jamie of all trades

vegan enchiladas

food + wine magazine ran a lovely spread all on vegan food and an enchilada recipe caught my eye.  i'm intrigued by vegan food but it feels more complicated because most recipes use ingredients i'm not familiar with or in different ways.  but enchiladas felt approachable.

it was fun to cook with tomatillos.  i've never used them before!

it was a rather long process.  not because these are vegan but because you make everything - the crema, the sauce and the filling.  next time i probably won't make the crema it wasn't worth it to me.

here's the start of the tomatillo sauce:

and the filling cooking up:

all assembled:

served up with lots of cilantro & mashed avocado:

 

turkey dips

this is a really special recipe.  one of my dearest friends, wexler, makes the most amazing turkey dips and this is her recipe.  i crave this sandwich.  this is a perfect cold-night sandwich.  the hot broth really warms you up.  thanks for sharing, wex!

herb ox beef bouillon in powder form
oregano
havarti sliced from your deli
oven roast or dinner roast turkey: you'll want the turkey shaved or just above shaved (it makes a difference, you don't want the pre-cut turkey)
hoagie rolls from the bakery section
butter
 
boil water for beef broth (1 tsp per cup of water as directed on package).  after broth is made add your turkey to heat it up a bit. turn heat down or off.  (i'm pretty sure this is her secret.)

in the meantime, toast your bread (you want it crunchy so it doesn't get too soggy throughout the dipping process.  after bread is toasted spread butter to your preference. place havarti on bread. sprinkle with oregano

place as much turkey as you like between your delicious toasted buttered cheesy bread.  cut in half (I like to cut at a diagonal so it's easier to dip.)
 
serve up some broth in a bowl for delicious dipping.  ENJOY! the flavor explosion in your mouth!

italian meatloaf

this recipe come from my girl, rothie.  she made it for her girls and when i was over ended up having a slice and LOVED it.  this is my second time making this meatloaf.  the first time i made it with sun-dried tomatoes but the second time i used my roasted tomates.  i like the roasted tomates much better.  sometime sun-dried tomates are too over powering.

okay...it kind of looks like a meatloaf terrine because it's not mixed as well as it could be.  but the turkey was so cold my hands couldn't take it.  so i didn't mix as well as i could have.  next time!

1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil 
1/2 cup ketchup
1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded sharp provolone cheese
2 large egg whites
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound ground round {i used dark, ground turkey meat}
Cooking spray
1/3 cup ketchup

combine boiling water and tomatoes in a bowl; let stand 30 minutes or until soft. drain tomatoes; finely chop.  or you can use slow-roasted tomatoes.  that's what i did.

preheat oven to 350°

combine 1/2 cup ketchup, breadcrumbs, and the next 6 ingredients (breadcrumbs through beef) in a large bowl. add tomatoes to meat mixture. shape meat mixture into a 9 x 5-inch loaf on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. spread 1/3 cup ketchup over meat loaf. bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a thermometer registers 160°. let stand 10 minutes before slicing. cut into 12 slices. 

slow-roasted tomatoes

ever since i first flipped through gwyneth paltrow's my father's daughter cookbook i've been wanting to make these slow-roasted tomatoes.  they look super simple and super good.  the perfect thing to pop in the oven while you're doing things around the house.

tomatoes
olive oil
salt...see so easy it's just ingredients and no measurements! 

preheat the oven to 275.

cut the tomaotes in half horizontally, rub with a tiny bit of olive oil and a pinch of salt and bake seed side up for 3-5 hours.  these keep, well refridgerated in an airtight-container with a bit of olive oil for at least a week.

i actually ended up making these so i could use them in my italian meatloaf.  recipe coming tommorw!

thanks goodness i'm feeling better, i was actually able to get some things done!

le creuset sale at city kitchen

if you don't have a le creuset french oven and live in seattle you better hit up city kitchens. they have their current stock on sale :: 50-60% off!  according to their facebook page, le creuset is changing the handles on these pots and in order to make room, they are discounting what's on their shelves now.  i highly, highly recommending getting one.  they are french {love} and a gorgeous piece of cookware and they are great for soups and stews and cook things really evenly.

{image via}

in case you missed it this week: 

:: my favorite paper co. now has cute, cute fabric

:: download books for your kinkle free from the library!

:: it was a sickie weekend and i'm still not 100% better, ugh!!

::

mini seven-layer dips

back on super bowl sunday rothie and i threw the perfect little party.  so we could indulge in a more than one treat for our seven-layer dip course i opted for minis.

my tips:

:: these glasses from crate and barrel were perfect for individual portions.

:: i purchased the salsa, gaucamole, sour cream and shredded cheese from the self-serve bar at whole foods so I didn't have extras that would go to waste. 

layer the ingredients like this:

:: beans
:: cheese
:: sour cream
:: gaucamole
:: salsa
:: second layer of shredded cheese
:: olives + jalapenos 

homemade sriracha

 i finally found some time to catch up on posts from way back when.  in january when it snowed and i was home-bound for a few days i had the time to make my own sriracha.  i love this stuff but had no idea it was full of so many chemicals.  gwyneth paltrow's cookbook has a recipe and i tried it.  this is a great recipe to make on a sunday afternoon because it takes a little while.

1 1/4 cup peeled garlic cloves
1 pound red jalapenos, stemmed and sliced {WARNING - wear a glove when handling and cutting these.  i did not and yowza! a few hours later my hand felt like it was on FIRE!  i had to sleep with an ice pack on it.  also remove seeds if you like a milder sauce.
2 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup plus 1 tbls. light agave nectar
2 tbls. coarse salt
1 tbls. arrowroot powder, or substitute 1 tbls. corn starch
2 tbls. fish sauce, or substitute soy sauce for vegan version

put the garlic in a small saucepan and add cold water just to cover. bring to a boil, immediately drain. cool the garlic under running water, and return it to the saucepan. cover with cold water and repeat the blanching process.

thinly slice the blanched garlic and combine with jalapenos and vinegar in a larger pot. bring to a boil, cook for 3 minutes, and remove from heat.

add the agave nectar and salt to pot and stir to combine. let this mixture sit undisturbed for 1 hour to steep and cool.

whiz the mixture in a blender until smooth (it's ok if all the seeds don't blend in). return the pureed sauce to the pot, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 10-15 minutes, skimming foam as necessary, until the sauce is slightly reduced and has some body.

in a small bowl, dissolve the arrowroot (or corn starch) with 1 tablespoon lukewarm water. whisk into the simmering sauce and cook for 2 minutes, or until the sauce is nicely thickened (it should be slightly thinner than ketchup). remove the sauce from the heat, let cool slightly, and stir in fish sauce.

new year's resolutions :: better eating

i love hearing about new year's resoluations.  what are some of yours?  i'd really like to work on incorporating more veggies and fruits in my diet.  sarah of the my new roots blog is heading up the detox program at whole living magazine and although i don't think i can pull the trigger on a full-blown detox but making a few recipes here and there is doable.  here's a link to check it out.  

{image via}

bourbon butterscotch sauce from delancey

i made this sauce at my class at the pantry at delancey and it was amazing.  repeat - a.ma.zing!  i haven't had a chance to remake at home since the holidays are so busy but i wanted to share the recipe since it makes a great gift or you might want to serve at a holiday dinner!  i'm thinking of making it for my family.  it would complement grandma amy's chocolate sauce well too!

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 vanilla bean
2 tsp kosher salt
3 tlbs bourbon
1 tbls water
1 tbls lemon juice

split the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the brown sugar.  rub together to distribute the seeds evenly and break up and clumps.

melt butter in a saucepan over low heat.  add the brown sugar and stir to moisten completely.  cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar begins to caramelize, about 5-10 minutes.  it should stop looking ganular and start looking more like taffy.

whisk in the cream, vanilla bean pod and salt and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, unitl the sauce has darkened to a nice caramel color.

add the bourbon and cook for 5-10 seconds, then turn off the heat.  stir in the water and lemon juice.

pour into jars, allow to cool before closing the lid and store in the fridge for up to one to two weeks.  reheat before serving. 

egg bake 2.0 :: egg bake with a hash brown crust

whenever we do a girls weekend, i.e. bake off, i ususally make an egg bake, also referred to as a green chile quiche, on saturday morning.  the whole situation is ironic since i don't eat eggs {i'm trying to like them!}  this year i took the egg bake to the next level with a hash brown crust.  here's how:

3 cups hash browns, shredded and water removed
2 tbls butter, melted
10 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups cottage cheese
1 pound jack cheese, shredded
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 8-oz can diced chilies 

pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.  grease a 9x13 glass baking dish.  in a bowl toss the hash browns with the melted butter.  press the hash browns into the bottom of the baking dish and up the sides to form a crust.  bake for 20-25 mintues until golden brown and starting to crips.

meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk the eggs together.  whisk in the dry ingredients.  stir in the cottage cheese, jack cheese, melted butter and chilies.   pour in the baking dish over the hash brown crust.  lower the oven to 350.  bake for 40-45 minutes or until the edges are brown and the center is firm.  if your guests like serve with a side of salsa or ketchup for the potatoes.

the hash brown crust

the eggs bake right into the hash browns.