Smoked Salt & Pepper

Soup weather is the best.  I failed to post this back when I made it in December because we had an unusually mild winter.  Luckily, there's been a touch of cold weather in January and I've actually got a pot of soup on the stove right now (Chicken Tortilla  Pita, though.  Whoops, don't have any tortillas on hand).  Speaking of soups, you all should check out my fellow Austin Food Blogger Maggie's soup post  http://frommaggiesfarm.blogspot.com/2015/12/soup-weather-rabbit-sausage-soup-with.html?spref=tw Ingredients: 1 tbs. olive oil 1/2 small onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 lb. hot Italian sausage 6 c. chicken broth 1 lb. small red or white potatoes, washed and quartered 1 can white beans such as Cannellini, rinsed and drained 2 tsp. Italian seasoning or dried rosemary and thyme 1 bunch kale, stems removed and roughly chopped salt and pepper to taste shredded Parmesan and crusty bread (such as Rustic Rosemary Bread ) to serve ...

If you're bored with sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows, here's an interesting twist on the classic sweet potato side dish for Thanksgiving.  I personally like sweet potatoes that are seasoned more on the salty side; so you get that sweet and salty combo.  Like sweet potato fries, I feel there's no need to add cinnamon or sugar or marshmallows.  So when I came across this recipe 5 years ago, I knew I had to try it.  It's been very yummy and I've brought it to my family's Thanksgiving twice now. I came across this recipe of all places in the Bryan, TX electric's quarterly mailer, the "Texas Co-Op Power" November 2010 edition. Twice-Baked Chipotle Sweet Potaotes Ingredients 6 medium sweet potatoes (try picking rounder shaped sweet potatoes of similar sizes) olive oil 8 oz. goat cheese, softened (cream cheese may be substituted) 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. chili powder 1/2 c. cilantro, minced 2 tbs. butter, softened 1 chipotle pepper...

So I got a little overzealous with my fall enthusiasm and had about 2 pounds of apples to use before they got all mushy this week.  Bust out the sweet potatoes, and sage, and pork chops! This was an easy and deliciously filling weeknight meal and it made our house smell really good. Pork Chops with Crispy Sweet Potatoes and Apple Cider Reduction Recipe inspired by Curtis Stone's Cider-Dijon Pork Chops Ingredients: 4 thin-cut bone-in pork chops 3 tbs. olive oi 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4" long slices 1 onion, sliced into wedges 2 small Fuji apples, sliced in wedges about 10 sage leaves 2 tbs. butter 1 tbs. Dijon mustard 1/2 c. apple cider vinegar salt and pepper Directions: Preheat a sheet pan in the oven at 450 degrees.  In a large bowl, toss sweet potatoes, onion, apples, and sage leaves in 2 tbs. olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Spread mixture on pre-heated sheet pan and roast for about 15-20 minutes or until gol...

Although the weather has failed to reflect it here in Texas, fall is here!  That means I get to start hiding under layered clothes.  Bye bye, bikinis!  I'm already starting to crave the hearty meals; stews, pastas, casseroles, chilis; that accompany the change of seasons.  That being said, we recently came back from a trip out-of-town and I had to pull something together from the pantry/deep recesses of my freezer because my lazy butt didn't want to go grocery shopping after sitting on an airplane and at airports for the last 5 hours.  So here comes dinner's savior: Fettucine Carbonara! I almost always keep some bacon and shredded parmesan in the freezer, some eggs in the fridge, and some type of pasta in the pantry.  Picked off some of the last leaves of Italian parsley from my herb garden and, Voila! Dinner! This recipe comes courtesy from my friend Laura's parents.  In a bind, I replaced white wine with sherry and subbed fettuccine for rigato...

In August, my family went to Turks and Caicos for my parent's (1 year) belated 35th anniversary.  It was a beautiful time.  Thanks to my brother-in-law and sister, we stayed at an amazing resort where we had two personal chefs and two attendants.  Our meals were prepared to our liking each day, and though we gorged ourselves on food, it was all rather healthy and tasty.  Reid and I were sure we'd come back 10 lbs heavier, but he actually lost weight and I stayed the same.  We've both been trying to be more conscious about living healthier, working out and eating better so this was a delightful reminder that we can eat really well, but still be pretty healthy.  It inspired me to make some lighter, but flavor-filled foods when we got back, nice and tan ;) In Turks and Caicos, we enjoyed a lot of conch salad, as it was conch season.  The chewy, salty conch was complimented well with a lemon juice and oil dressing and lots of fresh veggies.  ...

Chả Cá is a fish dish originating from north Vietnam.  Tumeric marinated fish is grilled table-side, which was always fun for me as a kid.  The fish is served with rice noodles, peanuts, and plenty of dill!  All these great flavors combine to make a delicious, yet light, bowl of savory, crunchy, satisfying goodness!  For our last visit to Houston, I had my mom teach me how to make this dish.  Here's her version: Ingredients: 4 catfish fillets, cut in 1" pieces 1 tbs. rice flour 2 tbs Greek yogurt 1-2 tsp ground tumeric 1 inch galangal, ground in a mortar and pestel  1 tbs vegetable oil 1/2 tsp. shrimp paste (mam tom) Marinated for at least 4 hrs.  Bake at 400 for 5-8 minutes or until browned.  Fry in oil with  1 cup fresh dill 1 cup green onion, cut in 1" long slices until fish is crisp, about 2-3 minutes.  Serve with: Black sesame chips (banh trang) Vermicelli noodles Roasted peanuts Nước m...

I have basil overload in my garden right now.  After making a bunch of pesto, we've been making caprese salad almost every other night.  This caprese pasta was a way to incorporate the basil, tomato, mozzarella and balsamic tastes of the salad into a dinner meal.  The sauce was a little sweet, so it is a bit different than what I would typically make.  This is great warm, or as a cold pasta salad (chop the mozzarella and toss with rest of cooled ingredients instead of melting). Caprese Pasta Ingredients: 1 lb. penne pasta 1 c. balsamic vinegar 1 tbs. brown sugar salt and pepper 1 tbs. olive oil 1 pint baby bella mushrooms, washed and sliced 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved 1/4  cup packed basil leaves 1 16 oz. mozzarella cheese, sliced in 1/4" slices Directions: Boil pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, combine balsamic vinegar and brown sugar in small saucepan over medium heat until reduced about a half, about 6-...