Recipe Roundup :: Meal inspiration

Before I get into the recipes in today's roundup, I wanted to share where I go for my meal inspiration. While I have a bookcase overflowing with cookbooks and numerous links and magazines I love to peruse, Bon Appétit continues to be my favored resource. It's even surpassed at this point my admiration for the shuttered Gourmet, which seamlessly wove together my love of food and travel. Bon Appétit, even with it's drool-worthy photography, sense of adventure and sophistication, is still approachable. The staff is dedicated to making even the most complex recipes, easy for cooks of any experience level to follow and recreate. And the editors share a joie de vivre that comes through in the magazine's voice. I anxiously await the arrival of each month's issue in my mailbox and then proceed to sit on my patio armed with sticky notes and a cup of coffee. I obsess over Andrew Knowlton's instagram feed, subscribe to daily Bon Appétit recipe blasts, peruse the same issues again on my iPad delighting in the interactivity and reread the annual Travel Issue and Best New Restaurants list at least a few times.

I keep just one cookbook on my kitchen counter. While the others sit on a bookshelf in my living room, this one has stains from over-zealous mixing. The red-plaid Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook was a gift from my mom, and it's where I learned the pancake recipe I now know by heart and refer to when I forget cooking times or temperatures for meat and vegetables. My other favorite anthologies are Gourmet Today, Bon Appétit Desserts and The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook. The rest of my cookbooks tend to be a single-subject, whether its brunch, mac & cheese, Irish pub cooking or one of my favorites foods, the potato.

Often I turn online for inspiration. Sometimes I search with a specific idea of a dish I'd like to make, other times it's about perusing through email blasts and blogs until a recipe catches my eye. My favorite websites right now are Food 52 and the new New York Times Cooking site. Food 52 is an online cooking community, where readers can share recipes, ask questions and find columns and blogs on specific food-related topics. The New York Times Cooking site is a home for the New York Times' library of over 10,000 recipes. It's a beauty and the recipes are searchable by ingredient, skill level, meal and more. I really enjoy Editor Sam Sifton's weekly newsletter where he shares his tips and ideas for what to cook.

Recipe Roundup
Click on names to link to the original recipe

Spaghetti with strawberry tomato sauce
This recipe is from Bon Appétit's pick for Best New Restaurant 2014. I was in D.C. in May (expect a post soon about my food finds) and regret not making it to Rose's Luxury. So now it's at the top of my list for my next visit. In the meantime, I am looking forward to this spicy-sweet take on traditional spaghetti.

Roasted apple butter
I won't let a season stop me from eating apples, but nothing feels more autumn to me than apple pie and apple butter. For a while my mom kept sending me jars of apple butter from trips to different farms in California. But now I've found a surprisingly easy recipe to make my own. It's perfect timing too, I'm running low!

Company eggs
Eggs are one of my favorite things to cook with, a necessity in baking and perfect for any meal from a simple fried egg for breakfast to a complex quiche for dinner. These company eggs sound like the sort of thing I'll want to eat all day.

Whole roasted cauliflower with whipped goat cheese
Remember my new found appreciation for cauliflower, well now I found a delightfully decadent recipe to try. This recipe features three kinds of goat cheese, white wine and roasted cauliflower. I can't wait to share how this one turns out.

Try everything

My motto when it comes to food is "try everything at least once." While that philosophy definitely has the potential to lead you astray and it is easy to let preconceived notions about a particular food or flavor influence us, more often than not I am pleasantly surprised by own tastebuds. This motto is the reason I've come to love oysters on the half shell, quinoa and chai tea, just to name a few favorites. One of the many reasons I enjoy dining out is that it's a welcome opportunity to try something new. Chefs are constantly experimenting, so even if I get a favorite dish like salmon or pasta, many times it is paired with something I would not have imagined. Sometimes it's a a new flavor for me, like the first time I tried grits or pâté. And sometimes it's a new use for a tried-and-true standby, have you ever tried zuchinni chips? If I had enough, I'd never stop eating them.

At least once. Everything is worth revisiting. Our tastes evolve over time, and recently I have discovered a newfound affinity for many foods I abhorred as a child. Brussel sprouts are perfect roasted with bacon and shallots. My friend Leigh Anne led me to an appreciation of all things pumpkin and squash. I am still a hold out on pie, as I will always prefer apple, pecan or really any other option before pumpkin pie. But I have tried and enjoyed pumpkin bread (which makes a mean french toast), roasted butternut squash and white chocolate pumpkin truffles. That last one is a real surprise, as I'm usually not one for white chocolate either. My most recent and exciting discovery was cauliflower. It was always the vegetable sitting there on the veggie platters, and I never touched it. I always thought it had no flavor, probably because I so often tried it raw. But I have come to learn that cauliflower is quite versatile when cooked, absorbing the flavors around it. It makes a great loaded au gratin replacing potatoes and just last week I tried a delicious recipe for buffalo cauliflower bites.

Recipe roundup. This probably will come as no surprise to those of you who have read my blog from the beginning or follow me on twitter. I own at least a few dozen cookbooks, subscribe to two magazines devoted entirely to food and countless others that boast substantial cooking sections and dozens of blogs and email blasts with daily recipes, restaurant lists and more. I am constantly tabbing my magazines and cookbooks with sticky notes and printing out recipes from the web that I want to try. The ever-growing stack is a mental cue to try something new rather than rely on making the same old thing week in and week out.

So with that in mind, I am going to start regularly including this feature, highlighting recipes I found and loved, or ones I am anxious to try. (Click on the names to link to the original recipe.)

     

Cheesy buffalo cauliflower wings (left) and Canal House peach jam

Cheesy buffalo cauliflower wings
The aforementioned cauliflower bites. After trying an au gratin a coworker brought in for a potluck, I did a search for more cauliflower recipes to test out and found these on the blog Jessica in the Kitchen. It's funny how your mind plays tricks on you based on your memories of certain flavors. If someone else had made this recipe, I don't know that I would have known I wasn't eating chicken.

Canal House peach jam
I don't think I will ever run out of uses for peaches. And this is one of my favorite new recipes for using them up before they turn bad. My favorite Bon Appétit got the seasonal-cooking superstars from Canal House to share this gem. And I love that it keeps to just the essentials, peaches, sugar and lemon juice.  I cut the recipe down based on what I had left, but if you don't you'll have plenty to share with friends as hostess gifts or "just-because" treats.

Proscuitto pesto pizza twists
From the blog A Zesty Bite, I found this recipe when I was looking for ideas for a cocktail party with some of my colleagues. I adjusted it slightly, using crescent dough instead of pizza dough. Besides the simplicity of preparation, it was a great finger food which is always a plus when you're entertaining.

Cinnamon polenta pancakes
Pancakes are one of my favorite go-to breakfasts. I know my favorite recipe by heart, and I can whip it up just as quickly as scrambled eggs or oatmeal. This was a great find for a heartier twist on traditional buttermilk pancakes.

Sour chocolate cake
This is first up on my to try list. I was sold when I read chocolate cake. A new twist with some tang from vinegar and it has cinnamon. Though I may lose the crumby texture, I'll probably try substituting butter as I am not huge on using shortening in my recipes. I may just whip this up for dessert tonight.

Five years ago today ...

Juniper & Ivy, Richard Blais' restaurant in San Diego.
My birthday dinner and one of my favorite meals this year,
plus I had the opportunity to meet Chef Blais.

I launched Chasing Crumbs five years ago today. What started as an outlet for my writing has become so much more than I imagined. It's a challenge to myself to break out of the routine and try new things when I enter the kitchen. It's inspiration when I travel to explore each city's unique culinary offerings. It's a testament to my goal of sharing my love of food with others. On my blog's fifth anniversary, I wanted to take a moment to reflect and share with you the story behind Chasing Crumbs.

When I turned 11 my grandmother taught me how to cook, and since then it has always been a passion of mine. Cooking is my favorite escape, an adventure into a world of savory and sweet treats. It's so easy to get lost in the the aromas of freshly baked cookies, cinnamon apples simmering on the stove or a bourbon bread pudding bubbling in the oven. Certain flavors have the power to transport you to another time and place -- freshly grilled corn and roasted peaches remind me of summer, prime rib invites memories of holiday dinners and seafood will always remind me of home. 

But beyond all else, what I love about food is that it brings people together. Growing up, the dinner table was where we shared stories about school and work. On holidays my family would take turns in the kitchen preparing parts of the meal. And today, I often host friends for brunch or invite them to try new restaurants with me. And the rare opportunities I've had to chat with a chef about my meal, those are moments I treasure as I hope to glean insights that I can ultimately incorporate into my own amateur adventures in the kitchen.  

Whether it's trying new foods, restaurants or recipes, I long to explore more of what the culinary world has to offer. And I will continue to use this blog to share my experiences with you. Cheers!

Ratatouille Inspired Pasta

Usually I go to the store with a plan -- a meal I saw in a magazine, in one of my numerous cookbooks or while perusing blogs online. But every once in a while I let spontaneity rule my shopping trip and yesterday, while at the market I couldn't help but be inspired by some colorful fresh vegetables. Immediately I thought of ratatouille. Since I wanted a light meal, instead of using it as a side dish, I decided to toss it over pasta. So much bright color and flavor, packed into a really simple dish. And what's even better about this dish, if you have leftover vegetables, they'll work great mixed into scrambled eggs or tossed with meat and soy sauce for a 2-minute stir fry.

Ingredients:
1 small onion
1 orange bell pepper
2 zucchini
7-10 baby bella mushrooms
1 large tomato
3 tbsp. olive oil
Italian seasoning
1 1/2 cups pasta

Steps:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. When al dente, rinse and set aside. 
2. Dice onion, bell pepper, zucchini, mushrooms and tomatoes into roughly 1/4 in. pieces.
3. In a large skillet, heat 3 tbsp. olive oil, and add onion and bell pepper. Saute until onions are translucent.
4. Add zucchini and saute for about 5 minutes, tossing so all sides will lightly caramelize. 
5. Add Italian seasoning and mushrooms, cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes until mushrooms are soft. 
6. Lastly, add pasta and tomatoes, stirring until tomatoes are heated through, about 2 minutes. 

Serves 2-3

Southwest Chicken Soup

Ingredients

1 chicken breast

16 oz. chicken broth
1 cup water

1 can black beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup green salsa
1 tbsp coriander
1 tbsp cumin
1/2 tbsp cilantro
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp ground pepper
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tbsp olive oil

Steps
1. In a saute pan, cook chicken in olive oil until lightly browned and no longer pink. Let cool, then cut into small chunks and set aside.
2. In a large stock pot, combine all ingredients except chicken and sour cream. Bring soup to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes.
3. Add chicken and sour cream and simmer for additional 3-5 minutes.

Serves 4-6

Italian Quinoa Pilaf

Ingredients

1/2 lb italian sausage

8-10 asparagus spears

1/2 cup olives

1 tomato

1 cup quinoa

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup onions

1 portabella mushroom

1 zucchini

1 eggplant

1 tsp garlic

Italian seasoning

3 tbsp olive oil

Steps

1. Combine quinoa and chicken broth in a rice cooker or pan and let steam for 20-25 minutes.

2. In a sauté pan, cook Italian sausage until it is no longer pink, breaking it apart as it cooks.

3. Meanwhile, dice onions, tomato, portabella, zucchini, eggplant and asparagus. Cut olives in half.

4. Add onion, zucchini, eggplant, portabella, garlic and olive oil to the sauté pan with the sausage. Sauté until vegetables are browned.

5. Add olives, tomatoes and cooked quinoa to the pan. Continue to cook for 4-5 minutes or until warmed throughout, stirring occasionally.

Serves 2-3

Courtney's Cedar Cider Salmon

Ingredients

2 cups apple juice

1 cedar plank

1.5 lbs sockeye salmon

1 pacific rose apple (or other sweet variety)

Kosher salt

1 bottle hard cider (Magner's is ideal)

10-12 sprigs lemon thyme

10-12 sprigs fresh chives

2 tsp pink peppercorns

2 tbsp butter

Steps

1. Soak cedar plank in apple juice for 1 hour.

2. Prepare a foil pouch large enough to fit the cedar plank.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

4. Slice apple and rinse herbs.

5. Place cedar plank and salmon into foil pouch. Pour in 1 cup hard cider evenly over salmon.

6. Top with apple slices (setting aside 4-6), herbs, and a dash of kosher salt. Grind peppercorns between fingers over the salmon.

7. Close pouch and poach in oven for 25 minutes, or until salmon is light pink.

8. While salmon is cooking, prepare sauce. Over the stove, combine remaining hard cider with 4-6 apple slices. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes, then add butter and stir well.

9. Serve salmon topped with sauce.

Serves 4

The Year of the Rabbit

Incorporating traditions from all parts of my heritage is something I distinctly remember from my childhood. My sister and I always looked forward to celebrating the Chinese New Year, in part because of the delicious food we would enjoy, and of course, because of the lai see or lucky red envelopes. While sometimes we would go out to celebrate, I remember many occasions where my mom made the entire meal.

To celebrate the Year of the Rabbit last week, I for the first time took a more substantial role in helping cook our dinner. A few days ahead my mom and I shopped for all the necessary ingredients and then spent a day and a half cooking everything. Here's a peek into the meal we prepared.

Whole Salmon

Ye Mein with Lap Cheong and Bok Choy Sum

Turnip Cake, which I prepared entirely on my own;

vegetarian Bean Curd Rolls; Long Beans with Tofu; Black Bean Spare Ribs

Pork Shiu Mai

Single Crust Apple Pie

What's Thanksgiving without apple pie? This past Thanksgiving, I was in charge of apple pie and decided to try out a new recipe. Since my favorite part is the cinnamon apple filling, I chose to make a single crust pie, so I could load the pie with my own apple filling. The result was delicious, but it's not your traditional apple pie.

Ingredients:

6 apples

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 tbsp cinnamon

6 tbsp butter, slightly melted

1/3 cup water

1 pie crust

Steps:

1. Core and halve apples. Cut into thin slices.

2. Toss apples in lemon juice, 1 tbsp cinnamon, vanilla extract, brown sugar and 4 tbsp of the melted butter.

3. Add 1/2 cup water and mix well.

4. Boil on stove until apples are soft and most of liquid has boiled off. Set aside.

5. Coat pie crust in 2 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp cinnamon.

6. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees and continue cooking for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

7. Fill pie crust with apple filling.

8. Before serving, warm apple pie for 10 minutes at 200 degrees.

Serves 6-10

No chef is prepared without an apron

No chef is prepared without an apron. Especially if you're like me and don't mind the kitchen getting a bit messy once in a while. What can I say, I bake and flour inevitably has a habit of turning my outfit white. Sometimes my personalized chef jacket is just a bit much with its long sleeves and I've always wanted to make my own vintage apron, since I'm not a big fan of the ones with the halter strap behind your neck. So about a month or so ago, I set out to make myself an apron from scratch and now I share it with you.

I found a great Vogue 50's pattern, just the type of apron I envisioned. Much more of a cook than a proficient seamstress, it was no easy task, but it was worth the extra effort. I picked out a wonderful cream corduroy with red, orange, aqua and lime green polka dots. For the straps and pockets, I chose to layer a lime green chiffon, and I finished off with clear lime green and aqua button details. And because one can never have enough potholders, I made matching ones with aqua canvas and piping made from the same corduroy as the apron.

Now I'll not only be a prepared cook when I enter the kitchen, but perhaps a bit more stylish as well.

Chef's Cupboard

A peek at what I keep stocked in my pantry for easy meal prep, snacking and more.

-- Starbucks Pike Place Roast -- I keep a pound in my freezer ready for whenever I'm in the mood for a pick-me-up. I have them coarse grind it in the store to use in my french press. My favorite blend from Starbucks, its makes for a smooth finish whether you drink your cup of joe black or with cream or sugar.

-- Trader Joe's Sweet Chili Sauce -- I was so excited when I found this sauce, as it reminds me of the Hula Grill Chili Water, served at Hula Grill in Waikiki. This sauce is a bit thicker, but Trader Joe's is more convenient than having sauce shipped from Hawaii and it can always be thinned down. It's great as a dip for bread, but also works well as a marinade for pork, fish and chicken.

-- Triscuit Thin Crisps Parmesan & Garlic -- I've always been a fan of triscuits for snacking, but these new thin crisps really exceeded my expectations. They really pack the flavor into the new triangular shape. The parmesan & garlic is the only flavor I've tried so far, but they also come in quattro formagio.

Chef's Cupboard

A peek at what I keep stocked in my pantry for easy meal prep, snacking and more.

-- Scharffen Berger Chocolates -- A Bay Area chocolatier and local favorite, Scharffen Berger makes rich and smooth gourmet chocolates. If you love chocolate, especially dark chocolate, these bars makes the perfect pick me up. Try the Dark Chocolate Mocha or the Nibby, which has chocolate nibs in the bar.

-- Republic of Tea: Acai Green Tea -- I've never drank tea too often, but this tea has got me hooked. It's a sweet green tea that isn't too strong in terms of its fruit flavor. Plus the Brazilian acai berry is known for its health benefits.

-- Trader Joe's Butter Waffle Cookies -- These amazing butter cookies remind me of freshly baked waffle cones in ice cream shops. They are a delicious snack eaten plain, but I love using them when I make ice cream sundaes. Mixed with a scoop of ice cream, fresh berries, chocolate chips and chocolate sauce, they make a wonderful faux ice cream cone sundae without the dripping mess.