open faced roasted vegetable sandwich
open faced roasted vegetable sandwich
(roasted vegetable tartine)
alex goes to many meetings everyday and they often take place over lunch. he came home from a lunch meeting one day really pissed off.
me: did the meeting not go well?
alex: meeting was great – it was the lunch that pissed me off.
me: what did you order?
alex: a vegetable sandwich – when i read the description on the menu it sounded really good – seasoned vegetables covered in cheese. how bad could that be?
me: clearly pretty bad given your mood.
alex: why is it so difficult for resturants to do flavorful vegetarian dishes? you could do so much better.
so i set out to help rememedy his anger over vegetable sandwiches. i got some more information out of him about what was wrong with the sandwich and it was the usually suspects.
- flavorless over-cooked vegetables that tasted like they were steamed
- crappy selection of vegetables
- a greasy SLICE of cheddar cheese on top
- soggy bread
i already knew i could easily improve the first problem- my roasted vegetables rock. the second issue was easy too. the third issue would be taken care of by shredding a couple different cheeses and using the broiler to melt the cheese. the soggy bread i had to think about. i knew i would need to either grill or bake the bread slices to “crunch” them up a bit. i also thought it would be important to put some sort of “moisture barrier” between the bread and the veggies.
my vegetable sandwich is a totally winner! the grilling of the bread gives the sandwich a wonderful crunchy base. the hummus or borsin cheese prevent the bread from getting soggy and also lends additional flavor. the roasted vegetables – well - they rock. they are not over done and actually have flavor. last but clearly not least – you can never go wrong with some really good cheese.
alex was all smiles when he took his first bite of this sandwich. it was what he thought the sandwich at the resturant would have been but wasn’t. he asks for it for dinner at least once a week. i have done several variations of this sandwich – changing up the vegetables and cheeses. get whatever looks good at the store – be creative. the possibilities are endless.
baked pita chips
i made these pita chips to use with my smoky garlicy hummus.
i really loved the spice blend of garlic, onion and herbs. it was just the right flavor and did not overwhelm or get in the way of the hummus.
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smoky garlicy hummus
hummus is one of those things i always thought i didn’t like. i don’t remember ever trying it and not liking it – but i had convinced myself it was no good.
when the trader joe’s opened here i saw all their hummus and was willing to give it another shot. i picked up the tub of roasted garlic hummus and a bag of parmesan pita chips. dear god – it was so good.
i am so glad i tried it – i am so glad it was good – and i am so glad i made my own. what is it about making your own food that tastes so much better than store bought stuff. i am a sucker for smoky spices and am addicted to garlic so i knew i wanted to create a hummus with a smoky garlic flavor.
i immediately went to cooks illustrated and ina. i always start with those two – they always have the basics which is a good place to start. i hit the jackpot by merging the two recipes and adding some of the picky cook touch.
this hummus is garlicy, smoky and bright. the cumin and paprika play together very well, the garlic is prominent – but not overpowering. the lemon – as usual – brightens it up beautifully. the texture was creamy but not baby food. i definitely recommend drizzling the top with a bit of the extra virgin olive oil.
make these baked pita chips to accompany the hummus.
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walnut tarts
i have never understood pecan pie but i realize that it is a popular dessert with many people. for me, the rich and sugary filling is too much to handle. i can stomach about one maybe two bites before i am done with it.
when i saw this recipe on smitten kitchen – i was intrigued. i like walnuts (i eat them raw all the time) and this sounded less sweet and rich than a typical pecan pie. it needed to be tried.
i have made a couple different pecan pies over the years - mainly because members of my family enjoy it. they turned out well and everyone seemed to enjoy them. but after i made these walnut tarts, i knew i would never have to make another pecan pie again.
my godmother is a fan of pecan pie. for christmas last year, i made gifts for everyone. i knew these tarts would be a hit with her and i was right!
the shortbread crust is a perfect buttery container for the filling. the filling is not overly sweet – i would venture to say that it is more spicy than it is sweet. the original recipe called for aniseed which i am not a fan of – so i substituted cinnamon and a bit of apple pie spice. the result was wonderful – the cinnamon, orange zest and apple pie spice give these tarts a spicy warmth unmatched by pecan pie. the best part is the filling bubbles up in the oven and overflows to cover the pastry in a gooey caramel.
i believe that pecan pie and non-pecan pie fans will agree – these walnut tarts rock!
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french apple tart
sometimes real life gets in the way of the things you want to be doing and it sucks!
i haven’t been in the kitchen since this weekend – gasp! i have had more deadlines for “work” than i have in a long time. do you have those weeks? where you have good intentions of cooking and baking – but the real life stuff just catches up to you and says “sorry – not today”.
i dug into my archives to find a recipe and photographs that i have yet to post and i found one of my staples i have been wanting to share for a long time.
this french apple tart is perfection. not only does it taste beyond lovely – it is very very simple to make. not many ingredients go into making this and i think it is the simplicity that makes it so delicious. the flaky crust – the tender apples and the punch of the apricot preserves combine to be the most tender slice of tart you could hope for. top it with creme fraiche and it is complete.
i use this dessert when i really need to impress and/or when i have company coming that i don’t know very well. there is nothing worse than “flopping” with new dessert when you have guests who don’t eat at your house very often. have you had this happen. it is so embarassing! i have a rule – only try out new recipes on people who really love you!
this tart will not ever disappoint you – it has yet to disappoint me.
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fingerling potatoes with garlic lemon aioli
fingerling potatoes with garlic lemon aioli
how can you go wrong with potatoes and a garlicy lemon aioli? simply put – you can’t. i make this for an appetizer and sometimes alex and i even have it for dinner with a green salad. they are addictive beyond your wildest imagination!
i saw the great one (ina garten) make this on her show a while back. i was immediately interested – but then….out came the raw eggs and saffron. *shudder*
i don’t do raw eggs – they scare me – and i DO NOT do saffron. saffron has been ruined for me for life and i fear i will never be able to eat it again.
have this ever happened to you….
you have never had a seasoning/ingredient before and you are kind of excited to try it and then you do – and you want to immediately spit it out? that is what happened to me with saffron. i was made something with saffron once and they added so much of it to the dish it felt like i was eating a plate of the stuff. it was so overwhelming – gag inducing overwhelming – that i cannot even look at saffron without that flavor taking over my mind. i know i need to get over this and move on – trust me when i say i have tried.
i did not add saffron to the aioli as the great one did. you can if you want to but add a SMALL pinch. i am not sure that it would make this aioli better. this stuff is incredible the way it is. its creamy – the garlic flavor is bold – and the bright punch of the lemon brings it all together.
oh – and the great one also garnishes with chives rather than parsley. you decide….
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sprinkles’ strawberry cupcakes with strawberry frosting
sprinkles’ strawberry cupcakes with strawberry frosting
i know it is cliche – but i cannot believe it has been a year since i began picky cook. it has been a tremendous amount of work – thankfully it is work i love to do so it makes it totally worthwhile.
picky cook began simply enough – i just wanted to put my recipes online for my family and friends to have access to so i wouldn’t have to write out the recipes when people requested them. turns out – other people were interested in what i make. how cool is that? i never would have imagined.
over the last year, i have gotten the opportunity to try many great recipes and “meet” some really great people in the food blog world. still have not met my hero (ina garten) but there is still time 
so on picky cook’s birthday i want to say thank you to all of you have supported me with your visits, comments and feedback. i cannot say thank you enough! as a thank you i wish i could give each of you one of these cupcakes – but the recipe will have to do!
i have heard about the great Sprinkles’ cupcakes but have never actually had one myself – but if they are anything like this recipe – i might have to move that trip higher up on my list. the strawberry flavor of these cupcakes is vivid and fresh. i am glad i upped the vanilla a bit and the addition of lemon zest gave them a nice brightness. i hope you enjoy….
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brownie roll-out cookies
eight years ago this valentine’s day alex and i made it official – we were together. we had know each other for almost a year and had been dating for a couple months – but that valentine’s day sealed the deal.
he made me the most wonderful dessert ever. he (and his mom) made the best chocolate fondues you will ever have. if you knew alex, you would know that just one kind of chocolate fondue wouldn’t suffice – he had to make three. they made dark chocolate with kahlua, milk chocolate with baileys and white chocolate with frangelico. he had gotten every fruit imaginable and perfectly arranged the fruit on a red heart shaped plate. it was the most romantic valentine’s present i ever received.
every year since – we do chocolate fondue on valentine’s day. but i wanted to make him a pre-valentine’s treat. i saw this recipe over at smitten kitchen a long time ago. i decided it would be perfect to make for alex - and i could practice piping icing with my new tips. the piping didn’t go so well but the cookies turned out great!
these cookies are amazing! the are moist and chewy just like a brownie – but still has the essence of a sugar cookie. i decided to add some instant espresso powder to the dough and it was wonderful – it enhanced the chocolate flavor while not overwhelming. i would definitely recommend this addition. i would make these cookies over and over again. alex is still talking about them.
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grapefruit “lemon” bars
i am not sure how the weather has been where you live – but winter in minnesota this year has been brutal! i think i heard that we had over 35 days below zero – IN A ROW! alex asks all the time “remind me again why we live here?”. i have no answer to this question.
one of the only things that gets me through the brutal minnesota winter is citrus season – namely texas ruby red grapefruits. they are a bright spot in a rather dull and wicked cold winter.
this year i decided to try and use grapefruits more in my cooking and baking. i started by thinking of desserts and dishes that i love and trying to work grapefruit in. the grapefruit yogurt cake was the first recipe and it turned out splendid – i have made it twice this winter. the grapefruit avocado and kumquat salad was another attempt that worked out great.
i printed out the lemon bar recipe from smitten kitchen a while back. i always intended on making it – but it always got passed over until i had the brilliant idea to make grapefruit “lemon” bars. i figured i would need to up the zest amount to get the grapefruit flavor, as i did with the grapefruit yogurt cake, and the grapefruit flavor did come through. i also left in some lemon zest for a little zing and i am glad i did.
all in all – these turned out wonderfully. if you are a fan of grapefruit – make these soon!
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black bean, zucchini and tomato quesadillas
black bean, zucchini and tomato quesadillas
the superbowl is sunday! that means a day full day of eating. really…what could be better – football and food.
here are all the details you need to know about superbowl XLIII (43)….
Date: February 1, 2009
Location: Tampa, Florida
Network: NBC
Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers & Arizona Cardinals
National Anthem: Jennifer Hudson
Halftime: Bruce Springsteen
Super Bowl Number: 43 (XLIII)
kick off is listed for 6:20pm – although it varies – i would tune in at 6:00pm to make sure not to miss a thing.
i have to be honest, i am usually more excited for the football game itself than i am this year. i like both teams playing – so there isn’t that excitement because i think it would be great if either team won.
what i am most excited for is the food. i haven’t fully planned the entire day of food just yet, but these black bean, zucchini and tomato quesadillas are definitely going to be on the list. alex’s mom made these for us a couple months back and we fell in love. the recipe was actually from weight watchers – the point system thing. i was surprised at how good it was given it was a “diet” recipe.
i upped the amount of cheese, because - well, i love cheese – so i am sure that i upped the “points” of this recipe. the original recipe said it was a “3 point” recipe for those of you who care. i am not really sure what it is now after i got my hands on it.
when alex’s mom made these – the flavor was spot on, but she said she would have used a chunkier salsa so they weren’t so runny. that change – along with the addition of more cheese – made these perfect. perfect for any superbowl party.
go steelers – go cardinals – GO FOOD!
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