Grilled Peach Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

It's almost over. The summer semester from somewhere I'd rather not say. Tomorrow is my last day in the hospital and Monday is my last set of lectures. Next week I will take my finals and be finished! I'll have three whole weeks to bask in the sun and try as many new recipes as I can (without outgrowing my swimsuit by September). And even though my August break will not last nearly long enough, it's OK... because the start of Fall semester means I'm that much closer to graduating in December!

To be honest, I'm terrified of becoming an RN, finding a job, being new and inexperienced, and actually being responsible for patients' lives. But I'm more than ready for school to be done. This is my second time through an undergraduate degree. The first one took me almost 5 years and while I received a diploma, I never walked across a stage or heard my name called at graduation. It came in the mail. (When we moved away I was several credits short of my degree so I finished it here.) And that didn't bother me. But this time it feels different. I won't miss my graduation for any reason. I've thought a lot about why I suddenly care. Why a silly ceremony now means the world to me. It's because this time around I put my whole heart into what I was doing. I've never worked so hard towards something and given so much of myself in the process.

So while there are days when I long to be free of responsibility or forget all of the sad things I've seen, I wouldn't trade this last year for anything. Have you ever had an experience that impacted your life/changed you so much that you can't quite remember who you were before? I know I'm still me, but I see the world through such different eyes now that I'll never feel like the same girl again. Maybe that's the feeling parenthood brings.

But I realize you came here to hear about this recipe. And thank you for listening so long- this salad was worth your wait! Plump juicy peaches are caramelized on the grill and tossed in a tangy champagne vinaigrette along with crispy bacon, creamy avocado, and crumbly feta. Oh, and there's some lettuce underneath all that goodness. This salad is beautiful, summery, and bright. With all those ingredients, of course it tastes good too! A balsamic vinaigrette would be an excellent match as well.

INGREDIENTS
8 oz. mixed greens
2 peaches, cored and sliced
extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
4 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
1/3 cup feta, crumbled
1/2 avocado, diced

Champagne Vinaigrette:
2 Tbsp. champagne vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. honey
1 tsp. shallot, minced
1/4 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat outdoor grill or indoor grill pan to medium-high heat. Brush peaches with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill peaches for several minutes on each side until caramelized.

2. To make the vinaigrette, combine the vinegar, honey, shallot, Dijon, and garlic in a food processor. Pulse to combine. With the motor running, stream in the olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Layer mixed greens, grilled peaches, red onion, bacon, feta, and avocado in a serving bowl. Drizzle with the vinaigrette, toss, and serve.

Serves 4.

(Adapted from Food Network)

Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake

I tried to surprise Dustin on his birthday. I planned a surprise barbecue that fell through. Turns out someone had let it slip that I was throwing him a party, so when it didn't happen he was indeed surprised (or rather disappointed). But we still celebrated. And I baked him this cake. Each tier of this moist chocolate cake is enveloped in raspberry jam and chocolate ganache with sugar-dusted raspberries perched on top. It's too bad birthdays don't come more often.

While this recipe has several steps, it's simple to make. My only advice is that you actually follow the directions (this is hard for me). If you don't let the cake cool, or freeze it between layers of frosting, it will become a slippery sliding mess. I'm not great at baking pretty cakes. I'm thrilled when they turn out somewhat attractive. But I can say, no matter how homemade my baked goods look, they usually taste dang good. And really, that's what matters.

INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups white sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup water
3/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs 

Chocolate Ganache and Raspberry Topping:
 18 oz. bittersweet chocolate (60% cacao), chopped
2 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
6 Tbsp. raspberry jam, divided
2 (6-oz.) containers fresh raspberries
powdered sugar, for dusting

DIRECTIONS

To make the cake: 

1. Preheat to 350°F. Coat two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Line bottoms with parchment paper rounds; spray rounds. Sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into large bowl; whisk to blend and form well in center. Whisk 1 cup water, buttermilk, oil, and eggs in medium bowl to blend. Pour wet ingredients into well in dry ingredients; whisk just to blend. Divide cake batter between prepared pans (about 3 cups each).

2. Bake cakes in preheated oven until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Cool completely in pans on cooling racks.

To make the chocolate ganache:
1. Place chopped chocolate in medium bowl. Bring cream just to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Pour over chocolate. Let stand 1 minute, then stir until ganache is melted and smooth. Transfer 1 1/4 cups ganache to small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ganache is thick enough to spread, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Let remaining ganache stand at room temperature to cool until barely lukewarm.

To assemble the cake:

1. Carefully run knife around pan edges to release cakes. Peel off parchment paper. Place cake layer on round on prepared rack. Spread 3 tablespoons jam over top. Spoon dollops of chilled ganache over, then spread evenly. Invert second cake layer onto another cardboard round or tart pan bottom. Peel off parchment paper. Carefully slide cake off round and onto frosted cake layer on rack. Spread remaining 3 tablespoons raspberry jam over top of second cake layer. Pour half of barely lukewarm ganache over cake, spreading over sides to cover. Freeze until ganache sets, about 30 minutes. 

2. Pour remaining ganache over cake, allowing to drip down sides and spreading over sides if needed for even coverage and to smooth edges. Freeze to set ganache, about 30 minutes. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover with cake dome and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours before continuing.) 

3. Arrange raspberries in concentric circles atop cake. Sift powdered sugar lightly over raspberries and serve.

Serves at least 10-12.

(Adapted from Bon Appetit)

Chipotle Chicken Burritos, Revisited

The chicken is the highlight of this burrito. It's poached on the stove, shredded, and tossed in a spicy chipotle pepper sauce. Better than any burrito we've bought in a long time. Our only difficulty was that our tortillas were much too small to contain all the goodness we stuffed into them. It was spilling out the ends (and slathering our cheeks) with each bite. When this occurs, don't hesitate to employ a fork. It'll taste good any way you eat it.

2/19/09: I came across a fellow food blogger who posted this recipe in tribute to her college days when she subsisted on Chipotle Grill's burritos. Well, our Chipotle college days are not over! We frequently pick up their foil wrapped burritos- for the convenience, price (they're BIG and filling), and because they are rare in that they use local, natural grass-fed beef, pork, and chicken! (Some of the Richmond and Charlottesville locations get their meat from VA's Polyface farm- famous from Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dillemma.) I have no problem paying for such a fresh high quality meal! But of course, I wanted to try and create my own delicious burritos at home. This chipotle chicken is not actually a copy of their recipe- it refers to the use of chipotle pepper in adobo. And I actually preferred this chicken over Chipotle's- it is much more tender, moist, and its got a kick! Yes, it's pretty spicy so feel free to use a smaller pepper. In keeping with the Chipotle tradition, we filled out tortillas with black beans, cheese, pico de gallo, guacamole, lettuce, and sour cream (but a new amped up version!). Rice is optional- if you do use it, make it brown!

INGREDIENTS
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1 medium onion, quartered + 1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 bay leaves
2 tsp. canola oil
1/4 tsp. dark brown sugar
1 large chipotle in adobo, chopped + 1 Tbsp. adobo sauce
1 cup canned diced tomatoes with their juice
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1/2 cup sour cream
3 Tbsp. canned chopped green chiles, drained

For Serving:
whole wheat flour tortillas, warmed
Monteray Jack or Cheddar cheese, shredded (I've also used a blend of smoked Cheddar and smoked Gouda)
black beans
romaine lettuce, shredded
tomatoes, diced or Pico de Gallo
avocado, diced or Chunky Guacamole

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large saucepan, combine the chicken thighs, quartered onion, garlic and bay leaves. Add enough water to cover the chicken and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over moderately low heat until the chicken is fork tender, about 30 minutes. Remove the chicken, let cool, and shred it into bite-size pieces. Transfer the chicken to a medium bowl.

2. Preheat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and brown sugar and cook until the onion is golden brown, 10 minutes. Add the chipotle, adobo sauce and tomatoes and simmer over moderately low heat until thickened, 10 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour over the shredded chicken and season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. In a blender or food processor, combine the sour cream and green chiles and pulse until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Sprinkle the warmed tortillas with the cheese. Spoon the chicken mixture down the center of the tortillas. Top with the black beans, lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole and green-chile sour cream.

Serves 4.

(Adapted from The Kitchen Sink, originally adapted from Food & Wine)

Peach Cobbler

Certain fruits give me the jeebies. It's not about taste. I love the flavor of just about any fruit you can think of (except guava- I haven't had the best experience with that one). It's more about texture. I love orange juice. But I can barely gag down a whole orange. Same goes for peaches, plums- anything squishy and pulpy (although diced up tiny they're fine). I don't like fruit chunks in my yogurt or jam. And I can't handle any fruit canned. It might be sweet and succulent tasting, but it triggers a gag reflex that I haven't learn to overcome.

My mom makes delicious canned peaches. I know they taste divine. But I can't choke them down. So I was a little nervous when I set out to tackle peach cobbler. I was worried I might have the same problem. If you could have seen what was left of this dish when Dustin and I were done with it, you'd know that I was wrong. These tender peach slivers bubbling away under a blanket of cobbler were divine. Maybe the texture combination of peach and batter and soft swirling ice cream made it alright. All I know is that I'm suddenly in love with this furry little fruit. Since it's peach season, I highly suggest you treat yourself to this dessert. Such a wonderful way to celebrate summer.

INGREDIENTS
Peach Filling:
8 fresh peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. corn starch

Cobbler Crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into tiny pieces
1/4 cup boiling water

For Sprinkling:
2 tsp. white sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 425 F.

2. In a large bowl, combine peaches, white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Toss to coat evenly, and pour into a square baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine flour, white sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Blend in butter with your fingertips, or a pastry blender, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in water until just combined.

4. Remove peaches from oven, and drop spoonfuls of topping over them. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle it over the entire cobbler. Bake until topping is golden and the filling is bubbling, about 20-30 minutes.

Serves 4-6.

(Adapted from All Recipes)

Pepperoni and Veggie Calzones

Since I make pizza on a regular basis, I figured it was time I ventured into the realm of calzones. What I didn't know was how easy they would be! I used my same favorite pizza dough recipe and it worked wonderfully. Instead of pulling (no rolling here) the dough into a single large round, I divided the dough into four pieces and made four separate ones (that are then topped with fillings and folded over). Like usual, they went into the oven and onto a burning hot pizza stone. 8-10 minutes later I had golden crusty calzones! On the first try I used an egg wash but was disappointed because the calzones came out flat (although still tasty). Without the egg wash the dough puffed up beautifully. So I dropped the egg wash. Really, you can fill your calzone with whatever you fancy. I used a blend of Italian cheeses, fresh thinly shaved pepperoni, and a variety of veggies and fresh herbs (picked right outside my back door!). As is proper, the pizza sauce was served on the side for dipping.

INGREDIENTS
1 recipe pizza dough
Italian cheeses, shredded (Mozzarella, Provolone, Parmesan, Asiago, and Romano)
pepperoni, thinly sliced
baby spinach
baby portobello mushrooms (cremini), thinly sliced
red onion, thinly sliced
red bell pepper, diced
fresh basil, julienned
fresh oregano, chopped

Pizza Sauce, for serving

DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare pizza dough according to recipe directions.

2. Preheat oven and pizza stone to 450 F.

3. Divide dough into 4 equal portions. Stretch each piece of dough into a thin circle and place on parchment paper or a pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal. Place cheese and toppings on half of the circle of dough, leaving a small border around the edge. Fold the dough over top and secure the edges by pressing with a fork. Cut several small slits in the top to allow steam to vent.

4. Transfer to the pizza stone and bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes until golden brown. Serve with pizza sauce for dipping.

Makes 4 calzones.

Mom's Spanish Rice

My mom has been making her signature Spanish rice forever (all my life at least)! My family loves it! While I doubt its authenticity, I don't question its mass appeal. I was surprised how easy it is to prepare and am eager to make it a staple in my own home. We ALWAYS serve it with our New Mexican Sopapillas (recipe yet to come), although I'm sure it would enhance any Mexican-inspired meal.

INGREDIENTS
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup onion, diced
1/4 cup green bell pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
14 oz. can crushed or diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups water (or low-sodium chicken broth)
3/4 cup long-grain brown rice
1/2 cup prepared salsa
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oil in skillet over medium high heat. Saute onion, bell pepper, and garlic until tender but not brown.

2. Add tomatoes, water, rice, salsa, salt, brown sugar, W. sauce, and pepper. Cover and simmer 45 minutes- 1 hour (I used par-boiled brown rice which only took 25 minutes) until your rice is tender and the water has been absorbed.

Serves 6.

Blueberry Pie

This 4th of July I made a blueberry pie, something I've never tasted before. Oh my goodness. It was delicious. It just might be my favorite pie ever! What you can't see in the picture is the red dish this pie is sitting in. Red dish, blue berries, white crust- it was very festive. And then the stars. Instead of a traditional disc crust, I used a Christmas cookie cutter to cut out stars to banner the top. Pastry dough is very versatile- with little difficultly you can shape it into whatever design you'd like. Someday I'd like to make a lattice. But remember the key to a buttery flakey pie crust is keeping the pastry cold (and not over-working it). Here we refrigerate it between each step to ensure that its still cold when it hits the oven heat. Cold butter + hot oven = puffed flakey crust!

INGREDIENTS
1 recipe sweet all-butter double pie crust
4 cups (2 pints) fresh blueberries
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
3/4 cup sugar + extra for sprinkling on top (optional)
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into tiny pieces
1 egg + 1 Tbsp. water, whisked (for the egg wash)

DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare the pie crust according to recipe directions. Roll out half of the dough into a large round and place in the bottom of the pie pan. Set in the refrigerator while preparing the filling.

2. Toss the blueberries and the lemon juice in large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk to combine the lemon zest, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the blueberries and toss to coat. Transfer to the dough-lined pan. Dot with butter.

3. Roll out the second half of the dough into a large round and place on top of the filled pie. Trim the edges, leaving about 1 inch of overhang. Crimp the edges to seal. Cut several small slits in the top for steam to vent. Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes or until the dough is firm.

4. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 F. Before placing the pie in the oven brush the top with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar (optional).

5. Bake in the preheated oven for 45-60 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour before serving with vanilla ice cream.

Makes 1 9-inch round pie.

(Adapted from Sugar and Spice)

Green Chili Chicken Burgers

It's the weekend! And tomorrow is Independence Day! That means burgers and grills and dinner outdoors. I love holidays that give you an excuse to eat delicious food. (Which happens to be every holiday I can think of!) I've got a special recipe planned to try for the 4th of July this year. But you'll have to wait 'till next week to hear about it. For now, you can try this burger- a lighter alternative to beef. Ground chicken mixed with green chilies (and quite a few other green ingredients) and topped with melted Havarti, creamy avocado spread, and roasted poblano peppers. Ground chicken is very lean but the patties stay incredibly moist thanks to all the fillings. The avocado spread is hiding under the spinach in the photo, but believe me, it's there and it makes this burger fantastic! When I went to buy ground chicken the store was out. But you can easily grind your own chicken breasts with a few pulses in a food processor (or on one of those fancy Kitchen Aid attachments) if you have one. Problem solved.

INGREDIENTS
Chicken Burgers:
1 lb. ground chicken
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles, drained
1 clove garlic, minced
3 green onions, sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 tsp. Mexican oregano
dash of salt and pepper

1 poblano, roasted and thinly sliced (instructions detailed here)
1 tomato, thinly sliced
romaine or baby spinach
4 slices Havarti cheese
4 whole wheat hamburger buns

Avocado Spread:
1 avocado, pitted
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 Tbsp. sour cream
1/2 tsp. chili powder
salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine the ground chicken, green chiles, garlic, onion, jalapeno, oregano, and salt and pepper in a medium bowl and mix with your hands to incorporate. Form into four patties.

2. To prepare the avocado spread, combine the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (This step can by done by hand with a fork and spoon.)

3. Preheat outdoor grill or indoor grill pan to medium-high heat. Place the patties on the lightly oiled grate and grill until the juices run clear. Place the cheese on the burgers to melt a minute or two before they are done.

4. Spread some of the avocado mixture on each bun, and top each burger with lettuce or spinach, tomato, and roasted poblano. 

Makes 4 burgers.

(Adapted from All Recipes)