Our friends and old neighbors were here this weekend.  It was great to catch up, great conversations over good food and wine.  One thing stood out; after our week-long trip to New Jersey last week and their visit this week I found myself saying over and over again, “it’s on the site.”  I provide free recipes here on the blog but I have hundreds of recipes and meal plans on my website: emealsforyou.com. If you like what you see here you should go over to the website and give it a try.  The goal is to get you and your family and friends sitting down to good food and great conversations.

Here is a really good recipe for margaritas provided by our friend Laura from her father.  These are smooth, delicious and deadly.  Thanks Rick!

Basil Pesto on Pasta

Pesto is a wonderful thing.  You can make it with almost any herb or vegetable.  You can serve it as an appetizer, a dip or a sauce on pasta or meats and fish.  Basically you add cheese, garlic, olive oil and your herb or vegetable and some nuts together in a food processor, process until you get the consistency you wish and voila! you have it; all in about 30 seconds.

We have been making assorted pesto for years; combining sun-dried tomatoes and toasted pecans or spinach and hazelnuts, and of course basil and pine nuts. (see our selections at emealsforyou.com).   The problem and reason for this post is that there seems to be a shortage of pine nuts on the market.  Usually readily available in the grocery in pound bags, you are lucky to see a couple ounce jar in the Italian specialty aisle for about $5.  Don’t let this dissuade you from making pesto.  Use toasted walnuts in place of the pine nuts and you will not notice the difference.  The texture will be the same and you will get the same “sweetness” that the pine nuts provided.  Basil is flourishing in the bright sunshine,  plant some or buy some but give pesto a try for a great meal.

Basil Pesto

Toast pine nuts lightly. Place basil, pine nuts ( or any other nut you choose), garlic and romano in food processor, process until a paste forms, add oil slowly until you reach the consistency you desire. Should be spreadable, like peanut butter.

Note: Great on sandwiches, may be used on pasta. I spread it on toasted French bread, sprinkle with romano and basil and broiler slightly.

Shown here on pasta.

(From the Bread Category at www.emealsforyou.com)

Philly Soft Pretzels

Growing up just outside of Philadelphia we often took trips into the city for shopping and sightseeing as kids.  One of the  highlights of the Philly excursion was to buy a hot, soft pretzel from the street vendors.  These were always freshly bakes, still warm, soft, salty and delicious.  A squirt of yellow mustard and you were all set for that late afternoon snack .

Pretzels continued to be a big part of the Philly culture but became a commodity and began to be baked in mass quantities;  substituting  ingredients that allowed them to be kept longer ( supposedly fresher) but took both the special texture and taste out of them.  They became the cardboard offering that we now get everywhere you look.  I have been searching for that old-fashioned recipe that brings back the flavor and textured I remember.  Making Capt. Jim’s Tomato Focaccio the other day I realized that the dough was exactly what I was looking for.  Moist and tasty, with a hint of sweetness, these brought back all the memories of those trips to Philly.

I have to say that actually twisting the pretzels reminded me a Lucy and Ethel skit, but once I got the hang of it, it was easy.  If you are looking for something special for a party or movie night give these a try; you will never go back to those frozen, cardboard things in the grocery freezer again.

Philly Soft Pretzels

Heat 1 cup of water and milk in microwave for 2 minutes, until warm but not hot. Place in a mixing bowl and add yeast. Let stand for 3 minutes then add the flour, salt and olive oil. Mix until a ball forms. Place dough in an oiled large bowl and cover, allow to rise until doubled in size. Cut dough into 16 even strips. Roll each piece into a long rope. Holding one end in each hand twist the dough to form a figure 8 and place on a sheet of parchment paper. Heat water and baking soda to a boil. Carefully drop a few pretzels at a time into the boiling water, Allow to cook for about a minute and remove to parchment paper on cookie sheets. Repeat with remaining pretzels. Brush egg wash (water and egg) on each pretzel and sprinkle kosher salt on top. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake pretzels for 12 -18 minutes until brown. Serve warm with mustard or cheese dip.

Old-fashioned Homemade Bread

The weather is still a little chilly here.  We had a week in the low 60′s and then the rain, which brought back the chilly weather.  It’s a good day to bake bread.  We have company coming next week and then Easter brunch here so I will begin to bake the breads I will serve.  I usually bake it and freeze it until I need it; then simply put it in a warm oven just before serving.

This recipe comes to us via my partner, Chef Teresa.  It is a wonderful addition to any meal and is great for those leftover sandwiches.  Give it a try but be fore-warned; you ‘d better make two loaves as the first one will disappear while it is still warm from the baking.

Aunt Joanie's Blueberry Muffins

Still snowing in Cincy, for those of you keeping score this is the snowiest (is that a word?) February in history; and we are only at the 16th of the month.  Over the weekend my phone beeped, my neighbor and friend was calling to see if he could stop by with some homemade blueberry muffins.  Now this is a guy who prides himself a grill master but claims no skills at all in the kitchen.  Long story short, he shows up with a basket full of steaming hot blueberry muffins.

Just looking at the muffins you could immediately tell they were not the  standard mix the ingredients from a box muffins.  Moist, full of berries, these breakfast treats will warm your bellies and your spirits on a cold, snowy morning.  They wouldn’t be bad mid-summer either.  Mark suggests using wild blueberries, he is from Vermont, and coarse sugar on top, but they are really great no matter where you got your berries.  Mark claims they are his aunt Joanie’s recipe; wonder if he is holding back on any other of his aunt’s recipes?

(From the Easy Meals I Can Cook  Collection at emealsforyou.com)

Banana Nut Muffins

In our house we have differing opinions about just when a banana is right for eating.  My wife likes it when they are just turning from green to yellow.  The bananas are hard and crisp with a slight tart taste, perfect she would say.  I, on the other hand, like them when they are getting yellow or even when they are showing some signs of black on the skin, they are sweet and soft and everything you would want in a banana.  Which brings me to the reasoning behind this post.

When the bananas begin to go over the hill, soft and yellow/black with spots of brown on the inside, it’s then that most people throw them away.  This is a big mistake as they are just right for banana nut muffins.  These are quick to make and if you get your timing down just right you can have them out of the oven when your family comes into the kitchen to start their day. No one can resist the warm muffins.  If you are having trouble getting your kids to eat something before school; try putting a plate of the muffins out on the end of the counter, where they grab their books and head out.  Chances are they will grab one or two on the fly.  The muffins are good cold, wrap them in plastic wrap and leave them out and watch them disappear.  Just remember to hide one for yourself, warm it in the microwave and sit back for the 3 minutes relaxation you allow yourself.

Banana Nut Muffins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray PAM in muffin tins. Reserve 1 Tb of flour. Combine remaining flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Melt butter and cool. Mash the bananas in a mixing bowl; add sugar and whip until light and fluffy. Add melted butter, eggs and vanilla. Beat until blended; fold in flour ½ at a time. Mix nuts and chocolate chips with the reserved 1 Tb of flour. Fold into mixture. Scope into muffin tins and bake for 15- 18 minutes until brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center.

Hazelnut Toffee

I thought it was right to end this series on homemade holiday treats and gifts with, what I consider, the best of the best.  This homemade candy treat is easy to make, and has magical properties, it disappears as soon as it is put out.

I started this post and then realized I had written one on the toffee last year.  So with apologies to those who remember the post I will repeat it here, I think I got it right that time. One last thing I would be remiss if I didn’t take the time to remind everyone to donate what you can to a food bank or local food drive.  We support Manna Outreach, Inc in Cincinnati. Click here to go to the Manna Outreach website to donate.

Here is the post:

I used to make Hazelnut Toffee every year at Christmas.  I would make several batches and then buy some nice Christmasy tins and pass the toffee around to the neighbors.  We moved and I guess I kind of let the tradition get away from me.  The kids grow up; you move away from the comfort zone you have established and some of the little things fall by the wayside.

I could find some tins and begin again with the new neighbors but for some reason it just doesn’t feel the same.  Old friends ares still old friends but bonding with new friends takes time… histories have to be exchanged.  Mutual interests need to be defined and common causes voiced.  New lifestyle patterns are in place and time just seems to move faster.

The good news is that my kids now make the toffee and make the rounds with the Christmasy tins.  And look, I made the toffee again… now if I can only find my tins.

A word of caution; this recipe involves very  hot sugar and should not be made around children, as spills happen.

Hazelnut Toffee

Toast nuts in a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes, remove immediately, cool and roll in a towel to remove husk. Place in plastic bag and hit with a flat pan to crush.

Prepping the chocolate- Place chocolate bits in a small food processor and chop into small pieces.

In a medium size, heavy pot place the butter, sugar, water and honey, heat over high heat about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches 290-300 degrees on a candy thermometer. Immediately add the crushed nuts, remove from heat, and stir. Pour on a greased cookie sheet (11 X 17), spread out evenly and sprinkle the chocolate on top, when the chocolate melts sprinkle the ground nuts on top. Cool and store in airtight containers.

CAUTION: This is not a project you make with your kids. The sugar reaches 300 degrees and is very dangerous if handled improperly.

Bev's Pineapple Bread Pudding

Looking for that different something to serve along with the usual holiday suspects?  Want something easy and yet a complete surprise for those around your table?  This may be the answer.  My mother-in-law makes this wonderful side dish, good enough to serve as a dessert but perfect to cut through all the richness of the large holiday meals.  Save this for the day after and you have the perfect way to make that turkey sandwich seem more like a meal.

Mary N's Baked French Toast

With the holidays rapidly approaching we find ourselves thinking about company coming to town to enjoy a visit and immediately our brains turn to food.  What to feed them?  The dinner meals are usually pretty straight forward;  large extravaganzas with turkeys, hams or roasts taking center stage.  Fill in around these and you are all set.

It’s the other meals that drive us up a wall.  Beyond juice and coffee what to serve for breakfast.  You know that meal first thing in the morning that you usually skip save for a cup of coffee.  Company changes all that.  Bagels and doughnuts only go so far, and besides you what them to think you care about starting the day off right, right?  The answer may lie in make ahead breakfast casseroles.  Do all the work ahead when you have the time.  Company morning get up, turn the coffee pot on and preheat the oven.  Pop in your pre-made casserole and let the aroma drift through the house.  Chances are everyone will show up with a smile on their face and exclaim, “boy, I can’t believe you got up early and made breakfast for us!”

This recipe comes to us via my wife’s aunt Mary.  She brought some cream cheese brownies to a family function recently and this recipe was a bonus recipe from her.  Both recipes are on the emealsforyou.com website. This recipe is somewhere between French Toast and OMG Sticky Buns.  You can’t beat the French toast for the ease of preparing it and it is certain to become a new family favorite.

Mary N’s Baked French Toast Casserole

Slice French bread into 1-inch slices. Butter a 9 X 13 baking dish. Place slices in 2 overlapping rows. Mix the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt ion a large bowl until just mixed. Pour over the bread, making sure to get mixture between and all over bread slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate over night.

For the Praline Topping: Combine butter, brown sugar, pecans, light corn syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl, mix and allow to sit covered on a countertop over night.

Baking instructions: Spread the praline topping evenly over the casserole. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees; bake casserole for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.