Flank Steak and Ziti With Gorgonzola Sauce

A and I both really love blue cheese. I recognize that most people either love it or hate; there doesn't seem to be much middle ground with this stinky cheese. If you like it, then you have to try this recipe. It is based on one in the September 2008 issue of Cooking Light. However, I adjusted some of the proportions and added in grilled flank steak. This dish looks very similar to Lemon Chicken Pasta, but the flavor profile is completely different. It's definitely a keeper! The best part is that dinner was on the table (or on the TV trays in our case) in less than 30 minutes. —PHH

Flank Steak and Ziti With Gorgonzola Sauce
1.5 lb. flank steak
8 oz. uncooked ziti
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. olive oil
Salt and crushed red pepper to taste
1/2 cup whipping cream
4 oz. Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
2 cups fresh baby spinach, thoroughly washed

1. Sprinkle flank steak with salt and pepper on both sides of meat. Cook over medium high heat in a grill pan or large skillet for 12 minutes on each sides or to desired degree of doneness. Time will vary depending on thickness of meat. This amount of time will cook the steak to medium. Thinly slice steak across the grain.
2. Cook ziti according to package directions.
3. Cook cherry tomatoes, garlic, salt, and crushed red pepper in hot oil 5 minutes. Stir in cream and cheese; cook until cheese melts. Add in spinach, and cook 2 minutes or until wilted. Stir in steak and pasta.

Pear-Pecan Mini Cakes

For dessert last night, we had Pear-Pecan Mini Cakes With Caramel Sauce. I served them with ice cream because A believes it's not dessert if you don't have ice cream. I made these as individual cakes in a jumbo muffin pan, but you could use a 13- x 9-inch pan or a Bundt pan. You can substitute apples for the pears and omit the pecans, if desired. (I know this is a shock, but this is one of the few dessert recipes I make that doesn't have butter. It uses oil instead.) The original recipe was inspired by one from a friend of my grandmother. —PHH

Pear-Pecan Mini Cakes
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups oil
3 eggs
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg (optional)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 pears, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
Caramel Sauce

1. Beat sugar, oil, and eggs with an electric mixer until blended. In a separate bowl combine flour, next 3 ingredients, and, if desired, nutmeg. Gradually add flour mixture to sugar mixer, beating until blended. Stir in vanilla, pears, and pecans. Pour mixture into lightly greased jumbo muffin pans.
2. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a pick inserted into center comes out clean. (Note: Baking time will vary depending on the size of your pan.) Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely. Serve with Caramel Sauce.

Caramel Sauce
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup whipping cream

1. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan, and cook over medium heat until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved.

Gussied-Up Pimiento Cheese Sandwiches

For lunch today I made Pimiento Cheese Sandwiches with bacon (obviously one of my favorite ingredients) and tomatoes. After layering the pimiento cheese, bacon, and tomatoes on sourdough bread, I toasted the sandwiches at 400° until the cheese melted. Yum! Even A, who's not a big fan of pimiento cheese, liked them. It is a necessity to serve these sandwiches with kettle-cooked potato chips. The salty chips are a nice balance to the rich pimiento cheese. —PHH

Soup's On

Mexican Chicken Soup was the main course for dinner tonight. This recipe was inspired by one from Ina Garten. With the soup, we had homemade tortilla chips, queso, guacamole, and pineapple margaritas. A great meal for watching college football games. The soup was very good; next time I'm going to squeeze fresh lime juice into it. Overall it had a fresh flavor, but the acidity of the lime would be a nice addition. (Note: You will need a very large Dutch oven. The recipe made enough for dinner tonight plus three more two-serving meals in the freezer.) —PHH










Mexican Chicken Soup
2 onions, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes
10 cups chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1.5 lb. boneless chicken breasts, cooked and chopped*

1. Sauté onions and next 4 ingredients in hot oil 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and remaining ingredients. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Serve with desired toppings.
*I cooked mine (it was still frozen) in the slow cooker with 1/4 cup butter, 1 cup chicken broth, salt and pepper to taste, and dried cilantro on HIGH for 4 hours.

Pineapple Margaritas
1 (46-oz.) can pineapple juice
Juice from 4 limes
Juice from 1 orange
Splash of orange liqueur
3/4 cup tequila

1. Combine all ingredients; serve over ice.

Pimiento Cheese

My grandmother planted pimientos in her garden this year as an experiment. In July she brought me a gallon-size zip-top bag full of the small, squat red peppers. I wasn't sure at first what to do with them. However, I decided to roast them, peel them, and chop them to make pimiento cheese, one of my favorite foods. It was a lot of work, so I was skeptical that the taste would be worth the effort. I'm happy to say that it was totally worth it! Grannie's pimientos gave this cheesy spread a much fresher taste than you get from the jar variety (those are still good too). I love pimiento cheese with crackers, on white bread and served kettle-cooked potato chips), as a grilled cheese with bacon, and as a baked dip. (Note: A food processor makes fast work of this recipe.) —PHH

Pimiento Cheese
16 oz. sharp Cheddar cheese (You can also use 8 oz. sharp Cheddar and 10 oz. white Cheddar.)
4 oz. diced pimientos (fresh or jarred)
1 Tbsp. finely minced onion
1/2 to 3/4 cup mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Grate cheeses with grater blade in food processor. Spoon grated cheese into a large bowl. Place knife blade in food processor, return cheese to processor, and pulse until cheese is in small pieces. Spoon cheese back into large bowl.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients. (Note: I prefer a drier pimiento cheese; so depending on your preference, you may want to add more mayo.)

Blueberry-Lemon Cupcakes

This recipe is one I came up with several summers ago to use fresh blueberries. The cake recipe is based on a pound cake from Cooking Light, but this isn't light. The frosting—Lemon buttercream—is what really makes the cupcakes outstanding. This is probably one of my most-requested recipes. (To soften butter, let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes; any longer and your frosting will be a bit grainy.) —PHH

Lemon-Blueberry Cupcakes
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 (6-oz.) carton lemon yogurt (This is hard to find. Lemon chiffon pie yogurt works as well. I use Publix brand.)
1 tsp. lemon zest
2 tsp. vanilla
1 pint fresh blueberries
Lemon Buttercream Frosting

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Beat sugar and next 2 ingredients until creamy and blended. Add in eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition.
2. Stir together flour and next 3 ingredients. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with yogurt, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat in lemon zest and vanilla until blended. Stir in blueberries.
3. Scoop batter into lightly greased muffin cups or paper-lined muffin cups. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until done.
4. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks. Spread frosting on cupcakes.

Lemon Buttercream Frosting:
Taste this after you add the smaller amount of lemon zest and juice; add more if it's not lemony enough.
1 cup butter, softened
Zest from 2 to 3 lemons
Juice from 2 1/2 to 3 lemons
1 (16-oz.) box powdered sugar

1. Beat butter, lemon zest, and lemon juice until blended. Gradually beat in powdered sugar.

Pumpkin Coffee Cake

To celebrate the first day of fall, my favorite season, I made Pumpkin Coffee Cake yesterday. I had completely forgotten about it, which is too bad because it is wonderful. This past weekend we were in Atlanta visiting one of my best friends and college roommate Kristin and her family. Kris made this for us for breakfast on Saturday. When I complimented her on it, she reminded me it came from my recipe book. Thanks for the reminder, Kris. This would be really tasty with a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks! Full disclosure: As is typical, I didn't read the directions and therefore put the streusel on top, not in the middle. It's great either way. —PHH

Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 cup pumpkin
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
3 Tbsp. butter, softened

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add in eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Beat in sour cream and pumpkin.
3. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients. Gradually add to butter mixture, beating until blended.
4. Combine brown sugar and next 2 ingredients in a small bowl.
5. Pour half of batter into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with streusel mixture. Pour remaining half of batter on top.
6. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until done.

California BLT

Tonight A is in H'ville visiting his parents and doing some projects with them. After I did the grocery shopping, I made a yummy sandwich for dinner. —PHH

California BLT
2 slices white bread, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
Mayonnaise
Bibb lettuce leaves
Avocado slices, tossed with lemon juice
Tomato slices
3 bacon slices, cooked
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Lightly toast bread slices; spread lightly with mayonnaise. Place lettuce leaf on bread; top with avocado slices. Place bacon slices on avocado; top with tomato slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Top with second bread slice.

Shepherd's Pie

The weather this week has been fantastic! Highs in the low 80s, lows in the upper 50s, minimal humidity—which is saying something in the Deep South this time of year. Because there is a hint of fall in the air, I had a desire to make some comfort food. I had never made Shepherd's Pie before, but the idea of beef and vegetables covered with cheesy mashed potatoes seemed like a good idea. I made up the recipe as I went along. It is a really ugly dish, but A and I both thought it was tasty. (Next time, though, I won't use as much thyme; I didn't measure.) This will be even better when the weather is actually cool. —PHH

Shepherd's Pie
1 lb. ground sirloin
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups beef broth (I like Kitchen Basics brand.)
1 package frozen baby carrots
1 package frozen English peas
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
Mashed potatoes (I made homemade ones, but you could use frozen ones to speed things up.)
1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Brown sirloin, chopped onion, and garlic in a large skillet until meat is browned and crumbled and onions are tender. Stir in flour, and pour in broth. Add carrots and peas; cook until mixture thickens. Stir in thyme, paprika, salt, and pepper.
2. Spoon mixture into a 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Spread mashed potatoes evenly over the top of the meat mixture.
3. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes; sprinkle with shredded cheese, and bake for 5 more minutes.
Note: To make this dish ahead, you can refrigerate it after finishing Step 2 for a couple of days; then bake as directed, increasing first bake time to 35 minutes.

Morning Sunshine

True confession: I don't like eggs. I've tried to eat them several times because I want to like them. Think of the meal possibilities: breakfast casseroles, egg sandwiches, quiche, frittatas. Unfortunately, I just can't get past the texture. I have a rule that if I disliked something as a kid, then I have to try it as an adult. This has worked out pretty well. Now I love (and in fact, can't imagine my life without) cheese, nuts, raisins, steak, and many other foods. However, I still can't eat eggs.

The point of all this: When I make breakfast on Saturdays, we never have eggs. Over the years, though, I've come up with some tasty breakfast combinations. This past Saturday, we had Garlic-Cheese Grits, Maple-Pecan Bacon (the perfect food made even better), and Cheesy Bacon Muffins. The muffin recipe is actually a variation of one I created a few months back. I learned to make sausage balls from my dear friend Sallie. She taught me to cook the sausage before combining it with the flour and cheese (most recipes let the meat cook while the sausage balls bake). Sallie's method creates very fluffy sausage balls. One morning as I was making them, it occurred to me that they would be even better in a larger size. So I made muffins by mixing in buttermilk and an egg. They are so tasty and very easy. —PHH

Garlic-Cheese Grits
1. Make grits according to the package directions of the brand you buy. (I prefer stone-ground ones.) As the grits start to thicken, stir in garlic-cheese spread (I used Alouette brand). I made two large servings of grits, so I used about a quarter of the container. Then stir in a little freshly grated Cheddar cheese and lots of pepper.

Maple-Pecan Bacon
8 bacon slices
Maple syrup
1/4 cup chopped pecans

1. Place bacon on a wire rack in a jelly-roll or baking pan. Brush tops of bacon with maple syrup. Sprinkle chopped pecans over the top. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until bacon is done. (Check the bacon after 15 minutes because the syrup will make it brown quicker.

Cheesy Sausage Muffins
1 pound sausage (You can substitute cooked crumbled bacon.)
1 (8-oz.) block sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (You need to shred the cheese yourself; the preshredded variety is too dry.)
2 cups self-rising flour (You can probably substitute baking mix, such as Bisquick.)
Ground black pepper (optional) (This is a great addition when making these with bacon; I don't add it with the sausage.)
Buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten

1. Cook sausage in a skillet until browned and crumbly. Drain; rinse with hot water, and drain again.
2. Combine sausage, shredded cheese, and flour in a large bowl. (I use my hands to make sure it's all mixed together.) Stir in buttermilk until batter has the consistency of muffin batter. Stir in eggs.
3. Spray muffin pans with cooking spray. Spoon batter into muffin cups.
4. Bake at 400° for 15 to 20 minutes or until muffins are done. Makes about 2 dozen.
Note: These are best served hot. But you can make them ahead and store in the refrigerator. To reheat, wrap the desired number in a kitchen towel or paper towel, and heat in the microwave.

Slow-Cooker Green Beans

We eat dinner with A's cousin, his wife, and their children, who we call the 3 Cs, on most Sunday nights. This tradition has been continuing for at least 10 years. It's a great time for us to catch up on what's going on in their lives. We live in the same town, but run in different directions. Usually we go out to eat, but tonight they came over because I wanted to try a new recipe. We had Italian Jambalaya. (This will be in Southern Living, November 2008.) It was a crowd-pleaser! After serving seven tonight, I had enough to freeze two more meals for later. I served it with slow-cooker green beans (this recipe came from my friend Jill). —PHH

Slow-Cooker Green Beans

2 bags frozen green beans

5 bacon slices, chopped

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1. Combine all ingredients in a slow-cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours.

Just Desserts

On most Saturdays or Sunday afternoons, you'll find me in the kitchen baking. This is a stress reliever for me. I also love to share baked goods with my family and friends. I have a basic cookie recipe that I've been making for years. It's proportions are easy to remember and it is easy to half, no math degree required. This weekend, I baked Chocolate Chip Cookies and Caramel Cupcakes while A was mountain biking with his buddies. The caramel icing on the cupcakes didn't turn out exactly how it was supposed to because I didn't read the recipe carefully enough (a common  problem). The icing tastes good, but it's too grainy. Word of advice: Read before you start. However, I really like the texture of the sour cream pound cake cake base; I just need to work on the icing (myrecipes.com, from Oxmoor House September 2004). The pound cake is also on myrecipes.com, Southern Living November 2007. —PHH

Basic Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 cups flour

1 1/2 cups oatmeal (optional—I omitted the oatmeal today.)

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

Your choice of stir-ins (today I used 6 oz. semisweet chocolate chips and 2 oz. white chocolate chips)

1. Beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add in eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla.

2. Combine flour; oatmeal, if desired; and next 3 ingredients. Gradually add to butter mixture, beating until combined. Add in stir-ins.

3. Scoop batter onto parchment paper-lined cookie sheet (I use a small ice-cream scoop to get the right-size cookies). Bake at 350° for 9 to 10 minutes.

4. Cool on pans 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas & Peach-Blackberry Cobbler

As you've probably figured out, we love Mexican food. Tonight we had my version of an enchilada recipe that has been around for a long time. I served it with black beans and rice. For dessert, we had a peach-blackberry cobbler that was inspired by a Barefoot Contessa recipe. Yum! —PHH

Peach-Blackberry Cobbler

5 large peaches, peeled and diced

1 pint blackberries

1 tsp. orange zest

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cups plus 2 to 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup oatmeal

1 cup butter, cut up

1. Place peaches, blackberries, orange zest, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 2 to 3 Tbsp. flour in a large bowl; toss gently. Pour mixture into a 13- x 9-inch baking dish.

2. Combine remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, salt, and oatmeal in a mixing bowl. Slowly beat in butter until combined. Sprinkle over peach mixture in baking dish.

3. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until done. Serve warm with ice cream, if desired.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

1 onion, chopped

1 tsp. olive oil

1 (4-oz.) can diced green chiles

3 cups chopped cooked chicken

1 (8-0z.) block cream cheese, cut into cubes

10 (6-inch) flour tortillas

1 (8-oz.) block Colby-Jack cheese, grated

1/2 to 3/4 cup whipping cream

1 (10-oz.) can diced tomatoes and green chiles

1. Sauté onion in hot oil 5 minutes; add diced green chiles, and cook until onion is tender. Stir in chicken and cream cheese, stirring constantly, until cream cheese melts.

2. Spoon some of chicken mixture in down center of 1 tortilla; roll up, and place, seam side down, in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Repeat with remaining chicken mixture and tortillas. Sprinkle cheese over top of tortillas; pour in whipping cream. Sprinkle diced tomatoes and green chiles over center of tortillas.

3. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Serve with sour cream, if desired.

The Best Brownies

The following recipe is my version of one my mother-in-law shared with me. Brownies were never on my list of things to eat until I tasted them with cappuccino buttercream. I added chocolate chips to the batter because they make a nice contrast to the cakelike brownies. These are so easy, you don't even need a mixer. This recipe is a keeper!—PHH

Cappuccino-Frosted Brownies

4 squares unsweetened chocolate

3/4 cup butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Cappuccino-Buttercream Frosting

1. Melt chocolate squares and butter in a microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 1 minute and 30 seconds; stir until combined.

2. Stir in sugar. Add in eggs, 1 at a time, stirring until blended after each addition. Gradually stir in flour, vanilla, and chocolate chips.

3. Pour batter into a lightly greased aluminum foil-lined 13- x 9-inch baking dish.

4. Bake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes.

5. Cool completely, and spread with Cappuccino-Buttercream Frosting. Cut into squares.

Cappuccino-Buttercream Frosting

1 (1.16-oz.) package instant mocha cappuccino mix (such as International Foods brand)

1/4 cup warm milk

1 cup butter, softened

1 (16-oz.) box powdered sugar

1. Dissolve mocha mix into warm milk.

2. Beat butter and mocha mixture with an electric mixer until blended; gradually add in powdered sugar.

Dinner for 11

Tonight the women in my summer Bible study (we did Beth Moore's Daniel—amazing!) came over for dinner. I made an eclectic menu: homemade tortilla chips with queso, kettle chips with garlic-herb cheese, Lemon-Chicken Pasta (see post on August 25), Baby Blue Salad (myrecipes.com), Cappuccino-Frosted Brownies (myrecipes.com), and Walnut Cake With Praline Frosting (pictured; from Cooking Light, September 2008, myrecipes.com). (Note about this recipe: I love Cooking Light recipes for main dishes, but I've never had good results with their baked goods. This recipe has changed my mind. It is yummy!) This group of women has been such a blessing to me. Together we had an experience that is challenging each of us to keep growing in our relationship with Christ.  —PHH

Queso

This is my version of the Spicy White Cheese Dip from the February 2006 issue of Southern Living. To make it in a slow-cooker, visit my recipes.com.

1/2 small onion, chopped

1 minced garlic clove

1 lb. white American cheese (purchase in the grocery store deli)

1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles

1/2 cup milk

Tortilla chips

1. Sauté onion and garlic in a small amount of olive oil until tender. Tear cheese into pieces, and add to onion mixture. Add in tomatoes and green chiles and milk. Stir until combined. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted and dip is thoroughly heated.

Potato Chips With Garlic-Herb Cheese

1 bag kettle-cooked potato chips (such as Cape Cod)

1/2 container garlic-herb cheese spread (such as Alouette)

Milk or whipping cream

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Arrange chips in a baking dish. Place cheese and a small amount of milk in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave cheese mixture at HIGH for 30 seconds or until heated. Stir mixture to combine. Drizzle cheese mixture over potato chips. Bake at 350° for 2 minutes or until chips are heated.

Fiesta

Tonight I used my grill pan to cook a flank steak (sprinkled liberally with salt and pepper); it was cooked for about 8 minutes per side, this is perfectly medium. Then the steak was thinly sliced across the grain. This was served with homemade tortilla chips—my new favorite food, guacamole, pico de gallo, peach salsa, and black beans and rice. I bought the pico de gallo and peach salsa in the produce section of Whole Foods. —PHH

To make guacamole, peel and seed one avocado; mash avocado with a potato masher. Stir in the juice from 1 lime, 1 minced garlic clove, ground red pepper to taste, salt to taste, 1 diced plum tomato, and some dried or chopped fresh cilantro.

To make homemade tortilla chips, cut corn tortilla rounds into six triangles. Fry, in batches, in hot peanut oil (about 1 inch deep in a Dutch oven) until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Once all chips are cooked, sprinkle with kosher salt to taste. (A little salt goes a long way.) You'll never buy tortilla chips again!

Black Beans and Rice

This also makes a great meatless meal. Serve it with sour cream, homemade tortilla chips, guacamole, and additional salsa. This makes a lot, so divide leftovers into zip-top freezer bags and freeze.

1 onion, chopped

1 tsp. olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 cans black beans, drained

2 (10-oz.) cans tomatoes with green chiles

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

8 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

2 cups cooked brown rice

Sour cream

Salsa or pico de gallo

1. Preheat oven to 325°.

2. Sauté onion in hot oil 5 minutes; add in garlic, and sauté 1 more minute. Add in black beans, tomatoes with green chiles, and cilantro, and cook for 20 minutes. Stir in brown rice, and pour black bean mixture into a 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover with aluminum foil.

2. Bake at 325° for 30 minutes. Serve with sour cream and salsa.