Perfecting the Pairing

Pickled Red Onions

2012-02-24T10:30:00.000-06:00

Perfect Pairing: Non-reactive pan

Do you ever feel like your salads need a boost? That sounds like the start of an infomercial. I admit to having a weird fascination with infomercials. I am not inclined to buy anything, but I enjoy watching people get excited over cleaning products and sandwich griddles. Call it a guilty pleasure.

Back to the boring salads... I always like to add some sort of onion (sweet, red, green, etc.) to my salads but I don’t love the pungency of raw onion. Pickled red onions are a great alternative because they still have the onion flavor but it is tempered by the vinegar and sugar.

I have no experience with pickling anything, so when I went searching for a pickled onion recipe I was pleased to see that not all pickle recipes require sterilizing jars and resting time. This recipe is done in minutes and lasts for weeks in the refrigerator. They are not only great on salads, but also sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs, etc.

The base of the recipe is red onions, white vinegar, sugar, and salt. You can add other seasonings based on your tastes. I use a combination of allspice berries, bay leaves, cloves, and hot peppers. The pickling juice is also great mixed with olive oil for a quick dressing.

The Perfect Pairing for pickled red onions is a non-reactive pan. A non-reactive pan would be stainless steel rather than aluminum or copper. I am not going to claim to understand the science behind it; I just know you don’t want your pickled onions to taste like a pickled tin can when you are done. If you want to know more, this article is informative.

Pickled Red Onions

Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

· 1 ½ cup white vinegar

· 1 ½ cup granulated sugar

· Pinch of salt

· 2 large red onions, peeled and sliced

Optional Seasonings:

· Bay leaves

· Cinnamon stick

· Cloves

· Allspice berries

· Dried hot peppers

· Pepper flakes

· Fresh knobs of ginger

· Garlic

Directions:

In a non-reactive pot heat the water, sugar, salt, and seasonings to a boil. Add the onion slices and reduce heat. Allow to simmer for 1 minute to 90 seconds. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator.

*I like to use 10 cloves, 10 allspice berries, 2 dried peppers, and 2 bay leaves

Oven Roasted Salmon in a Lemon Broth with Pea Puree

2012-02-22T09:00:00.000-06:00

Perfect Pairing: Spoon

I think I found my new favorite recipe. Thank you Giada! I can’t say enough about this salmon dish. I made it twice in one week, if that tells you anything. The combination of tart lemon broth and minty pea puree is outstanding. When you put everything together on the plate it is a lovely presentation that looks like it took hours to make. In actuality, it is incredibly easy and quick!

The original recipe had the salmon cooked in a skillet on the stovetop. I was hesitant to do that since salmon can be slightly odiferous when cooked in a small one bedroom condo. I opted to roast it in the oven, which was quick and effortless. I bought salmon that still had the skin and placed it skin side down on a foil lined pan. I sprinkled it generously with salt and pepper and after about 12-15 minutes in a hot oven it was perfectly cooked and the fillet slid right off the skin.

If you need another reason to make this recipe…. Do it for your health. Not only is salmon delicious, it is also one of the world’s healthiest foods. It is a great source of lean protein, packed with omega-3 fatty acids and contains healthy vitamins and minerals.

The Perfect Pairing for this salmon dish is a spoon. You are going to want a spoon handy to get every last bit of the lemon broth and puree. It is that good.

Oven Roasted Salmon in a Lemon Broth with Pea Puree

Adapted by Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing from Giada De Laurentiis

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Lemon Broth

· 1 Tb olive oil

· 1 large shallot, diced

· Zest of one lemon

· Juice of two lemons (about 1/3 cup)

· 1 ½ cups reduced sodium chicken broth

· 1 Tb fresh mint, julienned

Pea Puree

· 1, 16 oz, bag of frozen peas, thawed

· ¼ cup fresh mint leaves

· 2 cloves of garlic

· ½ tsp kosher salt

· ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

· ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

· ½ cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Salmon

· 4 (4 to 6 oz) salmon fillets, skin-on

· Salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.

To make the lemon broth, heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté until tender. Add the lemon juice, zest, and chicken broth. Bring to a simmer. Cover and keep warm over low heat.

To make the pea puree, add the thawed peas to the bowl of a food processor, along with the mint, garlic, salt and pepper. Puree the mixture until combined. Slowly add the olive oil in a steady stream with the processor on. The puree should be a light green color with a smooth texture. Transfer the puree to a small saucepan and add the grated cheese. Warm the puree over low heat. You could also transfer it to a microwave safe bowl and heat it in the microwave.

Place the salmon, skin side down, on a foil lined baking tray. Sprinkle the salmon generously with salt and pepper. Place the tray in the oven and cook 12-15 minutes or until the salmon is just cooked and starts to flake. The salmon should slide right off the skin.

To assemble the dish, add the tablespoon of julienned mint leaves to the lemon broth and stir to combine. Place a large spoonful of the pea puree on each plate/bowl and spoon the lemon broth around the puree. Lay a salmon fillet on top of the puree and serve.

Lemon Yogurt Cake

2012-02-20T09:00:00.000-06:00

Perfect Pairing: Blueberry Sauce

I love cooking. I have a blog dedicated to the fact that I love cooking and sharing recipes with people. I could spend hours going through cookbooks and cooking magazines. I will spend a ridiculous amount of time picking out the perfect menu for an occasion, and I thoroughly enjoy every moment of it. Chopping, stirring, grating, and prepping are all therapeutic to me.

Food photography is a different story. I often find myself frustrated over lighting, props, and backgrounds. There have been a few great recipes that I would love to share, but when I try to photograph the finished product the picture just does not do it justice. I end up not posting the recipe until I can make it again and try the photo in a different environment. I recently made a French onion fondue appetizer that was very tasty. I loved the recipe and flavor, but oh my goodness the picture was not good. Hopefully I will be able to figure out a different way to photograph it because I do want to share that recipe.

Desserts are my friend when it comes to photography. I don’t know why, but they always seem much more photogenic than a soup or salad. Maybe it is that many desserts have structure and pretty colors and lines. I have come to enjoy shooting sweets. This cake was a good example. I just think it looks so pretty and feminine. I imagine distinguished ladies enjoying it after lunch with a glass of tea.

This lemon yogurt cake recipe came from the Barefoot Contessa. Since baking is almost a scientific formula, I did not make many deviations from her recipe. I did choose to use 0% fat Greek yogurt instead of whole milk yogurt. It turned out beautifully. It was light and refreshing. I had some leftover, so I sliced it and wrapped each individual piece in plastic wrap and froze the slices in a Ziploc. It was still delicious after being frozen.

The Perfect Pairing for this cake is homemade blueberry sauce. The sauce is simple to prepare and absolutely divine. The berries were a great compliment to the lemon cake. I am pretty sure this sauce would be great on anything. I stirred some into my morning oatmeal and that was pretty awesome.

Cake recipe can be found here.

Blueberry Sauce

Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

· 3 pints fresh blueberries

· 1 ¾ cup sugar

· 1 ¾ cup water

· ½ tsp vanilla

· 2 Tb fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Combine the blueberries and remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce to a slow simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and the berries begin to pop.

Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Tapas Party

2012-02-15T10:05:00.000-06:00

Perfect Pairing: Menu in a photo frame

This fall I hosted a tapas dinner party for some friends. I figured it would be the perfect theme since I love appetizer-ish foods. I spent more time testing out recipes for this party than I normally do. This may have been the reason that I delayed confirming the date for a couple of weeks… er, months. I admit that I was hoping to impress this particular group because they have fabulous taste. I had been to their house for dinner and was utterly impressed by a six-course Italian meal with wine pairings. I could hardly set out some chips and dip after that.

Typically when I have a dinner party I focus on a few main items. After I was knee deep into the planning of this dinner it hit me that making an impressive showing of tapas means you are making lots of small dishes. In the end, I chose to focus on tapas that I could make ahead of time or that would take minimal effort while the guests were there. I think everything turned out well and I would definitely make this menu again with no changes.

It is a no brainer that you have to have sangria at a tapas party. The recipe I used (available here) was dangerously good. Watch out… that boozey fruit will sneak up on you. I also served Spanish red wines. I kept all of the drinks, glasses, and ice on a side table.

I mentioned that my friend served an amazing six course Italian meal with wine pairings, but I didn’t mention that he also had the menu on themed paper… in Italian. What is a girl to do? I decided to print my menu to look like the chalkboards they have at tapas restaurants, and put it in a photo frame. It was nice to have it out with the food because everyone could look at the menu and know what they were eating. You might say that it was the Perfect Pairing for a tapas party! I apologize for the fuzziness of the picture. I chose not to use a flash because that would just ruin the mood but it actually kind of ruined the picture.

I had half of the tapas out when the guests arrived. I considered this the “first course” as silly as that sounds when you are serving tapas. I wanted everyone to kind of graze while they enjoyed their drinks. The first round included rosemary cocktail nuts, roasted vegetable dip, manchego cheese with brown butter honey sauce, and roasted mushrooms with goat cheese along with assorted crackers and crostini. Click on any of the dishes for the recipe.

While we were enjoying the first round of tapas I finished up the final touches on the second course. The second course was slow cooker beef short ribs over celery root and apple puree, roasted shrimp with lemon aioli, herbed tomatoes, and patatas bravas with roasted garlic aioli.

So by this point the wheels had fallen off the presentation bus, so to speak. I just took a quick picture to capture the moment.

We finished off the meal with homemade pumpkin pie and cinnamon spiced whipped cream. I didn’t take a picture of this because I am pretty sure I brought the mixing bowl of whipped cream to the table. We were moments away from playing Catch Phrase and I was not about to take the time to take a picture. I made the standard Libby pumpkin pie but I did use my all-time favorite homemade pressed pie crust recipe.

All in all I think it was a successful tapas dinner party!

Asian Turkey Meatballs

2012-02-13T09:00:00.000-06:00

Perfect Pairing: Hoisin dipping sauce

I have been lucky enough to meet some really great friends through my job. When I started at my company I was in meeting planning. All of the girls in my department became really close, probably because of all of the traveling we did together. There were meetings literally all over the world so we had a lot of bonding experiences while sitting at a hospitality desk outside of a meeting room. Sometimes that meeting room was in Singapore and sometimes that meeting room was at an airport hotel in Chicago, but I can tell you a hospitality desk and a banquet room is pretty standard no matter where you go! That original group of girls has scattered but we still remain good friends and try to get together on a regular basis to catch up.

Sometimes we get together at a restaurant but more often we gather around someone’s kitchen table or island and chat over wine and appetizers. We start sending e-mails about a week before the event to decide who is bringing what. Everyone knows that Mary will bring dessert and that it will be fabulous. At our last get together she brought Paula Dean’s gooey butter cake. Oh my goodness gracious was that delicious.

We are never short on dips and cheese but we are often lacking in protein. Please remember that this is a group of meeting planners so we strive to have a well balanced spread! For our most recent get together I took it upon myself to come up with the protein. I decided to make some Asian Turkey Meatballs. I didn’t have a recipe in mind but gathered up ingredients that I thought would be good together. I thought these little guys turned out great. I loved the Asian flavors of sesame oil, lime, ginger, and soy sauce. They were great as an appetizer/tapa but they would also be a great main course alongside some brown rice. I had some of the meat mixture left over after the party, so I sautéed it in a pan and added it to scrambled egg whites for a hearty breakfast the next day. So tasty!

The Perfect Pairing for these Asian Turkey Meatballs is hoisin dipping sauce. I combined ½ cup of reduced fat mayo with 2 tablespoons of hoisin sauce, the juice of half of a lime, and a teaspoon of spicy sriracha sauce.

Asian Turkey Meatballs

Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

· 1.25 lb ground turkey (93% lean)

· ¼ lb ground pork country sausage

· ½ cup panko breadcrumbs

· 1 egg

· 1 egg white

· Zest and juice of one lime

· 4 oz. water chestnuts, chopped

· 4 scallions, chopped

· 2 Tb reduced sodium soy sauce

· 2 tsp sesame oil or spicy sesame oil

· 1 inch of peeled ginger root, grated

· ½ cup cilantro, chopped

· 4 garlic cloves, chopped

· 1 Tb honey

Directions:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Cover 2 baking sheets with foil and spray with cooking spray.

Combine all of the ingredients into a large bowl. Mix well with your hands until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Using about 3 tablespoons of the mixture, roll into balls. Place the meatballs on the greased cookie sheets until you have used all of the mixture. Bake until cooked through, approximately 15 minutes.

Cherry Cheesecake

2012-02-08T11:39:00.001-06:00

Perfect Pairing: Valentine’s Day

I believe I have already mentioned once or twenty times how cute my nieces and nephews are. I may be biased but I think everyone can agree on their cuteness.

I was lucky enough to spend part of my Cabo vacation with my brother, sister-in-law, and niece, Lilla. Oh my goodness is that child precious. I can’t even count how many people stopped by our lounge chairs to comment on her adorableness. That little peanut never stopped smiling and was happy to sit and play with a plastic cup or a pair of sunglasses.

Here are just a few shots of the little darling in Mexico.

Playing with her daddy in the ocean. I love this picture.

Grandma and Lilla on the beach.

Grandpa entertaining the peanut. Check out those cheeks!

Lilla and me at The Sand Bar beach restaurant.

A great family photo of Jon, Kelly, and Lilla. Notice the manly camo diaper bag.

The whole group.

I spent the day after our return with my other brother and his sweet family. We watched the Super Bowl, but the main entertainment was the pajama dance party. Check out this video…

Those kids had some moves! When it was time for bed the oldest said… “I just wanna dance!”

We enjoyed standard Super Bowl fare like pizza and buffalo chicken dip, and I made a cherry cheesecake for dessert. This dessert was easy and really delicious. I love the addition of almond flavoring. The kids gave it their seal of approval!

The Perfect Pairing for this cheesecake is Valentine’s Day. The contrast of red and white is so pretty and festive. If you are making a meal for your honey this would be a great way to top it off. I think any sweetheart would appreciate this sweet dessert!

Cherry Cheesecake

Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

· 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs

· ½ cup butter, melted

· 8 oz cream cheese, softened (I used light)

· ½ cup sugar

· ½ tsp vanilla

· ¼ tsp almond extract

· 8 oz container Cool Whip, defrosted (I used light)

· 15 oz can cherry pie filling (I used light)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch cake pan with cooking spray. In a small bowl combine the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs. Stir until completely combined. Press the crumbs into the bottom of the cake pan. Bake until the crust just starts to brown, about 5-7 minutes. Cool completely.

In a medium bowl combine the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and almond extract. Mix until well combined. Fold in the cool whip until it is evenly distributed. Spread over the cooled crust. Top with cherry pie filling. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Ham, Cheese and Asparagus Croissants

2012-02-06T10:00:00.000-06:00

Perfect Pairing: Silicone steamer

I hope everyone enjoyed Super Bowl Sunday! I was lucky enough to spend it with my parents and my brother's family. The kids provided more entertainment than the game and all of the commercials combined. They are so cute!

I got home on Saturday night from a great vacation in Cabo, Mexico. I miss waking up to coffee with an ocean view! Back to reality....

Everything about Ham, Cheese and Asparagus Croissants is delicious. Just the smell of them baking is splendid. They are so simple, require no measuring, and they are totally adaptable. Change out the provolone cheese for cheddar, or the ham for turkey, eliminate the Dijon mustard or spread on some fancy mustard you have hanging out in the fridge. You can’t mess them up.

The Perfect Pairing for these roll ups is a silicone steamer to cook the asparagus. The steamer sits inside a pot over a little bit of water. All of the asparagus sits on top of the steamer and is perfectly steamed in minutes. I use my steamer for all kinds of vegetables. It is easy to clean and store. Awesome kitchen tool.

Ham, Cheese and Asparagus Croissants

Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

· 1 can of croissants (I used the reduced fat variety, with 8 to a container)

· 4 tsp of Dijon mustard

· 8 slices of thinly sliced deli ham

· 8 slices of deli provolone cheese

· 16 spears of asparagus, steamed and cut in half

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Unroll the croissants and spread ½ teaspoon of mustard on each triangle. Layer one slice of ham, one slice of cheese, and 4 pieces of asparagus over the wide end of the croissant. Roll up the dough and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown and the cheese begins to melt. Serve warm.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

2012-02-01T16:09:00.000-06:00

Perfect Pairing: Boys

I am the first person to admit that I am not artistic and I have no talent when it comes to music. My creative outlet is cooking and coming up with recipes. I have made some things that I am really proud of…. Dishes I am proud to serve to family and friends. For instance, last Christmas I made a Bobby Flay recipe for pumpkin bread pudding with spicy caramel apple sauce and vanilla bean crème anglais. That recipe had about 40 ingredients and took me an absurdly long time to complete.

No matter what I make there is one recipe that people ask for over and over…. The humble buffalo chicken dip. I agree that it is tasty but I am always amazed at how much people love this stuff. It is so simple that I almost feel bad putting it out at parties but it is always a favorite so I will keep making and serving it.

The measurements below are more suggestions than specific amounts. I always make this recipe according to taste. If I am making it for a group of people that like spicy food I add a lot of wing sauce. If I am making it for a large group with varied tastes I keep it mild and add more ranch dressing. I would encourage you to taste it as you make it (tough job, but someone needs to do it) and adjust accordingly.

The Perfect Pairing for this dip is boys. That may seem like a strange pairing but I have done some not so scientific research and I found that all boys/men love buffalo chicken dip. I don’t have an explanation for it but it always proves to be true.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

· 8 oz cream cheese (I use reduced fat), softened

· ¾ cup ranch dressing (I use light)

· ½ cup buffalo wing sauce (more to taste)

· 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (I like rotisserie chicken)

· 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a shallow baking dish.

In a large bowl combine the cream cheese, ranch dressing, and wing sauce. Stir until evenly combined. Add the shredded chicken and three quarters of the cheese. Stir to combine. Taste the dip and add more wing sauce if you like it extra spicy. If it tastes too spicy you can add more ranch dressing.

Transfer the dip to the prepared baking dish and top with remaining shredded cheese. Cover with foil and bake until bubbly and warmed through. Serve with tortilla chips, crackers, or celery.

Healthified Cookie Pie

2012-01-27T09:00:00.000-06:00

Perfect Pairing: An open mind

Healthy is not a word that comes to mind when you think about cookie pie. I suppose this recipe for cookie pie is not exactly health food, but it sure is a heck of a lot better for you than the standard cookie pie that you would buy at the store.

When I first made this recipe I was skeptical…… very skeptical. The ingredients seemed a little crazy and I just didn’t know how a cookie pie would taste with no butter, flour, or eggs. This treat is also gluten free. All of these are reasons for this to taste like healthy cardboard rather than cookies.

Was I surprised when I tasted the finished product warm out of the oven. It was delicious! Not just “healthy” delicious, but really, truly decadent, gooey, and chocolaty. It has the consistency of undercooked cookies, so it would be popular with anyone that likes to eat the cookie dough out of the bowl.

The Perfect Pairing for this cookie pie is an open mind. The reason you need an open mind is because the main ingredient is not exactly traditional in desserts. The main ingredient is….. beans. Perhaps you remember hearing about the black bean brownie trend. I am all for healthy substitutes, so I was all over it when famous chef Rocco DiSpirito said that his recipe tasted just like a regular brownie. Rocco was wrong-o. They were inedible. BLEH. Apparently I am not the only one that thought this because according to this site, only 4% of people liked them. I decided some things were better left alone. When I ran across this recipe I decided to give bean desserts one more attempt. I am so glad I did because this is a winner!! Trust me on this one. You won’t be sorry.

Healthified Cookie Pie

Adapted by Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing from Chocolate Covered Katie

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

· 1, 15 oz, can white beans (white kidney beans) or garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

· ½ cup quick cooking oats

· 1/8 cup unsweetened applesauce

· 1 ½ Tb canola oil

· 1 tsp vanilla

· ¼ tsp baking soda

· 1 tsp baking powder

· ¼ tsp salt

· ¾ cups brown sugar

· ½ cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a pie plate with cooking spray.

In the bowl of a food processor add all ingredients except for chocolate chips. Process the mixture very well until it is smooth, scraping down the bowl once or twice. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour the mixture into the pie plate. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Drizzle

2012-01-25T09:59:00.000-06:00

Perfect Pairing: Vanilla Fig Balsamic Vinegar

I have recently found a love for Brussels sprouts. I have never been a picky eater but the mini cabbages were something I avoided. When my brother made them for me last year I realized they could be delicious! It makes me wonder how they got such a bad reputation. It seems like they are getting to be very popular in restaurants. I have ordered them a few times and found that I like them best when they are paired with something slightly sweet.

Roasting Brussels sprouts brings out a nutty flavor. The outside gets slightly crispy while the inside remains tender. I simply roast the halved sprouts in a hot oven after they have been tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper. I cook them until they just start to brown and some of the outer leaves get crispy. While they are still hot I drizzle them with sweet balsamic vinegar. It is so simple and so good.

The Perfect Pairing for this recipe is vanilla fig balsamic vinegar. While this recipe would be delicious with regular balsamic, the vanilla fig version adds great flavor. My brother and sister-in-law first introduced me to this addictive stuff a couple of years ago. They ran across it while wine tasting in Napa and gave it out as gifts for Christmas. I have personally gone through a few bottles. I will be pairing it with some of my other favorite recipes in the future. This year my mom ordered bottles to give as Christmas gifts to some of her friends. It is that good!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Drizzle

Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

· 1 pound Brussels sprouts, ends removed and halved

· 2 Tb olive oil

· Salt and pepper, to taste

· 1 to 2 Tb balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Toss the Brussels sprouts with olive oil, salt, and pepper until evenly coated. Spread onto a greased cookie sheet in a single layer. Roast the sprouts in the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until the outer leaves start to crisp. Toss the sprouts twice throughout the cooking process. Once they are crispy on the outside and tender in the center, transfer them to a serving bowl. Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar.

Blue Cheese Puffs

2012-01-23T09:00:00.000-06:00

Perfect Pairing: Maytag blue cheese

You may have noticed that Perfecting the Pairing has been pretty quiet throughout January. My year didn't exactly start out as I had planned.... which kept me away from cooking and blogging for awhile. Thank you for all the people that kept checking back and asking about the blog! I am definitely still committed and anxious to get back into the swing of things.

Sometimes the simplest dishes are the most delicious. That is the case with this recipe. I have served these blue cheese puffs at a few parties and they always get more comments than anything else on the buffet. People will usually take one small piece to start but they always come back for more. I have had people tell me that they really like them even if they don’t love blue cheese.

These puffs are so delicious and they smell absolutely divine when they are in the oven. The best part is that they only have four ingredients and take about 5 minutes to prepare. You can’t beat that! They are great as an appetizer or served with soup or salad.

The Perfect Pairing for this recipe is Maytag blue cheese. The recipe only calls for 2 ounces of cheese so you want it to be high quality. Maytag blue cheese comes in a large wheel or smaller wedges. It really makes the difference using high quality blue cheese rather than the crumbles.

Blue Cheese Puffs

Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

· 1 can of buttermilk biscuits (16.3 oz container)

· 3 Tb unsalted butter

· 2 oz high quality blue cheese

· ¼ tsp garlic powder

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Grease an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray.

In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and cheese until completely combined. Stir in garlic powder. Meanwhile, cut the biscuits into quarters and place in the baking dish in an even layer. Once the butter and cheese has melted, pour it evenly over the biscuit pieces. Bake for 18-25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the biscuits have cooked through. Serve warm.

This recipe can be doubled for a 9x13 pan.

Peach-Whiskey Barbeque Chicken

2012-01-18T10:00:00.000-06:00

Perfect Pairing – Apple Potato Mash

If you are not familiar with the Pioneer Woman, you should check out her blog. She writes about cooking, photography, home schooling, life on her ranch, her family, pets, and everything in between. Her photos are fantastic and she has a fun writing style. I have been a fan for years. I am thrilled to see her doing so well.

I have made a few of the Pioneer Woman’s recipes and they are always delicious. I usually adapt them a bit to keep them on the healthy side, because she has a love of cream and butter. This recipe was no different. I decreased the amount of oil and butter and chose to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs rather than skin-on thighs to save on fat and calories. This Peach-Whiskey Barbeque Chicken has great flavor and zing. I used Cookie’s BBQ sauce and it was perfect in the sauce. It was really simple to pull together and would be great to serve a crowd.

The Perfect Pairing for this recipe is the Apple Potato Mash recipe I featured here. There is so much great sauce on the chicken that you need something to soak it up.

Peach-Whiskey Barbeque Chicken

Adapted by Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing from Pioneer Woman

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

· 2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs

· 1 Tb olive oil

· 1 Tb butter

· 1 onion, chopped

· 1 cup whiskey

· 12 oz BBQ sauce

· 1 jar of peach preserves (12-15 oz)

· ½ cup water

· 2 Tb Worcestershire Sauce

· 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and lightly smashed

· 1 bunch of green onions, sliced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Heat oil and butter in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the chicken thighs to the pan and brown on both sides. Try to not overcrowd the pan by browning the chicken in batches. Remove the browned chicken and place to the side.

Pour off all but 1 Tb of grease, if necessary. Add the chopped onion to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Pour whiskey into the pot (be careful if you are next to an open flame) and scrape the bottom of the pan to remove the brown bits. Reduce whiskey for 2 minutes then add the BBQ sauce, peach preserves, water, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic cloves, stir to combine. Bring mixture to a simmer. At this time you can either return the chicken to the pot if it is oven safe, or you can transfer the sauce and chicken to a 9x13 pan. Cover the pot or cover the baking dish with foil. Place the chicken and sauce in the oven and bake until chicken is cooked through, about 45 minutes. You can leave it to simmer in the oven up to 90 minutes. Top with chopped green onions.

Onion Jam

2012-01-16T09:36:00.000-06:00

Perfect Pairing: Grilled flank steak

Everyone is familiar with strawberry, grape, and raspberry jam. The more adventurous eater may also be a fan of apple or even pepper jam, but what about onion jam? Onion jam?? Oh yes my friend…. Embrace it. This onion jam even has bacon.

I made this recipe on Christmas for my family. I don’t think everyone was sold when I told them what I was making, but when it came time for dinner, everyone loved it. This jam is sweet from the sugar in the onions, apple cider, and brown sugar. It has a savory depth to it from the bacon and thyme. It is pretty much all around delicious. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to cook the onions down to a jam-like consistency. I let them reduce for at least four hours.

The Perfect Pairing for onion jam is grilled flank steak, which is how I served it on Christmas. The flank steak was seasoned with salt and pepper, grilled until medium rare, and then thinly sliced. Top off the slices with a good dollop of this jam and you have a true perfect pairing. I admit that my serving may have had more jam than meat, and I was totally ok with that. If you have some jam leftover serve it alongside some cheese and crackers. We added our leftovers to a cheese tray the next day and it was the first thing gone from the buffet.

Onion Jam

Adapted by Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing from Patio Daddio BBQ

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

· 5 slices of bacon

· 5 large yellow onions, peeled and sliced

· 2 tsp salt

· 2 cups apple cider

· ¼ cup white wine vinegar

· ¼ cup brown sugar (lightly packed)

· 2 Tb thyme leaves

· Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add bacon to pan and cook, turning often, until crispy. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel to drain. Leave about 1 Tb of the grease in the pan to cook the onions. Add the sliced onions and salt to the hot pan and stir to coat with the bacon grease. Allow the onions to soften over medium heat for about 20 minutes.

Once the onions have softened, add the apple cider, vinegar, brown sugar, and thyme. Crumble the cooked bacon and add to the pan. Stir until everything is combined and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes.

Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until all of the liquid has evaporated and the onions have turned into a jam consistency. They should be a deep brown color. This should take about 3 to 4 hours.

Lasagna Soup

2012-01-11T14:00:00.000-06:00

Perfect Pairing: Flatbreads with Thyme, Honey and Sea Salt

I have been trying to come up with a description that gives this lasagna soup justice. I don’t know what to say other than it is just plain fabulous. If you like lasagna, you will love this soup. Heck, if you like soup you will love this soup. I made this recipe for my family over the Christmas holiday and it was a big hit. It is officially my new favorite soup recipe.

The base is tomato, sausage (I used turkey sausage), seasonings, and pasta. The original recipe did not include any vegetables but I added mushrooms, bell pepper and spinach. I really liked this addition because it bulked it up and added nutritional value. I love vegetables in my lasagna so it makes sense that I would like vegetables in my lasagna soup! What makes this lasagna soup really special (and makes it taste like lasagna) is the cheesy mixture that you add to each bowl. It is a combination of ricotta, parmesan, salt, and pepper. In the picture I added it to the top but I think it is best to put it in the bottom of the bowl and pour the hot soup over it so it melts.

The Perfect Pairing for lasagna soup is Flatbreads with Thyme, Honey and Sea Salt. I like to serve some sort of bread with soup and these flatbreads were perfect. The soup is really hearty so you would not want to serve dense bread. The cracker-like consistency of the flatbreads was a nice compliment to the soup.

Lasagna Soup

Adapted by Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing from Farmgirls Dabbles

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Soup:

· 2 tsp olive oil

· 1 ¼ lb hot turkey sausage, removed from the casing

· 2 onions, chopped

· 1 green bell pepper, chopped

· 8 oz sliced mushrooms

· 5 cloves of garlic, chopped

· 2 tsp dried oregano

· ½ tsp red pepper flakes

· 3 Tb tomato paste

· 28 oz. fire roasted diced tomatoes

· 2 bay leaves

· ½ tsp garlic salt

· 6 cups reduced sodium chicken broth

· 8 oz pasta (I used whole wheat shells)

· 10 oz fresh spinach

· ½ cup julienned basil leaves

· Salt and pepper, to taste

· 1 ½ cup of shredded mozzarella cheese

Cheesy Mixture:

· 8 oz ricotta

· ½ cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

· ¼ tsp salt

· Pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the sausage to the pan and break up using a wooden spoon. Sauté the sausage until it starts to brown. Add the chopped onion and pepper to the pan and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes to the pan and sauté until all of the veggies have softened. Add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Cook for about 3 minutes.

Add the diced tomatoes, bay leaves, garlic salt, and chicken broth to the pan. Stir to combine. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the uncooked pasta and cook until al dente (according to package instructions). You don’t want to overcook the pasta because it could get too mushy.

Meanwhile, make your cheesy mixture by combining the ricotta, cheese, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

Right before serving add the fresh spinach to the soup. Stir until just wilted. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper, to taste.

To serve, place a dollop of the cheesy mixture in the bottom of the soup bowl, top with the hot soup. Sprinkle on a few pieces of basil and a sprinkle of shredded mozzarella cheese.

Tomato Bisque

2012-01-10T09:00:00.000-06:00

Perfect Pairing: Grilled cheese

Is there any food more comforting than a really good bowl of tomato soup and grilled cheese? It is a classic combination that will never go out of style. My mom got this recipe from her dear friend years ago and it has been a family favorite ever since.

This tomato bisque is very deceiving because it tastes like it would take a lot of time and work to make, but it is done in a matter of minutes. It could not be easier. It tastes like it is full of cream but the creaminess comes from low fat buttermilk, which adds just a small amount of fat.

The Perfect Pairing for tomato bisque is, of course, a grilled cheese sandwich. Make it fancy or keep it simple, it will be delicious alongside this soup.

Tomato Bisque

Adapted by Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing from Southern Living

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

· 2 cans (10 ¾ oz, each) condensed tomato soup

· 1 can (15 oz) oregano and basil flavored diced tomatoes, undrained

· 2 ½ cups low fat buttermilk

· Salt and pepper to taste

· 10 leaves of basil, julienned

Directions:

Combine the first three ingredients in a pot over medium heat, stirring often, until thoroughly heated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve bisque topped with shredded basil.

Cucumber Sandwiches

2012-01-06T08:30:00.000-06:00

Perfect Pairing: Beer bread

Moms are just the best thing in the world. I might be biased but I am pretty sure I have the best mom out there. She is always there for me no matter what I am going through, or what time of day or night it may be. Thank you mom.

Some of my favorite mother daughter memories are going to high tea with my lovely mom in downtown Chicago as a girl. We had a tradition of going to the windy city to do some Christmas shopping and we would finish the trip with traditional tea at The Drake or The Four Seasons. I loved everything about it. I loved that I got my very own teapot and a delicate little teacup. I loved the scones, clotted cream, and jam. I loved the little sandwiches. Most of all I loved feeling very grown up and sophisticated.

A couple of years ago we had high tea at The Drake as grownups. I still loved it, but this time we had a teatini along with our Earl Grey!

One of my favorite little tea sandwiches that is always served at high tea is cucumber on white bread with a little cream cheese. It is so delicate, fresh, and ladylike. It is the epitome of a tea sandwich. My version of a cucumber sandwich is a bit of a departure from the traditional version. It is not as delicate, or as pretty, but I think it has more flavor and is more satisfying. I use a combination of whipped cream cheese and fat free Greek yogurt for the spread. I like the texture that the yogurt brings to the spread and it keeps the fat and calories down.

The Perfect Pairing for my cucumber sandwich is freshly baked beer bread. I used packaged beer bread from Longaberger, which could not have been easier. You can also make your own version at home using this recipe. The slightly sweet flavor of the beer bread is perfect with the dill spread and fresh cucumbers.

Cucumber Sandwiches

Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

· 6 oz fat free Greek yogurt (I like Fage 0%)

· 4 oz whipped cream cheese

· ½ tsp garlic salt

· 2 Tb chopped fresh dill

· Salt and pepper to taste

· 1 seedless cucumber, sliced

· Beer bread or other sliced bread

Directions:

In a small bowl combine the yogurt, cream cheese, and garlic salt. Stir until combined and smooth. Fold in the chopped dill. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper, if necessary.

Spread the yogurt mixture onto a slice of beer bread and top with cucumber slices. Garnish with additional dill, if desired.

Tuna and Potato Salad

2012-01-04T09:00:00.000-06:00

Perfect Pairing: Make-ahead lunches

In the spirit of healthy eating week, my next recipe is a yummy tuna and potato salad with crisp romaine lettuce. I have been making a variation of this salad for years and it is one of my favorites. The potatoes make it hearty and add great texture. Canned tuna (or tuna in the pouch) is such an easy protein to throw on salads.

The Perfect Pairing for this recipe is make-ahead lunches. I prep everything on the weekend and portion out the lettuce and veggies in plastic containers. I keep the dressing in a jelly jar so it is easy to shake up and distribute over the salad. I use a small can (3 oz) of tuna on each portion. I look forward to this tasty and healthy salad all week long.

Tuna and Potato Salad

Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Salad

· ½ lb fresh, skinny green beans, ends removed

· 3 red potatoes, skin-on, each potato cut into 8 wedges

· 1 pint of grape tomatoes, halved

· 1 shallot, thinly sliced

· 12 oz romaine lettuce, chopped

· 1 large can of tuna in water, drained

Dressing:

· 1/3 cup olive oil

· 4 Tb red wine vinegar

· ¾ tsp paprika

· ¼ tsp garlic powder

· 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

· 1 Tb honey

· ¼ tsp salt

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans and cook until they are crisp tender. Pull out the green beans and submerge into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Add the potato wedges to the boiling water and cook until fork tender, drain.

In a large bowl toss the remaining salad ingredients, gently toss in the green beans and potatoes.

To make the dressing, combine the olive oil and the remaining six ingredients, whisk to combine.

Toss the salad with the desired amount of dressing and serve immediately. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Berries n' Cream

2012-01-02T07:00:00.000-06:00

Perfect Pairing: Post holiday diet

If your holidays were anything like mine you enjoyed some really great food and drinks over the season. No wonder the gyms are so full on January 2! I think after the holidays people actually look forward to hitting the reset button. I know I do. I think it kind of goes along with taking down the decorations and the Christmas tree. Eating healthy and getting into a normal schedule just feels good.

This week I am going to post some healthy recipes that still taste great. I will kick it off with one of my favorite go-to desserts, Berries n’ Cream. The sauce is made from sour cream (fat free or reduced fat), brown sugar, vanilla, and Kahlua (optional) and is served over a combination of fresh berries. The berries are tart and fresh and they pair so nicely with the sweet sauce. Sour cream and brown sugar may seem odd but I urge you to give it a try. One serving of the sauce (about six servings in a recipe) has only 50 calories. That is why Berries n’ Cream is the Perfect Pairing with a post holiday diet!

Berries n’ Cream

Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

· 8 oz sour cream (reduced fat or fat free)

· 2 Tb brown sugar

· ½ tsp vanilla

· 1 Tb Kahlua (optional)

· Fresh berries

Directions:

In a small bowl combine the sour cream, sugar, vanilla, and Kahlua (if using). Stir until everything is evenly combined. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or until the sugar fully dissolves. Serve over fresh berries.

2011 in Review

2011-12-29T16:08:00.000-06:00

I can’t believe we are almost to 2012! How did that happen? I had a great year in 2011 and I hope all of you did as well. I am so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends, a great job, cozy home, a fantastic boyfriend, and fun opportunities. I can’t wait to see what 2012 will bring!

A big highlight of my year was starting Perfecting the Pairing. It had been on my mind for years and I finally made it happen in late August. I have had so much fun cooking, tasting, writing, photographing, and discussing the blog. I have also had some frustrating moments cooking, tasting, writing and photographing…. but that is all part of it! Thank you to everyone who has read my ramblings, commented, and especially tried the recipes! I can’t tell you how much it means to me. I get excited every time I receive a new comment or hear about someone new reading the blog.

I also need to thank my friends, family, and boyfriend for being such willing taste-testers. I apologize for making you wait while I photograph a plate at 60 different angles or for making you hold a lamp over your head so the lighting is “just right”. I also think Mariano’s (my favorite grocery store) should thank me for being such a good customer.

I have a long list of post ideas, recipes, and pairings that I can’t wait to share with you in 2012 but I thought it might be fun to do a review of some of the highlights of Perfecting the Pairing since it started in August.

Most viewed recipes according to the Blogger statisticians, in descending order:

Outrageous Brownies (which is kind of crazy since I just posted this…. People love chocolate!)

Hasselback Potatoes

Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies

Light Pumpkin Cheesecakes

Blueberry Lemon Flognarde

Prosciutto Wrapped Breadsticks

Tomato Pie

Baked Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal

Buffalo Chicken Bites

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Personal Favorites (please note, I would not put something on Perfecting the Pairing unless I thought it was great but these are my absolute favorites):

Breakfast/Brunch:

Breakfast Muffin Melts

Tomato Pie (this is good anytime)

Appetizers:

Flatbreads with Thyme Honey and Sea Salt

Manchego Cheese with Brown Butter Honey Sauce

Roasted Vegetable Dip

Rosemary Cocktail Nuts

Scottish Oatcakes

Spicy Tomato and Avocado Shrimp Dip (Be sure to check out the organized grocery list!!)

Main and Sides:

Slow Cooker Beef Short Ribs

Warm Potato and Tuna Salad over Arugula

Summer Tomato Sauce

Caribbean Bean Puree

Chili Spiced Soup with Stoplight Peppers and Avocado Relish

Dessert:

Blueberry Crisp

Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies

Grandma Rosie’s Ice Cream Dessert

Pressed Pie Crust

Is there anything you would like me to try in 2012?? I am always open to suggestions and I would love to hear from you!

Have a safe, happy, and fun new year!

Lindsay

Sweet Potato Strudel with Brown Butter

2011-12-28T12:00:00.000-06:00

Perfect Pairing: Dino: The Essential Dean Martin Album

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I definitely did! My family had so much fun together opening gifts, enjoying good food and just being together. I am sad the festivities are almost over. We still have a couple of days together and I plan on making the most of it!

Are you browning your butter? If not, you should start. It was only recently that I realized how awesome brown butter tastes. I had heard chefs refer to it on cooking shows, but had never really done anything with it myself. Side note…. I have a weird addiction to any competitive cooking show. They should start some sort of fantasy competitive cooking league. I would be a killer. Anyway, brown butter seemed very fancy to me, but honestly, there is nothing fancy about it. It does not require any special equipment or ingredients. By browning the butter the flavor completely changes and it goes from being plain old butter to this complex, nutty, savory delight.

This strudel takes full advantage of the toasty butter but is also slightly sweet because of the dried cranberries, raisins, carrots, and sweet potatoes. Everything is rolled up in layers of phyllo dough. I know some people are a little intimidated by phyllo dough because it is fragile and comes with care instructions. While it is important to keep it covered with a damp towel it is surprisingly easy to work with. Don’t get flustered if it bunches up in one area or breaks, no one will know. That is the beauty of layers, everything just melds together!

I wish I had a better picture of the finished product. This was served at the weenie roast and it was full-on darkness by the time I was ready to photograph it. You’ll just have to trust me on how attractive and delicious it is. The flaky crust melts in your mouth and the creamy filling has just the right amount of sweet and savory. It was also surprisingly good leftover.

The Perfect Pairing for this strudel is Dino: The Essential Dean Martin album. When I think of strudel, phyllo dough, and brown butter I think of something very fancy. This recipe is actually just good food. That is kind of like Dino. He has this air of sophistication around him but his music is relatable and fun. I love this album. It has so many great songs and is the perfect thing to play during a dinner party. That voice is something else.

Sweet Potato Strudel with Brown Butter

Adapted by Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing from FromMySweetHeart

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

· 2 sweet potatoes (medium), peeled and cubed

· 2 carrots (large), peeled and sliced

· ¼ cup dried cranberries

· ¼ cup golden raisins

· 1 stick of unsalted butter, divided

· 20 sheets of phyllo dough (1/2 of a 16 oz. box), thawed

· Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Add the cubed sweet potatoes and carrots to a large pot of salted water, bring to a boil. Cook over high heat until tender.

Meanwhile, cover the cranberries and raisins with hot water to plump up. After about 10 minutes, drain completely and set aside. Place the butter in a small pan over high heat. Melt the butter and allow it to brown, but not scorch. Remove from heat.

Once the potatoes and carrots are tender, drain and mash gently. Stir in about 2 Tb of the brown butter and the drained cranberries and raisins. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Unroll the thawed phyllo sheets and cover them with plastic wrap. Top the plastic wrap with a damp towel. To assemble the strudel, remove one sheet of dough and place it on the parchment paper lined cookie sheet (cover the remaining phyllo sheets with the plastic and the towel). Keep the long section of the dough towards you. Brush the dough lightly with the reserved brown butter and lay another sheet on top, until you have layered 10 sheets. Sprinkle a dash of salt every third layer.

Spoon half of the potato mixture along the bottom edge of the dough. Roll the phyllo around the potato mixture using the parchment paper to pick up the bottom edge. Place the completed roll at the top of the sheet pan and repeat the steps above to assemble the second roll.

Brush rolls with remaining brown butter and bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly and slice the rolls into pieces. Serve warm.

Chili Spiced Soup with Stoplight Peppers and Avocado Relish

2011-12-20T10:30:00.000-06:00

Perfect Pairing: Sharp chef’s knife

One of the best fall meals is a great bowl of soup. It is so comforting and filling. This soup is my new favorite. It is full of flavor and incredibly healthy. It makes a big batch but it just gets better each day. This recipe tells you to make your own seasoning blend, which has a kick. If you are not a fan of spice you may want to cut back on the chili powder. When you are mixing it up it may seem like a lot of spice but it does not overwhelm, just adds great flavor.

Don’t skip the relish that goes on top of the soup. It really makes it special. If you can’t find queso fresco you could use feta cheese.

The Perfect Pairing for this soup is a really great chef’s knife. There is a lot of chopping involved in this soup, but it can be quite enjoyable if you have the right knife. Good knives can be pricey, but think of it as an investment. If I was told I could only take one thing out of my kitchen it would be my Shun knife set. That may be cheating seeing as it is a set of knives… but I think of it as clever game-playing. There are lots of great brands out there but I am a huge fan of Shun. My brother and sister-in-law got them as wedding presents and as soon as I tried them out I knew I needed these knives. While I was looking for the link to Shun I realized they are having a pretty good promotion right now on their knives, click here to see it. They would make a great holiday gift for the cook in your family!

Chili Spiced Soup with Stoplight Peppers and Avocado Relish

Adapted by Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing from Cooking Light

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Spice Blend

· 2 ½ tsp chili powder

· 2 tsp ground cumin

· 1 ½ tsp ground coriander

· 1 tsp dried oregano

· 1 tsp cracked black pepper

· ½ tsp kosher salt

Soup

· 1 Tb olive oil

· 1 ¼ lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips

· 1 large sweet onion, chopped

· 1 red bell pepper, chopped

· 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

· 1 green bell pepper, chopped

· 4 cloves of garlic, minced

· ½ tsp salt

· 1 small bag frozen corn (10-16 oz)

· 32 oz (one large container) reduced sodium chicken broth

· 28 oz (one large can) fire-roasted crushed tomatoes, undrained

· Juice of one lime

Relish

· ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

· 1 small bunch of green onions, chopped

· Juice and zest of one lime

· 3 oz queso fresco (or feta), crumbled

· 1 avocado, diced

Directions:

In a small bowl combine all of the spices to make the blend.

Heat half of the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chicken and about half of the spice mixture. Sauté until chicken is cooked through, remove from pan and allow to cool slightly. Chop into bite-sized pieces.

Add the other half of the oil to the pan; add onions, bell peppers, garlic and salt. Sprinkle remaining spice mixture over the vegetables, stir to combine. Sauté until the vegetables are tender, but not mushy. Return the chicken to the pan along with the corn, broth, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Add lime juice and stir to combine.

To prepare the relish, combine the cilantro, green onions, zest, and juice in a bowl. Stir to combine. Add the cheese and avocado, and toss gently. Top each bowl of soup with a big spoonful of the relish.

Outrageous Brownies

2011-12-15T12:00:00.000-06:00

Perfect Pairing: A crowd of chocolate lovers

I apologize in advance for sharing this recipe. These brownies will not be tagged with “healthy”. I did not come up with the name Outrageous Brownies, but it is fitting. My cousin, Julie, made these over the summer and everyone loved them. I recently made them for a family get together, and received lots of compliments. These are not your everyday, cake-like brownies. There is only 1 ¼ cups of flour in the entire batch. That tells you something. There is also a LOT of chocolate involved!

This is a Barefoot Contessa recipe. Ina (Barefoot Contessa) often includes instant coffee in chocolate desserts because she says it balances out the chocolate without adding a coffee flavor. I could detect a slight coffee flavor in these brownies so if you are not a fan I am sure it could be reduced. I opted to make them without walnuts.

I lined the pans with foil before baking the brownies so they were easy to lift out and slice. I would recommend refrigerating them overnight before slicing. It will make your life a lot easier. I cut off the edge so that they all have straight lines. What you do with those “scraps” is up to you!

The Perfect Pairing for these brownies is a crowd of chocolate lovers. Ina’s original recipe called for a 12x18x1 inch pan. I do not have one of these, so I had to improvise. I used 2, 9x13 pans and it worked perfectly. That is a LOT of brownies so you will want a crowd to help you out or you could reduce the recipe.

Outrageous Brownies

Adapted by Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing from Barefoot Contessa

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

· 1 lb unsalted butter

· 1 lb plus 12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

· 6 oz unsweetened chocolate

· 6 eggs

· 3 Tb instant coffee granules

· 2 Tb vanilla

· 2 ¼ cups sugar

· 1 ¼ cup flour, divided

· 1 Tb baking powder

· 1 tsp salt

· 3 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2, 9x13 pans with foil and spray with cooking spray. In a double boiler over simmering water melt the butter, 1 lb of chocolate chips and the unsweetened chocolate. Allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl stir the eggs, instant coffee, vanilla and sugar. Stir in the cooled chocolate mixture and bring to room temperature.

Once the mixture has cooled add 1 cup of the flour, baking powder and salt. Toss the remaining 12 oz of chocolate chips and walnuts (if using) in the remaining ¼ cup of flour and add to the batter. Pour into the baking dishes, evenly distributing the batter.

Bake for 20 minutes, then rap the dishes against the oven shelf to force out any extra air. Bake for another 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. You do not want to overbake these so the toothpick may have a few crumbs. Allow to cool and refrigerate. They are much easier to cut when cool.

Goat Cheese with Cranberries and Pistachios AND Party Appetizer Roundup

2011-12-13T13:50:00.002-06:00

Perfect Pairing: Holiday Party

I absolutely love entertaining this time of year. I decorate my house immediately following Thanksgiving and start planning Christmas get-togethers. My place is pretty small so it does not take long to hang the stockings by the chimney with care, so to speak. My favorite part about Christmas decorating is hanging the ornaments on the tree. Every ornament on my tree means something to me. I love pulling them out of the box and thinking about who gave it to me, where I was when I bought it, or the memories it invokes.

Years ago I started buying ornaments as my souvenir whenever I was traveling. I used to travel a lot with my job and I went to some fun places. In fact, I was lucky enough to travel to six continents. Buying an ornament in each place was the perfect thing to do because they were affordable, small, and easy to bring home. When I got home I would write when and where I got it on the bottom of the ornament.

Here are some of my favorites.

A tangoing couple from a trip to Buenos Aires

The first ornament I remember on my personal Christmas tree in my bedroom as a little girl.

Every year my mom gives me the Hallmark Noelville light up Gingerbread House ornament. I love these because you just pop in the tree light and do not have to pull out the bulb.

Mom has also given me the Swarovski snowflake ornament for the last 12 years. I love the sparkle they add to my tree.

There were times that I was not able to find an actual ornament so I settled with a keychain. Hey, if it hangs on the tree, I say it counts.

This particular keychain was from a trip to South Africa. I absolutely had to get it because of this guy that I met on the road while I was there. Hey buddy!

I guess sometimes the ornaments don’t have a meaning; I just think they are cute.

I also seem to have a lot of ornaments that fall into the tropical/sparkly/pink category.

When I have Christmas get-togethers at my house I usually serve a variety of appetizers rather than a full meal. The key is to have a few appetizers that are easy to throw together or that could be made ahead of time. This year I plan on including roasted vegetable dip, manchego cheese with brown butter honey sauce, rosemary cocktail nuts, Scottish oatcakes, and prosciutto wrapped breadsticks in the menu because they are all so easy and delicious.

I will also be making goat cheese with cranberries and pistachios. It does not get any easier than this…. You just cover a 4 oz log of goat cheese with chopped dried cranberries and chopped pistachios and serve it with crackers. It takes minutes to make and looks so festive! It is easy to keep the ingredients on hand in case you have some unexpected visitors stop by. That is why goat cheese with cranberries and pistachios is the Perfect Pairing for holiday parties!

Flatbreads with Thyme, Honey and Sea Salt

2011-12-12T11:30:00.000-06:00

Perfect Pairing: Maldon Sea Salt

I have been on a thyme kick lately. There is something about this herb that has been calling out to me for the last couple of months. I have been adding it to soups, salads, and whatever else I happen to be making. I think the recipe I posted for oven roasted mushroom tapas is what got me hooked on fresh thyme. When I saw a recipe that added fresh thyme to homemade flatbreads along with honey, salt, and cheese…. Well, it was something I needed to try immediately.

These flatbreads could almost be called a cracker because they are so thin and crispy. The combination of honey, cheese and salt is crazy good. These would be the perfect thing to serve at a cocktail party or alongside your favorite soup recipe. If you left off the thyme I bet these flatbreads would also be pretty amazing with a little spread of Nutella. Let's be honest.... what is not improved by Nutella?

When you are rolling out the flatbreads they will seem a little oily but after they bake they are crispy and light. I used BellaVitano Gold Reserve Cheese, which was lovely, but you could use Parmesan, Romano or Asiago cheese.

The Perfect Pairing for these flatbreads is Maldon Sea Salt. I have the Maldon Sea Salt Flakes and I am a huge fan. I always use it as a finishing salt rather than cooking with it. The flakes are much larger than usual kosher salt but they are not overwhelming because they have a delicate flavor.

Flatbreads with Thyme, Honey and Sea Salt

Adapted by Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing from Smitten Kitchen

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

· 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour

· 1 tsp baking powder

· ¾ tsp salt

· ½ cup water

· 1/3 cup olive oil

· ¾ cup grated cheese (BellaVitano Gold Reserve Cheese, Parmesan, Romano or Asiago)

· 1/3 cup honey

· 2 Tb fresh thyme leaves

· Sprinkle of sea salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Cover two large sheet pans with parchment paper.

In a large bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, add the water and oil. Gradually stir the liquids into the flour with a wooden spoon until it forms a dough. Place the dough on a clean counter surface and knead 4 or 5 times. It will feel oily.

Divide the dough into 4 even pieces. Remove one of the pieces of parchment paper and place on the counter. Place one piece of dough on the side of one of the pieces of parchment paper. Roll out the dough, alternating directions, until it is very thin. It will be about 12 inches by 6 inches and should take up half of the pan. Repeat with remaining three balls of dough. Return the parchment paper to the pan.

Bake the flatbreads about 5 minutes until lightly browned. While they are baking, grate your cheese. Remove the breads from the oven and sprinkle all four pieces evenly with the cheese. Return them to the oven and bake for an additional 3 to 4 minutes until browned at the edges.

Remove the flatbreads from the oven and drizzle with honey, sprinkle with sea salt and thyme leaves. Cut into desired sizes and serve.

Slow Cooker Beef Short Ribs

2011-12-09T11:30:00.000-06:00

Perfect Pairing: Celery Root and Apple Puree

I am a little intimidated by certain kinds of meat. I am not likely to take on a big rack of ribs because I know there are experts out there that would say I am doing it all wrong. Ribs are religion to some people. I will leave them to the professionals, at least for now. I think short ribs are much more approachable. It seems like they are becoming extremely popular these days along with pork belly. Has anyone else noticed that?

I had never done anything with short ribs before but decided to give them a try in my slow cooker. Ohmygoodness. They were so extremely good and easy! Since they are so fattening I will not be making them on a regular basis, but they are great for a special dinner. The slow cooker does all the work for you so that when you are ready to serve them the meat has fallen off the bone. You can barely get them out in one piece because they are so tender.

There are quite a few ingredients in this recipe because I was using what I had on hand. It is definitely not a science, and I think you could leave out a couple of items if you don’t have them on hand, or don’t want to buy them. I don’t think it would compromise the flavor.

The Perfect Pairing for this short rib dish is the celery root and apple puree I featured here. You are definitely going to want something to soak up the sauce on these ribs. You could also serve them with mashed potatoes but I really liked the flavor of the celery root puree because it was lighter than your standard mashed potatoes. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Beef Short Ribs

Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

· 1/3 cup flour

· 1 tsp salt

· ½ tsp black pepper

· 2-3 lbs beef short ribs (I trimmed the excess fat off of the ribs)

· 1 Tb butter

· 1 onion, chopped

· ¾ cup red wine

· ¼ cup red wine vinegar

· ¾ cup apple cider

· ½ cup brown sugar

· 1/3 cup chili sauce

· ½ cup ketchup

· ¾ cup beef broth

· ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

· ¼ cup reduced sodium soy sauce

· 1 tsp chili powder

· 3 cloves of garlic, minced

Directions:

Combine the flour, salt, and pepper in a large sealable bag. Shake to combine. Add the short ribs and toss with the flour. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Shake off any excess flour and add the ribs to the pan. Brown the ribs on all sides. Once browned, transfer to a slow cooker that has been coated with cooking spray.

Add the chopped onions to the skillet and sauté until they begin to soften. Be sure to scrape up any of the brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Taste the sauce and adjust per your preference. Pour the sauce over the ribs. Cook on low heat for 8-10 hours. If you don’t have that much time you can cook them on high heat for 2 hours and then reduce to low for 4 hours.

Before you serve the ribs skim off the clear fat at the top using a large spoon. You may get some of the sauce with it, but it is worth it. Get as much of the fat as possible.

Herbed Tomatoes

2011-12-08T16:03:00.000-06:00

Perfect Pairing: Leftover herbs in your crisper drawer

You may have noticed that things have been a little quiet lately on Perfecting the Pairing. I had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with my friends and family, which kept me pretty busy. Even though I was quiet on the blog I was definitely still cooking and photographing. There are lots of fun things coming up!

I got home last night from an absolutely amazing vacation in Grand Cayman. We had delicious food, great service, perfect weather, and lots of great memories. I have been a little heartsick all day thinking about that blue sky and sea. I can tell you that, without a doubt, a Perfect Pairing is a pina colada on the beach.

Now that I am home I am thinking about healthy, while still flavorful, dishes. These herbed tomatoes fit the bill. They are such an easy and flavorful side dish. I am a big fan of grape tomatoes. They are the first thing I go for on a veggie tray. It seems they are always in season, which is nice since the regular tomato season is so fleeting. The grape tomatoes in this dish burst in your mouth with the flavors of garlic and herbs. They are so good.

The Perfect Pairing for this recipe is the leftover herbs in your crisper drawer. If you are like me you have half-used packages of basil, thyme, rosemary, parsley, etc. roaming around your refrigerator on a regular basis. Any combination of herbs works in this recipe but I really like basil, thyme and parsley.

Herbed Tomatoes

Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

· 2 Tb olive oil

· 4 garlic cloves, minced

· 2 pints of grape tomatoes

· ¼ cup parsley leaves, chopped

· 8 basil leaves, julienned

· 1 Tb thyme leaves

· Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the minced garlic and sauté for about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and stir to coat with the olive oil and garlic. Saute until the tomatoes start to split, but have not completely lost their shape. Add the herbs and salt and pepper. Saute for about 2 minutes. Serve warm.

Not Your Standard Potato Salad

2011-12-05T08:00:00.000-06:00

Perfect Pairing: Potato scrubbing gloves

There are so many versions of potato salad, and they can range from really fantastic (my mom’s version with homemade mayonnaise) to pretty awful (grocery store version). I am calling this recipe “Not Your Standard Potato Salad” because it is exactly that. This version has no mayonnaise, includes bacon and cheese, and has a spicy kick. The potatoes are boiled with a bag of Zatarain’s crab boil. It gives great flavor to the potatoes even before anything else is added.

I can’t label this as healthy but I definitely lightened it up from Guy Fieri’s original version. He recommended using all of the bacon grease AND a stick of butter. WHAT?? That is complete craziness. I also used half the amount of bacon, reduced the amount of cheese, and used light sour cream.

The Perfect Pairing for this salad is potato scrubbing gloves. Potato gloves are made out of a rough-textured nylon material that easily scrubs off dirt and grime from potato skins. They are not a kitchen necessity but are kind of fun to have. My mom put them in my stocking at Christmas, and they are great when you have a large amount of potatoes to clean. The last time I made this recipe I tripled it for a big group. That meant a lot of potato cleaning and these came in really handy. Actually… I think my mom scrubbed all of the potatoes, but she really appeared to be enjoying the gloves. Thanks mom!

* I have not figured out how to take a pretty picture of potato salad.

Not Your Standard Potato Salad

Adapted by Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing from Guy Fieri

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

· 1, 3 oz., dry crab boil mix (Zatarain’s)

· 3 lb red potatoes, cut into large chunks

· ½ lb bacon, diced

· 1 red onion, diced

· 3 garlic cloves, chopped

· 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese

· 4 green onions, chopped

· ½ tsp cayenne pepper

· ½ tsp paprika

· ¾ cup sour cream

· Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Fill a large pot with water and add the crab boil package (leave it in the mesh bag). Add the cut potatoes and bring the water to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are fork tender, not mushy. Drain and throw away the seasoning bag.

Meanwhile, in a skillet cook the bacon until crispy, remove and drain on a paper towel. Remove all but one tablespoon of grease from the pan. Add red onion to pan and cook until almost caramelized, add garlic and cook until onions and garlic are lightly browned.

In a large bowl combine ½ of the cheese, ½ of the cooked bacon, ½ of the green onions, the cooked onion mixture, cayenne, paprika, and sour cream. Stir until combined. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as necessary.

Add the warm potatoes to the sour cream mixture and stir gently to combine. Top with remaining cheese, green onions and bacon. Best served warm.

Sweet and Spicy Spinach

2011-12-02T10:00:00.000-06:00

Perfect Pairing: Leftover bacon from the freezer

Full disclosure… this dish is not very photogenic, but it is tasty! This sautéed spinach is not your typical steak house version that is full of garlic and oil. This recipe has a savory and sweet profile because of the red onions, bacon, and pineapple. One thing I have learned is that you should buy more fresh spinach than you think you will need. The recipe below calls for 10 oz of fresh spinach, which seems like a lot, but cooks down so much that it only equals about three servings.

The Perfect Pairing for this dish is leftover bacon you have in your freezer. When I buy bacon for a recipe, I rarely need the entire package so I toss the leftover in the freezer. I can’t stand defrosting meat in the microwave. I always cook it too long and it gets rubbery around the edges. Blech. I hate that! I saw a great tip on the Food Network about using bacon directly from the freezer when you need bacon pieces. Pull out the frozen bacon and put it directly on a chopping board. Don’t worry about trying to pull the pieces apart. Using a sharp knife, cut small pieces off of the end of the bacon strips until you have enough for your recipe. You can put the frozen bacon pieces directly in the pan and break them up once they start to defrost.

Sweet and Spicy Spinach

Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

· 3 strips center cut bacon, chopped

· 1 red onion, chopped

· 1, 8 oz, can pineapple chunks, drained, juice reserved

· 3 garlic cloves, chopped

· ¼ tsp red pepper flakes, more to taste

· 10 oz spinach

· Salt and pepper

Directions:

In a large skillet over medium heat add the chopped bacon. Cook until crispy, remove bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Add chopped red onion to the pan and cook until translucent, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add the drained pineapple, garlic, and pepper flakes, stir and cook until the pineapple is caramelized. Add the spinach to the pan in batches; add 2 Tb of the reserved pineapple juice, stirring spinach until it wilts down. Add more juice, if it seems too dry. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Top with crumbled bacon.

Celery Root and Apple Puree

2011-11-29T10:00:00.000-06:00

Perfect Pairing: Good Peeler

Recently I was looking for a side dish recipe that would soak up a yummy sauce. I wanted to do something different, something other than mashed potatoes, rice, or quinoa. I remembered being very intrigued when I saw the Barefoot Contessa make a celery root puree on a Thanksgiving episode. I did a quick search and found the recipe in one of my Barefoot Contessa cookbooks. After reading through it I decided to give it a try, even though I had never purchased celery root in my life.

Let’s just talk about celery root (or celeriac) for a moment. It is ugly. It is all knobby and funny looking. I was a little intimidated when I brought it home. Once I went at it with a peeler it started to resemble something I would want to eat. The texture is a bit softer than a potato and it has a slight celery flavor, but it pretty much takes on the flavor of other ingredients. Where celeriac really shines is in the nutritional department. It has less than half the calories of a potato and a third of the carbohydrates, but the same amount of fiber, which makes it a great substitute for potatoes.

This recipe combines celery root with fennel, apples, apple cider and potatoes. The flavor is slightly sweet and really satisfying.

The Perfect Pairing for this puree is a good peeler. Peeling the celery root takes some time and you also have to peel the potatoes and apples. You are going to want a high quality peeler for this recipe or your hand will be suffering. I really like the OXO hand peeler.

Celery Root and Apple Puree

Adapted by Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing from Barefoot Contessa

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

· 3 Tb unsalted butter

· 1 fennel bulb, tops and core removed, chopped into 1 inch pieces

· 2 lb celery root, peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces

· 2 medium Yukon gold potatoes (about 8 oz), peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces

· 3 Golden Delicious apples, peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces

· Salt and pepper

· ½ cup apple cider

· ¼ cup half and half

Directions:

Melt the butter over medium heat in a large pot that has a lid. Once the butter has melted add the fennel, celery root, potatoes, apples, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Saute the vegetables until they begin to soften, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the apple cider and cover with a lid. Simmer over low heat until the vegetables are very soft, about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the vegetables seem too dry, you can add a bit more cider.

Once the vegetables are soft add the half and half and stir to combine. Transfer everything to a food processor and pulse until it is fully pureed. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Patatas Bravas

2011-11-28T09:00:00.000-06:00

Perfect Pairing – Spicy Dipping Sauce

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I had a great time with my family and friends. Now I am in full swing Christmas mode! I finished my decorating yesterday so things feel pretty festive around my house. I love to entertain during the holidays so I will be sharing some of my favorite party dishes over the next couple of weeks. This particular dish is always a hit.

A lot of people ask me what type of things I like to cook or what is my favorite dish to make. I have such a hard time with this question because I really like to make a wide variety of items. I cannot pinpoint a genre of food or flavors that I like most. One thing that I know for sure is that I love having dinner parties where the “meal” is a variety of appetizers. There are always lots of flavors and things to dip. I like to dip.

Patatas Bravas is a great appetizer or side dish for lovers of dipping. They are one of the most popular dishes served in tapas restaurants. Patatas Bravas actually means “fierce potatoes” since they are usually served with a spicy dipping sauce. I wanted to make this dish for a recent tapas dinner party but I did not want to fry the potatoes, which is the standard method. I chose to roast them in a hot oven and it worked out really well! They were crispy on the outside and the inside was soft.

The Perfect Pairing for my version of roasted patatas bravas is a spicy dipping sauce. I have served these with a spicy tomato based sauce as well as a spicy roasted garlic aioli. Both of the sauces are a cinch to make so you could put out both dips and let your guests decide which one they prefer!

Patatas Bravas

Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Potatoes:

· 3 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

· 3 Tb olive oil

· ½ tsp red pepper flakes

· ½ tsp kosher salt

· Black pepper to taste

Spicy Tomato Sauce:

· 2 tsp olive oil

· 1 onion, diced

· 1 green bell pepper, diced

· ¾ tsp red pepper flakes

· 1, 8 oz, can tomato sauce

· Salt and pepper to taste

Spicy Roasted Garlic Aioli

· 1 head of garlic, outermost paper layer removed

· Olive oil for drizzling

· ½ cup mayonnaise

· 1 Tb Dijon mustard

· 1 tsp sriracha sauce

· Cayenne pepper to taste

· Salt to taste

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Toss the potatoes with the olive oil, pepper flakes, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Scatter the potatoes on a greased cookie sheet and bake in the oven until cooked through and crispy, about 35 minutes. Toss the potatoes halfway through the cooking process. Once they are cooked, taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper, if necessary.

To prepare the tomato sauce, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and green pepper. Sauté until tender, stirring often. Add the pepper flakes and tomato sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook for 3-5 minutes. Pour the tomato sauce in a blender or a food processor, blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning and add salt, pepper, and/or red pepper flakes.

To prepare the aioli, cut off the very top of the head of garlic. Place in two layers of foil and drizzle the top with olive oil. Wrap tightly in foil and bake in the oven until soft and golden, about 30 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and squeeze out the roasted garlic into a small bowl. Add the mayonnaise, mustard, and sriracha. Add cayenne pepper if you want it extra spicy. Taste for seasoning and add salt, if needed.

Serve the roasted potatoes with the dipping sauce(s).

Manchego Cheese with Brown Butter Honey Sauce

2011-11-21T09:00:00.000-06:00

Perfect Pairing: Prosciutto and Arugula

I can hardly believe it is Thanksgiving this week! Not only is it the best culinary holiday of the year it officially kicks off the holiday season festivities.

Last year for Thanksgiving we were in San Francisco visiting my brother and sister-in-law (Jon and Kelly) for their famous Thanksgiving party. We were all having a great time cooking dishes, munching on appetizers, and taking group photos. One of those group photos will go down in history.... All the ladies were together in the backyard and my brother was taking the picture. He said, "On the count of three, say Kelly's pregnant!" Chaos ensued. The picture below really captures the moment. I am clearly the first person to catch on while others are still posing for the photo. I love the shocked look on my face and Kelly's mischievous grin.

That is officially my favorite Thanksgiving memory. A year later we have Lilla in our lives and she is the most precious little baby in the world.

I am going to miss Jon, Kelly, and Lilla this year but I have no doubt that I will have a wonderful holiday here in the Midwest. I get to spend it with my wonderful parents and extended family, handsome boyfriend, and my other brother's family. His kids (who happen to be the most adorable children in the world) are going to have a great time at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

We are pretty traditional when it comes to the Thanksgiving menu. The dinner does not vary much. Why mess with a good thing?? I can be a little more adventurous when it comes to the appetizers. The key is to keep them light and easy. You don't want to ruin the main event! This manchego cheese appetizer is the perfect thing to put out because it only takes a few minutes of prep and everyone will love it.

Previously I wrote about my affinity for cheese plates, and how to create the best combination of cheeses, condiments and crackers. I think cheese plates are one of the best things to set out before a dinner party. Sometimes you don’t want to buy 3 or 4 different types of cheese, especially if you are having a more intimate group. Serving Manchego Cheese with Brown Butter Honey Sauce makes the most of one type of cheese; you won’t miss having a variety laid out.

Manchego is a sheep’s milk cheese from the La Mancha region in Spain. It is a hard, crumbly cheese that is a little tangy and nutty. It is perfectly complimented by this Brown Butter Honey Sauce. The sauce is a cinch to make and is so incredibly delicious. I would recommend pouring the sauce on the cheese while it is still hot. After it cools it hardens just a bit, which makes it the perfect texture. Top it off with a sprinkle of sea salt and you have an amazing appetizer.

The Perfect Pairing for Manchego Cheese with Brown Butter Honey Sauce is thinly sliced prosciutto and arugula. All of the flavors taste great together on crackers or crostini.

Manchego Cheese with Brown Butter Honey Sauce

Adapted by Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing from Tyler Florence

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

· 4 Tb butter

· 2 Tb honey

· Sea Salt

· Manchego cheese

Directions:

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until it turns golden brown. Remove the butter from the heat and add the honey, stir to combine. Pour the honey mixture over the cheese and sprinkle with sea salt.

Oven Roasted Mushroom Tapas with Goat Cheese

2011-11-18T09:00:00.000-06:00

Perfect Pairing: Spanish Rioja Wine

I love tapas. When I go to dinner I enjoy trying a few different things rather than settling on one entrée. Tapas are perfect! Everyone gets to sample multiple dishes. This roasted mushroom dish is really simple but full of good things like exotic mushrooms, garlic, shallots, chile oil, thyme and goat cheese. The flavorful mushrooms are best served up on crusty bread.

The Perfect Pairing for this recipe is a Spanish Rioja red wine. Riojas are probably the most popular Spanish wines. They are primarily made with Tempranillo grapes. It has a bright, fresh flavor that goes really well with this savory mushroom dish.

Oven Roasted Mushroom Tapas with Goat Cheese

Adapted by Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing from Bobby Flay

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

· 8 cups mushrooms (combination of button, portabello, oyster and shitake) stems removed and sliced

· 3 Tb olive oil

· 5 cloves of garlic, minced

· 3 shallots, sliced

· ¼ cup chile flavored oil

· 4 oz goat cheese

· Salt and pepper

· 2 Tb fresh thyme leaves

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a large bowl combine the mushrooms, olive oil, garlic, and shallots. Season with salt and pepper. Lay mushrooms in one layer on a heavy sheet pan. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes, or until tender. Transfer mushrooms to a baking dish and drizzle with the chile oil, then top with crumbled goat cheese. Bake until the cheese is hot and starting to brown, about 15-20 minutes.

Remove the mushroom mixture from the oven and garnish with the thyme leaves. Serve with crusty bread.