Braised pork with carrots and parsnips

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Rivertree kitchen

My day job is as a freelance book editor, mostly cookbooks. I am grateful beyond words (sorry about the pun) to be able to work with food writers and chefs. I learn new things every day.

I recently had the chance to work on the manuscript for “Eat More Vegetables” by Tricia Cornell (soon to be published by Minnesota Historical Society Press). Tricia wrote the book for all those people who sign up with a CSA (community supported agriculture), and then don’t know what to do with the weekly box of lovely produce.

The book inspired me to expand beyond our usual veggie repertoire. We’re very fond of spinach, zucchini, broccoli, carrots, bell peppers, asparagus, green beans, and peas. That’s a decent variety, but Tricia reminded me that there are all sorts of other healthy, delicious vegetables that are languishing beyond the realm of our kitchen.

Fennel got two thumbs down ( I like it, but the guys not so much). Kale chips were a big hit with all of us. Artichokes and eggplant were rated just okay from the Y-chromosome contingent. Next on the list: parsnips.

Mashed seems to be a popular choice for parsnips, but I wanted something different. Roasted french-fry-sized parsnip sticks were sweet with creamy interiors — fantastic.

I have a new dutch oven, so braising is the cooking method of choice these days. I grabbed some pork steaks, browned them well and nestled them in a bed of parsnips, carrots, and onions. (This would also work with chicken thighs.)

An hour and a half later, the pork was falling off the bone. The carrots were their usual meltingly sweet selves. The parsnips were more subtly sweet, with an underlying tang that was a pleasant contrast to the rich pork.

One new vegetable is now added to our repertoire. What should be next?

Braised Pork with Carrots and Parsnips
Serves 4

3 large carrots
2 large parsnips
1 small onion
1 tbs. olive oil
1 1/2 lbs. pork (I used pork steaks; you can use a roast)
salt and pepper
1 tsp. dried thyme, or 1 tbs. fresh thyme
2 large cloves garlic, unpeeled
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 tbs. butter, optional
1 tbs. flour, optional

Peel the carrots and parsnips; cut into large chunks. Cut the onion into large wedges. Pour the oil into a stockpot or dutch oven with a lid and place (uncovered) over medium-high heat to warm up.

Sprinkle the pork liberally with salt, pepper, and thyme. Place in the pot and brown well on all sides. Remove the meat and add the veggies. Sauté for a few minutes. Add the wine and stir to loosen the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Return the meat to the pan, add the garlic cloves and stock, and turn the heat to low.

Cover and cook for at least 1 1/2 hours until the vegetables are quite tender and the meat is falling apart. You can serve it as is, or thicken the sauce:

Remove the meat and veg to a platter and cover to keep warm. Pour the liquid into a fat separator (or just pour into a bowl and set aside to allow the fat to rise). Melt the butter in the pot; turn the heat up to medium. Add the flour and stir to combine. Whisk in the separated liquid (leave out the fat). Peel the braised garlic cloves and mash the soft garlic into the sauce. Boil for a few minutes until the sauce is thickened. Add more stock if needed to thin out if you wish.

Posted in main courses, meat, poultry,and fish, veggies | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Scrambled egg pasta: looks aren’t everything

Posted on January 15, 2012 by Rivertree kitchen

As you can tell from the photo, you don’t make this dish for its looks. It’s not pretty. (I served it alongside some sautéed spinach for color and nutrients. That, and we like spinach with just about everything.) Despite the name, this is not a bowl of noodles with curds of scrambled egg scattered over. Instead, the eggs and pasta meld with the buttery shallots and garlic as they cook, creating a harmonious whole.

We learned about this dish on the Food Network’s  “The Best Thing I Ever Ate.” If you haven’t seen it, chefs describe, in rapturous tones, their favorite food in categories such as Fried Foods, Holiday, or With Bacon. As you’d imagine, many of the dishes make you want to be instantly transported to that restaurant (Michael Symon’s chocolate bacon cake had me drooling for days). Alas, no recipes are provided for these delights.

On the Breakfast episode, chef Susan Feniger introduced me (and all the other FN viewers) to her go-to morning dish: scrambled egg pasta. Chef Susan loved it, it looked fantastic, and most importantly, it seemed easy to re-create. So Luke and I headed to the kitchen for a little experimentation.

The premise is simple: sauté some minced shallot and garlic in butter, add cooked spaghetti to the pan, pour some beaten eggs over, stir frantically, add a handful of parmesan, and you’re done.

This works best with long thin pasta, so you achieve the best pasta-to-egg ratio. We are very fond of nutty, full-flavored buckwheat soba noodles. They cook in just a few minutes, so it’s important to have everything ready to go before you start the pasta.

It would indeed be a terrific way to start your day, but we’re more of the cereal/toast types at breakfast, so we make it for lunch. It’s also a great fast dinner, loaded with protein and healthy carbs, for my athlete son.

Scrambled egg pasta is easy to adapt to any number of servings; Luke makes it with one egg for himself sometimes. But this is a rare dish that I don’t fool around with much. We found that it’s just not the same if we add extra ingredients or fiddle with the cheese.  That shouldn’t stop you, of course; let me know if you find a variation that works for you.

Scrambled Egg Soba
serves 2

1 tbs. butter
1 tbs. olive oil
2 tbs. finely chopped shallots
1 small clove garlic, minced
hefty pinch of hot red pepper flakes, optional
salt and pepper
3 eggs
1/4 lb. soba noodles
2 tbs. grated parmesan, plus more for passing
2 tbs. chopped parsley and/or chives

Put a large pot of water on to boil. Meanwhile, melt the butter and oil in a large skillet. Add the shallots, garlic, and pepper flakes. Sauté for a few minutes until the shallots are soft and translucent. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and turn heat to low.

Beat the eggs in a small bowl. Have the eggs, herbs and parmesan close at hand. Put the pasta in the boiling water and add two or three hefty pinches of salt.

When the pasta is just about done, turn the heat under the pan with the shallots back up to medium. As soon as the pasta is perfectly cooked, drain it, saving about a half-cup of cooking water. Put the pasta into the shallot pan and stir well to coat the pasta with the oil-butter-shallot mixture. Add a few tablespoons of the pasta water. Pour in the eggs and stir very quickly to distribute them well. Add a handful of parmesan and keep stirring. Cook until the pasta is coated and the eggs are cooked. The whole process will take a minute or two at most.

Put the pasta on plates, sprinkle with the herbs, and serve at once, passing extra parmesan.

Posted in main courses, pasta, rice, and grains | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Savory-sweet roasted grapes

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Rivertree kitchen

Yet again, I have Rebecca at Foodie with Family to thank. She made roasted brussels sprouts with grapes and walnuts. The dish was delicious, but my favorite part by far — the revelation — was the roasted grapes.

Ten minutes in a hot oven and ordinary red grapes become winey, supremely juicy, and complex, with subtle honey undertones. They’re fantastic all by their little selves, or with a handful of walnuts or pecans roasted alongside.

I served the grapes as a side dish with braised chicken thighs; they’d also be delicious with ham or pork. I’ve actually eaten a bowl of them for lunch, simply accompanied by a wedge of good cheese and a few crackers.

They’re also great as a surprising appetizer: one large or two small grapes skewered with a morsel of cheese. I used a Wisconsin Abergele, which is buttery soft with a hint of tang. I have yet to figure out how to make the skewers look pretty; I apologize for that. But the taste is a wine and cheese party on a stick. It gave me thoughts of a smear of gorgonzola on a toasted baguette slice, topped with a few halved roasted grapes. Or maybe a bit of sharp cheddar nestled in a tiny phyllo cup and topped with a roasted grape.

Caveat: don’t eat them straight out of the oven unless you want to sear the taste buds right off your tongue — they’re filled with boiling juice. They’re tasty at room temperature, and heavenly when warm.

Roasted Grapes
adapted from Foodie with Family’s recipe
Serves 4-6 as a side dish

1 large bunch seedless red grapes
2 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. balsamic vinegar
sea salt and pepper
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or a silicon mat.

Rinse the grapes, remove them from the stems, and dry gently but well. Toss them with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and spread in one layer on the cookie sheet. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

Roast for about 15 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the grapes are just slightly wrinkled and are smelling terrific. If you’re including nuts, stir them into the grapes after they’ve had about 5 minutes in the oven. Pour them into a serving dish and let rest for 10 minutes before serving, so you don’t get burned. You can add a pinch of coarse salt before serving for a salty crunch, if you wish.

Posted in appetizers, sides | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Birthday surprise

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Rivertree kitchen

We tend not to feel constrained by convention around here. Our favorite Christmas Eve dinner is a large platter of our homemade potstickers, for example.

We’re not big fans of the classic frosted cake. There’s nothing wrong with it — none of us dislikes cake, exactly; it’s just not our go-to dessert for special occasions. Therefore, Tom and I had a wedding brownie, a lovely tower of fudgy brownies drizzled with white and dark chocolate and accented with chocolate-covered strawberries. It was, as you can imagine, deliciously different.

We often go the brownie route for birthdays as well. But my favorite choice for birthday celebrations, the one I made for my own birthday a few days ago? Individual chocolate soufflés.

They have such an air of extravagance: that lofty crown, deep brown with a hint of gloss; the texture, simultaneously airy and rich; and that decadent aroma that fills the house with the promise of chocolate.

But the secret reality of these soufflés is that they’re simply and quickly made with a very few ingredients. In fact, they actually qualify as healthy (for a dessert, anyway). The only fat is in the chocolate, there’s very little sugar, and the egg whites provide protein.

I used 8-ounce ramekins, but anything from 4 oz. to 10 oz. will work as long as the bowl has straight sides. It’s important to prepare the ramekins so the batter has a surface to cling to. Butter every speck of the interior of the dish, then dump in a tablespoon or so of granulated sugar. Turn the bowl around so that sugar clings to all the butter. Pour any extra sugar into the next ramekin.

I’ve also made them in hollowed-out oranges, which is very pretty, although the soufflés don’t rise as much in them. The soufflés are even better with a scant teaspoon of grated orange zest stirred into the melted chocolate, or a heaping tablespoon of crushed peppermint candy.

Serve them straight out of the oven. Like most soufflés, they’ll fall if left too long. We like them with a few orange segments on the side, or with a spoonful of  our favorite ice cream nestled in the center, or with a big dollop of whipped cream on the side, or with a few gingersnaps to dip in… you get the idea.

Individual Chocolate Soufflés
serves 4

about 1 tbs. soft butter, for the dishes
2 oz. excellent quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 1/2 tbs. excellent quality unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup water
3 egg whites
2 1/2 tbs. sugar, plus more for the bowls

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Smear the insides of 4 ramekins with the butter. Pour a few tablespoons of sugar into one of the ramekins. Tip the ramekin, rotating it, to coat the entire inside with sugar. Pour the excess sugar into another ramekin. Continue with all the ramekins until they’re all well coated with butter and sugar.

Put the chocolate in a small microwave-save bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Give it a good stir. Continue microwaving at 30-second intervals, stirring in between, just until the chocolate is completely melted. Stir until smooth, then stir in the cocoa powder, then the water. Set aside to cool slightly. (If you’re adding zest or peppermint, do it now.)

In a separate medium bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy. Add about a tablespoon of the sugar. Continue beating and adding the sugar until the whites reach stiff peaks.

Stir a large dollop (about 1/3 cup) of the whites into the melted chocolate mixture until well combined. Pour the chocolate onto the remaining whites. Fold gently just until combined.

Put the prepared ramekins on a cookie sheet. Divide the batter equally among the ramekins. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the soufflés are puffed and only have a slight jiggle. Serve immediately.

Posted in baked goods, sweet stuff | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Healthy crunch: homemade pita chips

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Rivertree kitchen

Sure, you can buy premade pita chips, but why, when these are so easy to make? Seriously, it’ll take 20 minutes tops, from the time you grab the cutting board to when you’re scooping the golden triangles onto the cooling racks.

Then there’s the flavor. They’re homemade, so you have no artificial ingredients or preservatives. These have a firm crunch but aren’t oily at all, as some of the packaged versions can be. The zatar lends a mild Middle Eastern flavor, but you can use the same technique with any seasoning you prefer. Sometimes we just sprinkle them with a little grated parmesan and a few grinds of pepper.

Zatar spice (sometimes spelled za’atar or zhatar) is a mixture of thyme, sesame seeds, sumac, and salt, and is used in Middle Eastern cooking. It has a subtle, slightly smoky flavor that pairs well with hummus. I got mine at Williams Sonoma, but my beloved Penzey’s carries it as well. (No, Penzey’s doesn’t give me a thing; I’m simply a fan.)

Make sure you use real, splittable (it is so a word!) pita bread. Some recipes for pita chips use unsplit pita wedges, but I think they’re too thick, and are too dry and hard when toasted.

They’re great with the (store-bought) hummus pictured below, or nearly any dip or spread.

Middle Eastern Pita Chips
makes 32  wedges

1/3 cup olive oil (about)
2 tsp. zatar spice
1/4 tsp. fine sea salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tbs. (about) coarse salt
4 round pita breads (6-8 inches diameter)

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a small bowl, stir together the oil, zatar, fine sea salt, and pepper.

Cut each pita into 8 wedges (you can stack a few and cut them together). With your fingers, carefully split each wedge apart. Set them, insides up, on a cookie sheet in one layer. You may need to use two cookie sheets or work in batches.

Brush each wedge lightly with the zatar-seasoned oil. Sprinkle each one with a few large salt crystals. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes until they’re golden; this will result in a crunchy, firm chip. If you prefer them softer, with a bit of chewiness, cut the baking time down to 7 minutes.

Cool on a rack. They’ll keep for several hours just out in a basket, or can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for several days.

Posted in appetizers, baked goods | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

A snowy treat: chocolate crinkle cookies

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Rivertree kitchen

Little snowballs of chocolate heaven — what more do you need to know? The powdery sugar coating cracks in the oven to reveal the fudgy interior. They’re as moist and deeply chocolate as a brownie, but lighter in texture; they really do melt in your mouth.

This was my mom’s recipe. When I was single, I made these every Christmas, often in multiple batches. They were my go-to cookie for serving and giving. But when Luke was little (okay, until last year), it was more fun to make and decorate sugar cookies.

I’d kinda forgotten about these cookies. But then I participated in the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap. I didn’t make chocolate crinkles (instead I made these), but a few of the participants made their versions of confectioners’ sugar-dusted chocolate cookies. I searched out my recipe, deciphered the faded writing, and got to work.

Since I hadn’t made them in years, I made a half batch, with a few tweaks: I lowered the sugar by 2 tablespoons (my mother likes sweeter cookies than I do, and it seemed like an awful lot of sugar), and I doubled the salt but used sea salt, not the iodized table salt from the original recipe.

The result, if I say so myself, was delectable. The cookies were sweet without being cloying, and there was just enough salt to enhance the chocolate.

Chocolate Crinkles
makes about 80 cookies

2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
4 squares unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup (about) confectioners’ sugar, for coating the cookies

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Break the chocolate into pieces and place in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. Give the chocolate a stir and continue microwaving for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between, until the chocolate is just melted. Set aside to cool for a minute.

While the chocolate is cooling, beat the oil and sugar together. Stir in the chocolate until well mixed. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients just until well combined. (I did this all with a wooden spoon; you certainly can use a mixer, but it isn’t necessary with this recipe.) Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours until it’s firm; you can leave it in the fridge for a full day if you wish.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet (or two) with parchment. Put the confectioners’ sugar in a shallow bowl. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls (rounded teaspoonfuls) and drop them into the confectioners’ sugar. Don’t overcrowd them. After you have several in the sugar, roll them to cover completely and transfer them to the cookie sheet, about 1 1/2 inches apart (they don’t spread too much).

Bake for about 8 minutes, until the chocolate peeks through cracks in the sugar, and they look less shiny. Don’t overbake. If you bake two cookie sheets’ worth at a time, rotate the sheets halfway through.

Cool on a rack, then store in an airtight container once they’re at room temperature. They’ll keep for several days, but are best on the first day.

Posted in baked goods, sweet stuff | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap!

Posted on December 11, 2011 by Rivertree kitchen

It’s time for the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap recipes! This event was conceived by bloggers Taylor and Lindsay at Love and Olive Oil, along with Julie of The Little Kitchen. Over 600 food bloggers participated this inaugural year.

Every participating blogger made one style of cookie and sent a dozen to each of three participating bloggers. We had to work from recipes that we hadn’t posted before. We are all posting our recipes today. There are links to all of us on Love and Olive Oil‘s blogsite. And if you’d like to join next year, go here for notifications on the 2012 edition.

I first received Caramel Raisin & Pecan Oatmeal Cookies from Megan Bailey. They were moist and tender, and richer than you expect oatmeal cookies to be. Even my raisin-averse son loved them.

Next to arrive were Melissa Beach‘s Pistachio Shortbread–delicate, buttery and sweet. Melissa suggested using them as sandwiches with a filling of ice cream or Nutella, but they were fantastic in their simplest state.

UPDATE: The last batch came this afternoon: Pineapple Cookies from Marcy at Just Crumbs, tender, delicate and yummy.

I sent cookies to Teresa of Food on Fifth, Stephanie of Will Run 4 Treats, and Amira and Casey of Hungry Dancers. I know Teresa received my package; I’m hoping the others did as well. The whole experience was tremendous fun. The very best part: now everyone has over 600 cookie recipes at our fingertips.

I wanted to send a cookie that would hold up well in transit, and would still be tasty up to a week after baking. My go-to cookie is Not Your Grandma’s Molasses Cookies, but I’ve posted about them already. So I thought a new style of biscotti would fit the bill admirably.

Biscotti should be crisp, crunchy, and sturdy enough to dunk in a cup of coffee or tea. They also must be flavorful and buttery. They should not be hard enough to break a tooth.

These are a version of my Lemon-Almond Biscotti. They’re tender enough to eat without dunking, and are only slightly sweet, so we’ve been known to eat them for breakfast. That’s also the justification for the delicate drizzle of chocolate; normally I slather one entire side of each cookie with chocolate, but I figured if we only used a little, the biscotti could still qualify as a morning treat. I think the technical term for this thinking is “rationalization.”

The plan was to make orange-cranberry biscotti for the holidays. But Tom came home with two large bags of dried cherries, and the grocery store had tiny, sunshiny clementines that were impossible to resist. Hence the recipe below. (Orange-cranberry biscotti would also be fabulous.)

biscotti dough logs, before baking

Clementine-Cherry Biscotti
Makes about 3 dozen small biscotti*

3 clementines (or 2 tangerines or 1 orange)
1/3 cup dried cherries
2 cups flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 eggs
For chocolate drizzle, if you so desire:
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
1/2 tsp. butter

Heat the oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment.

Zest the clementines; you want 1 generous tablespoonful. Put the dried cherries into a small bowl. Squeeze the juice of 1 or 2  clementines over the cherries. Set aside to plump up.

Stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, beat the sugars, butter, and zest until they’re light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat in the flour just until it’s incorporated; don’t overmix. Drain the cherries and stir them in (discard the liquid, or drink it — it’s delicious).

Divide the dough in half (no need to refrigerate, even though the dough will be sticky). Form each half into a log about 3 inches wide on the cookie sheet. (You can make just one long log, but I find it easier to manage with two.) Forming the logs is easier if your hands are damp.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the logs are just cooked through but not hard, and are pale gold on top. Cool the logs for 20 to 30 minutes (leave the oven set at 350°F). Move the logs to a cookie sheet, and save the parchment-covered cookie sheet. Cut the logs  into slices about ¾-inch thick; a sharp serrated knife and a gentle touch work best. Lay the slices flat on the cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes longer, until the slices are golden. I bake them for 10 minutes, then gently flip each cookie and bake for about 5 minutes longer. Cool on a cookie rack.

If you’re decorating them with chocolate, melt the chocolate with the butter in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and microwave again. Continue microwaving for 30 seconds and stirring each time until the chocolate is just melted. Use a small spoon to drizzle the chocolate over the cooled cookies. Or pour the chocolate into a small plastic bag, cut the tip of one corner off, and use it as a piping bag. It’s easier to lick the extra chocolate out of the bowl than out of a bag, though. Just thought you should know.

*The final number of cookies is quite variable; it depends on the size of your logs, how much the dough spreads in the oven, and how thickly you cut the cookies.

Posted in baked goods, sweet stuff | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

The Cookie Swap is coming…

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Rivertree kitchen

This is a tease. I’m not giving you any recipes — yet; you have to check back in on Monday.

The folks at Love and Olive Oil and The Little Kitchen have created what they hope will be an annual event: The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap.

Over 600 of us participated. We were each given the names of three different bloggers and sent them a dozen cookies each. (The photo above is of my boxes packed and ready to ship.)

We all will post on Monday, December 12. Just think: over 600 cookie recipes in one day! Love and Olive Oil will have an overview of the whole shebang, and links to all of the blogs.

Check in on Monday for all the details. I’ve received two of my three batches of cookies so far; they’re simply fantastic. I’ll tell you all about them, and about what I sent, on Monday.  See you then.

Posted in not food, sweet stuff | Tagged | 3 Comments

Cranberry-orange muffins

Posted on December 4, 2011 by Rivertree kitchen

When I have a hankering for muffins, I pull out a tiny cookbook, a brochure really. It’s called “New England Muffins,” and was written by Nancy Berzinec in 1987. It has simple, unfussy muffin recipes that are completely reliable.

These tender, light muffins go together in a flash. Orange zest adds a lovely, slightly bitter undertone to the sweet muffins. They are also just dandy with some walnuts or pecans stirred into the batter. I was out of oranges but had a big bag of gorgeous clementines, so I used their zest instead.

This is a slight adaptation of the original recipe; I used a full cup of cranberries instead of the 3/4 cup called for (and would boost it to 1 1/4 cups next time), and I sprinkled the tops of the unbaked muffins with sugar for a crackly crust. I used granulated sugar instead of confectioner’s sugar when I discovered that my bag of confectioner’s sugar had expired in 2009. (I don’t bake sweet stuff much, can you tell?)

Cranberry-Orange Muffins
Makes 1 dozen muffins

1 1/4 cups chopped fresh cranberries
1 tbs. grated orange zest (lemon and tangerine also work)
3/4 cup sugar, divided
2 cups flour
1 tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup melted butter
Topping:
3 tbs. sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease muffin cups, or line them with paper liners.

Mix cranberries with zest and 1/2 cup of the sugar. Stir well, and set aside. Combine flour, 1/4 cup of the sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together the egg, milk, and melted butter in a small bowl. Stir together the 3 tbs. sugar and cinnamon in a tiny bowl.

Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until barely combined. Fold in cranberry mixture; the batter will be stiff. Fill muffin cups a bit more than 3/4 full. Sprinkle tops with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake for 18-20 minutes.

Posted in baked goods, sweet stuff | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Whole Foods contest finalist!

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Rivertree kitchen

Whole Foods Market Cooking holds contests on a regular basis. They often challenge bloggers to post their best recipes using one particular ingredient. I entered their potato recipe contest with my Potato-Prosciutto Pizza, and recently learned that it’s a finalist!

I’m serious when I say that I’m just thrilled to be a finalist.

That said, if you feel like sending ole Rivertree Kitchen a vote, I won’t stop you. You have until Friday, Dec. 3 at noon Eastern time.

Some recipes come about by serendipity. You root around in the fridge, throw things together, and the result is pure heaven.

This was not the result of serendipity. I tried many versions of potato pizza. They were bland, or dry, or mushy. This version was the result of lots of trial and error. But boy, was it worth it! You don’t have to vote for this pizza, but I sure hope you try it at home.

Posted in baked goods, main courses, not food | Tagged , , | 3 Comments