Hey, remember Tuesday Recipes? Well, I'm bringing 'em back. The credit for this one should actually go to Lauren (in addition to Nigella, of course). She served 'em up right at a party, and I've been going crazy over them ever since. 

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups (18-ounces) assorted unsalted nuts, including peeled peanuts, cashews, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans and whole unpeeled almonds
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons Maldon or other sea salt
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Toss the nuts in a large bowl to combine and spread them out on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven until light golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Upon my return from France, I decided to whip up a little something I ate while there in order to ease my best friend's suffering as she sat through vacation photos.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1 bay leaf

• 4 slices firm white sandwich bread
• 4 ounces thinly sliced Black Forest ham
• 4 ounces sliced Gruyère cheese
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1/4 cup grated Gruyère cheese
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives

Preparation

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Add nutmeg and bay leaf. Increase heat to medium-high and boil until sauce thickens, whisking constantly, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat broiler. Place 2 bread slices on work surface. Top each with half of ham and sliced Gruyère. Top with remaining bread. Heat heavy large skillet over low heat. Brush sandwiches with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Add to skillet and cook until deep golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to small baking sheet. Spoon sauce, then grated cheese over sandwiches. Broil until cheese begins to brown, about 2 minutes.

Recently, in a highly unusually moment of TV news watching, I learned of something called "Meatless Mondays." According to the website, the goal is to "help reduce meat consumption by 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet." Now, if there's one way to sucker me into doing something green, it's by making it easy. How easy is it to not eat meat? Easier than recycling! I already had a meatless option in mind when I meal planned earlier this week; now I'll make it tonight. Would that all challenges were so simple.

Breakfast: Crispix (milk is alright)

Lunch: Strawberry and Almond Salad

I don't know why exactly, but I got it into my head that I should bake some brownies. Unfortunately I got this into my head after I ate three of my remaining four eggs, and you know what brownies take a lot of? Eggs. Further adventures in disaster baking await.

Ingredients

• 6 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened baking chocolate
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 11/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 11/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups miniature marshmallows
• 1 cup walnut pieces
• 1/2 cup caramel or chocolate sauce, store bought

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with non-stick spray and set aside.

A friend mentioned that she loves pine nuts over dinner, and, since I was planning to bake her some cookies for a trip anyway, I plugged "pine nuts" into a Food Network search and baked the first recipe it came up with. It helped that I had all the ingredients on hand.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch salt
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup toasted pine nuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chunks or chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine the butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat the mixture until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the flour, pine nuts, and chocolate. Stir until just mixed.

Two things: 1) you need something quick and easy for your next holiday pot luck, and 2) people really like veggies that taste like dessert.

Ingredients

• 1 large butternut squash, about 1 pound
• 2 Bosc or Anjou pears
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 vanilla bean
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• Course salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Peel the pears, cut in half and remove the core. Place the pears and squash, cut side up, on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Things I don't get: Kraft Dinner and this country's love of it. It's not that I begrudge other people eating it, but try to serve it to me and watch me push it around the bowl like a child. People try to sell me on classier versions of KD, like PC's Deluxe White Cheddar, but I just don't understand how people can eat it. The problem is, of course, that I don't get the appeal of macaroni and cheese.

Even so, I occasionally like to challenge myself to eat something I didn't like before to see if maybe I was too harsh in the past. Along came this recipe via the London Free Press. My mom clipped it for me, knowing that I am a professed sweet potato and white cheddar lover. And you know what? It is better than I thought. 

Sweet Potato Mac with White Cheddar

I found a jar of salsa in my cupboard this weekend and was hit hard by a craving for nachos. Every once and a while, I look up a recipe for something that I have been making for a long time on my own just to see how a pro would do it. A lot of the recipes I looked at were highly involved (e.g. placing a jalapeno slice on each individual chip), so this one came out on top.

Ingredients

• 1 pound Mexican chorizo, removed from casings and crumbled
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 cups cooked pinto beans
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Water
• Homemade Tortilla Chips, recipe below, or large, restaurant style corn tortilla chips
• 1 1/2 cups grated pepper jack
• 1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar
• 1 small white onion, sliced into thin rings
• 5 large jalapenos, stemmed, seeded, and chopped, or to taste
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• Chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions

In a large skillet, cook the chorizo, garlic, and cumin, stirring, over medium-high heat until the sausage is browned and the fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. To the fat in the pan, add the pinto beans, chili powder, salt, and 1 to 1 1/2 cups water (depending on the moisture in the beans). Cook over medium heat until warmed through, smashing with the back of a heavy wooden spoon or potato masher until chunky/smooth. Remove from the heat.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Okay, I'll have an actual Tuesday Recipe for you later, but first you must head over to the National Punctuation Day site and scroll down to learn more about National Punctuation Day Baking Contest. If there are two things I love, they're proper punctuation and baking. As my favourite punctuation mark is a semicolon, that's what I'll bake. The dot is the easy part . . . do I carve the comma out of another shape? I guess so. Also, this day gives me an excuse to figure out what tipsy cake is.

I said I would bake something for dessert on Sunday, and I decided on chocolate chip peanut butter cookies. My search on Food Network turned up ridiculous results (no, I do not want to make a sundae), so my friend suggested I check out Recipezaar. I initially misunderstood this as Recipe Czar or Tsar, but after we worked that out, I found the winning recipe.

Ingredients

* 1 1/4 cups flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
* 1/2 cup brown sugar
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
* 1 egg
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
* 1/2 cup coarsely chopped peanuts (optional)

A few weeks ago, (Cult)ure threw an Estonian party in honour of one of our editor's Estonian heritage. When said editor pointed us to Nami-Nami, an Estonian food blog, and I found this recipe, it seemed like fate. Oh, little did I know . . . I've added notes throughout, the better to explain the cake of many disasters.

Marbled Blackcurrant and Chocolate Mousse Cake

(Uhke šokolaadi-mustsõstratort)
Adapted from the Finnish Pirkka-site.
18-20 slices

 Chocolate sponge cake:
2 large eggs
75 ml caster sugar (5 Tbsp)
75 ml plain flour (5 Tbsp)
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
0.5 tsp baking powder

My mom knows I've got a thing about risotto, so she clipped this recipe from the London Free Press and sent it to me. In the figuring-out-how-to-make-risottos-easily category, I've upped my game from a medium cast iron skillet to a large non-stick skillet that has basically revolutionized my kitchen. If you do not have a large, oven-safe skillet, get one.

ASPARAGUS AND PEA RISOTTO WITH MUSHROOMS

(Serves 4-6)

5 cups (1.25 L) of chicken or vegetable broth

1 tbsp. (15 ml) extra virgin olive oil

1/4 inch (5 mm) piece of pancetta or bacon finely diced

1 (1) onion, finely diced

1 1/2 cups (375 ml) of sliced shiitake or cremini mushrooms

1 (1) clove garlic minced

1 1/2 cups (375 ml) Arborio rice

1/2 cup (125 ml) white wine or vermouth

2 lbs. (1 kg) fresh peas in the pod, shelled (about 1-1/2 cups (375 ml) )

1/2 lb. (250 g) asparagus, tough ends removed, cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces and blanched

1 Tbsp. (15 ml) butter

2 Tbsp. (25 ml) chopped chives

1/2 cup (125 ml) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

chives for garnish

Additional Parmesan cheese for garnish

1. Bring the chicken or vegetable broth to a simmer in a saucepan.

2. In a large skillet or wok, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the pancetta or bacon and cook until crispy. Add the onion, cook until soft and light golden. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook a further minute.

3. Add the rice and cook until glossy (about 1 minute). Add the wine and cook a further minute until absorbed.

4. Add the hot broth to the rice, a cup at a time until it is absorbed, stirring occasionally. When the rice is slightly tender, yet still firm to the bite, add the peas and asparagus. Add more broth as needed. Cook until the peas are tender and the rice is just cooked. Add the butter and stir until melted.

5. Stir in the chives and the Parmesan cheese. Season generously with freshly cracked pepper. Add salt if needed.

6. Spoon into shallow bowls and garnish with the chives and some additional cheese.

Options: I sometimes like to stir in 1/4 cup (50 ml) of crumbled, mild, soft goat's cheese in step 5.

Recipe notes:

• I went with shiitake mushrooms because there weren't any creminis at the store yesterday. Shiitakes are woodsier.
• I accidentally omitted the garlic in that I thought I had some, but it turned out I didn't. 
• Pinot grigio was my white wine of choice. It produced a very strong smell when added to the pan, much to the amusement of Bell repair guy (hi, Jason!).
• Shelled my own peas, aw yeah. I bought them fresh in the Byward market. 
• If you are adding your broth a cup at a time, you've got 5 additions. I added the veg between 3 and 4. 
• No chives included. I don't care for chives. 
• Also no goat cheese.
• So delicious that I had to stop myself from overeating.

Updated: Delayed high quality photography by yours truly, as usual. I tried to place the plate among my window garden for a more "natural" look, forgetting that there is a height differential between my window sill and the greenery.

I've never made chicken burgers before. In fact, I don't think I've ever made anything with ground chicken before. Fortunately this recipe is as easy as easy gets, so it's a good place to start if you are looking to branch out from your normal summertime grilling.

 

Ingredients

Mayonnaise:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Burgers:

• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 sandwich rolls or burger buns
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup arugula, divided

Directions

For the mayonnaise: In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, garlic, and rosemary; set aside.

I have a friend over for dinner about once a week. Though we always have a great time, there are two issues with that: 1) we have oft-divergent tastes, and 2) cooking can sometimes seem like a chore. Every once in a while, I look for a simple, pleasing recipe that I can put together quickly. Though Giada De Laurentiis' recipes don't always meet those parameters, she does occasionally use cheats and shortcuts (recently I watched her toast frozen pound cake). This recipe, which uses store-bought fresh tortellini, is one such instance.

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• 2 cups marinara sauce
• 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1 pound purchased cheese tortellini
• 2 ounces thinly sliced smoked mozzarella
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil an 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish.

Whisk the sauce, mascarpone cheese, parsley and thyme in a large bowl to blend. Cook the tortellini in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain. Add the tortellini to the sauce and toss to coat. Transfer the tortellini mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top the mixture with the smoked mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover and bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheeses on top melt, about 30 minutes.

Finally, a banana recipe in the Bananas issue! Of course, I wasn't really looking to use bananas. I had received some rhubarb, and, much like with my mushroom risotto, I was looking for a way to use it up. Since I had strawberries in the fridge, I decided to go this way.

Ingredients

This is a follow-up to April's post of a few weeks ago featuring chicken with 20 cloves of garlic. Please do not be put off by the high garlic quotient -- after roasting, the garlic is very mild and tender. It's not at all overwhelming -- though you might not want to eat it the night before going to work, or with people you don't know very well. It is dead easy to make, and tastes amazing.

 

Ingredients:

Much like my aforementioned preferences for one-pot meals and asparagus, I also have one for what you might call "base recipes." Basically (heh), they're recipes that once you've mastered them, you can switch up the ingredients with pretty much any combination that's in your fridge. This recipe for Italian Egg and Pasta Scramble is one such recipe. (Note: the one pictured is not this recipe because I couldn't find a picture of this exact recipe).

Ingredients

* 1/2 cup orzo pasta
* 10 large eggs
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 2 ounces smoked mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
* 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 4 ounces pancetta, coarsely chopped
* 1/2 cup chopped onion
* 8 thin asparagus stalks, trimmed, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces

Even though I cook for myself and others regularly, I'm really more of a baker. Actually, I think my preference for baking is directly linked to my preference for one pot meals. I just like having everything together in one place. Blondies, in case you haven't heard, are brownies without the cocoa. With this recipe, you've got the cookie-cake vibe of a brownie, chocolate chips to satisfy your chocolate craving, and crunchy toffee bits that elevate the square from a more mundane chocolate chip cookie place. As you can imagine, this simple recipe is a big hit.

Ingredients:

Lo, how I have made these, and lo, how they have impressed.

Ingredients

Remember last Tuesday when I told you that I served asparagus with my chicken? Aside from cooking the asparagus in the microwave, which I found a little odd, this recipe is simple and tasty. We're always fans of asparagus 'round mine.

What You Need!

3 slices OSCAR MAYER Center Cut Bacon
1-1/2 lb. fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
1 Tbsp. water
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup KRAFT Light Ranch Dressing

Make It!