Kale and sunflower seed pesto

I told you a few weeks ago that we had been experimenting with various pesto recipes that are alternatives to basil.  Not that we don't also LOVE basil.  I found this Kale and Sunflower Seed Pesto mixture at Cook's Illustrated along with some of the others that we tried.  I passed it by at first because I thought it looked kind of weird.  I should someday learn not to eat quite so much with my eyes!  It was delicious.



Image: Stock.echng, J Wilsher

Love to Bake carnival

The 2nd edition of the Love to Bake Global Carnival has been posted over at The Family Feed!  Check out all the scrumptious recipes...how about grilled peach pound cake???

Coffee

Corn and edamame succotash

I have never liked succotash.  What's to like?  Lima beans make my head shake.  The corn is always waterlogged and gross.  And what the heck are those disgusting red things anyway? 

Then I found Martha Stewart's recipe for skillet corn, edamame, and tomatoes with basil oil.  I didn't even realize at first that it was basically succotash until I read the caption by the picture.  Too late!  I had already tried it and we liked it :-)

Mike agrees with me about lima beans, by the way, but he likes this dish too!  I added some browned meat to it in order to make it a one-dish meal.  Can't wait to try it the "right" way and have it as a side!

Grilled venison

We don't have the chance to eat venison very often, but when we do, we want to make sure that it's cooked properly.  No reason to ruin perfectly good venison steaks when they are really so easy to cook.  One of the most important tips I can give you is to make sure you brine it overnight before cooking, no matter what method of cooking you choose.  Make a basic brine, but don't worry too much about added herbs unless you want to add some of the rosemary that I'll recommend for a sauce.

When you're ready to grill the meat, get your grill hot hot hot.  Did I mention hot?  Oil the grill and also oil the steaks lightly.  Plan to turn them only once, and add a little oil to the flip side as well.  Cook for a few minutes per side and aim for an internal temperature between 130 and 135.

Here's a tasty sauce to add to the meat for the last minute on each side:
Italian dressing (very basic)
A sprinkle of garlic powder
A sprinkle of dry mustard
Fresh rosemary, crushed

Chai-pistachio sugar cookies

My favorite cookie (for the moment) is a perfect vanilla sugar cookie.  Huge, chewy, and sweet.  My friend Beth asked me to make a cookie that had chai spices and pistachios, so I started with my sugar cookie base.  Cut back the vanilla by half, and to the the sugar mixture add 1/2 t cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and 1/4 t allspice.  Stir in a cup or so of chopped pistachios before forming into balls.

Lasagna

How many different ways are there to make lasagna?  I totally love The New Lasagna Cookbook by Maria Bruscino Sanchez, but after cooking up several of her inventive variations, I'm always longing to revisit my old favorite.  And here it is!

Lasagna

1 lb lasagna noodles (oven ready)
2 lbs ground meat (l lb beef, 1 lb sausage)
1 onion, chopped
30 oz spaghetti sauce

1/2 c water
30 oz ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1 lb shredded mozzarella cheese
10 oz shredded asiago cheese
Nutmeg, salt and pepper

Place the noodles in a sink of hot water to soak.

Preheat the oven to 375.  Spray oil your lasagna pan.

In a large saucepan or dutch oven, brown the meat, draining off the excess fat.  Add the onion just before the meat is finished and cook until softened.  Stir in most of the sauce, and the water, and bring all to a boil.  Reserve about 3/4 c of sauce.  Remove mixture from the heat.

In a large bowl, mix the ricotta, eggs, mozzarella, and about a 1/2 c of asiago cheese.  Add a sprinkle of nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

Layer as follows: 
Reserved sauce
Lasagna noodles
1/3 cheese mixture
Sprinkle with asiago

1/3 sauce mixture
Lasagna noodles
1/3 cheese mixture
Sprinkle with asiago

1/3 sauce mixture
Lasagna noodles
1/3 cheese mixture
1/3 sauce mixture
Top with asiago

Bake at 375, covered with foil, for 1 hour.  Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes.  Let stand before serving to firm up.