Honey Thyme Butter | Salty, Bitter, Sweet

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Welcome to my TLC Book Tours stop for Salty, Bitter, Sweet by Mayra Cuevas. Okay, I'll start by saying that overall, I enjoyed this read. Our main character Isa(bella) lives to cook and bake, and is currently living with her papi and stepmother in France, making her way through an exclusive apprenticeship competition course throughout the book.

She mentions and creates tons of food throughout the entire story, making me both hungry and eager to head into the kitchen; both of which are always bonus points in my book. Just a handful of the food mentioned: apple clafoutis, soffrito, chicken legs in wine-butter sauce, lemon tarts, pie, Tagliatelle, mushrooms, white truffles, aged cheese, Jacques Torres' Chocolate Chip Cookies, bacon cheeseburger, guava and cheese.

Honeyed Chicken | Game of Thrones

In honor of the Game of Thrones season 7 premiere this coming Sunday, Evelyne of CulturEatz and I have joined forces to bring you a week's worth of GoT-inspired recipes! Each day one of us will post a new recipe (so, 3 recipes each), but on premiere day we will both share a recipe based on a fun theme within Game of Thrones—Oysters, Clams, and Cockles!

Honey Orange Spice Blend | #DominoHoneyGranules

Thank you Domino® Honey Granules for sponsoring this post. Visit your local retailer to pick up your own package and start sprinkling sweetness today!

January and February are usually my default down time when it comes to menu planning. After three fast and furious months of holiday inspired food, those couple of months are a welcome relief. But once the snow has melted and green starts to replace brown, and birds are chirping and tease outside my window, the itch returns. Those signs of rebirth signal not only the start of spring, but the return of the get-together. And that means menu planning!

While the first day of spring and St. Paddy's Day are both reason enough to celebrate, Easter plans usually wind up taking center stage. This is probably because it's really the first extended family get together of the new year. For as long as I can remember, we've eaten ham on Easter. Where our fall and winter holiday menus tend to be extensive, the ideas of a new beginning and spring cleaning seem to prevail this time of year.

Cranberry Yogurt Custard Pie with Nutty-Oat Crust

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Greek Gods® Yogurt. All opinions are my own.

Do I need to tell you how much I adore pie? If you've visited me before, probably not. But just in case this is your first time here, I have something to tell you. PIE IS MY JAM! When forced to choose between pie and cake, I'll choose pie every time. I love it so much that I devote the last Friday of each month to it. And, when it came time for me to put on my big girl panties and start contributing to our Thanksgiving (extended) family meal, I brought homemade pie.

Now that we're clear on my feelings for pie, you'll understand why I immediately jumped at the chance at partnering with The Greek Gods brand Greek-Style Yogurt to make a Thanksgiving-inspired pie featuring their yogurt. That and the fact that you can find a carton of their Honey Greek Yogurt in my fridge at all times.

One of my favorite things to eat when I want a lighter breakfast option, or even a midday snack, is a serving of the honey Greek yogurt with fresh fruit and granola. I've tried all sorts of combinations—my favorite being peaches so ripe they drip down your arms when you try to slice them and honey almond granola. But since I don't think peaches when I think Thanksgiving, that combo was out (but you can bet I'll be making a peach version of this pie next summer).

Initially it was a toss-up between spiced apples and a variation on a pumpkin pie, but since those are both regulars in our holiday dessert spread already, I decided to go with cranberries instead. I am so glad that I did. By first tossing the cranberries with some honey and vanilla, it "tames the tart" a wee bit, plus the honey accents the honey Greek yogurt in the creamy custard that the cranberries wind up suspended in after baking.

As a nod to that breakfast I enjoy, I made the crust from the same main ingredients that go into granola—oats and nuts. The results? A festive pie that has earned its spot on our Thanksgiving menu this year...and probably every menu in the future!

The Greek Gods® brand Greek-Style Yogurt and Kefir are gluten-free and contain live and active cultures. Plus, The Greek Gods® brand Greek-Style Yogurt and Kefir are made with milk from cows that are not treated with growth hormones.

Interested in learning more? Connect with The Greek Gods Yogurt: website | facebook | twitter | instagram | pinterest

Cranberry Yogurt Custard Pie with Nutty-Oat Crust

Roasted cranberries suspended in a sweet Greek yogurt custard make up the filling of this pie with a nutty-oat crust that is perfect for the holidays.

by Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez

Prep Time: 90 minutes

Cook Time: 45-50 minutes

Keywords: bake dessert soy-free vegetarian cranberries yogurt honey Christmas Thanksgiving pie American fall winter

Ingredients (8 to 12)

for the cranberries:

• 2 cups whole cranberries
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped (use pod for something else)
• pinch of fine sea salt

for the crust:

• 2 cups toasted nuts (any one or a combination)
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• pinch of fine sea salt

for the yogurt custard:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup (6 ounces) The Greek Gods Honey Greek Yogurt
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• whipped cream (as much as you like), to serve

Instructions

make the cranberries:

Preheat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Toss all of the ingredients for the cranberries together in a medium bowl. Lay them out on the prepared baking sheet. Slide into preheated oven and roast until the cranberries begin to pop and release their juices, 8-10 minutes. Cool completely.

make the crust:

Combine nuts, oats, butter, sugar, and salt in a food processor and process until finely ground, ~3 minutes. Dump into the bottom of a 9.5-inch pie plate and press into the bottom and up the sides. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Clean the bowl of the food processor for later use.

Preheat oven to 350° F. Set plate on a baking sheet and bake until golden, 20-25 minutes. Let cool completely.

make the yogurt custard and finish the pie:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Scrape the cooled cranberries into the bottom of the crust and spread evenly.

Combine sugar, milk, yogurt, eggs, flour, cornstarch, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of the food processor and process until smooth. Pour into the crust over the cranberries.

Set the pie on a baking sheet, then slide into preheated oven and bake until the filling is set, 45-50 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack. Store cooled pie, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Serve cold or at room temperature with a big pile of whipped cream on the top.

Have you ever used Greek yogurt in a pie? If so, was it in the filling or the crust (or both)? I'd love to hear how you'd use Greek Yogurt to transform a favorite Thanksgiving pie this holiday season...and so would The Greek Gods Yogurt! Enter your favorite pie recipe using Greek Gods Greek-Style Yogurt in their Fall Pie Recipe Contest for a chance at winning some great prizes.

Salted Honey Pie for Pi(e) Day!

I've always been a pie kind of girl. When asked the question "pie or cake?"—I choose pie every time. But I've talked about this before, so I won't bore  you if you've already read about my lifetime love of pie. With me making such a strong declaration over and over, you'd think I'd have more pie recipes on my blog. I'm going to work on that.

My goal is to share at least one pie recipe per month for the rest of the year, and what better day to start than National Pi(e) Day? This year, pi day happens to be incredibly special in the coolest, nerdiest of ways (if you don't know why, scroll down the last part of this post to find out).  I think warm pie with a scoop of ice cream and a mug of coffee is definitely something that should be enjoyed on a monthly basis.

I'd give anything to have an old theater in town that showed old Kung Fu movies. Then I could watch one (seriously, Kung Fu movies are another favorite of mine) and go get pie and talk about it afterwards. I'm like Alabama that way.

Waldorf Salad inspired by Pieces of April | #FoodnFlix

I find it hard to take a person seriously when they don't admit to some dysfunction somewhere in their family. Rainbows and lollipops do not always abound when the family comes together, not even on Thanksgiving. This month's Food 'n Flix pick Pieces of April, as chosen by our host Deb from Kahakai Kitchen, brings some of that dysfunction to the screen.

Far from a poster-child for exemplary behavior in the past, April is now a young adult coming into her own. She invites her mostly estranged suburban-dwelling family to her Lower East Side apartment for Thanksgiving dinner, with a nervous hope that their cold demeanor will start to warm up a bit.

It turns out that April's mother Joy is in the final stages of cancer, and this may be her final Thanksgiving. With mood swings that range from sweet and blissful to downright nasty, Joy is not a very lovable character. I found myself thinking "what a bitch" in my head so many times throughout the movie, which I found disconcerting, since she is dying...and it's sad and understandable. Sort of. I don't understand not being able to remember even one happy memory of your own daughter. As much as I enjoyed Katie Holmes as April in this film, it was Patricia Clarkson as her mom that stole the show. Of course, because Clarkson is flipping brilliant (for lack of a more eloquent term).

Balsamic-Honey-Fig Roasted Butternut Squash {12 Weeks of Winter Squash}

When this post goes live, I will be in the air somewhere between Chicago and New York City. This makes me happy for oh-so-many reasons. One of them being that while I'm in New York, I'll be meeting one of my long-time blogging friends, and 12 Weeks of Winter Squash co-host Joanne, in person! Can. Not. Wait.

But that being said - this week is the FINAL week of this round of the 12 Weeks of Winter Squash. What at first seemed like weeks of endless possibilities, flew by in rapid fashion! I used tons more pumpkin this year than I did last year, but that seemed to come at the cost of sacrificing some of the usual spaghetti squash and butternut squash that I love the most. Seriously, I blinked and week 12 was here.

If you've been following along with my posts, you probably know that I semi-swore that I was going to use that darn Blue Hubbard squash that's taken up residence in my kitchen this week. What you probably didn't know was that I totally had my fingers crossed behind my back. That thing is glaring at my from the kitchen table as I type. It's mocking me, really. But don't worry, I'll teach it a thing or two before long. I think.

Creamy Kabocha Squash Soup w/ Toasted Walnuts, Honey, & Truffle Oil {12 Weeks of Winter Squash}

I've mentioned before that I am not a huge fan of veggie puree-style soups.  At risk of offending, they remind me of baby food.  Every single time.  Without fail.  I always find myself adding "just a little bit more" liquid when I try making one.  In other words, if I can see the ripples of the puree piled on itself in the bowl, it's not soup.  It's more like applesauce.  Or squashsauce.  Or carrotsauce.  Or what-have-you-sauce.

You might remember this beautifully brothy Buttercup Squash Soup I made last January.  Compared to that soup, this stuff is thick.  But that is neither here nor there, because other than the fact that both soups contain winter squash, they're pretty much nothing alike.  Oh wait, they also both have nuts... that one almonds, this one walnuts.  But other than that, no resemblance.

For some reason, I feel the urge to clarify that I don't dislike thick soups... I'm huge fan of chowders and bisques and stews and chilis.  And even beautiful creamy pureed soups like this one.   It's just those darn glumpy purees that scream baby food that I tend to raise my nose at.

Anyhoo, this soup features kabocha squash, which once roasted, is creamy and sweet.  The richness of cream lends a silkiness that almost makes each bite feel naughty.  The miniscule drizzles of honey and truffle oil on top volley for your attention... sweet or musky, sweet or musky.  And then there is those earthy, oily, toasted walnuts that lend crunch to each spoonful.

It's pretty fabulous.

Creamy Kabocha Squash Soup w/ Toasted Walnuts, Honey, & Truffle Oil

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

Cook Time: ~1 hour (mostly unattended)

Keywords: soup/stew squash truffle oil nuts American fall winter

Ingredients (~7 c.)

• 1 Kabocha squash
• olive oil
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• ~4 c. chicken stock
• 1 c. heavy cream
• chopped, toasted walnuts
• honey
• white truffle oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil. Cut Kabocha in half from top to bottom and scoop out the seeds.

Drizzle squash with a little olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Set, cut side down, on prepared tray. Slide into preheated oven and roast until tender, ~45 minutes. Remove from oven and when cool enough to handle, scoop the tender flesh out of the skin (you should get ~24 oz.).

Combine roasted squash with chicken stock in a medium-sized pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for ~10 minutes. Puree until smooth with an immersion blender (or do this carefully in a regular blender). Whisk in the heavy cream and heat until it is just about to bubble, then turn off the stove.

Taste and season with salt and pepper, if necessary. Ladle into warm bowls or mugs and garnish each serving with a couple of tablespoons of toasted walnuts, a long drizzle of honey, and several drops of white truffle oil.

Enjoy!

Powered by Recipage

This is already week 11 of our 12 Weeks of Winter Squash! Head on over to check out what my co-host Joanne made today...and then please share your winter squash posts with us below.

---

1. Pomegranate-Glazed Eggplant, Tempeh, and Squash	2. Creamy Kabocha Soup w/ Walnuts, Honey, Truffle Oil	3. Butternut Squash and Apple Soup	4. Butternut Squash Flatbread	5. Raw Beet and Butternut Slaw	6. Butternut Squash and Quinio Salad with Honey Balsm	7. Parmesan Roasted Squash
8. Kabocha squash and coconut pudding

I am sharing this post with:
FOTMC: Soup

Fingerling Potato Salad with Honey-Thyme Vinaigrette

It's that time of year again...PICNIC TIME!  That's right, June 18th is National Picnic Day and every June for the past three years I've celebrated with Louise from Months of Edible Celebrations and everybody else who contributes to the giant picnic basket in the online picnic game.  There's something so intriguing about a picnic.  Food tucked away in crinkly wrappers and firm-sided containers...silverware and plates that run from plastic to bamboo to silver...bottles of wine and a corkscrew with some plastic stemware or sturdy plastic cups...linen napkins or papertowels...all snuggled in a cooler or a romantic basket.  Picnics can be as simple and no-fuss as sandwiches, fresh cut fruit and veggies, potato chips, cookies and cold, bottled water.  Or they can be as luxurious and sexy as smoked salmon with cream cheese spread, red onions and capers atop homemade crackers, fresh fruit gallettes, and a bottle of wine.  I think that is part of the fun...part of the surprise!  The fantastic thing about an online picnic is the variety of food that is in the basket, all contributed by a different person from the letter A to the letter Z.

One of my favorite picnic foods is potato salad.  I love it because you can dress it up or dress it down.  Soak it in a tangy vinaigrette of fold it into a creamy mayonnaise.  It can be mild and unassuming or zest and in-your-face.  You could probably make a different type of potato salad for every person in the world.  This is my current favorite.  I love potatoes and fresh green beans together...and I love using baby potatoes or fingerlings in a variety of colors (it adds to the fun).  The vinaigrette alone is a fantastic dressing not only for the potato salad, but also for spinach salads or other dishes in place of a plainer vinaigrette.  Enjoy...and let the picnic games begin!

Fingerling Potato Salad w/ Honey-Thyme Vinaigrette
adapted from Midwest Living June '11
serves ~8

salad ingredients:
1½ lbs. Fingerling Potatoes
sea salt or kosher salt
8 oz. fresh green beans, ends snapped
1 smallish red onion, sliced paper thin
1 lb. bacon
~2 oz. Feta cheese

honey-thyme vinaigrette:
¼ c. cider vinegar
1 shallot, peeled
2 Tbs. honey
1 Tbs. fresh thyme leaves
1½ tsp. Dijon mustard
½ c. canola or vegetable oil
sea salt or kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

make the Honey-Thyme Vinaigrette:
Combine cider vinegar, shallot, honey, thyme leaves, and Dijon in the jar of a blender and process until smooth.  Throw in a couple pinches of salt and a few good grinds of pepper.  With blender running, slowly pour in oil in a steady stream until thick and glorious.  Set aside. (yield: ~1 c.)

prepping potato salad ingredients:
Place scrubbed potatoes in a large pot with water to cover by at least an inch.  Add about a teaspoon or so salt and bring to a boil.  Turn heat to a simmer and let cook ~8-10 minutes, or until just tender.  Drain and then spread the potatoes out on a sheet tray to cool until you are able to handle them.

Bring about a quart of salted water to a boil and add the green beans.  Let cook ~3 minutes, or until just al dente.  Quickly drain and shock the beans in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process and hold in the bright color (no army green-beans here...).  Once they are cooled, drain beans for a few minutes.

By now the potatoes should be cool enough to handle.  I do prefer them to still be slightly warm, though.  This helps them soak up the vinaigrette.  Slice them in half lengthwise.  Add the potatoes to a large bowl with the green beans and red onion, then toss everything with about half of the vinaigrette.

Cover the bowl and store in the refrigerator* until ready to use.  In the meantime, I like to put the bacon in the freezer for ~½ hour, then take it out and slice it crosswise into ¼-½" strips.  Add the strips to a frying pan, pulling them apart from each other as you do a bit, with your fingers.  Cook gently, continuing to break the bits apart with your spoon, until just done.  Remove to a paper towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon.  Once cool, store in a baggy or container at room temperature until ready to serve.  (Reserve bacon grease for another use.)

putting it all together:
When you are ready to serve your potato salad, toss everything in the bowl around again.  If you would like to add more of the vinaigrette, do that at this time (if not, reserve the remainder for another use).  Toss in the reserved bacon and crumble in the Feta and serve.

*I also like to eat this salad warm.  If you would like to do that, then have the bacon ready at the same time as your potatoes and green beans, then simply toss everything together and serve.

I'm going on a picnic and I'm bringing...*
Apricot Cobbler
Banana Cream Pie
Cherry Bars in a Jar
Diva Doggie Bites
Emeril's Strawberry Lemonade
FINGERLING POTATO SALAD W/ HONEY-THYME VINAIGRETTE




I am sharing this post with:

The Picnic Game @ Months of Edible Celebrations

 Tasty Tuesday at Naptime Creations

Mizithra, Crackers, & Habañero Honey

If you've been hanging around for a while, you know my penchant for a meal of cheese, bread, wine...perhaps some fruit and/or salume thrown in.  Well, I went for a little spin on that this time.  I made some Mizithra cheese and was wondering what to do with it...so as usual, I started out by just eating it.  Straight up.  And some people may think me strange, but I loved the straight-up, creamy, milky taste of Mizithra.  I mean, solid milk?  Nice.  There was just something so pure about it.  A big hunk of dreamy dairy...that just makes my day.  I knew I wanted to eat up a few of the little  hand pears that my mom sent home with us a few days prior...and I wanted to drizzle them with some mind-blowing habañero honey...but I didn't have any bread...or the time to bake any.  I wanted to eat "now"!  So, I decided to go with the quicker option and bake some crackers.  Good in a pinch...but fresh, warm, crusty bread they are not.  Still tasty, though.

Greek Island Mizithra
adapted from 200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes

3 quarts whole milk
1 Tbs. kosher salt
½ tsp. liquid rennet

Sterilize all equipment.
In a large stainless steel pot, heat milk gently to 90°F, stirring gently to prevent scorching.
Remove from heat and stir in salt.

Dilute rennet in ¼ cup cool water. Add to milk and, using an up-and-down motion, draw rennet down into milk until well blended. Cover and set aside at room temperature for 30 - 60 minutes, or until a firm curd has formed.

Using a whisk, gently break up curd, stirring until curd pieces are approximately ½" in size. Let stand for 2-3 minutes.

Gently pour curd into a cloth-lined colander and let drain for 1 hour. Scrape cheese into center of cloth. Gather the four corners of the cloth together and tie to create a bag. Hang the bag and let drain over a bowl or the sink for another 5 hours at room temperature. Place a colander in a bowl; place bag in the colander and let drain in the refirgerator for another 12 hours. Twist the cloth tighter from time to time to aid draining.  Instead of hanging the bag, I pressed the curd into a cheese mold at this point, added a big of weight to press it, and put it in the fridge for 2 days.

Remove cheese from cloth or mold and place in a bowl or onto a plate. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

The crackers and the cheese weren't the best "together", but separately they were just awesome.  I'm thinking thin, crisp crackers would've complimented the cheese better...

Mostly Whole Wheat Crackers

slightly adapted from The Food Matters Cookbook by Mark Bittman

yield: ~15 large rectangular crackers (double that for squares...or even more if you roll it thinner)

¼ c. all purpose flour, plus a bit more as needed

¾ c. whole wheat flour

½ tsp. sea salt

2 Tbs. butter

2 Tbs. olive oil  garlic & thyme-infused olive oil

Hawaiian Red Sea Salt, pepper, freshly grated parmesan, sesame seeds, or whatever you else you like for sprinkling on top

Heat the oven to 400° F.  Line a baking sheet w/ parchment paper.  Put the flours, salt, butter, and oil in a food processor and pulse until combined.  Add  ¼ c. water and let the machine run for a bit; continue to add more water 1 tsp. at a time until mixture holds together, but is not sticky.

Dust a work surface with a bit of the extra ap flour and roll out the dough ~ ¼" thick, or even thinner, adding flour as needed.  Drape the sheet of dough over the rolling pin to transfer it to the prepared baking sheet.  Score the top lightly with a sharp knife, pizza cutter, or pastry wheel if you want to break the crackers into squares or rectangles later on.  I also added some decorative fork-tine pocks.  Sprinkle w/ optional toppings.

Bake until lightly browned, 10-15 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack.  Serve warm or at room temperature or store in a tin for a few days.

These are fantastic and buttery and very reminiscent of shortbread.  Compare to a "Club"-type cracker.  Only way better.  Way.

Habañero Honey
inspired by my pal Butter from Hunger and Thirst

Okay, not really rocket science...

Cut up a bunch of fresh, fruity, fiery habañeros...with gloves, unless you're trying to punish yourself.

Put them all into a jar.  Pour honey over to cover.  Let sit in the sun.   Or slightly warm the honey before pouring over.  Either way.  You choose.

Use at your own risk.  It's so deceptively hot.  I constantly stick my finger in for a lick...and am amazed at how hot it is.  Each time.  I'll be roasting a pork loin in some later on in the week...can't wait!!!

The soft, sweet flesh of the hand pear was the perfect cooling agent in this combo.  With a cracking of some fresh black pepper...I was happy with my impromptu lunch!

*This post is linked to: