Roasted Sweet Potato, Spinach and Peppered Pecan Salad with Dried Cranberries.

This is the perfect Fall salad and it would be great for a Thanksgiving menu. We will definite;y make this for the Holidays this year.
It's never too early to start preparing your Holiday menu.
I saw this salad on an episode of P. Allen Smith.
I've adapted it a bit without changing the integrity of the original recipe.

Let's start with the Vinaigrette ingredients:

1 Shallot, peeled
3 TBS of Creole or French Grainy Mustard
1 TBS Apple Cider Vinegar
2 TBS Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
2 TBS Brown Sugar
3/4 C Olive Oil

Peppered Pecans ingredients:

Vegetable Cooking Spray
2 TBS Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
1 TBS Brown Sugar
1 tsp Sea Salt
2 Egg Whites
2 TBS Worcestershire Sauce ( I use a vegetarian version)
1 Pound of Pecan Halves

Roasted Sweet Potatoes:

3 Medium Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1" pieces.
2 TBS Olive Oil

Spinach and Cranberries:

8 C Baby Spinach Leaves
1 C Dried Cranberries


Prepare the Pecans:
Spray a roasting pan or sheet pan with a vegetable cooking spray and set aside.
In a small bowl:
Black Pepper
Salt
Sugar
Whisk well.

In a large mixing bowl:
Whisk Egg Whites well.
Add Worcestershire Sauce.
Mix well.
Add Pecans and fold by hand to coat well.
Pour this mixture into a colander to remove some of the excess Egg White.
Return to the bowl and add the Pepper mixture.
Fold well to coat the Pecans.
Spread in a single layer on the sheet pan and roast at 375 degrees for 5 minutes.
Stir them and return to roast an additional 5 minutes.
Remove them from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees.
Cool slightly.

In a large mixing bowl:
Toss the Sweet Potatoes with a some Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper.
Roast for 25 minutes.

Prepare the Vinaigrette: in a Blender:
Shallot and pulse to chop.
Add:
Mustard
Vinegar
Lemon Juice
Salt
Sugar.
Blend on medium speed, scraping if necessary.
Slowly drizzle in the Oil.
Transfer to a small bowl.
Set aside.

In a large Serving Bowl:
Spinach
Sweet Potatoes
Pecans
Cranberries
Fold in the Vinaigrette.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

S'mores Brownies

We have small grandchildren who love S'mores. Actually, all of us love S'mores. We recently spent some time at a beach house in California that had a backyard fire pit. We made S'mores almost every night. Our 6 year old granddaughter was with us. She loved making them.
We have a family event this weekend and I found this recipe from Mom's Pantry Kitchen. I decided that this has to be the dessert we'll take. Our kids and our grandchildren all love S'mores, so this was not a difficult decision for the dessert!
I decided to simply copy the link so you can all try this recipe.

http://www.momspantrykitchen.com/smores-brownies.html

Enjoy!
S'mores!

It doesn't get much easier than this !

I only use Ghirardelli brownie mix, it has chocolate chips in it!

Into the oven!

Out of the oven!

Atlantic Beach Pie

Of course there's a story with a pie titled Atlantic Beach.
It comes from Crook's Corner Restaurant in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Many people claim that it's the best pie they've ever eaten. Every Seafood Restaurant in the South served this pie.
It has a filling similar to Lemon Meringue or Key Lime Pie, but it's the crust that makes this a special pie. The crust is dense, thick and salty which balances the sweet / tartness of the filling.

Crust:

1 1/2 sleeves of Saltine Crackers
9 TBS  Butter, softened
3 TBS Granulated Sugar

Filling:

1 (14oz) can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
4 Egg Yolks
1/2 C of Lemon Juice ( Lime Juice can be used too).
Whipped Cream and Sea Salt for garnish.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
1 - 8" Pie Pan

Crush the crackers with a rolling pin or place them in a large zip lock bag and crush with your hands. Crush them finely but not to "dust".

In a mixing bowl:
Cracker Crumbs
Butter
Sugar
Mix until it resembles a dough like texture.
Press evenly into the Pie Pan.
Chill the Pan for 15 minutes.
Bake the crust for 18 minutes. It will be golden brown.
Remove to a cooling rack for 30 minutes.
Prepare the filling.

In a mixing bowl:
Sweetened Condensed Milk
Egg Yolks
Whisk well.
Whisk in Lemon Juice.
Whisk well.
Pour filling into the crust.
Bake at 350 for 16 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cool for 30 minutes on a cooling rack.
Top the pie with Whipped Cream and sprinkle with Sea Salt.
Refrigerate and serve cold.


Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Back from Vacation!

We traveled 4 weeks, through 7 States and over 5,000 miles. What a great vacation. I posted a few recipes, but I'm looking forward to getting back to the Blog.
It's getting close to contest time for me. I enter a Hatch Chile Contest and the Dallas Morning News Holiday Cookie baking contest every year. I've been a finalist in both contests.
I look forward to creating new recipes. I have many to choose from this year and as soon as I enter them, I will post the recipes on the Blog.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Food Blog Poem!

Food:

Food is what I talk about most.
I guess I have to as a Food Blogging host.
I like corn and squash and desserts galore.
I can always find a topic and talk about more.

I'm passionate about the things I cook.
You can check out my blog and take a look.
Search a food category or a spice you prefer ,
A vegetable, a fruit or a casserole you can stir.

Read a recipe and print it,
and make it with care.
Return to the blog to find something to share.
Always remember if you can't make a decision,
You can always rely on A Hippy in the kitchen!

And don't forget the motto I'm pitchin',
You will find happiness when you
Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

terry!

Grilled Spinach, Goat Cheese and Artichoke Tartine and a story about Le Pain Quotidien in England and California

We were in London and ate at a great little French Bistro and Bakery. We ate there several times on our trip. We also ate at a great restaurant in Birmingham, England. The restaurant had a cookbook in the window and I made a note of it and told my wife we should return and buy the book.
A year later we were on vacation in Manhattan Beach in California and we went for breakfast in a great French Bakery . While we were eating breakfast my wife noticed the logo on the coffee cup and she realized that it was the same restaurant in London and Birmingham. I guess we didn't pay attention to the names of the restaurants in 3 different cities on two different continents. It's Le Pain Quotidian. We just returned from another visit to California and we ate at the restaurant again. It truly is one of our favorite places to eat in many cities. We're returning to Europe next summer and we'll certainly seek out Le Pain Quotidien!
I bought the cookbook.
They're known for their amazing pastries, desserts and incredible Tartines. This recipe is not from the cookbook but it's a great Tartine.
I'll post some of their recipes later.
This recipe makes 4 servings.

4 Whole Wheat flatbread  (Naan)
3 TBS Olive Oil
6 C Fresh Spinach Leaves
6 oz. of any Herb Flavored Goat Cheese, crumbled
2-6oz. jars of marinated Artichoke Hearts, drain and chop
1 medium Tomato, chopped
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1/4 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper



Brush both sides of the flat breads with some of the oil.
Place them on a gas or charcoal grill and grill for about 2 minutes, only on one side.
Remove to a serving platter.
Top the grilled side of each piece with Spinach, Cheese, Artichoke and Tomato.
Sprinkle with Salt and Pepper.
Return to the heat and grill about 2 minutes more, until the bottoms are golden brown and the tops are heated through.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!


Here are some examples of Tartines and photographs from Le Pain Quotidien. It's our favorite restaurant when we're traveling.

Every restaurant has a communal table like this

One of our Tartines in London

London, Raspberry Tart and Coffee

London, Treacle Tart with Whipped Cream.
This was my favorite!

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Bars

Since I spend many of my summers at our place in Colorado, I thought it would be appropriate to post this recipe. I happen to be in Colorado now at our place called, Snowy River. We love the serenity of the mountains. I can see this recipe becoming as popular as my most viewed recipe, No Bake Chocolate Pretzel Peanut Butter Squares.
This recipe comes from a well known store in Colorado, The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.
I hope you take some time to make these amazing bars.

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Bars:

2 cups white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3 cups crisp rice cereal
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
3/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips divided.

Lightly grease an 8-by-8-inch square baking pan. Alternatively, line with lightly greased parchment paper. This recipe can easily be doubled to fit a 13-by-9-inch baking pan.

In microwave-safe bowl, melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave on medium powder for 30 seconds. Stir and heat for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until the chocolate is melted.

Add the peanut butter to the melted chocolate and stir until smooth.

Place the rice cereal in a large bowl. Pour over melted chocolate mixture and gently toss until completely coated. Continue to stir until the mixture is no longer warm to the touch, about 10 minutes.

When the cereal mixture has cooled, fold in the marshmallows and 1/2 cup of the mini chips.

Spread into prepared pan, compressing lightly with the back of your spoon. Don't press too hard or you'll crush the cereal. Sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips and press lightly to adhere. Refrigerate until set, at least 30 minutes, then cut into 2-inch squares and serve. Bars will keep, covered in the refrigerator, for up to 5 days.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!