See Jen Cook is moving to the Block!

In an effort to consolidate my blogging efforts, I made the decision to absorb this recipe blog into my main blog. Any future recipes will be posted exclusively on From The Block. Please bookmark or subscribe: http://www.jenfromtheblock.blogspot.com

Hope to see you there!

jen

Crustless Quiche

I originally got this recipe from my friend, Linnea. Then gave the recipe to my sister-in-law, Erin and promptly forgot about it. Then Erin made it and blogged about it last week and I was reminded again of what a fantastic recipe it is! The great thing is you can basically substitute any vegetable for what is called for and really make it your own. I prefer the crustless version of quiche so that it's a lighter meal.

CRUSTLESS QUICHE (makes 8 generous servings)

4 oz light cream cheese, softened
8 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cooked & chopped ham
1 cup broccoli, steamed (squeeze out excess moisture) & chopped
10 oz spinach, steamed (squeeze out excess moisture) & chopped
1/2 container baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 cups grated Swiss

Blend cream cheese, eggs and milk together well (there will still be some chunks of cream cheese). Stir in remaining ingredients. Divide evenly into two greased quiche or pie pans. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.

 *you can also use frozen vegetables, just thaw & squeeze out excess moisture

Perfect Blueberry Muffins

I'm back in business! With the exception of some minor finishing touches, my new kitchen is up and running. The first thing I baked in my new oven? Blueberry muffins for breakfast! I wanted to take advantage of the fresh blueberries available at the market and I wanted to put them in something delicious that we could gobble up. Muffins fit all those requirements. I had actually never made blueberry muffins from scratch before - instead relying on those mixes that have blueberry imposters. These were super easy and quite possibly the most delicious muffin I've ever had (though, I had just come off 5 weeks of no-baking, so it's possible I was just deliriously happy to be back in the kitchen).

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS (makes 12)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup plain yogurt (I used Fage 2% - a fantastic greek yogurt)
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest (I love lemon, so I doubled this)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (if frozen, don’t bother defrosting)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners or spray each cup with a nonstick spray. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat well, then yogurt and zest. Put flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a sifter and sift half of dry ingredients over batter. Mix until combined. Sift remaining dry ingredients into batter and mix just until the flour disappears. Gently fold in your blueberries. The dough will be quite thick (and even thicker, if you used a full-fat Greek-style yogurt), closer to a cookie dough, which is why an ice cream scoop is a great tool to fill your muffin cups. You’re looking for them to be about 3/4 full, nothing more, so you might not need all 12 cups. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until tops are golden and a tester inserted into the center of muffins comes out clean. Let cool on rack or serve warm with a generous pat of butter.

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen

Kitchenless...

The current state of my new kitchen...

So between my last post and today, we have sold our home and moved to the mountains. Our new home needs lots of updating and the first things to go were the (only) bathroom and the kitchen. We're eating LOTS of salads right now. I can't really complain though because I love salads and I've also lost 3 lbs in a week. :) Once the new kitchen goes in (I think we have another month), I will get back to cooking & blogging!

Carrot, Dill & White Bean Salad

A simple and wholly satisfying summer salad.  Light flavors, slightly sweet, minimal effort. My kind of summer dinner! The flavors were even better when I ate leftovers at lunch the next day. I think this would be a lovely dish to bring to a potluck or as a side dish for a dinner party.

CARROT, DILL and WHITE BEAN SALAD

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon fine grain salt
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots
more olive oil (or ghee) for cooking
2 cups sliced carrots, cut 1/4-inch thick on deep bias
3 cups cooked white beans (we used about 3.5 cups canned white beans)
scant 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons brown sugar (or honey)
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and shallots in a small bowl. Stir and set aside.

In your largest skillet over medium high heat, toss the carrots with a splash of olive oil or a spoonful of ghee. Let them cook in a single layer. Keep cooking, tossing gently every three or four minutes until the carrots are deeply browned, about twelve minutes.

Add the beans and dill to the skillet and cook for another five minutes, or until the beans as well heated through. If you are using beans that weren't canned you can allow them to brown a bit as well (just cook a bit longer, and stir less frequently) - they can handle this in a way that most canned beans can't. If you need to add a bit more olive oil to the pan - do so.

Place the contents of the skillet in a large mixing bowl, sprinkle with the brown sugar and pour the 3/4 of the lemon-olive oil mixture over the top. Toss gently. Let sit for ten minutes. Toss gently once again, taste and adjust with more salt or sugar or lemon juice if needed to balance the flavors. Serve warm or at room temperature and finish by sprinkling with the almonds just before serving.
Serves 6 - 8 as a side.

Recipe from 101 Cookbooks

Chicken Tacos & Salsa Fresca

I liked the shredded chicken - I don't really do beef much these days, but I found the flavor a little lacking (though that was probably because I didn't add any dried chili peppers). Thankfully the spicy spanish rice, the fresh salsa, the guacamole...all combined together to create something wonderful! 

CHICKEN TACOS
from Smitten Kitchen
Serves 6 to 8
2 pounds boneless chicken thighs
1 large white onion, peeled and quartered
5 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 ancho or other mild dried chili, optional
Salt and pepper to taste.

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and add water to cover. Turn heat to high, bring to a boil, and skim any foam that comes to the surface. Partially cover and adjust heat so mixture simmers steadily. Cook until meat is very tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from liquid and cool.
2. Shred meat with fingers. Taste and adjust seasonings; use within a couple of days.

SALSA FRESCA
From the New York Times
Makes about 2 cups
2 large fresh ripe tomatoes, chopped
1/2 large white onion, peeled and minced
1/4 teaspoon minced raw garlic, or to taste
1 habanero or jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded and minced, or to taste
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice or 1 teaspoon red-wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper.

1. Combine all ingredients, taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
2. Let the flavors marry for 15 minutes or so before serving, but serve within a couple of hours.

Herbed Summer Squash & Potato Torte

This was so good, we've made it twice in two weeks. And I think I might need to make it again next week. And the next. Is this overselling? Probably. It's a really simple dish, but the cheese and the potatoes and the squash...just yum. I didn't have enough squash so I added zucchini to fill in the gaps and really love it that way. I also add a generous handful of shredded Parmesan on top.

HERBED SUMMER SQUASH & POTATO TORTE
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/8-inch-thick rounds
12 ounces yellow summer squash and zucchini, cut into 1/8-inch-thick rounds
6 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup shredded Parmesan (optional)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter two 8-inch-diameter cake pans. (Deb note: I had only a 9-inch pan around, so what you see in my pictures is slightly thinner.) Set aside 1/4 cup sliced green onions. Toss remaining green onions, cheese, flour, thyme, salt and pepper in medium bowl to blend.

Layer 1/6 of potatoes in concentric circles in bottom of 1 prepared pan, overlapping slightly. Layer 1/4 of squash in concentric circles atop potatoes. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon oil. Sprinkle with 1/6 of cheese mixture. Repeat with 1/6 of potatoes, then 1/4 of squash and 1 teaspoon oil. Sprinkle with 1/6 of cheese mixture. Top with 1/6 of potatoes. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon oil. Sprinkle with 1/6 of cheese mixture and press gently to flatten. Repeat procedure with second cake pan and remaining potatoes, squash, oil, and cheese mixture. Top both dishes with shredded Parmesan (optional).

Cover pans with foil. Bake until potatoes are almost tender, about 40 minutes. Remove foil; bake uncovered until tortes begin to brown and potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes longer. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cool. Cover with foil and chill. Rewarm, covered with foil, in 350°F oven until heated through, about 30 minutes.)

Cut each torte into wedges. Sprinkle wedges with 1/4 cup green onions; serve.

Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen