Author: domenicadreamsofcalamari

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Apple Turnovers

Nothing says fall like apple desserts. Except maybe pumpkin desserts. Which I will broach later this week/weekend. Here is an easy apple turnover recipe I threw together for an impromptu dessert tonight. To top off this seasonal dessert, already made with love, I used apples that we picked with my parents in the Cal Poly orchards last weekend.

serves 2 (heaping servings though)

  • 1 apple
  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 1/2 sheet puff pastry
  • 2 tsp cardamom
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp raw brown sugar
  • 3 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1 cup ricotta
  1. thaw a puff pastry sheet, dice apple and grind or slice walnuts
  2. heat 1 tbsp coconut oil in pan and add the apple, cardamom, cinnamon and a drizzle of honey
  3. cover and let simmer over medium low heat for 10 minutes
  4. pre-heat oven to 350°F and cut the puff pastry in half then cut that half in triangles
  5. once apple start softening, take off heat and let cook a minute
  6. then fill one half of each triangle with just enough of the apple mixture, making sure you can still fold dough over and seal them and that there is some leftover for topping
  7. then fold dough in half and push sides down with a fork, sealing the triangles
  8. brush with remaining melted coconut oil and sprinkle with sugar
  9. place on lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown and puffy
  10. while baking, whip ricotta and 1/4 cup honey in a food processor
  11. serve each turnover with a spoonful of whipped honey ricotta and the remaining apple/walnut mixture and a drizzle of the remaining honey

© 2014 – 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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The Cheesiest Mac n Cheese

This is arguably one of the most decadent dishes I’ve ever made but sometimes baked mac n cheese just hits the spot and we happened to have 10 kinds of cheese in the fridge so I thought what the heck, might as well just throw them all in. You can never have enough cheese.

  • 1 pack of pasta to feed 8 (preferably something with some texture to capture the creamy sauce)
  • 1 head cauliflower
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth plus 2 tbsp
  • 1 leek
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • a handful of cherry tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp mustard
  • 1/2 tbsp chili flakes
  • 1 tbsp brie
  • 2 tbsp bleu cheese
  • 1/4 cup goat cheese
  • 1/4 cup grated asiago
  1. cook cauliflower in pot of boiling water until tender
  2. cut cauliflower into bite size pieces and blend in a food processor or in a pot with an immersion blender
  3. mince garlic; slice leek thinly, removing rough outer layers
  4. heat olive oil and add garlic and leek, add the 2 tbsp chicken broth and tomatoes, cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until fragrant
  5. place cauliflower in pot over medium-high heat and add butter and brie, stirring occasionally until butter and brie are melted
  6. while this is working it’s magic, boil water and cook the pasta in another pot
  7. pre-heat oven to 350°F
  8. add chicken broth, milk and heavy cream, mustard and chili flakes to the cheesy cauliflower sauce
  9. crumble the bleu cheese and goat cheese into the mix
  10. once pasta is done, drain and return to the pasta cooking pot, drizzle with olive oil and pour cheese sauce over it
  11. mix well, then spread into an oven-proof pan and bake until starting to brown, about 10 minutes
  12. sprinkle asiago on top and put it under the broiler for 3 more minutes until asiago is completely melted
  13. serve warm…also good cold as leftovers. if you wanna get really crazy, slice a piece off the next day, put more cheese on it and put it back in its’ rightful place under the broiler.

© 2014 – 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Cornbread

      • 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
      • 2 tbsp brown sugar
      • 1 tsp baking soda
      • 2 tsp baking powder
      • 1 cup cornmeal or polenta
      • 1 tsp salt
      • 6 oz buttermilk or whey water (if you happen to have some leftover from cheese-making)
      • 8 oz (1/2 pint) cottage cheese
      • 2 lg eggs
      • 2 tbsp nutmeg
      1. pre-heat over to 350°F
      2. mix dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl
      3. add buttermilk, cottage cheese and eggs and mix well
      4. pour into a lined baking pan and bake for 40 minutes or until golden and toothpick comes out clean

 

© 2014 – 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Celery, White Bean Soup

  • 1 bunch celery
  • 1/2 large white onion
  • 1 can cannellini/white beans
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 sprigs each rosemary and thyme
  • pepper and salt
  1. mince garlic and add it to a large pot with olive oil
  2. dice onion and add to pan with 1/2 cup of the chicken broth and the herbs
  3. drain the beans and slice the celery
  4. add them to the pot along with the rest of the chicken broth
  5. add pepper and salt to taste
  6. great with some grainy bread

© 2014 – 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Baked Brie and Broccoli

  • 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 1 sm head broccoli
  • 1/2 cup brie
  • 2 tbsp grated asiago
  1. pre-heat oven to 350°F, dice broccoli florets into small pieces
  2. mix with greek yogurt in a large ramekin or other oven proof vessel
  3. slice brie and stir it in
  4. bake at 350° F for 30 minutes, stirring occasional, until all cheese is completely melted and starting starting to brown
  5. sprinkle asiago on top and broil for 4 more minutes, until golden brown on top

© 2014 – 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Green Papaya Salad


My friend/roommate/platonic partner went on a South East Asian adventure this summer and brought back this recipe along with 10 pairs of those comfy Asian pants.

  • 1/2 large green papaya
  • 2 medium carrots
  • 1/2 cup each; fish sauce, raw sugar, lime juice
  • 1/4 cup each; garlic, red chili
  • 1/2 cup chopped peanuts
  • 1 tbsp chopped basil
  • 10 cherry tomatoes
  1. squeeze lime juice into a jar and add fish sauce, sugar, minced garlic and finely chopped and seeded red chili
  2. grate papaya and carrots and chop or grind peanuts
  3. pour lime sauce over the carrots and papaya
  4. slice basil and tomatoes and add to mix

© 2014 – 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Butter Lettuce, Pineapple, Feta Salad

This is a great, simple salad to accompany a Mexican or tropical meal

 

  • Butter Lettuce
  • 1/2 cup pineapple
  • 1/2 lime (juice)
  • salt/peppa
  • 1/2 cup feta cheese
  1. clean and slice butter lettuce into bite-size pieces and put in bowl
  2. dice pineapple, squeeze lime juice onto butter lettuce
  3. add feta cheese and salt and pepper to taste

© 2014 – 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Dark Chocolate Avocado Brownies

  • 1 ripe avocado
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 tbsp cinnamon
  • 2 oz dark chocolate chunks
  1. pre-heat oven to 350° and line a pan with parchment paper or baking spray
  2. combine mashed avocado, sugar, egg and vanilla extract in a medium sized bowl
  3. in another bowl whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, 2 tbsp of cinnamon and baking soda
  4. mix together wet and dry ingredients until just combined and add chocolate chunks
  5. bake for 8-10 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean, sprinkle remaining tbsp cinnamon over top

© 2014, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Persimmon Goat Cheese Toasts

      I adapted this recipe from the Persimmon Bruschetta on Food52. I decided to use a tangier cheese to juxtapose the sweet persimmons we got in our CSA box this week. My parents were on their way up to visit so I made this as an appetizer to have when they arrived. Not surprisingly, they had stopped at a winery and were toting a chilled white that went perfectly with the toasts. They were a hit, I’m probably going to have to make more tonight.

      • 1 persimmon
      • 1 cup goat cheese/bleu cheese (i made half with goat cheese and half with bleu cheese.
      • 3 sprigs rosemary
      • 2 sprigs thyme
      • 2 tbsp honey
      • slivered almonds
      • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
      • 8 slices of nice crusty bread
      1. slice persimmon, bread and rosemary
      2. spread goat cheese or bleu cheese on each piece of bread
      3. put persimmon slices on top of cheese then sprinkle herbs and almonds over
      4. drizzle balsamic vinegar and honey over top and put under the broiler until bread turns golden and cheese starts to melt

© 2014, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Zucchini, Jalapeno, Asiago Bread

Last week we had excessive amounts of jalapenos and I was going  to visit my grandpa (Nonno) who is jalapeno’s number one fan so I decided to spice up some zucchini bread with jalapenos and add some cheese in for good measure. He approved.

  • 4 jalapenos
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup grated zucchini
  • 1/2 cup grated asiago
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  1. pre-heat oven to 350°F and line a bread pan with parchment paper or butter or cooking spray
  2. whisk eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla extract in a large bowl until smooth
  3. whisk flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and nutmeg
  4. make a well in center of dry ingredients, add egg mix and slowly combine, then fold in zucchini
  5. de-seed jalapenos and dice them, then add them into dough along with grated cheese
  6. bake for about 70 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean

© 2014, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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