Tag: recipes

Ruby’s Pumpkin Soup Surprise

Posted on by Editor

There’s something to be said about pushing yourself to get out of a rut. Google the definition of the word. It states that a rut is a habit or pattern of behavior that has become dull and unproductive but is hard to change; it’s doing the same thing over and over again just because, then starting to believe that that’s somehow your life’s fate. You start to believe that status quo is the only quo to go. (I just looked up the definition of “quo” and, although slightly vague, I think it’s safe for me to use that word as part of the quip I just went for. Just pretend that I’m clever. Now let us proceed.)

I’ve had pumpkin soup … a lot. If I see it on a restaurant’s menu around this time of year, I’m gonna order it. I’ve even gone as far as to ask friends and family for their Halloween pumpkins, after they’re done using them for decor and tablescapes so that I can make pumpkin soup. If you must know, even this pumpkin in the picture came from a pumpkin I painted that sat outside our front door for the past month that I scrubbed the paint off of to be able to cook. Let it go; shame is wasted on me.

Even though I feel the need (and sometimes, the obsession) to eat pumpkin soup every single fall without fail, I’ve been recently unable to deny that it has started to feel like a mundane practice. See, what I had tried to make myself believe was that eating this soup in the same way every year was somehow a tradition. However, I’ve begun to realize that it’s actually a closed-minded perspective, in practice, with something that has the power to be so much greater. I haven’t changed my pumpkin soup recipe in the 12 years I’ve been making it. It’s pumpkin. It’s chicken broth. It’s cream. It’s salt and pepper. It’s good … but is it great? Should I try for great or is good … enough? These are things I ask myself about the food I make quite daily, not because I’m nuts (although …) but because food makes me think about what is infinitely possible.

If you think I’m really only talking about pumpkin soup, you’re missing the point. What’s the pumpkin soup in your life? Why have you not branched out? Do you fear change? Do you think you’re incapable of creating and/or experiencing something better? Are you just too lazy to try something new? Whatever the case may be, if you ever find yourself in a rut, consider the endless possibilities — some far simpler to achieve than you might expect. Try and change your way of thinking. It’s never too late to surprise yourself.

Ingredients

Soup
1 medium-sized pumpkin (2 cups cooked), seeds removed and cut into quarters
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
1 medium shallot, peeled
1 small yellow onion, peeled and cut into quarters
safflower oil
6 cardamom pods
1/8 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/3 tsp ground ginger or fresh
1 14 oz can full fat coconut milk
2 cups water
1 Tbsp Better Than Bouillon Organic Chicken Base
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Red Pepper Oil
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Garlic Chips
2 cloves garlic
brown sugar

Chives

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place pumpkin, green apples, shallot, and onion onto large baking sheet. Drizzle with safflower oil and season with kosher salt and black pepper. Spread evenly and roast in oven for 20 minutes. If pumpkin meat is not yet tender, remove all of the other ingredients and place pumpkin back in the over for another 15-20 minutes. Let cool.

In the meantime, preheat stove top to medium-high heat and place cardamom pods, coriander, chili powder, and ginger in the base of a deep pot or dutch oven with 1 Tbsp safflower oil. Warm spices until cardamom pods are golden brown. Lower heat to medium-low and pour can of coconut milk into pot. Add water, chicken base and kosher salt. Whisk and simmer on low.

Place pumpkin, apples, shallot, and onion into a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth. Some minimal texture is fine. Pour contents of blender into pot of coconut milk mixture and stir. Bring stove top temperature down to simmer.

Place crushed red pepper and olive oil into small sauce pot and place stove top on the lowest temperature. Steep red pepper and simmer for 20 minutes. Let cool and strain red pepper from the oil and place cooled oil into a squeeze bottle.

Preheat small sauce pot with 1/2 cup safflower oil to medium-high heat. Thinly slice 2 cloves of garlic. Place garlic into hot oil and fry for 30-60 seconds. Do not over-fry the garlic or it will be bitter. The garlic will continue to brown even after it comes out of the oil. Transfer garlic chips to a plate and sprinkle with brown sugar and kosher salt while still hot.

Garnish soup with a few drops of red pepper oil, chives, and garlic chips.

Brussels Sprout Salad

Posted on by Editor

I was trying to be productive all day yesterday. I tried to unpack the bag that has been on my guest bedroom floor for the last month. It has been packed and unpacked, only to be packed and unpacked again. This is not an unusual occurrence in Nashville. This town is full musicians and artists who zip in and out all the time. It can make it damn near impossible to have a get together with all my friends. I am not someone who tours often, but the last few months I have been traveling quite a bit.

So, after (not) unpacking my bag, I decided to try folding the laundry that I had left sitting on a chair last weekend before heading out of town. I only made it a few tank tops in before realizing I simply needed to listen to my body and rest. I plopped myself down on my bed, under my down comforter, and took a nap in the warmth of the afternoon sunshine. I’m not the kind of person who is good at letting things go unfinished, but I’m getting better at connecting with my body when it is telling me to slow down.

My sweet husband is a good reinforcement of rest, too. After I woke up from my nap, he had me sit on the couch and watch a favorite show while he made dinner. And, y’all, he made the best dinner. Seared chicken, brussels sprout salad with toasted walnuts, and skillet potatoes with loads of herbs. All drizzled with a buttermilk dressing.  I liked it so much, I’m making a version for you. This one has sweet potatoes, dried cherries, and cinnamon because I am a basic white girl with a major affinity for fall.

This is a batch that could feed 4-6 people as a main dish, so you could easily half the recipe, if you don’t need that much. I do call for quite a few spices on the sweet potatoes. So, if you have to go out and buy them, I am sorry. But, trust me on this: These are the kind of spices that are good to have around anyway!

I recommend pairing this cozy dish with one of my all time favorite records, especially for fall.

Ingredients

For the salad:
2 pounds brussels sprouts
1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
2-3 tablespoon olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup dried cherries

For the sweet potatoes:
Two medium sweet potatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

For the dressing:
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon (Duke’s) mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh chopped tarragon
1/2 tablespoon chopped parsley
Sprinkle of sugar or honey
Black pepper
Salt to taste

Directions

Peel sweet potatoes and cut into fourths. Boil until they can be pierced with a fork. Let cool, dry with paper towel, and chop into cubes. Heat a medium-sized skillet on high heat. Drizzle a tablespoon olive oil in skillet and place potatoes in skillet. Sprinkle salt and all the spices over potatoes. Avoid the temptation to toss continually. Leave them to cook until they are crisp! About three minutes. Toss and lower heat to low-medium, until they are desired tenderness. Could be between 15 and 30 minutes, depending on your skillet. Mine took 30 minutes.

Clean brussels sprouts and toss in food processor. If you don’t have one, you can grate the brussels on a cheese grater or chop with a sharp knife. Afterward, place in a large bowl with pecans, dried cherries, and 1-2 tablespoons olive oil.

Whisk the buttermilk, yogurt, and herbs together. If dressing is too thick, you could add a little more buttermilk. To serve, layer brussels sprout mixture and sweet potatoes, and drizzle with dressing. Enjoy!

Ruby’s Smoky Okra & Tomato Preserves

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: It’s the most wonderful time of the year. It’s fall, y’all. It’s cashmere and comfort. It’s long hikes on crunchy leaves and drives through the scenic routes where colors do, in fact, burst forth from the trees. It’s also the exiting of stability in nature and the timid welcoming of something far more fragile and rapidly changing. It’s the time to be wide awake and appreciate every moment because, before we know it, it’ll be gone. Take a farm’s crops, for example. Tomatoes, strawberries, and okra come to mind. I go to Green Door Gourmet Farm every summer to pick strawberries. Now it’s October, and there’s not a fresh strawberry to be found in those fields. (Strawberry fields are, in fact, not forever.)

Last year in Tennessee, I noticed that a lot of trees lost their leaves far too soon for my taste. I walked outside on a Monday and noticed that the maple tree by my driveway had turned from green to red to barren of leaves in under seven days. Not gonna lie: It startled my psyche. Gone so soon? But, but, but … it was JUST here! No, Mama Nature! No!

After I stopped pouting about it, I put on “Turn! Turn! Turn!” by the Byrds and I made a decision to spend more time outside the next time fall came around. I realized a profound truth that day: There is a season for everything in this life. Nothing stays the same forever. It’s all about savoring the moment because it’s simply not going to last. So I besiege you, dear friends … observe all of the beauty … enjoy every moment … and eat all the okra.

Ingredients

Smoky Okra
1 Tbsp ghee
2 lbs okra, cut length wise with heads still on
1 Tbs safflower oil
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
1 Tbsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste*

Tomato Preserves
28 oz can fire roasted tomatoes (not low sodium)
1 small yellow onion or 1/2 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2 large garlic cloves
1/2 cup turbinado cane sugar or the like
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt (kosher preferred)
1 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

* I mean that literally: Season it, taste the raw okra, then add more salt and pepper, if it doesn’t taste good. What a concept, eh?

Directions

Tomato Preserves
Place tomatoes, onions, and garlic in food processor and pulse until it’s the texture of preserves (not quite pureed). Pour tomato mixture into a sauce pot and add all of the other ingredients. Stir and cook on medium until mixture is reduced to half.

Skim off tomato juice that forms on the top and reserve for a delicious salad dressing. 

Once tomato mixture is reduced to the consistency of preserves, turn off heat and transfer to jar and let cool.

Okra
Place a flat baking sheet pan into the oven and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss okra with safflower oil in a bowl. Pull out hot sheet pan from oven and add ghee to pan. As the ghee melts, pour out the okra onto the pan and toss it in the ghee. Spread okra evenly out onto the pan and add smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper, and coat okra evenly. Place back in oven and toss every five minutes until okra is crispy.

Whiskey Nicks: Four Ways to Drink Bourbon While Listening to Stevie Nicks

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With the legend herself, Stevie Nicks, performing this weekend at the Bourbon & Beyond festival in Kentucky, we thought it’d be a great time to look at how to pair America’s spirit, bourbon, with different Stevie Nicks songs. In order to do so, we spoke to some of the best in the business — star bartender Jane Danger, award-winning author Fred Minnick, and Angel’s Envy master distiller Wes Henderson — to get their take on some of the best ways to pair the two.

Neat Pour paired with “Landslide”

2 parts Angel’s Envy Bourbon
Method: Serve neat.

“‘Landslide’ has a deeply personal meaning for me, and this brand is such a family brand, which I think creates such a great connection between the music and Angel’s Envy. That song, in particular, comes to mind, when I think of such personal connections.” — Wes Henderson

The Nightbird paired with “Nightbird”

1.5 parts Angel’s Envy Bourbon
.75 part pineapple juice
.5 part lemon juice
.5 part cinnamon syrup*
Pineapple leaf
Lemon peel feather
Edible orchid
Method: Build in shaking tins. Shake. Fine strain into a rocks glass with ice. Pineapple leaf and lemon peel feather with an edible orchid.

*If in a pinch, raw cane sugar syrup and a dropper of Bittermens Tiki Bitters may be used.

“While researching some of Stevie’s favorite things, I came across a love of animal crackers, a special recipe for a famous chip dip, and her favorite perfume. The perfume was the inspiration. It had notes of wood and white flowers, coming across as sweet and warm … just like this cocktail.” — Jane Danger

The Perfect Cocktail paired with “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”

2 parts Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Bourbon
Method: What you want to do is get a nice rocks glass, fill it to the brim with ice. I mean cram that son of a gun. Get your bourbon, pour two ounces in a separate shot glass. Then, take your rocks glass and dump all the ice in sink. You can now pour the bourbon into the glass and enjoy neat. Perfect cocktail.

“Because good bourbon is best neat, and it breaks my heart when I see people screwing with it.” — Fred Minnick

Black Walnut Old Fashioned paired with “Edge of Seventeen”

1.5 parts Angel’s Envy Bourbon
2 dashes Fee Brothers Black Walnut Bitters
2 dashes Fee Brothers Cherry Bitters
1 sugar cube
Orange peel
Method: Place sugar cube in an old fashioned glass and add bitters. Muddle together with a few drops of water. Add cubes of ice and bourbon. Give a quick stir, express orange peel over the top. Rub the outside of the peel around the rim and drop in.

“A classic song for a classic cocktail. This was the first Stevie Nicks song I ever heard (or could at least identify) and the drink, well, does much more need to be said about an old fashioned? You could use Angostura, but I think adding the black walnut and cherry bitters instead gives it a nice little twist without being too much.” — Sam Slaughter 

The Bourbon & Beyond Festival features music, food, activities, and lots of bourbon in Louisville, Kentucky, on September 23-24, and the BGS will be there presenting two days’ worth of great roots music. Come on down!

Photo credit: ctj71081 via Foter.com / CC BY-SA

Pimento Mac and Cheese

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As I type this, I am confiined to the attic of my house. Sitting on the carpet, I can feel the hum of the drill below. Downstairs, there are several nice men sanding, painting, and returning light fixtures to their proper places. Since the day we closed on this house a few months ago, we were ushered into the realities of owning a home. After waking up with headaches consecutively and feeling like we had the flu, we realized we must have some sort of gas leak. We did — carbon monoxide. We were advised to call 911. Firemen came, followed by our gas company, who turned off our gas. It was dramatic. We didn’t have hot water for three weeks. Then came the refrigerator. It froze every ounce of food we had several times. A few frozen heads of lettuce later, we reluctantly got it fixed. The fridge then stopped cooling and everything became too hot. That time I fixed it, because I’m a strong, capable women. And, I have access to Google.

Along with that, our kitcken sink and bathroom tub have been clogged, and our electrical meeter got struck by lightning. After all those fixes, we decided to still move forward with the renovations we had planned before we moved in. There has been dust in every inch of our house for a month, but today! Today is their last day, and everything looks great. In light of recent events concerning Houston, Florida, and the Caribbean, I’m immensely grateful for a dry and comfortable place of my own. My heart is with those who do not have that privilege. 

Getting back into the kitcken this week has been a welcome repose. There’s nothing quite like throwing a record on and chopping, searing, sautéing, stirring. It’s relaxing and it feels good to be productive. I was especially happy to break in our new-ish kitchen with a comforting and hearty dish I’m going to share with you today. Macaroni and cheese!

I never grew up eating Kraft, so all my memories are tied to my grandma making it with Velveeta and milk on the stove. As much as I love mac and cheese done that way, I’m giving you fancy mac and cheese. (Any recipe that has béchamel is fancy to me.) And, like a good Southerner, I’ve added pimento peppers! 

I’m pairing this with Norah Jones’ Feels Like Home. 


Ingredients
Kosher salt
1 pound elbow macaroni or cavatappi
1 quart whole milk
8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
12 oz gruyere, grated
4 oz smoked gouda, grated
8 oz extra-sharp cheddar, grated 
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
5 slices of bread with crust removed
4 oz jar of pimentos 

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place bread into a food processor or chop finely. Spread out on a cookie sheet and toast for five minutes. Next, heat a pot of water on the stove until boiling. Add salt and a splash of olive oil. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package — six to eight minutes. Be sure to drain well. Chop pimento and drain. Place a paper towel over and press gently to get rid of any remaining liquid. 

Heat the milk in a small saucepan on a low to medium heat, making sure not to boil it. Melt six tablespoons of butter in a large (four-quart) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for two minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Take off the heat and add the gruyere, cheddar, and smoked gouda, one tablespoon salt, pepper, pimento, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 9×12 pan. 

Melt the remaining two tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

Basmati Rice & Spice Salad

Posted on by Editor

Back with another blogisode of Make ‘Em Like It, where I, your humble cooker (yeah, I totes just made that a noun) hope to inspire you to take risks on preparing foods that you or your loved ones haven’t generally taken a liking to in the past. In this blogisode, it’s all about rice and salad.

If I use the word “salad” around my bonus kids, their faces scrunch and their lips purse ‘n’ bow. They’re super cute, though, y’all, and if we were all on the couch playing a game of, “Silly Faces of 2017,” they’d win all the candy. When it comes to cooking and feeding them and trying to inspire them to begin to grasp a concept towards lifelong nutrition, though, it can be a struggle.

Then there’s that man of mine. His food foibles include a disdain of plain rice. I don’t believe that he’s rare in his disposition or anything like that. But look at me, y’all: I’m straight up 100 percent Ghanaian. THE food staple of all staples in Africa is rice, rice baby. It doesn’t matter what else is going on at mealtime; there is always a pot of rice on the back burner of the stove. It’s like a Southern American’s doughy rolls or an Italian’s crusty baguette. To eat a meal without your staple feels all kinds of wrong. As an adult whose journey through American cuisine has been challenging and frustrating, I have been able to let go of always having to have rice with everything I eat. However, I have not released an ounce of my sincere and desperate love of the stuff. When my man told me he didn’t care for rice, I had a full on Fred Sanford moment (hand on heart, heavy breathing, jaw stuck on stunned) and it took me a while to recover from it.

So I should stop making both salad and rice altogether and give in to a lifetime of Food Sacrifice, right?

Who you talkin’ to, fool? Nah.

Lemme do you one better than that. Here’s a version of rice and salad that nobody will see coming … and it’s full of flavor and good energy. A note of caution, though — I can’t help you if you have picky eaters who don’t do multi-colored food. My six-year-old bonus child is one of those no-goers. For instance, she loves chicken and she loves broccoli — buuuut if the chicken and broccoli are combined on her plate, her gag reflex is on automatic. Luckily, she and I are peas in a pod when it comes to that plain-rice-love — so, winning.

So, as James Brown would say (or sing, rather), “Try Me” …

Ingredients (serves 8)
4 cups of water
1 Tbsp kosher salt (the water for boiling the rice should taste like salted sea water to make sure that the flavor permeates through the grains)
10 cardamom pods, tied in cheese cloth
2 cups uncooked basmati rice, rinsed until water runs clear
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup celery, thinly sliced
1 cup peas
1/2 cup mint, chopped
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp grated organic lemon zest (if you don’t use organic fruit for zest, you’re just grating pesticides right into your meal)
Crispy fried onions to garnish

Salad Dressing
1 Tbsp safflower, grapeseed, or similar oil
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp coriander
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp minced garlic
1 cup tomato sauce (regular sodium)
2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp grated ginger (or 1 Tbsp ginger paste)
Additional option — 1 Tbsp sriracha

Directions
Bring water, salt, and cardamom to a boil in a large pot. Add rice, stir, and return to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes or until fluffy. Don’t worry if some rice gets stuck to the pan. It happens to the best of us. Once rice is cooked, spoon out onto a baking sheet brushed with oil. Lay rice out evenly and drizzle a little olive oil on top and toss the rice until evenly coated. Let cool until slightly warm or room temperature.

Once rice is no longer hot to touch, transfer to large mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients except for salad dressing and fried onions — but don’t toss them in yet.

Add safflower oil or similar to small shallow pan on medium heat and add the next six ingredients under Salad Dressing. Warm just until tiny bubbles start to form. When the aroma of the spices is rich in the room, add the garlic for final 60 seconds, then turn off the heat and transfer spices and garlic into a small mixing bowl.

Add salad dressing ingredients to the small mixing bowl and whisk until well incorporated. Pour dressing over the rice and toss to coat evenly.

Garnish with crispy fried onions.

Mushroom Pesto Crostini

Posted on by Editor

People have strong feelings about mushrooms — mushrooms and cilantro. One might overhear a conversation about them and mistake the subject for politics or religion. There are words like “hate,” “disgusting,” and “adore.” I happen to love them. The earthy, umami taste of mushrooms is something I crave. Some of my favorite ways to eat them are in in velvety eggs, a salad of leafy greens and pecorino romano, and any sort of vegetable sauté. 

Several years ago, when I was in a phase of experimental cooking, I would pour over cookbooks for hours and dream of all the lavish dinner parties I would throw. You know, as a broke 21-year-old could easily do! One of my favorite cookbooks during that time was Giada DeLaurentis’ Italian Made Easy. I realize a celebrity chef’s cookbook is not the modish choice, but every single thing I made from that cookbook was wonderful. There were multiple recipes for pesto, but the one that stuck was the mushroom pesto. I have made a few changes to it over the years, but I have to credit Giada for the idea. (Call me, girl!)

Most recently, I included it in a Father’s Day meal with my family. We served it atop grilled steak tenderloin, salad, potatoes, and the most delcious homemade rolls, courtesy of my sister-in-law. My grandma wasn’t so sure of the pesto, but a few other family members (who aren’t keen on mushrooms) loved it. Today I decided it needed to be the star of the show. It may not be for everyone, but it’s perfect, if you are looking for something unique to try!

I recommend pairing this with Anaïs Mitchell’s Hymns for the Exiled. It’s weirdness and awesomeness go well with the mushrooms. 

Ingredients

For the pesto:
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
8 ounces white button mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
3/4 cup walnuts, toasted 
2 garlic cloves
1 1/2 cups fresh Italian parsley leaves
3/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan. 
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the rest:
3 ripe avocados, lightly mashed with salt and pepper
36 slices (1/2-inch-thick) baguette bread, toasted with olive oil, salt, and pepper
5 strips of bacon, cooked according desired doneness. You can obviously leave this out to keep it vegetarian! 

Place the porcini mushrooms in a bowl of hot water; press to submerge. Let stand until the mushrooms are tender — about 15 minutes. Scoop out mushrooms as not to stir any dirt that may have sunk to the bottom of the water. Discard mushroom water.

Combine the porcini mushrooms, button mushrooms, walnuts, garlic, and parsley in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. With the machine running, gradually add the oil, blending just until the mushrooms are finely chopped.

Transfer the mushroom mixture to a medium bowl. Stir in the parmesan. Season the pesto with salt and pepper, to taste. If not using mushroom pesto right away, cover tightly with plastic wrap to prevent possible discoloration of mushrooms.

Layer each slice of bread with some avocado, mushroom pesto, and bacon. Enjoy! 

Ruby’s Roasted Cauliflower Salad

Posted on by Editor

My relationship with food is nothing like my relationship with people. They say that, if a person shows you who they are, believe them. It’s that age-old belief that you can’t change people — so why try?

Food is the polar opposite. Take Brussels sprouts, for instance. When you’re six years old and somebody gives you what tastes like cooked socks, you vow to never trust another Brussels sprout again. Then fast forward to being 25 years old and sitting at a fancy farm-to-table restaurant and someone in your party orders crispy Brussels sprouts on the menu … and you try some … and suddenly it tastes like Tuscany at dusk. You believe in Brussels sprouts again. You regret all those years you doubted them and you want to spend the rest of your life making things right.

I feel like cauliflower is one of those foods that often needs redemption in this way — but I believe it is worthy of it. When I was a kid, cauliflower was always the vegetable in the frozen bag of vegetables that I would eat around. I just didn’t get it. The taste and the texture disappointed my spirit. No, really: It was that deep. Since then, I have made it my mission every five years or so to attempt to rediscover cauliflower and what it has to offer. About two years ago, my passion was ignited; I fell in love with cauliflower.

When I finally fell in love this bumpy, hard, mildly flavored creature, I realized that what it had to offer was solely based on what I had to give it! I learned a lot about the power of a give-and-take relationship from cauliflower. If I give it water and mash it, it tastes like mushy mush-mush. If I give it chicken stock and cream and parmesan cheese and mash it, it tastes like heaven. If I put it in a 350-degree oven, it sweats so much that it ends up wilted and wobbly. If I put it in a 400-degree oven and don’t overcrowd it, it ends up being this recipe I’m about to share with you right now.

We have a lot to learn from food, y’all. I implore you to challenge yourselves in the way that you think about the things you eat — or rather, the things you won’t eat. If you think you don’t like something, it’s probably more about how you’re preparing it that’s the problem.

All I’m saying … is give peas a chance.

Listen to John Lennon right now. He was really talking about peas, didn’t you know?

Ingredients

Kosher salt
Ground coriander
Coarse black pepper
Safflower or Grapeseed Oil
Granulated garlic (100 percent, y’all. No silicone dioxide or any of that other filler mess, please.)
1 head of cauliflower, sliced into 1/4 inch slices (as much as you can manage to do, but leave 1-2 inches of the stem on each slice)
2 cups cremini or baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup green scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup chiffonade of lemon balm or mint (do not substitute basil; it’s just not the same)
5 red radishes, halved, then sliced very thinly
10 large mixed olives, pits removed (I prefer green and kalamata)

For the dressing:
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of ½ lemon (approximately 1 Tbsp)
2 cloves of garlic, grated (Be careful, Paw!)
1 tsp honey
1 tsp good aged balsamic vinegar (or reduce some yourself in a sauce pot by half)
2 Tbsp good extra virgin olive oil (nothing cheap, please. please. please.)

(Serves 4 people as a side or 2 people as a main dish)

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Dress a large sheet tray with 1 Tbsp safflower or grapeseed oil and spread until pan is covered entirely.

Lay cauliflower pieces 1 to 2 inches apart on sheet tray. Sprinkle cauliflower lightly with kosher salt, ground coriander, black pepper, and granulated garlic. Flip cauliflower over and repeat this step.

On a separate sheet tray, do the exact same thing to the sliced mushrooms, but only use 1 Tbsp of oil or your mushrooms will steam and not crisp. Place both sheet trays in the oven with the cauliflower on the lower rack and the mushrooms in the middle rack. Remove the mushrooms after 10 minutes. Remove the cauliflower after 20 minutes.

Transfer the cauliflower to a cooling rack to stop the cooking. You really wanna do this step, if you want this dish to stop traffic.

While cauliflower cools to room temperature, place remaining ingredients in a bowl. Then add cooled cauliflower and drizzle dressing over top and lightly toss with a spatula.

Plate and enjoy!

Chocolate Raspberry Bars

Posted on by Editor

As I sit here typing, I am coming down from the inevitable sugar high that occurs when these bars are in my kitchen. I had two of them fresh out of the oven, because of course I did. And that was after I had several bites while kneading the butter in the mixture of flour, oats, and nuts. I just can’t help myself. They are damn good.

So good, in fact, that five years ago, I used these very bars to let a certain fellow know that I wanted to be more than friends. I carefully wrapped each of them in plastic wrap and placed them inside a basket with water bottles and other snacks for a long road trip from Texas to Tennessee. I told myself I was playing it cool since he was traveling with a good friend of mine. The basket was for both of them to share. And, if he happened to conclude that I was amazing and he should love me forever, then that was just a bonus. I’m not saying these bars are a type of love potion, but that man eventually became my husband, so I’ll let you decide! 

Here are a few tips for living your best dessert life:

Buy good chocolate and raspberry jam. I’ve tried to cut corners on these before, but it makes a huge difference. For the chocolate, I recommend Ghirardelli Bittersweet chocolate chips. For the jam, whichever brand you like, just make sure it’s the one with seeds! It’s better that way. 

Don’t skip roasting the pecans. If you’re worried about how long to toast them, keep them in the oven on 350 until they become fragrant! Your “nose knows,” as they say. 

If you are making these for a certain event, make them a day ahead. They will be much too gooey to be cut into squares initially. However, if you don’t have the time for that, pop them in the freezer for a few hours!

Pair these sensual bars with the wonderful Michael Kiwanuka’s Love & Hate 

Ingredients
2 cups + 1/4 cup flour 
2 cups + 1/4 cup brown sugar 
1.5 tsp baking powder 
1/2 tsp salt 
1.5 cups butter softened 
2 cups + 1/4 cup quick-cooking or traditional oats (I use both) 
3/4 cup toasted pecans 
3/4 cup shredded sweetened coconut 
2 cups bittersweet or semi sweet chocolate chips
1 12 oz jar raspberry jam

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt in large bowl until blended. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until it resembles course crumbs. Add oats, coconut, and nuts. 

Spray pan with non-stick spray. Press half the mixture into the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch pan sprayed with cooking spray; sprinkle with chocolate. Top with jam and remaining crumb mixture. 

Bake 25 to 30 min or until golden brown.

Shrimp Quesadilla Pockets

Posted on by Editor

I think and talk a lot about the power of interpretation. When I left college to become a professional musician, one of the things I did to put food on the table was singing jingles and demos. With the jingles, I had to sell products — anything from clothing to Taco Bell. If I didn’t sound excited to be singing about those products, no one would have wanted to buy what I was selling. The same applied to the demo sessions I was a part of. I learned early on that my job wasn’t just to sing well; it was to help the songwriter properly translate their message. The more I did it, the deeper I delved into the lyrics I was singing, causing such a profound personal connection to the songs, making it feel like the stories were only mine to tell. I found the power of interpretation through music, then, and have continued to explore that power in other areas in my life ever since.

Two years ago, I did something that I’ve never done before: I sang songs written by other people and put them out on an album under my own name. Was it challenging? Yes. Not because I was too proud to sing someone else’s songs, but because I had so much respect for the artists who had released those songs in the first place. I wanted to honor their creativity and make sure that I wasn’t doing a disservice to the art itself. Now that I cook nearly as much as I sing, the same principles apply to the food I make.

There are so many cultures whose cuisines I admire. I cook a lot of food that is not from the culture I was born into or raised in. I used to be afraid to cook anything not American or Ghanaian, but then I began to get inside various, unique dishes and study them from the inside out. Once I realized what flavors and techniques make up a dish, as well as the love given to the food from the culture it came from, I gained the confidence to engage in the interpretation of those dishes and I’ve learned how to honor them in my own way. My fiancé, Sam, is originally from California. To him, Mexican cuisine is almost synonymous with comfort. I love Mexican food and I love Tex-Mex, as well. Tex-Mex is a direct interpretation. It is a cuisine brought to Texas by Mexican descendants that reinvents a traditional way of eating while remaining respectful of its origin.

This Autumn, I will have the honor of calling three children, ages 13 and under, my official bonus children. That’s so much cooler than saying “step children” — and they’re so much cooler than that, too. I cook for them often and they help me in the kitchen a lot, as well. Before I came along, my fiancé’s go-to dinner for the kiddos was often some kind of Mexican cuisine — tacos or quesadillas, usually. It’s one of the few things that certain little people I know will eat joyfully! Yet, being the cook that I am, I bore easily if I’m making the same thing the same way over and over again. I want to make my family’s bellies happy, but I also want to make my creative soul happy in the process.

This belly/soul happy recipe, Shrimp* Quesadilla Pockets, is an interpretation of a traditional one. A traditional quesadilla involves two tortillas filled with cheese, stacked on top of each other. When sliced, it’s reminiscent of a pizza to me. Although I very much like pizza and traditional quesadillas (and all of the yummy toppings that fall off or out of them when you pick them up), I needed to create an easy, pocket-sized version for quick pick-up-and-go meals. Call it my new mom short-cut. I’m learning! They store well and the filling doesn’t dry out because it’s not exposed and can be reheated in a flash.

Interpret away, people. It’s the stuff we’re made of. Take Herbie Hancock’s tribute album to Joni Mitchell, River: The Joni Letters, for instance. Put it on right now. Um, wow. Yeah, that’s some power right there.

SHRIMP* QUESADILLA POCKETS
*Omit shrimp for allergies, etc., and sub with any protein of choice

Ingredients

Serves 5 (2 each)
1/2 lb cooked shrimp, sliced in half lengthwise
1/8 tsp red pepper/chili flakes (or omit)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or omit)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp lime juice**
2 cloves garlic, minced
Safflower or grape seed oil
10 soft, large, white tortillas
2 cups shredded pepper jack, monterey jack, or cheddar cheese
1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups cooked white rice
Condiments of choice — salsa, sour cream, and limes for us.

**I forgot to grab the limes from my house when I came over to Sam’s to try this recipe out on him and the kids … but a bright young man of 11 pointed out that “maybe some lime” would have helped to make it brighter. Don’t forget the limes. Alfie’s orders.

Directions

Preheat your oven to 250° and place a sheet tray lined with parchment paper or foil inside of it. This is where you will keep the quesadillas warm while you’re making a stack of ’em.

Place shrimp and all the ingredients up to (but not including) the oil in a bowl and massage into shrimp and let sit in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Lay out tortillas and sprinkle ingredients lightly onto tortilla in a V shape (reference my tutorial photos) in the following order — cheese, two slices of shrimp in a vertical line, beans, rice, more cheese. Reference tutorial photos for folding.

Heat 1-2 Tbsp oil on medium heat (no higher!) in a non-stick pan. Place folded tortilla in pan, seam side down. Hold a spatula on top of each quesadilla pocket for a few seconds to ensure a proper seal. Check for brownness after one minute and flip when desired color is achieved. Repeat the last step to brown the other side.

Garnish with cilantro and dip in salsa or sour cream.