Apple marmalade (and other marmalades)

There's no doubt, this recipe gets my vote for this years Best All Around WFD? award. (FYI, the 2008 WFD? Award Show will be hosted by Tina Fae playing, mmm, Rachael Rae. Oh no I didn't...oh yes I did.)

Apple Marmalade (makes one medium sized jar of marmalade)

Peels from 15 apples of whatever variety (use 10 of the apples for pies/apple sauce)
5 peeled/cored apples cut into small 1/2" cubes
~10" square of cheese cloth (you should get unbleached cheese cloth, to be found at your local Good grocery store)
1.5c turbinado sugar
2 cinnamon sticks

Add a few squirts of lemon juice to the peels as you peel them from the apples so that they don't brown too much.

Put all of the peels on the cheese cloth, and tie the cloth into a bag

Put the bag in the middle of a large pot, toss the cubes apples around the bag

Add just enough water to the pot so that the cheese cloth and apples float off the bottom of the pot

Bring to a boil, then lower heat to keep at a very slow boil for an hour, stirring every 10 minutes or so (when you stir, squeeze the bag of peels against the side of the pot to keep the juices flowing)

After the hour, squeeze the bag of peels against the side of the pot and remove the bag (try your best to squeeze all of the juice out of it before removing)

Stir in the sugar

Once sugar is absorbed, crank up the heat almost to high and get ready to stir.

Stir nonstop, keeping the liquid moving, until it thickens into marmalade (should take about 10 minutes). You can stop at any time...when you stop will determine how thick your marmalade is.

Once it's thickened to your liking, remove from heat and add the cinnamon sticks. Stir them in and let it sit for 15 minutes or so. That should be cinnamony enough...the longer you leave it, the more cinnamony it will get.

Store half of it in an airtight container in the coldest part of the fridge and eat within a week at the most. Overnight the other half to me.

The apple peels are loaded with pectin, which is what thickens jams/marmalades. So you can use the pectin from the peels to make any sort of marmalade. To make other kinds of marmalade, just change the fruit that's added around the bag of apple peels. Instead of cubed apples, add peaches, oranges, etc. I'm going to try peaches this week.

Huevos Chistosos with Fruit Salad

Some sort of fruit salad
Whole wheat Bread
Eggs (1 per piece of bread)
Butter
Salt & Pepper

Make Fruit Salad.
Use top of glass to make a whole in the middle of each piece of bread (save the middles).
Grease pan with butter. Over medium heat toast bread in pan for about 30 seconds. Crack 1 egg in the middle of each piece of bread (see picture). Add the middle circles of bread to the pan to toast. Cook until white gets about halfway through, then flip. Cook until over medium.

Eat. Be sure to dunk delicious little circles in the barely runny egg. Mmmmmmm.

Dill potatoes and Greek Omelet

Red potatoes
Fresh chopped dill (about a handful)
Olive oil (just enough to coat potatoes)
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Butter (or margerine)
Eggs
Feta (crumbled or cut in chunks)
Cherry tomatoes, halved

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Cut red potatoes in quarters (wedges).
Toss potatoes and dill in a bowl with just enough olive oil to coat them.
Add salt and paper.
Bake at 400 degrees until brown and crispy (30-60 minutes??? our oven's off, so I never know)

Scramble eggs in a bowl and set aside until potatoes are ready to come out of oven. Take the potatoes out and set aside to cool for 5 minutes while you make the eggs. Grease pan, pour scrambled eggs onto skillet or pan. Let cook until just the top is runny, then flip. Add feta and tomatoes to omelet and fold.

Eat.

Strawberry Avocado Salad

Fresh Spinach
Blue Cheese
Strawberries
Avocado
Walnuts

Combine in bowl.

Sauteed Zucchini with Fresh Parsley

What could be better on a summer day than fresh zucchini with fresh parley (straight from my pseudo patio garden)... maybe the oatmeal chocolate chip cookies we had for dessert?

INGREDIENTS:

Zucchini and summer squash (if you have it)
Fresh parsley
Olive Oil
Garlic
Salt & Pepper

Heat olive oil and garlic
Add zucchini (summer squash)
Saute until you soft (but not flimsy)
Salt and Pepper to taste

** I'm starting to think that there is something to making recipes that have 7 ingredients or less AND 7 steps or less.

Wonton Wonders

Sarah and I have been making a sesame tofu recipe for the last year or so to fill my Chinese food void. We make it with rice and steamed broccoli on the side. It's pretty good, but I don't love it--still needs some tinkering before it's WFD. But when we made it a few weeks ago, it was just after we'd been home for Kristin's wedding and had the fried wontons mom was making. Also, when we got back to Iowa and were moving apartments I had a scrumptious spring roll from a restaurant next door to the trunk rental place. So this time when we made our Chinese chow, I had the idea of making spring rolls to finish off the meal. But I also had the idea of making crab rangoon. Of course, you know where this is going...they were easily the highlight of the meal...

Cream Cheesy Spring Rolls in the Summer:

1/2 pkg Bean sprouts
Equal amount of carrots cut in small sticks, each about the size of a bean sprout
Equal amount of cabbage (shreaded, basically just like the carrots/sprouts)
3T Worcestershire sauce
Cream Cheese
Large wonton wrappers (abt. 5")
Peanut and canola or some other neutral oil
(these are all approximate amounts)

1) Saute bean sprouts, carrots, and cabbage in 1T peanut oil and 1T canola oil with a lid on. Just as they start to soften, add Worcestershire sauce. Cook for a few more minutes until some sauce absorbs and cabbage is cooked down a bit, then remove from burner
2) Spread a few T of cream cheese on a wonton wrapper, top it with a good amount of the veggie mixture, and wrap it up burrito style
3) Wet the seams/edges of the wonton wrapper and stick them down so it stays closed.
4) Repeat 2 & 3 until all veggie mixture is gone (maybe 6 to 8 spring rolls), piling up the spring rolls to be fried
5) Fry spring rolls in a half inch of half peanut and half canola oil. They cook quickly, so don't let them get too brown.

Make this NOW!!!!!

Broccoli Pesto & Whole Wheat Pasta

I saw this recipe on 101 cookbooks and thought I'd try it. I made a few changes and must say it was delish... and I should warn you, I didn't actually use the exact amounts for the ingredients. It's probably a bad habit, but it's just too much work to measure.

INGREDIANTS:

4-6 cups of broccoli very small florets
1/2 cup walnuts
1/3 cup Parmesan, freshly grated
1 clove of garlic
juice of 1/2 a lemon (or some balsamic vinegar if you don't have lemon)
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 box whole wheat pasta
3 large handfuls of spinach
1 container cherry or grape tomatoes halved
handful of oily black olives, pitted

more Parmesan for serving

DIRECTIONS:

Bring water to a boil.

While water is heating up, microwave the broccoli florets for a minute or two (just until you could poke it with a fork, but not too soft ), then rinse them in cold water to stop cooking and add some salt and pepper.

Put about 1/3 of the broccoli to the side, put the rest in food processor and puree it along with the walnuts, Parmesan, garlic, lemon juice and salt. Drizzle in the olive oil while still blending. Taste, adjust with more salt or lemon juice if needed and set aside. (NOTE: I'm pretty sure I used closer to 6 cups of broccoli, I like it - what can I say, but I didn't actually use more olive oil, which was a mistake, since it came out a little dry. So just watch it, and if it looks dry add more olive oil. You want it to look like... maybe the consistency of regular pesto. Or maybe hummus, if you've never made pesto, only not as smooth.)

Cook the pasta according to directions. Drain, transfer the hot pasta to a large bowl and stir in the tomatoes and raw spinach, it should wilt. Gently stir in about half of the pesto. Taste, add more pesto to your liking. Served topped with olives, the reserved broccoli florets, and a dusting of Parmesan cheese.

It seriously got better each day as a leftovers.

From the Veggie Kitchen

We just threw this together with what we had in our cupboard but it came out quite tasty.

Vegetarian Paella:
1 box of Saffron Rice (approx 1 c dry rice; I'm not sure of the brand, but it's one of those boxed rice mixes - look near Indian food)
1 large onion
1 yellow pepper
1 red pepper
2 cans of diced/whole tomatoes
2 T chopped garlic
2-3 T oil
2 c veggie broth

Cut up veggies into med-large chunks & set aside. Heat broth in saucepan.
Heat oil and once it's hot add the rice (but not the spice pack). Saute rice for a few minutes, but don't let it brown.
Add in onions and garlic, cook for another few minutes.
Add in peppers and tomatoes, cook for a few more minutes.
Add in veggie broth and spices, cook for about 20 min until liquid is absorbed. Let rice burn a little bit because the browned parts taste the best!

Note: Other potential ingredients I saw in various recipes were peas (added in last), artichoke hearts, olives, lima beans, chicken on the bone for the meat lovers out there! Be creative and enjoy!!

Grilled Eggplant and Mushroom Salad

Mmmmm, tasty deliciousness.

Tonight I was starving, but somehow managed to make a salad before chowing down. It was quite tasty, but could have used more flavoring on the grilled veggies. Any ideas? Can you marinade eggplant? It seemed to spongy to marinade.



INGREDIENTS:
Romaine lettuce
Grape tomatoes (halved)
Feta (buy the block, but slice and crumble on top, it makes a difference)
Grilled eggplant
Grilled mushroom caps
Olive oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt and Pepper

Slice eggplant about the width of your finger. Coat in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Grill on panini press (it's brilliant, I know, you even get the great grill lines, and it cooks faster since it's coming from top and bottom). Grill mushroom same as eggplant. Make salad and top with tomatoes, feta, eggplant, and mushrooms.

POST DINNER NOTE: The mushrooms didn't fit. I think next time, no mushrooms but olives. The good ones.

WFD Breakfast post

Seriously? You HAVE to check this out...

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paulas-home-cooking/the-ladys-brunch-
burger-recipe/index.html

WFD? Classic

In celebration of the commencement of the WFD? blog, check out this WFD? Classic--the email that inaugurated the WFD? on July 15, 2008. Sent by mysterious WFD? founder "-b", this email was an instant WFD? Classic. Can you find -b's hilarious typos? And when he accidentally reveals his identity in the middle of the message?...

Welcome the long awaited What's for dinner? email list. What's for dinner? is dedicated to our culinary creations and food feelings. Members are required to send weekly updates on their dietary dabblings and to brag about the triumphs of their taste testings and food fusions. Members are also required to use as many synonyms and as much alliteration as possible in the updates. Otherwise they will be accused of cookery quack, and will be kicked out of the list.

(Not sure if you're a member? Take the membership test: Are you reading this, the first installment of the long awaited What's for dinner? email list? If so, you're a member and are required to send weekly updates on your nutritional navigations. If not, then stop
taking our membership test!)

This week in Brad's bungaloo of board (the only 'b' synonym for "food"), we have Mandarin Stir Fry de Province. A delicacy in parts of the world with access to cans of mandarin oranges, this Mandarin Stir Fry de Province couldn't be easier, and there is no kitchen kaboodle in the cosmos as delectible.

Mandarin Stir Fry de Provence

Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
10oz package of firm tofu (you wont even know you're eating tofu in this recipe, but you can do the meat of your choice if you're a murderer)
11oz can of mandarin oranges
soy sauce
1.5T sugar
1.5T herbs de province
1/2T crushed red pepper
1T onion powder
8oz package of small mushrooms (portabella, but white's probably fine), cut into big hunks (thirds-ish)
bunch of green onions (maybe 5-8), coarsely chopped
1.5T corn starch
rice of your choice

1) Cube tofu in 2cm cubes
2) Mix liquid from oranges with an equal amount of soy sauce, add sugar, herbs, red pep, onion powder and stir it up; add to tofu, mix it up, and refrigerate to marinade for about 20 or 30 minutes
3) Cut up mushrooms and green onions, and stir fry them (save a third of the onion for later) in some oil until tender. Set aside when done.
4) Heat up a few T of oil on medium/medhigh. Drain marinade from tofu and into a separate dish (this will become the sauce later). Toss the tofu into the oil and fry until brown on all sides, scraping up brown bits stuck to pan (don't stir it too much or the tofu wont brown).
5) While tofu is frying, add corn starch to marinade liquid and stir it up.
6) When tofu's done, toss it in with the veggies. Put the marinade into the tofu's pan and heat it up to thicken it.
7) Put veggies/tofu over rice and cover with sauce.
8) Top with mandarin oranges and a few of the uncooked green onions.

Enjoy!
-b

WFD?

Welcome to the WFD Update. The one and only source for up to date information on what the Brooks-Corona-Taber-Thomas family is eating for dinner (or breakfast, or linner, or even breakinner).

Today's post, in honor Fafblog's Friday pie blogging Wednesday edition, the funny pie...


DELICIOUS FILLING:
6 (or more) delicious nectarines (skinned and cut in large pieces or varying size)
1/3 cup flour
1-2 t cornstarch (depending on how juicy your fruit is, the juicer the more starch)
1 T turbinado or Sugar in the Raw

Below is the recipe I used for the crust, I just rolled it out on a cookie sheet and then used a pastry scraper to flip up the sides into a pentagon'ish shape.


FLAKY TENDER PIE CRUST:

Savor every single bite

Hands-on time: 15 minutes to mix, 50 minutes into oven
Makes two crusts fitting 9-10” pie pans

• 2 – 4 tablespoons ice water
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces
• 1/2 cup Crisco shortening
• Egg wash of 1 yolk whisked with 1 tablespoon water

In a large bowl, stir together one cup of flour, sugar and salt. With a hand-held pastry blender, cut butter into flour until butter is dime-sized. Add shortening, cut into mixture til dime-sized. Lightly stir in remaining flour. Sprinkle with half the water. With a full palm, squeeze flour together against side of bowl. Rub hands together to drop damp flour into mixture. Drops at a time, add just enough water to hold together; the less water the better, dry crumbs on the bottom are good.

Refrigerate while making your desired filling. Preheat oven to 375F.

Place silicone mat on counter; sprinkle with flour. Cut dough in half, return second piece to frig. Sprinkle dough with flour. Working in just one direction, roll dough into an oval the diameter of the pie plate plus its sides. Slip a bench knife beneath dough to loosen, turn 90 degrees. Roll again to form a circle. Brush off excess flour. Place pie plate to left. Palm up, place right hand below silicone mat and gently flip dough onto pie plate. If needed, gently reposition and patch pastry. Brush off excess flour. Refrigerate.

Roll out top crust. Fill bottom crust with your filling. Gently flip top crust over filling, brush off excess flour. Trim excess pastry, then turn under and press to form and seal the edge. Crimp decoratively. Slice top to vent. Brush top (but not edges) with egg wash.