recipe: spinach & artichoke dip, or stuffed mushrooms (T-day 5 of 5)

my last recipe & appetizer from Thanksgiving... which is only timely that i'm finally able post it up on Xmas. i was looking for quick & easy but delish artichoke dip as a filling for stuffed mushrooms. the Hot Artichoke & Spinach Dip II recipe from allrecipes.com was well-reviewed and fit the bill, and actually turned out surprisingly good. spinach dip oftentimes is kinda blah when you get it as an app at restaurants, or it's served at random parties... good, but kind of... eeeeh. this one actually had a TON of flavor... it make the mushrooms pop, and the leftover dip i had as  post-t-day appetizer was fantastic. 

photo from allrecipes.com

ingredients list: 
- 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled & minced
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1 & 1/4 tsp garlic salt
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained & chopped
- 1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed & drained
- 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

recipe: pecan pie blondies (T-day 4 of 5)

this was one of the better Thanksgiving desserts i've ever made. they

photo courtesy of Bakerita

were insanely unhealthy, but worth it. there really isn't anything better than brown butter... especially when it's mixed up with brown sugar and other fatty, sugary goodnesses. i used the recipe from Bakerita, following it to a T. 

ingredients list - blondie layer:

- 1/2 cup unsalted butter

- 1 cup dark brown sugar

- 1 large egg

- 1 tbsp vanilla 

- 1 cup all-purpose flour

- 1/4 tsp kosher salt

ingredients list - pecan layer:

- 1/4 (4 tbsp) unsalted butter

- 1/2 cup brown sugar

- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup

- 1/4 cup heavy cream

- 1 & 1/2 cups roughly chopped pecans

recipe: crab dip (T-day 3 of 5)

made this as an app for T-day, in the hopes it would taste even remotely as close to the crap dip from Tasty n Alder. while it wasn't quite the TnA dip, it was actually really damn good. i ate way more of it than i should and was barely all that hungry by the time T-day din came around. worth it though! 

*picture from allrecipes.com 

i used the Spicy Maryland Crab Dip recipe from allrecipes.com as a base recipe, adjusting things a bit to our own taste. 

ingredients list: 

- 1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened

- 1/2 cup sour cream

- 1/2 cup mayonnaise

- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

- 1 & 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

- 3 cloves garlic, minced

- 1 tsp dry mustard

- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

- 3/4 lb fresh crab meat

- 3 dashes hot sauce

- Old Bay seasoning to taste

- bread, pita chips, blue corn tortilla chips for dippin

to make: 

preheat oven to 325 degrees F. lightly grease an 8x8" baking dish, and set aside.

in a medium bowl, mix cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, Parmesan cheese, majo, lemon juice, Worcestershire, garlic, mustard, and about half of the cheddar cheese. fold in crab meat, hot sauce, and Old Bay.

transfer mixture to the prepared baking dish, and top with remaining cheddar cheese. bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned. 

recipe: green bean casserole (T-day 2 of 5)

photo from Serious Eats

although i HATE green beans, i have no problem cooking them for everyone else on Thanksgiving. this recipe from Serious Eats provided a perfect from-scratch way to make the traditional GB casserole, without having to mess with the old cream of mushroom stuff. i can't vouch for how it was personally, but the homemade soup i tasted while it was prepping tasted pretty damn good. everyone else gave it the old thumbs up, so it sounds like a keeper if i ever make traditional GB casserole again.

i scaled the recipe down a bit, but followed it verbatim otherwise (besides a lil extra garlic). 

ingredients list: (serves 4-6)
- 1 cup fried onions (French's would work, i used an off-brand from the Asian market)
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 3/4 lbs white button mushrooms, rinsed 
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup low sodium chicken stock
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp butter
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1/8 cup flour
- fresh ground black pepper
- 1 lbs green beans, ends trimmed, and cut into 2" pieces
- 1 tsp kosher salt

recipe: thanksgiving stuffing (T-day 1 of 5)

stuffing this year, adapted (and scaled down) from The Pioneer Women's recipe. it is a fairly traditional recipe - not too sweet, nothing crazy in it, and i loved it. since i've only been eating stuffing for the last few years, there still isn't many that i really like (i hate mushy gloppy stuff), but this one is holds it's own. everyone really enjoyed it... unless i get a request for a non-traditional stuffing, this is probably going to be the go-to.

*photo from Pioneer Woman Cooks (T-day = too distracted to take pics. must eat. mmmmm!)

ingredients list: (this scaled down version makes about 9 servings)
- 1/2 loaf cornbread (i used Jiffy)
- 1/2 loaf italian bread
- 1/2 loaf sourdough bread
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 1/4 bunch parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup butter
- 3-4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp ground thyme
- 1/2 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely minced
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp seasoning salt
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- additional salt & pepper to taste

recipe: chocolate stout brownies

i needed a yum dessert to bring to a fairly beer-loving crowd, and found a ton of amazing beer-inspired, beer-infused recipes. i decided to go with brownies (classic) from Foodie Crush, and omg am glad i did -- these turned out super-gooey, rich, and were actually one of the better brownies i've ever had - homemade, professional, or otherwise. i have a fear of making brownies and ending up with cake-like brownies (or... just icing-less chocolate cake?), these were more like uncooked brownie batter. YUM!

the recipe originally called for 1/2 cup stout, which reduces to about 1/4 cup... i used about 3x that as it very quickly evaporated. i'm not sure if that gave it even more of a rich, stouty flavor or not, but more beer never hurts :)

ingredients list:

- 1.5 cups stout

- 10 oz 60% bittersweet chocolate chips (i used a combo of semisweet chocolate chips & Ghirardelli dark chocolate 

- 1 cup butter

- 1 cup sugar

- 1 tsp vanilla

- 1/2 tsp kosher salt

- 3 eggs

- 1 cup flour

recipe: zucchini lasagna

on the theme of being healthy, this recipe from Skinny Taste caught my eye yesterday when i was scanning recipes while gorging on unhealthy snacks watching tele. i've been trying to cut back on pasta, and this surprisingly didn't make me miss it. i subbed turkey meat for the ground beef and added in bit more seasonings, but otherwise stuck to the recipe. 

ingredients list:
-  1 lb lean ground turkey
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 an onion, diced
- 1 tsp olive oil
- salt & pepper
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
- 3 medium zucchini, slicked 1/8"  thick
- 15 oz part-skim ricotta
- 16 oz part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp parsley

recipe: tilapia and diced tomato bake

this was such a throw-together meal i don't think it really constitutes a recipe... but it was a good (and healthy) week night dinner that was also tasty, so it's a win in my book. 

ingredients list: 

- 4 tilapia fillets

- 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes with jalapeno, excess liquid drained*

- 1/2 white onion, diced

- 1/2 tsp oregano

- 1/2 tsp garlic powder

- salt & pepper to taste

- 1 zucchini, diced

- parmesan cheese

to make: 

pour half of the diced tomatoes into the bottom of a glass baking dish, along with onion. add tilapia fillets on top of the tomatoes, then pour in the remaining diced tomatoes, and season with oregano, garlic powder, and salt & pepper.

i sauteed my zucchini separately over medium heat and added it on top of the fish at end, since i prefer my zucchini a bit crisp, although it could be baked in the dish as well. 

top with cheese when it comes out of the oven, and serve over quinoa or rice. 

*as you can see in the picture, i didn't drain my tomatoes, so i ended up with quite a bit of moisture as the tilapia cooked down :(

recipe: corn and crab bisque

terrible picture, delicious soup!

one of the perks of living in the PNW is that every now & again alaskan king crab legs will pop up in the grocery store on sale for $9.99/lb. yesterday was one such event, so it seemed like the perfect opp to cook a nice din for the man piece. i decided to make a crab bisque, using the Corn and Crab Bisque recipe from allrecipes.com. 

i made a few adjustments, adding in some Old Bay seasoning (seemed like a sin not to have the OB in the pot), shallots, extra garlic, white wine, swapping canned chicken broth for homemade crab stock that i had frozen, and double the amount of crab. 

it came out fantastic, although i personally prefer a little bit thicker/creamier of a soup... next time i think i'd cut back slightly on the seafood stock. and possibly add in bacon into the pan with the onion/garlic mixture... that sweet & smokey bacon flavor would have been dope in this. 

ingredients list (scaled back to 4 servings):
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup shallot, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup wine
- 21 ounces (roughly) of crab stock or chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp cajun seasoning
- 1/4 tsp old bay seasoning
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 
- 2 ears corn, kernels cut from cob
- 1/4 cup half-and-half
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 lb fresh crab meat
- salt & pepper to taste

PDX restaurants: Apizza Scholls

there is nothing about Apizza Scholls i could say that hasn't already been said. this is not only the best pizza i have had in Portland, but could possibly be one of the better pizza's i've ever had, period (and this is putting it up against NYC and New Haven CT pies). 

every part of the toppings was just packed with flavor, and the crust tasted like a small slice of a fresh-baked, ooey gooey pillow soft artisan bread, but with char flavor from brick oven heaven. 

we ordered the margherita & the white (bianca) pizzas, two large pies between 4 people. (for the first time in my life, i ate 4 slices of pizza in one sitting. could. not. help. myself!) 10/10/10, so worth the wait. 

recipe: paleo brownies with caramel & toasted coconut flakes

one of the Portland struggles is having friends with special diets. hosting or bringing something to a party there is guaranteed to be a vegetarian, a gluten-free, a paleo, a pescatarian, a vegan, a lactose-intolerant, a organic only, or 1,000 combinations of diets in between of that. i was tasked with needing to bake a paleo-only desert, not really knowing what that was before i embarked on my journey of recipe searching. baking without grains or dairy blew my mind. 

i searched quite a few recipes, and they all sounded just based on ingredients alone that they would taste like hot garbage. the brownie recipe from Amazing Paleo sounded like one of the better recipes of the bunch, and didn't seem like they would end up as "dry and sandy" as some of the other reviewed recipes out there.

they turned out fairly tasty -- these would never be my go-to brownie if i had a choice, but the folks i brought them for said they were one of the better paleo deserts they have ever had (they recently gave up baking paleo since the results were so poor typically). i'd say if you have to bake paleo, this is a really solid recipe, BUT it is so damn expensive (i think i spent almost $30 on ingredients when all was said & done), buying a desert from a swanky paleo bakery may be a good back up as well! 

Vancouver CA eats!

Fritz European Fry House: poutine

this is a very late posts about some of Canada's finest offerings from my trip to Vancouver BC, but mother of god looking back at these pics made me instantly hungry. i don't normally eat sushi (don't love the seaweed), but had some sushi SO good i've been craving it ever since, my first (how has this happened?!) taste of poutine, the dopest rosemary and rock salt bagel i could ever imagine, and countless other noshes that were all better than the last. we had limited time in CA, but could have spent the entire trip in the Granville Island Public Market. we settled on two trips instead - one for the rock salt bagels for breakfast (from Siegel's Bagels), the other to A La Mode for the clam chowder pot pie, some gourmet chocolates, and almond pastries for the trip back to the good old USA.

A La Mode: clam chowder pot pie

PDX burgers: Canyon Grill

Thrillist released its list of the 10 best burgers outside of Portland a few months back -- only 2 of which are in a reasonable driving distance unless i'm out of town. after a day in Beaverton running errands with the hubs, it was a perfect excuse to try out Canyon Grill.

i ordered their signature burger that comes dressed with swiss, bacon, avocado, mushrooms, grilled onions, roasted red peppers, and Canyon Sauce. i was grateful it came wrapped in a little burger diaper, because this beast was massive and it was messy. the burger patty itself was pretty ordinary (though not bad by an stretch), but the fun was in the toppings. it was an uphill battle keeping everything on-bun, but was a mouth party when it all came together. 

i'd say if you're going there as a burger purist it wouldn't be top of the list (though in its defense i didn't try a plain burger and the patty flavor could have just been drowned out by all the toppings?), but if you're in town and need a good bite, it's worth hitting up. 

PDX burgers: Grain & Gristle

my most recent burger in the PDX burger collection. i had Grain & Gristle on my (too long) must-try hit list, and was in the area during what was a 30-ish mile bike ride, so needless to say i was beyond hangry by the time i got there. this burger was like an angel fell down from heaven and right into my face. i honestly ate it too quickly to pay attention to what made it SO great, i just know it was juicy and  salty and the bacon was perfectly sweet, and the cheddar cheese was shockingly gooey and drippy and one of the best melty-cheddars i've had on a burger. it was PERFECT for what i needed. 

PDX eats: Langbaan

Langbaan. there is nothing i can say about this place any better than what's already been said - a) i don't know Thai food well enough to even begin to describe what i ate, and 2) everyone agrees, it's GD delicious. after waiting i think 4 months after making my reso, i was so happy to find that it was worth the wait - i had a blast trying things on the tasting menu i've never had before (or would never normally order), and flavors i would never conceive of putting together. mouth party! 

we sat right up against the kitchen 
and were able to watch these uber-organized, calm prodigy chefs assemble these crazy dishes. almost as entertaining as it was yummy:

 

recipe: ravioli stuffed with prosciutto, spinach, mushroom, ricotta in brown butter shallot sauce

i was house-bound for a day, which was the perfect opp to finally make ravioli. since i don't make pasta often (*ever), i don't have a pasta maker or any fancy equipment, so i was going at it old school. while i was a little intimidated by that part, the fillings part was exciting... prosciutto, spinach, mushrooms, homemade ricotta...basically ever type of ravioli i love, all rolled into one. YUM. 

the ravioli dough was easy enough to make, but impossibly difficult to get a thin as i'd like it. most sites recommended about 1/16 of an inch, mine was... a little thicker than that. the flavor was fantastic, although in the end i would have preferred a more delicate/thinner ravioli casing. it was more like a hearty gnocchi married a ravioli than a thin little pasta pocket. damn tasty though, so i wasn't a total fail... just something that def needs a bit of work.

the recipes online are nearly identical, so i didn't use anything specific, although next time i may futz around a bit to make a softer dough that's easier to roll thinner (mine was super-elasticy and tough).

ingredients list - pasta:  

- 4 cups all-purpose flour

- 4 large eggs, beaten

- 1 tsp olive oil

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1-2 tbsp water, if needed

recipe: ricotta cheese

i finally had the courage, and the time, to try to make ravioli. knowing the amount of work ahead of me, i was not going to skimp on any of the filling ingredients, so it decided like the perfect time to test out what i heard was "oh so easy" homemade ricotta cheese. 

it seemed like one of those things that people say is easy, but is not, and turns into a time-consuming epic failure. i was delighted to find out that it really was damn easy, AND did have a noticeably different taste/texture than store-bought ricotta, in the best way. 

every site i looked at had different proportion of milk/cream/acid, but i landed on the version of epicurious that seemed like a good in-between of all of them:

ingredients list:
- 2 quarts whole milk (1/2 gallon)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp lemon juice or distilled white vinegar (i used half of each b/c i couldn't decide)

recipe: lemon poppyseed bundt cake

something about spring brings me overwhelming cravings for lemon-based desserts and orange-zested cookies. i was torn between a dope-ass lemon square and a lemon poppy seed cake, but those savory lil poppy seeds threw me over the edge. i made this cake last week with the intention of just having one slice to calm my craving... i ended up having almost half the cake, but thankfully bringing it into work easily gets rid of the leftovers.

i used the recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction -- i liked that she took no shortcuts, used no lemon pudding, nor any yellow cake mix boxed-base... she was all about lemons and the ultimate ingredients. thankfully, all of the little extra steps she included made the end result well worth while -- this was so damn good!

ingredients list - cake:
- 2 & 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 cup poppy seeds
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temp
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temp
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- zest of 4 large lemons (about 1/3 cup, packed)
- juice of 2 large lemons (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temp

ingredients list - lemon simple syrup:
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- juice of 2 large lemons (about 1/2 cup)

ingredients list - lemon glaze:
- 1 cup sifted confectioners sugar
- juice of 1/2 (or up to 1) large lemon

PDX burgers: Slow Bar

i had to make the difficult decision last week of where my birthday burger would be -- there are 1000 PDX burgers on my hit list, but Slow Bar took the cake. i've had way too many people recommend it, and seen it pop up on so many burger best-of lists here, so it seemed inappropriate to live in Portland over a year and not try it. 

the burger was a 1/2 pound beast -- columbia river reserve beef, gruyere, onion rings, butter lettuce (mmm the best burger lettuce), pickle relish and aioli. i had to take an onion ring off cuz the burger was so dang tall i could barely eat it. it was nicely seasoned and insanely juicy -- i tilted the burger vertically the entire time i ate i so it held all the juice in, kind of like a little burger cup. that sounds gross, but it might be one of the better burger tricks i've learned in some time. each bite turned into a juicy burgery mouth party, and i saved a bit of the bun from becoming overrun with dat meat juice.

the pickle relish was a little bit of a distraction at times (i'm not a big pickle-person), and that was really the only mild flaw i could find (which isn't even so much of a flaw as it just is a personal preference). that said, overall all of the flavors in the toppings were really, really well balanced. the onion rings and fries were perfectly crisp and light even though i know they were unhealthy as hell. i ended up eating 4893840238003 fries more than i should have because they, as well as the aioli, were just so damn tasty. Slow Bar, i get it. i will be going back. 8/10. 

and - bonus - the cocktail list is amazing, and delightful as well! 

recipes: seafood risotto & crab stock

after cooking up a bunch of crab (one of the perks of living in PNW), i took advantage of the giant bowl of crab shells and took my first spin at making crab stock. i thought it would be as easy as chicken stock - throw some bones in, add some veggies, but it was like a full recipe in and of itself. it only seemed like the right thing to do to make a baller seafood risotto with all the delish broth we had. 

i pulled the stock recipe from Simply Recipes, and the risotto recipe from Epicurious.

ingredients list - seafood risotto: 
- 4-5 cups seafood stock (recipe below)
- 1/3  cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 small onion, minced (1/2 cup)
- 1 & 1/3 cups arborrio rice
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (i used Savignon Blanc)
- 8-10 mussels, scrubbed and debearded 
- 6 medium sea scallops
- 1/2 cup peeled, crushed, and seeded plum tomatoes
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1/2 tsp chopped garlic
- 1 tbsp brandy
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- salt & fresh group pepper

PDX Burgers: Dick's Kitchen & All-Way Burgers

belated burger postings -- Dick's Kitchen i had walked past a bazillion times, not knowing that it was one of the better-recommended burger joints in our hood. they have a fair amount of burgers on the menu, with a weekly rotation of guest specialty or game burgers. we split a classic bacon cheese burger and a french onion cheese burger - thinly slicked onions smashed into the patty and topped with melted swiss. juicy, well seasoned, good toppings, great fries, all in all a will-go-back review.

All-Way Burgers i hadn't heard of until my hubby surprised me with a random burger night out. it's resembles an old-timely diner, tucked in an upstairs space, and sticks to most of the classics - burgers, fries, onion rings, shakes. i ordered a classic bacon  cheeseburger as my first test... and damn. the burgers are fast-food style thin, but somehow offer a ton of flavor, with super-creamy american cheese, thick bacon, and a superbly-soft bun. many reviews are comparing All-Way to  In-N-Out, but outside of the premise of sticking to fresh, stand-out quality ingredients on fast-food style burgers, the overall character and flavor stands out a hell of a lot more with the All-Way burgers IMO.