Queso Fundido

This is so easy. Is it even a recipe? It's a very typical snack served at parties in Mexico. Queso Fundido is melted cheese. It is eaten with soft, warm tortillas. Use the tortillas or a fork to scoop the cheese.

To be authentic, melt the cheese in a terracotta dish called a cazuela, shown in picture. We melted slices of Fontina cheese, but any cheese that melts well can be used, such as Mozzarella, Chihuahua, Manchego, etc. If plain cheese seems too boring, other ingredients can be added too. In the photo, we added strips of roasted poblano pepper. Other vegetarian versions could include sauteed mushrooms and onions with oregano, for instance.

Just melt it in a hot oven until the cheese gets bubbly and golden on top. It takes just a few minutes if the oven is really hot, around 400F.

Spanish Fideos

Yet again I am drawing on my memories of my visit to Barcelona. We ate fideos there that were similar to the way I made them at home this week. I hadn't made them in a long time, so I can't remember exactly how they were in Barcelona. But I think I did remember some of the key ingredients for making this vegetarian fideo dish. So I must confess that this recipe is in no way authentic. But it certainly turned out delicious! The ingredient that makes these fideos Spanish is pimenton dulce, mild Spanish paprika. I have seen it sold at the chain store World Market in the US.

Fideos are vermicelli pasta, otherwise known as angel hair. It comes in nests or in small pieces (like the version I used) or in long noodles that are a very thin version of spaghetti. They are fried first until they become golden and then liquid is added so they can finish cooking.

I added crushed Fire Roasted tomatoes and a bit of water. It's a very thick sauce, so I added a little water at at time as needed for the pasta to finish cooking.

The end result is referred to as a sopa seca or a dry soup. Instead of ending with a dry soup, it's also possible to add some vegetable broth to the same recipe to end up with a liquid soup.

Spanish Fideos

• 1 small package of fideos, vermicelli pasta, angel hair nests or angel hair pasta (I used 7 ounces)
• approximately 2 tablespoons oil or as needed
• 1/2 onion, chopped (I used red onion)
• 3 or 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2 teaspoons of pimenton dulce
• salt and pepper
• 1 large can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes (I prefer fire roasted)*
• 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
• about 1/2 to 1 cup water (or as needed - adding a bit at a time as the sauce gets too thick)
• optionally add 1 to 2 cups of vegetable broth for a liquid soup instead of a dry soup
• extra virgin olive oil
• shredded cheese
  

Heat the oil a large skillet. Add the onion and crushed garlic cloves. (I don't even bother peeling the garlic, the skins fall off by themselves when they fry, and then the peels can be easily picked out). Season with salt and pepper. When soft, either remove of the onions and set them aside or leave them in the pan, depending on how big your pan is. You want there to be plenty of surface area to fry the pasta.

Add the pasta to the hot pan with a bit more oil, if needed. Fry the pasta, stirring constantly so that it doesn't burn. First it will turn a lighter white shade, then it will turn golden brown. When most of the pasta is golden brown, add the pimenton dulce, the onions (if they had been set aside), the can of crushed tomatoes and some olive oil. When the sauce is hot and simmering, lower the heat to simmer. Stir occasionally to prevent burning and sticking. Add water a bit at a time as the pasta absorbs the liquid to end up with a sopa seca.

For a liquid soup, add vegetable broth. Simmer uncovered until the pasta is the desired tenderness.

Season with more salt and pepper as needed and possibly more pimenton dulce, depending on desired spice level. When the pasta is the desired tenderness, you can remove the garlic cloves and chop into smaller pieces or leave them as they are, depending on your preference.

If desired, add a bit more extra virgin olive oil at the end and garnish with some shredded cheese.

*Note: you don't have to use canned tomatoes. You can add one or two chopped fresh tomatoes or chopped roasted fresh tomatoes and then add water or broth as needed for the pasta to have enough liquid to absorb.

Vegetarian Fiction

I have had this book since 1998, and I don't know how many times I have read it. It's actually a Young Adults book. During Tropical Storm Fay, we lost power several times, never knowing for how long each outage would last. So, I found myself in front of our bookcase looking for entertainment. This is the book that called to me.

It's Sunshine Rider: The First Vegetarian Western by Ric Lynden Hardman. I suppose I should warn my vegetarian readers that it takes some time before the hero, Wylie Jackson, becomes a vegetarian, and even after his change of heart there are still some pretty graphic meat references. For example, at the very beginning of the book, there is a recipe for Porterhouse Steaks that starts with a LIVE cow.... Each chapter begins with a recipe, including a few vegetarian recipes. The humor in the book extends to some of its recipes. For instance, here is part of the recipe for Masoor Dal:

"Into this smoking cauldron pitch the peas; there will be a sound like a cow backfiring. This is to be expected."

The recipe ends: "It's a dandy surprise."

I love it! So if you can handle the occasional graphic meat reference, it's an amazing and fun journey of a young man becoming an adult in the Wild West.

Romesco Sauce

Salsa Romesco is an incredibly flavorful sauce that comes from Catalonia in Spain. I had it for the first time when we were in Barcelona, and I have not been able to forget it. Now when I eat at Spanish restaurants, I just have to order something that comes with this sauce. Then this week, I realized that it probably isn't hard to make, so why don't I make it at home?!

So, I made it for some friends who came over to play music with DH, and everyone loved it so much, I made it again, so that I could remember to photograph it. I am finding it is great on so many things: various vegetables, especially green beans and mushrooms, potatoes, bread, cheese and even hard-boiled eggs.

I looked at many recipes on the Internet, and then combined them to form this recipe using ingredients that I can find easily in Florida. I am sure I will experiment more with it. But, this is a great start.

Salsa Romesco

1 28oz can of Organic Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes
1 small head of garlic, roasted then peeled*
1 chile ancho (stem and seeds removed), soaked in piping hot water for at least 10 minutes to soften
1/4 cup hazelnuts, peeled**
1/4 cup almonds, peeled**
1 large slice of rustic bread, toasted and crushed into large crumbs
salt and pepper
olive oil (approximately 1/2 cup)
optional: a dash of wine vinegar

Toast the nuts in a tablespoon of olive oil in a medium hot frying pan until they are golden and fragrant, stirring often to prevent burning. Remove and set aside. In the same hot pan, add a bit more oil if needed and fry the bread crumbs with the roasted garlic for a couple of minutes, until golden and fragrant.

Place the nuts in a food processor or blender and pulse until they are coarsely chopped. Do not blend to the point where they become a paste. Add the fried bread, the softened chile ancho (cut coarsely into pieces), the garlic, and the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Turn on the blender or food processor, slowly pouring the olive oil through the opening in the lid while it is blending. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add a dash of wine vinegar for extra tang, if desired.

This sauce gets even more flavorful after a day in the refrigerator.

*To see how to roast a whole head of garlic, check out this post on my friend Madelyn's blog, Karma-Free Cooking. Or to roast it on top of the stove, break the head into cloves. Then place the unpeeled cloves of garlic on a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and turn them every couple of minutes until the peels get black and the garlic gets very soft.

**To see how to peel almonds and hazelnuts, check out this post on my friend Madelyn's blog, Karma-Free Cooking.

Vegetarian Tostadas

Last month we had a party at our house, where among the many dishes and snacks I served were tostadas. I was pretty surprised at how many of my guests had never before had a tostada. Usually I anticipate many questions when I serve things like tamales, but I never expected confusion over this. I thought tostadas were very common.

They are a very easy party snack. They can be assembled quickly using a variety of toppings. Above I topped them with refried pinto beans, chopped avocado, Salsa Xni Pec, cilantro and cheese (queso fresco).

Above I topped the tostada with refried black beans, tomatillo salsa, cilantro and shredded cheese (queso Chihuahua).

Tostadas can be made at home by either frying corn tortillas in oil or by baking them on an ungreased cookie sheet for a couple of minutes in the oven, until they become stiff. Incidentally, that is how freshly made tortilla chips are made at restaurants, by frying corn tortillas in oil. The only difference is that they cut the tortillas into triangles first. Anyway, for an easy option, the tostadas can also be purchased, as seen below:

Below is another easy thing to do with tostadas. Simply top them with shredded cheese and then melt the cheese either briefly in the oven or in the microwave for about 10 seconds. Where I grew up in Michigan, we called this snack Chips and Cheese. You can do the same thing using tortilla chips instead of tostadas. Pictured below, I also topped it with a bit of picante sauce.

Another variations is to top the tostadas or tortilla chips with beans or other toppings and cheese and then baking them for a few minutes in the oven to melt the cheese. I have heard people refer to that as Nachos or Mexican Pizza. I have found that throughout the US, people call variations of these snacks by all sorts of different names.

Salsa Xni Pec and Ceviche de San Felipe

Xni Pec is the Yucatecan version of the salsa known as Pico de Gallo that is prepared throughout Mexico. The recipe I am providing has an alternate ceviche variation that hails from the San Felipe area of Yucatan, an area on the Gulf Coast where fishing is the main industry. To make vegetarian ceviche, try adding some chopped zucchini or cucumber or experiment with other vegetables - just be sure to let it marinate before serving.

Xni Pec

• 2 large tomatoes, chopped (I used orange tomatoes, any tomatoes work)
• at least 2 tablespoons or up to a quarter of a minced onion* (I used red onion for the color)
• a handful of fresh, chopped cilantro
• the juice of one lime
• 1/2 of an habanero chile, diced OR 1 serrano chile diced (habanero is more authentic to Yucatan - but be careful, habanero is extremely hot!)
• salt and pepper to taste

Stir the ingredients and serve. Use as a dip with tortilla chips or as a salsa for tacos or other dishes.

*Note: this is not required, but I usually blanch the minced onion briefly in piping hot water before adding it. This ensures that the onion flavor doesn't dominate.

Ceviche de San Felipe

• Add 2 or 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil to the above recipe
• Add extra onion, if desired, and extra vegetables (such as chopped zucchini or cucumber) for vegetarian ceviche, if desired. Let marinate before serving.

This also makes a nice side salad if you cut the vegetables into large pieces. I have seen on other blogs using sliced hearts of palm or mushrooms and other vegetables in vegetarian ceviche. It is worth experimenting.

Roasted Poblano Polenta

I wish I had remembered to photograph this dish right after I finished cooking it. This polenta was very creamy the first day and would have made a mouth-watering photo. But after the leftovers were put in the refrigerator, the polenta changed in consistency to become firmer, as shown in the photo. The leftovers may not have been quite as photogenic, but they were still delicious! This dish was a hit. The flavor of corn goes so well with poblano peppers, garlic and cheese. When you use quick-cooking polenta, this dish is finished in a flash and is so easy.

Roasted Poblano Polenta

1 cup of quick-cooking polenta
3 cups* of liquid (water or a combination of water and vegetable stock)
pinch of salt
1 poblano pepper, roasted, then seeded and cut into strips
2 or 3 cloves of garlic, roasted, then peeled and chopped
a handful of shredded cheese (I used cheddar) or more if you prefer it cheesier

Heat the liquid in a saucepan over high heat. When the water is just coming to a boil, lower the heat and pour in the polenta in slow stream, stirring constantly. Continue stirring and add a bit of salt, the poblano pepper and garlic. Stir constantly until most of the water is absorbed. Add the cheese and stir. Continue stirring and simmering until it is the consistency you desire, either creamy or firm. My polenta was done after 2 minutes total of stirring.

TIP: roast the pepper and the garlic cloves on a hot ungreased cast iron griddle on your stove top over medium-high heat, turning every couple of minutes until all sides are soft. It really doesn't take long at all, especially for the garlic. Set aside to cool so you don't burn yourself when you peel and cut them.

*Verify the amount of liquid that your package of quick cooking polenta suggests for one cup of dry polenta.

Spicy Greens

We love greens at our house. I didn't grow up eating them at all. Greens can be very strong and bitter tasting, so it seems they have a bad reputation. But, if they are prepared nicely, the bitterness subsides. Some of my favorite things to add to greens are: olive oil, lots of garlic, vinegar, and anything spicy.

Above is how I can often find greens sold at my local farmer's market. I can find people slicing them into strips right in their stalls, so I know they are very freshly chopped. I find it to be a real time saver, as bunches of greens otherwise come in huge bundles which can be hard to deal with. Just be sure to eat the chopped greens soon after buying them. Also, be sure to wash greens very thoroughly before preparing them. Place them in a sink full of water and swish them around at least three separate times, rinsing well.

Spicy Greens

• Sliced, washed greens (I used collard greens)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• sliced garlic (can you have too much garlic? I use at least 3 cloves, usually more)
• salt and pepper
• your favorite picante sauce, to taste OR red pepper flakes and a generous dash of your favorite vinegar

Boil a large pot of water. Add the washed greens and boil for about 5 minutes. You will see the color change a bit, becoming darker green. Rinse and spin in a salad spinner to remove excess water. Or once cool to touch, squeeze out the excess water using your hands.

Heat the oil in the large pot. Add the garlic and a dash of your picante sauce (or some red pepper flakes) and then the greens. Sautee for several minutes, letting the flavors blend and the greens soften to the texture you desire. Some people like them on the crisp side while others like them practically soggy.

Serve with a dash of vinegar or more of your favorite picante sauce, to the spice level desired.

Cinnamon Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

It has been a very hot summer in Florida. And since we hadn't made any ice cream since the beginning of May, it was time! We made Cinnamon Vanilla Bean Ice Cream based on this recipe posted on Allrecipes. My version of the recipe is below.

We were inspired to make cinnamon ice cream because we enjoyed some in New York last month at a restaurant called Papatzul.

We couldn't resist going into this restaurant, since it is named after a very traditional Yucatecan Mayan dish. It didn't end up being a Yucatecan restaurant, but it we enjoyed it nonetheless.

Cinnamon Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, inspired by the recipe on Allrecipes

1/2 cup to 1 cup sugar or maple sugar (depending on sweetness preference)
1 1/2 cups half and half (or one cup of heavy cream and 1/2 cup of milk)
1/2 of vanilla bean
2 cinnamon sticks (3 inches long each)
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
optionally up to 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (the cinnamon sticks themselves might give enough of the cinnamon flavor, but I love cinnamon, so I also added a generous dash of the ground cinnamon to reinforce the flavor)

Place the half and half and the sugar in a saucepan with the cinnamon sticks. Cut 1/2 of a vanilla bean in half the long way to access the seeds inside. Scrape the seeds into the pan. Then place the bean pod to the pan as well. Heat over medium-low heat. When it begins to simmer, remove from heat.

In a metal bowl, whisk the eggs. While still whisking, add half of the warm mixture and continue to whisk to temper the eggs. The rapid whisking will help prevent the eggs from scrambling. Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan and return the heat to medium low. [Correction: I omitted this step when I first posted this recipe]: Add the final cup of the heavy cream. Stirring constantly, simmer until the mixture starts to thicken a bit. It should get to the point where it will coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from heat and remove the cinnamon sticks and vanilla bean pod. Stir in the vanilla and ground cinnamon, if desired.

Set aside to cool. Then place in the refrigerator for a minimum of one hour, until thoroughly chilled, but overnight is even better. Pour into ice cream maker and churn according the directions of your machine. Mine churned for 25 minutes at high speed. Scoop the ice cream from the ice cream maker and place in a freezer safe bowl. Freeze thoroughly and then serve, if it is possible to wait that long!!

More New York

I love this photograph. It captures the spirit of this intersection. The red awnings are over the windows of Balthazar restaurant at the corner of Spring and Crosby.

If atmosphere is what you are looking for in a restaurant, then Balthazar Restaurant fits the bill. That is actually the only reason we went. I was looking at restaurant reviews for another restaurant, and this restaurant was mentioned. So that lead me to their website, and we decided to go just based on the photo of the interior. We went for breakfast, as usually breakfast menus are vegetarian friendly. This proved to be the case.

Our table was well situated. We were in view of the rustic artisan breads. DH couldn't keep his eyes off the bread station activity. Bread is his latest passion, and New York does not disappoint.

Here I am enjoying my morning coffee. There were tourists, business people, and even celebrities there. We noticed Carmindy (of What Not To Wear) as we were leaving. I guess if we hadn't been so focused on the bread we might have noticed her earlier. Honestly, we aren't usually star spotters. We are especially clueless about all things Hollywood. And we don't watch nearly as much TV as it sounds like! We also saw a comedian strolling with his family near Union Square Market. But neither of us knows his name.

Speaking of Union Square Market, that is another place we can't resist visiting while in New York. I can't stop thinking about this scene I saw there:


I don't know if you can read the words on the closest blue cooler. Soup Meat, 75 cents a pound. Now, I haven't bought meat in about a dozen years, so I don't have any clue what the going rate is for ordinary meat, let alone soup meat. Soup Meat?? Now, the pheasant eggs I am totally understanding. I would actually buy some of those, although maybe not a dozen at $6. I LOVE farm fresh eggs.

And of course, we couldn't miss the breads for sale at Union Square Market. I love it: "We don't have scones on Sat any more. Don't ask why!!!" And there is even a smiley face underneath, so it doesn't sound rude!

Angelica Kitchen

We ate twice at Angelica Kitchen this trip to New York. It specializes in organic, vegan cuisine. We ate the Daily Specials both visits. I wish I had written down the names and descriptions of them, as they were clever. Above is a salad which highlights purslane and is garnished with toasted sea vegetable. There is also roasted cauliflower, marinated tofu, red rice, green beans and a creamy cashew sauce. It was outstanding!

Above is a Moroccan-inspired dish that was cooked in a tagine. It was a stew with chickpeas, tomatoes, and other vegetables and spices. There was an apricot chutney, steamed broccoli, and a cucumber mint salad accompanying the stew. The grain was a mixture of teff and quinoa. It was excellent!

For dessert, we couldn't resist sharing a Strawberry Kanten Parfait. It had a nice oatmeal crumb topping. There were layers of strawberry and cashew cream and it was sweetened very moderately, which I really appreciated. We learned how to make a similar dish at the Conscious Gourmet cooking class I took last year. For the recipe, visit my friend Madelyn's blog, Karma-Free Cooking.

Here is the exterior of Angelica Kitchen. It is located on E 12th Street between First and Second Avenues. I found that the food there really helped balance me. When traveling, I find that I eat so many things I normally don't eat, and then I start to react to the food. I had a very negative reaction after eating too much sugar one day, which I am not used to eating at all anymore. So, Angelica Kitchen was a welcomed haven. Maybe for most people, the food there is what they normally wouldn't eat, but for me, it was comforting and familiar.

Chelsea Market

Hello everyone! Sorry there was such a long gap since my last post. We have been away quite a lot the last month or so. As a matter of fact, just yesterday we returned from a trip to New York. We celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary there. I will share a few of our favorite food highlights of this visit.

Chelsea Market. Wow, this place is wonderful! The first photo is a scene in the interior. Directly above is the exterior of the building. Inside there are many bakeries, restaurants, coffee, groceries and cooking and food-related stores. Almost everything I purchased during my visit to New York, I bought here. We even made a quick last-minute stop here on our way to the airport to load up on travel food and bread.

Speaking of which, Amy's Bread is one of the bakeries at Chelsea Market. There are other locations of Amy's as well. Amy's is a fantastic bakery. We loved everything we tried there. If this says anything, our freezer is now filled with several varieties of their bread. DH is going to have fun trying to make similar breads at home. We especially loved their Semolina with Golden Raisin and Fennel. We did a little star spotting there as well. Bob Tuschman stopped in while we were eating breakfast there Thursday. No that's not him in the photo! If you know who he is, you'll know that's definitely not him!! The Food Network films some of its shows here, so it makes sense why we spotted him.

A great feature at the Chelsea Market is that there are large windows where you can watch the process of bread baking.

Above are stacks of bannetons, which are baskets used for shaping loaves of bread. That is an absolute fortune's worth of baskets! Bannetons of this quality generally retail for about $40 each. That's how much they were charging for them at the Bowery Kitchen Supply located within the Market.

Caramelized Onion and Fennel

If you have never tried fennel before, I highly recommend this as a recipe to start with. The results are very rich and sweet! Fennel tastes like anise.

This is wonderful on top of polenta. To lower the fat and calories of the recipe I shared for Polenta with Gorgonzola and Almonds, you could omit the Gorgonzola and top it with this instead. It will give the dish a surprisingly similar flavor and you won't miss the Gorgonzola. It is also wonderful on pizza with Parmesan cheese... Really it would be great with many dishes.

Caramelized Onion and Fennel

1 large yellow onion, sliced
1 or 2 bulbs of fennel, trimmed and sliced in similar sized pieces as the onion
2 or 3 tablespoons olive oil or a combo of butter and oil
salt and pepper

Heat oil/butter in a large heavy-bottomed saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and fennel slices. Stir occasionally. When the onions and fennel start making a lot of noise and the oil is diminishing, add some salt. Lower heat if needed, it will depend on your pan. Continue simmering the onions and fennel, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes, until very golden. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Flavored Water

So very simple. Pour water in a glass pitcher along with a few slices of fruit or cucumber. Voila! The water has flavor! It's remarkably delicious. Experiment to find your favorite.

Birthday Meal

This is what I got for my birthday: a pasta maker attachment for my Kitchen Aid stand mixer! Looking at the photo, it sure looks like the color of my mixer is pasta dough yellow... In any event, the way we celebrated my birthday was to spend the entire day cooking everything that we could from scratch.

I went to the farmer's market on Friday and bought what was the most fresh looking. I knew I was going to make some sort of pasta to try out my new attachment, but I didn't decide to make lasagna until about mid-day Saturday. The produce I had on hand worked out well for it. The menu evolved as the day progressed. The lasagna noodles are the first pasta I have made from scratch. It took a few tries to get used to how to use the attachment, but once I got the hang of it, it was pretty easy!

Semolina Egg Pasta ingredients:

4 large eggs, 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 3 1/3 cups semolina pasta flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt.

I used some Florida tomatoes to make the marinara sauce for the lasagna. I started by boiling them to soften the skin. Then I peeled them and the simmered them with low heat for many hours with olive oil, onions, bay leaves, etc.

I made homemade ricotta cheese which I mixed with fresh (but blanched) spinach, parsley, an egg, and salt and pepper.

I also made a white sauce (a bechamel with Fontina and Parmesan cheeses melted into it), and I roasted some red peppers, portobello mushrooms, and zucchini with olive oil and Italian herbs.

All of these went into the layers of the lasagna. Above I am assembling the lasagna. Yes, I used my hands to spread the ricotta layer. I like getting my hands dirty!

Here is a slice of the lasagna. It is the best we have ever had! Yes, I am biased! I must not forget to mention that we also ate homemade bread (sampling all day long, as the different kinds of loaves were coming out of the oven).

For dessert we made Crespella Cream Pie, topped with homemade Chocolate Sauce and filled with homemade Vanilla Pastry Cream and slices of bananas and strawberries. To top it off, we also made homemade Strawberry Ice Cream. Everything was outstanding!

I was able to get Florida strawberries at the farmer's market, something I hadn't seen in many weeks, at least a month. I couldn't resist buying an entire flat of them, as they were only $6. There were 12 pints, about 24 cups, of strawberries in my flat. I would say that 25 cents per cup of berries is pretty cheap!! There was a line of people eagerly waiting to buy them, so I was lucky I was able to get a flat before they were all gone. That's the way the farmer's market is here. A random truck of freshly picked produce arrives, and sometimes it will all gone within an hour. If you don't happen to be there during that hour, you miss out!

Anyway, it was a fabulous way to spend the day. We ate very very well!

Birthday Breads

DH made many loaves of bread in celebration of my birthday Saturday. Here are a few photos. If only you could taste them! Above and below are Pane Siciliano, an Italian bread. It contains some semolina flour, which gives it a sweet flavor. It is soft but also has a crispiness. Really this bread tastes like no other bread I have ever had. I will be requesting it again!

Below are some Pain a l'Ancienne, a French bread. DH formed the dough into long breadsticks. They are crunchy on the outside and light and airy with lots of holes in the inside. They have a surprisingly complex flavor (that's a good thing!!)

Below is the only thing I did to contribute to making the bread. I braided the dough of the Whole Wheat Brioche with Chocolate Chips. Mmm. Can't wait to use it for French Toast in a few days.

DH also made a double batch of Whole Wheat Pizza Crust, which we froze into ten balls, to use for ten future individual pizzas. What a privilege to have such a talented baker as a husband! The recipes all came from Peter Reinhart bread baking books.

Creamy Nutty Oatmeal

When I haven't been to the market in a while, and we are out of fresh fruit, this is what I will typically make for breakfast. It is welcomed and enjoyed though, so nobody is the wiser that it is a fallback pantry meal.

Creamy Nutty Oatmeal
serves 2

1 cup thick rolled oats (not quick)
2 cups milk or soymilk (or 1 cup water and 1 cup milk)
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
2 tablespoons nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew, or your favorite)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 dried apricots, diced or an appropriate amount for 2 servings of other dried fruit
to garnish: freshly grated nutmeg and slices of fresh bananas or strawberries or other fruit (optional)

In a saucepan, bring milk with salt to a boil. Add the nut butter and stir to dissolve. Then add the maple syrup, oats and dried fuit. Simmer, stirring occassionally for about 10 to 20 minutes, until the oats are tender and it is the consistency desired. Serve with freshly grated nutmeg and optionally with slices of fresh fruit.

Peanut Butter Oat Bars

When I saw these bars on Tastespotting, I knew I would try them. Can't beat the combination of oats and peanut butter, unless you do what I did and add some chocolate! It wasn't a part of the recipe, but I highly recommend it. I added a 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips.

Also, I made them whole grain by using spelt and barley flour in place of all-purpose, and I sweetened them with less than a cup of maple sugar. They still turned out lovely and were terrific with coffee. Many thanks to Maria, of the Goddess's Kitchen for posting this Peanut Butter Oat Bar recipe.