lentil sloppy joes

I don't generally think of myself as a sloppy joe kinda gal. Sloppy joes are basic kid food. They're not refined in any way, shape, or form (after all, the word "sloppy" is in the dang title). They're basic Midwestern fare.

However, I have a major soft spot in my belly for a good sloppy joe. They remind me of my childhood. And, dang it, they're just freaking delicious. Sooo...I offer up the healthified and yuppified*** sloppy joe. All the delicious trashiness of your traditional sloppy joe. BUT with the addition of lentils in place of some of the ground beef. See? Yuppified!

I made these lentil sloppy joes for my dear roommate who had never before tasted a sloppy joe. She was dubious, to put it mildly. However, one bite in and she was on the sloppy joe bandwagon. Another Midwestern delicacy brought to these crazy New Englanders. Along with cheese balls and biscuits & gravy. You're welcome, Rhode Island.

***For those of you who do not know my dear father, "yuppy" is one of his favorite terms of judgment. Replacing ground beef with lentils? Clear yuppy move. Really, most of the things I cook make me a yuppy in my father's eyes. As does my appreciation for blue jeans not purchased at the local Orsheln Farm and Home. But that's another story for another time.

lentil sloppy joes

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1/2 bell pepper (red or green), finely chopped
1/2 cup ketchup
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup dried lentils, picked over and rinsed
1/4 tsp dried oregano
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
8 ounces ground beef
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
6 whole-wheat hamburger buns, toasted
American cheese, for topping

Directions:
Heat 1 Tbsp vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, bell pepper and 2 Tbsp ketchup and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are slightly soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add the lentils, oregano and 4 cups water; bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the lentils are tender and the water is mostly absorbed, 35 to 40 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat the remaining 1 Tbsp vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until it begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce and the remaining 6 Tbsp ketchup and cook, stirring, until combined. Add the lentil mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are soft and the mixture thickens, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Fill the buns with the lentil mixture and top with cheese. Serve immediately.

Yield: 6 servings

Source: Food Network

bourbon apple pie cheesecake with pecan streusel

So the BF's birthday was this past Wednesday. It was the first birthday we've celebrated together. Obviously, the pressure was on. (Or at least the pressure that I created in my own head even after the BF said that his birthday wasn't a big deal and that I didn't even need to make him a birthday cake. Yeah, try living a day in my head.) Anyway...so I wanted to make the perfect birthday cake. However, said BF doesn't particularly love sweets and especially not cake. The following conversation ensued:

Me: So if you don't want a cake, what do you want?

BF: I don't need anything. Really.

Me: Unacceptable. (insert rant here about the necessity of birthday cakes and/or birthday desserts until BF is finally beaten into submission regarding the inevitability of me baking him a birthday dessert)

BF: Well, I like apple pie and I like cheesecake.

Me (to myself): Challenge accepted.

Thus, the bourbon apple pie cheesecake was born. It may have a lot of steps. It may have a number of components. But, I was a woman on a mission. And, let me tell you, the mission was a success. Not only was this cheesecake inhaled on his birthday, the BF and his roommates made it breakfast the next day as well. Success.

This cheesecake is a variation on my favorite southern comfort apple pie. I took the best parts from that (the bourbon cooked apples and the pecan crumble topping, obviously) and added a graham cracker crust and a layer of cheesecake. Yes, this cheesecake has a face only a mother could love (just like the pie that inspired it). I can admit it. It wouldn't win a beauty competition. But, dang it, this cheesecake makes up for it. I mean, come on...Bourbon. Apple pie. Cheesecake. And the figurative icing on this non-cake...pecan streusel.

This might be a new birthday tradition.

bourbon apple pie cheesecake with pecan streusel

crust: 
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup (5 1/3 Tbsp) unsalted butter, melted

pecan streusel:
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup sugar
3 Tbsp firmly packed dark-brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (5 1/3 Tbsp) chilled unsalted butter

apple filling:
5 to 6 medium-sized tart apples, such as Braeburn, Cortland, or Winesap
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 Tbsp cinnamon
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup Southern Comfort or other bourbon whiskey
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

cheesecake:
8 oz. (1 pkg) cream cheese
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg

directions:

Make the crust: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line the bottom of a 9-inch round springform pan with parchment paper. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon and melted butter. Toss with a fork until all the crumbs are moistened and the ingredients are evenly mixed. Transfer the mixture to the prepared springform pan and press the crumbs in an even layer over the pan bottom and about half way up the sides of the pan. Bake for 6-8 minutes, until golden in color. Let cool for about 10 minutes. Refrigerate the crust while you prepare the filling.

Make the pecan streusel: Reduce the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange pecans on a baking sheet in a single layer and toast until a rich brown, 7 to 9 minutes. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a food processor fitted with a metal blade, process sugars, cinnamon, salt, and flour for about one minute. Cut butter into small pieces and add to sugar-flour mixture. Pulse 10 to 15 times until mixture is crumbly. Remove from processor and stir in pecans. Refrigerate topping, covered, until ready to use.

Make the apple filling: Peel, core, and cut apples into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When butter starts to foam, add apples and sauté for 5 to 8 minutes. In a small bowl stir together cinnamon and sugar; sprinkle on apples, and stir to combine. Simmer apples over medium-low heat for about 1 minute longer. Remove apples from skillet with a slotted spoon, leaving as much of butter-sugar mixture in skillet as possible. Transfer apples to a baking sheet and arrange in a single layer until ready to use. (If heaped in a pile, they will become soggy.)

Pour Southern Comfort into butter-sugar mixture in skillet. Simmer mixture over medium heat until alcohol burns off, at least 5 minutes (sniff mixture at close range; if it burns your nostrils, the vapors are still burning off). Add cream and continue simmering until mixture is quite thick but still pourable, 5 to 10 minutes. Return apples to skillet and stir to coat. Set aside to cool.

Make the cheesecake: Combine the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Mix in the vanilla and egg until fully incorporated and smooth, 1-2 minutes.

To assemble: Pour apple mixture into graham cracker crust. Spread the cheesecake filling into an even layer over the top of the cooked apples in the crust. Then crumble topping evenly over cheesecake filling. Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven, transfer to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Yield: 1 9-inch pie
Source: inspired by Annie's Eats, topping and apples from The Pastry Queen (the best cookbook purchase you'll ever make)

dark chocolate cherry scones

I'm on a baking kick again. I've been making breakfast foods to feed an army. We have muffins and scones like whoa. I take most of the blame. But I also blame the Interwebs for having too many pictures of delicious-looking food. I mean, there are tons of websites devoted to pictures of ridiculously decadent and crave-worthy food. Not the recipes, mind you, just the pictures. People have written articles on this trend. There is even a dang Wikipedia page. That's how you know it's official.  What is this obsession? I just can't. Look. Away.

The nerd inside me wants to over-analyze this trend. Why are we so obsessed with digital pictures of food when we are surrounded by real, tangible, edible food? Would food blogging even be a thing if there were no pictures? Just recipes typed out on a screen? What does it all meeeeannn? (sigh) I've been out of school for too long apparently.

Also, I just realized that I am part of the problem soooo there's that.

Anyway....scones. These scones were the product of a bowl of cherries that were on their last leg in my fridge. And ohmygoodness, these were the best scones I've had in a while. They taste like those chocolate-covered cherries my dad used to get every Christmas. But wrapped in a buttery, flaky scone. I took these over to my BF and his roommates and they were gone like a freight train. Even my BF, who claims to not particularly like sweets, chocolate, or cherries (who is this person?) devoured a scone and a half in one sitting. So I guess that's a win.

Make these while cherries are cheap, lest you fall into the same tragic cherry-buying trap as another girl I know...

dark chocolate cherry scones

ingredients:
3 1/4 cups flour
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cups cold butter, frozen
1 cup buttermilk plus more for brushing
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups fresh cherries, pitted and chopped
6 ounces dark chocolate chips

for glaze:
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar

water, to desired consistency

directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and powder. Take butter from freezer and grate using a cheese grater. Add grated butter to dry ingredients and toss together until mixed. Stir in buttermilk and vanilla, just somewhat combining, then fold in chocolate and cherries. Stir with a spoon until a dough forms, using your hands to bring it together. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently, adding a bit more flour if sticky.

Divide in half and pat into two round circles. Brush each dough round with buttermilk. Cut each round into six wedges and place on greased baking sheet.

Bake for 12-14 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla, and water to desired consistency. Drizzle glaze on top of scones while warm.

Yield: 12-16 scones

Source: slightly adapted from How Sweet It Is

tomato cobbler with blue cheese biscuits

I'm having a hell of a time getting used to life now that the semester is over. Yesterday I started my summer babysitting job and the change in schedule is throwing me all out of whack. I am now officially a nine-to-fiver...well, technically a nine-to-sixer. But I'm not splitting hairs. The point is that I'm not used to the Monday to Friday grind. It's weird.

Some questions for you nine-to-fivers out there: when do you people run errands? Like the kind of errands that can't be done over the weekend like the bank or the post office. I'm so flabbergasted about this seemingly mundane issue. Help!

Another question: How do you maintain the energy to work out and make dinner when you get home? My guess is that my crockpot is going to be getting a lot o' use this summa! As you may have guessed, this recipe is from that fabulous month of freedom I enjoyed between the end of the semester and the beginning of babysitting. Expect lots of quick and easy dishes in the upcoming weeks and months.

I've been told that this dish needs a different name. If the idea of a tomato cobbler freaks you out, just think of it as a tomato pot pie. Like a chicken pot pie minus the chicken. Whatever you call it, though, this was perfect with some heirloom cherry tomatoes I picked up the other day. I served this as a side to these crusty chicken thighs. Summery and filling with a lot of flavor and a little kick. Perfect for a summer time Sunday night dinner...you know, when you've got the time to cook up a storm. :)

tomato cobbler with blue cheese biscuits

for the biscuits:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coarse ground black pepper
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
3/4 cup cold buttermilk

for the filling:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 large onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 pounds cherry tomatoes
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and coarsely ground black pepper

to make the biscuits:
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add cold butter. With your fingers, quickly break up the fat into the dry ingredients. Rub the fats into the dry ingredients until well incorporated. Some butter pieces will be the size of small peas, other will be the size of oat flakes. Toss in blue cheese crumbles. Stir to incorporate.

Create a small well in the center of the flour mixture. Add buttermilk all at once. With a fork, quickly bring together the wet and dry ingredients. The dough will be rather shaggy. Dump dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead dough about 10 times, bringing it together into a disk. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until the filling is assembled.

to make the tomato filling:
Add olive oil and butter to a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add sliced onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook and brown onions, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, about 18 to 20 minutes. Add garlic and cook for one minute more. Remove pan from heat, add balsamic vinegar and set aside.

In a large bowl, toss together clean cherry tomatoes (no need to cut them), flour, and red pepper flakes. Add caramelized onions and toss together until everything is lightly and evenly coated in flour. Season with salt and pepper.

Place rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Pour the tomato and onion filling into a square 8×8-inch baking dish. Place in the oven and bake tomatoes filling for 25 minutes.

Remove the biscuit dough from the fridge. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out biscuit dough into a 3/4 or 1-inch thickness. Use a 1 1/2 to 2-inch round biscuit cutter to cut out biscuits. Dip the cutter in flour should it get sticky. Remove the partially cooked filling from the oven and carefully place 6 biscuits atop the tomatofilling in the pan. Brush biscuit tops with buttermilk and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Reshape and reroll excess biscuit dough to make extra biscuits at another time. (The shaped biscuit dough freezes very well.)

Return warm filling and biscuit dough to oven and bake for 17-20 minutes, until the biscuits are golden brown and cooked through, and the tomato mixture is bubbling.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes before serving. Tomato Cobbler is best served warm.

Yield: 6 servings

Source: slightly adapted from Joy the Baker

blueberry muffin ice cream

Question: what's better than a blueberry muffin? Answer: blueberry muffin ice cream! Duh.

Although the temps here in the Baby State aren't the June temps I'm quite accustomed to, I've still been antsy to use my fancy pants ice cream maker. I've had this thang for over a year now and used it only twice. Craziness. That is all about to change now that it's summatime once again.

Sidenote: can I call weather that has been consistently in the mid-70s summer? New England summers are like mild Midwestern springs. I'm not mad at it. Just an observation. :)

So, anyway, back to ice cream. I baked a batch of blueberry muffins specifically for the purpose of making this ice cream. I have to admit that I was a little dubious about what might happen to the muffins once they were submerged in a container of creamy vanilla ice cream. However, this ice cream is perfection. It's a perfect vanilla base plum full of blueberry muffin goodness.

Now that it's officially ice cream season, I'm thinking this needs to happen immediately. And definitely this. And probably this as well. Oh, and this. Stay tuned for lots of frozen goodness. :)

blueberry muffin ice cream

ingredients:
1 batch of your favorite blueberry muffins
2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2/3 cups granulated sugar
2 Tbsp light corn syrup
1 Tbsp vanilla extract

directions:
Note: Prepare this recipe the day before you want it so it can freeze overnight! I suggest making a full batch of blueberry muffins even though you may only use four.

In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch and whisk until smooth. Set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together softened cream cheese with salt and cinnamon until smooth.

In a large saucepan, whisk together milk, cream, sugar, vanilla extract and corn syrup. Bring to a rolling boil. However, keep an eye on the mixture because it will boil over very quickly (trust me on this one).  Allow to boil for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 4 minutes, remove from heat and very slowly whisk in the cornstarch mixture, adding 1/3 of it and whisking at a time. Place back over heat and bring to a rolling boil again, this time stirring with a spatula while the mixture just thickens slightly, roughly 1-2 minutes.

Remove from heat and very slowly pour a small amount into the large bowl that has the cream cheese in it, whisking constantly until smooth. Gradually pour the rest of the mixture into the bowl while whisking to combine. Grab another very large bowl and fill it halfway with ice cubes and cold water. Pour the milk mixture into a one gallon freezer ziplock bag, pushing the air out and sealing it. Place it in the ice bath for 30-45 minutes until cold, adding more ice if needed.

Pour the ice cream mixture into your ice cream maker and churn according to the directions. I used by Cuisinart ice cream maker and churned for approximately 25 minutes. Once done, crumble in four blueberry muffins and fold in with a spatula. Transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze for at least 8 hours, or overnight.

Yield: about one quart 

Source: How Sweet It Is

lemon blueberry poppy seed muffins

Over the course of this past semester I've all but abandoned my baking in favor of finishing my homework, grading, or (even better) some much needed sleep. But a Katy without a steady dose of baked goods is just not the same Katy. I was basically a shell of a woman. But not any more!!!

These muffins are the first thing I've baked in a long long while. But they were definitely worth the wait. These muffins are basically the love child between a blueberry muffin and a lemon poppyseed muffin. Thank goodness those two finally got together.

You should make these muffins for two very important reasons.

1. They are great muffins in their own right. Light, sweet, fruity. Plus there is streusel and anything with streusel is worth eating, right?

2. The recipe I am posting tomorrow calls for approximately four blueberry muffins. Yes, that's right. Blueberry muffins are an ingredient. What is this world even coming to?!?

lemon blueberry poppy seed muffins

ingredients:
7 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup whole milk
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1 Tbsp poppy seeds
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

for the topping:
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp granulated sugar

directions:
Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with muffin liners and set aside.

To make the muffins: Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Keep an eye on the butter. It will melt, froth, and begin to crackle. The crackling will subside and butter will begin to brown fairly quickly. Remove from heat when butter solids become a medium brown color and butter smells slightly nutty. Immediately pour hot butter into a small bowl, or the butter will continue to cook in the hot pan. Allow to cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add browned butter and whisk to combine.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add milk mixture all at once to the flour mixture and stir gently to combine. Gently but thoroughly fold in the lemon zest, poppy seeds, and blueberries. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups.

To make the topping: Combine all ingredients in a bowl and rub together with clean fingertips until crumbly. Sprinkle topping evenly over the muffin batter in cups.

Bake muffins 18 to 20 minutes until golden and crisp and a skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool muffins in the pan for 15 minutes before removing. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Muffins will last, at room temperature in an airtight container, for up to 3 days.

Yield: 12 muffins

Source: Joy the Baker

i'm back!

Hi there. Two things:

1. I'm so sorry for my long absence. I'm not here to make excuses. It's just been one heck of a whirlwind semester. I have pictures below to prove it.

2. We will now return to your regular posting schedule starting now. Yay!

bean and a blizzard

lunchtime studying

long walks with codydog

bridal shower mimosas

golfing bachelorettes

easter festivities

first sign of summer

back to the beach

finals and late night Oreos

bridesmaids

getaway to new hampshire

books + beers

late nights on vacay

I guess you could say I've been a busy girl this semester. Since I've last blogged, I've finished the final semester of my graduate work, planned and executed a graduate conference, helped host a bridal shower and bachelorette party, played the bridesmaid part again, took a much needed vacation to New Hampshire, and much more.

However, I'm officially back in action. I've got tons of posts waiting to go and lots of scrumptious treats. Let the blogging begin!