Garden Crostini
Sounds complicated, but it’s not at all. Just throw it all in the oven and have a glass of wine. Worth making it just for the aroma when the vegetables are roasting.

Cut baguette and toast crostini at 450 degrees. Combine in bowl and set aside:
1 T. Balsamic
2 T. brown sugar

Combine in greased baking pan:
1 large red onion cut in 1” wedges
1 large red pepper cut in 1” wedges
1/2 cup mixed salad greens
1 T. basil, chopped (or ½ t. dried)
1 T. mint chopped (of ½ t. dried)
½ t. marjoram
1T minced garlic
1/8 t. red pepper flakes
1 T. capers
Salt and pepper
Drizzle with about 2 T. olive oil and roast at 450 degrees for 30-45 minutes until done.
Spread crostini with 8 oz. goat cheese. Top with roasted vegetables. Heat briefly in oven and finish with balsamic brown sugar.

Rosemary Bread
My daughter Anna’s favorite.
3 ¾ tsp. yeast
1 cup warm water
1 cup milk, warmed in the microwave
¼ cup olive oil
4 ½ tbsp. rosemary
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. salt
6 ¾ cups flour

Mix yeast and water together and let stand 10 minutes. Add milk, oil and everything else. Stir then knead with your hands until it’s ‘right’. Put it in a ball in a bowl, cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place until double. Punch down. Divide into two and make two round loaves. Put on a parchment covered pan, cover with a towel and let rise again until double. Use a razor blade and cut on a star into the top of each, sprinkle water on it and – lastly – sea salt. Put in an oven that is warmed to 450 degrees and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 400 degrees and bake for 30 minutes longer. (Better yet, do all the mixing and first raising in a bread maker and take it out to do the loaves and last raise/bake.)

Caramelized Onion Focaccia
Super easy, always perfect.
1 onion, sliced thinly
1 T. yeast
½ cup cornmeal
3 cups flour
2 t. salt
1/3 cup olive oil
1 ¼ cups warm water
2 T. dried rosemary

Sautee and caramelize onions. Set aside ¼ of them. Combine remaining onions plus all other ingredients in a bread machine (or make like typical bread). Process and let rise. Stretch out in greased 13” x 9” cake pan (doesn’t have to fill pan). Let rise a second time until double. Poke indents across top with you finger; drizzle olive oil and remaining onions over top. Dust with sea salt (or regular). Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 12-15 minutes more.

Roasted Tomato Soup
Garnish with homemade Cheddar Frico.
2 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 small onions, sliced
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 quart chicken stock
2 bay leaves
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, or 2 T. dried
3/4 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Wash, core and cut the tomatoes into halves. Spread the tomatoes, garlic cloves and onions onto a baking pan. Drizzle with 1/2 cup of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, or until caramelized. Remove roasted tomatoes, garlic and onion from the oven and transfer to a large stockpot. Add 3/4 of the chicken stock, bay leaves, and butter. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until liquid has reduced by a third. Reheat, add cream and adjust consistency with remaining chicken stock, if necessary. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Caesar Salad ala Jill
1 cup mayo
1 t. Dijon
1 garlic clove minced
¼ cup Parmesan
1 T. red wine vinegar
1 T. lemon juice
¾ t. Worchester sauce
¾ t. hot sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine and pour over romaine. Top with coutons and shaved Parmesan, if desired.

Pasta With Mushrooms, Asparagus And Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Serves 6
2 tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms (any kind)
1 bunch thin asparagus, cut into 1” lengths
½ cup sun-dried tomatoes from jar cut into smaller pieces if too large
½ cup dry white wine
½ cup whipping cream
¼ cup cream cheese
1 tbsp. chopped parsley (or less if dried)
1 pound penne pasta, or similar
Grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in pan. Sauté garlic, mushrooms, asparagus and sun-dried tomatoes until most of liquid evaporates, about 10 minutes. Add wine; boil until liquid is reduced by half (about 3 minutes). Add cream, cream cheese, parsley. Simmer until liquid is reduced to sauce consistency, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Cook pasta until tender. Drain and toss in bowl with sauce. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Celebration Chicken
I first made this for my friend Chuck’s groom’s dinner, an incredibly fun, backyard evening under the stars. I make the Alfredo, but left it as the recipe says in case you want it faster/easier.

1 ¼ cups purchased Alfredo sauce
4 t. lemon juice
1 T. olive oil
½ t. black pepper
¼ t. salt
5 garlic cloves sliced
4 chicken breasts (I generally cut each in half)
6 Italian tomatoes, quartered
1 can artichoke hearts
1 t. dried rosemary
Bunch of pitted kalamata olives

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Oil at 13” x 9” baking pan. Combine Alfredo with lemon juice and olive oil. Arrange chicken in pan, salt and pepper. Place garlic, etc. over and around it. Top with sauce. Bake for 45 minutes or until done. Garnish with fresh rosemary sprigs.

Roasted Potatoes
Cut up some small red potatoes. Place them on parchment paper. Drizzle olive oil over the top and dust with sea salt and – if desired – add a couple of rosemary sprigs. Roast at 450 until cooked through.

Apfel Kuchen
I know, sounds too easy to be good, but it’s both.
½ cup butter
1 package yellow cake mix
2 cans apple pie filling
1 cup sour cream
1 egg

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter and stir into cake mix. Press into a 13” x 9” cake pan. Bake 10 minutes. Pour pie filling over crust. Blend sour cream and egg, and drizzle over the top. Bake for 25 minutes. Serves about 10 people.

OK, I admit it. I’m somewhat of a Tyler Florence groupie. I watch his Food Network show. Buy his cookbooks (especially ‘Eat This Book’). Check out his website www.tylerflorence.com. Cook his food. Read his Tweets www.twitter.com/TylerFlorence. In fact, I even tweeted back in support on the Fourth of July when he – after a couple margaritas, I’m sure – he went off on a Sarah Palin rant. Why? Because he’s not only a great cook, he’s far ahead of his culinary peers when it comes to innovative outreach. Who else does cooking classes 140 characters at a time? If you’re still not convinced, try this recipe – it’s pure perfection.

Lena’s Swedish Meatballs with Lingonberry Sauce

• 4 tablespoons butter
• ½ onion, minced
• 1 pound each ground beef, pork, and veal (or all beef if you prefer)
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons salt
• Few grinds black pepper
• 2 teaspoons ground allspice
• 3 pieces white bread, crust removed, torn and soaked in whole milk

Sauce

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups chicken stock
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 to 2 tablespoons black currant jam
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves
• Lingonberry jam, for serving (if you have it)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Remove the onion to a plate and cool. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground meats, egg yolks, heavy cream and onion. Add salt, pepper and allspice. Squeeze excess milk from the bread and add it to the bowl. Mix gently with your hands or wooden spoon. With a bowl of cold water standing by, form meatballs about 1-inch across. Dip your fingers in cold water, from time to time, to keep the meat from sticking to your hands. Melt the remaining butter in the saute pan and once the foam has subsided add a layer of meatballs. Do not overcrowd the pan. Shake the pan once in awhile, to keep the meatballs round. Brown all of the meatballs, in batches, removing them to a large oven safe dish when cooked. Put the dish in the oven for about 20 minutes, being careful not to overcook them.

To make the sauce: Pour off most of the fat from the skillet and return it to the heat. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and swirl it around to coat the pan. Sprinkle in the flour, and stir with a wooden spoon or whisk to dissolve the flour into the fat. Pour in the chicken stock, and stir to loosen the bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer, stirring, until the liquid is reduced and the mixture starts to thicken to a sauce. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Lower the heat and stir in the cream and the black currant jam. Add the meatballs to the sauce. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly and the meatballs are heated through, 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

To serve, spoon a couple of meatballs onto each plate on top of mashed potatoes along with a spoonful of sauce, and serve with the lingonberry jam on the side.

 ALSO, you have to pair it with this:

Swedish Pickled Cucumbers and Red Onion

• 1 hothouse seedless cucumber
• 1/2 small red onion
• 2 tablespoons fresh picked dill sprigs
• 1 1/2 cups white vinegar
• 1 cup sugar
• 5 to 6 allspice berries
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Using a mandoline or sharp knife, finely slice the cucumbers and red onion. Put in a mixing bowl with the dill sprigs and a pinch of salt while you prepare the pickling solution.In a small pot over medium heat, combine white vinegar, sugar, allspice and salt. Stir well until the liquid is simmering and the sugar has completely dissolved. Pour pickling liquid over red onion and cucumbers and stir to ensure everything is evenly coated. Allow to cool to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap (press the plastic wrap down onto the cucumbers so there is no air) and refrigerate. Chill for at least 4 hours to cool completely before serving.

A must-visit in Hawaii

Hawaii is ground zero for some of the original food wagons. Opal Thai Food is a definite destination on Oahu’s North Shore (above), but if you’re not in the mood for Asian, there are over 350 food wagon options in the Islands alone. Read what I wrote about this in the StarTribune here: http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/travel/15846317.html?page=1&c=y. Even in the Twin Cities, food wagons are catching on. Some of the most popular are Taco Taxi

Taco Taxi

Though St. Paul is embracing the idea to a greater degree, Minneapolis is promising a street food upswing for 2010. You can read more here: http://heavytable.com/street-food-minneapolis-saint-paul/ and http://metromag.com/0p176a3810/meals-on-wheels-will-mpls-ever-get-street-food/.  Want to sample food wagon fare at home? Give Portugese Malasadas a try. Heaven in minutes…

Malasadas

• Oil for deep frying
• 1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
• 6 eggs
• 6 cups flour
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup half and half
• Sugar  

In a large deep pot or fryer heat the oil to 350 degrees F.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk the yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1/4 cup of the warm water. Set the mixture aside. In an electric mixer, and the eggs and whip until the eggs are thick and pale yellow in color. Add the yeast mixture, melted butter, milk, and half and half. Add the salt. Add the flour, 1 cup at a time. Mix until the mixture forms a soft ball, leaves the sides of the bowl. Remove the dough and turn into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set the bowl in a warm, draft free space. Let the dough rise until double in size, about 1 1/2 hours. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and dust the surface of the dough with flour. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough, about 1/4-inch thick, in the shape of a rectangle. Cover the dough with a greased piece of plastic wrap (this will prevent the dough from sticking to the wrap) let the dough rise until double in size, about 1 hour. Using a sharp French knife, cut the dough into 1 inch squares. Fry a couple of the squares at a time, until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly for overall browning. Remove the doughnuts from the oil and drain on a paper-lined plate. Roll the doughnuts in sugar and serve warm. Yum.