Saturday morning rain – outside the kitchen window…

…and outside the front door.

It was bad enough to cancel my long-planned bicycle ride down the Santa Ana River Trail, but not bad enough to detour through the Saturday Farmers’ Market in Irvine. My loot this week included Maui onions (great in chicken pot pie last night) and leeks, included in lunch below.

Weather-wise, we’re stuck somewhere between autumn and spring. It’s appropriate then, that this butternut (autumn) – leek (spring) soup hits the spot. Hope you’re staying dry, wherever you are. [K]

Roasted Butternut and Leek Soup, garnished here with a touch of cream.

Click here to view a printable version of this recipe.

Roasted Butternut and Leek Soup

~ Makes ~

4 1-cup servings

~ Ingredients ~

• 1 2 lb. butternut squash
• 1 tbsp. olive oil + salt and pepper
• 1 leek
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• Pinch thyme
• Pinch rubbed sage
• 2 ½ cups garden chicken stock
• Salt and pepper, to taste

~ Preparation ~

Preparation Time: 1 hour

1. Preheat oven to 375º F. Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Slice butternut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Brush flesh with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then lay skin-side up. Brush skin with more olive oil, and roast for 45 minutes. With fifteen minutes left to go on the roasted squash:
2. Slice leek in half lengthwise. Rinse clean, then thinly slice crosswise. Sauté in pan with olive oil over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add thyme and rubbed sage. Once leek is cooked, add chicken stock, and simmer.
3. Once butternut squash is roasted, scoop out the insides and add to leek and stock mixture. Salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Nutrition content per cup: 76 calories, 11g carbs, 1g protein, 3.5g fat, 0g fiber

Cost per full serving: $0.81 – $1.28

Source: Rustic Garden Bistro

 Mopped up with a little garlic bread, also purchased from the Irvine Farmers’ Market.

The bigger question is… what should I do with my green and purple cabbage?

It’s another gloomy day… but look! A freesia popped up by the parsley over the weekend!

Also, our chives just came back. Hello, early spring!

I’m officially in detox mode. After being on the road for the better part of a week eating lots of meat, cream and cheese (oftentimes together (!!!!!)), I needed a break. In fact, on the way home from the desert, we stopped in for dinner at a local Vietnamese pho house, just so I could get my Eastern fix in.

Side announcement: Thanks to a plethora of accumulated miles, we’re goin’ to the British Virgin Islands in April. (!!!!!) That means I have less than 5 weeks to  squeeze into a sarong. So tomorrow, I resume my food-logging diligence.

For my final journal-free meal, I had fried rice that Barry made with some leftover eggs (2) and leftover NY strip steak. I supplemented dinner with a first course of egg, spinach and vegetable soup.

Somewhere between dicing vegetables and mincing garlic, I thought I’d also try to go East and started adding ginger, curry, soy sauce and my secret weapon… Vietnamese fish sauce. Thinking it actually might turn out, I grabbed a pen and a piece of paper to document what I was throwing into the pot.

At 88 calories per cup, this might be my staple soup for the next 5 weeks. Tortola, here I come!

Eight eggs down, fifty-two to go. [K]

P.S. If you’re wondering about the math of eight eggs used this evening, Britta got two raw eggs with some oatmeal in her raw chicken-leg dinner. We couldn’t leave her out of our egg-venture.

 Click here to view a printable version of this recipe.

Swirled Egg, Spinach and Vegetable Soup

~

~ Makes ~

8 servings

~ Ingredients ~

• 1 medium onion
• 2 medium carrots
• 2 stalks celery
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves
• ½ tsp. ground or 1 tsp. freshly grated ginger
• ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 ½ tsp. Madras curry
• ¼ tsp. ground pepper
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. fish sauce
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 2 oz. baby spinach leaves
• 4 eggs
• 3 tbsp. cornstarch
• Optional: chopped chives for garnish

~ Preparation ~

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

1. Dice onion, carrot and celery. Sauté with olive oil in 5-qt. saucier until soft, about 7-10 minutes.
2. While vegetables are cooking, peel and mince garlic cloves; when you’re done, add them to the vegetables.
3. Once the vegetables are tender, add in ginger, cayenne, curry, ground pepper, soy sauce and fish sauce. Stir about another minute until fragrant.
4. Add in chicken stock; bring to boil then reduce to simmer for 15 minutes, or until carrots are tender.
5. Crack four eggs into prep bowl and lightly whisk with fork.
6. In another prep bowl, combine cornstarch with 3 tbsp. of water.
7. Once carrots are tender, add in spinach and swirl in eggs. Thicken soup with cornstarch mixture, garnish with chives if available, and serve immediately.

Nutrition content per serving: 88 calories, 4g carbs, 3.5g protein, 6g fat, 1g fiber

Cost per serving: $ 0.32 – $ 0.89

Source: Rustic Garden Bistro

What else can I survive on for the next five weeks?!

Leftover eggs from the weekend’s events.

Did you know eggs were in season?!

Well… they are for us. We have about 5 dozen (60, to be exact) eggs to use up before they go bad. So, if you have any suggestions on how we can use ‘em up, we’d greatly appreciate it. Greatly. [K]

 Garden stocks are in full bloom out back.

Oh, and a happy belated Valentine’s Day to y’all.

Valentine’s Morning pancakes at the RGB, from my one and only… to me…

…and the stealth one.

To our readers (all four of you), sorry for having disappeared. We’ve been “away” doing really important things, like raiding food suppliers in three different Counties for the last two weeks to plan, prepare, execute and serve lots of hungry folks in the middle of Nowhere, CA, over the course of four really cold and windy days.

Nowhere, CA.

We’re not professional caterers, but when Anne asked us if we could “help out the field trial folks by serving them hot food,” we couldn’t say no. Some of the folks we met (and some we already knew) have been on the road and/or otherwise hard at work in the field with these versatile dogs since early January; we felt the least we could do was do our part by passing out some warm meals. As a bonus, our dog spent four days out in the desert, and had a little fun of her own:

Britta with her training prize on Sunday morning.

In our attempt to offset the brutal weather (ok, not really brutal… I’m just a sissy), we camped out in the desert, and from our 33’ Winnebago, managed to pull off the following:

Thursday Lunch

Bacon-wrapped hot dogs with sautéed onions and peppers

- or -

Cheeseburgers w/ all the fixins’

Garden salad with red onions, cherry tomatoes and goat cheese with homemade ranch, bleu cheese or balsamic vinaigrette dressing

Football chili

Thursday afternoon, before the last turn into camp.

About one-sixth of Thursday’s lunch crowd, in line for their goodies.

Photo Credit: Anne Taguchi. 

Thursday Dinner

Roasted Red Pepper Puree

Garden salad with red onions, cherry tomatoes and goat cheese with homemade ranch, bleu cheese or balsamic vinaigrette dressing

Boeuf Bourguignon with mashed potatoes

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Thursday dinner sign, posted on the side of the RV, in front of the buffet table.

Friday Breakfast

Breakfast burritos with egg, cheese, bacon, sausage in a pork reduction with sautéed peppers and onions

Vanilla yogurt parfaits with vanilla walnut granola, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries

Fresh apples and bananas

Hot coffee and orange juice

Friday Lunch

New-York Strip sandwiches with provolone cheese sauce, sautéed mushrooms and caramelized onions

French onion soup with baguette slices and aged gruyère

Garden lemonade

Friday Dinner

Zuppa Toscana with garden chard

Garden salad with red onions, oranges, apples and goat cheese with homemade ranch, bleu cheese or balsamic vinaigrette dressing

Sautéed pork tenderloin medallions in demi-glace and cream sauce with artichoke hearts, shallots and garlic

Mushroom risotto – or – mashed potatoes 

Double-chocolate brownies and snickerdoodles

Saturday Breakfast

English muffin sandwiches with sausage, bacon and cheese

Vanilla yogurt parfaits with apple cinnamon granola, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries

Fresh apples and bananas

Hot coffee and orange juice

Saturday Lunch

Tortilla Soup with shredded chicken, tortilla strips, diced tomatoes and avocado, cilantro, lime and Mexican cheese blend

Red burritos with tomato and garlic sauce

- or –

Green burritos with roasted tomatillo and cilantro sauce

Garden lemonade

Since we didn’t have to prepare Saturday’s dinner (due to dinner / awards banquet being held in town), I managed to find time to learn how to ride a horse. (!!!!!!!!!!) Here, “Stu” and I were following behind the gallery in one of the braces for the Open Gun Dog… I think.

Sunday Breakfast

Pancakes with maple syrup and hot butter and side of sausage and bacon

Sliced bananas in milk with maple pecan granola

Fresh apples and bananas

Hot coffee and orange juice

We thought that after Saturday night’s banquet, 10:00 PM was a good time to start Sunday’s breakfast and lunch. (The pork and beans needed a little all- night love.)

Sunday Lunch

Leftover chili and French onion soup

Pulled BBQ Pork Sandwiches

Pork and Beans

Cornbread biscuits

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Looking northeast around 4:30 PM on Sunday afternoon, right before our departure.

This weekend blew me away (literally and figuratively!). I’m amazed by the amount of hard work and dedication the breeders, owners and handlers have in producing these versatile dogs. (I, for one, can’t imagine living on the road for months and months at a time.) Truly an amazing experience; thanks to Anne Taguchi and the rest of the gang who made the event what it was. Equally as important: many thanks to the Weimaraner Addict family for connecting this City girl and her goofy dog with such a wonderful community of folks.

We didn’t lift a single bale of hay, didn’t plant a single bird, didn’t run any dogs, but we cooked our hearts out to assist all those who did. A tremendous KUDOS to the cast and crew who pulled off a great event!

Just some of the folks we fed, here with their Futurity Placement poses.

Photo Credit: Anne Taguchi.

While we recuperate, unpack and decompress, we leave you with our recipe for chocolate chip cookies. We baked a triple batch for the trip; and they were all gone by day four. [K]

On the RGB iTunes shuffle: Nobody From Nowhere, Jimmy Buffet. Appropriate, given the Buffet Hotel album was on loop during our campout.

 Click here to view a printable version of this recipe.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

~

~ Makes ~

36

~ Ingredients ~

• 8 oz. (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 7 oz. (198g) granulated sugar
• 8 oz. (227g) brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• ½ tbsp. vanilla extract
• 11 ¼ oz. (320g) all-purpose flour
• 9 oz. (256g) oatmeal
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 9 oz. 60% bittersweet chocolate chips / chunks
• Optional: chopped walnuts

~ Preparation ~

Preparation Time: 1 hour

1. Preheat oven to 375˚ F with two racks near the middle. Lay out two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Grind oatmeal in food processor. Sift flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda into a prep bowl and add ground oatmeal.
3. In a mixer, cream butter, sugar and brown sugar; then add eggs, one at a time and vanilla extract.
4. Blend in remaining dry ingredients until combined.
5. Scoop into 1 tbsp. mounds onto baking sheet.
6. Bake for 8 minutes, rotating sheets once halfway through.
7. Place cookies on cooling rack to cool; place baking sheets in freezer for approx. 3-5 minutes to re-cool sheets between batches.
8. Repeat steps 5 through 7 until done.

Nutrition content per serving: 157 calories, 20g carbs, 1.5g protein, 8g fat, 1g fiber

Cost per serving: $ 0.18

Source: Rustic Garden Bistro

For the WCA Western folks, what would you like to see on the menu next year?!

Winter arugula flower.

I really should do a better job at eating my arugula before it goes to seed. There’s just so much, it’s hard to keep up. At least I get pretty flowers out of them. I wonder if they cut well?

Poll: When you eat out, do you zoom into a particular dish or prefer to sample a few different things?

Dining out, one of our favorite things to do is order small plates. To hit our ingredient quota, we pick a few plates, split them all, and compare notes. In fact, we also do this with wine; making up our own flights to go with our meals.

Maybe it’s because I’m part of that millennial generation that gets so many choices; I can’t seem to commit. Or, maybe there’s just so many good options, I have to be efficient and try to get it all?!

Maybe it’s an excuse to sample more wine.

Below, a typical RGB lunch. Not one, not two, but three different things… all smushed together. Part A) a nice bowl of garden greens; Part B) protein; and, Part C) carbs and cheese. Healthy balanced meal, no?

Winter Salad with Green Goddess Dressing. I love Caesar salads, mostly when served with a liberal dose of anchovies in the dressing. The Green Goddess dressing is wonderful, because in addition to including anchovies, it helps me use up three herbs from the garden. The gruyère is included because it’s the last of a block that’s been in the fridge for a month. The greens? From the garden.

Garlic and Tarragon Shrimp. The lunch shrimp was actually leftover from a batch of shrimp we made in a dinner batch of shrimp bisque the previous evening. The tarragon was leftover from the salad dressing.

Pizzetta. We actually made a pizzetta for dinner to go with our bisque and had leftover caramelized onion. Good for another pizzetta? Yes.

Below is a breakdown of each part of the lunch trio. The whole meal yields the following:

Nutrition content per serving: 1,044 calories, 112g carbs, 64g protein, 42g fat, 2g fiber

Cost per serving: $ 3.46 – $ 5.20

Not exactly healthy, but isn’t a lunch trio in fact, a feast?

Poor arugula. Neglected… again. Guess we could have put it into the salad or throw it onto the pizzetta. Maybe next time…

[K]

On the RGB iTunes shuffle: Let Me Tell You About Her, Elvis Costello.

Click here to view a printable version of this recipe. 

Winter Salad with Green Goddess Dressing

~

~ Serves ~

2

~ Ingredients ~

• 4 oz. mixed green lettuce
• 1 tbsp. grated aged gruyère
• 2 tbsp. Green Goddess Dressing

~ Preparation ~

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

1. Rinse lettuce clean, spin dry.
2. Prepare Green Goddess Dressing
3. In salad bowl, toss together lettuce, cheese and dressing. Serve immediately.

Nutrition content per serving: 97 calories, 9g carbs, 11g protein, 10g fat, 0g fiber

Cost per serving: $ 0.32 – $ 0.57

Source: Rustic Garden Bistro

Click here to view a printable version of this recipe.

Garlic and Tarragon Shrimp

~

~ Serves ~

2

~ Ingredients ~

• ½ lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 sprig fresh tarragon or ¼ tsp. dried tarragon
• ¼ tbsp. unsalted butter
• Grind of salt and pepper, to taste

~ Preparation ~

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

1. Mince garlic cloves and chop tarragon, if using fresh.
2. Chop up shrimp into little pieces.
3. In a sauté pan, sauté all ingredients until shrimp is pink and thoroughly cooked. Serve immediately.

Nutrition content per serving: 104 calories, 0g carbs, 20g protein, 12g, fat, 0g fiber

Cost per serving: $ 0.02

Source: Rustic Garden Bistro

Click here to view a printable version of this recipe.

Pizzetta

~

~ Serves ~

2

~ Ingredients ~

• 7” pre-made pizza crust
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1 tbsp. olive oil + more for brushing crust
• ½ tbsp. sugar
• ½ tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 2 oz. deli meat (prosciutto / ham / pancetta, etc.)
• 2 oz. cheese (chevre / gruyere, mozzarella, etc.)
• Handful greens (onions / spinach / parsley / rosemary, etc.)
• Parsley, chopped for garnish

~ Preparation ~

Preparation Time: 45 minutes

1. Preheat oven to 475º F.

2. Heat butter and oil in saucier or fry pan. Add onions and sauté for 20 minutes. Add sugar and vinegar and cook for additional 5 minutes, until onions turn a deep brown color.

3. Add onions to pizza crust.

4. Thinly slice or shred meat and place on top of caramelized onions.

5. Add cheese to top of meat.

6. Add any remaining desired ingredients.

7. Brush pizza crust with olive oil to prevent over-browning.

8. Lower oven temperature 425º F. Cook pizzetta for 8 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden brown.

9. Cut into 4 or 6 slices, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve hot.

Nutrition content per serving: 792 calories, 102g carbs, 26g protein, 28g fat, 2g fiber

Cost per serving: $ 1.71

Source: Rustic Garden Bistro

Any suggestions on how we can use up our arugula?

Mid-winter gerbera daisy.

Good thing we planned on staying indoors; in the kitchen to be exact.

My apologies, there is NOTHING local or seasonal about the below recipe, unless you count the garden oregano and sage that were used. (We promise, we’ll go back to local and seasonal soon.)

While not seasonal, pork and beans are good for a rainy day, yes?

At the behest of a friend, we’re serving a whole lot of food a weimaraner field trial in the desert this weekend… and have about 15 dishes to prepare. (We’re not joking.) I only found a brief respite to blog because Barry’s peeling potatoes in the living room, the pot roast is in the oven, the chili is done, red pepper puree is cooling and pork and beans are in the crock pot. That’s all phase 1; I’m not sure I want to see the list that is phase 2.

So I’ll make this quick.

We’re not really pork and beans people, but it seemed good to serve alongside some pulled BBQ chukar sandwiches we’re serving on Sunday. It took three tries to get this passable for our palates. Let’s hope the weekend folks agree. K]

On the RGB iTunes shuffle: I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face, Chris Botti.

Click here to view a printable version of this recipe.

Pork and Beans

~

~ Serves ~

12

~ Ingredients ~

• 4 cups pinto beans, soaked overnight
• 1 lb. bacon
• 1 onion
• 6 garlic cloves
• ½ tsp. oregano
• ½ tsp. sage
• 3 tbsp. molasses
• 4 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. dry mustard
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 ¼ tsp. kosher salt
• 6 cups water
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

~ Preparation ~

Preparation Time: 6 hours

1. Dice the onion and chop the garlic.
2. Chop up the bacon and sauté half of it in a 5.5-qt. saucier with a little olive oil over medium heat until well-browned. Remove bacon from pot and set aside to cool, then refrigerate.
3. Cook remaining half of bacon in fat from first batch of bacon. Once second batch of bacon is cooked but not browned, add in onion, garlic, oregano and sage and continue to cook until onion is translucent, about 7-10 minutes.
4. Add beans, molasses, brown sugar, dry mustard, tomato paste and kosher salt with 6 cups of water, bring to simmer, cover and let simmer for 5 hours. You can also throw it into a crock pot, set it on HIGH and come back to it 5 hours later.
5. Add Dijon mustard if desired, then add apple cider vinegar and remaining bacon just before serving.

Nutrition content per serving: 253 calories, 39g carbs, 13g protein, 4g fat, 7g fiber

Cost per serving: $ 0.39

Source: Rustic Garden Bistro

What else pairs well with a BBQ meat sandwich?

Winter apple.

Winter fennel.

Dog-approved snack. See the half-eaten apple?

Pork chops were on sale at the market this week for $1.47/lb. Our 3.85-lb. purchase came with 6 pieces, two of which we immediately pulled out to brine for lunch (the rest are salted and sitting the fridge, waiting for another use).

Since it’s winter, we paired the pork with a winter root puree. Since it’s California, we also had access to some skinny asparagus.

I love it when I can eat lunch for $2.80, and I get more than a soup and salad. [K]

RGB Notes: You’ll have to start this the night before if serving for lunch or the morning of before serving for dinner – the pork needs time to brine.

On the RGB iTunes shuffle: Bobagem, Céu. No real reason; it just sounded nice and cheerful on a sunny lunch day.

Click here to view a printable version of this recipe.

Garlic Rosemary Pork Chops with Winter Root Puree and Asparagus Fries

~

~ Serves ~

2

~ Ingredients ~

• 1 lb. bone-in pork chops
• 4 ½ cups water
• 2 tbsp, kosher salt
• 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp. ground pepper
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 large sprig rosemary
• 1 lb. thin asparagus
• ½ tbsp. peanut oil
• Grind of salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• ½ recipe of Celery Root, Fennel and Apple Purée

~ Preparation ~

Pre-Preparation Time: 2 hours

Active Preparation Time: 45 minutes

1. Start preparation of the Celery Root, Fennel and Apple Purée. Simultaneously:
2. Brine the pork chops for approx. 12 hours: heat water, salt and sugar in pan just until sugar dissolves; remove from heat. Smash garlic cloves and add to mixture. Add rosemary sprig. Cover pan and let cool in refrigerator, about 90 minutes. Once liquid is cool, pour into Ziploc bag, add pork chops, seal and leave in refrigerator for 12 hours. Make sure pork chops are entirely immersed in brine liquid.
3. Preheat oven to 425º F. Lay out two sheet pans with aluminum foil.
4. Rinse asparagus clean and pat dry with paper towel. Snap off ends and discard or save for another use. Cut asparagus in half and place in 1-qt. prep bowl. Add peanut oil, salt and pepper and toss with hands until coated. Lay in single layer on one of the sheet pans and roast for 20 minutes. Meanwhile:
5. Take port out of the brine liquid. Rinse well under running water and then pat dry with paper towels. (Be sure to thoroughly dry off pork – the last paper towel you use should be dry after blotting).
6. In large skillet, heat olive oil and pan-sear pork chops a couple of minutes on each side (until they turn golden brown). Transfer to sheet pan and finish in oven for 5 minutes. To make it easier on yourself, add the pork to the oven when there’s 5 minutes left on the timer for the asparagus.
7. Set the table; when you’re done, so is the food. Plate and serve immediately.

Nutrition content per serving: 514 calories, 27g carbs, 44g protein, 26.5g fat, 5g fiber

Cost per serving: $ 2.80 – $ 3.17

Source: Rustic Garden Bistro

Are you getting apples in February where you are?

Winter Stocks

My dad worked a lot when I was a kid. So much so that his nickname in our family was “Mr. O.T.,” (short for Mr. Overtime). Because of his extended work hours, I didn’t see him very much, but when I did, he spoiled me rotten.

Legos to me as a kid are what Craftsman tools are like for my Dad, so every now and again, when he was looking for “new toys,” he’d take me to Sears with him. With or without new toys, the pilgrimage always ended up at the adjacent Cinnabon.

I don’t know what it is, but brown sugar, butter, cinnamon and cream cheese make a killer combination and despite my best efforts, I can’t live without it.

At Cinnabon, I always picked out the biggest roll in the batch, and then piled on some extra cream cheese. My strategy was to always have my dad pay for the roll, then go back to the counter to order extra cream cheese. That way, when they would try to charge me the $0.25 for the container, I’d fumble around for a quarter… then tell them I didn’t have one. Most of the time, I was able to sucker them with my kiddie frown, and they’d let me have it for free. (Note: don’t try this after age 12… it ain’t gonna work.)

Did I mention that more often than not, we’d order an extra roll to split, after inhaling the first one? Yikes. Thanks Dad, for shortening 9 years of my life. [K]

On the RGB iTunes shuffle: Rhapsody in Blue, George Gershwin. Classic American, like these cinnamon rolls.

Click here to view a printable version of this recipe.

Cinnamon Rolls

~ Makes ~

12

~ Ingredients for Dough ~

• ¾ cup whole milk
• 1 envelope (2 ¼ tsp. rapid-rise or instant yeast)
• 3 large eggs
• 4 ¼ cups (601g) bread flour
• ¼ cup (28g) cornstarch
• ½ cup (99g) granulated sugar
• 1 ½ tsp. salt
• 8 tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter

~ Ingredients for Filling ~

• 1 ½ cup packed (297g) light brown sugar
• 1 ½ tbsp. ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

~ Ingredients for Frosting ~

• 4 oz. cream cheese
• 4 oz. (1 stick) butter
• 1 cup (113g) powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla flavoring (non-alcoholic)
• 1/8 tsp. lemon extract

~ Preparation ~

Preparation Time: 5 hours 30 minutes

1. Set butter and eggs out to warm up to room temperature. This will take 30 minutes to an hour.
2. Meanwhile, measure out the dry dough ingredients and place into mixer bowl: flour, cornstarch, sugar and salt. Put bowl onto mixer and fit with dough hook attachment. Mix on low until combined, then shut off. Measure out dry filling ingredients (sugar, cinnamon and salt) and place into 1-qt bowl.
3. Set out a 4-qt. glass bowl and grease with ½ tbsp. of melted butter or vegetable oil; set aside.
4. Turn oven on to 200º F. When it reaches 200º F, shut it off.
5. Once the eggs are up to room temperature and the butter is softened, warm milk on stovetop to about 110º F and pour in yeast packet and whisk slightly to incorporate. Once yeast is dissolved, whisk in eggs.
6. Turn mixer on low, and add the warm milk mixture in a steady stream. Once milk is incorporated, increase speed to medium and slowly add the butter with a narrow spatula, about ½ tbsp. at a time. Mix until the dough is smooth and comes away from the sides of the bowl, about 7-10 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and knead to form a smooth, round ball. Transfer to 4-qt glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in warm oven. Let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
7. Lay out 13” x 9” glass baking dish.
8. After dough has risen, take out of oven and roll out onto large flat surface into 12” x 18” rectangle. Using spatula, spread out 4 tbsp. of butter evenly onto the dough (with exception of the top 1”), and 2 tbsp. butter onto the bottom and sides of the glass baking dish. Pour ¾ of the filling mixture onto the dough over the buttered area, and the last ¼ of the filling mixture onto the bottom of the glass bowl.
9. Roll up the dough from the side nearest you toward the end with no butter. Pinch the seams to close and cut with serrated knife into 12 equal portions (a little over 2” per piece). Place rolls cut-side down onto baking dish, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm oven again until it has doubled in size, usually about an hour to 90 minutes.
10. Take rolls out, remove plastic wrap and turn oven on to 350º F. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until browned on top. Take buns out and let cool for 30 minutes.
11. Meanwhile: prepare frosting. Fit mixer with paddle attachment and cream butter and cream cheese on low setting (2) for 6 minutes. Switch to whisk attachment and cream on medium setting (6) for additional 10 minutes. Turn back to low and add in ½ of powdered sugar for about 1 minute, then add the rest. Add in vanilla and lemon extract, turn back to medium setting until incorporated, then shut off and transfer to bowl.
12. Once buns are cooled, spread with cream cheese frosting and enjoy immediately.

Nutrition content per serving: 567 calories, 77g carbs, 7g protein, 25g fat, 1g fiber

Cost per serving: $0.42

Source: Rustic Garden Bistro

How many years of your life have been lost due to cinnamon roll consumption?

First real sun since Monday – view out the backyard towards Shady Canyon in Irvine, CA.

First real post since Monday, too. We’ve been holed up in the house cooking, baking and reading. Laundry barely made the cut-off. Gardening didn’t happen at all.

On the RGB iTunes shuffle: Sway, Michael Bublé. This track is out of the No Reservations soundtrack. I hope Barry enjoys it while he’s locked in the kitchen this afternoon (working on a lobster bisque).

While he started prep work for the bisque, I made two batches of flaxseed and wheat germ dog biscuits. Packed with omega-3 fatty acids, protein, potassium, iron, riboflavin, calcium, zinc, magnesium and vitamins A, B1 B3 and E, I like to think they’re Britta’s equivalent of Flintstone vitamins. At least once a day ought to do. Hope your doggie enjoys them, too! [K]

 Crunch…crunch… crunch.

Kid-tested, mother-approved.

RGB Eco-Notes: Britta eats raw food. We cut off the necks and backs of whole chickens, and quarter the rest for her breakfasts and dinners. When we hit about 6 pounds of neck and back parts, we make homemade garden chicken stock. While we’re making the stock, we skim off the fat (lately, we’ve been getting 1 to 1 ½ cups of chicken fat out of one batch of stock). The fat is then saved to make dog biscuits and dog cookies. See how eco-friendly we are?!?!

Click here to view a printable version of this recipe.

Flaxseed and Wheat Germ Dog Biscuits

~ Makes ~

36 3-inch dog biscuits

~ Ingredients ~

• 7 oz. (198g) whole wheat flour
• 6 oz. (170g) bread flour
• 1 oz. (28g) wheat germ
• ½ tsp. salt
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. flaxseed
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup animal fat / vegetable oil
• ½ cup water

~ Preparation ~

Preparation Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
2. In a mixer fitted with dough hook, combine all dry ingredients; then add in egg, fat/oil and water and mix to form a very firm dough that is smooth and workable. Add a little flour or water as needed.
3. Cover dough and set aside for 15-20 minutes.
4. Roll out dough to ¼” thickness, cut into desired shapes, place on sheet pans and bake for 35 minutes.

Nutrition content per biscuit: 87 calories, 7g carbs, 1g protein, 6.5g fat, 0.5g fiber

Cost per biscuit: $0.03 – $ 0.04

Source: Rustic Garden Bistro (adapted from The Professional Pastry Chef, Bo Friberg – a version with flaxseed also appears on Todd and Diane’s Homemade Flax Seed Dog Biscuits post).

I wonder if I can make alternative biscuits, each with the equivalent of one fish oil capsule??  Hmm…

Winter dormancy beneath the storm.

It was so wet I opted for dried thyme so I wouldn’t have to step outside. Even the dog refused to do her business (we’ll see how long that lasts).

Another good day for experimenting in the kitchen with chukar. Today’s choice: stewed in wine, because one of the chukars had been slightly overshot, and the meat was already torn into all sorts of pieces.

We’re suckers for anything cooked with wine; we figured chukar should be no different. I think next time, I’ll cut up the carrot in larger chunks so they photograph better, but overall, we think the end result was pretty good. Because chukar meat cooks so quickly, this didn’t take long at all, either. [K]

On the RGB iTunes shuffle: La Vie En Rose, Edith Piaf.

Click here to view the printable version of this recipe.

Stewed Chukar with Smashed Potatoes

~ Serves ~

2

~ Ingredients ~

• 6-7 oz. chukar meat (1 whole chukar)
• 1 slice bacon
• ¼ cup flour + kosher salt and pepper
• ½ carrot
• ½ celery stalk
• ½ small onion
• 1 small garlic clove
• ½ tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tbsp. Cognac
• ½ cup beef broth
• ¼ cup dry red wine
• ½ tbsp. tomato paste
• 4 oz. fresh mushrooms
• 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
• Grind of salt and pepper, to taste
• ½ recipe smashed potatoes
• Handful Italian parsley
• Garnish: crème fraîche

~ Preparation ~

Preparation Time: 30-45 minutes

1. Start cooking smashed potatoes. Do this in between preparing chukar stew.
2. Inspect chukar for stray bullets (remove if found) and wash thoroughly, picking through any leftover feathers.
3. Cut away chukar breasts from ribs; cut away leg bones from legs. Chop up breast and leg meat into bite-sized pieces. Save neck and back bones for another use. Pat dry all meat pieces with paper towel.
4. Dice onion, carrot and celery into equal sized cubes.
5. Heat small / 1-qt saucier and cook bacon. Meanwhile, toss the chukar meat in flour, salt and pepper. When the bacon is cooked, set aside on paper towel to cool; and use same pot to brown chukar on add sides (add a little olive oil into the pot if there isn’t enough bacon grease), approx. 5 minutes.
6. When meat is cooked, set aside and use same pan to sauté onion, carrot and celery until cooked through; about 5 minutes (add a little olive oil into the pot if there isn’t enough bacon grease).
7. Press one clove of garlic into the pot and add thyme; cook for one more minute.
8. Add Cognac, stand back, and immediately ignite with long match stick. Once flames die out, add red wine, beef broth and tomato paste. Cover pot and return to low simmer.
9. Scrub mushrooms, de-stem and thinly slice.
10. In a sauté pan, heat butter, add salt and pepper and sauté mushroom over medium heat until browned, about 8 minutes. Turn off heat for stew and add mushrooms.
11. Rinse parsley and pick off whole leaves. Add leaves to stew and stir to wilt.
12. In two bowls, ladle smashed potatoes with stew on top; garnish with crème fraîche and serve immediately.

Nutrition content per serving: 444 calories, 27g carbs, 34g protein, 23g fat, 3.5g fiber

Cost per serving: $ 1.24

Source: Rustic Garden Bistro

What else can one stew with wine?