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We’re eating our way through February with a focus on foods Savory and Sweet.

Polenta is a savory, comforting base for a multitude of toppings and dishes to feed your family.  It’s widely available pre-made, but don’t be intimidated by cooking it, it’s as easy as stirring.

Table365 has a full write up on polenta and this week the savory dish for the week is a family favorite in Sharon’s house, Broccoli Rabe with Sausage and Polenta.  I literally found this recipe on the inside of the Aidell’s Italian Style Chicken Sausage label  – it looked good and it really was outstanding.

Broccoli Rabe with Sausage and Polenta from Aidell’s Recipes

• 2  pounds broccoli rabe, think ends trimmed
• 6  cups water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1 1/2 cups polenta (not instant) or yellow cornmeal
• 2 ounces unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 ounce parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 Aidells Sun-Dried Tomato & Mozzarella Sausage (cut into 1/2″ slices)
• 2 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

The sweet of the week is MANGO LASSI!

It’s the doldrums of winter and we’re having fantasies about warm tropical islands.  Take a quick trip during breakfast or dessert with a frozen Mango Lassi.  This fast and easy slushy drink has a beautiful orange color and a creamy consistency.

Sharon’s Mango Lassi (a slushy mango smoothie)
Serves 2

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 cup frozen mango*
• 2 tablespoons honey or 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (add more to taste)

Put all ingredients in blender.  Pulse until slushy.  Serve immediately.

*When mango is in season, replace the frozen with 1 cup chopped peeled ripe mango and 2 cups ice cubes.  

Stay Sunny!

The sweet of the week is POPCORN!

Popcorn is usually a salty or savory snack but it can also make a winning combination of salty-sweet with the right toppings.  The healthiest way to make popcorn is to forego the microwave and use a popcorn popper or a heavy pot and lid on the stove (and it’s less expensive).  Popcorn is a satisfyingly crunchy snack or dessert, and a good source of fiber.  I get consistently good results from Bob’s Red Mill Premium Quality Yellow Popcorn.

Cinnamon Sugar Popcorn

• 4 cups popped Popcorn
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

Melt butter and drizzle over popcorn and mix well (if you pop your popcorn in oil, you can omit or reduce the butter).  Sprinkle seasoning over popcorn while it is still hot and stir to coat.

Homemade Kettle Corn

This recipe is presented by PBS Parents.  It’s an easy recipe for a sweet and salty treat with only four ingredients and can be made in a popcorn popper or pot on the stove.

Make a bowl and watch it disappear!

Quesadillas

Fast and easy, savory and cheesy – quesadillas are a pleasing snack or sandwich substitution. Making a quesadilla is so basic that even older children can make them once they can safely use a frying pan or panini press.  Quesadillas make a good party food (make a platter of them with white and wheat flour tortillas) and can be filled with all sorts of ingredients to add variety and increase nutritional value.

Table365 Basic Quesadilla Recipe:

• Whole wheat flour tortillas (or gluten-free tortillas)
• Sliced or grated cheese:  Cheddar, Havarti, Pepper Jack

1.  Place tortilla in skillet (cast iron and non-stick work well).  2.  Top with cheese of choice  3.  Fold tortilla in half over the cheese.  4.  Cook until cheese starts to melt and tortilla starts to brown 5.  Flip and cook on other side.  6.  Remove from pan onto a cutting board and cool until able to handle.  7.  Cut into pieces with pizza cutter, knife, or kitchen shears.

Additional quesadilla fillings:

• Green chilis
• Black, pinto or refried beans
• Roasted or sautéed onions and bell peppers
• Shredded chicken or pork
• Scrambled eggs
• Diced roasted or fried potatoes

Serve with:

• Sliced avocado and tomato
• Salsa
• Pico de gallo
• Guacamole

Que Bueno!

Just in time for Valentine’s Day… the Sweet of the Week is Sugar Cookies!

The basic steps for a sugar cookie:

1. Make the dough
2. Chill the dough
3. Roll and/or Cut the dough
4. Bake
5. Frost (optional)
6. Eat, Gift, or Freeze!

Sugar Cookie Secrets for the Most Delicious Cookies Ever:

• Roll the dough in powdered sugar instead of flour.  It makes them crispy instead of tough, but it also makes them a little sticky, so make sure your hands are dry when handling the uncooked cookies.  Also, bake on a Silpat sheet or parchment paper so that they don’t stick to the pan.
• Roll the dough thin for crispy cookies, thicker for chewy.  Thin cookies need more care when moving from cutting to the baking tray and when decorating, so use cutter shapes with less detail (save detailed cookie cutters for thicker dough).
• Be patient and allow the baked cookies to cool completely before frosting.  Frost cookies on parchment or waxed paper for easy clean-up of frosting and sprinkles.
• Frosting is easy to make ahead and keeps well in the refrigerator or freezer.
• Sugar cookies keep 3-5 days in an airtight container and freeze well if layered between sheets of waxed paper.

Mrs. Reese’s Sugar Cookies from The Junior League Centennial Cookbook
I’ve made these cookies for years, and these always get rave reviews.  My favorite way to prepare them is to roll a thin dough in powdered sugar, and cut it out in stars of various shapes.  I serve them frosted and unfrosted.  A cellophane bag of small sugar cookie stars is always a well-received gift.  Cheers, Sharon

For roll-and-cut-out-cookies, prepare the dough a day ahead.

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened
• 8 tablespoons margarine (I use Crisco shortening instead)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Combine the butter, margarine (or shortening), and sugar in a mixing bowl.  Beat with an electric mixer until fluffy (at least 5 minutes).  Add the egg and vanilla.  Beat well.  Put the flour, baking powder, and salt into a sifter and sift into the butter mixture.  Beat well.  These can be rolled out, used with a cookie press, or dropped and garnished with a nut on top.  If rolled out, put the dough in the refrigerator overnight.  Take out a little at a time, and roll on a pastry cloth.  If used with a cookie press or dropped, do not put in the refrigerator.  Bake at 350 to 375 degrees until light brown, about 10 minutes.  Decorate as desired.  Makes about 75 cookies.

Creamy Decorator’s Frosting  from Betty Crocker’s Christmas Cookbook

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (or almond extract)
• 1-2 tablespoons half-and-half

Beat powdered sugar, vanilla (or almond), and half-and-half until smooth and of spreading consistency (add more half and half if needed).  Tint frosting with food color, if desired.  Makes enough for 3 to 5 dozen cookies.

Have fun filling your cookie jar!

Homemade pizza is a savory dish with a yeasty crust and bubbling cheese that will delight anyone on a winter day.  Not only is pizza one of the most popular foods in the world, but making homemade pizza is a great indoor activity to do with family and friends.   It’s a Valentine’s Day tradition in our house to make homemade heart-shaped pizzas with the kids for their Valentine’s Day dinner, and the adults have a later (more romantic) dinner after the kids are in bed.

If you aren’t already making homemade pizza in your dinner rotation, here are a few good reasons why it’s better than pre-made pizza:

1. It’s less expensive.
2. You can make it suit-to-taste exactly as you wish, from the sauce to the toppings.
3. It’s healthier (less sodium, less sugar, no preservatives, no artificial anything).
4. Making the pizza is a fun activity for all ages.
5. Fresh toppings and a bubbly crust straight out of the oven make it delicious!

Personalized Pizza Recipe

• Pizza Dough – Fleischmann’s Pizza Crust Yeast has been a game-changer for me.  This yeast does not take any time to rise, therefore making homemade pizza dough ready in about 10 minutes (instead of an hour or more for the yeast to rise).  I make the dough in my mixer so that I don’t even have to take the time to hand knead it.  You can use half whole wheat flour and half white for a more savory crust.  This recipe makes one large, or two personal-sized, pizzas.
• Marinara Sauce – this sauce is very easy and doesn’t take much more work than putting all the ingredients in the pan and stirring it occasionally.
• Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

Toppings of choice:

• Basil
• Bell Peppers, sliced or diced
• Mushrooms, sliced
• Sweet Onions, thinly sliced
• Garlic, minced
• Sausage, crumbled or sliced
• Spinach
• Tomatoes, sliced
• Zucchini, sliced

1.  Shape pizza dough into personal sized pizza on a baking sheet or pizza stone.  2.  Spread marinara sauce on pizza to cover almost to edge.  3.  Sprinkle generous amount of mozzarella cheese to cover marinara.  4.   Top with toppings of choice.  Bake in 400-425 degree oven until cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown (5-10 minutes).  Slice and enjoy!

Speedy version:

• Use jarred marinara sauce instead of homemade (look for a sauce without corn syrup or preservatives.  If you don’t recognize all the ingredients on the label, skip the sauce).
• Buy pre-shredded mozzarella cheese.
• Get pre-made pizza dough in the refrigerator or freezer section (Whole Foods carries whole wheat and white pizza dough in the refrigerator section).
• Select just the amount of pre-sliced toppings that you want from the salad bar section of the market.

Be delicious!

February is the month of sweethearts, so we will be featuring four of our favorite sweet treats. For the first week of February we are sharing a scrumptious brownie recipe.  It only has a half cup of flour, so it is easy to substitute gluten-free flour for a satisfying chocolate treat.

Best Cocoa Brownies by Alice Medrich, from Bittersweet on Epicurious.com

• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cold large eggs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup walnut or pecan pieces (optional)

8-inch square baking pan

1.  Position rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat thte oven to 325 degrees F.  Line the bottom and sides of the baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides.

2.  Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium heatproof bowl and set the bowl in a wide skillet of barley simmering water.  Stir from time to time until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and hot enough that you want to remove your finger fairly quickly after dipping it in to test.  Remove the bowl from the skillet and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot.

3.  Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one.  When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, then beat vigorously for 40 strokes with the wooden spoon or a rubber spatula  Stir in the nuts, if using.  Spread evenly in the lined pan.

4.  Bake until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 2o to 25 minutes  Let cool completely on a rack.  Lift up the ends of the parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board.  Cut into 16 or 25 squares or use a small cookie cutter to make other shapes.

Enjoy!

February may be the poster child for comfort food.  It’s been dark and cold for months… and in most places, we still have a few more months to go before the promise of spring.  To combat this oppressive season, we meet it with Savory and Sweet.   Warm, comforting dishes for dinner, with Valentine’s Day chocolates for dessert.

The first savory dinner, Chicken Pot Pie, is a family classic, and is also a good RX for winter colds and flu.

Chicken pot pie can be made with a crust on the top and bottom, just on the top, or just biscuits on the top (sometimes called a chicken stew with biscuits).  Chicken pot pie works well with frozen vegetables and root vegetables, another attribute for a February dish.  It is easy to double batch and freezes well, making it a Table365 staple.

Sharon’s variation on Chicken Stew with Biscuits by Ina Garten’s from Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook.

Serves 8

For the stew:

• 3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and freely ground black pepper
• 5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 cups shopped yellow onions (2 onions)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup heavy cream (or half and half)
• 2 cups medium-diced carrots (4 carrots), blanched for 2 minutes
• 1 10-ounce package frozen peas (2 cups)
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley

For the biscuits:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
• 3/4 cup half and half

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F

1.  Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub them with olive oil.  Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.  Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through.  Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin.  Cut the chicken into large dice.  You will have 4 to 6 cups of cubed chicken.

2.  In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock.   In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and sauté the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent.  Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.  Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce.  Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and the heavy cream.  Add the cubed chicken, carrots, peas onions and parsley.  Mix well.  Place the stew in a 10 x 13 x 2 inch baking dish.  Bake for 15 minutes.

3.  Meanwhile, make the biscuits.  Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer.   Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas.  Add the half-and-half and combine on low speed. Dump the dough out on a well-floured board and, with a rolling pin, roll out to 3/8 inch thick.  Cut out twelve circles (or other shapes) with cookie cutters.

4.  Remove the stew from the oven and arrange the biscuits on top of the filling.  Bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, until the biscuits are brown and the stew is bubbly.

Speedy version:

• Cube meat from a rotisserie chicken instead of roasting chicken breasts.
• Substitute boxed chicken broth for homemade.
• Instead of blanched carrots, use a frozen vegetable mix  with any combination of carrots, peas, green beans, pearl onions.

Keep warm!