Barley and Tomato Salad

7 cups of cooked Pearled Barley (I cooked up one bag of Publix Pearled Barley per the directions on the side of the bag).
2 cups chopped tomatoes (you can use canned if you'd like- just get the low sodium kind)
Juice of 2 limes
Tablespoon of Red Wine Vinegar
2 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
a handful of fresh Cilantro (basically, a 1/4 cup, chopped)
1-2 cloves of chopped garlic according to taste
salt and pepper to taste

All you do is combine the ingredients, stir and then chill. The nice thing about grain salads like this is they're good warm and hot, are easy to throw together and are really good for you!

If you don't like raw garlic, lightly saute it in the olive oil before adding.

Homemade Fresh Cheese

This isn't a recipe that I developed, it's a variant on a theme that I've seen for cheeses of this type. It's basically Cottage Cheese/ Ricotta, but it's amazing and will ruin you for store-bought for life.

It's very simple- I did this in about an hour, most of that time waiting for the milk to heat. I used white vinegar instead of rennet because I think it's easier to find, lasts longer and is cheaper. It also takes out the element of animal vs vegetable rennet, which could infringe on some meatless diets. White vinegar is also a neutral-tasting vinegar, so it doesn't take away from the milk. But, it's so simple to make and modify- you can use a different vinegar, add herbs and spices, whatever you want. I've seem citrus being used as well, but I like the availability, predictability and stability of the vinegar used in the basic recipe. Although, lemon is quite refreshing. It's worth playing with to be sure! It's made me want to try more cheeses!

Makes about 16oz and is good for a week.

Tools:

• Stainless Steel Pot with a nice, thick bottom.
• Cheesecloth (or some other kind of thin fabric to strain with)
• A colander (you line this with the cheesecloth)
• A thermometer, if desired 

Ingredients

• Half-Gallon Whole Milk
• 4 oz white vinegar
• salt to taste

Method:

1. Line the colander with the cheesecloth.  
2. Slowly bring all of the milk to just below a boil. Make sure the milk does not scorch.
3. Once the milk reaches an almost boil (steaming and frothy. About 190°F if you're using a thermometer) , remove from heat and add the salt and vinegar and stir well. You'll notice that the milk will instantly separate into chunky bits and yellow liquid. This is supposed to happen; the yellow is the whey that will be drained off. If it doesn't separate, then there's not enough vinegar- just add a little more. (Yes, yes- it's scary and weird-looking. Cheese is weird and we're not even dealing with molds.)
4. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes.
5. Carefully (it will splash a tad) pour the mixture into the cheesecloth-lined colander and let it drain for 15 minutes.
6. If you choose to add more flavorings (I like fresh black pepper and Italian Seasoning), do so now. The mixture will be very liquid still.
7. Pull the edges of the cheesecloth up and twist to the cheese is in a ball and slowly squeeze out more liquid. 
8. Turn out your newly-formed cheeseball into a bowl, cover and chill

Roasted Broccoli

I have yet to find a veggie that doesn't do well in the oven. Things like this are nice because they don't require much skill, attention, preparation or time, but it's hard to mess up and it's always good. And hey- one less thing hogging the stovetop.

I love roasted broccoli because there are so many things that happen to it while roasting- it gets sweeter and richer without being bitter and there's a little bit of texture with the charred bits and the caramelized bottom. It's everything steamed and boiled broccoli want to be but can't.


Roasted Broccoli

Ingredients:

• One broccoli top, cut into medium-sized pieces.
• Enough Extra Virgin Olive Oil to lightly coat broccoli
• Salt (Kosher or Gray is best here), Fresh-Ground Pepper and garlic powder* to taste
• Juice of half a lemon (or to taste)
• Crumbled goat cheese to top (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Drizzle oil on broccoli and mix to cover evenly
3. Sprinkle on salt, pepper and garlic as desired
4. Roast for 10 minutes or until the tops are just starting to char and the broccoli has just darkened from the super-bright green stage.
5. Drizzle with lemon and cheese
6. Serve and enjoy

Obviously, you can use whatever cheese you want. I like the bright fresh creaminess of the goat cheese, but whatever floats your boat.

*Okay. So, fresh garlic vs powdered. Fresh garlic tastes amazing, but it a situation like this, it will burn and not taste good at all. The dry stands up to the heat better and won't burn. Besides, the dried gives a more subtle flavor without overpowering the food in this circumstance.You'll thank me later.

Garlicky Herb Cheese Dip

The trick to any kind of dip is you HAVE to let it sit for a while and steep. Some flavors will mellow while others will come out stronger, but the main thing is the flavors will become more cohesive and blend so much better. Basically, the flavor profile will change dramatically for the better after a 24-hour chill out in the cold box. Same goes for other dips, as well.

This is an easy dip to prepare- no cooking, just a little chopping of the herbs and crushing of the garlic before dumping it all in the food processor.

This dip is also better with fresh herbs, but you can modify it for dry if you want. You might have to up the measurements, though.

And seriously- buy good cheese for this. That pre-grated processed stuff that's been sitting on the shelf for weeks? Please, don't. It won't taste good and it won't function the same way in the dip. If you get pre-grated, get the fresh-grated from the deli.

Garlicky Herb Cheese Dip

Ingredients

• 1 8oz Package cream cheese
• 1 tablespoon Mayo
• 1 cup sour cream (add more if you want a thinner dip)
• 4 oz each Freshly grated Parmesan and Asiago
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
• 1 teaspoon fresh sage
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme
• One small handful (Approx a cup) fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
• A couple drops of Tabasco
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• pinch of dry mustard
• fresh-ground pepper to taste (I usually add 1/8 teaspoon)
• Salt to taste, if by some chance the cheese doesn't provide enough.

Method

1. Chop herbs and run garlic through garlic press (or mince it), add to food processor and blend until finely chopped, but not a paste. Use the pulse setting for this.
2. Add Cream cheese to garlic herb mixture and blend until combined.
3. Add the sour cream, mayo and cheese and blend. Add more sour cream by the spoonful if desired for a thinner dip.
4. Add the Tabasco, onion powder, dry mustard and pepper. Blend
5. Put in serving bowl, cover and chill for at least 12 hours. 24 hours is better.

I find that the parsley is very strong at this stage and the garlic hits you at the end. I almost regretted the amount of parsley at first. Don't worry- this will change a lot after sitting. Resist the urge to add more garlic until you let it sit. The parsley/ herbs will mellow and the cheese and garlic will come out more.

Have I mentioned you should let this sit for a while? Because you should. ;)

Homemade Onion Dip

"This dip with either start wars or end them"
                                         -Cristina

We tried this out last weekend at the Xmas gathering at our place. Two different people tried to steal the dip and by the end of the night, the bowl was empty.  The next day, people were requesting more.

You have to let the onions slowly cook down.  There is no way to speed the process up.  If you do, you'll just end up with burned onions, rather than true Caramelized onions.

This is my variation of the original.

Caramelized Onions

• 3 large (4 small) sweet onions, diced to 1/4"
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1-2 teaspoons brown sugar (to taste if needed; it's only needed this addition once for me)
• 1-2 Pinches salt (3/4 way through cooking, to taste)
• 1-2 Pinches pepper (3/4 way through cooking, to taste)

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onions, salt and pepper and stir to coat. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the onions are golden, stirring every 5 minutes.  This step will take 45-80 minutes, depending on the onions.  (note: it will look like a LOT of onions initially, but they will reduce in volume by about 70% when they are done cooking)

Add more salt and pepper if needed. If not sweet enough, add the brown sugar and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

To make the dip:

• Caramelized onions (at room temperature)
• 8 ounces room temperature cream cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup regular mayonnaise
• Pinch of paprika
• 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
• Pinch of salt
• 1 large clove garlic

Assemble all ingredients in food processor and mix on low speed to combine.  Scrape down sides of bowl a couple times during mixing to ensure dip is fully mixed.
Place dip in sealed bowl and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Take out of refrigerator 15-20 minutes before serving to allow dip to come to room temperature.  Stir before serving.

Ginger Lime Cranberry Sauce

I added orange before it was trendy. Now that it IS trendy, I wanted to do something different.

This is really, really good. Like "I'm going to make this past the holidays" good. The lime and fresh ginger add a dose freshness that's balanced out by the honey and vanilla. It's modern while still feeling traditional.

Ginger Lime Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients:

• One package of Cranberries (usually 12oz)


• 1 cup of water


• 1 cup of sugar


• 1 Tablespoon of honey


• Small pinch of salt


• 1/2 teaspoon each grated fresh ginger and fresh lime zest (this MUST be fresh. Nothing else will work. Really.)


• 2 drops of Vanilla extract

Method:

1. Prepare the ginger and lime and put aside.


2. In a saucepan on medium heat, heat water, sugar and honey just until the sugar and honey melt. It's okay to stir this.


3. Add the cranberries and salt


4. Cook the cranberries until they start to pop and break down a little (approx 10 minutes), stirring occationally.


5. Add the lime zest and ginger and cook for another 5 minutes.


6. Remove from heat and add the vanilla.


7. Chill and serve

Just a note: Add the lime and ginger a little at a time if you're unsure. I like strong flavors, but you might like it turned down a notch.

Roasted Garlic

Basic, but it goes along with the Baba Ghanush I'm creating. And a lot of other things. Or just on toast.

There are a lot of ways to roast garlic. None of them are wrong if you get the desired result. This is my version, even though it's really more like braised garlic. But, whatever- it's still yummy and the leftover oil is great for dipping bread if you don't use it for anything else!

Roasted Garlic

Ingredients:

• One head of garlic


• Enough Olive oil to cover

Tools:

• Aluminum foil (about a foot)


• cake pan (size doesn't matter here- this is just to hold the foil pack you're going to make)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350.


2. Separate and peel all of the cloves from the head of garlic


3. Put garlic on the foil


4. Pull up the sides of the foil so you've created a bowl with the diamter of a soda pop can. Don't close the top, yet!


5. After placing the foil pack in the cake pan, add the olive oil so it covers the very top of the garlic pile


6. Close the packet and roast until garlic is medium to light brown and tender.

Cook time will vary depending on how much garlic you have. I've had it take anywhere from 15 minutes to 45, just keep an eye on it and lightly jostle the packet occationally.

Don't be tempted to crank the heat to speed up the cooking time! Let the garlic take it's time. If you rush garlic, it will get a horrible, bitter taste.

Garlic is tasty, yet vegeful.