Green salad with beets, goat cheese, and candied pecans

As far as restaurants go, I am neither here nor there on the subject of The Cheesecake Factory. I know people who absolutely love this place and others who dismiss it as totally overhyped. I fall into neither camp, and consider Cheesecake Factory one of those places that I wouldn’t choose if the restaurant decision is up to me, but I’m perfectly fine with eating there should someone else pick it.

I can, however, recall a time when I had a pretty terrible experience at this restaurant. We went there with my in-laws and had to wait an unreasonable amount of time for a table (even by Cheesecake Factory standards), Mike’s meal arrived stone cold, and the salad I ordered wasn’t anything to write home about. It was called the french country salad or something like that and the description on the menu sounded right up my alley: greens tossed in a vinegarette dressing with roasted beets, pecans, and goat cheese. However, when the salad arrived it was swimming in dressing, the beets were mushy, and the goat cheese was limited to two small dabs (unusual for a restaurant that prides itself on huge portions).

As awful as the execution of this salad was, I still liked the idea of the ingredients together so when I found myself with both beets and goat cheese that needed to be used up, I decided to create my own version of it. I did a bit of googling to get ideas and it turns out that there are tons of variations of this salad out there. I drew inspiration from a few of the recipes and ended up with a simple salad that far exceeded the verison I sampled at Cheesecake Factory in every aspect except for the fact that I couldn't order a piece of white chocolate raspberry cheesecake after I finished it.

My version of the French Country Salad

I always feel like writing out quantities in salad recipes is kind of a waste since it’s tough to measure it out and you should really just go by how much of each ingredient you want in the finished product. So the quantities below really are just guidelines. And if you have some roasted asparagus on hand, I think it would make a great addition to this salad.

Even though I usually dismiss individual plating as too fussy, it really does work better for this salad. The first time I experimented with making it I made a huge bowl for my family’s Sunday dinner and it didn’t work too well because you really want a good balance of the ingredients and the dressing to thoroughly coat the salad and beets, which is harder to do in a large bowl than individual plates.

Salad:
2 medium beets, scrubbed
Olive oil
Sea salt
~6 cups salad greens
~4 oz. goat cheese

Candied Pecans:
2 cups pecans
1 tablespoon melted butter
½ cup brown sugar
½ tsp. vanilla

Dressing:
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
½ tablespoon honey

1) Make candied pecans by tossing the nuts with the butter and vanilla, then adding the brown sugar and stirring to coat the nuts.
2) Bake pecans on a foil-lined baking sheet at 375 for about 15 minutes, stirring halfway through. I would start checking them after ten minutes because the sugar can burn quickly. Once the nuts are golden brown and the sugar has solidified, remove them from the oven. Let cool completely.
3) Rub each of the beets lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with some salt. Wrap in tin foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 for about an hour (longer or shorter depending on the size of your beets), or until a fork goes through them easily.
4) Allow beets to cool, then peel and dice into small pieces.
5) Make dressing by whisking ingredients together. Drizzle desired amount of dressing over beets and greens and toss.
6) Divide salad evenly among plates and top with crumbled goat cheese and pecans.

Tomato Soup

So remember how a little while ago I wrote about some blue cheese crackers that I was eager to eat with a bowl of tomato soup? Well, after I wrote that sentence I couldn’t get the idea out of my mind but there was one teeny problem with executing this plan, namely that I didn’t have a great tomato soup recipe.

The issue that I have with most tomato soup is that it is way too rich and intense to be enjoyed by the bowlful. It works well as a dipping sauce for grilled cheese sandwiches or breadsticks but that’s about it. I’ve found a few exceptions to this generalization, one of which is the tomato bisque posted below.

I found this recipe on a food blog and was immediately intrigued by the inclusion of butternut squash puree. In the same way that the potato in that broccoli cheese chowder recipe added some depth and thickness to that soup, so does the squash in this tomato one. It doesn’t add a particular flavor but keeps a soup that can easily become reminiscent of pasta sauce firmly anchored in spoon-and-bowl territory. Which isn’t to say that it wouldn’t be great paired with a grilled cheese sandwich, but for someone who wanted to enjoy her soup with just a few crackers, it was a perfect fit.

Tomato Bisque (adapted from melskitchencafe.com)

I made a couple of changes to the original recipe, posted here. The first was to reduce the amount of sugar it called for. I added half the original amount (1 tablespoon) when I first made it and I found that it gave the soup a sweet flavor that was totally not what I was going for. So from now on I'm just going to add enough sugar to take some of the acidic bite out of the tomatoes. I also switched up the cooking directions a bit so more flavor from the various seasonings gets infused into the soup.

1 medium butternut squash (for about 1 1/2 cups cooked squash)
1 tablespoon butter
¼ cup finely diced onion
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 can (14.5 ounces) Italian-style stewed tomatoes (or 1 can stewed tomatoes with 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning)
1 cup chicken stock ( I used broth)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 cup nonfat half-and-half (I used 1% milk and it worked beautifully)
Tapatio or other hot sauce to taste

1) Cut the butternut squash in half, lengthwise, so you have two long pieces. Scoop out the seeds and pulp from each half.
2) Place both sides cut-side down in a 9X13-inch pan. Add enough water to come about 1/4-inch up the sides of the squash. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for about an hour, or until squash is very tender when pierced with the fork in several places. If the flesh doesn’t easily give to the pressure of the fork, continue cooking in ten minute increments, and testing again, until the squash is tender.
3) Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the squash to a large cutting board or plate. Let it cool about 15 minutes before scooping out the flesh. If preparing the day before, scoop out the flesh and place in a tupperware. Let cool completely. Cover and refrigerate until using it in the soup. If using the squash immediately, scoop the squash into the blender.
4) While the squash is cooking, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and saute the onion until soft and translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, salt, basil, and sugar and let simmer for about ten minutes.
5) Add the tomato mixture to the squash in the blender (or, if you have an immersion blender, add the squash to the tomato mixture and blend in the pot). Process until smooth. Pour the blended mixture back into the saucepan and add the half and half or milk. Heat over medium-low until the soup is warm (but don’t let it boil or simmer to avoid the cream curdling). Serve immediately and add hot sauce to taste, if desired.

P.S.- I also tried Mel's split pea and barley soup last week and it was delicious. Highly recommended.

Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Tart

I first had this savory tart when my friend Carly served it at a Christmas party she hosted this year. The moment I tasted this combination of sweet onions, salty cheese, and buttery puff pastry crust I immediately thought that I needed to get the recipe. This tart strikes me as a kind of elegant appetizer; the type of thing to serve at a function where you don't need to provide a full meal but want to have something more substantial than crudites or cheese and crackers on hand.

I ended up serving it on Sunday when we had friends over to watch the Oscars. This tart, along with some nutella-filled crepes, almost helped me get over what a lame snoozefest the Oscars were this year.


one box frozen puff pastry
1 large red onion
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
4 ounces plain goat cheese
4 ounces cream cheese
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon minced rosemary

1) Thaw frozen puff pastry on the counter, according to package directions (I think this takes about 40 minutes).
2) Slice 1 large red onion. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar in a large skillet over medium heat.
3) When the sugar has melted, add the onion and sprinkle with salt. Cook and stir over medium until the onion is soft and starting to brown (about 15-20 minutes). Set aside.
4) Mash together goat cheese, cream cheese, and heavy cream. (This is easiest if both cheeses are at room temperature.)
5) Unwrap the puff pastry sheets, unfold them, and place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Pierce all over with a fork.
6) Spread cheese mixture over each sheet, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges. Mince 1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary and sprinkle evenly over the cheese, then distribute the caramelized onions evenly.
7) Bake at 450 for 15 minutes, until the edges are puffed and golden.

Tortellini Soup

In a display of traditional gender roles that would make 1950s housewives proud, I’m the one who does most of the cooking at the Cassity home. I’m sure Mike would be happy to fill this role, but I love to cook and he doesn’t so why force it on him in the name of feminism is what I say. And since he doesn’t cook the meals he’s in charge of the cleanup afterward, which is kind of a nice trade-off in my opinion.

Lately I’ve tried to put more effort into planning our meals so I’m not left making a bunch of last-minute grocery trips or just giving in to the temptation of eating Lonestar fish tacos every night (living close to that place is dangerous). Usually I make a weekly dinner plan and include one or two more indulgent, made-from-a-recipe-I’ve-been-wanting-to-try meals. These are the kind of things, like chicken tikka masala or broccoli cheddar chowder, that usually end up posted on this blog. The other meals we have are usually just a pinch-of-this, sprinkle-of-that kind of affair and are pretty basic and wholesome.

I like to think of the soup posted below as a combination of these two meal philosophies. It includes sausage and tortellini to provide some richness and fat, but these two ingredients are suspended in a simple broth of good-for-you veggies. And while this is a recipe from a cookbook, it’s essentially just a guide and can be modified to accommodate whatever changes you want to make. Truly the best of both worlds.

Tortellini Soup (from the Ivory Favorites cookbook)
I didn’t have apple juice or white wine on hand when I made this so I just substituted water, but I think it could have used that dimension of flavor so I’ll be sure to have it next time. I also had a lot of baby spinach on hand so I stirred a couple of handfuls into the soup when it finished cooking. And if I were the only one eating this I also would have omitted the sausage but Butch loves himself some meat so here we are.

1 pound mild Italian sausage

1 onion, chopped
2 gloves garlic, minced

1 cup water

2 (13 3/4 oz) cans beef broth (I use Better Than Bullion Beef Base)

1/2 cup white wine or apple juice

3 carrots, sliced

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon oregano

1 cup sliced zucchini

4 tablespoons parsley, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1) In large soup pan, brown sausage.
2) Drain fat and add chopped onion and garlic and cook until tender

3) Add broth, water, wine, carrots, tomatoes, basil, oregano, zucchini, parsley and green pepper.
4) Simmer for 30 minutes or longer.

5) Add tortellini 5 to 10 minutes before serving and cook until tender, but not soggy.

6) Garnish each serving with parmesan cheese

Mac and cheese, two ways

A couple of summers ago I lived in Sitka, Alaska. My culinary memories of this time mostly revolve around the delicious seafood that was in abundant supply there (if you haven’t eaten salmon or halibut within an hour of it being caught, then I would recommend adding that experience to your bucket list), but the other food that I associate with that time in my life is mac and cheese.

For some reason my roommates and I all developed quite the blue box fetish that summer. Perhaps it can be attributed to the fact that the summer in Sitka was the coldest and rainiest we’d ever experienced and mac and cheese was the cheapest and quickest form of comfort food, or maybe this phenomenon was just a result of it being available in bulk at the otherwise understocked grocery stores. Whatever the cause, the point is you could usually find one of the inhabitants of our apartment preparing a box of Kraft macaroni and cheese on any given day.

I usually reserved my weekly mac and cheese meal for Sunday afternoons after church. I would come home, change into some comfy sweatpants, and whip up some chemically altered cheese and noodles. In this process I discovered that I like my mac and cheese creamy. As in swimming in cheesy sauce. This means that when I prepared it from a box I would usually add more milk and sometimes a little more butter to achieve that consistency. It also means that for years I never had a homemade version of macaroni and cheese that I truly loved.

See, most homemade versions of mac and cheese that I’ve come across are of the baked variety, meaning they are made by making a roux and adding milk, cheese and seasonings to it, then stirring the cooked noodles in and baking the whole shebang in the oven. This approach has never really done it for me, as the outcome tends to be a firmer, more casserole-type dish. And even though some recipes recommend just eating the pasta and sauce before baking if you like a more creamy approach, I find that somehow there is a floury taste that carries over from the roux.

I found my mac and cheese salvation in Alton Brown’s stovetop recipe. This approach produces that creamy texture I love without using ultra-processed ingredients. It’s also super easy and is my favorite way to make mac and cheese. However, I live with a husband whose macaroni and cheese preferences differ significantly from mine in that he actually likes the baked stuff, preferably with crushed ritz crackers sprinkled on top (what the?) So for dinner one night I kept his preferences in mind by making some baked mac and cheese from a recipe that came highly recommended. He loved it, and, while I didn’t really care for it all that much, I can safely blame that on my personal preferences and not any flaws in the recipe. So here are both recipes for your consideration:

Baked Macaroni and Cheese (adapted from the Ivory Favorites cookbook)

I honestly think I would like this recipe if the sauce amounts were doubled. But then the butter and cheese amounts are doubled too so that kind of becomes a hard pill to swallow. Yet chances are that if you’re eating mac and cheese you’re in an indulgent mood in the first place so perhaps there’s no need to worry about it.

1 pound macaroni ( I used spiral pasta instead)
1/4 cup butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Dash of hot sauce (I like siracha)
3 cups grated Cheddar cheese (medium or sharp)
~1/2 cup crushed Ritz crackers (optional)

1) Cook macaroni in boiling, salted water according to package directions and drain.
2) In large saucepan, melt butter. Add flour and stir. Pour in milk and cook, stirring constantly, until thick.
3) Add salt, pepper, and dry mustard, and then add 2 1/2 cups of cheese and stir until cheese is melted. Remove from heat and add cooked macaroni and mix together.
4) Pour into buttered 9" x 13" square baking pan, sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese on top (and Ritz cracker crumbs, if using). Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese (from Alton Brown via foodnetwork.com)
1/2 pound elbow macaroni
4 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
6 ounces evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
10 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded (I prefer medium)

1) In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente and drain. Return to the pot and melt in the butter. Toss to coat.
2) Whisk together the eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and mustard. Stir into the pasta and add the cheese. Over low heat continue to stir for 3 minutes or until creamy.

Some Simple Valentines Day Treats

I love Valentines Day. Always have. Even when I was single and didn't have anyone buying me flowers or taking me out to fancy restaurants. I just think that celebrating love in any of its forms is a good thing. Plus Valentines Day is a true chocoholic's dream, which is why I'm surprised that only one of the recipes below contains chocolate (and even then it's a humble rolo), but I guess that's because most of these treats were made with other people in mind. I think my own sweet tooth will be satisfied when I make my favorite chocolate covered strawberries this weekend.

Homemade Marshmallows (Gourmet, December 1998 via epicurious.com)

I mentioned these little guys in my previous post. Although I've never been too big on marshmallows, I have to say that I much prefer these to the store-bought version. They are light, fluffy, and perfectly sweet. Plus they were really fun to make, at least if your idea of fun is watching a sticky mess of gelatin and sugar syrup whip up into white fluffy deliciousness right before your very eyes. I cut these out with a small heart-shaped cookie cutter to make them festive, but if you really wanted to up the V-Day factor you could add a small amount of red food coloring to the marshmallow batter to make them pink. Oh, and I should probably tell you that these were fantastic dipped in chocolate (but really, what isn't?)

about 1 cup powdered sugar
3 1/2 envelopes (2 tablespoons plus 2 1/2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup hot water (about 115°F.)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites*
1 teaspoon vanilla

1) Oil bottom and sides of a 13- by 9- by 2-inch rectangular metal baking pan and dust bottom and sides with some powdered sugar.
2) In bowl of a standing electric mixer or in a large bowl sprinkle gelatin over cold water and let stand to soften.
3) In a 3-quart heavy saucepan cook granulated sugar, corn syrup, hot water, and salt over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to moderate and boil mixture, without stirring, until a candy or digital thermometer registers 240°F., about 12 minutes. Remove pan from heat and pour sugar mixture over gelatin mixture, stirring until gelatin is dissolved.
4) With standing or a hand-held electric mixer beat mixture on high speed until white, thick, and nearly tripled in volume, about 6 minutes if using standing mixer or about 10 minutes if using hand-held mixer.
5) In a large bowl with cleaned beaters beat whites (or reconstituted powdered whites) until they just hold stiff peaks. Beat whites and vanilla into sugar mixture until just combined.
6) Pour mixture into baking pan and sift 1/4 cup confectioners― sugar evenly over top. Chill marshmallow, uncovered, until firm, at least 3 hours, and up to 1 day.
7) Run a thin knife around edges of pan and invert pan onto a large cutting board. Lifting up 1 corner of inverted pan, with fingers loosen marshmallow and let drop onto cutting board. With a large knife trim edges of marshmallow and cut marshmallow into roughly 1-inch cubes.
8) Sift remaining confectioners' sugar into a large bowl and add marshmallows in batches, tossing to evenly coat.

Marshmallows keep in an airtight container at cool room temperature 1 week.


Red Velvet Cupcakes

I know that red velvet cake is probably the most overdone Valentines Day dessert out there but I can never resist it so I made these cupcakes for a friend's birthday this weekend. Well, I actually intended to make these whoopie pies but then the laziness factor kicked in so I considered making whoopie pies from cake mix instead but eventually ended up just baking a quick batch of cupcakes. Yes, I did stray from my "always bake from scratch" ethos on this one but I figure that most red velvet recipes call for about a full bottle of red food coloring anyway so using a cake mix isn't that big of a deal. I do, however, insist on homemade frosting. Frosting from a can is a sad, sad thing.

1 Red Velvet cake mix (Duncan Hines brand is best)
1 small box instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup water.

1) Using either a stand or hand-held electric mixer, mix all ingredients on medium speed for 3 minutes.
2) Spoon into paper-lined muffin tins (fill about 2/3 full) and bake at 350 for about twenty minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Frost with one of the following (I much prefer the cream cheese version- I only made the vanilla cause the birthday girl preferred it.)

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 stick butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2-4 cups sifted powdered sugar (depending on how sweet and thick you want the frosting to be- taste as you go)
2 tsp. vanilla

1) Beat butter and cream cheese together
2) Add sugar and vanilla and beat until of spreading consistency.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
1 stick butter, softened
4 cups sifted powdered sugar (depending on how sweet and thick you want the frosting to be- taste as you go)
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup milk

1) Cream butter, then add the sugar and beat for a minute or two.
2) Beat in milk and vanilla. Add more milk if necessary to achieve desired spreading consistency.

Pretzel/Rolo/Peanut Butter bites

I wasn't sure what to call these things. I considered "homemade Take 5", since their ingredients are essentially the same as the candy bar, but that didn't really fit. Neither does the term "pretzel turtle", which is what these are called should you choose to put a pecan in the middle instead of the M&M. Honestly, given their perfect blend of sweetness and salt I would say they should be called PMS lifesavers. But I don't think I'll refer to them by that name when I hand these out to co-workers on Monday.

Checkerboard pretzels
Rolos, unwrapped
Peanut butter M&Ms

1) Place pretzels on a baking sheet and put one unwrapped rolo on top.
2) Bake at 300 degrees for about 4 minutes, or until Rolo is fairly melted.
3) Remove from oven and let cool for 1 minute, then place M&M on top.
4) Let sit for about an hour, or until chocolate hardens.

If you're looking for a more sophisticated Valentines Day treat, might I suggest these cupcakes? And these molten chocolate babycakes would be a perfect ending to a romantic dinner for two.

Hope all of you have a happy Valentine's Day!

Irish Blue Crackers

Monday night was one of those nights where I cooked just for the fun of it. It was snowy and cold outside, Butch was at school, and I suddenly felt the need to make something more fun and whimsical than the tofu and veggie stir-fry I had planned for dinner that night. So I went ahead and whipped up some homemade marshmallows (which I will tell you about later) and, because I was on a roll and still had an hour to kill before I needed to start the stir-fry, went ahead and made these crackers too.

The cool thing about making things like marshmallows and crackers from scratch is that, for me at least, these are the kind of items usually purchased in boxes and bags from the grocery store and produced using unknown methods in distant factories. Creating them in your very own kitchen feels like solving a mystery or starring in your very own episode of Unwrapped. There is also something to be said for cooking with no other intent than to fulfill your curiosity about how a certain food is made. A truly indulgent first-world form of therapy to be sure, but I recommend it nonetheless.

Now how exactly did these crackers turn out, you ask? I loved them but if you’re expecting the crunch of wheat thins or saltines then look elsewhere. These crackers are more like a flat, slightly crispy version of a buttery, flaky biscuit. The inclusion of blue cheese adds just the right amount of flavor without being overpowering (just ask Mike, who hates blue cheese but happily ate these crackers and was none the wiser until I informed him of the ingredients). They are just the kind of thing that I would want to crumble into a big bowl of tomato soup on a cold winter night.

Irish Blue Crackers (from Nigella Lawson's How To Be A Domestic Goddess: Baking and The Art of Comfort Cooking)


OK, so I really liked these crackers and so did Butch, but then my sisters tasted them and were not huge fans. But they are kind of fussy individuals so I’m not going to take their opinion as a general consensus. So if you try these will you do me a favor and let me know if you like them? I want to know if they really are gross and maybe I just love them in the same way that a mother loves an ugly baby.



3/4 cup cashel blue or other blue cheese, crumbled
scant 1/2 cup butter, softened
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup blue cornmeal (I just used yellow. According to Nigella you can just use all flour)
pinch of salt
1 beaten egg for glazing (optional)

1) Mix the cheese, butter and egg yolk together.
2) Work in the cornmeal, flour, and salt until a soft dough forms.
3) Shape into a fat disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4) Roll dough out on a floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick.
5) Cut into desired shapes (I used hearts because valentine's day is coming up) and place on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Brush with egg glaze, if desired.
6) Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes, until center is puffed and edges are crispy.