How you doin’ Happy Easter!

Spring had sprung and we are so ready for it. Can you believe the winter that this country has had? From coast to coast it has been crazy weather. On the western slope we are ready for hiking, fishing, picnics on the Mesa, spring on the monument and so much more.

Easter is late this year, April 20... Very appropriate here in Colorado, if you get my drift! What do you do for Easter? Do you have the big feast? Or is more about the chocolate coma? Either way I hope you are spending time with great friends and family.

Our Easter celebration has evolved over the years due to kiddos getting older (mind you I am not getting older, just the kids),  we still have an egg hunt and each person gets to hide the eggs, and then there is an egg toss with raw eggs (yuck), and we try to play a game like win, lose, or draw. The goal is to spend some time together and just have fun.

As for food, we are pretty easy going, some years we have a ham dinner, and some years we just make sandwiches...this year I want to try something new. What do you do for food? Leg of lamb? Prime rib? Grill?

This is what I am want to do...

Inspired by Jamie Oliver's Roasted Shoulder of Lamb

Ingredients
6 pounds bone in leg of lamb
8 fresh sprigs rosemary
6 garlic cloves whole and unpeeled
Melted coconut oil
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Lay your leg of lamb fat side up on a cutting board and score the fat all the way across the top. Do this by taking your knife and applying slight pressure with the front end of the knife run it all the way across the top of the fat and continue until the entire top fat is scored and then do it the opposite direction to create a crosshatch.

Lay 4 sprigs rosemary and 3 garlic cloves in bottom of a roasting pan and place meat scored fat side up on top of the rosemary and garlic (remember to leave the garlic cloves whole and unpeeled).

Lightly drizzle coconut oil over the scored fat part of the meat just enough to lightly coat most of it (about a tablespoon), add salt, pepper and lay the remaining whole unpeeled garlic and rosemary on top of the meat.

Tent the entire roasting pan with foil and place in the oven, as soon as you put it in the oven close the door and immediately turn the oven down to 325 degrees.

Let it roast in the oven covered the entire time for about 4 hours. Once it is done the bone should be easy to remove.

This meat is so tender it isn't really possible to slice it so it is easier just to pull it off with a fork and put it on your plate.

On the side, I am going to cook some Yukon gold potatoes in the pressure cooker, roast some broccoli, and maybe a nice salad.

Happy spring

www.cookingwithtrace.com

Valentine's Day

Do you celebrate the most romantic day of the year? Or do who rage against the commercialism of the made up holiday?

I am in the middle, I try to make sure that I am making extra effort to make my wife feel special, but since I am a guy it is nice to have a multibillion dollar event to give me some ideas.

Flowers, wine, candlelight, cards, gifts, and of course chocolate.

Chocolate is universal for Valentine’s Day and any other day that want to make your significant other feel special. Not only is it tasty, but it can be good for your health.

It is a versatile ingredient that can be sweet or savory, or in this case both.

I adapted this recipe from queen of Bitchin’ Kitchen, Nadia G. Her recipe called for milk chocolate, maple bacon, and crisp rice cereal, but I modified it just a tad.

Don’t go bacon my chocolate walnut heart bark (catchy name, no?)

3 ounces semi sweet baking chocolate

3 ounces milk chocolate chips

2 ounces toasted walnut pieces

6 slices of cooked bacon, minced

1 tablespoon honey

A pinch of salt

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or microwave proof bowl (30 seconds at a time) until you can stir the chocolate into a smooth consistency. Meanwhile toast your walnuts in a dry skillet. Add minced bacon and honey to walnuts and stir to combine.

Combine the chocolate and the bacon/nut mixture (keep in mind that the mix should be about 65% chocolate and 35% bacon/nut mixture) and spoon into a parchment lined small bar pan, ramekin, or silicon mold. Sprinkle with a little sea salt (or fleur de sel if you have some on hand) and freeze for about 30 minutes.

I chose the bar pan and broke it into pieces to share with the woman I love. 

Happy Valentine’s Day Brandy!

Thanks for reading and let me know if you have any cooking questions at 

www.cookingwithtrace.com

Holidays...

It is the time of year that everyone starts to shout about family time, being thankful, being generous and kind…yada yada yada.

I know that those are all good things, but why do we wait until the end of the year to start pontificating about what we should be doing all year long? It is human nature to start reminiscing at certain milestones and it is my opinion that as we reflect on the past year we think about our regrets and shortcomings throughout the first 11 months and we want to make up for it with peace on Earth and stuff like that.

Don’t get me wrong, I want peace on Earth, but I want it all year. I am not perfect. I have issues with bad drivers, and people who don’t say thank you when you hold the door for them, I cuss (a lot, man do I love cussing), and have a million other things that I can improve upon. My point is that I am working on those daily and not waiting until the end of the year, the winter solstice, the new year, etc. to make a change. I am starting with the man in the mirror… (props to the king of pop). So continue to give to charity and help your fellow man. It is as simple as a smile to the homeless person on the corner or taking someone’s grocery basket back to the store for them. Gestures do not have to be grandiose to be effective; you just have to start somewhere.

So bake some cookies and take them to someone who could use a treat, then sit and have a cup of coffee and enjoy each other’s company and then do it again next month or two months from now. Don’t wait until next holiday season. Life is too short and you never know what lies ahead for you or the ones you love.

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies (adapted from Claire Robinson’s version)

1 cup natural peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place the racks in the upper and lower third of the oven.

In a medium bowl, mix the peanut butter, sugar, vanilla and egg until well combined. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the mixture about 1 inch apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Flatten the mounds with the tines of a fork, making a crosshatch pattern on the cookies. Sprinkle coarse salt on top of the cookies.

Bake until golden around the edges, about 10 minutes, switching the position of the sheets halfway through baking. Transfer to racks to cool. Repeat with the remaining dough

I wish you all many blessings now and in the coming year.

Trace

Holidays in the kitchen...

Thanksgiving is over and I am assuming that everyone has recovered from their food coma... No? Well get ready, because now we have to contend with holiday parties, cookie exchanges, and still more holiday dinners.

Man, do we love to eat... I love the excitement of trying something new, as well as the feeling I get when I introduce a new food to a friend.

I, however, do not love the way I tend to overextend my belt, during this season... I mean that in the best possible way, but temptation is everywhere.

Fudge, cookies, cider, hot chocolate, turkey, ham, potatoes, rolls, and the hits just keep coming. 

How do you maintain a healthy relationship with food during this crazy time?

Relax! Do not associate food with love, friendship, respect, etc. Food is still fuel. Go out, have fun, get together to see each other and make sure we appreciate our friends and family, but it does not have to include bad food.

Have a treat, indulge your sweet tooth, but be aware of what you are putting into your gas tank (for some of us that is a little too accurate).

OMG... You over did it during the holidays???? How could you? Off with your head!

But seriously folks... What would happen? You put on a pound or two? I am sure it will be fine. Enjoy your holidays, don't fret too much and make choices going forward that you can accept.

Here are a couple holiday indulgences that are quick and easy:

3-2-1 Cake (This recipe is perfect for the office)

3 eggs

2 cups sour cream

1 cake mix

Mix all together and pour into an oiled/floured microwaveable bundt pan.

Microwave on a turn table for 15 minutes and remove from the microwave.

Cover the pan with a sturdy plate and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.

Turn the cake and plate over and the cake should come right out.

Garnish with whipped cream, fruit, chocolate syrup, etc. Enjoy

Primal friendly Grok rocks! (courtesy of Mark’s Daily Apple)

60% cacao Ghirardelli chocolate chips (this are very rich, dark chocolate)

Dried plums, (prunes) cut in half

Melt chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second intervals (stirring every time) until melted.

Dip plums in the chocolate and place on parchment to cool.

These sound a little weird, but they are amazing. They are a decadent candy with two ingredients.

Now go celebrate! See you next year, unless the Mayans were right...

Connect with me at www.facebook.com/cookingwithtrace, or at www.cookingwithtrace.com

Happy holidays!

Zuppa!

Zuppa!

Hello November! Fall is in full swing and winter is just hanging back waiting for the right time to strike. So what does all that hyperbole mean??? It is soup weather! Don’t argue with me or “No Soup For You!”. 

Soup weather is really anytime because you can have hearty soups, chilled soups, vegetable soups, and fruit soups, ahh the list goes on. I prefer it being a little chilly before I break out the soup pot. So now is the perfect time.

I have mentioned before that soup is not difficult; it is basically a protein, some vegetables, liquid, and flavor. For a stew you slow cook for a long time so that the flavors develop, for a chili you can add any number of ingredients (I have a sweet potato chili on the stove as I am writing this article), or a soup can be leftovers brought together for delicious thriftiness. 

We occasionally go to The Olive Garden for an inexpensive lunch or dinner, and we order the all you can eat soup. With a family of four we can fill everyone up and give a generous tip for around $25.00. Whether it is the youngest always picking chicken gnocchi, or the oldest always picking a combination of gnocchi and Zuppa Toscana, we always walk away having a great time and a satisfied appetite. There are plenty of copy cat recipes out in the World Wide Web, so you can find out how to make the same soups at home, and then you can make them your way!

So I have taken the basic Zuppa Toscana recipe and added a couple of tweaks to stretch the meal, and satisfy the never ending hunger of my teenager. 

Photo courtesy of my Iphone 4s

Zuppa!

1 lb mild Italian sausage 
2 large russet baking potatoes, sliced in half, and then in 1/4 inch slices
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 cup bacon bit (optional)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups kale or 2 cups swiss chard, chopped
2 (8 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 quart water
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:

1. Chop or slice uncooked sausage into small pieces.
2. Brown sausage in your soup pot, then remove.
3. Add chicken broth and water to pot and stir.
4. Place onions, potatoes, and garlic in pot.
5. Cook on medium heat until potatoes are done.
6. Add sausage and bacon.
7. Salt and pepper to taste.

8. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
9. Turn to low heat.
10. Add kale and cream.
11. Heat through and serve.

Taken from: http://restaurant.food.com/recipe/olive-garden-copycat-zuppa-toscana-38298?

So what did I change?

I added sweet potatoes with the russet potatoes, great color, flavor, and nutrients. I substituted baby spinach (tear in the bowls and then add the soup), added a bag of frozen California blend, and lastly I did not add heavy cream. Instead I used the broth to melt 4 ounces of cream cheese and added it to the soup.

The best part about soup is using what you have on hand. To utilize the leftovers and the accidents such as overcooked meat, extra potatoes, a sudden gift from the hunter or gardener next door, etc.

I think you can throw it together without having to add any ingredients that you pronounce no processed food, no chemicals, just real food.

So go forth and cook some soup!

Connect with me on www.cookingwithtrace.com or on www.facebook.com/cookingwithtrace

Roasted Cabbage!

Tis the time to start thinking about green beer and shamrocks! What is better than a nice stout beer with some amazing food?  It is incredible that food can be associated with so many celebrations and cultures. St. Patrick’s Day is no exception. Corned beef and cabbage is the typical staple for this holiday and all too often it is a much maligned food. It has the ability to be awesome and it can be terrible, depending on how you prepare it. While I cannot fix all your problems this March, I hope to make you appreciate the dense, delicious vegetable a lot more.

How do Americans eat cabbage?

Boiled, Sautéed, Stuffed, Covered in sickly sweet dressing as coleslaw… yep that about covers it.

What about the rest of the world?

Asian cuisines have several varieties of cabbage showing up in all types of dishes (I even included it in my elk eggrolls a couple of months back).

Koreans ferment cabbage into Kim-chee. Kim-chee is amazing. It can be spicy or heady with the ability to make your taste buds dance like they never have.

Germans/Eastern Europeans also ferment their cabbage into sauerkraut type dishes that can be spicy, but most of the time they are a delicious tart sour (hence the name) flavor that is great as a side or of course on an amazing bratwurst.

I do love a good boiled cabbage with plenty of caraway or celery seeds, butter and salt. However if not seasoned properly, it can be bland, tasteless, and even slimy. Then there is the ‘aroma’… boiling cabbage not only depletes a lot of the cancer fighting properties, but it release the gases that cause the sometime unpleasant smell.  

Yuck… no wonder people turn their nose up at cabbage.

Well, like I said I want to change your mind. Here is a variation on cooking cabbage that it not only delicious, but very easy as well.

Roasted Cabbage

1 head green cabbage

1 medium white onion

2 tbls olive oil

Salt, pepper, celery seed

Preheat oven to 40 degrees

Wash and peel vegetables. I like to cut the cabbage and onion in half and then slice about ¾ inch thick.

Arrange on pan and brush with olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and celery seeds. Bake for 40-45 minutes.

Serve as a side dish or as the main dish. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this dish. The onions were sweet and the cabbage was crispy on the outside and silky on the inside. I will make this again and again and again…

How do you like your cabbage? Leave me a note at www.cookingwithtrace.com or connect with me on www.facebook.com/cookingwithtrace.

Now go cook a cabbage!