Friday Firsts - Smorgasbord of Firsts

Happy Friday everybody!! (Click the image above or on my sidebar for more information if you're new!) Hard to believe it's already November and this weekend ends Daylight Saving Time. Pretty soon we'll all be posting Thanksgiving and Christmas meals!

This week I've had a whole smorgasbord of firsts!!

I've tried several new recipes including:

Peruvian potatoes,

cauliflower gratin,

and vegetarian patties.

I've also shared my first dog treat - frozen yogurt.

What's new in your kitchen and life from this week!?

Now it's your turn to tell me about your first! To participate in Friday Firsts create a blog post featuring a "first" of yours. Next, link that blog post below and tell us about it! If you don't have a blog or a specific post to link to please tell us about your first in the comment section! Any and all participation is welcome!



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Vegetarian Patties

Ok, so they're nothing like her amazing Halloweenies, but these were inspired by Laura (Queen of All).

I was so intrigued by the Halloweenie filling, I decided to make it for Johnny and myself without telling him first. I wasn't sure how it'd be received if he knew what it was beforehand.


1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup corn flake crumbs
1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
2 eggs
1 cup shredded cheese (I used mozzarella)
salt, pepper, spices, to taste
1 Tbsp vegetable oil

Mix all ingredients, except oil and let stand for a few minutes. Heat oil in a large frying pan and shape into about 10 patties. Cook for about 3 or 4 minutes per side over medium high heat, until both sides are browned. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 10-15 minutes in a 400° oven.

These were so unexpectedly good! I asked Johnny to guess what was in them, and he only got "some kind of nut." He actually thought it was a take on meatloaf. You cannot tell this isn't meat, it's amazing how hearty and full of flavor it turns out!

Johnny enjoyed his plain (he ate seven of them!) and I savored my three with spicy brown mustard! I could see these as a great replacement for hamburger patties, or even crumbled for tacos or in casseroles.

Iron Foodie 2010

1. Why do you want to compete in this challenge?

I would love a chance to compete in Iron Foodie 2010 because I love the endless possibilities it opens. It's been a long time since I took statistics, but I'm liking that twenty-five foodies will receive 8 ingredients, 3 of which they have to incorporate into a dish. There's something so cool about the fact that such a simple concept could have so many different endings!

I'm also a fan of Chopped, which challenges cooks to use the secret ingredients found in their basket. I usually dream about how I would use the ingredients if I had been given the chance. Now I do have the chance and can't wait to see what I come up with!

2. Limitations of time/space notwithstanding, whose kitchen would you like to spend the day in & why?

Call me a nerd, but I think I'd really like to spend the day in a rustic, traditional kitchen. I'm talking like Mexican grandma cooking with a stone oven, or an Amish woman with no modern appliances kind of kitchen. I think there's something so humbling in creating a spectacular meal from the basics. Starting with a great ingredient and turning it into something magnificant, by only adding time, love, heat, and a few additions. Making the true flavors of an ingredient sing under those conditions takes talent.

3. What morsel are you most likely to swipe from family & friends’ plates when they aren’t looking?

Most likely something cheesy. I absolutely love cheese of any kind, shape, color, or texture. It's also one of those foods that can be served any time of the day or night, and in sweet or savory form.

4. Sum your childhood up in one meal.

My childhood summed up in one meal would be eggplant parmigiana. Each step and ingredient taught to me by my parents and grandparents, learned through watching them. Beginning as an innocent fruit, salted, seasoned, breaded, and fried. Dipped in sauce and layered, sprinkled with cheese. Baked to become a single dish from what used to be so many components and layers. Kind of like the complexity of maturing through life.

5. The one mainstream food you can’t stand?

The only foods I truly can't stand are raw tomatoes and mushrooms (aka fungus). But even including those two things, I'm willing to give anything a try!

Cauliflower Gratin with Bleu Cheese

When Biz posted this recipe a couple of weeks ago I printed it out right away! I love the humble cauliflower, cheese, and especially bleu cheese recently! It's like she crawled inside my brain and made a side dish especially for me!

I kept everything pretty much the same, except I don't have a food scale so I eyeballed the ounces of cheese. I think mine ended up more like 2 oz. of each, but feel free to play around with the cheeses to match your own tastes! Biz's sister, Jenn even made it with purple cauliflower and cheddar instead!


1 head cauliflower
1 cup skim milk
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
2 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 oz. bleu cheese
1 Tbsp bread crumbs
salt and pepper, to taste

Cut the cauliflower into bite sized pieces and boil in a pot of salted water with a splash of white vinegar. (This helps keep the cauliflower white.) Cook until tender, drain well, and set aside.

Melt the butter in a small skillet, stir in the flour, and cook the roux for a minute. Add the milk, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat, add the cheeses, and stir until they are melted.

Spray a casserole dish and add the cauliflower. Pour the sauce over top, and stir until everything is covered. Sprinkle the breadcrumps over the top. Bake at 425° for about 15-20 minutes until bubbly and the top is slightly browned.

Frozen Yogurt is for the dogs

Two weekends ago I puppysat for Johnny's sister. She has two puppies and they're in their "chewing" stage, so I was researching ways to keep their little mouths busy. I read on a few web sites that dogs love frozen treats because it occupies them for awhile. With three rambunctious dogs that never seemed to tire, that's just the thing I was looking for!

I placed three small dog bones in the bottom of three freezer-safe glass bowls. Then, I simply covered each with about 1/2 cup of fat free plain yogurt. Allow to freeze overnight, then run under hot water until they pop free.

I chose to let them have these treats outside so they wouldn't get the floor dirty. (And I could get some peace and quiet for a few minutes.)

Later that night the three of them curled up together in the spare bedroom. How adorable are these little faces??

Peruvian Potatoes with Chiles and Cheese

Sorry for the rambling title - I felt it was appropriate to grasp the full magnitude of this dish.

Last November when we were in D.C. we ate at a Peruvian restaurant. It was the first time Johnny, Goran, and I had ever had the cuisine and all three of us fell in love. It's been on my mind since to see what I could incorporate into my own kitchen.

I'm not a member of any CSAs, but I am signed up for an e-mail newsletter for a local farm I considered. One of the things included in the weekly newsletter are recipes. The thing I love about these recipes are their focus - using up the CSA vegetables! It's a great resource to have for sides, as well as vegetarian and vegan meal ideas. A few weeks ago this dish came in the newsletter and I put it aside to make.

Please note, I made a lot of substitutions according to what we had on hand. I will be making it more closely to the original recipe in the future to try that out too.

2 pounds red potatoes (I used 6 medium russets)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup finely chopped red onion (I used 2 small yellow onions)
2 minced jalapenos, minced (leave seeds according to your heat preference)
1 Tbsp minced garlic (I used a lot more - 5 cloves)
1 cup milk
6 oz feta, crumbled (I used Chihuahua, cubed)
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
cilantro, optional (DISGUSTING!)

Wash and cube the potatoes. Boil in salted water until nearly tender, then drain.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and jalapenos and cook for about 2 minutes, until tender.

Add the drained potatoes and milk to the skillet. Simmer for a few minutes until the potatoes absorb some of the liquid and it reduces to a creamy consistency. Turn off the heat and stir in the cheese so it begins to melt. I used Chihuahua because I felt it was more appropriate for this cuisine than feta, plus I had it on hand.

Plate, placing the hard boiled eggs atop. (For perfect easy-to-peel egg instructions, see this post.) Garnish with chopped cilantro (YUCK!) or parsley.

This was some seriously good stuff. The starch from the potatoes and the milk made this delicious "gravy" that enveloped every bite. The jalapenos added a little something-something in the background, while the eggs where a nice change of temperature and texture. I'll be making it again, like I said - closer to the original recipe and also playing around getting more creative with it.

I am submitting this to the 100th week of Blogger Secret Ingredient (BSI), which Biz is hosting. She chose chiles and you have until November 7th to submit a recipe - new or old!


I'm also sharing this with Just Another Meatless Monday, a weekly collection of meat-free dishes, snacks, and meals to be inspired by! (Click the image above for more information.)

Happy Halloween! (His & Hers Edition)

His

Hers