Microwave Caramels

These are from a magazine called Country Home (dec/jan07) and I have made them a couple of times. They are not what you would call health food but are absolutely delicious and seem like they took forever (ok, the wrapping into pieces takes some time but it is fun.)

Buttered foil
1 cup butter (no substitutions)
2 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup light-colored corn syrup
One 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla

1. Line a 9x9-inch baking pan with buttered foil, allowing edges to hang over sides of pan; set aside.

2. In a large microwave-safe bowl combine everything but the vanilla; cover loosely with parchment paper. Microwave on 100% power (high) for 4 or until butter starts to melt. Whisk to combine mixture. Microwave on high for 4 more. Whisk well. Microwave an additional 4 minutes. Whisk gently. Add vanilla. (Note: Bowl will get hot as mixture cooks; use hot pads to handle.)

3. Pour caramel mixture into the prepared pan. Chill for 1 1/2 hours or until just firm. Using foil, lift block of caramel from the pan. Use a buttered knife to cut into 1-inch squares.

Wrap each piece with waxed paper. Store in an airtight container either chilled or at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Makes 5-6 dozen pieces.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Coat sprouts with olive oil, with sea salt and pepper and roast on a sheet pan for 30 to 35 minutes at 400degrees, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan from time. Sprinkle with more salt and serve.

green beans with paprika

2 cups green beans
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp spanish paprika

sauté the garlic in the oil until browned, add beans and red pepper flakes and cook on med/high until browned a bit. add paprika and toss. Another great recipe from Esti.

cider doughnuts

Is anybody out there? This morning our office had a treat of fresh pressed cider and cider doughnuts. A new england specialty. wowowowow. Best doughnut I have ever tasted, a true sign of fall! hope everyone has a great weekend. Lori : )

How to knit marzipan

found this on the internet..... made me laugh

Lemon Sesame Glazed Greens

Ken made this last night and it was heavenly
He used bacon grease instead of the olive oil. bad bad Ken. n.
(Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2005, Good Eats)


1 to 1 1/4 pounds stemmed hearty greens, mustard greens, or kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lemon, zested
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Remove any large stems from the greens and wash them thoroughly; do so in a sink with at least 5 inches of water. Moving the leaves around in the water and allowing them to sit for a few minutes to allow the sand or dirt to fall to the bottom of the sink. Once clean, roughly chop the greens. You should have 1 to 1 1/4 pounds finished greens once they are stemmed. (Weigh the greens after stemming, but before washing.)

Heat a large roasting pan on medium heat. Once hot, add the olive oil. Add the garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Add the greens and saute for 4 to 5 minutes, tossing continually. Add the red pepper flakes and the sesame seeds. Toss to combine. Adjust seasoning, if needed. Serve immediately.

Orzo Salad

I have made this numerous times, it gets better the next day. fabulous for potlucks.

Orzo Salad
Recipe courtesy Giadia De Laurentis "Everyday Italian"

4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups orzo
1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups red and yellow teardrop tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved
3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
About 3/4 cup Red Wine Vinaigrette, recipe follows
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pour the broth into a heavy large saucepan. Cover the pan and bring the broth to a boil over high heat. Stir in the orzo. Cover partially and cook until the orzo is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes. Drain the orzo through a strainer. Transfer the orzo to a large wide bowl and toss until the orzo cools slightly. Set aside to cool completely.

Toss the orzo with the beans, tomatoes, onion, basil, mint, and enough vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad, to taste, with salt and pepper, and serve at room temperature.

1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a blender. With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with more salt and pepper, if desired.

Yield: 1 3/4 cups

Fresh Cherry Chutney

(adapted from Bon Appetit, June 2005)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped shallot or onions
2 cups fresh cherries, pitted
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp cayenne
salt

Heat oil in large skillet over high heat, add onion/shallots sauté 1 minute. add cherries, cayenne, vinegar. Boil chutney until thick, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Season with salt.

Serve warm (or cold) with grilled pork or chicken.
This kind of tastes like red wine vinegar-cabbage but with
cherries. it is a great recipe to use up cherries that are beyond snacking on.

Noodles with Chicken and Cucumber

Marinate chicken breast in black bean paste (found near soy sauce)
Grill and cut into small pieces and set aside.

Cook up 2 packages ramen noodles (or soba) with one packet of seasoning
and add 1/2 cup shelled soy beans (edamame)

In a separate small bowl combine:
small cucumber sliced into 1/4 inch chunks
1-2 tsp sesame oil
1-2 tsp rice vinegar

Serve noodles with chicken and cucumber on top and top with cilantro and a lime wedge.
I also like to add chili sauce and a spoonful of hoisin sauce.

Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

1 cup cauliflower, chopped
1 cup broccoli, chopped
¼ cup raisins
3 tsp red onion, diced
2 tsp bacon bits (optional)
¼ cup sunflower seeds

Dressing
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon milk
2 tsp white wine vinegar
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Waldorf Salad

(and yes, the trip was fabulous)
OK, Ken and I didn't actually order the waldorf salad from room service but it was very tempting...

see the link below for the famous (and updated) recipe:
http://www.fabulousfoods.com/recipes/salads/fruit/astoria_waldorf_salad.html

Mango Chutney / Cream Cheese Appetizer

8 oz cream cheese
2 tsp curry powder (I used salt free Ginger Curry from Nile Spice)
¾ cup unsalted peanuts, chopped
6 green onions chopped
8 oz Bengal hot mango chutney
(I found Patak’s Original at Tatsuda’s in the oriental section)

Blend cream cheese, curry powder, green onion and chopped nuts together and chill overnight (or at least 6 hours)

Top with mango chutney and serve with Melba toast or crackers.

swiss chard

We received our first installment from our CSA (community supported agriculture) yesterday and have a bunch gorgeous swiss chard! any good recipes?

Sun Dried Tomato Risotto

This is a recipe that our friend Alex made for us last month. We loved it, and when I saw that he had posted the recipe on his web site I thought it would be a good recipe to start with (photos of recipe on: alexandcati.com, Alex and Cati's site devoted to food. Our good friend Esti is often a star...) enjoy.

Alex's Sun Dried Tomato Risotto

• 2 med size onion 3 large cloves garlic
• 2 TBSP butter (1/4 stick)
• 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup risotto rice
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes (sliced into strips)
• 1 cup frozen corn

Heat the olive oil and butter in a frying pan on med heat. Sautee the finely chopped onion and garlic until the onion starts to soften. Add the rice to the frying pan and coat the rice evenly with the oil/onion mix. Add one cup chicken broth and bring the mix to a gentle simmer. Be careful not to have this too hot as you want the rice to soak up the broth, and you don’t want to drive it off as steam. After the rice has absorbed the broth, add the next cup, let the rice absorb that, then the last. When the risotto is just about done add the frozen corn and the sun-dried tomatoes.

I like to serve this with seafood; like scallops. Scallops are pretty easy, I drag them through a 5:1 flour and adobo mixture, then sautee in olive oil. Chop some fresh cilantro to sprinkle on top, open the white wine, and you are done.

Kidney Bean Salad w/Walnuts & Cilantro

2 tsp cumin seeds
7 Tbls red wine vine
6 Tbls extra virgin olive oil

5 15-16oz cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 med red onion, finely chopped
1-1/2 c walnuts, toasted and finely chopped
1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro, plus extra for garnish

Toast cumin in skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Whisk vinegar and oil in bowl to combine.
Mix together kidney beans, onion, walnuts and 1/2 c chopped cilantro in large bowl.
Add vinegar and oil mixture.
Crumble cumin seeds between fingers and add to bean mixture.
Toss gently to blend; season with salt and pepper.
Let salad stand at room temperature for 2 hours.

Makes at least 12-14 generous servings.

Seared Scallops w/ Cauliflower, Capers and Raisins

30 min: 4 servings

4 cups cauliflower, cut into small florets ( ½ of small head)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 ½ lbs jumbo scallops (12)
salt & pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup chopped roasted almonds
2 tablespoons drained small capers
2 tablespoons golden raisins
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

Bring medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the cauliflower and boil over high heat until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain; shaking off excess water.

In a large skillet, heat oil until shimmering. Season scallops with salt and pepper: add to the skillet in a single layer and cook over high heat until golden and crusty, about 2 minutes. Turn the scallops. Add the butter, cauliflower, almonds, capers, and raisins and cook undisturbed until the scallops are white throughout and the cauliflower is lightly browned in spots, about 1 minute longer. Add the balsamic vinegar and stir gently to coat. Transfer to plates, garnish with parsley and serve.

Sommelier choice: 2005 Vinum Cellars Vista Verde Vineyard Viognier

Easy to find choice: Smoking Loon 2005 Viognier
Richard Bruno co-owner of Vinum Cellars makes wines for Smoking Loon

Rules of the Game

Hi team.

Welcome to the Hansen Family Foodie Blog! Here are the rules. You can only post ONE recipe per week so make it your best of the week. We might change the rules later - but let's see how this goes.

Sally and I are sitting at the Portland Airport, drinking breve's and posting our first recipe - aren't we ubber hip.

Pom Cocktail
1 c. pomegranate juice
1 tbsp. sugar
1 slice fresh ginger root - 1/4" thick

4 tbsp. orange juice
1 tsp. Cointreau or other orange liqueur (I agree - this doesn't seem like enough)
1 750-ml bottle brut Champagne, well chilled

Boil first three ingredients in heavy saucepan until syrup is reduced to 1/3 cup, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Cool. Pour 4 teaspoons of this syrup, 1 tbsp. orange juice and 1/4 tsp. Cointreau into each of four 6-ounce Champagne flutes and fill with Champagne.

ENJOY!