Vanilla Black Tea Rice Pilaf

I tend to go through phases...phases where I can't get enough of eating a certain dish, sipping a certain drink, or using a certain ingredient. Lately, I've had tea on the brain. But when I say tea, I mean tea as a whole (as opposed to one certain variety), so that actually opens up a whole world of possibilities.

Wild Blueberry and Thyme Breakfast Sausage | #BonneMaman #SayItWithHomemade

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bonne Maman. All opinions are my own.

Well, I think that spring has finally sprung in northwestern Indiana. There are tiny green buds on the trees and birds in all shapes and sizes are raising a ruckus outside of windows that have thrown open to air out a house desperately trying to shake off winter. Along with signs of rebirth and revitalization comes the time we celebrate and honor the women who (sometimes) birth, nurture, and raise us—otherwise known as mom!

Slow Roasted Yellow Cherry Tomatoes w/ Garlic & Marjoram

Tomatoes in March you ask? Why yes...tomatoes in March. Not something usually associated with the midwest in wintertime, I know. Well, unless you count the rows of jarred, canned, and dried tomatoes in many forms that line many a pantry. Like mine. I'm really not willing to go without tomatoes half of the year. Sure, I can be found breaking down and buying some Roma's from the market from time to time, as well.

Green Goddess Fish Burgers | #FishFridayFoodies

Yesterday I mentioned that I recently took the Healthy Heart Pledge, promising to add seafood to our menu at least two times per week. Today I'm back to share a delicious dish that fits beautifully into our new routine. This recipe is also part of this month's #FishFridayFoodies theme, chosen by yours truly since I'm hosting this month - fish and seafood burgers!

Here's the scenario: it's summer, the grill has been fired up over and over again, and more often than not, you wind up throwing some burgers over the flame. That's fine and dandy, but a girl's gotta have options. Maybe you're tired of regular burgers. Maybe you have a guest who doesn't eat red meat. Maybe you recently committed to a challenge that encourages you to use fish and seafood two times a week in new and exciting ways.

Herbes de Provence Roasted Chicken and Potatoes + an Amélie Inspired Menu

Although I can't recall the exact date (or even year) that I first watched Amélie, it seems like it's been one of my favorites for years. Originally released in 2001, this French film is about a young girl raised and schooled at home by parents who were trying to protect her since they mistakenly thought she had a heart defect. Since Amélie is without playmates, she develops a world of magic and mischief inside her head.

She loses her mother young and watches her father become more reclusive as the years go by. When she is old enough to venture out on her own, she moves to an apartment in Montmartre and works as a waitress at the Café des 2 Moulins (Two Windmills Cafe). Her wonderfully quirky apartment shows the imagination that she had a child still lives openly within her as a young adult.

Whole Roasted Duck

Aside from my love of cooking, do you want to know two things that inspire me in the kitchen? Beautiful ingredients and beautiful cookware. Today I'm sharing a recipe that is special enough to grace any holiday table, yet simple enough to prepare on any given Sunday. Plus, when it's in the oven, it fills your house with scents of warmth and comfort. I had to run to the store while it was in the oven and opening the door to the scent of this and freshly cut pine was intoxicating.

Let's start with the ingredients. I've been in the mood for duck lately. I used some duck sausage to make sausage rolls a few days ago, but I had a Maple Leaf Farms All-Natural duck raised without antibiotics just calling to me from the fridge. The duck, some sunny orange clementines and some fresh green herbs were just the ingredients that I needed to inspire me.

Savory Tomato and Zucchini Pie

It's the last Friday of the month, and you know what that means - Friday Pie Day! But really, where did July go? I blinked and somehow here we are. Summer "vacation" seemed so much longer when I was a kid. Now we're just a few weeks away from my own kids heading back for another school year.

But aside from that pending doom, what other two things can you count on when the last day of July is staring you in the face? Tomatoes and zucchini, that's what! It's funny, because I've gotten pretty lazy (busy really, but I could have carved out some time somewhere...) and haven't planted a garden in about 4 years. Yet, my kitchen is still overrun with zucchini thanks to my neighbors. And personally, I don't think one could ever have to many fresh from the backyard tomatoes.

So, I thought this would be a good time to combine the two and make one savory pie. I also added basil, another thing that just screams summer. I should have just called it Summer Pie!

Peach-Rosemary Shrub Syrup

I've been meaning to try making (and drinking) a shrub for at least 3 or 4 years now. I'm not really sure why I've waited so long, seeing as they couldn't be any easier to make. So, when you think shrub, does your mind automatically go to the bushes outside your childhood home? Or, if you're like me, a little TLC song might start playing on a constant loop in your head. (Yes, I know it's scrub, not shrub. I can't help the way my mind works.) What I'm really referring to are the shrubs that are also known as "drinking vinegars".

Basically, you macerate fresh fruit or berries with sugar until the fruit is soft and the sugar is dissolved, then you add vinegar and allow the mixture to infuse for several days. You can add fresh herbs or spices for different flavors. Once the mixture has infused, you strain out the solids and use the resulting sweet and tangy syrup to flavor things, usually drinks (though you could use it in vinaigrettes or sauces, as well).

Roast Crispy-Skin Turkey (w/ Citrus Herb Brine)

Fourteen years ago, I was in charge of the Thanksgiving turkey for the first time. I was 25 and finally ready to join the ranks of my grandmas, mom, and aunts; I was finally going to be hosting the meal that I look forward to for an entire year. I'd been training for that day my whole life by helping choose how we were going to flavor the bird when my mom hosted...by researching the pros and cons of brining...by reading up on wild vs frozen. I was a master baster. Go ahead, snicker. I was ready.

So, I set about my normal routine of figuring out how I could make the best turkey my family had ever eaten. Visions of breast meat so juicy that it garnered involuntary whimpers from the hungry mouths of my guests. Skin so burnished and crispy that I'd have to fend off sneaky fingers with the tines of my carving fork. Turkey that elicited a satisfied smile when looked back on throughout the year.

You know, a turkey that was no less than amazing—an A++++++++.....

Pull-Apart Bread w/ Cheese, Herbs, & Seeds

There's something so irresistible about bread that is pieced together like a patchwork quilt, beckoning you to pick off a hunk of golden bread and pop it into your mouth. Whether you call it pull-apart bread or monkey bread, the theory is the same. Dunking bread in a fat of some sort, and then rolling it in any sort of toppings.

In my house, we all love a sticky-sweet ring of monkey bread. We probably like it far too much. The bread that my youngest son requests the most is cinnamon-sugar pull-apart bread. One has dough balls that you can pluck off one by one, the other has dough sheets that can be peeled and enjoyed. Both are entirely irresistible.

Occasionally I'll make a savory pull-apart like I did today to fit this month's #TwelveLoaves theme, HERBS. But to make it even more fun, I wanted to use more than just herbs, so I added seeds and a couple of different kinds of cheese for interest.

Spring Panzanella Salad w/ Balsamic and Spring Herb Vinaigrette

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Pompeian. All opinions are 100% mine.

Did you know that May is both National Vinegar Month and National Salad Month? Somebody totally planned that. And that's what I call great planning. I don't know about you, but my favorite way to dress a salad is with a vinaigrette, which is exactly why I'm excited to be partnering with Pompeian to bring you a simple, yet bright and tasty vinaigrette to enjoy over what may just be the perfect spring salad. If I do say so myself.

I've mentioned in the past how my favorite salads are the "salad as a meal" type of salads. Sure, I like a little roughage to close out a satisfying meal, but salads can be so much more than that. And personally, if I'm choosing to eat a salad as my meal, I usually opt out of heavy dressings, and instead choose a simple oil and vinegar-based one instead.

So, you're probably tired of hearing about the long, grueling winter that we had this year. So am I. But, it bears mention since we are just now beginning to see some glorious green vegetables starting to grow here in my part of the country, and we're already into May. After month upon month of frozen ground and either preserved or trucked in produce, I can finally find asparagus, baby greens, and even tender herbs bursting from the earth in my own backyard (or lining the stalls of my farmers' market).

Herb Roasted Salmon w/ Veggies

If you're looking for a quick and easy, yet delicious and healthy, way to get supper on the table on a busy weeknight - look no further! This is as simple as rubbing some fish fillets with a magically scented mixture of herbs, garlic, and olive oil.

Grab a handful of veggies per person, and add it to the mix. Whether you're feeding seven people, or just yourself, you can expect to be eating in under 30 minutes time from start to finish.

This time I'm featuring salmon, but you could easily substitute another variety of fish. Plus, you'll notice that you can change up the herbs and the bed of veggies that it sits on. So really, look at this as a starting point. You could have a unique version every night of the week, if you that's what you really wanted!

Buttery Herb Pull-Apart Rolls

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Gourmet Garden Herbs & Spices. All opinions are my own.

For us, the holidays are really the only time that we get to spend time with the extended family.  I don't have a single relative that lives in the same state that I do.   The majority live in our neighboring state.  Now, we do live in a "border" city, so it's not actually as bad as it seems.  But still, it's a drive that's not always doable on a busy family schedule.

So when the holiday season does roll around, road trips are planned.  Menus are devised.  Phone calls are swapped to see who is bringing what.  I've already mentioned my "Thanksgiving plan".  It involves notebooks with headings and labels and recipes popping out every which way.  Christmas is a scaled down version of that, which usually winds up occupying a few pages at the end of said notebook.  New Year's celebrations take up even less room, as my menu usually consists of only brunch, champagne, and orange juice - plus a pot of something lucky for later in the day.

But back to the larger meal plans.  Our Thanksgiving meal has always been a sit-down.  Our Christmas meal has always been buffet-style.  New Year's is a eat-where-you-are-in-your-jammies thing.  That's just the way we're used to doing things.  And I like it.  But no matter which holiday we're celebrating, there is always bread in some shape or form on the table.  We love our bread.

Caramelized Garlic Tart {National Garlic Day}

My top three holidays: Thanksgiving, Independence Day, and National Garlic Day.  For real.   My kids even know when National Garlic Day is, because it's the first thing I write on my brand-spanking new calendar every year.  Okay, maybe it's not the first thing.  But that's only because I start in January and write things  "in order".  So, it's more like the fifth or sixth thing I write.  But it's there.

I spend a good portion of the year trying to decide what "THE" dish for that year will be.  I make plenty of garlicky things on a regular basis, but I'm always looking for something a little special for the day.  Just like I do for any other holiday.  I'm a little disappointed, because I semi-promised myself that this would be the year that I made garlic ice cream.  I think I may have even told you that last year.

Here we sit.  Ice Cream-less.  I guess I'm just going to have to make it as a treat for a non-holiday, because I absolutely cannot wait a whole 'nother year to make some.  The sad part is, I have several recipes patiently hanging out...waiting for me to try them.

But really, the lack of ice cream today has to be forgiven.  And (mostly) forgotten.  Because the tart you see here?  It deserves all of your attention.  It is a thing of glory (really, I'd sing songs about it).  There are three heads of garlic in there.  Three soft, caramelized, seductive heads of garlic.  There's also herbs.  And there's cheese.  Beautifully tangy goat cheese and creamy, nutty gouda.  I am enamored of it.

Ice cream, shmice cream.

Caramelized Garlic Tart

by Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 75 minutes (total)

Keywords: bake entree vegetarian nut-free garlic cheese herbs

Ingredients (serves 8)

• 1 sheet (half of a 17.3 oz. box) puff pastry, thawed
• 3 heads garlic, cloves separated and peeled
• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 Tbs. Balsamic vinegar
• 1 c. water
• slightly heaping 2 tsp. sugar
• 1 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme
• sea salt
• 4 oz. chèvre (soft goat cheese)
• 4 oz. gouda
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 c. + 2 1/2 tsp. heavy cream
• 1/4 c. + 2 1/2 tsp. crème fraîche
• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Set a 9.5-inch tart pan with a removable bottom on a baking sheet.

Roll out the puff pastry into a circle that will line the bottom of the pan and hang over by about 1/2-inch or so. Line the pan with the pastry. Prick the bottom a few times with the tines of a fork. Line the pastry with a circle of parchment, foil, or wax paper and fill it with pie weights (or dried beans or rice). Set in the fridge to rest for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Slide the baking tray with the tart shell on it into the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes. Lift out the liner and the weights and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the pastry turns a light, golden color. Leave the oven on.

You can start this part as soon as the pastry goes into the fridge, and continue on once it goes into the oven. Place the garlic cloves in a small saucepan and cover with water by at least an inch. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 3 minutes. Drain and wipe the pan dry. Add the olive oil to the pan along with the blanched garlic over high heat and cook for 2 minutes. Add the Balsamic and the water and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the sugar, chopped rosemary and thyme, and about 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Continue to simmer at a quick bubble until the most of the liquid has evaporated and the garlic cloves are coated in a caramely syrup, 10-15 minutes.

Crumble both cheeses (or you can shred the harder cheese, if you like) into the pastry shell. Spoon the garlic and its syrupy liquid over the cheese. Whisk the remaining ingredients together (with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper), and pour over and around the cheese and garlic, allowing the garlic and cheese to still show over the surface. You will use most of the filling, but may have a tablespoon or so that will not fit - no biggie, don't overfill the shell.

Slide into the oven, close the door, and lower the heat to 325° F. Bake for ~45 minutes, or until the filling is set and the top has started to turn golden in spots. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a bit, so that you can comfortably pick it up. Once you are able to handle it, lift the bottom from the ring and then use a long, flat spreader (or something like it) to slide the tart onto a serving plate. Garnish with a couple of fresh sprigs of thyme, if you like.

Serve warm or a room temperature. Store completely cooled tart in the fridge, wrapped tightly; reheat in a low oven until warmed through.

note:

If you don't have any crème fraîche, you can make a decent substitute by whisking about 1 1/2 teaspoons of buttermilk into 5 teaspoons of sour cream. I'm not saying it's an exact replica - but it works for me.

adapted from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi

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Want more recipes featuring garlic? Here's a few I've posted in the past:

• Roasted Garlic-Bacon Dip
• The BEST Garlic Bread in the Whole Wide World. Seriously.
• Tomato Garlic Soup w/ Cheese Tortellini (and Simple Garlic Broth)
• Sopa de Ajo
• Apple Spice Cake w/ Roasted Garlic + Honey-Poached Garlic Sauce
• Chicken w/ 40 Cloves of Garlic
• Fried Eggs on Garlicky Fried Rice w/ Chile Vinegar
• Oaxacan-Style Peanuts w/ Chile & Garlic (Cacahuates Oaxaqueños con Chile y Ajo)

And since one can never have too much garlic, here are some more GARLICKY GOOD recipes from a few of my friends:

• Pickled Garlic Cloves from Kimchi Mom
• Cioppino from Noshing with the Nolands
• Garlic Lovers Pizza from Kudos Kitchen by Renee
• Grilled Chicken Salad w/ Garlic Confit from Comfy Cook
• Chicken w/ Secret Dipping Sauce from Cookistry
• Sausage Meatballs w/ Red Gravy from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Garlic Beef Enchiladas from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Spaghetti w/ Roasted Garlic and Oil from The View from Great Island
• Stir-Fried Green Beans w/ Pork & Garlic from Stirring the Pot
• Linguine con aglio e olio d'oliva from The Cooking Actress
• Garlic Salad from Blueberries and Blessings

HAPPY NATIONAL GARLIC DAY 2013!

I am sharing this post with IHCC theme: Get Back to your Roots!

Aromatic Salt (sale aromatico)

You've gotta love having a little stash of tasty, aromatic salt hiding out in the fridge waiting to be pulled out at the last minute to add pizzazz to almost any savory dish.  You've also gotta love the word pizzazz.  Pizzazz!  Go ahead say it.  PIZZAZZ!  Fun, right?  Although once I've said it a certain number of times, it starts to come out sounding like something Gomer Pyle would say.  Pizzaayuhzz.  

But truly, if you whip up a batch of this when you have fifteen spare minutes, you'll be in for many future moments of pleasure.  Grilling a steak?  Sprinkle it with some of this aromatic salt as soon as you turn it.  Watch it melt into the warmth and smell the sweet fragrance of garlic and herbs with an undercurrent of bright lemon.  Sprinkle it on fish.  Season under the skin of a bird before you roast it.  Drizzle some new potatoes with olive oil and then give it a shower of this goodness before giving it a roast in the oven.  Toss it in hot, buttered broccoli or green beans.  Use it to flavor homemade cheese.  You name it, you'll want to include it.

You may feel a certain pull.  Something guiding you to the fridge.  And maybe you'll find yourself opening up the container holding your booty and then reaching in to take a little pinch.  Pungent, spicy, lemony, herby salt.  It's like that.

---------------------------------

Aromatic Salt

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: n/a

Keywords: condiment herbs salt

Ingredients (~6¾ oz.)

• ~2 oz. thyme (or rosemary) sprigs
• ~1¾ oz. sage sprigs
• 2-4 small dried red chiles
• 2 bay leaves
• zest of 1 lemon
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• ¼ oz. black peppercorns
• 9 oz. salt (kosher, coarse or flake sea salt, or a mix)

Instructions

Pull the thyme (or rosemary) sprigs from the stems...or leave the thyme on the stems if they are soft. Pull the sage leaves from the stems. Place both in a food processor (I use a small one left over from when my babies were actually babies and I made baby food) along with the bay leaves, chiles, lemon zest, and garlic. Pulse-chop until everything is in tiny pieces.

Transfer to an airtight container with a lid. Grind the peppercorns and stir them into the mixture along with the salt. Mix thoroughly and keep in the refrigerator.

note:

If you like heat, add all of the dried chiles, seeds and all. If you aren't sure, start with two. Cut a slit in the side and shake out most of the seeds before adding to the processor. You can always grind up more if you decide you want it spicier.

adapted from Twelve by Tessa Kiros

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I am sharing this post with:
IHCC theme: Some Like it Hot-And Spicy!

Bacon-Wrapped Cod w/ Rosemary and Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

I've been going through a major rosemary phase lately.  I mean, I've always loved rosemary...just like I love pretty much any herb...but I always wind up getting a crush on one particular herb for a certain period of time.   When that happens, I just can't get enough of it.  Right now, rosemary is the object of my affection.  Maybe it's all the talk of Tuscany lately.  Of course, I've been talking of Tuscany for years, so maybe not.  But something triggered it, and I believe I'll just enjoy this crush while it lasts and stop over-analyzing.  I've been trying to eat more consciously lately.  I want to add more fish and seafood back into my diet.  Our diets.  The difficulty in that is the lack of seafood-lovers (or even toleraters) in my  house.  While everybody is pretty open and willing to try most things around here...I get shot down at fish constantly.  I happen to love it.  I blame it on the fact that we are nowhere near the ocean.  If we lived near the ocean, they would smell the sea and taste the sea and they'd be begging me to bring it to their plates.  However, we do live close enough to some great lakes that you'd think at least trout or bluegill would be accepted willingly.  And you know, it might.  I just realize that I'm a horrible mom who never takes her kids fishing.  Okay, I didn't just realize...but I did just put it in writing.  I mean...I fished as a kid.  I caught crazy turtles and snakes and got chased around my grandma's farm by my cousin with a still-moving fish head on the end of a stick.  Why, oh why haven't I given my children the same opportunity?  Because I don't have any fishing poles.  Or a fishing license.  Or a hubs who enjoys fishing.  Aaahhh...  Anyway, my actual point being that I'm trying slowly but surely to introduce new (to the fam) types of fish and seafood into our diet.  When I can find good, fresh fish or seafood...it's going to make its way onto our plates and into our bellies.  What better way to start than to wrap in something everybody loves?  I mean, we all know that bacon makes everything better.  I found a great bacon-wrapped Cod recipe from Jamie's Food Revolution that worked wonders.  Simple, delicious, full of gorgeous flavors...and when I paired it with some beautiful potatoes...the response was "mmmmpppfff...nnnommm...chewwww...rrrmmmppphh..." {<----- my lame attempt at happy eating noises}.

Bacon-Wrapped Cod w/ Rosemary
and Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

1 chunky cod filet, per person (~7 oz., skin on or off)
3 slices bacon*, per person
2 sprigs rosemary, per person + extra for potatoes
olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
small handful Fingerling potatoes (any variety), per person

Preheat oven to 475° F.  Line a large sheet tray with foil or parchment.

preparing fingerlings:  Slice any thicker potatoes in half, lengthwise.  Bring a pot of salted water to a boil with potatoes.  Let bubble gently for ~5 minutes.  You want them to just start getting tender.  They will finish cooking in the oven and get some nice, golden edges, as well.  Drain and set aside while preparing cod.

preparing cod: Pick leaves from one of the stems of rosemary for each person, then chop them up fairly finely.  Sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper over the rosemary, then drizzle it all with olive oil and mix it up with your fingers.  Roll each piece of cod in the mixture until they're coated all around with the mixture.  Set aside.

Lay three slices of bacon down next to each other, slightly overlapping and then place a slice of cod on top (skin side up) and wrap the bacon around, leaving the "seam" on the bottom or bottom edge.  Place on prepared sheet pan.  Repeat with all of the cod and bacon.  Set the second (still whole) sprig of rosemary for each serving on the top of the bacon-wrapped fish and drizzle a bit more olive oil over each.  Try to keep all of your fish on one side of the sheet pan, if there's enough room to still leave a little space between each.

both:  Transfer the slightly cooled potatoes to the other half of the prepared sheet tray.  Drizzle with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper...and chop a little extra rosemary and throw that on, too.  Toss them around with your fingers a bit, then slide the whole tray into the oven.  If you have too many servings to put both on the same tray, then use two trays.

Slide the tray(s) into the oven and cook for ~10-12 minutes, until the fish is cooked all the way through and the bacon and potatoes are golden with bits of crisp edges.

Serve one bacon-wrapped piece of cod per person with the fingerlings divided amongst each plate.

*You may want to cook your bacon about halfway through before doing this step.  If your bacon is particularly thick, it may not get done by the time the fish is ready...and there's not much worse than over-cooked fish.  If you decide to do this, you could use the rendered fat to toss the potatoes with just before they go into the oven, in place of the olive oil.

Our theme at IHCC this week is Mad About Herbs!

*I am also sharing this post with:

Herbed Cheese Polenta

Giada and I were at peace in the kitchen this week.  We both had a lot on our plates and were busied with other things, so when she suggested making "the Italian version of mashed potatoes"...I didn't have any qualms with that.  Any version of polenta...cornmeal mush...corn pone...is hearty and filling and comforting, rib-sticking goodness to me. So, I made a big bowl of comfort food to bring to the IHCC Potluck this week.  Wonder if anybody brought any rich, roasted meat to go along with it...like the succulent juices of oxtail stew...drool...?

Herbed Cheese Polenta
slightly adapted from Giada's Family Dinners
yield: 8-10 svgs.

9 c. water
1 Tbs. salt
2½ c. yellow cornmeal or polenta
1½ c. finely grated parmesan cheese
1½ c. whole milk
10 Tbs. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

~½ c. chopped mixed herbs...I used flat leaf parsley, fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, fresh chives

¾ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Bring water to a boil in large, heavy pot.  Add salt. Gradually whisk in cornmeal.  Reduce heat to low, stirring often, until mixture thickens and cornmeal is tender, ~15 mins.  Remove from heat, add cheese, milk, butter, herbs and pepper.  Stir until butter and cheese melt.  Serve.

For those of you who were anticipating a cat fight in the kitchen this week...sorry to disappoint ;) 

Check back, though...Giada and I still have plenty of time together.  Ha!

*This post is linked to:

Olive Oil Cookies with Red Wine and Rosemary ...farewell food

Well, the time has come to say farewell to Bitty...sort of.  Over at IHCC, where we cook from one cook/chef for a six month time period, this is the last week of our Bittman months.  I know that I won't stop cooking and learning from him "in general", just won't be making a point of a weekly post.  So, to say tootles to one of my favorite guys, I baked him some cookies.  Some of his own cookies.  Does that seem backwards, somehow?  Nah... it's a tribute, right?  Some farewell food.  I thought they would be the perfect send-off...since they contain rosemary...for remembrance and red wine...for forgetance.  I'll miss having you in my life as much, Bitty...don't be a stranger.

Olive Oil Cookies w/ Red Wine and Rosemary

from The Minimalist Entertains by Mark Bittman

yield: ~4 dozen cookies

2½ c. ap flour

½ tsp. baking powder

pinch salt

1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. minced fresh rosemary leaves

¾ c. sugar

2 eggs

 ½ c. olive oil

 ¾ c. red wine, or a little more

Preheat oven to 375° F.  Combine the dry ingredients.  Beat the eggs w/ the olive oil and wine.  Use a rubber spatula to stir the liquid mix into th edry one, just until well combined; if the mixture is stiff, add a little more wine.

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto a lightly oiled cookie sheet and bake until browned, 12-15 minutes.  Cool for a couple of minutes, then remove to a rack to cool further. Store in a covered container for up to 3 days.

Starting next week, we'll be welcoming Giada DeLaurentiis to IHCC, so please join us if you like her.  Or don't like her.  Or are just interested in making up your mind.

***Attention Bittman devotees...all hope is not lost!  If you are still wanting a place to connect with other like-minded bloggers, my friend Alex of A Moderate Life is going to be opening up her Tackling Bittman project and sharing it with everybody!  Starting the first week in November, she'll be putting up a monthly linky for you to share what you've cooked with Bittman each month!!  Check out her past Tackling Bittman posts for more ideas...and don't let any dust gather on your Bittman books!***

*This post is linked to:


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