Boredom

Has this ever happened to you? You just get so tired of the same lineup all the time...same recipes over and over. I have stacks full of recipes to try...yet usually by 5 pm, my kids are driving me crazy, I have done no preparation, and am in no mood to dirty 3 pots and pans and other dishes. So for the past few nights it has been take-out (albeit healthy) or packaged stuff from Trader Joe's...which I don't mind, but it gets old. It's not our every night food. I am in the mood for something new, something quick and easy and delicious and healthy and cheap...I just don't know what. So I'll leave with a promise to post tomorrow night with a new recipe--nothing like pressure to spur one on. Necessity is the mother of invention and all that crap. As it is, I have been hard at work on my other blog, Mediocre Chocolate...but my dinner-making has taken a backseat to bread this week. No fear...I will get back into the groove shortly, as tomorrow is my grocery-shopping day, which always leads to inspiration.

Ricotta Pesto with Roasted Garlic

Maybe I have mentioned this before...I love pesto. It's one of my favorite pasta sauces and flavors of all time. Of course traditional pesto is incredibly high in fat...but it's also very easy to lighten up.
I have adapted a recipe from Cook's Illustrated Best Light Recipe for my own version of this classic pasta dish. I served it tonight with some grilled chicken. The other bonus about pesto? I can pair it with spinach linguine (if I have some around) and call it Green Noodles--my boys will clean their plates every time!
This is another recipe-that's-not-a-recipe. Everything is estimated and open to personal preference.

Ricotta Pesto with Roasted Garlic Pasta
(c) copyright 2008 earthwatersunwind@yahoo.com

3/4 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup fresh spinach leaves
1/4 -1/3 cup cup low-fat ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
juice of one-half lemon, about 2 tbsp
4 - 5 cloves roasted garlic, or 1-2 fresh if you like a sharper flavor
salt and pepper, to taste
2tbsp-1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 pound whole wheat, multi-grain, or spinach pasta, any shape
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, whole or chopped coarse

1. Bring water to boil.
Combine all ingredients but pasta and oil in food processor. Slowly drizzle in oil with motor running until creamy consistency is reached. Check for seasoning.
Cook pasta until al dente, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Drain well and place into large serving bowl. Mix pesto with a few tablespoons of pasta water, and toss pasta to coat. Sprinkle with reserved pine nuts, extra cheese and fresh basil. Sigh with happiness.

Turkey Burgers... with a secret

It will come as no surprise to those of you with children that my kids hate most vegetables. They like a select few...but for the most part, if they can identify a naturally grown object, they will refuse it. I keep offering...but occasionally I like to make sure they get some in whether they know it or not.
This is especially easy to do when working with turkey burgers, meatballs, any kind of ground-meat application. As long as they're chopped finely, I can toss in whatever I have lying around. As a bonus, they add moisture and flavor to the lower-fat turkey meat. It takes about 60 seconds if you have a food processor to turn a handful of crudite into an unrecognizable relish, and another 10-15 minutes to saute it--just long enough to fire up those coals. That's my big secret--here you thought that I was sneaking my kids vegetables --- nope! If you add veggies to a burger or meatball, you MUST saute it first! If you chop them up and add them raw, you will have crunchy veggie bits and a dry burger--think about it. You know what happens when you sweat onions or mushrooms--they soak up liquid. They do the same thing to your meat. So always cook them first--I like to start with tablespoon or two of olive oil, then add chicken stock if I need to as they cook. If cooking right away, you can mix them right in to your meat.
I'd also like you to notice the buns on my burger--handmade by me. These are Yeasted Cornmeal Buns, and they are an original recipe. They're soft, tender, with a great texture, and the barest hint of cornmeal. Quick to rise, too. I'm working out the kinks on the exact recipe, but hope to have it in a few days. It will be available on my baking blog, Life's Too Short For Mediocre Chocolate.
I'll leave you with a Quick Tip--if you grill with coals, you'll be left with some smoldering heat that shouldn't go to waste. I like to slice a head of garlic in two, drizzle it with a little oil, salt and pepper, and wrap it in foil. I usually place it in a cast-iron pan, too, just for insulation. If you place it over to the edge of the grill over dying coals and cover it up with the vents open, 45 minutes later you will have perfectly roasted garlic that you can use all week--look for some upcoming recipes featuring my favorite flavor!

A real harvest, and my new toy

This is as close as I've come to having gardening be worth my time this year! Something has been eating my strawberries...all of them. My plants are doing beautifully, but just when they turn red...bam. I finally covered them both with plastic bags, and it seems to have worked, because I just harvested almost a handful! Local wildlife...0. Gardener, 1.
I have some cherry tomatoes about to ripen as well--Sun Gold or Gold Nuggets, I'll have to check my notes to remember which. Usually the cherries don't get bothered too badly by animals, but I'll have to be vigilant.
I'll also show you my new toy I got at the gourmet kitchen store today. I have been wanting one of these for awhile, just perfect for hand-grinding seeds, nuts, spices, and anything else. It's made of marble and only cost $10--a great find.
I also wanted to say really quickly that tomorrow's dinner will be a healthy and yummy burger recipe on some homemade buns--so come back tomorrow for that one!