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I’m celebrating Oktoberfest a bit late on my blog, but the weather has just starting feeling fall-like this week! Oktoberfest is a 16-day festival held in Munich, Germany at the end of September/beginning of October that is famously known for its beer drinking and accompanying eats.
When I think of Oktoberfest, I immediately imagine beer, pretzels, and yummy wursts (or sausages). One of my favorite sausages (although it’s not German) is Kielbasa, especially when grilled.
Hillshire Farm® Polska Kielbasa is made with beef, pork, and turkey with a blend of natural spices to really bring the flavor. I wanted to play off of the smoky flavor as well as pay tribute to Oktoberfest with a Beer and Cheddar Soup to pair with the Grilled Polska Kielbasa. I found Hillshire Farm Polska Kielbasa in my local Walmart.
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons salted butter
1 leek, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup flour
4 cups low sodium chicken stock
12 oz Oktoberfest beer
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon smoked hot sauce (can also use liquid smoke)
Hooray for spring weather! As the days get warmer, the produce offerings also get better. It’s the perfect time of year to experiment with more veggies!
Door-to-Door Organics, a home delivery organic and grocery company, is a great way to receive seasonal and organic fruits and vegetables. Their produce is USDA Certified Organic and is locally sourced whenever possible. You choose a produce box size (little, small, medium, or large), type (fruits, veggies, or mixed), and delivery frequency. A few days before it will be delivered, you will receive an email with what will be in the box. You can make up to 5 substitutions, which is really a great feature.
You can also shop for other groceries and add them to your delivery, including diary, meat, bread, etc. Their Facebook page is also an awesome resource. You can find some recipes, links to some of their helpful blog posts, and get more information about Door-to-Door Organics!
I have been using Door-to-Door Organics for a few weeks now (I get the Little Mixed Box box delivered every other week courtesy of a coupon given to me by Door-to-Door Organics) and was so excited to see that my latest delivery had beautiful rainbow baby carrots in it!
I love when my food has vibrant colors, so I couldn’t wait to roast these beauties up. My box also came with a red onion, a head of garlic and some fresh Italian parsley, perfect accompaniments to the carrots.
This recipe for Honey Mustard Roasted Rainbow Carrots is really simple and takes about 30 minutes, depending on how soft you like your carrots (I like mine to have some crunch to them!)
If you want to try Door-to-Door Organics for yourself, they were nice enough to offer a discount for I Can Cook That readers! Use the coupon code ICANCOOKTHAT to receive $10 off!
Bob’s Red Mill has been providing gluten-free flours, cereals, baking mixes, and grains for over 30 years. The company is so committed to it’s gluten-free promise that they even have a separate gluten-free packaging division to ensure their products are purely gluten-free.
Camilla V. Saulsbury’s new cookbook showcases the breadth, depth and versatility of Bob’s Red Mill’s gluten-free grains. As more and more people move towards a gluten-free lifestyle (either due to allergies or other health reasons), one of the easiest ways to transition to a gluten-free diet is to embrace the many grains available that are naturally gluten-free.
The cookbook, Bob’s Red Mill Everyday Gluten-Free Cookbook, includes 281 whole-grain recipes for entrees, side dishes, baked goods, desserts, etc. that include grains such as amaranth, quinoa, millet, and teff. The book also includes a section describing the grains, their uses, and how to store them.
There are a bunch of really delicious sounding recipes in the cookbook, but I wanted to try a baked recipe because that seems to be the toughest type of recipe to make gluten-free and still maintain the same texture and taste.
This recipe for Gluten Free Coconut Cardamom Carrot Bread uses a mixture of sorghum flour, millet flour, and potato starch to make a gluten-free bread. The bread is flavored with grated carrots, coconut flakes, and cardamom.
Before sharing the recipe, I thought it might be helpful to give some information about the different ingredients used in this recipe that may be a bit unfamiliar.
Sorghum Flour is a good source of protein, iron, dietary fiber and antioxidants. Sorghum promotes a healthy metabolism due to its high magnesium and copper levels. The starch and protein in sorghum flour take longer than other similar products to digest, making it particularly helpful for those with diabetes. Sorghum flour adds slight sweetness to baked goods and can be added or substituted in any recipe that calls for flour. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 months or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Millet Flour is a good source of protein, essential amino acids, and dietary fiber, as well as manganese, phosphorus, and magnesium. Millet flour helps keep the digestive tract operating smoothly and lowers the risk of diabetes and heart disease. It has a light, mild flavor and works well in sweet or savory baking. Millet flour delivers a cake-like crumb to baked goods. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 months or in the freezer for up to 12 months.
Potato Starch is used as a thickener for sauces, soups, and stews, or is used in baking with a combination of other flours (rarely by itself) and is a natural way to add moistness to many baked goods. Store potato starch in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 6 months or in the freezer for up to 1 year.
Virgin Coconut Oil can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator. When kept at room temperature, coconut oil will go in between being a liquid and a solid, which doesn’t affect the oil’s quality. It’s easier to measure out larger amounts of coconut oil when it is a liquid, so run the jar under warm running water before opening to liquify when measuring for this recipe.
This cold weather just won’t let up, so my cravings for comfort foods keep on coming! This recipe for Braised Chicken Thighs with Wild Rice Pilaf comes from the March 2015 issue of Cooking Light. It takes a little longer to make (~1 hour) so it’s probably better for a weekend meal.
You brown the chicken thighs in the same pot that you make the rice in, so it adds a subtle roasted flavor to the rice as well. This Braised Chicken Thighs with Wild Rice Pilaf recipe is also a one pot meal, so less dishes! The pilaf is loaded with carrots, Brussels sprouts, and golden raisins and work surprisingly well together!
Carrots are a staple on most Thanksgiving tables. My dad loves super mushy carrots, which just don’t do it for me. I want a bit of a crunch! So this recipe for Cardamom Glazed Carrots from Cooking Light is perfect for me; sorry, Dad!
The cardamom adds a lightly floral taste which works so nicely with the fresh ginger. This recipe takes just 15 minutes to make so it’s a great weeknight option as well. The recipe serves 6, so multiply as needed.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (or margarine to make vegan)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into 1/2-inch pieces
My slow cooker and I are good friends, although I’m pretty sure the slow cooker is bringing more to the relationship than me. I love coming home to a delicious smelling dinner after work that takes maybe 15 minutes of prep time in the morning on my part.
This recipe for Slow Cooker Oxtail and Short Rib Stew from Cooking Light’s latest issue uses an ingredient I’ve never used before, or honestly even noticed in the supermarket: Oxtail. Oxtail is a gelatin-rich cut, which makes it perfect for hearty stews, especially slow cooked ones. The ribs add a bit more meat to the stew, which also has carrots and potatoes to round out the flavors.
This recipe is originally made in a Dutch oven and cooks for about 2 hours so if you’re not in the mood for a slow cooker version, be sure to check out the original recipe.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 pound bone-in short ribs, trimmed
1 pound oxtail
2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup sliced shallots
6 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
3 cups unsalted beef stock
1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 pound very small Dutch Potatoes (bite size)
3/4 pound carrots, cut diagonally into 2-inch-thick pieces
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves
1 tablespoon corn starch dissolved in cold water, if needed
I love cookbooks with contributions from different chefs. It adds variety to the cookbook and recipes within it. I always end up having such trouble choosing what recipe to make from a collaborative cookbook because each and every recipe sounds so tasty! Although one recipe in this specific cookbook did stand out to me: Arroz con Pollo.
Forty world class chefs have collaborated on a new cookbook, UNICHEF, to benefit the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, the Children’s Rights and Emergency Relief Organization. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) works in 190 countries and territories worldwide to save and improve children’s lives by providing health care and immunizations, clean water, sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief, and more.
Each chef complements their recipe contribution with accompanying text sharing his or her personal relationship to food in formative years and the genesis of their life’s work. This cookbook contains recipes and stories from Marcus Samuelsson, Wolfgang Puck, Cat Cora, Jamie Oliver, Mario Batali, Michael Solomonov, and many others.
The author, Hilary Gumbel, is donating 100% of her royalties directly to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, which means each purchase of this cookbook directly benefits the fund. To help spread the word, I wanted to share a recipe from the cookbook to give you a peek into the amazing recipes that are within.
This recipe for Arroz con Pollo, contributed by Chef Ingrid Hoffmann, is a great Sunday meal. This Arroz con Pollo recipe takes a bit of time but makes a ton of food and has really amazing flavor. I adapted the recipe slightly but it’s mostly intact.
Passover begins tonight so I wanted to share a recipe I found from Martha Stewart for Haroset Braised Short Ribs that is Passover-friendly. The recipe can be made ahead of time and reheated but I just made it all in one day (this is definitely a recipe that involves some time to make– 5-ish hours. It might work well as a slow cooker dish. I will have to try that in the future!)
The short ribs are braised in Manischewitz wine and then served with a deconstructed Haroset, resulting in a really delicious dish!
Ingredients:
2 pounds boneless beef short ribs
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
5 small carrots (about 1 pound), 1 roughly chopped, 4 halved lengthwise and reserved
1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 cups Blackberry Manischewitz wine
3/4 cups red-wine vinegar
1/4 bunch fresh thyme
1/4 bunch fresh curly-leaf parsley, plus sprigs for garnish
I love comfort food dishes, but they can take quite a bit of time to make. And sometimes after a long day, all you want is a comforting meal without having to put forth all that effort and time. This recipe for a deconstructed chicken pot pie from Cooking Light uses rotisserie chicken meat to speed up the process without taking away from the overall taste of a traditional pot pie. The “crust” is actually a round of puff pastry that is baked separately in the oven to stay crispy.
This recipe takes about 35 minutes to make so you can have this comfort food even on busy weeknights!
Ingredients:
2 sheets frozen puff pastry dough, thawed
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
2 cups unsalted chicken stock
1 1/2 cups chopped skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
I have somehow never even attempted Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon. I must have skipped over that week during JC100. This dish is easily adapted for a slow cooker because it is a stew recipe that takes quite a long time to cook. This Slow Cooker Boeuf Bourguignon is a classic French comfort food, which cooks chunks of beef in a red wine-beef broth with garlic, onions, and carrots. The recipe I used is adapted from a new cookbook called The 163 Best Paleo Slow Cooker Recipes (100% Gluten-Free) by Judith Finlayson. I personally do not follow a Gluten-Free or Paleo diet (something that is probably glaringly apparent with my dairy and gluten filled posts) but have friends that do for various reasons. I wanted to learn more about Paleo and what exactly it entails so that I can hopefully post some Paleo friendly and Gluten-free recipes in the future. So what is Paleo? The general idea behind it is to eat like hunter-gatherers from the Paleolithic Age,or basically eat things in their natural state. So it is a protein-rich diet that limits carbs that are low in starch (fruits, veggies). Grains, legumes, refined sugars, and other processed foods are all not consumed on the Paelo diet. The diet also favors organic foods and meats that have been grass fed. Boeuf Bourguignon is honestly mostly Paelo to begin with. Only a few minimal changes have to be made (no traditional butter, sorry Julia). And instead of serving the stew with pasta, potatoes, or rice, the dish is just enjoyed as is. I kept to the recipe in the cookbook for the most part but did edit it ever so slightly to include the lovely mushrooms I picked up at the Kennett Square Mushroom Festival this weekend. I also substituted in Herbes de Provence because I couldn’t find my thyme anywhere. Ingredients (Serves 4):
1 tbsp clarified butter (Ghee) – make sure its organic and comes from grass fed cows (or olive oil to make dairy free)
4 slices uncured bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 lbs grass fed beef, cubed
1 lb assorted mushrooms (I used beech, oyster, and trumpet)
2 white onions, thinly sliced
3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp Herbes de Provence
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns
2 cups organic dry red wine
1/2 cup beef stock (make sure there is no sugar added)
If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you may be aware that I went to the most piggy event I’ve ever been invited to, Cochon EPIC, back at the end of July. I went through a considerably long stage in my life where I absolutely refused to have any kind of pork product: no ham, no ribs, not even bacon. As I began cooking for myself, I realized that pig wasn’t nearly as awful as I thought and have since slowly started incorporating it back into my life (although I still don’t fully get ham and probably still need some time before I decided to try it.)
Anyways, going to this event was a big deal for me. I was about to eat pig, and basically nothing but pig, for an entire event. I couldn’t pass up this challenge especially when Crispin Cider offered me a ticket! One thing I’ve definitely learned in cooking is that there is rarely an ingredient I actually don’t “like.” I may not like the preparation, but to discount an ingredient entirely isn’t fair. So what better way to give pork a chance than with some of the best local chefs preparing it? “EPIC” is the perfect way to describe this event. It was absolutely insane. The chefs used all parts, and I really mean all parts, of the pigs to deliver outrageous treats for attendees: pork-fat matzo balls, cured pork loin “lox,” pork blood waffles, pork snow cones, and naturally, a scrabble bar (we are in Philly after all). I also was completely star struck to see all these amazing chefs in one location: David Katz, Kevin Sbraga, Marc Vetri, Jason Cichonski and more! I grabbed a Crispin cider to wash all the porky goodness down and was really pleasantly surprised by the taste. It is, well, crisp, and really refreshing. I tend to think of cider as a fall beverage, but Crispin easily translates into a summer drink as well. And it pairs wonderfully with pork. So naturally, I needed a bit of a break from pork after the event, but I couldn’t stop thinking about making a dish with pork and Crispin Cider. I found a recipe for Slow Cooker Pork and Cider Stew on the Whole Foods website and used it as a base for my recipe below.
I’ve mentioned on here many times, I really stink at getting an entire meal on the table. I can usually handle making the main dish and then I just scramble to throw a salad together and call it a meal. So when Cooking Planit told me about their app, it was like they had made it with me in mind!
The app, available for the iPhone and iPad (android coming soon) can also be accessed online. Your usage is synced up through your login, so you can browse on your computer, iPhone, and iPad seamlessly. (The app is currently on sale for $0.99 for iPhone and $1.99 for iPad)
The overall goal of Cooking Planit is to get a meal, sides included, on the table at the same time. The app includes tons of recipes that come already packaged as meals, but you can also mix and match to suit your tastes.
Once you choose your recipes/meal, you can add it to “My Cookbook” to store for future use. When you’re ready to go food shopping, just add the meal to your grocery list. The app gives you the option of planning for 2, 4, or 6 servings which I absolutely love! The grocery list can be viewed as a list by aisle (produce, dairy & eggs, canned goods, etc.), images (in case you have no idea what a leek looks like), or by recipe so you can see what you need for which recipe. Once you find and purchase your ingredients, just check them off and remove them from the list.
When you’re ready to get cooking, just bring up the recipe and click get started. The app will walk you through the meal, step by step, so that all parts of the recipe will finish at or around the same time. The app even shows you which cooking equipment, kitchen supplies, and appliances you need to make your meal, almost foolproof! It also lets you know how long it will take to make from start to finish. I liked being able to browse the recipes online at work, get the grocery list up on my phone at the supermarket, and then use my laptop at home to view the directions while I cooked. Super easy! The iPhone/iPad app also has voice control, so if you’re elbow deep in cooking, you can give voice commands like “Move On” or “Go Back.” When parts of the recipe need a timer, automatic timers show up at the top of the screen for you. The app will also tell you when to slow down so that all parts of the recipe finish at the same time.
So I decided to try it out and give the results below! I (of course) messed with the recipe slightly so my version is below. I chose “Sunday Supper” but changed it to Baby Back Ribs instead of Short Ribs and used my slow cooker instead of the oven.
As someone who went to Catholic school for most of my life, kosher cooking isn’t exactly something I was exposed to. I have a general understanding of what it means to keep kosher, but I really never took the time to delve into what it really means. I was recently sent a cookbook called The Kosher Carnivore: The Ultimate Meat and Poultry Cookbook by June Hersh. Not only is it filled with really delicious sounding recipes, but the author took the time to even include a “Kosher 101” in the introduction.
Did you know that giraffes are considered acceptable for human consumption as identified in the Torah? (Sorry, thought that was a fun fact). Animals that chew their cud and have cloven hooves are considered acceptable, which includes the more commonly eaten cow and lamb. Bird-wise, it seems a little more lenient. In general, predators or scavenger birds are prohibited but most birds are ok for consumption. Meat is considered kosher when it meets a specific criteria when slaughtered and butchered. Kosher eating also means that meat and dairy cannot be within the same meal, but neutral foods, like oil and eggs, can be used.
Whew. Ok. Now that I’ve completed Kosher 101, I’m ready to try to make a staple of Jewish cooking: brisket, specifically Brisket Ragout over Pasta! At the suggestion of the author, I shredded the brisket and served it in a ragout over pasta.
One of my favorite parts of learning to cook is having the chance to learn about cultures through different foods. I love paging through cookbooks that contain recipes I’ve never tried and learning something about the history and tradition behind these recipes. In preparation for Passover, I was sent a copy of The New Jewish Table, written by Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff Gray of Washington D.C.’s Equinox Restaurant. The cookbook takes traditional Jewish recipes and turns them into beautiful modern dishes.
The cookbook is filled with a ton of re-imagined comfort foods, and is broken into seasons to make the most of seasonally available product. The last few pages of the book also has suggested menus for Jewish holidays. I hope to cook through the Passover menu over the coming days because it all sounds so delicious (besides the gefilte fish, sorry haha.)
The Grays’ have filled the cookbook with personal stories and notes throughout that give a family feel and a background to their traditions which is a really nice touch. Each recipe is also labeled by type of recipe to make it easy to keep kosher: dairy, meat, parve, or mixed. Todd Gray’s childhood traditions are also present throughout the cookbook and include a few nods to traditional Pennsylvania Dutch recipes. (I particularly liked these recipes because, well, what is more comforting that food from the Pennsylvania Dutch?)
This cookbook almost reads like a memory book and is filled with wonderful stories, photographs, and obviously recipes. The New Jewish Table would be great for someone who is interested in learning about Jewish traditions through food and those who have grown up with these traditions and are looking for a fresh update to their family favorites.
I decided to make the recipe on the cover, called “Not Exactly Aunt Lil’s Matzo Ball Soup.” The recipe is a more polished version of Ellen Kassoff Gray’s Great Aunt’s soup. It has noodles in it, but to make it for Passover, this version below has omitted them. Todd Gray’s spin on this traditional recipe turns a comforting dish into a truly beautiful dish. I altered the dish very slightly, but my version is below. To see the original recipe, be sure to pick up a copy of this cookbook.
This recipe falls into the “meat” category. It is also appropriate for Passover.
Ingredients:
Caramelized Shallots:
2 cups chopped shallots
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
Matzo Balls:
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons margarine, melted
1/4 cup club soda
1 cup matzo meal
1/2 cup chopped Caramelized Onions (above)
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Soup:
One 3-pound whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces (ask your butcher to do this for you)
1 large yellow onion, quarterd
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 small carrots, chopped
1 medium turnip, chopped
6 garlic cloves, crushed
1 bunch parsley, washed and blotted dry
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme
12 black peppercorns
1 tablespoon salt
Garnish:
2 cups finely diced carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup finely diced turnips
1/2 cup sliced scallions, both green and white parts
I’ve got turkey on the brain with Thanksgiving fast approaching and I wanted to do a post that used turkey. But if you’re like me, you don’t have 15 people around to help me eat an entire roasted turkey. So instead, why not make an Herb Infused Turkey Breast?
This recipe for Herb Infused Turkey Breast is cooked using the Ninja Cooking System, I thought it was a fantastic alternative for a smaller Thanksgiving. If you don’t have a Ninja Cooking System, you can still make this recipe; you’ll just need a saute pan that is also oven safe.
