Salmon w/ Anchovy Garlic Butter & Capers

You know what pisses me off? When a customer at a restaurant orders a Caesar salad and the server asks "do you want anchovies?" and the customer says "no". It's beyond erroneous - it's blasphemy (still a traffic violation in comparison to the criminal offense of ordering a filet well done which is like peeing on the cow's gravestone but I'll save that rant for another day). Anchovies aren't just stinky little fish - they are salty and briny and pack an massive umami punch and so much flavor. That's why this offends me. These babies are the backbone to Caesar dressing and they're what makes the salad so damn good.....and newsflash, even if you go without actual anchovies, a good quality worcestershire sauce has anchovies in it anyways because the people making it know what's up and want that savory, in depth umami flavor tingling your taste buds.

Okay so anyways this post actually isn't about a Caesar dressing. That little precursor was to warm you hesitant individuals up to the idea of making an anchovy-garlic-butter sauce and smothering it on roasted salmon. The flavors here are perfect. Salty and briny from anchovies and capers, vibrant and acidic from lemon, pepper for a nice bite, parsley for some freshness and of course melted butter to tie it all together in a delicious creamy sauce. Ugh writing about food makes me soooo hungryyyy....

... and happy :)

I absolutely love salmon. I adore it. I've cooked it in so many different ways with so many different seasonings and sauces and this one has to be one of my favorites. It's simple and quick to make and really brings out the flavor of the fish. I served it with a celery root puree (simmer celery root, potato and onion in half milk half water until tender then puree with butter and white pepper) and green beans sauteed with a bit of balsamic vinegar. It really was a restaurant quality meal if I do say so myself!

Usually when I buy salmon, I only buy wild caught and not farm raised. Recently I've learned that the Maine Atlantic farm raised salmon has really upped the ante and is now officially rated as a "good alternative" to wild caught in terms of farming practices. That's what I used in this recipe and it wasn't bland or too fatty and had fantastic fresh flavor. Plus you're supporting Maine farming!

These filets were thicker than average and I cooked as whole large filets so I cooked them slightly longer than the recipe below recommends. Salmon should be cooked medium/medium-rare in my opinion. You want it moist and tender.... just flake-able with a fork (like I did in photo above... took a bite then realized I needed to take a picture). Just be cognizant of the overall size of your salmon filets and use your best judgement when cooking.

I adapted this recipe from the NY Times which is one of my favorite places to get recipes from. Everything I've made off their site has been so good!

This is a great quick weeknight meal but also good for dinner parties to satisfy your guests!





Salmon w/ Anchovy-Garlic Butter & Capers

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs salmon (about 2 large or 4 small filets)
3 tbsp butter, softened
4 anchovy filets, minced
2 tsp fresh minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 tbsp capers
Fresh lemon
Parsley to garnish

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425.
• Pat salmon dry - leave skin on. 
• Use a fork to mash together the butter, anchovies, garlic, salt and pepper. 
• Heat cast iron pan/oven proof skillet over medium-high heat and add about 2/3-3/4 of the butter mixture to melt. 
• Add the salmon skin side down to crisp for around 3 minutes, using a spoon or brush to baste the salmon with the butter a few times. 
• Put skillet in the oven and roast until just fork tender - about 6 minutes or longer for thicker/larger filets**. 
• Remove from oven, dot the salmon with remaining butter to melt, squeeze fresh lemon over each filet (about one wedge each) and garnish with parsley. 

**Depending on the thickness and width of your salmon and how hot you have the skillet when browning the skin, it may take more or less time - just use your best judgement!

Scotcharoos

It's great to have a few dessert recipes up your sleeve that are crowd pleasers and really quick to make. One of my favorites that perfectly fulfills both those requirements are Scotcharoos. They're like Rice Krispie treats on steroids - the texture of the classic but vamped up with peanut butter, chocolate and butterscotch (and a sprinkle of coarse sea salt on top!). It's a recipe many people might be familiar with as it was popular back in the day when it used to be written on the side of the Rice Krispies box in the 60's. It's a total grandma recipe for that reason, but they bring back sweet, sweet childhood memories for so many people!

These seem to have lost their popularity due to being slightly outdated but I'm determined to bring them back! They're one of my favorite treats and everyone I've ever given them to has absolutely loved them, whether they're nostalgic to them or not. They earn bonus points too for taking only twenty minutes to make!

They're chewy and crispy and the flavor combo of peanut butter, chocolate and butterscotch is dangerously addicting. I think the texture might be my favorite part because it's the perfect chewy/subtly crunchy bite. When I make them and they're in the kitchen, every time I enter the room I cut a piece off to snack. I can't help it. It actually becomes a serious problem - like these things will brainwash you. You really can't stop at one... or two... or honestly even like five. Not to deter you if you're on some crazy New Year's resolution diet something or other - this is worth a cheat day! And maybe you have stronger self control than me..

Both the bottom crispy layer and the chocolate/butterscotch layer are good enough to be eaten just on their own but together it's the perfect match. It might be an old school recipe but recipes don't always have to be trendy, hip and new. Throwing it back to recipes that make you feel like a kid and remind you of childhood are awesome! Plus any tough critic you put these in front of will melt :)

I've made these for parties, friend's birthdays and just when my boyfriend and I want to eat an entire pan to ourselves because we do stuff like that sometimes. They fit any occasion and will forever be one of my favorite quick dessert recipes!


This recipe is the one that was once featured on the side of the box (plus additional chocolate & butterscotch chips for a bit thicker topping and a bit of sea salt) so you know it's good.




Scotcharoos

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup butterscotch chips
Coarse sea salt

Directions:

• Butter a non-stick 9x13 pan.
• In saucepan, melt peanut butter, corn syrup and sugar over medium heat and bring to a low boil. Remove from heat and stir in Rice Krispies. Dump mixture into pan, spread out and flatten with your hands firmly. 
• In double boiler, melt chocolate chips and butterscotch chips and stir until smooth. Pour on top of Rice Krispies and top with a pinch of coarse sea salt. 
• Let cool completely before cutting into squares.

Roasted Honey Gochujang Brussels Sprouts

It's a Thursday night and I'm home alone and I just made the best brussels sprouts known to man and I'm strutting around my house singing and dancing and I'm just overjoyed. My taste buds are singing sweet songs and I'm in love.

A friend made brussels sprouts with gochujang at a party I went to and I loved them so much I had to do a spin off recipe of my own. These babies are roasted to crisp perfection then tossed in a sweet and spicy mixture of honey and gochujang with a hint of balsamic vinegar. Then they're put back in the oven to make sweet, hot magic and caramelize...

I'm a brussels sprouts freak. If they're on the menu, I order them. Every time I'm at the grocery store, I buy them. I like them cooked. I like them raw. If I were to get a tattoo of food on my body it would probably be a stalk of brussels sprouts. Or a plate of nachos. Or a chicken wing. Or a hot and dirty martini.

Anyways...

Gochujang is a fermented Korean chili paste that is spicy and deeply flavorful and complex. It makes it SO EASY to make these brussels sprouts taste like you slaved over a homemade sauce when really it's three ingredients. THREE FREAKIN ingredients!!! Fantastic. You can find gochujang at some fancy grocery stores or your local Asian market and btw if you haven't been to your local Asian food market - Go. Now. I frequently go to mine and have found some gems of ingredients that have been super fun to work with. Mine is also a great place to get bulk spices at affordable prices.

You could play around with the sauce for these sprouts and use a different type of sweetener and vinegar - whatever you want. I like topping them with nuts because I like a variety of textures in my food and sunflower seeds compliment this recipe (and basically any recipe) perfectly. Toasted almonds would work too.

Mmmmm steamy..

To make a complete dinner, these would go great with chicken roasted and brushed with the same sauce and rice or quinoa. There are also some great gochujang bbq sauce recipes out there that I am looking forward to playing around with. Spicy ribs, pork chops, shrimp, salmon, who knows what I'll be blogging about next! For now, I'm going to just take the time to bask in this brussels sprouts glory as nothing makes me happier than finding a new favorite recipe. It may be a while until I'm even able to blog about sprouts again because every time I make them I'm going to want to make this recipe. I guess I could have worse problems.








Honey Gochujang Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb brussels sprouts
1 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
3 tbsp honey
1 1/2 tbsp gochujang
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
Sunflower seeds

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil. 
• Cut ends of sprouts and cut them in half. If they are really small, like the size of the end of your thumb, you can leave them whole but still cut the little brown end off. Toss with 1 tbsp olive oil and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. 
• Spread evenly on a baking sheet and roast for 12-15 minutes or until they're starting to brown and are just about fork tender.
• Meanwhile, mix together honey, gochujang and balsamic vinegar. 
• Remove sprouts from oven, toss with sauce, spread back out on baking sheet. Bake for 3-4 minutes more or until the sauce has caramelized a bit. Don't overcook the sprouts, you want them to keep some integrity and not get mushy! 

Dynamites

I think the best recipes are ones that are nostalgic. Everyone has recipes that they remember their parents or grandparents cooking and just the smell of it floods back good memories. I have all sorts of dishes that remind me of certain people and certain occasions and that's the greatest thing about cooking. Because of this, I don't think there are many things in the world that are embedded with more love than a handwritten recipe book by a grandmother. It's the coolest thing to read through someone's old recipe books (stains, chicken scratch and all) and see favorite meals so many people have enjoyed.

A recipe that my boyfriend's dad's mom frequently cooked for them growing up on Peak's Island in Maine is Dynamites. They're budget friendly, slow cooked, packed with veggies, protein and FLAVOR. This is a classic recipe cooked in Maine and is also known well in Rhode Island. The version my boyfriend's grammy made was a vegetable medley simmering for 2 1/2 hours in a tomato sauce, then homemade meatballs simmering in the sauce for another hour. The result is the most comforting, rustic, heartwarming, and delicious meatball sub in a thick and chunky sauce..... And the best part is it's totally okay to load up a roll overflowing with sauce and eat the sloppy thing with a fork. All that bun soakin up all that sauce..... Mmmmmm

I made this on a Sunday and ate the leftovers nearly every day of the week for dinner. I looked forward to it every time. It's just as good if not better leftover, as the meatballs have soaked up all the sauce and the flavors have blended. With a handful of parmesan atop the sub, there is seriously nothing better. It's the best comfort food for a winter night and it felt nostalgic to me even though I had never had one before!

Just looking at these is making me crave leftovers so hard.... I'll have to be trying more recipes from Charlie's Grammy's recipe book asap because she sure knows her stuff! Check out a copy of her hand written recipe - if only it had the date on it!

I made only slight changes to the recipe to include Italian seasoning and fresh garlic. To make the meatballs, the recipe I've written below calls for half beef and half ground spicy Italian sausage. It's a simple way to add even more flavor and the meatballs were delicious. I'll even give my boyfriend credit for the idea... Sometimes I guess he thinks of decent things. I also use a bit more meat in my recipe because Charlie and I prefer to have our subs loaded with meatballs. It ends up being a good ratio of sauce to meat.

Overall these were one of my favorite things I've cooked/eaten in a while. You really can't beat these flavors - it's the most satisfying dish! It looks like this recipe will definitely be staying in the family for a looooooong time!






Dynamites 

Ingredients:
1 bunch of celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 large onions, chopped
2 large green bell peppers, chopped
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
12 oz can tomato paste
1/3 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp italian seasoning
4 cups stale bread
1/2 cup milk
1 lb ground beef
1 lb Italian sausage (spicy or sweet)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 eggs, beaten
3 tbsp parmesan cheese
Additional parmesan for serving
Hot dog buns/sub rolls for serving

Directions:

• Heat a splash of oil over medium heat and add celery. Saute for a minute or two and add the minced garlic and cook for another minute. Cover with 5 cups of water - make sure the celery is fully covered but shouldn't be all completely floating. 
• Simmer for ten minutes then add the onions, peppers, tomatoes, tomato paste, pepper flakes, Italian seasoning and a good pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Cook on low for 2 1/2 hours - a low simmer.
• In the meantime make the meatballs. Soak the bread in the milk to moisten. Add the beef and sausage, salt, pepper, eggs and parmesan cheese. Shape into 1 1/2" balls. 
• Increase heat on the sauce so it's at a more steady simmer and add the meatballs. Cover and cook for another hour. 
• Serve hot over hotdog buns or sub rolls and top with parmesan cheese. 

Shaved Kale & Brussels Sprouts Salad

Everyone is sick. There is a nasty 4-week cold going around and I am doing everything in my power to prevent getting it. I'm gargling with warm salt water every night, drinking tea and honey, making sure I break a sweat and get outside, drinking a ridiculous amount of water each day... Call me crazy but I just really don't want to get sick.

Another step in the sickness prevention plan is loading up on vitamin C, which means I'm making an insanely fresh and delicious salad that is packed with it. Shaved kale, brussels sprouts, sunflower seeds, craisins and parmesan tossed in a tangy lemon-dijon dressing (with minced shallots!):

It's also good because I haven't made or eaten a salad in like three months. It's been meatball subs and hearty soups and cheesy casseroles and so much leftover Christmas chocolate I can't seem to get rid of even though I've had approximately five pieces a day.... So yes having a salad is good. Eating it made me feel energized and light and happy and plot twist I ate a meatball sub before I ate the salad but pretend I didn't tell you that. This salad is hearty enough with the nutrients and fiber from the greens & craisins, protein from the nuts, and of course cheese which is necessary on salads. I always get the craisins with no added sugar because they're fine on their own and why change a good thing.

Another wonderful thing about this salad is that it keeps well in the fridge for a whole week, meaning it's a delicious and convenient packable lunch for work! The kale does absorb the dressing overtime so you might need to toss a little extra dressing or oil/lemon juice on it to freshen it up again but it still holds it's crunch as it's a hearty leaf. The recipe makes a little extra dressing to save for later :)

Behold the glorious desktop lunch. It's a great salad with the perfect balance of flavors and textures. I'm always partial to a homemade dressing and I love ones with lemon juice and dijon. It's zingy and fresh and actually brings out the flavor of the veggies rather than smothering it.

To make this salad, you could cut/shave the brussels sprouts thinly by hand, or you could (and should) follow the recipe and throw them into the food processor for about two seconds because it will save you a ton of time chopping. Just don't go too crazy and process them into sand because that's not the ideal texture for your salad.

Enjoy this and stay healthy! Feel free to serve it with a protein for a hearty dinner.



Shaved Kale & Brussels Sprouts Salad

Ingredients:
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tbsp minced shallot
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tsp honey
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1 bunch kale
6 oz brussels sprouts
1/3 cup Sunflower seeds*
1/3 cup Craisins*
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese*

Directions:

• In mason jar whisk lemon juice, shallot, garlic, honey, mustard, salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to the mixture to combine and set aside.
• An optional step to prep the kale and tenderize it a bit is to drizzle a bit of olive oil on it and massage the leaves.
• Remove large ribs from kale and chop very thinly (shaved texture). Put brussels sprouts in a food processor and process a couple quick times just to shred the brussels sprouts. Don't over process so it's grainy. 
• Mix kale and brussels sprouts together and toss with half of the dressing - save the rest for later to freshen the salad if you're storing it in the fridge for meal prep because the kale will absorb the dressing. If you don't want extra dressing just half the ingredients. You can mix in the seeds, craisins and cheese into the salad or top each salad after plating. These toppings will store fine in the fridge if you are storing it for later. 

*** Feel free to substitute a different nut, dried fruit or cheese on the salad. Toasted almonds, pistachios, apricots, cherries, feta, pecorino, goat cheese?!

Crispy Baked Truffle Fries

Truffle fries have been super trendy over the past ten years or so and I for one am not yet sick of them and probably never will be. I'm a french fry freak. They're my weakness and I love them with my whole heart. Truffle flavor just makes them absolutely irresistible which is bad and good but mostly good.

Baking them at home is less fattening than frying them but who really cares about that. It's really about the convenience factor for me because honestly frying food is messy and it makes your house smell like a McDonald's for three days. If I can toss them in truffle oil and bake them and get them crispy at home I am one happy camper.

I made these truffle fries as a side to my Shaved Steak and Blue Cheese Pizza and saying I was in heaven would be an understatement. Every bite was a gift.. it was magical.. I was in love. They're crispy and flavorful and actually taste like a potato. That seems unnecessary to say but some french fries don't even taste like potatoes! Who knows if some fries are actually even potatoes - you never know these days.

The recipe calls for two large russet potatoes. From my experience, this fills one large baking sheet without overcrowding the pan. Overcrowding the pan or letting the fries stack on top of each other is an absolute NO if you want crispy fries. They'll steam instead of evenly roast and you'll be disappointed. You'll still eat them but you'll be disappointed. The same thing generally happens if you have too much in the oven - try to just have this one pan for the best results. It's also important to note that the recipe calls for olive oil infused with truffle flavor which is easier to find in local grocery stores and way more affordable. I bet it's what your local restaurant uses. An option for an even more indulgent option is to warm up one tbsp of truffle oil in a pan with 1/4 tsp minced garlic over medium heat just until fragrant and toss the cooked fries in the oil. This allows them to mimic fried french fries more.

Sprinkle these with sea salt and dip in a homemade aioli for the ultimate snack or side dish. Whenever I bake french fries (or anything else that could use some extra oomph from an aioli which is basically everything and anything) I use my go-to simple mixture of mayo, lemon juice, garlic, salt and smoked paprika. Just season it to taste and you're golden!

Impress your friends, treat yo self, love thy neighbor - just make these.


It's all about the Pats today - the Texans don't stand a chance.... Let's get that W!








Crispy Baked Truffle Fries

Ingredients:
2 large russet potatoes
1 1/2 - 2 tbsp olive oil infused with truffles/truffle flavor
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
Sea salt & pepper
Option - additional 1 tbsp of truffle oil + 1/4 tsp minced garlic

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 450.
• Cut potatoes into your desired french fry shape - when baking them, you're best off to not cut them too skinny or too thick. Use your judgement, I've had the best luck with the size shown in the picture above. 
• Lay them out on paper towels and pat as dry as you can.
• Toss the potatoes in the truffle oil to coat, season with smoked paprika, pepper and salt and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet without overlapping or overcrowding. 
• Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until desired crispy-ness. Flip the fries once or twice to ensure they crisp evenly. 
• Option to heat additional tbsp of truffle oil over medium heat with minced garlic for just a minute or so until fragrant. Toss cooked fries in warm oil to mimic deep fried fries.

Spicy Garlic Pickles

My sister Maria has always loved (been obsessed) with pickles, so I thought it would be a great homemade gift to add to her Christmas present.... and of course I made an extra couple jars for myself! These pickles are bursting with flavor and pack some decent heat. I asked my sister if she liked things moderately spicy or super hot and she said "burn my face off" so her wish was my command! Just kidding, these aren't that spicy, but they do have a serious kick which is delicious as a pickle snack or to make relish.

Here's a picture of my adorable sister about to enjoy her Christmas pickle!

Making pickles is much easier than you might think and it's great to be able to store the jars for later use. My pickling spice is a mixture of dill, cumin, mustard and coriander seeds, peppercorns, allspice berries, bay leaves, red pepper flakes and cloves. If you don't want them spicy and are looking for a classic pickle taste, just omit the red pepper.

The only downfall to making your own pickling spice mixture is that these ingredients, specifically the seeds, can be very expensive. This is the only time I'll recommend this as a money saving trick, so soak it in..... Go to Whole Foods. They have this AMAZING bulk spice section where you can take just what you need and it's cheaper per pound than buying already in the jar. If this is too much work, you can just buy some pickling spice at your grocery store and use that instead.

The jars look beautiful with the medley of different colored spices and they smell so good. It's a perfect acidic bite between mouthfuls of sandwich or a quick snack with a handful of potato chips! 

When making pickles, it's important that the jars are sterilized well and the lid suctions when the jars have completely cooled. This means the center of the jar lid no longer pushes inward if you press your finger on it, you'll know it's sealed completely and safe to leave on the counter unrefrigerated. 

The recipe makes approximately 4 pint jars of pickles.

Spicy Garlic Pickles

Ingredients:

2 tbsp whole mustard seeds

2 tbsp coriander seeds

2 tbsp dill seeds

1 tbsp allspice berries

2 tsp black peppercorns

1 tsp crushed red pepper

5 crushed bay leaves

1 tsp ground ginger

Approximately 7 pickling cucumbers

12 cloves garlic (3 per jar)

4 thai red peppers (1 per jar) - optional for additional heat, and I mean HEAT

1 1/2 cups cider vinegar

1 1/2 cups white vinegar

3 cups water

4 tbsp kosher salt

Directions:

• Mix together spice ingredients, from mustard seeds to ground ginger. Set aside.
• Ensure jars are ready for canning. You can put them through the dishwasher or soak them in hot soapy water to sterilize and keep warm. 
• Place 2 tbsp of the pickling spice in each of the jars, then add in the garlic and optional Thai chilis.
• Wash and scrub cucumbers. Slice into your preferred width for pickle spears/chips. Fill jars as much as you can without smashing the cucumbers - leave about 1' from the top of the jar. 
• In a medium saucepan, bring the cider and white vinegar, water and salt to a simmer. 
• Pour brine into the jars and fill, leaving about 1/2 inch from the top. 
• Place lids on the jars - use tongs to avoid contamination or thoroughly wash hands just before. 
• Process the jars by setting them in simmering (not boiling) water - the water should rest no more than 2 inches up the sides of the jar. Let them sit in simmering water for 10 minutes, then remove the jars and set them on the counter to rest. 
• When the jars have completely cooled, the tops should have sealed tight so the lids don't press in like a button. 
• Let them sit to pickle for at least ten days and enjoy! Store in the fridge after opening and eat within a couple weeks.  

Shaved Steak Pizza w/ Blue Cheese Sauce & Caramlized Shallots

I love pizza. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, drunken late night snack...any time, any place, any toppings. Onions, mushrooms, sausage, ham, pineapple, jalapeno, feta, spinach, buff chick, bbq chick, olives, peppers, SHAVED STEAK & BLUE CHEESE SAUCE! Extreme emphasis on the latter because A. I'm blogging about it today (duh) and B. I think it's the best pizza I've ever made. It's my masterpiece.... my masterpizza, if you will.

Creamy gorgonzola sauce with caramelized shallots and a hint of worcestershire, tender shaved steak with stretchy, melty smoked mozzarella and sharp, nutty parmesan, topped with a few generous shakes of red pepper flakes.... all atop a crisp pie with a tender, chewy, pillowy crust.

Every time I make something, I ask my boyfriend for constructive criticism so I can make note of it and improve for next time. When I made this he said "nothing, maybe you could sprinkle gold flakes on it". I agreed.....yes, it's perfect.

One of my favorite meals I've made and you often see in classic steak houses is a grilled ribeye or NY strip with a blue cheese sauce and crispy onions (I made it and blogged it which you can see here). I was thinking I'd make that for dinner when my boyfriend suggested pizza and BAM an idea was born. It's rich, savory and comforting, and different from your usual red sauce recipe so it's extra special to make for the ones you love! If you want to get super crazy with it, top the pizza with fried onions....

A good tip to keep in mind is to buy gorgonzola or stilton cheese rather than a store brand or other "blue cheese". This is because "blue cheese" is an unprotected term, so any cheese with blue mold on it can be given that name. Gorgonzola and Stilton are protected terms so it's a safer bet for flavor and quality for any recipe you use. Another good tip if you're from the Portland, ME area is to use Portland Pie dough as your crust if you're not looking to make one yourself - it's the best. They have never disappointed me and have multiple flavor options.... and they're products are sold in most major grocery stores in ME! (And yes I'm available for sponsorship.) I used sourdough for this one.

If you're like my mom and you're disgusted by blue cheese (and she hates goat cheese too which just blows my mind) don't be afraid of this recipe! The butter, cream and other cheeses mellow out the blue cheese flavor just perfectly. I promise you'll love it!





Shaved Steak Pizza w/ Blue Cheese Sauce

Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter
1 large shallot, sliced thinly
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt & fresh pepper
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup gorgonzola crumbles
Pizza dough
Handful of fresh baby spinach
1/4 lb shaved steak
1/2 cup smoked mozzarella, grated
Sprinkle of shredded parmesan

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. If you're using a pizza stone, place it in the oven while it preheats - this allows for a crispier crust on your pizza.
• To prepare the blue cheese sauce, melt the butter over medium heat in a small saucepan. Add the shallots and cook to caramelize and brown a bit, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Toss in a pinch of salt and a bit of fresh ground pepper to season.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and add the heavy cream and worchestershire sauce. Simmer a couple minutes to thicken a bit and then stir in the gorgonzola to melt. Set aside. 
• Meanwhile, heat a couple tsp of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Season the steak with salt and pepper and cook just for a couple minutes until almost cooked through - it will cook more in the oven so don't worry about cooking it completely as it will dry out. Chop it when its cool enough to handle so you don't have large stringing pieces on your pizza.
• Stretch out your dough and place on a pan or pizza stone. Option to brush a bit of olive oil and garlic powder on the crust. 
• Brush the blue cheese sauce on the pizza, top with fresh spinach leaves in one single layer - it's more for color so don't go crazy loading it on! Then top with the shaved steak, smoked mozz and a sprinkle of shredded parm. 
• Bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until the bottom is cooked and crispy to your liking and the crust is golden brown. 

Hot Pepper & Cucumber Infused Vodkas

I like making homemade things (booze, specifically) for yankee swaps around Christmas. First, because I'm thrifty (aka thoughtful) and second because it's fun for me to get creative and come up with something I think people will like....And if they don't I'll just end up with it! :)

Last year I made homemade Irish cream liqueur which was well received and seriously delicious in coffee... or straight on ice let's be real. This year, I wanted to change it up again and decided to infuse vodka with hot peppers and cucumber and bottle them to gift with bloody mary mix, hoping that the yankee swappers would love bloody marys as much as I do.

Infusing is easy and it really takes on the flavor of whatever ingredient you choose. Both of these infusions could be used in martinis, multiple cocktails and of course bloodys. Cucumber is one of my favorite flavors in boozy drinks and it pairs well with basil (added option in recipe), mint, lemon, lime, melon, tonic, ginger, hot peppers, blueberry, strawberry... you name it! It's mild and refreshing and really is limited to your imagination. For the hot pepper, think pineapple, cucumber, ginger, olives, etc.

They are delicious enough to just be sipped on ice!

Beware when infusing with the peppers because the vodka will take on a lot of heat! For me, that's wonderful as I do love my bloodys and martinis on the spicier side. If you're a bit weaker, reduce the infusion time and/or the amount of peppers you infuse with and know the heat level of your peppers. Jalapenos are usually a crowd pleaser, while serranos are spicier and habaneros are hot as hell. For any infusion, you can always taste it to see if it has the amount of flavor that you want and if it's not quite there yet let it steep a bit longer.

My favorite part is when you open up the jar or bottle, you can clearly smell what it is infused with and it just makes me want to chug the whole bottle! But what else is new...

In my recipe below I use a pint jar as the vessel because I figure most people have those lying around and it's easy to fit the peppers/cucumbers in. From there, funnel them into cute little bottles for gift giving or convenient, easy to pour storage in your own cabinet. It's a great thoughtful gift for around the holidays or just a great weekend cocktail for yourself!

PS - Both of these infusions would work for other liquors, such as tequila with the peppers and gin with cucumbers


Hot Pepper Infused Vodka

Ingredients:
1 pint good quality vodka
1 jalapeno pepper, cut in half and nearly completely seeded (or half of one jalapeno, half of a serrano)

Directions:

• Fill jar nearly to the brim with vodka.
• Add the pepper to the jar. A few seeds go a long way in terms of spice so don't overdo it, you're better off to remove nearly all of the seeds.
• Close the jar tightly and let the vodka sit for at least 24 hours and up to 4 days, shaking the jar a bit and tasting to see if it's reached your spice preference.

Cucumber Infused Vodka

Ingredients:
1 pint good quality vodka
1/2 cup chopped cucumber
(Optional 1 fresh basil leaf to get even fancier!)

Directions:

• Fill jar nearly to the brim with vodka.
• Add the cucumber to the jar.
• Close the jar tightly and let the vodka sit for at least 24 hours and up to 4 days, shaking the jar a bit and tasting to see if it's reached your flavor preference.