You've Got To Taste This

I've been working on sketching out our weekly menus in advance to make better use of our large frozen stash of game meats and fish, so this weekend I made sure to buy the ingredients for Fish Tacos with Lime-Cilantro Crema.  This recipe first caught my eye when preparing the 5 to Try: Taco Night video for our How-To channel.  Instead of red snapper, I planned to make them using ocean trout caught by my father-in-law a few weeks ago.  Nothing beats enjoying a meal featuring ingredients caught, shot, or grown by yourself or people you know!

I knew this recipe would be tasty, but it was TRULY delicious!  I used 8-inch flour tortillas, which each had 20 grams of carbohydrates per tortilla.  Since Brent and I have been limiting our nighttime carb intake, I fixed just one taco for each of us but beefed them up with plenty of fish for protein.  After devouring his taco, Brent asked, "You mean I only get just ONE?!"  Since he's more likely to leave some of his dinner on his plate than to ask for seconds, I knew this dish was a winner! 

If you took all your favorite things about fall and baked them into one recipe, I believe you’d get this Upside Down Pear and Apple Tart. Its gingery, buttery, juicy, awesomeness is the season incarnate. The apples and pears, at the peak of their season, are the heart of the matter. I suggest after flipping the tart over to try topping with a little brown sugar and putting under the broiler to give everything a nice caramel color. Skip the ice cream and pair with a nice Sauternes. Amazing.

What are some of your favorite recipes for ringing in the season? 

It's late in the afternoon; it's rainy and dark and the temperature has started to drop. I'm thinking about eating a bowl of chili when I get home. Unfortunately, none of the chili I made on Saturday for the Fall Festival at church is left.  I guess I should be pleased that there was not a drop of chili left in the slow cooker after the festival, but I was sort of hoping that there would be enough left for at least one more meal.

My husband and I love chili, but we never really make it the same way twice.  I started with a basic recipe for Old-Fashioned Chili and doubled it because we were taking it to serve a crowd. But instead of doubling the ground beef, I added a pound of turkey Italian sausage to give it even more flavor and texture.   I used 1 can of spicy  chili beans and a can of dark red kidney beans. I added about 1/4 teaspoon of ground red pepper, which is plenty of heat for me.  When my husband is making the chili, he adds more.   I also added about 1/4 teaspoon of cumin and topped with some shredded Mexican cheese.

Cooking chili in the slow cooker is definitely the way to go as cooking over low heat for a longer time allows all the flavors to blend and become really rich.  I know I'll continue to play around with the ingredients in the quest for the perfect chili, but I'm pretty sure I'll stick to cooking it in the slow cooker. I cooked it over LOW heat for about 4 hours, but it would have been fine to cook even longer. 

I"m actually a big fan of while chili, but sometimes you just need a traditional bowl of chili. This one turned out great, according to all the folks at the Fall Festival who devoured it.  Let me know about some of your favorite tricks for making chili.   It might be a long winter.

One of the most common questions I'm asked is, "I'm having a party. How much wine should I buy?" And with entertaining season approaching, I thought it was the perfect time to talk about wine for a crowd.

Here is an average guide of how much wine to buy for a dinner party and a cocktail party. One (750mL) bottle of wine yields about 5 glasses of wine.

Dinner party: 4 guests per bottle. (To slow down the flow of wine at a dinner party make sure there is water on the table so the guests have something to sip on besides vino.)

Cocktail party: 2 guests per bottle for a four-hour party; for an afternoon party plan on 3 guests per bottle. (When guests serve themselves you’ll be amazed at how fast the wine goes.) If you really don’t want to be caught running out, plan on 1 bottle per person (and then you can enjoy any leftover wine yourself!).

If you know your crowd, then buy according to taste. But if you’re planning to drink with unknowns, plan on more people drinking white than red. Generally it’s 60/40 white to red, but again, it depends on if you’re serving roast lamb or grilled fish or hosting an appetizer and wine party.

            Two tips to remember before you hit the wine store:  If you’re having more than 6 guests, think about buying by the case. You’ll save at least 10 percent in most wine stores. And remember, it’s always better to have too much than too little; nothing kills a party faster than the booze running out.

         Finally, one other question people often ask: Do you have to serve the bottle of wine that you got as a hostess gift? In a word, no. It’s a gift, not a demand. If it goes with the meal, then open it up. But if it’s something special that you want to savor or it just doesn’t fit the party or the menu, smile, say thank you, and stash it in the pantry.

Halloween is right around the corner, and to make sure we were getting in the spooky spirit, some friends and I carved a pumpkin this past weekend! Being the resourceful girls we are, we also made sure we didn't let those delicious pumpkin seeds go to waste.

Toasting pumpkin seeds is one of the easiest ways you can make a snack, and it's certainly a fall favorite. Just scoop them from your pumpkin, remove all that pulp (eww), sprinkle on some spices, and pop them in the oven. They'll be ready to enjoy before you can say, "Trick or treat!"

Pumpkin is also a great-for-you superfood. Pumpkin seeds are a good source of protein and fiber, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, and manganese.

If you're a first-time pumpkin seed toaster, watch our video for an easy tutorial.

Then, start toasting with these creative recipes or your own special ingredients!

• Roasted Pumpkin Seeds from Southern Living (with rosemary and sea salt)
• Crisp Soy Pumpkin Seeds from Sunset (the seeds are covered in soy sauce)
• Spiced Pumpkin Seeds from Real Simple (with celery salt and ground cumin)
• Sugar-and-Spice Pumpkin Seeds from All You (uses brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, and an egg white)

Now 2 questions:

1. What's your favorite way to season toasted pumpkin seeds?

2. Can anyone guess what we carved into our pumpkin? (Hint: Birmingham, AL residents, this guy watches over your city...)

I may have been born and raised in the South and work for a recipes website, but my husband is really the expert on Southern cooking in our house.  He cut his teeth cooking fried deer meat, collards, cornbread, and the like at his family's farm in south Alabama.  I, on the other hand, avoided all things collard-like for most of my life but came to discover that I love them!  I always loved cornbread, of course, but how could you not?  Never baked any, though.

Which brings us to the issue of frying, a staple skill across our food-loving region.  My first attempt at frying was frying okra for a misguided attempt to make the Hot and Hot Fish Club Tomato Salad.  I almost set the kitchen in fire and Brent had to come rescue the poor little okra.  My next try was fried fish on a camping trip in the Smoky Mountains, where I did more learning and watching while Brent did the frying. 

A couple of weeks ago, we had a hankerin' for fried onion rings, so I gave Beer-Battered Onions Rings a shot.  Lo and behold, nothing caught fire and they actually tasted good!  Last night was my crowning achievement, however. Brent had asked me to fry up some chicken tenders, so I pulled out the trusty cast-iron skillet (it's pretty much blasphemy to fry in anything else) and peanut oil and got to work flouring the pieces and sprinkling pepper on top.  They came out great!  Not as delicious as fried chicken made with a crunchy crust, but still good.  (Disclaimer: The fried chicken pictured here is not actually mine.)

The moral of this story is: Frying isn't as intimidating as it sounds, and can be a delicious way to prepare food (every once in awhile!)

Last night, my DH asked, "How do you cook a baked potato?" I froze.

Here's how the conversation went down. (For background, this is for Poker Night's menu of deviled eggs, barbecue bakers, and banana pudding. Women are banned.)

DH: What kind of potatoes should I buy?
Me: The biggest ones at the grocery store. (Couldn't think of one potato name. Russet? Yukon? Nope, none of them came to mind.)

DH: What temperature?
ME: 350, 400, 425 degrees--just until they're done. (This elicited an, "Are you going to help me or not?" response.)

DH: In foil, right?
ME: Oh, no. That steams them and makes them mealy.
DH: When I go over to people's houses, they're always in foil.
ME: Really? I've never cooked them in foil. 

.....the conversation went on for awhile. And then, because I'm a total geek and humiliated by my lack-of-baked-potato-confidence, I started searching online about the best way to cook a baked potato. Turns out, it's a very polarizing topic--Who knew?

From my research, here are some best baked potato themes.

1. Scrub with a brush to clean--but not too hard.

2. Rub with olive oil (or melted butter). Then roll with sea salt or garlic mixture. Here's a rock salt method too.

3. Potatoes really do blow up if you don't prick them with a fork or knife (but just a few times or they're more likely to dry out).

4. If you microwave for 3-4 minutes per potato and then oven bake, it'll bake faster. Or, microwave and then put in the oven to get the skin crispy. The combo-cooking method is popular.

5. Baking at 400 degrees for 60 minutes seems the most common baking time. However, 350 was the runner-up. (See Alton Brown's Basic Baked Potato Recipe Recipe.)

6. Loaded baked potatoes are a great--and cheap--way to feed a crowd. (Seriously, this Poker Night menu is ultra cheap. Shopping list is basically eggs, potatoes, meat for slow-cooker bbq, instant pudding, bananas, and Nila Wafers.) For variations, check out 5-to-Try: Baked Potatoes.

So, what have I missed? Are you a die-hard microwaver or oven purist? Do share. I'm now obsessed.

Jennifer

While I love a slow cooker and my braiser, at the first sign of cold weather I pull out my tagine. A tagine is a cooking vessel originally from Morocco with a conical top that sits on the stove or can be used in the oven. I received one as a wedding gift years ago and I use it constantly: for beef, pork, lamb, vegetables - even turkey thighs. It's essentially an old-fashioned slow cooker: throw the veggies and meat in the pot and simmer for a few hours. (The word tagine applies to both the cooking vessel and the dish itself.) Mine is a fire-engine red version with a cast-iron base from Le Creuset but you can find other brands at cookware stores like Sur La Table and online.

This is one of my favorite tagine recipes, a tangy spiced chicken dish using classic Moroccan ingredients that is divine served with a platter of basmati rice. (For more on tagines check out authors Paula Wolfert and Claudia Roden; they are both authorities on Moroccan cuisine.)

MOROCCAN CHICKEN TAGINE

1 whole large chicken, cut into 8 pieces

5 tablespoons olive oil

1 large bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon saffron

2 tablespoons sea salt

2 onions, chopped

5 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 cup green olives, pitted

3 small preserved lemons, pulp removed (you can find them in specialty stores; if you don’t have any substitute 2 tablespoons lemon juice)

Rinse and dry chicken and place onto a clean plate.

For the marinade: In a large bowl, mix three tablespoons olive oil, the coriander, cinnamon, saffron, salt, half the onions, garlic, cumin, ginger, paprika, and turmeric. Mix thoroughly, crush the garlic with your fingers, and add a little water to make a paste.

Roll the chicken pieces into the marinade and leave for 10 to 15 minutes.

To cook, heat the tagine base on medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Drop in the chicken and pour excess marinade juices over the top. Add the remaining onions, olives, and chopped preserved lemons. Place the lid on the base, bring to a boil, and immediately reduce to a simmer.

Simmer on low for 50 minutes to 1 hour. (While chicken is cooking excess juices will bubble up and pool around the edges of the tagine; just carefully ladle the juice out into a bowl. After the chicken is cooked transfer the bowl of juices to a saucepan and cook on high, reducing the liquid for about 5 minutes -- essentially making a gravy -- and serve on top of the chicken.)

Serves 4-6

Here are a few tagine recipes from MyRecipes:
Moroccan Chicken Tagine in a Dutch Oven
North African-Spiced Vegetable Tagine
Chicken Tagine with Onions, Honey, and Mint
Lamb Tagine with Couscous

I'm going to a baby shower this afternoon with a Halloween theme and I'm supposed to bring a savory dish.  So I'm taking a cheese ball in a pumpkin costume. Actually, it's a cheese ball that's shaped to look like a pumpkin, so I"ll see if I can pull this off.  I started to make The Great White Pumpkin Cheese Ball from the October issue of Southern Living, but I didn't have any white Cheddar or goat cheese.  So, I went with another pumpkin cheese ball recipe from Southern Living that calls for Cheddar cheese and cream cheese.   I did use a braided pretzel for the stem instead of a broccoli stalk and thought this was a better idea. Plus, you can serve the rest of the pretzels with the cheese ball. 

I've never taken a sculpture class and am not particularly artistic, but I thougth this cheese ball somewhat resembled a small pumpkin.  If you really use your imagination. But even if the pumpkin shape is slightly hard to detect, it tastes really great.  How can you go wrong with three kinds of cheese, paprika and ground red pepper?  It's a pretty thick cheese mixture, so be sure to serve with some sturdy crackers, along with the rest of the pretzels. I'm now wondering if I could make this in a pumpkin-shaped cake pan and use it as a mold.  Hmmm. 

If you need recipes for Halloween parties, check our "ultimate Halloween guide" for some spooky treats. Maybe not quite as spooky as this cheese pumpkin, but close!