Belgian Endive stuffed with Apples, Goat Cheese & Walnuts

This was part of the Teacher Luncheon we hosted last week. Tasty. I could eat this often.

Ingredients

4-8 firm heads of Belgian Endive
2 Apples cored
4 oz plain Chevre log crumbled (goat cheese)
3 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs Orange Zest
1 Tbs fresh Orange Juice
2 Green Onions, finely sliced, included tops
1/2 cup Walnuts toasted and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
Black Pepper

Balsamic Dressing for drizzling

Rinse and dry endives. Trip the bottom (root end) to separate leaves. Set aside. Toss diced apples, goat cheese and olive oil and orange juice. Add green onions, nuts, cranberries, salt and pepper. Stir gently.

Place a small spoonful on the endive leaf. I've forgotten every time I've made this to drizzle the balsamic vinegar on top. And I've loved it that way. One day I'll drizzle it on top and love it that way too.

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

YUM! Last week I helped host a lunch for the teachers at our school. We made this soup from The famed Barefoot Contessa. YUM! I added a few changes like eliminating water and adding much cream. I tried the original way which was still good. But Oooooh I like it my way muuuuch better.

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Ingredients

2 Tbs unsalted butter
2 Tbs olive oil
4 cups chopped yellow onions (about 3)
2-4 Tbs curry
5 pounds butternut squash (2 large)
1 1/2 pounds sweet apples (4 apples)
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2ish cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups of apple juice or cider

Warm the butter, olive oil, onions, and curry powder in a large stockpot uncovered over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the onions are tender. Stir occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pot.

Peel the squash, cut in half, and remove the seeds. Cut the squash into chunks. Peel, quarter, and core the apples. Cut into chunks.

Add the squash, apples, salt, pepper to the pot. Cover, and cook over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, until the squash and apples are very soft. Blend it all together in my favorite VitaMix.

Pour the soup back into the pot. Add the apple cider or juice and enough cream to make the soup the consistency you like; it should be slightly sweet and quite thick. Check the salt and pepper and serve hot.

Dreamy Cream Orange Cranberry Scones

So I have to help cook a breakfast for the teacher's next week. I am SOOO making these. I just made them tonight. I modified Smitten Kitchen's take on it and just couldn't resist adding an Orange Glaze.

These are perfect.

Dreamy Cream Scones
America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons chilled, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped into smaller bits
1 cup heavy cream (oh yeah baby)

1. Turn on the oven to 425°F.

2. Mix flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in large bowl.

3. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. I like forks or using the food processor but just for a few seconds. Stir in cranberries.

4. Stir in cream.

5. Knead dough by hand just until it comes together into a rough, sticky ball. Form scones by pressing the dough into a 3/4-inch thick circle. Cut pieces with a biscuit cutter. Press remaining scraps back into another piece.

6. Place rounds on ungreased baking sheet and bake until scone tops are baaaarely light brown, 12 to 15 minutes.

Orange Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

Orange Juice

Orange Zest (about 2 teaspoons)

Mix all together. Add just enough Orange Juice to get it to a liquid consistency.

On The Menu ...

MONDAY
Sloppy Joes
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/04/sloppy-joes/

TUESDAY
Leftover Tortilla Soup

WEDNESDAY
Winter Squash Soup
http://smittenkitchen.com/2006/10/the-leaf-peeps/

THURSDAY
Chicken Tacos
http://smittenkitchen.com/2006/08/the-taco-joint-on-my-shirt/

FRIDAY
Hot Date

SATURDAY

SUNDAY
Do I dare make a Pot Roast again?
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/01/2008_the_year_of_the_pot_roast/

Brussel Sprouts with Pine Nuts

Thank you Trader Joe's sample station again. These were delicious. My 3 year old devoured these faster than his spaghetti.

brussel sprouts
1/4 cup pine nuts (toasted) (or slivered almonds toasted)
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
4 tbsp olive oil (or grape seed oil)
2 Tbs Pomegranate juice (or cranberry juice)
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Cut brussel sprouts in thirds. Saute in oil and juice. Toss with nuts and seeds.

Blueberry Muffins

These were made at a Kindergarten Mother's Day lunch last year. And I just had to make them again. I think next time I make them I will sprinkle a little bit of sugar on top to add an extra sweet and crunchy top. Perhaps a few drops of lemon juice too.

3 cups flour

1 Tbs bakin powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup plain yogurt (or buttermilk)

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup blueberries

Heat oven to 375.

Combine flour, powder, soda, salt.

Blend butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Beat in vanilla.

Alternate mixing in the dry ingredients and the yogurt.

Fold in blueberries.

Cook for about 25 min. Undercooking by juuuust a bit is great. Preferably just barely lightly browned. And if you haven't tried using silicone muffin holders .. you ought to. Holy cow they come out soooo easy!

Onion Strings

Well I have found a new favorite side. Holy cow these are tasty. Soooo tasty, that I am doing all that I can NOT to eat more while they all sit boiling hot on the table and I sit here waiting for my husband to get home with my monkeys so we can all eat them together. I am posting this BEFORE I even eat all of them. So yes go ahead and plan it in your menu. And I cut it straight from The Pioneer Woman. Her verbage at the bottom of the instructions is ooooh so true. I just wish I had another onion so that I actually could eat the entire first batch.

1 whole Large Onion
2 cups Buttermilk
2 cups All-purpose Flour
1 Tablespoon (scant) Salt
¼ teaspoons (to 1/2 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
1 quart (to 2 Quarts) Canola Oil
Black Pepper To Taste

Slice onion very thin. Place in a baking dish and cover with buttermilk. Soak at least an hour.
Combine dry ingredients and set aside.
Heat oil.
Grab a handful of onions, throw into the flour mixture, tap to shake off excess, and PLUNGE into hot oil. Fry for a few minutes and remove as soon as golden brown.
Repeat until onions are gone.
Eat before your family sees them.
Repeat with another onion, because they’ll be really mad they didn’t get any.