goat cheese phyllo tarts

I love goat cheese and I really love it sprinkled over the salads I bring to work. So I added it to the grocery list when the husband went to the store.

I didn't specify how much goat cheese to buy, so the husband came back with a 10 oz loaf. I don't want to look at the receipt to know how much 10 oz of goat cheese was, but I did know that it was more than enough that I could get through before it went bad.

Rather than make copious goat cheese salads, I went the opposite direction, and made goat cheese tarts.

First off, I'm someone who always makes their own crust, always. But time is precious, and even more so recently, so to save my sanity, I bought store-bought phyllo crust. Pretty good, and it makes this recipe really easy (yet they look super fancy).

goat cheese phyllo tarts

4 oz of goat cheese
1 egg
2 tbs of honey or maple syrup
1 package of phyllo tarts
toppings-- I used fresh raspberries.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

With a mixer, blend goat cheese until creamy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add egg and honey and continue to beat for another minute or two until frothy.

Pour goat cheese mixture into each phyllo tart, filling each one to the brim.

Bake in oven for 10 minutes, or until filling has puffed and is golden in color.

Remove from heat and top with a raspberry, or other topping of your choice.

Feel really accomplished for making something that looks so fancy in about 20 minutes.

xo, erika

strawberry-rhubarb mini pies

I have a enormous rhubarb plant in my yard. The thing grows nearly out of control. It sits on the edge of my driveway and I pretty much ignore it. My mother-in-law gave it to me, and I stuck it in its spot just to stick it somewhere.

Now, a few years later, I have rhubarb and then some, and it's always a weekend activity to try and come up with a way to use it.

this weekend's activity: strawberry-rhubarb mini pies,  just because everything, especially pies, are cuter in miniature size!

crust: (makes crust for 12 mini pies)
1 cup flour
3 to 5 tbs. ice water
1/3 C. chilled butter, diced
1 tsp salt (optional)

In large mixing bowl, whisk flour and salt together. Add shortening and mix with pastry blender till it looks like course crumbs. Add ice water a few tablespoons at a time mixing with a fork till dough starts to clean the sides of the bowl and pull into a ball. Place it in a sandwich bags and refrigerate for at least an hour. (You can refrigerate this longer, but it can get tough if you leave it in there overnight.)

Sprinkle your work surface and rolling pin with flour (and have flour on hand.) Roll out 1 bag of dough to about 1/4 of an inch thick slowly and gently. Do not overwork the dough-- it will make it unhappy.

filling:
2 cups diced rhubarb stalks
1 cup strawberries
1 cup sugar
3 tbs flour
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp lemon juice

Mix filling ingredients, set aside.

Once the dough is rolled out, use a measuring cup -- I used the "1 cup" size -- to mark circles. Place each circle in a muffin tin, and carefully spoon two heaping spoonfuls into each tin. Be careful not to overfill!

If you have remaining dough, you can cut little strips to do a lattice work over the pie filling.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, or until the tops are golden and the filling is bubbling.

Remove from oven, let sit for 5 minutes, but don't wait until too long to remove your little pies-- hardened rhubarb filling can make them hard to remove!

enjoy!

xo, erika

fish tacos and lime slaw

It's not quite summer, but after a winter of stews and roasted veggies, I am ready for some summer food.

For two days, Seattle was fully on team spring with balmy temps and cloudless skies. Now we're back to typical, moody April weather but during those few perfect days, I decided to eat like it was summer.

One of my favorite summer meals? Fish tacos with a light, lime slaw. (And I know limes are really pricey right now, but I couldn't resist.)

Fish tacos:
1-2 lbs of white fish (serving size is about 6 oz per person)
1/2 head of cabbage shredded or 1/2 bag of pre-shredded coleslaw mix
1 lime
1/4 cup of plain yogurt
1 tsp cumin
salt and peper to taste
handful of cilantro leaves, chopped
corn tacos, heated
optional toppings: avocado, hot sauce

Rub white fish with cumin and barbecue or pan cook. (Nervous about cooking fish? This article is helpful.)
Meanwhile, whisk together juice of one lime, yogurt.
Toss with cabbage and cilantro.
Top each corn taco with fish, slaw, and avocado and hot sauce.

Easy, delicious, almost summer meal. June, you're coming soon, right?

xo, erika

squash kale pecan and apple salad

I love all squash, but my favorite is delicata squash. I love the slightly sweet taste, the green stripes on its exterior, but even more so, you don't have to peel delicata, and that in my book is a major win.

The best way to prepare delicata is to roast it and you can serve it on its own, but I love it over a warm salad.

squash, kale, pecan and apple salad
ingredients
2 delicata squash
1 bunch kale
1/2 cup pecans
1 apple, cored and diced
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
1 tbs balsalmic vinegar
1 tsp honey
salt and pepper to taste



To roast the squash:
Wash outside of squash vigorously.
Cut in half, lengthwise and remove the seeds and pulp.
Slice the delicata in thin, half-moon shapes.
Toss with 1/4 cup olive oil and place on a cookie sheet
Roast at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, then flip and roast another 15 minutes or until soft

Meanwhile, heat remaining olive oil in a pan. Add diced apples, pecans and cook on medium low until apple is slightly soft and pecan is fragrant.

Tear kale into bite size pieces and add to the pan, cooking just until the color changes to a deeper green.


Whisk honey, balsamic and a sprinkling of salt and pepper in a small bowl.


Combine squash, kale, pecans and apple. Drizzle with the balsamic dressing. Eat immediately!

xo, erika

a hungarian feast

When I got my produce delivery box this week (I get it through a local service that sources a variety of local farms), there was an enormous cabbage in it. I wasn't quite sure what to do with it and was searching Pinterest for receipes until it dawned on me: Cabbage rolls.

One of my dearest friends is part Hungarian and makes the same cabbage rolls and goulash that her great-grandmother would make. Obviously, with a giant cabbage, it was an excuse to put together a Hungarian feast.

What made it even better is that my friend is currently house sitting in a gorgeous home that has an incredible kitchen-- we're taking a Viking range and two ovens. So obviously, the Hungarian feast prep had to happen over there, versus my tiny (yet functional and well-loved) kitchen.

 

Great-Grandma Kovacs' Cabbage Rolls
1 head of cabbage
2 tbs white vinegar
1 lb ground pork
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp salt
3 tsp pepper
3 tsp paprika
1/2 cup white rice
6 oz of tomato sauce
1 can sauerkraut

Bring a large pot of water with 2 tbs of vinegar and a pinch of salt to boil
Rinse cabbage and cut out core.
Once water is boiling, drop cabbage in and cook for a minimum of a half hour, until leaves are soft. (could be up to 45 minutes)
In a large bowl, combine pork through white rice.
Take a leaf of cabbage, chop of the hard end, and place a spoonful of the pork mixture at the end.
Roll the leaf up, like a burrito, tucking in each side.

In a large pot, cover the bottom with the can of sauerkraut. If you have left over cabbage, put this in the bottom of the pot as well.
Place each cabbage roll carefully in the pot, folded over-side down.
Pour tomato sauce over the cabbage rolls.
Pout in water, just to cover the rolls.
Cook on medium to medium low for an hour.

enjoy!

xo, erika

fall meal: quinoa-stuffed acorn squash

No it's not pumpkin, but yes, I still consider this an autumn-ish meal.

I am fully on team squash right now, especially roasted acorn squash. However, as far as meals go, acorn squash on its own is not too substantial. Enter quinoa, all-around super food and the perfect addition to a roasted squash.

I made this about a week ago and no joke, it's now in heavy rotation for lunches as well. I hope you enjoy it as much as I (obsessively) do.



ingredients:
1 acorn squash
1/2 cup quinoa
1 apple **
1 tsp coconut oil
2 tbs butter
2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp allspice
pure maple syrup or balsamic vinegar (to dribble over)
salt & pepper to taste

squash:
Preheat oven to 350
Cut and de-seed the acorn squash, placing it cut side down in several inches of water in a baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until very soft.
Mix brown sugar, paprika and allspice together in a small bowl. 
After 45 minutes, remove from oven and turn acorn squash over. Dot the insides of the both squash halves with butter. Sprinkle brown sugar-spice mixture over butter and return the squash to the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes until the butter and sugar have caramelized.

quinoa + apple:
Cook quinoa-- bring 1/2 cup quinoa and 1 cup water to boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes or until liquid has evaporated. Fluff with fork.

Core and chop apple roughly, sautee until soft in coconut oil. Stir in to quinoa.

combine:
Spoon quinoa and apple mixture into acorn squash, mixing into the butter and squash. Drizzle with just a small amount of maple syrup for a sweeter dish or balsamic vinegar, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Salt and pepper might sound weird with a sweeter dish, but I think it's a nice juxtaposition against the sweetness of the brown sugar and maple.


** if you don't want to add apple, you could go more savory with sausage stirred into the quinoa, or onions or garlic or a host of other things; the options are endless.



enjoy!

xo, erika

p.s. also. I just discovered something new and fantastic that I thought would be worth mentioning. All of my life, I thought I hated syrup. Turns out I hate the fakey syrup that is not really syrup but corn syrup with flavoring. True, actually-from-the-trees syrup is a whole different matter and I find myself putting it on everything completely Elf-style. I've mixed it with vinegar and dijon for a salad dressing, stirried into baked goods... it's crazy, I tell you. And if you're still with Mrs. Butterworth, I highly suggest ending that relationship and getting yourself a bottle of the real stuff.

swiss chard vegetable soup

I've probably mentioned this before, but the husband isn't the biggest fan of leafy greens.
He is a pretty strong vendetta against kale and I'm pretty sure it extends to swiss chard.

But I like swiss chard and it's really, really good for you-- so I want the husband to like it too.

The solution? Stick it in soup, add bacon and top with cheese. (A side of bread doesn't hurt either.)



ingredients:
1/2 onion
4 pieces of nitrate-free, natural bacon
3 garlic cloves, minced and diced
5 tomatoes (or can of no-salt, diced tomatoes)
1/2 can of tomato paste
3 to 4 carrots, sliced
1/2 bunch of swiss chard, stalks chopped and sliced lengthwise.
3 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 can of garbanzo beans
2 cups water
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt

(please note that my carrots are purple! Farmers market for the win.)

- Cook bacon in pan and remove, cool on paper towels and crumble.
- Reserve 1 tbs of bacon drippings and cook onion in it (best thing ever? Food cooked in bacon fat.)
- Once onion is translucent, add garlic cloves and cook a minute or two.
- Stir in carrots, tomatoes and sliced chard stalks. Cook another minute.
- Add tomato paste, broth, and water. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and add in garbanzo beans and bacon pieces, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt.
- Simmer for at least 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Right before serving, stir in torn chard leaves.
Serve immediately with grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese and crusty bread.

Also, just to be warned, this is one of what is sure to be many soup recipes. Soup is my biggest go-to for fall and winter cooking. 

xo, erika

shrimp basil panzella with tomatoes and spinach

 

You know why I like Italian food? It's because they have dishes like panzella, which is pretty much a fancy word for bread salad.

And what's not to like about bread salad? Not much, in my opinion.

Also, panzella, despite its gourmet and fancy name, is super easy to make. Delicious, contains bread and is easy to make. Clearly this is a meal that the husband and I will be having much more often.

Shrimp Basil Panzella with Tomatoes and Spinach (adapted from Cooking Light)
1/2 loaf of French bread
5 cups of tomato wedges (about 4 to 5 large)
1/2 pound shrimp (most sustainable shrimp is wild-caught Oregon pink shrimp)
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp red pepper
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp sea salt, divided
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
juice of 1/2 lemon
handful of basil leaves
handful of spinach

Cube the bread and toast on a cookie sheet for 10 to 15 minutes at 400 degrees until toasty and brown, flipping once half way through.

Slice tomatoes and sprinkle with 1 tsp sea salt; place in large bowl and set aside.

Heat a pan over medium heat. Add oil and garlic cloves and cook until fragrant (about 5 minutes)

Turn heat down and add shrimp, black pepper, red pepper and remaining sea salt. Cook until shrimp are down, about 2 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Stir in lemon juice and add shrimp, bread and basil to tomatoes. Mix gently and let sit for 5 minutes.

Serve over fresh spinach leaves.

 

xo, erika

p.s. last week to vote!

 

homemade rhubarb jam

One of my (unspoken) goals for this summer was that I wanted to make jam. By myself. I wasn't sure what kind, but then my rhubarb plant ever-so-helpfully mass produced this summer and the only feasible way to use it all was to make jam.

I went and bought a water-bath canner, jar tongs (yes-- definitely needed), and jars. Then I read up on water bath canning for a long time before I settled on following this rhubarb recipe along with this guide to water bath canning. If you have never canned before, I highly recommend the site Food In Jars. (so much helpful information.) Also, I highly recommend not reading about botulism on wikipedia.



I thought that making jam would be a really stressful activity. When I was little, I remember my mom making jam each summer and she would send us kids out of the house while she made the jam. We weren't allowed back in the house until she heard the little "pop" of each jam jar sealing. With this in mind, I set out expecting canning to be both frustrating and incredibly difficult. I was pleasantly surprised that not only did I manage to make the jam, but all the jars sealed and the jam actually tastes really good. (And there have been no reports of botulism. Phew.)

As my rhubarb plant is still enormous and set on producing at least 50 more pounds worth of rhubarb, I'm sure that I'll be making more jam soon. (Christmas presents-- done!)



Have you ever made jam?  Or tried something you expected to be difficult?

xo, erika

make: boubon-baked peaches

What's the best purpose of hard liquor? In my opinion, it's best used in dessert.


Whether it's lighting on fire for a flambe or using it make a fluffy-light pie crust, or dousing fresh peaches in it, liquor is best baked.


My case in point: these bourbon-baked peaches. It's like a boozy peach cobbler without the crust. Obviously delish.

Bourbon-baked peaches (recipe adapted from here)
2 ripe peaches, halfed and pitted
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8 sea salt
3 tbs bourbon
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
parchment paper or foil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together sugar, salt, bourbon and vanilla until well blended.

Place peaches cut side down on a parchment sheet on a baking sheet (preferrably one with a rim)

Pour half of sugar-bourbon mixture over peaches.

Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven and turn over. Pour remaining sugar-bourbon over peaches and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Slice if desired and serve hot over vanilla ice cream or with fresh whipped cream or anything else your heart desires!

Please note that it can take up to two hours for alcohol content to completely bake out of a dish, so these peaches will have a slight kick to them. See this chart for additional information.

xo, erika

black-eyed pea salad with jalepeno cilantro dressing

I made this salad up on a whim-- it's called using what's in the fridge and cupboard. And it turned out delicious enough that I warranted it worth sharing with you!

salad ingredients:
1 can black-eyed peas
1 can black beans
1 green pepper
1 ear of corn
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half

dressing ingredients:
1 jalepeno
1 handful of fresh cilantro
1/2 lime
3 tbs white wine vinegar
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt

- slice jalepeno lengthwise, remove seeds, dice
- place diced jalepenos in white wine vinegar, let sit for 20 minutes
- open and rinse peas and beans thoroughly, add to large bowl
- dice pepper, strip corn from ear and chop tomatoes-- add to bowl


after the jalepeno slices have sat in the white wine vinegar for 20 minutes, remove them and discard (you can hold onto one slice of jalepeno to put in the dressing if you like a little bit more of a kick.)
- add jalepeno vinegar, oil, sugar, salt, cilantro and jalepeno slice (if using) to food processor/blender and blend until smooth.


pour over salad, let marinate for 10 minutes.

also, avocado would be a delicious addition but I didn't have any but if you do-- you should add it. :)




I served this over an arugula leaf (more greens!) alongside grilled chicken.

xo, erika

thai lime chicken

I'm back on my Asian cooking kick.

Not that I ever left that kick-- I can rarely get enough of any Asian dish-- but I'm back sharing recipes.

This one, is probably my all-time favorite. The flavors were incredible and although the dish tastes complex, it's pretty simple.



thai lime chicken stir fry recipe found here

ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
2 bell peppers, one red, one green, sliced thin
1 small white onion, peeled and diced
1/4 cup fresh basil (Thai basil, if you can find it)
2 tbs cooking oil
brown or white rice

sauce ingredients:
3 green onions, sliced
1 tsp siriacha (add more for more heat)
6 lime leaves, cut lengthwise (available fresh or frozen at Asian grocery stores)
juice of 1 lime
4 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup fresh basil (Thai basil, again, if you can find it)
** handful of fresh cilantro (optional)
2 tbs fish sauce
3 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs brown sugar
2 tbs cooking oil (I use coconut)

Cook rice. 

Create the sauce by adding all sauce ingredients to food processor or blender and blending until smooth. Add more sugar or more soy sauce to get the sweet-salty ratio you want.

Pour oil into a pan and heat for a minute or two on medium high.
Add chopped onions and chicken breast, cook until chicken is well-cooked.
Add chopped peppers and cook 1 to 2 minutes

Turn heat down and pour sauce over chicken and cook until the sauce is heated through. Don't overcook-- this should just take a minute or two.

Serve chicken mixture over rice. Top with fresh basil leaves and cilantro.

xo, erika

friday finds & favorites #11

What a week, huh? Even though I'm not on the east coast, I couldn't help but feel rocked by seeing all the destruction over there. (these photos in particular are mind-numbing.)My prayers are still with them.

things I loved this week:

- going to here tomorrow with this lady & this lady! (and I'll see this lady, this funny one and this one too.) yay!

to be honest I am not loving the weather here, it definitely hasn't been pretty-- loads and loads of rain--but it is making me eye some rain gear...

 sweater: modcloth // umbrella: modcloth // rainboots: signals

-  I want to cook this soup, and make these... and I actually baked these. Quite delish (and easy!)

and speaking of food...

- I posed a recipe for pumpkin oatmeal cookies on The Shine Project blog. You may want to go check it out.

- ooh. diy glitter feathers

So how was your guys' week? share some of your favorite things from the web and real life with the weekly friday finds & favorites link-up hosted by Beth and me. Please link up just your blog post with your faves (not your entire blog) and link back to Beth or me somewhere on the blog. And be sure to go visit everyone else who links up!

<a href="http://rougeandwhimsy.blogspot.com/search/label/friday%20finds%20and%20favorites" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpb5Pp81i8PFOkw9BVD6Cautjs6SddFofo8Veaf__E0NJD5wKVwLBSyMS3yKIveSvmK3VmUIhtZ09NcNholPq4nYFGRmGEuouzZ75L1LEdNdJCXZGQ6b8irVa9I3wz8-PhVF2Mm91uUuRO/s400/18383449009.jpg" border="0" alt="Rouge & Whimsy" /></a>

xo, erika