Fresh Ricotta

I made cheese!! Okay it's a bad picture, but I made cheese! And it was easy. Thanks to my favorite cooking couple, Gabriele Corcos and his wife Debi Mazar on The Cooking Channel's Extra Virgin, I have made cheese. This is a wonderful , fun recipe that is so good served warm on toasted bread with lemon zest, a drizzle of olive oil and some cracked black pepper. I imagine that this will become a staple in our house. I just used a thin dish towel that was folded over instead of using cheesecloth, but do what you are most comfortable with.

Fresh Ricotta

4 cups whole milk

3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, plus the zest of 1 lemon

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 baguette, sliced and toasted

Extra-Virgin olive oil for serving

Lay 3 layers of cheesecloth over a colander.

Add the milk to a large heavy pot and place over medium high heat. Stir in lemon juice and salt and heat until an instant read thermometer reaches 175 degrees. The milk will just begin to bubble and steam. At this temperature you will see the curds separate from the whey. Do not over stir while the curds are forming, you don't want the ricotta to become stiff. Let sit for 5 minutes undisturbed.

Gently remove curds from the pot to the colander. Tie the cloth using butcher's twine and let drain for 5 to 10 minutes. I hung mine from the faucet. Remove from cloth and place in a bowl. Serve warm on toasted bread with lemon zest and a drizzle of olive oil.

Refrigerate leftover in a covered container for up to 5 days.

Farro Salad

This salad has become a huge favorite in our house and pairs well with any grilled meat. I made it again the other night and used quartered cherry tomatoes instead of buying regular tomatoes and it worked out perfectly. The recipe calls for balsamic vinegar and I usually use that, but this time I used a cranberry pear balsamic from Oleacea, an olive oil and vinegar shop in Sante Fe, NM. This vinegar makes the best vinaigrette, very light and refreshing. The recipe is adapted from Giada DeLaurentiis.

Farro Salad

4 cups water

1 1/2 cups farro

2 tsp. salt, plus more to taste

1 lb. tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1/4 cup sweet onion, chopped

1/2 red, orange or yellow bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup snipped fresh chives

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

1 large garlic clove, minced

2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine water and farro in a medium saucepan. Add 2 teaspoons of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to medium-low, cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes until farro is tender but not mushy. Drain well; transfer to large bowl to cool.

Add tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, chives and parsley to the farro and toss to combine.

In a medium bowl, whisk together garlic, vinegar, salt, pepper and olive oil. Add to salad and toss to coat.

Serve at room temperature. Can be refrigerated overnight.

Trick or Treat Salted Nut Bars

These could be the perfect tasty Halloween treats to serve at a party, but they are one of the hardest things to make. The marshmallow layer was very tricky and required a lot more powdered sugar than the recipe called for. You are supposed to beat the marshmallow creme with the powdered sugar at a low speed until combined, but that was not happening. Instead it all clumped together in the beaters and I had to use a wooden spoon to get it out. Once it was on my cutting board it was nothing but a big sticky mess. So like a good bread dough, I kept adding a small amount amount of sugar until I thought I had a good working consistency. Using my hands proved to be an issue because they kept sticking to the mixture. I sugared up my trusty rolling pin and had much more success.
Anyway, they are good , but only for the most patient of cooks. The recipe came from my Cooking Club Fall 2011 issue.

Trick or Treat Salted Nut Bars

crust:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter

topping:

1 (14 oz.) bag wrapped caramels

2 Tbsp. water

1 cup + 2 Tbsp. powdered sugar, divided

1 cup marshmallow creme

2 cups salted roasted peanuts, divided

1/4 cup candy corn

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 8-inch square baking dish with foil, spray with cooking spray. Beat crust ingredients in a large bowl at medium speed 1 to 2 minutes until fine crumbs form; press into bottom of pan. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack.

Unwrap caramels. Heat caramels and water in medium heatproof bowl set over saucepan of simmering water 8 to 10 minutes until melted (bowl should not touch water), stirring occasionally. remove from heat; keep warm.

Meanwhile, beat 1 cup of powdered sugar and marshmallow creme in large bowl at medium speed until combined. Sprinkle remaining powdered sugar over flexible cutting board or sheet or parchment. Lightly coat hands with powdered sugar; gently pat into 8-inch square. Brush off excess sugar.

Spread 1/2 cup of melted caramel over crust; sprinkle with 1 cup of peanuts. Top with marshmallow square, pressing firmly to adhere. Pour remaining caramel over marshmallow layer. Top with remaining peanuts and candy corn; patting down firmly.

Refrigerate 30 minutes until set.

Lift foil to remove bars and remove from foil. Cut into 24 squares ( I cut mine into 20). Cover and store in refrigerator and let come to room temperature before serving.

Sloppy Joes

I grew up eating Sloppy Joes that my mom made using a dry packet. I remember those sandwiches tasting so good. She would prepare them and then wrap them in wax paper before serving so that the buns would steam. A recipe in a little magazine called American Profile caught my eye and I decided to work off of it and try my own. Let's just say that mom's were still better. This was okay, but just not quite right.

Sloppy Joes

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 lb ground pork

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

2 (15 oz. ) cans tomato sauce

1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste

1 (15 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes, drained

1/2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp. liquid smoke

1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp. jarred barbecue sauce

1 tsp. sugar (optional)

Coarsely ground black pepper

1/2 cup water

combine meats, onion and garlic in large skillet. Cook over medium heat, breaking up meat with a spoon, until no longer pink. Drain excess fat.

Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally; until thick.

Serve on hamburger buns.

erves 8.

Watermelon- Jalapeno Salad

This is a nice salad to serve on warm summer evenings. I saw a recipe in the KC Star that inspired me to make this , but did not have the actual copy so I winged it. They used mint instead of basil, but I don't grow mint because it is so invasive. I have also prepared this using lime juice to replace the lemon juice and 1/4 cup of chopped red onion instead of the jalapeno with equally good results.

Watermelon- Jalapeno Salad


3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 tsp. sea salt
3 cups seedless watermelon, cut into bite size cubes
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 jalapeno, finely diced


Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Place remaining ingredients into a large bowl add vinaigrette and toss gently to coat. Refrigerate for 2 hours and serve cold. Makes 3-4 servings.

Mascarpone-Chive Dip

Here is a simple dip with a few ingredients that is fast to put together. I felt like it was better the second day after the flavors melded together. The recipe comes from Giada De Laurentiis and she serves it with home made pita chips. I used it with veggie chips and also used it as a spread on a turkey sandwich. I have to say that I preferred it as a spread. Either way it's quick and simple, you gotta love it.

Mascarpone-Chive Dip

4 strips bacon, cooked until crisp, finely chopped

1 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature

3/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

salt and pepper to taste

In a medium bowl combine bacon, mascarpone, sour cream and chives. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl.

Potato Gratin with Gruyere

I have made many different potato gratins in my day and they have never worked out right for me, until this recipe. For some reason it all came together and the flavor was wonderful! The recipe came from the December 2010 Bon Appetit. I am glad I saved it and that I prepared it. They called for the recipe to be prepared in a 9 inch glass pie dish, I chose to bake mine in a 12x6x2 inch glass dish.

Potato Gratin with Gruyere

3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. heavy whipping cream

1 large garlic clove, peeled and slightly smashed

1 1/4 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/8-inch thick rounds

1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

1/4 cup whole milk

1/2 cup coarsley grated Gruyere cheese

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350. Generously butter 9-inch glass pie dish. Place on a rimmed baking sheet. Combine garlic and cream in small saucepan and bring to simmer over low heat. Cover and remove from heat.

Arrange 1/3 of potato rounds, slightly overlapping, in concentric circles in prepared dish; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of thyme and season lightly with salt and pepper. Pour 1/4 cup garlic cream over. Repeat layering 2 more times with remaining potato, thyme, salt, pepper and garlic cream. Pour remaining garlic cream over, then whole milk. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake until golden brown and potatoes are very tender, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 4

Genessee Royale Bistro

Yesterday, my sister Myla and I, decided to try out Genessee Royale in the West Bottoms.

It's a new restaurant from the Happy Gillis people and we loved it just as much!

The space is located in an old service station that has been redone into a very nice eatery. They have a nice size patio and large glass service doors that will open when the weather turns nice.

I ordered a corned beef sandwich with Brussels sprouts and Myla had the Monte Cristo served with strawberry jam. We each took a half and enjoyed both. There were some other really good options and I can't wait to try it out again. I believe that they are not open for dinner, but have heard they might start serving it in the future. We saw Stretch, the owner of another favorite, Grinders, eating there and he seemed to like it too!

Genessee Royale Bistro is located at 1531 Genessee 816-474-7070.

Sausage Bean Soup

This great bean soup recipe comes from The Centennial Cookbook from The Pembroke Hill School. As usual, I made just a few changes to the recipe, but would probably make it a little different next time. This recipe uses the beans and their liquid, which adds a lot of unneeded sodium. You could probably keep the same thick consistency by draining and rinsing the beans, adding a couple of cans of broth and smashing a third of the beans in the pot. Either way, the recipe published below is really good.

Sausage Bean Soup

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped

1/2 lb. Italian sausage, casing removed and broken up

1 Tbsp. olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 carrots, chopped in 1/2-inch chunks

1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, undrained

1 (15 oz) can Great Northern beans, undrained

1 ( 15 oz) can navy beans, undrained

1 (14.5 oz) can no-salt diced tomatoes, undrained

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Saute onion, bell pepper and sausage in olive oil in large pot, browning sausage lightly. Add garlic and carrots and stir. Add beans, rinsing each can with water and adding that to the soup. You will add about 1 can of water total. Add tomatoes, cumin, cayenne and vinegar: stir. Add more water if needed. Simmer covered, on low, 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.