I've been trying to write this post for a day and a half. A day and a half! Trying to balance life is a daily struggle of mine, and I'm sure you can all relate. I have so much I want to cook, so much I want to share with you, and yet I'm trying to actually put my swimsuit on this summer and go UNDERWATER with my kids. As in, who cares about how cold the water feels or what my hair looks like or having to shower after (or not). I'm trying to play with my kids!! And so my to-do list grows and grows and grows... WHY IS BALANCE SO HARD.
Back to trying to share with you, my virtual friends. Yesterday I had so much fun baking mini blueberry pies with my friend Savannah on Today. It was a Today Original recipe, and they were simple and delicious. Yes, yes, I may have made a few mistake during the segment, but I think you know that I embrace errors in the kitchen and I certainly try not to take cooking too SIRIously.
You can check out the segment and view the Today Original recipe here.
Once again I’m participating in two events that dovetail rather nicely. This Saturday is Can-It-Forward day hosted by Jarden Home Brands and they have generously sent me some canning supplies and are offering a giveaway of a coupon for a case of Ball jars (see the end of the post for how to win). I’m also a “canbassador” for Sweet Preservation, helping to share the joy of preserving fresh fruit from Northwest Cherries and the Washington State Fruit Commission. Fresh fruit and canning supplies! It’s a match made in heaven.
Jarden is the maker of Ball, my go to brand for canning supplies. I use their jars, labels, lids, bands and pectin. They are now making some additional colorful stuff like mix and match lids and bands and Sip & Straw lids for wide mouth jars. I’ve always been a fan of Ball canning supplies, they are readily available, well priced and the brand also offers some great resources, in particular their Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving.
While preserving is an ancient craft, there's new information practially every year. The guidebook is a resource I turn to frequently for technical information and tutorials as well as for recipes and inspiration. The current efition has 200 pages and over 500 recipes. Another resource is their canning website, Fresh Preserving.
So what is Can-It-Forward day? Think of it as a reminder to go ahead and plan on preserving your favorite fresh produce in peak season. There will be a webcast with experts where you can submit home canning questions to be answered in real time. There will be recipe demos, a behind the scenes look at recipe testing and development and the science behind ensuring safety in home canning recipes and more. Tune in to the live webcast from 11:00am – 4:00pm EST.
As you can see, I've already done some preserving! I made Cherry Vanilla Balsamic Shrub, Bourbon Cherries and Pickled Cherries. I also froze some fresh cherries to use later in the year. In my next post I’ll be sharing my recipe for Cherry Vanilla Balsamic Shrub. But today I received my second batch of fruit, peaches. So... ...If you’d like to enter the giveaway, let me know how you would preserve peaches to enjoy later—jam, sauce, in syup. etc.—in the comments section. You must be a US resident to win and have a US mailing address. Include your email in the comments form, only I will see it. Contest ends August 1, 2015. Good Luck! Disclaimer: Jarden Home Brands supplied this giveaway and sent me canning supplies and Sweet Preservation sent me fresh fruit. I was not monetarily compensated for this or any other post on Cooking with Amy.
I’d like to think that all the chicken coming off American grills this summer will be as tasty, juicy, and tender, as these Turkish chicken kebabs, but I know better. This has nothing to do with cooking skills, or quality of grills, but rather the unremarkable residue of low expectations.
People simply don’t expect much from their grilled chicken, and that’s exactly what they get. They use too little seasoning, and way too much time on the grill, followed by the inevitable barbecue sauce cover-up. Sure, the chicken was dry, but at least we couldn’t taste it.
It doesn’t have to be this way. By using a flavorful, yogurt-based marinade, like the one seen herein, even inexperienced grillers can produce impressive results. The acid and calcium in the yogurt tenderizes the meat, and unless it’s horribly over-cooked, you’ll be enjoying the kind of succulent chicken you didn’t even realize was possible.
Like I mentioned in the video, I’m not sure how "Turkish" this is. It’s loosely based on a lamb marinade I’ve used for a long time, but it really worked beautifully on these thighs. I really hope you give this easy, and very adaptable recipe a try soon. Enjoy!
I know, everybody says that, but I really mean it. These are, these have to be, the best chocolate chip cookies, ever. Crispy around the edges, chewy and chocolaty in the middle, and thin, oh so thin.
The only way someone doesn’t love these, is if they prefer thick cookies instead, which, in that case, makes their opinion invalid, since they’re obviously crazy. Besides, you know you can just press two thin cookies together to get a thick one. Right?
My “secret” formula has been adapted from Alton Brown’s famous, “The Thin” recipe, and is fairly foolproof. The only real variable is the baking time, since we all scoop slightly different amounts. Mine took about 12 minutes, but if you make yours a little bigger, or smaller, that time will change.
And yes, of course you can add nuts to yours! I’m a walnut guy from way back, but decided to go sans nuts for this video.Speaking of nuts, you’re nuts if you don’t try this very simple, and amazing chocolate chip cookie recipe soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for about 32 Chocolate Chip Cookies (depending on size):
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt (or 3/4 teaspoon of fine table salt)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 sticks (1 cup) very soft unsalted *butter (be sure the butter is room temp, and very, very soft!) *I used a high-quality European-style butter, and recommend you do the same. Cheaper butters will have more water content, which can affect the fat ratio, and thickness of your cookie.
Well, "veggie week" at the Today Show has come and gone, and I may have converted Carson (and Savannah) a teeny, tiny bit with my greek yogurt eggplant dip (however it's true, eggplant is technically a fruit... whatevs). If you missed yesterday's segment, or want the recipes (plus a delicious bonus stuffed eggplant recipe), check everything out here!
AND, I'll be back on TODAY on Monday, baking up something summery and sweet.
If you're unfamiliar with my "TODAY tonight" series, it's when Carson won't stop talking about something he ate at work, so I make it at home to shut him up. However, this time around, I didn't even have to wait to hear him rave. I was watching Aarti Sequeira on the show and I instantly wanted everything she cooked. She made cauliflower three ways, and I could practically taste the vibrant, Indian flavors through my TV screen.
It was the "cauliflower steak" with a lime yogurt sauce that made me run to the store for the vegetable. I cook cauliflower a lot, but something as simple as cutting it differently and marinating it with different spices completely transformed it for me. I am obsessed. Even my son loved it! I will make this again, and again, and again. Recipe here.
And speaking of Today Food and vegetables, I will be there tomorrow trying to get Carson to eat a particular one he doesn't like... wish me luck!
We served it with a version of this salad because we just can't get enough.
There are many people, myself included, that think cooking prosciutto is basically a crime against nature; but there are exceptions, and this plate of grilled peaches with burrata is one incredibly delicious example.
Having said that, I used a domestic version, which works beautifully here, so we’re not expecting you to use up your precious prosciutto di Parma.
As far as the peaches go, you want something ripe, and sweet, but still somewhat firm. Above and beyond not being too soft, you must also make sure you’re buying “freestone” peaches. Non-freestone varieties will not separate as seen in the video. Ask the produce person at the market, and if they’re not sure, have them cut one open. They’re usually happy to do so!
After you talk to them, head over to the cheese department, and pick up some burrata. This extra rich and creamy cousin of mozzarella is not that hard to find, and really puts this over the top. You could use a nice, fresh mozzarella, or even a full-fat ricotta instead, but, if at all possible, find some burrata, and treat yourself to one of the world’s great cheese experiences. I hope you give this great summer recipe a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 2 large or 4 small portions:
2 ripe, sweet, but not soft peaches (must be “freestone”)
Here's a great little salsa that's perfect with grilled pork of some sort, or with chicken. I hope you'll enjoy it! Nectarine Salsa 2 large nectarines, diced 200 g cherry tomatoes, quartered 1 red onion, finely diced 1 lime, juiced 2 tbsp mango chutney 1 tbsp olive oil salt, pepper
Mix everything together and let it sit for a little while before serving.
People, it's hot. Like, real hot. Like, I thought I'd sit outside for a minute with my computer and let my just-showered-hair (after 3, fine 4 days) dry in the summer breeze until I realized my boobs were already sweating HOT. When it's this hot, I feel the need to eat really light, probably because my body feels bloated and heavy and I also want nothing to do with the kitchen. This is, eat lots of vegetables (and sip white wine for lunch?) type of weather. But I always forget how easy it is to throw a salad together for lunch. For some reason it doesn't SEEM easy, but with leftovers involved and some minor weekend prep, a week-day salad can be effortless. See the one I just made below...
1 bag frozen quinoa with vegetables* (or 2 cups cooked quinoa)
3 cups baby kale
1 cup shredded roasted chicken
1 avocado, diced
3 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted
1/3 cup crumbled greek ricotta** (or goat cheese, or feta)
Balsamic glaze
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Prepare quinoa as instructed on bag (I did this Sunday night and kept it in tupperware). Assemble rest of ingredients and toss. Drizzle with balsamic glaze and olive oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
*Found this in the organic section of the freezer.
**Sometimes I get in a feta/goat cheese rut, so I tried this Greek ricotta the other day and I'm OBSESSED! So creamy.
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