Last summer, I started a small container garden that consisted of four basil plants. I thought it would be fun to have fresh basil available to top pizzas, pasta salads and other summer dishes. With very little attention from me, my basil grew like a weed. So much so, that I named it “my basil forest.” Since these massive plants yielded more leaves than I could ever hope to chiffonade and toss atop a favorite dish, I started making pesto.

I consulted Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything to learn how to make pesto. Reading his “Basics of Pesto” section, I learned that pesto is a traditional method of preserving herbs (not just basil!) in oil. Pesto can be frozen, without cheese, for several months or stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks (use your discretion).

Making pesto is an amazingly simple process. With five ingredients and a food processor, you can have bright, freshly-made pesto in a matter of minutes.

Pesto
Yields about 1 cup

2 loosely packed cups of basil leaves
salt to taste
1/2 – 2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp pine nuts or walnuts
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. lightly toast the nuts in a dry skillet.
2. Rinse and dry the basil leaves, removing any large stems.
3. Place the basil, salt, garlic, nuts and about 1/2 of the olive oil in the work bowl of a food processor or blender.
4. Process the mixture, scraping down the sides occasionally to ensure that all of the ingredients are mixed uniformly.
5. Gradually add the rest of the olive oil. If you prefer a thinner pesto, add additional olive oil.
6. If cheese is desired, stir in by hand just before serving.

I had been wanting to try my hand at tomatillo salsa for quite some time, but was unable to procure fresh or canned tomatillos at several local, suburban grocery stores. Last week while perusing the fresh produce, I excitedly spotted the small husked tomatillos alongside the vine-ripened tomatoes and assorted hot peppers. My purchase caused quite a stir at the front end, as it took awhile for several cashiers to come up with the correct produce code. Apparently my local Stop and Shop doesn’t move large volume of tomatillos.

Now that I had the produce in hand, I had to settle on a recipe. After looking over several recipes to get a general idea of standard ingredients and preparations, I settled on this recipe from on allrecipes.com. I was pleased with how quickly the salsa came together. While the tomatillos were cooking, I chopped and measured the rest of the ingredients into the food processor work bowl. Less than a minute after removing the tomatillos from the stove, the salsa was done.

I will definitely be making this again. The salsa had a tart fresh tang, with an aromatic hint of garlic. Just add chips and a frosty margarita and you have a perfect Mexican-inspired snack.

Tomatillo Salsa

1 pound tomatillos, husk and stem removed
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 tbsp lime juice (juice of 1/2 lime)

1. Place husked, washed tomatillos in a saucepan. Fill the pan with enough water to cover the tomatillos and bring to a boil over high heat.
2. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until tomatillos are soft.
3. Transfer tomatillos to the work bowl of a food processor. Reserve cooking water in case additional water is needed to thin the salsa.
4. Add remaining ingredients onion, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, oregano, cumin and salt) and process until smooth. If salsa is too thick, add small amounts of cooking water until desired consistency is reached.

Selecting an ice cream that the whole family likes has always been a bit of a challenge when planning birthday celebrations. Some family members are fans of mix-in laden ice cream, while others are purists, preferring a rich vanilla or delicate mocha. Years ago, I went grocery shopping with my mother to pick up what we needed for my father?s birthday dinner. As I pulled a pint of Brigham?s Cookies and Cream ice cream from the freezer case, my mother stated ?Your brother doesn?t like cookies and cream.? I was not aware of this fact, but she insisted. So, I relented and we selected something different. Years later, upon observing me eating a bowl of cookies and cream ice cream, my brother remarked that he thought I disliked that particular flavor. Apparently, my mother told my brother that I didn?t like cookies and cream. It was totally inadvertent (she was convinced that somebody didn’t like it), but we now joke that it must have been that Mom just didn?t want cookies and cream.

In recent years, Edy?s Fudge Tracks (their version of the more well-known Moose Tracks) has become a family favorite. It has a rich vanilla base to satisfy the purists, and fun mix-ins to please those with slightly more adventurous tastes. To top it all off, the combination of vanilla, chocolate and peanut butter complements most cakes without overpowering them. Since I?ve been on a ice-cream making kick lately, I decided to concoct my own Moose Tracks for my father?s birthday celebration.

I selected a vanilla ice cream base from Proceed with Caution, and used a Fudge Ripple recipe found in David Lebovitz?s The Perfect Scoop. Chopped Reeses Peanut butter cups and chopped semi-sweet Ghiradelli chocolate rounded out the mix. A quick internet search revealed that Trader Joe?s carries miniature peanut butter cups that are roughly the size of a standard chocolate chip. I hope to procure these and try them in future ice cream recipes.

The ice cream was a hit at both my father?s birthday celebration and at a little sundae party later in the week. I love having the ability to get creative and whip up any flavor combination that I desire. I never thought that my Kitchen Aid ice cream maker would get as much use as it already has! If you’re looking for more delicious ice cream recipes, check out Joelen’s Culinary Adventures Tasty Tools blog round-up post for June.

Moose Tracks Ice Cream

1/4 cup Egg Beaters
7 oz. fat free sweetened condensed milk (1/2 can)
3 tbsp white sugar
3 tbsp brown sugar, not packed
4 oz heavy whipping cream
12 oz fat free half and half
8 oz skim milk
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract

1 cup chopped mini Reeses Peanut Butter Cups (about 20)
4 oz. chopped semi-sweet chocolate
1-2 cups fudge ripple (see recipe below)

1. Pour half and half into small saucepan and heat, stirring occasionally, until steam rises. Remove from heat.
2. In a separate bowl, use a whisk or electric mixer to beat Egg Beaters, sweetened condensed milk and sugar together. Beat in 1/2 cup of hot half and half and then stir this mixture into the saucepan with the remaining half and half.
3. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring almost constantly. Continue until the mixture reached 170-180 degrees or is slightly thickened. Do not bring the mixture to a boil.
4. Pour the mixture into a separate bowl and stir in the cream, milk, vanilla extract and salt.
5. Chill the mixture for several hours (overnight is even better). You can speed up the process by placing the bowl containing the mixture in a large bowl filled with ice and water.
6. Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer?s directions.
7. Once the ice cream is done, gently fold in the Reeses Peanut Butter cup and chocolate chunks using a rubber spatula.
8. Transfer the ice cream to a storage container, alternating layers of ice cream with general drizzles of fudge ripple. Do not mix the ice cream and the ripple, as it will become muddied.
9. Allow ice cream to cure in freezer and attain desired hardness.

Fudge Ripple
from The Perfect Scoop
Yields about 2 cups

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
6 tbsp unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Combine sugar, corn syrup, water and cocoa powder in a medium sauce pan and whisk until well-combined.
2. Heat over medium heat. Whisk constantly until it comes to a low boil.
3. Continue to cook for one minute, whisking constantly.
4. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
5. Chill thoroughly in refrigerator before using.

Fudge ripple, if covered and refrigerated, can be stored for up to 2 weeks.

I love having an ice cream maker. Each time I try a new recipe, I am amazed at how easy it is to combine basic ingredients to create an out-of-this-world frozen confection. When I starting planning my husband’s birthday celebration, I knew I wanted to make my own ice cream. What kind of ice cream should be served with a cookies and cream cake? Why cookies and cream ice cream, of course!

For this recipe, I turned to Stefany at Proceed with Caution. Her adapted vanilla base is creamy and smooth, which belies the fact that it contains less fat than most homemade ice creams. The recipe is perfect as-is, but I added more rough-chopped Oreos because I like a lot of mix-ins in my ice cream. I also mixed the base in a slightly different manner, opting to heat it thoroughly before chilling. I’ve included my revised instructions below, but you can see the original here.

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
Recipe from Proceed With Caution, originally adapted from Doc Wilson

8 oz skim milk
8 oz heavy cream
8 oz fat free half and half
1/4 cup Egg Beaters
6 tbsp sugar
7 oz fat free sweetened condensed milk (1/2 can)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup finely ground Oreos
3/4 cup roughly chopped Oreos

1. Pour half and half into small saucepan and heat, stirring occasionally, until steam rises. Remove from heat.
2. In a separate bowl, use a whisk or electric mixer to beat Egg Beaters, sweetened condensed milk and sugar together. Beat in 1/2 cup of hot half and half and then stir this mixture into the saucepan with the remaining half and half.
3. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring almost constantly. Continue until the mixture reached 170-180 degrees or is slightly thickened. Do not bring the mixture to a boil.
4. Pour the mixture into a separate bowl and stir in the cream, milk, vanilla extract and finely ground Oreos.
5. Chill the mixture for several hours (overnight is even better). You can speed up the process by placing the bowl containing the mixture in a large bowl filled with ice and water.
6. Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer?s directions Add the roughly chopped Oreos during the last five minutes.

Quick and easy comfort food does not have to be plain! This isn’t much of a recipe, but it’s a fun twist on classic grilled cheese. My friend Carolyn served this to me once during a mid-week lunch date, and I was hooked!

Grab your favorite hearty bread (Arnold’s Oatnut or 9 Grain are staples in my household) and apply butter to one side and slather pesto to the other. Sandwich a hearty slice of mozzarella between the two slices, grill on the stove and serve.

I do not like tomatoes. While I love the taste of tomatoes, I won’t touch anything that resembles a fresh tomato. As you might imagine, this limits my options for fresh salsas. Enter corn salsa. When I tried it at Chipotle, it was love at first bite. It’s crisp, fresh, flavorful and contains no trace of tomato.

Inspired by my love of Chipotle’s corn salsa, I set out to create a reasonable approximation at home. When I first started making the salsa, I used this recipe from About.com as my guide, but now I just eyeball all of the ingredients. This is a non-particular recipe that can be easily adjusted to suit individual preference. I can safely say that I use more jalapeno, cilantro and onion than called for in the original recipe.

You can certainly use frozen corn to make this salsa, but it tastes even better with fresh, native corn stripped from the cob. When I use fresh corn, I boil a few ears as if I were going to serve it and then slice the kernels from the cob. The fresh corn lends a crisp sweetness to the salsa.

I’m growing jalapeno peppers this year, as well as cilantro. The starter pepper plants look good, as long as the squirrels leave the tiny peppers alone! I started the cilantro from seed, and it just sprouted a few days ago. Every few weeks, I plan to sow a new batch of cilantro so I will have a continuous supply. By the time my favorite farm stand is selling their native corn, I hope to have jalapenos and cilantro from my garden to use in this salsa!

Since it’s so easy to put together, this salsa has become a summer staple in my household. It’s delicious as an accompaniment to corn chips, or grilled meats. In face, it complements tequila lime chicken beautifully. However you sever it, this corn salsa is simple, fresh and flavorful.

Corn Salsa

2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed (2-3 medium ears of fresh corn)
1/3 cup chopped red onion
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (juice of one lime)
1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeno pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.
3. Can be served cold or at room temperature.

I love having a well-stocked freezer. A double batch of vegetarian black bean chili and multiple portions of Mexican rice have saved the day on multiple occasions. I freeze leftover sauce, broth, black beans and shredded chicken to prevent leftovers from spoiling and to save for future use. However, the most enjoyable part of my freezer stash has to be cookie dough.

Freezing cookie dough serves multiple purposes: 1) It prevents my husband and I from eating too many cookies in a short period of time. Sometimes you just want a few cookies, and it’s not always easy to figure out what to do with the remaining four dozen! 2) It allows me to whip up freshly-baked cookies with no mess in a very short amount of time!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies were my bite-sized dessert of choice for most of the fall, but the classic Toll House cookie became my go-to dessert during the latter part of the winter and into the spring. There are countless variations of the classic chocolate chip cookie, but this is my favorite. They come out chewy on the inside with a hint of crunch on the outside.

I made a few minor changes to the original recipe, based upon recommendations from a friend. I use half butter and have shortening, and I adjusted the amounts of brown sugar and granulated sugar.

If you want to freeze your cookie dough and bake at a later date, drop the cookie dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper (for easy clean up) and place the sheet in the freezer for about a half hour. Remove the firm balls of dough from the sheet and place in a freezer bag, removing as much air as possible. When you want to bake the frozen dough, there’s no need to defrost! Preheat the oven to 375 and place the frozen balls of dough on a cookie sheet. You’ll probably need to bake the cookies 2-3 minutes longer than usual, but keep and eye on them so that they don’t burn.

Toll House Cookies

Yields 60 cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until creamy.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Beat in vanilla extract.
4. Beat in flour mixture gradually.
5. Stir in chocolate chips.
6. Drop dough by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheets.
7. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Cool on cookie sheets for at least two minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

BAKE at 375 for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Sorry for the long long hiatus in between my posts – between hectic work schedules and fabulous vacations to Ireland, I’ve barely had time to do any cooking! Anyway, I have returned and am ready to blog again. After a week of fabulous Irish breakfasts, I was inspired to make some homemade scones. Every morning at our B&B’s, my husband and I were greeted with a huge breakfast ? rashers, bangers, eggs, puddings, and of course soda bread and scones. Irish scones are amazing; they’re not too sweet ? they’re just right to set off all the salty meats they serve you in Ireland. They also go fabulously with coffee on a rainy morning. I found this recipe long before my trip, and have only modified it very slightly ? I added a tiny bit more sugar than the original recipe called for, and also I add a bit more buttermilk to make them slightly moister. As it turns out, they taste quite authentic! The recipe calls for brandy to soak the raisins in – I did this the first time I made them, but the second time I passed it up and they tasted wonderful all the same.

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened

4 tablespoons sugar

3/4 – 1 cup buttermilk

1 cup raisins

1/4 cup brandy or cognac (optional)

1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon of water

Sugar for sanding

Directions:

The night before you want your scones, mix the brandy with the raisins and let this soak overnight – it can be done for a few hours instead, but the longer the better (optional step).

Preheat oven to 400? F. Sift flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar into a large bowl. Add softened butter and sugar, mixing well. Stir in 3/4 cup milk and raisins (or other fruit), with brandy liquid drained. If mixture is dry, add a bit more milk. Dough should resemble pie pastry, pressing together forms a dough. Tear off pieces of dough, shape into triangles, and place on a baking sheet. Brush scones with egg wash for shine, and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!

It’s been quite awhile since I last posted. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been spending much of my spare time working in the yard. I’m thrilled with the way everything is turning out; the flowers are beautiful, my herbs and starter plants are doing well and my newly-decorated deck looks great. The yard definitely deserves its own post at some point.

Just as house projects change with the season, so does my cooking. With spring in full swing and summer on the way, I’ve been doing a lot of grilling lately. Since a few days last week felt more like March than May, I pulled out my Crock Pot to make an warm, easy dinner.

I used this recipe from Recipezaar as a guide, but modified the liquid content slightly. There’s a bit of chopping involved, but the recipe goes together quite quickly. The chicken is fall-apart tender and infused with so much flavor. Served atop whole grain pasta, this makes for a filling, comforting and healthy dinner.

Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore

Yields 4 Servings

28 oz. crushed tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp celery powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

2 large chicken breasts
1 large onion, thinly sliced
10 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 pepper, finely chopped

1. Pour tomatoes into Crock Pot.
2. Season with garlic, oregano, basil, celery powder, salt and black pepper. Stir to combine.
3. Add chicken breasts and cover with sauce.
4. Add onion, mushrooms and pepper. Stir to combine with sauce. Ensure that the chicken is covered with sauce and vegetables.
5. Cook on low for 7-9 hours or high for 3-4 hours.