one is a winner for me. I have a long, on-going love affair with Italian food, and I love throwing Italian themed dinners. When I think of party food, or an Italian celebration of any kind, the very first thing I think of is, “What can I put on the antipasto tray?”

Well, that...and, of course, a cocktail of some kind.

I’m very familiar with some of Giada’s appetizers, and they are all so simple to throw together, I couldn’t resist making a whole tray. (Aren’t my co-workers lucky?)

One of my absolute favorites is Crostini with Gorgonzola and Honey. Then I moved on to Salami Crisps with Sour Cream and Basil. After that, it was a no brainer to land on Citrus Spiced Mixed Olives.

This combination goes together fantastically since two of the items go in the oven at similar temperatures, with a step or two that can be done in advance (toasting the baguette slices and the walnuts), and the olives you just throw together on the stove top while the others are in the oven.

Top that off with a bubbly cocktail (my usual is Prosecco, but since I have a bottle of Limoncello in the liquor cabinet, I couldn’t resist breaking that out instead. Giada’s recipe calls for making your own lime-based Limoncello, but for the sake of simplicity, I just used store bought.) and you have a gorgeous Italian Welcome party waiting to happen. Invite a few people over to share and this is a no-miss party menu.

This is my submission for our first Giada theme for I Heart Cooking Clubs!

Benvenuto al nostro randello, Giada! I can’t wait to celebrate all the fall and winter holidays with Giada’s recipes.

Crostini with Gorgonzola, Honey and Walnuts
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 24 1/3-inch-thick diagonal slices baguette
• 6 ounces creamy gorgonzola cheese , coarsely crumbled
• 2/3 cup walnuts , toasted, coarsely chopped
• 1 ripe fig , thinly sliced crosswise (optional)
• 3 tablespoons honey

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375°. Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet in a single layer. Lightly brush the baguette slices with oil. Toast in the oven until the baguette slices are golden, about 8 minutes. (You can toast the baguette slices 1 day ahead. Cool, then store them at room temperature in an airtight container.)

Toss the gorgonzola with walnuts in a small bowl. Spoon the cheese mixture onto the baguette slices and press slightly to adhere. Return the baking sheet to the over and bake until the cheese melts, about 8 minutes.

Arrange the crostini on a platter. Top each with a slice of fig, if desired. Drizzle with honey and serve warm.

SALAMI CRISPS WITH SOUR CREAM AND BASIL
• 24 (1/8-inch to 1/4-inch) slices Italian dry Genoa salami (about 4 ounces)
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Line 2 heavy large baking sheets with aluminum foil. Arrange the salami in a single layer over the baking sheets. Bake until the salami slices are amber brown, watching closely to ensure they brown evenly, about 15 minutes. Transfer the salami crisps to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to absorb the excess oil. Set aside to cool.

Spoon a dollop of sour cream on top of each salami crisp. Sprinkle the basil over and serve

CITRUS-SPICED MIXED OLIVES

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic, smashed

• 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper

• 1 large sprig fresh rosemary, 2 bay leaves, or both

• Zest of 1 orange, peeled in long strips with a vegetable peeler

• Zest of 1 lemon, peeled in long strips with a vegetable peeler
• 12 ounces mixed olives, such as kalamata, nicoise, or cerignola, drained

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Put the olive oil, garlic, red pepper, herbs, and citrus zests in a medium skillet. Heat over medium-high heat, swirling the pan until the mixture is fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the olives, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is golden and the zest begins to curl, about 5 minutes more. Discard and remove bay leaves, if using. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Glossy, plump, and gorgeous, our Citrus-Spiced Mixed Olives are primo party starters. Toss 'em together, then leave them out while you mingle with your guests.

LIME-ONCELLO SPRITZERS WITH MINT

Limoncello:

• 2 pounds limes (about 10 large)

• 1 (750-ml) bottle 100-proof vodka

• 2 1/2 cups sugar

• 2 1/2 cups water

Spritzers:

• Ice cubes

• 1 cup fresh mint leaves

• 1 cup club soda

Directions

To make limoncello: Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from the limes in long strips (reserve the limes for another use). Place the lime peels in a 1-quart jar. Pour the vodka over the peels and screw on the lid. Steep the lime peels in the vodka for 1 week at room temperature.

Stir the sugar and water in a large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Cool completely, then stir in the vodka mixture. Strain the liquids into bottles, pressing on the peels to extract as much liquid as possible. Seal the bottles and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 1 month.

To make spritzers: Fill 4 tall glasses halfway with ice. Add the mint leaves. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, coarsely crush the mint leaves into the ice. Pour some limoncello over, and stir to blend. Add a splash of club soda and serve.

Grow Your Own #45 - Brussels Sprout Hash

I was very excited to participate in the Grow Your Own roundup hosted this month by Girlichef, especially since I’ve had such wild success with my garden this year. Every year I plant something I’ve never grown before, and this year my choice was Brussels sprouts. I had never been a fan of Brussels sprouts until earlier this year when Ginny and I made a Brussels Sprout Hash with pancetta. So when I was wandering through the local greenhouse one day this spring, and spotted the adorable little sprout seedlings, I just couldn’t resist. I later discovered that they are not meant for spring planting and are intended to be a more “late summer” fruit, if you will. Well, by then it was too late, as they were already in the ground, so I decided to just let nature take its course and see what happened.

Well....THIS is what happened:

Aren’t they pretty? Yes, I thought so, too. I drafted the hubs to hack the plants off at the base just before I left for my most recent trip to see Ginny, and proceeded to separate the buds from the stems. I ended up with about a gallon of sprouts. When I arrived in Iowa, we re-enacted the previous scene from my kitchen by cleaning and chopping the sprouts, then sautéing them up in bacon grease and a little cider vinegar.

The first time we made these, we pulled the leaves apart and chopped the tougher cores, but we went the easy route this time and just chopped them up. We also managed to restrain ourselves this time and served them with a little fresh grated parmesan on top alongside some beautiful little grilled baby eggplants we picked up at the farmers market and some lovely sirloin steaks, you know, instead of hovering over the stove, forks in hand, and gorging ourselves on the lovely green bounty as we did last time.

This is my submission to this month’s Grow Your Own roundup.

Fall is Here! And a New Take on Zucchini

By the time Fall rolls around, most everyone I know is so tired of zucchini that they are almost a little green around the gills, so to speak. The glut of produce that these plants propagate is astonishing, and although it is truly one of my favorite vegetables, especially in the summer, I find it a little tiresome by September as well.

We recently had one of my favorite summertime go-to grill meals of mixed sausages and a couple of sides, which finally gave me the opportunity to try a recipe I had come across in a recent issue of La Cucina Italiana.

It really couldn't be simpler, and the flavor was fantastic. I am always looking for new ways to serve some of the more common summer veggies and this one really fit the bill.

Roasted Zucchini
2 medium zucchinis, quartered lengthwise
2 onions, roughly chopped
6 (or more) slices bacon, chopped and cooked
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
olive oil

Saute the onions in a little olive oil and spread in a layer in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
Top with the cooked bacon, and lay the zucchini slices on top of the onion/bacon mixture, cut side up.

Mix together the cheese, breadcrumbs, and rosemary, then sprinkle over the zucchini and drizzle with olive oil.

 Bake in a 375 degree oven for 40 minutes or until tender.

***NOTES: the original recipe said to lay a slice of pancetta across each piece of zucchini, but I was worried about how well the pancetta would cook that way. Hence the idea for the bacon. Also, the breadcrumb topping was almost a little too thick. Next time I will use less. I was concerned that the zucchini would be mushy when it came out, so I was hovering over it the whole time. I prefer my zucchini tender-crisp. In the end, the zucchini was VERY well done, almost on the mushy side, but it was actually good that way. the crunch of the breadcrumbs offset it and the onions and bacon managed to soak up into the zucchini beautifully. I will definitely make this one again.

Moby Dick

Something has been haunting me. Taunting me. It is my very own Great White Whale.

It is ..... Moby Dick.

Also known as....Kale Chips. I have been watching this little beast making its way around the internet for months.

I’ll try it...I won’t try it.

This blogger loves them..... the next one hates them.

Back and forth with this struggle I go. Riding the waves of this culinary ocean....well, its been making me a bit seasick.

And so, one fateful day in eastern Iowa, I found a beautiful bunch of flat leaf kale (although some recipes call for curly) and I made a decision. No more Moby Dick. The time is now.

We reeled in the lovely kale and drove it to its doom.... Ginny’s kitchen.

I cut the thick stems out of the leaves.

I brushed them on both sides with olive oil.

I seasoned them with salt and pepper, and a little chipotle powder.

I laid them on sheet pans in a single layer.

And we baked them until crisp.

Don’t be fooled by the dark spots on the leaves, they aren’t burnt. We watched the leaves dutifully to make sure they cooked to a crisp without burning or leaving chewy spots.

And then... the moment of truth. I had no expectations at all. I had heard so many conflicting reports. I’d been chasing the myth....the beast.... Moby Dick himself..... for so long that I didn’t know how to feel when I finally caught up with him.

And so.... I bit him.

And you know.... he was kind of tasty. I’m not going to lie to you and say this is a taste treat I’ll crave. But they were interesting. A salty, crispy flake that almost disappears in your mouth. I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it. But, I would eat it again. I think they’d be fun to put out for a party. Just a little bit of flavor to warm your tsste buds up. And they’d probably be healthy, if it wasn’t for all the oil I brushed on them. All of us that tried them were in agreement. They were interesting, but nothing to really write a book about.

And so, in the end, the Great While Whale is no more. I am free of its lure, once and for all.