Potatoes with Herbs and Anchovy Butter

Tags

anchovies, anchovy butter, food, fresh mint, potatoes, recipe, side dish, vegetarian

I’m pretty basic.

A gal in a plain, brown wrapper.

Many moons ago, I had a boyfriend in high school.

Just one. My senior year.

The first three years were spent stealing quick glances at cute boys around “the quad.”

There was one named, Frank (a crush I continued from junior high) and one named, Bill.  Probably others that I can’t remember.

Finally, my senior year of high school I had a full-fledged, practice writing his last name after my first name, kind of boyfriend.

One Saturday evening, I accompanied him to a family wedding.

At the reception, all of the girls that were there seemed to have perfect hair, tons of makeup and were wearing the kinds of dresses that I would never be allowed to wear.

My boyfriend had stepped away and it was just me and some of his family sitting at this huge, dining table.

His uncle must have caught me staring (and quietly comparing myself to them) at some of the girls as they walked by.

He leaned in and told me something I’ve never quite forgotten.

You know, you’re the same as those girls.  You’re pretty too.  You don’t try as hard as they do, but you’re as pretty as they are.

That caught me off guard.  It was awhile before I really understood what he meant.

These days I’m still pretty basic.  I don’t consider myself to be “pretty.”  I think that’s a good label for the Sandra Bullocks of the world.

I do wear make-up and mascara, but love wardrobe basics like jeans, oxford shirts and the Jackie cardigan from J. Crew.

And just for honesty’s sake, there was a time (in college) that I sprayed my hair up to the heavens before leaving for a bar.  I’ve got the photos to prove it.

But mostly I like to keep everything casual and real.

These potatoes are pretty basic too, but tossing them in anchovy butter and freshly chopped herbs is anything but.

I chopped the leftover potatoes and placed them atop my salad for lunch the next day.  Delicious.

To visit the kitchn and see the original post, click here.

Potatoes with Herbs and Anchovy Butter

Ingredients

1 pound new potatoes, scrubbed
4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 oil-packed anchovy fillet
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley (or dill, mint, or a mixture of herbs)
Additional salt, if needed

Method

Place the potatoes, water and salt in a medium pot with a lid and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower heat and simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes, or until the tip of a knife pierces easily through one of the larger potatoes.

While the potatoes are simmering, place the butter and anchovy in a small bowl. Use a fork to mash them together, until the anchovy is in small flecks throughout the butter.

When the potatoes are done cooking, drain them in a colander and return them to the still-warm pot. Add the anchovy butter and herbs, and cover pot. Move pot around in a circular motion, so that the potatoes tumble around and are coated completely in the butter and herbs. Depending on the saltiness of your anchovy, you may need to add more salt. Taste a potato and add 1/4 teaspoon salt (or more) if needed. Serve warm.

Serves: 4

Roasted Carrots with Fresh Dill

Tags

carrots, food, fresh dill, Ina Garten, recipe, roasted carrots, The Barefoot Contessa, vegetarian

So, I’m feeling a little old.

After coming back from the wedding of my beautiful, amazing cousin (who is 25, ya’ll) I’m feeling just a bit over the hill.

Have you been to the wedding of a twenty-five year old recently?

They do all sorts things that people who are in their twenties do.

Those are the same things I used to do and I had a blast doing them.

We left the reception at around 10:15 pm or so after saying our goodbyes to each of our sweet cousins.

You and I both know that that party just kept on going for a few more hours.

God bless those twenty somethings.

What I’d really love, is to get back some of that twenty-something energy.

I’ll just share this one photo (iPhone pic) of the happy couple feeding each other wedding cake.

I’m so glad I could be there this past weekend.

I happily ate almost my entire, generously-sized piece of cake.

In fact, I completely indulged this weekend.

So, let’s just say it’s back to eating healthy and preparing some delicious vegetables to go along with our dinner tonight.

Like these roasted carrots with fresh dill, which are really similar to this dish, just minus the parsnips.

If they don’t go over too well with the littles tonight, I’m going to turn them into a roasted carrot soup for my lunch tomorrow.

I washed 12 carrots and cut them on the diagonal.  Then, they were placed onto a baking sheet and I drizzled about 2 tbsp of olive oil onto them.  You’ll be using your hands to toss them in the olive oil, so have a clean towel ready.

Add 1 1/4 tsp of kosher salt to the carrots.

Add a 1/2 tsp of ground black pepper to the carrots.  Use your clean hands to toss the carrots so that they are evenly coated with the salt and black pepper.

Roast the carrots in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes or until they are soft in the middle.  The carrots will shrink while they are roasting so don’t cut them too small.

Toss the roasted carrots with 2 tbsp of minced fresh dill.

Recipe adapted from the barefoot contessa cookbook and may be found here.

Roasted Carrots

Ingredients

12 carrots
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill

Method

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

If the carrots are thick, cut them in half lengthwise; if not, leave whole. Slice the carrots diagonally in 1 1/2-inch-thick slices. Toss them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Transfer to a sheet pan in 1 layer and roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned and tender.

Toss the carrots with minced dill.  Adjust seasonings, if needed and serve.

Yield: 6 servings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Egg Salad with Capers and Fresh Dill

Tags

capers, egg salad, food, fresh dill, fresh lemon juice, hard boiled eggs, recipe, red onion, salad, vegetarian, whole grain mustard

Right now, I’m trying to impress you.

How am I doing that you might wonder?

By using ingredients like capers.

And, fresh dill.

What I’m really trying to do is show you a lovely (fancied-up) way of making egg salad.

I’ve told you how much I love eggs, right?

I think I did it recently here.

About a year ago I posted an egg salad sandwich recipe and my preparations for a trip to San Diego.

I also shared a technique I learned from Heather over at Sugar Dish Me.

She does this smashing of the yolks thing, that I loved.  It made perfect sense too.

Kind of similar to how you’d prep egg yolks for deviled eggs (love those too).

Anyway, I remembered the “smashing” technique and used that here.

I couldn’t find her recipe over on her site, some I’m hoping (and hinting) that she’ll wander over to Main St. and share the link in the comments.

In the meantime, take a look at how I’ve prepared this egg salad with capers and fresh dill.

I was inspired by this recipe by Ina Garten.

I have a hunch that even though we’re trying to get fancy today, you already have all you need to prepare this egg salad.

I hard boiled 6 eggs by covering them in water.  Bringing the pot to a boil, then lowering the heat to a simmer.  I simmered them for 5 minutes and then let them sit in the pot for an additional 5 minutes before running them under cold water.

I lightly mashed the eggs using a fork.

Here’s a look at the eggs as I was mashing (and smashing) them.

To the prepared eggs I added 1 tbsp of capers (drained), 1 tsp of whole grain mustard, 1 rib of celery, finely chopped, 3 tbsp of finely chopped red onion, 1 tbsp of chopped fresh dill and a 1/3 cup Light Duke’s mayonnaise.

Before I stirred everything, I added the juice of half a lemon.

Stir everything to incorporate all of the ingredients evenly throughout the egg salad.  Taste and adjust the seasonings with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

I plated mine onto a vintage luncheon plate with slices of fresh lemon and additional fresh dill.  I also happily sampled as much as I could before plating it for these photos.

I will see you all next week as I’m headed out of town tomorrow for my little cousin’s wedding.  I can’t wait!

 

Egg Salad with Capers and Fresh Dill

Ingredients

6 eggs, hard boiled

1 tbsp capers, drained

1 tsp whole grain mustard

1 rib celery, finely chopped

2 tbsp red onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped

1/3 cup light mayonnaise

juice from half of a lemon

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

additional fresh dill to use as a garnish (optional)

Method

Use the tines of a fork to mash the eggs.  Add the rest of the ingredients through the lemon juice.  Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and black pepper.  Garnish with additional fresh dill and/or lemon slices.

Yield: 4 luncheon servings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Banana-Walnut Muffins

Tags

baking, banana walnut muffins, breakfast, brown sugar, food, muffins, recipe, ripe bananas, walnuts

 

Last night it was my turn for post-game snack duty.

For those of you who have brought snacks to your son or daughter’s game (or are currently awaiting your turn to do so), you know that what you bring can get some looks or possibly some straight-forward comments from those little ball players.

Just for fun, I told one of the moms I was sitting with that for tonight’s snack I had brought orange slices.

And, I had also brought homemade hummus with roasted cauliflower.

She started laughing since she knew I was kidding.

Of course, she also mentioned that her son would only drink room temperature Evian.

That comment made me break into a fit of giggles.

The best part of our snack humor came when one of the sweet boys wandered out of the dug out during the game to give his mom a hug.

I told him (jokingly) what I had brought for their snack.

He gave me a quizzical look and stopped short of going into the dug out.

He then turned to me and politely asked: “What’s cauliflower?”

We all started laughing.

As it turns out, I brought fruit snacks and cheddar crackers from Whole Foods (my attempt to keep things a little healthy).

The Grasshoppers lost, but were thrilled (I think), not to have to suffer through roasted cauliflower.

Something tells me they may have been okay with these banana-walnut muffins.

I had recently begun looking for a way to use the over-ripe bananas in our fruit bowl and came across this recipe from taste of home.

It was a nice change from banana bread, though I don’t think my family will ever tire of fresh-from-the-oven banana bread.

Especially, with loads of chocolate chips.

These muffins, however, are more portable and great on the run as you’re rushing everyone out the door.

Because it’s such a basic recipe, I may play with it a little and use it as a vehicle for fresh strawberries from our local farm.

Banana-Walnut Muffins

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup each, brown sugar and granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 medium ripe bananas
1 egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*1/3 cup of chopped walnuts (optional)

Method

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. In another bowl, mash the bananas. Add egg, oil and vanilla; mix well. Stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups half full.  Evenly divide the chopped walnuts among the tops of each filled muffin cup.

Bake at 375° for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Yield: 1 dozen

Orange Scented BBQ Sauce

Tags

brown sugar, food, fresh orange juice, garlic, ground ginger, homemade bbq sauce, how to make bbq sauce, orange zest, recipe

Could you use a silly baseball joke this week?  I know I sure could.

So, here it goes.

Why is a baseball team similar to a pancake?

They both need a good batter.

How about another one?  Just for fun.

Why did the police officer go to the baseball field?

Someone stole 2nd base.

We spent our entire weekend on the baseball field.  In a couple of quiet moments, I prayed for Boston.  I didn’t quite know how to pray for an entire city, but I gave it my best shot.

Can I tell you something?

Spending ten hours on a baseball field may cause the following:

• Make you a little restless or have you pondering the heaps of laundry that still need to be tended to
• Give you a sore throat from cheering on your team
• Have you spending insane amounts of money on bottled water at the concession stand
• Provide you with time to take a nap in your car (in between games) or catch up on your reading
• Possibly make you hug a complete stranger when a play goes your way

It’s very individual.

So, I can’t promise these things will happen to you or your loved ones.

Of course, those same ten hours will cause you to ignore your blog.

That I can almost guarantee.

So without much fanfare, here is the orange scented bbq sauce (finally) I used for both this delicious recipe and this one too.

Start by chopping 1 onion (I like to use Vidalia or other sweet onions when i can find them).  Mince 2 garlic cloves as well.

Add 2 tbsp of olive oil to your pot over medium heat.  When the oil is hot, add the onions and cook until softened and translucent.  Add the minced garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes more.

Now you’re ready to add 2 cups of ketchup.  I like to lower my heat at this time, so that nothing is splattering all over me or so that my onions don’t start to brown.

Add 1 cup of light or dark brown sugar to the ketchup-onion mixture.

I like a nice vinegary sauce, so add 1/3 cup of cider vinegar.  You could always leave it out.

Add 3 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce too.  Love it!

Add 1 tsp each of ground ginger and ground mustard.  Go check your spice cabinet.  I just know you have these.

Add 1 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice to the pot.

And of course the star ingredient, fresh orange zest from 1 orange.

Simply stir everything together.  I usually do one stir about half-way through and check your heat.  You want it low enough not to burn anything and your sauce should be at a gentle simmer.  Simmer the sauce for 30 minutes.

Orange Scented BBQ Sauce

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups ketchup

3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1 cup light brown sugar

2 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp ground mustard

zest of 1 orange

1 cup fresh orange juice

Method

In a large pot over medium heat, add olive oil.  When oil is hot add onions, stirring constantly until translucent and softened.  Add garlic and stir for 2 more minutes.

Reduce heat to low.  Add ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, ginger and mustard.  Stir until combined.  Add orange zest and juice and stir to incorporate.

Simmer for 30 minutes until thickened and gently bubbling.

Country-Style BBQ Pork Ribs

Tags

BBQ pork ribs, boneless pork ribs, country style pork ribs, five ingredient recipe, food, pork ribs, recipe, slow cooker

Yesterday, I told you about the perfect day we had.

Today was a wonderful day today too.

Sure, there was plenty of baseball.  You knew that was going to happen, right?

This morning I got the littles outfitted for church and we actually arrived on time.

 

Can I get a “Woot! Woot!” for that one, please?

I have a hard time getting the tribe out the door and into the sanctuary on time.

And, it’s not like I’ve got five kids or something.

It’s just that someone is usually complaining about this shirt having “way too many buttons.”

Some Sundays I hear this: “these khakis are uncomfortable and make me look weird.”

Or, the ever popular “I need a jacket to cover up this button-down shirt.”

Sometimes, I wish I could send them in baseball pants and cleats.

Oh well, you get the idea.

There is one thing that does get the whole family out of the house and that is a little reminder that there will be donuts picked up on the way home.

Feel free to use that little motivator, if you need to.

I know you’re here to see these country-style BBQ pork ribs, so let’s get started.

I categorized this meal in my “5 ingredient recipes,” but there’s actually only 4 ingredients.

Get your slow cooker out and place 4 lbs of country-style pork ribs inside.  Season generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Next, pour your favorite BBQ sauce over the ribs.  Cover with the lid and set your slow cooker temperature to low.  They’ll need to cook for 5-6 hours and should be fork-tender.  If they don’t easily pull apart with your fork, they aren’t done.

I added a little freshly chopped parsley just before serving.  Totally optional though.

I’ll be back this week with my favorite BBQ sauce recipe.

Country-Style BBQ Pork Ribs

Ingredients

4 lbs boneless (country-style) pork ribs

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Homemade or your favorite bottled BBQ sauce

Method

Place the pork ribs into the slow cooker.  Season generously with salt and pepper.  Pour BBQ sauce over the ribs.  Place the lid onto the slow cooker and the set the temperature to low.  Cook for 5-6 hours.

 

 

Asparagus and Fontina Quiche

Tags

asparagus, asparagus quiche, brunch, eggs, fontina cheese, food, nutmeg, pie crust, quiche, recipe, vegetarian

Today was a perfect day.

Have you ever had one of those?

I hadn’t had one in awhile, but I recognized it as soon as it unfolded in front of me.

It started with the most beautiful sunrise and a hot cup of coffee in hand.

After sitting a bit on my front porch and smelling the scents that only spring can bring, I made cinnamon rolls for my littles.  They love cinnamon rolls.

There were two baseball practices today and we had the most perfect weather for 4 hours of baseball.

In between baseball practices, I made freshly brewed ice tea.  It was so good.

We attended a BBQ this evening and I tasted the most wonderful macaroni salad…twice.

When we headed home there was just a slight chill in the air and I slipped on my favorite blue linen jacket.

My boys got ready for bed, read some of their books and went to sleep in freshly changed beds.

What a day.

How about you?  What was your day like?

*sigh*

I almost forgot to tell you about my lunch.

It was this asparagus and fontina cheese quiche.

Confession: I could eat eggs in some form every. single. day.

It all began with some fresh asparagus my mother shared with me.  I almost roasted it and then I thought…quiche!

I cut a pound of quiche thinly and on the bias.  Add 1 tbsp of unsalted butter to a large skillet over medium heat.  Add one chopped shallot and cook for 2 minutes or until just softened; add the asparagus and cook, stirring occasionally, 6-8 minutes.

I know I’ve often said that when you’re visiting Main St., you are in a no-judgement zone, so I’m hoping you won’t judge me when I tell you that you are looking at a prepared pie shell from the freezer section of my local Harris-Teeter grocery store.

Just being honest with you.

I added 3/4 cup of freshly shredded fontina cheese to the bottom of the pie shell and then added the sauteed shallots and asparagus on top.

Lastly, whisk together 4 large eggs and 1 1/4 cup of half and half.  Add a 1/2 tsp of kosher salt, an 1/8 tsp of ground black pepper and a couple of gratings of fresh nutmeg.  Whisk again and then pour into the pie shell.

I reserved 5 asparagus spears and used 5 slices of a Pearl tomato to decorate the top of the quiche before baking it in a 350 degree oven for 55 minutes.

I also made a second quiche for mom and here’s what that one looked like.

Here’s one last look at the finished quiche.  I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch today and my freshly brewed iced tea.

I adapted this recipe from Martha Stewart.

Asparagus and Fontina Quiche

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter
1 medium shallot, chopped
kosher salt and ground black pepper
1 bunch (1 pound) asparagus, tough ends removed, thinly sliced on the bias
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups half-and-half
Freshly ground nutmeg
1 frozen deep dish pie crust, defrosted in the refrigerator
3/4 cup shredded fontina cheese

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in lowest position. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium. Add shallots and asparagus; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until asparagus is crisp-tender, 6 to 8 minutes; let cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and a couple of gratings of nutmeg.

Place pie crust on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with cheese; top with asparagus mixture. Pour egg mixture on top.

Decorate top of quiche with 5 additional spears of asparagus and 5 slices of tomato, if desired.

Bake until center of quiche is just set, 50 to 60 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Let stand 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Serves: 6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oven-Roasted BBQ Chicken

Tags

bbq chicken, chicken legs, dinner, food, homemade bbq sauce, oven bbq chicken, recipe

Is there anything better than that time between wrapping yourself in layers of clothing and being so hot that an endless supply of southern sweet tea wouldn’t be enough to cool yourself off?

I think we’re entering that precise season here in North Carolina.

The weather has decided to warm up.

Miss Abby wanted to stay outside much longer this morning to listen to the songbirds.  She was quite content.

I’m planning my vegetable garden with inspiration from Diane’s post over at her blog, GARDENSUNSHINE.

And today my friends, I’m actually going to wear sandals.

It’s a glorious thing.

However, I don’t think we’re quite ready to stand outside and grill.  And, I have a hunch the propane tank needs to be replaced.

But,  in the meantime there’s this recipe for oven-roasted bbq chicken.

I made my own bbq sauce, but you don’t have to.

I will not judge you if you used bottled sauce.  There are some good ones out there, especially in the South.

I love to use chicken legs for this type of recipe.  It just screams easy (especially for the littles to hold).

I used two Emile Henry roasting pans to hold 12 chicken legs.

After rinsing and patting dry with paper toweling.  Liberally season them with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Next, drizzle the legs with olive oil.  Technical cooking term: drizzle.  

Place them into a preheated 425 degree oven for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, remove the roasting pans from the oven.  Baste the chicken legs liberally with either your homemade bbq sauce or a bottle of your favorite bbq sauce.  Remember, your choice and no judgement here.

Reduce the temperature to 375 degrees and return the basted chicken legs back to your oven for an additional 20-25 minutes.

At the end of the cooking time, the chicken should have a caramelized coating of the sauce.

They’ll look good enough to eat at that point, but you’ll want to add more sauce.

Trust me.  More sauce.

Remove from the oven.  Using a meat thermometer, check that it has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees.  If not, back they go for another 10 minutes.  Check the temperature again.

At this point, I used tongs to dip each chicken leg into my simmering pot of homemade bbq sauce.

We like them saucy on Main St.

I plated them above with some additional bbq sauce because you can never have too much sweet, tangy bbq sauce.  Or, at least that’s what I think.

Oven-Roasted BBQ Chicken Legs

Ingredients

12 chicken legs, rinsed and patted dry

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil

BBQ sauce, either bottled or homemade

Method

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Liberally season the chicken legs with salt and black pepper.  Drizzle lightly with olive oil.

Place the chicken into the preheated oven and roast for 20 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees.  Baste liberally with bbq sauce and return to the oven for an additional 20 minutes.

Check the internal temperature of the chicken using a meat thermometer.  It should register 165 degrees.  If not, return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes.

Using tongs, submerge each chicken leg into bbq sauce.

Serve with additional bbq sauce if desired.

Kitchen Note: If using bottled bbq sauce, add this to a medium sauce pan to warm up on your stove top.  You may need two bottles of prepared bbq sauce.

Serves: 4-6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Bean Salad with Fresh Mint

Tags

cannelini beans, food, fresh green beans, fresh mint, garbanzo beans, kosher salt, recipe, red wine vinaigrette, salad, three bean salad

I’ve talked so much about the lingering cold winter weather, but I think true springtime temperatures are finally going to make their appearance this Sunday.

Oh joy. Oh rapture.

Sorry, too dramatic.

I want to plant our vegetable garden this week and fill all of the pots on the front and back porches with pansies.  It should finally be warm enough to work outside.

But, in the meantime I’m trying to get ready for bikini season.

Or as I like to call it: a one piece with a cute cover up and an over-sized sun sat season.

So, lots more salads, fresh vegetables and fruits which I hope will still leave a little room to indulge on the weekends with things like this.

Baked goods aside, don’t you think that there is something appealing about adding fresh mint to a salad?

Somehow it always seems so exotic when it’s featured in something savory.

I hate that mint always seems to be relegated to garnish status, like atop a fluffy dollop of whipped cream.

And, since I still have plenty left I plan to make a mint pesto and maybe toss some fresh mint (or the mint pesto) with new potatoes.

Well, let’s get started.

You’ll need 1 lb of trimmed fresh green beans.  Cook the green beans in salted, boiling water for 3 minutes; drain them and then rinse under cold water.

Place 1 15-ounce can of garbanzo beans and 1 15-ounce can of cannellini beans into a colander and rinse and drain them well.

Here’s the fresh mint.  It smelled so good.  Wash and chop a 1/4 cup of mint.  I saved some mint “tops” to garnish the finished salad.

In a large bowl, combine the fresh green beans with the garbanzo and cannellini beans.

Add the 1/4 cup of fresh chopped mint to the bowl.

To make the red wine vinaigrette, start with a 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil.

Next, add 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar and a 1/4 cup of sparkling water.  I used Pellegrino, but you could use whatever you have on hand.  Whisk to combine.

Add the red wine vinaigrette to the beans and mint.  I used a large wooden spoon, but then found that tongs worked the best to combine the beans with the vinaigrette.

Season the three bean salad with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Garnish with additional mint “tops” if you like.  I loved the colors of this salad and could see serving this with with grilled or poached salmon.  You could even flake some leftover salmon into this salad.

That would look so pretty.

Three Bean Salad with Fresh Mint

Recipe by: Mario Batali and found in People Magazine, 3.25.13

Ingredients

2 tbsp. kosher salt
1 lb. green beans trimmed
1 (15 0z.) can chickpeas (garbanzo), rinsed and drained
1 (15 0z.) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup coarsely chopped mint
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup sparkling water
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon (I used kosher salt)
Coarsely ground black pepper

Method

Add salt to 4 quarts boiling water. Cook green beans in water, 3 minutes. Drain in colander. Rinse beans in cold water to cool. Drain well, pat dry.

Combine beans, cannellini beans and chickpeas (garbanzo) in a large bowl. Add mint and toss well and set aside.

Whisk together vinegar, water and olive oil. Pour half of vinaigrette over bean mixture and toss again.

Season with flaky sea salt and pepper. Serve immediately with remaining vinaigrette, or *let stand at room temperature 1 hour to enhance flavors.

Serves: 6

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sugar Cookies + Our Easter

Tags

baking, dessert, easy sugar cookies, how to make royal icing, how to make sugar cookies, recipe, royal icing, sugar cookies

As is usual for Main St. Cuisine, we bring you things just a wee bit late for the actual holiday.

And, you’re kind enough to take a look anyway.

So, thank you. I’m glad you’re here today.

Now, don’t let my four-days-late-Easter-cookie-post scare you away or cause you to move on too soon.

You know you can make sugar cookies at any point in the year, right?  In fact, my oldest said we should consider making 4th of July sugar cookies.

We shook hands on it and plan to make some patriotic sugar cookies this July.

I love it when my 10-year old helps me with my advance planning.

This is a little look at how we spent our Easter Sunday, complete with Easter services at our church, brunch at the North Carolina Museum of Art, Easter egg hunt, filled baskets and sugar cookie baking (and eating).

There were also basketball games to watch.

And yes, you’re witnessing a bad hair day on my part, so a ponytail was in order.
Back to the sugar cookies.  Here’s a look at the dough as it’s coming together (using the paddle attachment) in my stand mixer.

I formed the finished dough into a disk, wrapping it in plastic wrap and then placed it into the refrigerator to firm it up.

Super easy and the dough came together nicely.

As you can see, the bakers (myself included) need a little practice on cutting the dough cleanly and transferring the shapes to the prepared baking sheet.  I used a Silpat on each of the baking sheets.

Just to show you the imperfections on Main St., I included the above pic with the slightly misshapen egg.

According to the expert tasters on Main St., it still tasted really good though.

Here’s another look at our finished eggs and cute bunnies.

My favorite part of this particular sugar cookie recipe was that the shapes didn’t distort too much while baking and they weren’t overly sweet.

Just perfect.

You can find the recipe here, which is from blogger, Jenny Hobick.  I also used her recipe for royal icing, which is also included within the link.  One note on the icing, I needed to double the recipe in order to ice all of our cookies.

Oh, and let me warn you.

You will get lost on her site.

Lovely and doable recipes.  Great tips on entertaining.  Sweet photos of her daughter.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.