Cheddar Pecan Wafers

Is it safe to come out of my rabbit hole? I know I've been gone a long time. I've been posting a little on my Facebook page, sharing photos of what we have been serving for dinner and such, but I haven't felt compelled to create a whole blog post simply because none of food has really been holiday related, which is what everyone seems to be looking for these last couple of months. So I've kept quiet, waiting for the pumpkin season to pass.

I have a confession. I don't care for pumpkin all that much. It's probably because boring ole pumpkin pie was pretty much the holiday dessert mainstay when I was growing up. You know how it was made: a can of pumpkin, some sugar, a couple of eggs, a can of evaporated milk and pumpkin pie spice. Meh.

Last year when my blogger friend, Desperately Seeking {gina}, invited me to do a guest post during her annual Month of Pumpkin, I was hard pressed to come up with something creative. Mostly I lean toward savory flavors, but I did finally settle on Pumpkin Walnut Baklava. That's about as creative as I get with pumpkin. When it comes to pumpkin, I have nothing to add, nothing to contribute.

But we still have one major holiday to go...Christmas! And I love to bake and give my family and friends containers of sweet and savory baked goods for Christmas.

And when I have guests, I also like to set out a nice charcuterie or salumi and cheese plate with homemade wafers. I'll even make a plate just for the two of us for dinner occasionally and these wafers are perfect for that.

The tray I made recently included dried chorizo slices with chives....


But they would be equally as tasty with salami, prosciutto or even pepperoni.

I also caramelized some apples slices with just a slight sprinkling of brown sugar and topped it off with a hint of fresh tarragon....


It was sort of like eating apple pie with a cheddar crust. Yummy!

These wafers are a wonderful by themselves or as a compliment to just about anything. Use your imagination.


Cheese Pecan Wafers

Makes about 50 wafers

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 pound butter, room temperature
• 1 pound bag of grated sharp cheddar cheese, cut into smaller chunks
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (I used "Pecan chips". I also think these would be equally good with walnuts)

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and cayenne pepper and set aside.

In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Turn the mixer speed to low and add the cheese in batches gradually until all of it is incorporated.

Now add the flour mixture slowly, about 1/4 cup at a time, making sure to incorporate each addition completely before adding more. The dough will be very stiff.

Place a nice sized piece of plastic wrap about 15 inches long on your counter. Spoon the dough in the center along most of the length of the plastic wrap, fold the plastic wrap tightly over the dough, gently rolling the dough into a neat cylinder that is approximately 1-1/2 inches in diameter. Twist the plastic wrap gently at both ends to seal and refrigerate the roll of dough at least 4 hours up to overnight.

Preheat your oven to 375° and prepare your cooking racks or kitchen counter by covering with parchment paper.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and gently unwrap the dough and discard the plastic wrap. Cut the dough into slices approximately 1/4-inch thick and place on an ungreased baking sheet about 1-inch apart. Bake the wafers in the preheated oven for about 7 to 10 minutes, until they are golden brown.

When the wafers are done, remove them with a spatula to your prepared counter or cooling racks. Allow to cool completely.

Buffalo Chicken Nachos

First of all, let me apologize in advance for the not-so-great photo. I didn't plan on posting this so I took the photo with my phone, and this is the best of the three photos I took.

Like I said, I didn't plan on posting this, but these turned out so darn tasty that I had to share.

These morsels really don't require a recipe. We sort of slapped them together by the seat of our pants, using the flavors we love with Buffalo anything.

Buffalo Chicken Nachos

• 1 roasted deli chicken, picked from the bones and shredded
• 1/2 to 1 cup Buffalo wing sauce (we used Frank's)
• 2 - 4 tablespoons of butter
• about 1/2 of a bag of tortilla chips
• 1 bag of grated cheese (we used Kraft Mexican 4-cheese) 
• 1 tomato, seeded and diced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• shredded lettuce (we used finely sliced romaine)
• chunky blue cheese salad dressing (you could use ranch dressing, if that's your preference) 

Preheat oven to 425°

Be sure to have all your ingredients ready to go. This goes fast.

In a saucepan large enough to hold all the chicken, add the wing sauce and butter and heat until it's boiling and the butter is melted. Add the chicken and keep warm.

On a large baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray, lay the tortilla chips in a single layer. Sprinkle the chips with 2 or 3 handfuls of cheese. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 3 minutes until the cheese is just barely melted. Remove from oven.

Drop the chicken as evenly as possible over the chips and cheese. Be sure to use all of the chicken. Top with another 2 or 3 handfuls of cheese and return it to the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven.

Sprinkle the tomato, onions and shredded lettuce over the cheesy chicken, drizzle with salad dressing (as much or as little as you like) and serve.

That's it. The most time consuming part of this is breaking down and shredding the chicken, which can be done a few hours or even the day before and refrigerated until ready to use.

Jalapeño Popper Crescents

Super Bowl is coming February 3rd. It's time to start thinking about what yummy nibbles I can whip up quickly and pop into my mouth in between plays.

Okay, you caught me in a lie. I probably won't watch the Super Bowl. I'm just not a football fan. I know. I'm a bit of an outlier.

But that doesn't mean I can't help you figure out what to make. These little morsels could easily fit the bill. A buttery crescent roll slathered with creaminess from the cheeses, some heat from the jalapeño and a dash of sugar to balance it all out. Yes, I said sugar. Just a little though, and you won't be sorry.


There are tons of recipes for these out on the internet, but this is my version.

Jalapeño Popper Crescents

• 1 tube crescent rolls
• 1 - 4 ounce can of diced jalapeños
• 1 - 8 ounce package cream cheese, room temperature (I use "lite" but full fat works fine, too)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup finely grated cheddar cheese, sharp or mild

Preheat your oven to 375˚F.

In a medium sized bowl, mix together the cream cheese and sugar. Add the cheddar cheese and stir to completely combine. To add the jalapeños, start with half of the can. Stir to combine and taste for heat. If you like more heat, add more jalapeños. Set aside.

Open the tube of crescent rolls and gently unroll the contents into  4 rectangles. Place two rectangles end to end and gently pinch the perforated seams together. It should look like this...


With a rubber or silicone spatula, spread half of the cheese mixture evenly over the crescent roll rectangle, like this...


Starting with the long side, begin to gently roll the rectangle into a fairly tight log...


...until it looks like this...


Cut the log into 16 equal pieces, beginning by cutting the log in half, then cutting the two halves in half and so on. Place the pieces, cut side down, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and sprayed with cooking spray or a Silpat.


Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, or until golden brown.

While the first roll is baking, make the second roll. (Note: My baking sheets are industrial size, so they hold the pieces for more than one roll.)

When each batch is done, remove them immediately from the baking sheet and serve.

Top Five Readers Choice for 2011

I know that I have been absent for quite some time....almost a month. But I do have a good excuse. I've been sick since the day after Thanksgiving and I'm still not fully recovered.

It hasn't been anything life threatening...only that horrible cold/flu/crud that has been sweeping the country with a vengeance...but at my age, recovery is a slow, tough process.

I am ashamed to admit that I didn't bake one holiday goodie. No cookies. No breads. No cakes. Nothing. It was all I could do to get myself ready for our trip to Reno to visit our oldest son and his family for Christmas.

But, I'm happy to say it feels like I am on the mend and ready to start posting again.

I'm going to start the year with a resolution: take better photos. Tom gave me a tripod for Christmas and I'm going to purchase some good lights. I'm looking forward to sharing much better photos with you in the future.

But this post will include old photos because this post is about last year, specifically the top five posts you liked, according the the number of hits the post received. Then tomorrow, I will post my top five favorite recipes for 2011.

Let's start with your top five:

Number 5: BANG BANG SHRIMP

I posted this recipe back in October 2011 and it instantly became one of the most downloaded recipes. It's a simple, but delicious dish: shrimp dipped in panko bread crumbs and fried and served with a spicy, sweet mayonnaise based sauce.

Number 4: TIMPANO

Posted back in March 2008, this recipe has topped the list every year since then. It is a traditional Italian dish that requires a lot of prep work, but is worth every second.

Layers of homemade meatballs, Genoa salami, hard cooked eggs, chunks of provolone cheese, cooked ziti and a rich Italian meat and tomato sauce baked in a homemade crust!



Number 3: GRANDMOTHER BREAD

I started making this bread last January after I scoured the inter-webs for what to do with the leftover whey from making ricotta cheese. Now, every time I make ricotta... a simple 30-minute process... I save the whey in plastic zip-lock bags in 3-cup measurements and store it in the freezer to use for making this bread. It makes two beautiful, delicious loaves.



Number 2: ASIAN TURKEY MEATBALLS WITH SESAME DIPPING SAUCE

Since posting this recipe back in 2010, it has been consistently popular with all of you, as well as the guests at my dinner table.

I've made the meatballs as a main dish and served them with steamed or fried rice and sauteed cabbage, and also made smaller, bite-sized meatballs for appetizers. They are a low-cal, low-fat delicious dish.



And finally......

Are you ready????

You are not going to believe this!!

Taaa Daaaa!!!

Numero Uno!!: CAPRESE SKEWERS

These skewers were part of a post that contained ideas for five separate appetizers. So how do I know it was the Caprese Skewers that were popular? Because this photo....

....has been "pinned" on Pinterest several thousand times, as well as featured in the Health and Fitness Blog on GlamourMagazine.com and in Food Served Best on a Stick at TheKitchn.com, in addition to being linked back from several other individual blogs.

Who knew that putting Caprese Salad on skewers in bite sized morsels would be such a hit? I sure didn't. But a hit they were....and I thank all of you for spreading the word!

Tomorrow, I will post my top five choices for 2011. Stay tuned.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

It's cooling off. Even though it is supposed to hit 90 tomorrow, the rest of the week should be in the 70's and evenings are cooler yet.

When it starts cooling off, I crave soup. Served with French bread, cornbread, foccacia, rolls, it makes no difference. I'm there for the soup.

Earlier this week the publisher of our local newspaper wrote a blog post about the "5 Foods That Can Trigger a Stroke." Canned soup was on the list.

Luckily, I don't eat canned soup. I happily ingest the other four items - crackers and chips, smoked and processed meats, diet soda and red meat - but not the canned soup.

Okay, I have to take that back. I actually do eat canned soup, but do so rarely. I still use a couple of casserole recipes that call for canned soup, but I don't make them very often - maybe a couple of times a year. But, I'm not so sure that particular qualification would render me immune to the risks.

Anyway, I don't eat canned soup as soup, as in a bowl with a soup spoon and with a sandwich or piece of bread on the side. I always make my own soup. I just think it tastes better and it's better for you.

Now, when you were in college, if you made broccoli soup with canned cheddar cheese soup and frozen broccoli on a single burner hot plate and you thought it tasted good....I'm sorry. You probably won't like this recipe because it doesn't taste anything like that.

My recipe is fresh, flavorful and creamy with not a hint of pastiness or chemicals. And, though it takes just a few more minutes to prepare than canned cheddar cheese soup with frozen broccoli, my recipe still comes together pretty quickly.

A couple of tips before you start. First, do not discard the stalks of the broccoli. Peel them, chop them up and add them to the pot with the other vegetables. The stalks add more flavor and texture.

Second, yes, I said peel, unless you like your broccoli stringy. You don't have to peel every single surface, but peel off the as much of the skin as you can. Simply slide the edge of your knife under the skin, hold it in place against the blade with your thumb and pull up like so....


Easy peasy.



Broccoli Cheese Soup
PRINT RECIPE

• 2 tablespoons blended oil (which is 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon olive oil)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 large carrot, diced (I always scrub my carrots, but rarely peel them)
• 1 large celery stalk, diced
• 2 large stalks broccoli cut into bite-sized flowerettes and the stalks peeled and diced
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 1-1/2 cups half & half
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, finely grated (sharp or mild, whatever your preference)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• kosher salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

In a dutch oven, heat the blended oil over medium high heat and add the onion, carrot, celery and broccoli stalks. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the vegetables until they start to brown slightly and caramelize, about 10 to 12 minutes. Be careful not to burn. The caramelized vegetables are going to add a rich flavor dimension.

Add the broccoli flowerettes to the pot, then add the chicken broth. Return the heat to medium high and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer slowly for about 30 minutes until the broccoli flowerettes are very soft.

In a small fying pan over medium heat, melt the tablespoon of butter, then whisk in the flour to make a roux. Cook the roux until it is just barely golden in color. Add about a cup of the soup broth to the roux and whisk until smooth. Add about another cup of the broth and whisk again until smooth. Add the mixture to the soup pot, stirring gently until well blended. Add the half & half, stirring constantly. Add the cheese a cup at a time, stirring well after each addition.

When the soup begins to come back to a simmer, correct the seasoning by adding kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Keep warm until ready to serve.

French Onion Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I subscribe to the Tasting Table, a daily email for "adventurous eaters everywhere." Mostly it's advertising for all things food related and I usually wind up hitting the delete button. But a couple of times a week, I get a recipe that sounds rather interesting, so I print it for....well....whenever.

Last February, Tasting Table sent a recipe for French Onion Fondue, which sounded pretty good so I printed it. That's as far as I got.

A few days ago, I learned that April is National Grilled Cheese Sandwich month. I had no idea there was a specific month dedicated to the awesomeness of the grilled cheese sandwich.

I knew I couldn't go the entire month without creating a delicious grilled cheese sandwich, but what? And as I was flipping through a large stack of recipes looking for inspiration, I came across Tasting Table's French Onion Fondue. Voilà! French Onion Grilled Cheese Sandwich, where French Onion Soup and a simple grilled cheese sandwich merge into a gooey, delectable, savory yet sweet, crunchy delight.

The onions are cooked in a deeply rich and flavorful broth that reduces and leaves them in an almost jam-like consistency. Then they are layered on sourdough bread slices, topped with Fontina and Gruyere cheeses and grilled to perfection.



French Onion Grilled Cheese Sandwich

2 slices bacon, cut in small pieces
3 onions, thinly sliced
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup sherry
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Several slices Gruyere cheese
Several slices Fontina cheese
Sourdough bread slices
Enough butter to spread on the outside of each sandwich

In a large frying pan, cook the bacon on medium high heat until almost crisp.

Add the onions and stir with the bacon pieces until they are mixed well. Continue to cook until the onions have browned slightly. Add the beef broth, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, sherry vinegar and pepper to the onions, bring to a boil and reduce the heat to medium and cook until all the liquid has evaporated, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. This can be done the day before and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. If cold, bring to room temperature or warm slightly in a small pan.

To assemble the sandwich, mound a nice amount of cooked onion on a slice of bread, top with a layer of Gruyere cheese, then a layer of Fontina cheese. Top with another slice of bread.

Heat a grill or large frying pan on medium high heat. Generously butter the outside of each sandwich. Place in the hot pan and grill until the one side is golden brown, about 2 or 3 minutes. Using a large spatula, turn the sandwich over and grill on the opposite side until golden brown, about another 2 or 3 minutes. Serve hot.

Makes 4 - 6 sandwiches, depending on the size of the bread.

Apps ~ And I'm Not Talkin' iPhone

I love creating and making appetizers.

I have always been fascinated by how just two or three or four ingredients could be combined for a flavorful amuse-bouche (a single, bite-sized hors d’œuvre) or layered on a piece of toasted baguette for a tasty crostini. Yummy.

Appetizers can be as simple or as complicated as you like and, when I have guests, I like to offer a little bit of both.

Here are five of the appetizers I've made recently. Let's start with the most simple.

1. I don't quite remember where I got the idea for this. Instead of making a Caprese Salad, I think I saw someone on a television program serve a slice of mozzarella, a slice of tomato and a basil leaf in a stack on a slice of baguette. I decided to eliminate the bread and put the ingredients on a skewer.

When I was in the store the other day, I saw a package of fresh mozzarella "pearls" and thought those would be perfect for making the skewers. All I would need to add were some flavorful grape tomatoes and some fresh basil leaves from my garden. When ready to serve, I drizzled them with some nice extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

These are addicting. The pop of the tomato. The creaminess of the mozzarella. The softness and subtle flavor of the olive oil. The tangy sweetness of the balsamic. And the basil leaf acts like a little cup to capture everything all together.

2. Another one of my favorite appetizers started out as a main course. I blogged about these Asian Turkey Meatballs awhile back and I'm still hooked on them.

They are flavorful, but light and low in calories. For the appetizer, I just make the meatballs smaller by using a 1-1/2-inch diameter ice cream scoop and I cut the baking time by about a third. The meatballs and the sauce can be made earlier in the day, then bake the meatballs when you are ready to serve. Easy peasy.

3. The next appetizer is an adaptation from Paula Deen's Tomato Pie recipe.

I loved all of the ingredients, so I honestly expected to love the pie. Yuck. It was soggy and nearly flavorless. But I kept thinking, those ingredients should taste good! So, I decided to make Tomato Pie appetizers and after a couple of times, I opted to roast the tomatoes first. Perfect!


Roasted Tomato, Basil & Cheese Crostini
by Terri Powers for Terri's Table
based very loosely on Paula Deen's Tomato Pie

5 Roma tomatoes, roasted (see instructions below)
10 fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup chopped green onion, green & white parts
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
kosher salt & pepper
1 baguette, sliced about 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick
olive oil (for drizzling on the baguette slices)

To roast the tomatoes: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise and arrange on the baking sheet cut side up. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and pepper. Roast for about 40 minutes to 1 hour, or until the tomatoes are somewhat caramelized. Remove from oven and allow to cool. These can be made a day ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator.

To prepare the baguette slices: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Drizzle a large baking sheet with olive oil. Lay the baguette slices flat on the baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle the tops of the slices with olive oil and use a small brush to evenly distribute the oil on top of the baguette slices. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes until they are toasted to your liking. The longer they bake, the crunchier they become. Keep in mind that you will bake them again when making the appetizers.

For the cheese mixture and assembly of the crostini: Combine the green onions, cheeses and mayonnaise and mix well. Set aside. Stack all of the basil leaves on top of each other and roll them up. Slice the rolled leaves in thin slices and separate the slices. This technique is called chiffonade. Set the basil chiffonade aside. Cut each of the roasted tomato halves in half which should give you 20 pieces of roasted tomato. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. To assemble the crostini, spread each of the baguette slices with some of the cheese mixture. Sprinkle the basil chiffonade on top of the cheese mixture. Top with a piece of roasted tomato. Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese mixture is hot and bubbly, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.

PRINT THE RECIPE HERE

4. When we were in Savannah over the Memorial Day weekend, my son had the June issue of Bon Appetit magazine. One of the recipes in the magazine was for a Grilled Bruschetta with Teleme, Honey and Figs. It sure looked simple enough, but ... well, you know where I live and you know how much I complain about the lack of availability of ingredients. When we got home....no fresh figs. Not even at Fresh Market or Whole Foods in Little Rock. And forget Teleme cheese.

So, Tom and I improvised and it came out like this...

We make our toasted baguette slices pretty much the same way every time, so we took each slice and topped it with a piece of good quality brie. I had some beautiful dried figs that I purchased from NutsOnline.com. I swear, they have the best dried fruit I've ever purchased anywhere. Anyway, Tom sliced the dried black mission figs and placed a couple of slices on top of the brie on each piece of the toasted baguette. He baked them in a 400 degree oven until the brie was melted and a little bubbly, then removed them from the baking sheet to a serving tray. I then drizzled each appetizer with Truffle Honey. Oh. My. God. Sooooo delicious. If we can ever get them, I cannot wait to try these with the fresh figs!

5. Finally, the most time consuming appetizer. Tom and I were watching a program called "The Heat with Mark McEwan", a Canadian chef. He and his staff were preparing food for the restaurant's anniversary and one of the appetizers created by his executive chef was a Seared Beef Tenderloin & Mushroom Duxelle with Bearnaise. I searched in vain for the recipe and couldn't find it anywhere, so, once again, I improvised and came up with this...


These, my friends, are simply to die for and worth every second of the preparation. I cheated on the Bearnaise. I didn't make it from scratch. I used a package of Knorr Bearnaise sauce, but along with the milk and butter, I added a couple of teaspoons of fresh lemon juice and a teaspoon of dried tarragon.

Tom and I made these one night for dinner. We had these and a bottle of Merlot. Mmmmmmm.

Seared Beef Tenderloin Crostini with Mushroom Duxelle & Bearnaise
by Terri Powers for Terri's Table
adapted from "The Heat from Mark McEwan

1 baguette, sliced about 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick
2 beef tenderloin steaks, cut 1-inch thick (total weight about 1 pound)
16 ounces button mushrooms, sliced then roughly chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, finely minced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 cup port wine
kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 - 0.9 ounce package Knorr Bearnaise Sauce
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried tarragon

To prepare the baguette slices: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Drizzle a large baking sheet with olive oil. Lay the baguette slices flat on the baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle the tops of the slices with olive oil and use a small brush to evenly distribute the oil on top of the baguette slices. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes until they are toasted to your liking. The longer they bake, the crunchier they become. Keep in mind that you will bake them again when making the appetizers.

For the Mushroom Duxelle: Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the shallots and garlic to the mushrooms and saute for an additional 5 minutes. Do not allow the garlic to brown. Season with kosher salt and pepper, then add the port wine to the mushrooms, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cook until the port wine has reduced and there is not liquid left in the pan. Remove from heat and set aside.

For the Bearnaise Sauce: Dump the contents of the envelope of sauce mix into a small pot. Add the milk and whisk until smooth. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat. Once the sauce begins to boil, add the butter and whisk into the sauce until melted. Add the lemon juice and tarragon and whisk again. Keep warm.

For the Tenderloin: Heat a frying pan or griddle over high heat. Do not allow the pan to get so hot that it smokes. Season the steaks with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper and place the steaks in the hot pan or griddle. Allow to cook about 4-5 minutes, then using tongs turn the steaks and cook on the other side for about 4-5 minutes. They should be medium rare. Do not cut or pierce the steaks with a knife or fork. Using tongs, remove the steaks to a cutting board and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes and as much as 10 minutes.

To assemble: Place the baguette slices on a large serving tray. Top each slice with about a tablespoon of the mushroom duxelle. Slice the steaks so that the slices are about 1/8-inch thick and lay 2 to 3 slices of the steak on top of the mushroom duxelle on each baguette slice. Top the steak with a tablespoon or so of the warm bearnaise sauce and serve immediately.

PRINT THE RECIPE HERE

My Top 5 Most Googled Recipes for 2009

I have been blogging about food and sharing recipes for over 2-1/2 years now. Like many of you, I have a site tracker that gathers statistical information about each visitor to my blog: their location, time spent on my blog, pages viewed and how each visitor ultimately landed on my blog. Most first time readers used a link to my blog that was part of a list of links that was a result of a Google search of recipes. Of those, most Googled a specific recipe or list of ingredients.

My readership increased quite a bit in 2009, but new readers generally visited because they were looking for something very specific or a specific recipe. The following 5 recipes are the posts that were visited most often during this past year.

I hope you find them interesting and appetizing, too.

#5. Salmon with Herb Sauce, an oven roasted salmon fillet, nestled on a flaky square of puff pastry and topped with a delicious herbed cream sauce.

First posted in 2008, my son, Chris, developed this recipe for the grill a couple of years ago. I prepare it in the oven, too, which is what this particular recipe calls for, but it is delicious both ways.

PRINT THE RECIPE HERE.

#4. Ava's Stuffed Buns is a recipe that I posted back in February. Most people simply Googled "stuffed buns" and, in doing so, my post for these invariably came up in the list of links.

The buns are simple, cheesy and flavorful, and freeze really well.

PRINT THE RECIPE HERE.

3. Beerocks. Originally posted in March 2008 under the title of "What Is a Beerock, And How Did It Get To Fresno? or How Did Fresno Cooks Corrupt the Bierock??", this recipe is Googled by folks all over the U.S. It amazes me because I didn't think anyone outside of Fresno, California ever heard of them.

These meat pies originated in Germany, but certainly not in the form my mother prepared when I was a kid. Just the same, if you like a peppery, savory filling, you will love these.

PRINT THE RECIPE HERE.

2. Mexican Marinated Carrots was my first ever post back in July 2007.

I was surprised to find that this simple recipe was the second most visited on my blog. It is one that I copied from a restaurant we frequented in Oceanside, California when we lived there. I make these all summer long.

PRINT THE RECIPE HERE.

#1. Timpano. I posted this entry back in March of 2008 and it is by far the most visited entry of my entire blog, with several links back to my post from other food blogs and forums. Timpano is a traditional Italian dish which consists of a pastry crust filled with pasta, meatballs, ragu, cheese, hard boiled eggs and salami, served with pasta sauce.

I am particularly proud of this post. Besides giving the recipe, I give step-by-step instructions, with photos, on how to prepare and assemble all of the ingredients. It is a big job. It takes Tom and me a couple of hours to assemble, but it's worth the trouble. It is a delicious meal for a crowd and a real show stopper.
I first saw this dish in a movie called "Big Night," with Stanley Tucci and Tony Shaloub, a real foodie's flick.

PRINT THE RECIPE HERE.

So, I wonder what recipes people will be Googling this year.

Window Wednesday, Blackberry Cobbler & A Little Teaser

June in Arkansas has been unseasonably hot. My plants are suffering and when we returned early from our vacation, we had some serious casualties.

My squash plants did not survive...



Maybe in the fall I'll plant something else in their place. Right now it is too hot to plant anything.

I had to rip out what was left of my 2 year old thyme and my oregano is looking at me with soulful eyes, pleading with me to save it. It's just pitiful...



And, yesterday, I ripped out the nasturtium. It was just barely holding on...



What's left? Chives, Italian parsley, basil and Texas tarragon are all doing well.



The rosemary is showing signs of distress, but surviving.



I've picked a few roma tomatoes and some of these grape tomatoes...



But my heirloom tomatoes refuse to blossom. I have no idea why, but we are taking some desperate measures. I decided to take the no-dig organic garden approach.

We bought 4 soaker hoses and 4 yards of compost and Tom has laid about 3 yards of the compost in the garden, around the blackberries and under the roses. We left last year's straw in the herb/vegetable garden and put the compost right on top of it. Every bed has at least 3 to 4 inches of compost on top and a soaker hose buried underneath it. The rest of the compost is in a pile in the back of the yard waiting to be fortified with more organic material that we add from the kitchen and the yard, and a couple of bags of rotted manure. I refuse to use chemicals!

Even the blackberries are showing signs of stress, some of it caused by some damage to the canes when a large branch of our neighbors tree broke off during a storm and fell over the fence onto blackberry plants. But, the intense early heat and lack of water hasn't helped either.



But, Tom was able to salvage enough to make a Blackberry Cobbler.



As you have probably guessed by now, I'm not really a baker. Sure, I make cookies, bars, an occasional cake (usually from a cake mix) and a pretty good apple pie, but I really don't bake like some of you out in the blogosphere. I'm getting more adventurous though and baked these sweet potato rolls for last Thanksgiving and made scones for the first time when I saw these.

Consequently, I don't have a cache of recipes for cobblers and, once again, had to go searching. I decided on a recipe from the Betty Crocker website. But, I can't help myself, I did tweak it a little bit. Although the original recipe called for only 2-1/2 cups of blackberries, I had 4 cups and wanted to use all of them, however I did not increase the amount of batter. Oh, yeah, and I also added lemon juice to the blackberries. Following is the recipe with my changes. If you'd like to see the original recipe, just click on the "Betty Crocker website" link above.

Blackberry Cobbler
adapted from a recipe from BettyCrocker.com

4 cups fresh or frozen (thawed and drained) blackberries
1-1/2 cups sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted

In a medium bowl, stir together blackberries, sugar and lemon juice. Let stand for about 20 minutes or until fruit syrup forms. Heat oven to 375°F.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt and milk. Stir in melted butter until blended. Spread in ungreased 8-inch square pan. Spoon blackberry mixture over batter.

Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until dough rises and is golden. Serve with ice cream or cream.



And the Little Teaser? Well, I got so excited when I was able to make that wonderful ricotta cheese, I thought I'd try my hand at some others...



Stay tuned!