Food Bloggers of the World Unite! You Have Nothing To Lose But Your Grains!

The Michigan Daily, my school's student newspaper, ran an article today on the joys of food blogging. The money line: "People do read them, and they can grow more powerful than our wildest imaginations."

Keep up the good work you Food Stories warriors!

Three *Oui* Baguettes

It was chocolate bread last week. This week, I went for French baguettes. I was a little nervous, but they turned out beautifully! I must brag -- Steve seemed thoroughly impressed :). The recipe is very simple, only four ingredients were needed. Try it for yourself!

Baguettes

4 cups flour
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1-2 teaspoons salt
2 cups warm water
Oil for bowl

Mix together flour and salt. In another bowl, combine yeast and warm water. Then add half the flour/salt mixture to the yeast mixture. Mix by hand until it forms a sort of wet dough. Cover and let rise for 3 hours at room temperature. It should triple in size.

Incorporate the rest of the flour/salt mixture by hand. Knead for 10 minutes. Lightly oil a bowl. Place dough in bowl, cover and let rise for one hour. It should double in size. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Knead dough again. Cut dough into 3 parts. Shape each into a long baguette. Place on baking sheet. Let sit for at least 20 minutes. Place bowl of water in oven. Bake baguettes for 25 minutes (maybe less!). Remove bowl of water after 15 minutes.

The Perfect Food: Chocolate Bread

My weekly stress-release/relaxation therapy is baking something. The two things I love most about baking is that it is a creative process and that it results in a finished product within (usually) a few hours. I get to feel like an artist while creating something sweet and comforting. Not many forms of creative release will result in a product that can be enjoyed for days afterward.

Last week, I made chocolate bread. I found the recipe on the NPR website. This bread doesn't result in a finished loaf after only a few hours. This is real bread, and it takes kneading, rising, and chilling time, but that just makes the end product all the more rewarding (assuming it turns out, that is). You should definitely plan ahead -- the bread has to chill in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, so it can't be made in one day.

Chocolate Bread

Dough
1 /2 cup warm water
1 cup warm coffee
2/3 cup + 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, divided
2 teaspoons dry yeast
4 1/2 cups bread flour
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2/3 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 egg, room temperature
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces good quality dark chocolate (the best part!), chopped into 1/2 inch chunks

Egg Glaze
1 egg
1 teaspoon water

In small bowl, combine 1/2 cup warm water with 1 teaspoon of sugar. Sprinkle yeast over the water and set the mixture aside, about 10 minutes, until foamy.

In a large bowl, place flour, 2/3 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, cocoa, and salt. Combine thoroughly.

Add warm coffee and egg to yeast mixture. Add this to the flour mixture. Combine. Add 12 tablespoons of softened butter. (You can knead this in if it's easier that way.) Knead for 2 minutes. Add chocolate chunks, knead until incorporated. Transfer dough to buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap or towel and let rise in warm, draft-free place for 2 hours. The dough should double in size.

After the dough has risen, punch it down to let out some air. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for at least 8 hours or up to 2 days.

Butter two loaf pans. On lightly floured surface, separated the dough into half. Divide each half into 6 equal-sized balls. Place 6 dough balls, two by two at a diagonal, into each loaf pan. Cover and let rise for one hour.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. In small bowl, whisk together egg and water. Using pastry brush, brush over tops of loaves. Bake loaves for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Cool in pans on wire racks for 15 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on racks for an additional 15 minutes before enjoying.

Mmmm...Cinnamon rolls

Last night, to fulfill my desire to bake something, I looked around until I found a recipe for yeast-less, from scratch cinnamon rolls. They look pretty impressive when they're finished, but they're not too tricky to make. This was my first try and they turned out well, so that should encourage you to try.

Here's the recipe:

1/3 c butter, melted
2/3 c packed brown sugar, divided
1 T water
2 c flour
1/4 c sugar
2 1/2 t baking powder
1 t salt
2/3 c milk
1/3 c packed brown sugar
1 t cinnamon

Preheat oven to 425. Combine melted butter, 1/3 c brown sugar, and water in a 9x9 inch metal pan. Set aside. In large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add milk all at once, stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Turn out onto well floured surface. Roll out into a 12x10 inch rectangle. Combine remaining 1/3 c brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over dough. Roll up dough, starting with 12 inch side. Cut into 1 inch slices. Place cut side down in prepared pan. Bake at 425 for 18 to 22 minutes until golden brown. Turn out immediately.

Eggplant Casserole

This is a very simple but tasty recipe that my Grandma makes. She usually serves it as a side dish, but it's hearty enough to be a main dish, especially if served over rice. Even my sister (a vegetarian who doesn't like vegetables) likes this one :)

Ingredients:
1 large or 2 medium eggplant
1 14 oz. can of chopped tomatoes
1 10 oz. can Rotel (tomatoes and peppers)
Sharp cheddar cheese (as much as you like!)

Directions:
Peel and slice eggplant into 1/2 inch thick slices. Boil in water for about 10 minutes. Grease or spray a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish. Place a layer of eggplant in the casserole. Mix the two cans of tomatoes and add half of this mixture. Add a layer of cheese. Layer the remaining ingredients, topping with a generous amount of cheese. Cover. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, until bubbly and slightly browned.

Potato Croquettes

What is a potato croquette, you ask? Ours looked something like this:

But since we didn't take any pictures, this is just a generic photo from the internet. Anyway, they were tasty and fun to make, if a bit time-consuming. We used the rest of our 10-lb. bag of potatoes that Steve mentioned in an earlier post. Here's the recipe, from the Mark Bittman cookbook:

4 cups mashed potatoes
salt and pepper
3 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 T butter or more oil
flour for dredging
2 eggs, lightly beaten
breadcrumbs for dredging

Saute onions in 1 T oil until soft. Add to the mashed potatoes. Form the mixture into patties. Add the remaining oil or butter to the pan, dredge each patty in the flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs. Cook the patties as you would hamburgers, till browned on both sides. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Note: They're a bit dry without any sort of sauce, so you might plan ahead so you have something to put on them. We didn't, but they were still good.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

This Broccoli Cheese Soup recipe is a recommendation from my mom, who got it while watching Good Morning America. It's by Chef Emeril Lagasse. My mom made it, said it was good, so Steve and I tried it out last night. If you're expecting the Velveeta-type liquid cheese-style broccoli cheese soup, you'll be disappointed; however, if you want something a bit more sophisticated and subtle that tastes like real food, this will hit the spot. Also, it's easy and quick.

Ingredients
2 T olive oil
1 1/2 c thinly sliced onions
1 T sliced garlic
1 t salt
1/4 t cayenne pepper
5 c chicken (or vegetable) stock
4 c broccoli florets
1 1/2 c sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Heat oil, add onions, garlic, salt, and cayenne. Saute till onions are soft and translucent. Add chicken stock, bring to boil. Add broccoli, cook till fork-tender. Remove soup from heat, cool slightly. Then blend it in batches, adding some cheese to blend up with each batch. You're done!

[Potato Gnocchi Fail]

Want to make potato gnocchi? I suggest you buy some beer and order a pizza.

Or, if you are a better pasta-maker than me, post your recipes.

Really Simple Potato Soup

Thanks to a deal on Michigan potatoes at our local big-box grocery ($1.50/10 pounds!), we've been searching out good potato recipes (feel free to share some of your own). Below is a potato soup recipe that is particularly simple.

What You Need:

• 3 pounds (about 5 large) russet potatoes
• 3 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 stick of butter
• 2 2/3 cups whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3/4 cup(s) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Steps:
Peel, rinse, and cut the potatoes into thirds. Place them in a large pot with water to cover, add 2 teaspoons salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are very soft -- about 45 minutes. Drain the potatoes. Mash them with a potato masher until smooth. Add the sour cream and butter and stir until melted. Add the milk, pepper, and remaining salt and bring the soup back to a simmer. Garnish with shredded cheese.

Variations:
The original recipe calls for bacon and scallions as garnish -- we skipped both these, though only the bacon on ethical grounds. Also, I'm not sure if this would work, but I might try blending the potato/sour cream/butter mixture for a smoother soup.

Ambiance:
Best made when peeling potatoes sounds more appealing (a-peeling?) than grad-school reading.

Christmas Cheesecake and Quiche

For our Christmas meal, which we had on the 22nd, Steve and I made an onion quiche from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking and cran-raspberry cheesecake from the Joy of Baking website. They were both delicious. Here are some previews:



Onion Quiche

3 T butter
1 T oil
2 lbs. onions, diced
3 eggs
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese
1 unbaked pie crust
2 T butter

Preheat oven to 375. Saute onions in oil and butter over very low heat until golden and soft; this will take about 1 hour. Beat together eggs and cream in small bowl. Stir in half of the cheese. Gradually add onions to egg and cheese mixture. Pour into pie crust. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Cut the 2 T butter into small pieces and dot over cheese. Bake for about 1/2 hour, until eggs are set.

Cran-Raspberry Cheesecake

Crust
1 c graham cracker crumbs
2 T sugar
1/4 c butter, melted

Filling
20 oz. fresh whole milk ricotta, drained
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 c sugar
1 T cornstarch
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 t vanilla

Cran-Raspberry Sauce
3 cups frozen unsweetened raspberries
2 cups fresh cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 T cornstarch

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and butter, or spray with non stick cooking spray, a 9 inch (23 cm) spring form pan. Wrap the outside of the pan with two layers of heavy aluminum foil.

For Crust: In a medium sized bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom of the spring form pan. Cover and refrigerate while you make the filling.

For Filling: Place the ricotta in a fine-meshed strainer or else a cheesecloth-lined strainer that has been suspended over a bowl. Cover and place in the refrigerator to drain for several hours, or even overnight.

In the bowl of your food processor or electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), place the cream cheese and beat until smooth and free of lumps. Add the ricotta and sugar and beat until smooth (about 2 - 3 minutes), scraping down the bowl as needed. Beat in the cornstarch. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating about 30 seconds after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the lemon zest, vanilla extract

, and salt and beat until incorporated.

Remove the crust from the refrigerator and pour in the filling. Place the spring form pan in a large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come about halfway up the sides of your spring form pan.

Bake for about one hour to one hour 15 minutes, or until the top of the cheesecake has nicely browned and the center of the cake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken. Remove the pan from the water bath and cool on a wire rack. Cover and refrigerate until the cheesecake is cold, about 6 - 8 hours or overnight. Serve in small slices with a spoonful of Cran-Raspberry Sauce (if desired).

Cran-Raspberry Sauce: In a large saucepan combine all the ingredients. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the sauce thickens and is bubbly. Remove from heat and let cool. (Note: taste and add more sugar as needed.) Cover and store in the refrigerator. Makes about 2 cups (480 ml).

Read more: http://www.joyofbaking.com/RicottaCheesecakewithCran-RaspberrySauce.html#ixzz0b1is5vGg

As this recipe suggested, I baked the cheesecake in a water bath. However, even though I wrapped the spring form pan in foil, the water still leaked in a little bit. Others have told me that they don't use the water bath and the cheesecake turns out fine. I'm not sure which to recommend; I guess that's a decision you'll have to make on your own. But, despite the slightly mushy crust around the edges, the cheesecake was delicious!

No-yeast, (almost) no-knead, but Tasty Pizza Crust

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2/3 cups water
1/4 cup oil

Mix all ingredients together, knead a little bit. Roll out the dough and rub a bit of oil on it to prevent the sauce from soaking in, and go about your business of adding sauce, cheese, and vegetables. Cook at 425 for about 20 minutes. Yum!

Baked - Thanksgiving Leftover Edition

I'll begin with my favorite thanksgiving recipe: cranberry sauce. It's pretty simple. Buy a can of jellied cranberry sauce, open can, slide out can-shaped cylinder of jellied cranberry sauce, slice, and eat.

Now, you've probably just muttered "philistine" after reading that last sentence, so I will attempt to redeem myself with a "real" recipe. This is for something called Cranberry Crunch Squares (found here), which served as a way to utilize a large amount of leftover cranberry sauce at my parents house.

Stuff

1 Cup Oatmeal

1/2 Cup Flour

1 Cup Brown Sugar

1/2 Cup of Butter + Some For Greasing Pan

1/4 Cup Pecans

Orange Zest

1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1 Can of Cranberry Sauce

Action

1. Put the oatmeal, flour, brown sugar, pecans, orange zest, and cinnamon into a mixing bowl. Cut the butter into the ingredients and mix until it becomes crumbly.

2. Grease a small baking pan. Cover bottom of pan with half of the mixture. Then slice up the cranberry sauce and lay it over the first layer of crumbs. Then spread the remaining crumbs on top of the layer of cranberry sauce.

3. Bake at 350 degrees, 45 minutes.

Thanksgiving Apple Stuffing

In honor of Thanksgiving, I thought I'd post my Grandma's recipe for Apple Stuffing. I've made this the past couple of Thanksgivings when my husband and I weren't able to travel home for the holiday, and it's fairly simple to make. I also think it has a lot more flavor than the stuff that comes out of a box :)

Many of the measurements are approximate rather than exact, so don't worry about experimenting with it. You really can't go wrong-- just taste and adjust while you're cooking. For vegetarians, leave out the bacon and substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth. For meat lovers, try adding your favorite sausage for extra flavor.

Ingredients

• 1 stick butter
• 3-4 slices of bacon
• 1 apple, chopped (small pieces, but you don't need to mince it)
• 1 onion, chopped (same)
• 1/2 cup celery chopped
• about 1/2 lb. bread in one inch cubes (Sometimes you can find the pre-packaged bread cubes for making stuffing in the grocery store. If you make your own, be sure to use older bread that is dry or put your bread cubes in the oven for a few minutes to dry them out.)
• about 1/3 cup dry white wine
• about 1/2 cup chicken broth
• sage, thyme, salt, and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, saute the butter, bacon, apple, onion, and celery for about 30 minutes over medium-low heat. The vegetables should soften. Stir often.

Add the bread cubes, wine, and chicken broth. Adjust or add liquids as necessary. Season with sage, thyme, salt, and pepper to taste.

Transfer the stuffing into a casserole dish and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Simple Garlic Hummus

Ingredients
4 Cups Chickpeas (canned, drained, but save some liquid)
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
4 Cloves Garlic, Peeled
1/2 Cup Lemon Juice
Salt & Pepper
1 Tablespoon Cayenne Pepper

Real simple. Put all this stuff into a blender. Blend until you have hummus. Add more garlic, lemon juice, or cayenne pepper, to taste. The only trick here, if it's too thick, you can add some of the liquid from the beans to keep it blending smoothly.

This is probably the most basic of many possible variations, but it turned out as good as the Trader Joe's garlic hummus we usually get. It was so easy, I'm not sure why we haven't been making it ourselves all along.

"The quintessential fall soup"

This soup is from a new cookbook that I got for my birthday called Clean Food by Terry Walters. The recipes are organized seasonally, so the ingredients they call for are only what is generally in season. From the fall section, I made Apple Squash Soup. It was simple and so yummy!

Apple Squash Soup

1 large butternut squash
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons oil
4 large apples, peeled, cored, and chunked
4 cups vegetable stock
1 cup (rice) milk
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
sea salt

Peel squash, cut in half, remove seeds. Cut into 2-inch pieces. In large pot over medium heat, saute onion in oil until soft (about 5 minutes). Add squash, apples, stock, milk, coconut milk, and nutmeg. Cover; bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until squash is soft. Puree with blender or food processor. Cool slightly, season with salt and serve.

Creamy Potatoes with Eggplant and Cheese

Steve and I made this from the Mark Bittman cookbook a few weeks ago. We found this recipe in search of something to do with the potatoes we purchased for a different meal. It's actually a variation on a Greek dish, called pastitsio, usually made with pasta instead of potatoes. It turned out to be really, really delicious, but a bit time-consuming to make. We started making it late and ended up eating around 10'o'clock. Don't let the time of preparation scare you, though. This is seriously one of the tastiest things we've made.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed
1 lb. eggplant, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon each ground cinnamon and cloves
cayenne or hot red pepper flakes to taste
2 cups chopped tomato (canned are fine)
4 tablespoons butter
1 lb. all purpose potatoes, washed, peeled, and cut into cubes
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
pinch of nutmeg
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup Parmesan

Put olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the eggplant, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally and adding a little more oil if necessary, until the eggplant it softened and browned all over, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon. Add more oil to the pan if needed to coat the bottom and return it to the heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 2 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Return the eggplant to the pan, taste and adjust the seasoning, then set aside. Put potatoes in a large pot, fill with cold water, and salt it. Boil the potatoes until softened, drain. Put the potatoes into a large bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter and 1 tablespoon of the breadcrumbs. Use some butter to grease a baking dish.

In a small saucepan or microwave, heat the milk until small bubbles appear. Reheat the remaining butter over medium-low heat in its saucepan. Add the flour to the melted butter and stir almost constantly with a wire whisk until the mixture turns golden, about 5 minutes. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly; cook, whisking, until the mixture thickens, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the nutmeg and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Stir a couple of tablespoons of the hot sauce mixture into the beaten eggs, then a little more. Pour this mixture back into the sauce and stir. Add most of the Parmesan and stir again.
Put half the potatoes in the baking dish; cover with half the eggplant mixture. Cover with the remaining potatoes, then the remaining eggplant and all the cheese sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and the remaining breadcrumbs. Bake for about 45 minutes, until top turns golden brown. Let rest for a few minutes before cutting and serving.

Stirred Custard

This recipe is from my mom. My two older sisters, Erika and Celeste, made a cookbook for her when they were little, and this is one of the recipes from it. If I had a scanner, I could post Celeste's drawing of the spoon with eyelashes and dressed in fringe, but I don't. Just use your imagination.

Ingredients
4 eggs or 3 eggs and 2 yolks, slightly beaten
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon flour (my mom leaves this out)
2 1/2 cups milk, scalded
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla

Combine eggs, sugar, and flour. Gradually stir in milk. Cook, stirring constantly, in double boiler over hot, but not boiling, water until mixture coats spoon. Remove from heat immediately. Cool slightly. Stir in salt and vanilla. Chill rapidly. Makes 4 to 5 servings.

Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad

I know this won't strike anyone as a very innovative dish, but I had to share it. I was watching the Food Network (my default channel) last week and watched the Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten) cook up this deliciously juicy dish. We are all used to the typical tomato, basil, and mozzarella salad, but the difference here is that the tomatoes are slow roasted. Yummmm...the juices are locked right in and explode forth when you take a bite! Here is the recipe as it appears in one of Ina's cookbooks. (Sorry, I know these pictures look a little funky...we only have a video camera to take pictures and it doesn't have a flash :-/)

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 12 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise, seeds (not cores) removed
• 1/4 cup good olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 16 ounces fresh salted mozzarella
• 12 fresh basil leaves, julienned

Directions

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Arrange the tomatoes on a sheet pan, cut sides up, in a single layer. Drizzle with 1/4 cup of olive oil and the balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with the garlic, sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 2 hours until the tomatoes are concentrated and begin to caramelize. Allow the tomatoes to cool to room temperature.

Cut the mozzarella into slices slightly less than 1/2-inch thick. If the slices of mozzarella are larger than the tomatoes, cut the mozzarella slices in half. Layer the tomatoes alternately with the mozzarella on a platter and scatter the basil on top. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Serve at room temperature.



This recipe was the centerpiece of what became a yummy Italian meal, perfect to enjoy during a pleasant Saturday evening with dinner and a movie. :-) Ben and I took a treat trip to Whole Foods (we're not regulars there for obvious reasons) and picked up some Cilantro-Lime Pesto for a simple pasta dish and splurged just a little on some special prosciutto. If you ever see La Quercia products at the grocery, consider treating yourself (esecially if your looking forward to a nice night in!). They come from Iowa, surprisingly enough, but critics agree that they give comparable Italian products a run for their money! The prosciutto was featured in Chicago Magazine and is truly oh so savory -- not stringy or chewy. It really just melts in your mouth like butter.

Top it all off with a delicious glass of Italian-friendly red wine and it won't disappoint! You don't have to do all this to enjoy that yummy Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad, though. It can certainly be savored anytime, anywhere!

Spicy Tomato Soup

This is probably the quickest and easiest soup I've ever made from scratch (about 15-20 minutes total prep and cook time) and it was so much tastier than something out of a can. It was warm and comforting-- perfect for a cool fall evening.

Recipe* (as seen on "Everyday Italian" on the Food Network)

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (26-ounce) jar Marinara sauce
28 ounces low sodium chicken broth (vegetarians can substitute vegetable broth)
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (These are white kidney beans. If your grocery store doesn't carry them, you can substitute navy beans or red kidney beans.)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup pastina (small sized) pasta (I used little shells)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Warm the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onion, and garlic and saute until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Add the jar of marinara sauce, broth, cannellini beans, red pepper flakes, pasta, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve.

(I recommend serving with grilled cheese or garlic bread. Keep it simple and yummy!)

Now that I've tried the recipe, I'll do two things differently next time. My husband thought it was a little too spicy, so I will go with 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes in the future. If you like more spice, of course, you can increase the red pepper flakes. Also, the carrots were a little al dente for my taste, so I will probably saute my veggies for 4-5 minutes before adding the liquids next time.

the simplest, most delicious cilantro tomatillo salsa EVER!

This salsa is simply delicious! Just be careful...once you start, it's hard to stop eating it!

Here's what you need:

• 4 medium (about 8 ounces total) tomatillos, husked, rinsed and quartered
• 1 large garlic clove, peeled and quartered
• Hot green chiles to taste (2 serranos or 1 jalapeño), stemmed and roughly chopped
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup (loosely packed) roughly chopped cilantro
• Salt

Combine tomatillos, garlic, chile and cilantro in a blender jar or food processor. Add ¼ (I tend to use less so the consistency isn't so thin) cup water and a generous ½ teaspoon salt. Process to a coarse puree. If using a blender, begin blending on low, at first pulsing to get the mixture moving evenly through the blender blades. Pour into a salsa dish and thin with a little more water if necessary (probably not necessary!) to give the salsa an easily spoonable consistency. Taste and season with additional salt, if you think necessary. Serve it right away!! YUM!! :-D

Try this right away! I PROMISE you won't be disappointed!