Aloo Gobi

I loved this Indian cauliflower and potato dish.  It made a delicious addition to our at-home Indian meal.  You roast the veggies first, which creates beautiful flavor.  Then, you cook them together with some jalapenos and spices on the stove.  This is something I need to make again.  

Aloo Gobi
adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1 (1 3/4-lb) head cauliflower, cut into 3/4-inch-wide florets
1 1/4 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons minced fresh jalapeño, including seeds (I had to use pickled here)
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 cup water
Accompaniment: lemon wedges

1.  Preheat oven to 475°F.  While oven is preheating, place a shallow baking pan on the rack (like a large rimmed cookie sheet). 

2.  Toss cauliflower and potatoes together in a bowl with 3 tablespoons oil, cumin seeds, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Spread in hot baking pan and roast, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower is tender and browned in spots and potatoes are just tender, about 20 minutes.

3.  While vegetables are roasting, cook onion, garlic, jalapeño, and ginger in remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until very soft and beginning to turn golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add ground cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Stir in water, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of skillet, then stir in roasted vegetables. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.  We served this with Indian curry and rice.  

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Sticky Toffee Pudding

On our family trip to Spain back in 2019, we went to Gibraltar for one day.  At a restaurant there, we tried Sticky Toffee Pudding.  I had never had it before, and really, really loved it.  I've wanted to make it ever since then.  I saved a few recipes, but finally settled on one from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.  I meant to make this for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, but didn't get around to it until after that.  The recipe was easy and the whole family loved it!  I really, really loved it.  I made it in a 8x8 pan (or maybe it's 9x9). 

Sticky Toffee Pudding

adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Cake:

6 ounces (170 g) dates, pitted and finely chopped (I bought pitted dates for ease)
¾ cup boiling water
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup (159 g) granulated sugar
6 tablespoons (85 g) butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 ¼ cup (178 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt

Sauce:
¾ cup (159 g) packed light or dark brown sugar
½ cup (113 g) butter
½ cup heavy whipping cream
Pinch of coarse, kosher salt
¼ to ½ cup chopped pecans, optional (I didn't use)
Additional heavy whipping cream for drizzling, optional

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8X8- or 9X9-inch pan.  For the cake, in a medium bowl, stir together the dates, boiling water, baking soda and vanilla extract. Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes.

2.  In a separate medium bowl, cream together the granulated sugar and butter with an electric mixer (handheld or stand mixer) until well-combined and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.  Add the eggs and mix.

3.  In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, and mix until just combined.  Fold in the date mixture (no need to drain) until combined; don’t overmix.

4.  Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.  Bake for 22-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top springs back to the touch.  May need more baking time, but don’t overbake or the cake may be dry.

5.  Let the cake cool completely in the pan – although the cake can be served slightly warm also.

6.  For the sauce, combine the sugar, butter, cream, and salt in a saucepan. Stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves and the sauce is smooth and combined, 5-7 minutes.  Cut cake into squares and pour the warm sauce over the individual servings.  Sprinkle with pecans, if using; and drizzle with a teaspoon or so of heavy cream.                                                   

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Kinderpunsch (Non-alcoholic German mulled punch)

This is a holiday beverage;  a non-alcoholic substitute for the traditional mulled wine popular at German Christmas markets (and other countries, too, including Italy).  This drink is popular with children or with anyone who does not want to drink alcohol.  I meant to post this before Christmas, but better late than never.  

Kinderpunsch 

adapted from German Girl in America

2 cups apple juice

2 cups orange juice

1/2 cup cherry juice

2 cups water

8 cloves

2 star anise (I didn't have this, so I omitted)

2 cinnamon sticks

4-5 bags hibiscus tea

honey, to taste

1.  In a medium-large pot, combine all the ingredients except for the tea bags.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce to low heat, and simmer 10 minutes.  Add the hibiscus tea bags, and let steep 7-10 minutes.  Sweeten with honey if desired.  

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Overnight No-Knead Focaccia Bread

I've tried a few no-knead (and kneaded) focaccia recipes, many of which are on this blog.  I'll probably never make another after finding this recipe, though.  This recipe is phenomenal, SO easy, so tasty... just everything. You barely have to touch the dough- just mix together the night before, similar to the popular no-knead bread recipes floating around.  (You can also make the morning of, if you don't have time to do overnight.)  It has a slow rise in the fridge.  Then, you dump it out onto an oiled baking sheet where it has another slow rise (up to 4 hours) at room temp.  Then you press it into the corners of the baking sheet while the oven preheats, sprinkle it with kosher salt and more olive oil, and bake.  I love this bread so much I made it for my family's Christmas Eve dinner a few days ago.  

Another reason this recipe is great because it can wait around, rising, until you're ready for it.  (PS: The original recipe calls for brushing it with garlic butter after it comes out of the oven, but it's so good without it that I've never tried that, and will omit it from the recipe I'm posting below.) 

Overnight No-Knead Focaccia Bread

adapted from Epicurious

1 (¼-oz.) envelope active dry yeast (about 2¼ tsp.)
2 tsp. honey
5 cups (625 g) all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. Morton kosher salt
6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for hands
Flaky sea salt or Kosher salt 
softened butter, for pan

1.  Whisk yeast, honey, and 2½ cups lukewarm water in a medium bowl and let sit 5 minutes. Add flour and salt; mix with a rubber spatula until a shaggy dough forms and no dry streaks remain.

2. Pour 4 Tbsp. oil into the biggest bowl that will fit in your refrigerator. Transfer dough to bowl and turn to coat in oil. Cover with a silicone lid or plastic wrap and chill until dough is doubled in size (it should look very bubbly and alive), at least 8 hours and up to 1 day. (Mine did NOT rise super high in the fridge and get to the top of the bowl, just FYI.)

3.  Generously butter an 18x13" rimmed baking sheet (or similar size). Pour 1 Tbsp. oil into center of pan. Keeping the dough in the bowl, gather up edges of dough farthest from you and lift up and over into center of bowl. Give the bowl a quarter turn and repeat process. Do this 2 more times; you want to deflate dough while you form it into a rough ball. (Using a fork in each hand makes this process even easier and less messy!) (There's a video on the original recipe, but it's probably also fine if you just dump the dough onto the baking sheet.)

4.  Transfer dough to prepared pan. Pour any oil left in bowl over the dough and coat it in oil. (At this point, don't stretch the dough to fit the pan- you'll do that in Step 5.)  Let rise, uncovered, in a dry, warm spot until doubled in size, at least 1½ hours and up to 4 hours. To see if it’s ready, poke the dough with your finger. The dough should spring back slowly, leaving a small visible indentation. If it springs back quickly, the dough isn’t ready. (If at this point the dough is ready to bake but you aren’t, you can chill it up to 1 hour.)

5.  Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 450°F.  Gently stretch out dough to fill the baking sheet. Dimple focaccia all over with your fingers, as if you’re aggressively playing the piano, creating very deep depressions in the dough (go all the way to the baking sheet). Drizzle with remaining 1 Tbsp. oil and sprinkle with sea salt or more Kosher salt. Bake focaccia until puffed and golden brown all over, 20–30 minutes.

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Gnocchi with Blue Cheese, Spinach, and Bacon (or Pancetta)

This is a new favorite dish of mine.  I made it once because it looked easy, and was blown away by how much I loved it.  Sadly, none of my kids like blue cheese, but my youngest did eat some of this.  My husband and I enjoyed this, and the leftovers are good warmed up.  The first few times, I used bacon, but the last time I made it, I used a small package of cubed, smoked pancetta and it was way easier and tasted just as good (I think).  I'm not sure if one can buy the small packages like that in the States, but it's a good option for those who live in Italy.  (Pic of the small package at the end of this post.)  The pancetta is easy because it's already cubed, and it contains a lot less fat than bacon, so there's less draining of the fat. I actually had to add some olive oil last time I made it to get that one tablespoon of fat.  I got this recipes from the Kitchn- I really love a lot of their recipes.  

Gnocchi with Blue Cheese, Spinach, and Bacon (or Pancetta)

adapted from The Kitchn

6 slices bacon (about 6 oz- OR 4-6 oz of cubed, smoked pancetta)

1 pound fresh, shelf-stable, or frozen gnocchi (I used fresh)
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups packed baby spinach (about 2 ounces) (I roughly chop with clean kitchen scissors right in the glass measuring cup)  
1/2 cup crumbled blue or gorgonzola cheese

1.  Cook the bacon or pancetta over low heat in a large skillet, flipping halfway through, until the fat has rendered out and the bacon is crispy, about 10 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Once cool, crumble the bacon. Drain all but about 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pan.

2.  Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi and cook according to the package instructions. (My fresh gnocchi only take 2-3 minutes; are done when they rise to the top.)  Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water, then drain.

3.  Add the gnocchi to the skillet over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden-brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the reserved pasta water, broth, and spinach, and cook, stirring until the spinach is wilted, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the cheese and reserved bacon and stir to combine. Cheese will melt and form a nice sauce with the liquid already in the pan.  

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Pumpkin Slow Cooker Steel-Cut Oatmeal

This is a good oatmeal for fall.  It's great for doing make-ahead breakfasts, too.  Just refrigerate portions in a microwabable (preferably glass) container, add a bit of milk when ready to re-heat, and warm up for a great breakfast throughout the week.  This recipe does make a lot, so it can feed quite a few people, or provide breakfast for a few days for one or two people.  

I already have a pumpkin oatmeal recipe on here, but this new one is nice because it includes a few more spices for flavor, makes a lot more, AND the most important thing- it uses the whole can of pumpkin!!  That's the best.  Oh, the original recipe is quite involved, with cooking some of the ingredients on the stove first, but I looked at that, thought that nobody has time for that, and just proceeded to dump all ingredients into the crockpot and turn it on, which worked just perfectly.  

Pumpkin Slow Cooker Steel-Cut Oatmeal

Adapted from the Kitchn

Cooking spray, olive oil, or coconut oil
1 1/2 cups steel-cut oats
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
4 cups water
2 cups whole milk (I use one can evaporated milk, make up the difference w/almond milk)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

1.  Coat the bottom and sides of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray, olive oil, or coconut oil.  Add all ingredients to slow cooker; stir.  Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours (any longer than that in my slow cooker, and it would burn.)  Stir well and remove cinnamon stick.  Serve with extra milk,  maple syrup and/or cinnamon sugar, if desired.  Also makes great leftovers- just add a splash of liquid before reheating in the microwave.  I added some pepitas on top of servings for crunch, in the photos.  

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Brown Butter Pecan Granola

Yum- I think this is the best granola I've ever made.  The brown butter/brown sugar mixture is caramel-like, the pecans add a delicious sweet crunch, and the fresh orange zest just sends it over the top.  I've made this twice recently.  In fact, my son is sitting by me eating a big bowl right now.  I doubled the oats from the original recipe, and it's perfect.  If you like granola, you should make this immediately.  This recipe comes from Mel's Kitchen Cafe, and she has a great granola tip.  In all of my granola-making years, I never knew this- do not stir the granola after bringing it out of the oven for the last time.  The mixture will harden together and you can gently break it up to have clumps.  I've never had clumps before now.  (It tastes great either way, though.)  I stir it a second-to-last time, and then put it in for 2 more minutes, then remove from the oven.  Mel grinds the pecans up for this recipe, but I just added choppped pecans to the mixture and loved it.  

Brown Butter Pecan Granola

adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

½ cup salted butter
¼ cup dark brown sugar
¼ cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup pecans
4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup  raw or sprouted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
½ cup  unsweetened coconut flakes
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest, optional (from one orange)
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon coarse, kosher salt

1.  Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray OR line a half sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

2.  Over medium heat, melt the butter in a stainless steel skillet or saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until the butter foams and then browns, 5-6 minutes. Watch carefully so the butter doesn’t burn. You just want the itty bitty solids that separate from the butter to turn golden brown. Remove from the heat and stir in the brown sugar, honey, and vanilla. Set aside.

3.  In a large bowl, combine the pecans, oats, pumpkin seeds, coconut, orange zest (if using), cinnamon and salt. Pour the brown butter syrup mixture over the top and stir to combine evenly.

4.  Spread the granola into an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 45-60 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes, until the granola smells fragrant and is a nicely toasted golden color. The granola will look wet as you stir and might even look a bit wet coming out of the oven. It will dry as it cools. (Resist the urge to stir it as it comes out of the oven- let it harden as it cools so you can crumple it into clumps.)  

5.  Let the granola cool completely on the baking sheet. Crumble into pieces. Store in an airtight container at room temperature (it will keep well for 1-2 weeks).

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