Foodie Fridays: Baked Feta with Honeyed Strawberries

Not long ago I posted the popular TikTok Recipe for Baked Feta Pasta, which I greatly enjoyed.  Recently I found a recipe, inspired by this pasta dish, for Baked Feta with Honeyed Strawberries.  I was not quite sure what to expect, but it sounded intriguing so I had to try it.

Preparation of this dish was quick and easy, and I discovered that it makes an excellent topping for English muffins.  Simply spread some of the cheese on a muffin, top with a spoonful of strawberries, and be prepared for a lovely taste sensation!  The only change I made was to add some cinnamon, which is of course optional but highly recommended.  I had never roasted strawberries before, and was pleasantly surprised by the jammy, intense strawberry flavor.  I will certainly make this recipe again, and will try making plain roasted strawberries as well!

Baked Feta with Honeyed Strawberries

1 lb. fresh strawberries, halved
1 T. olive oil, plus more for drizzling
3 T. honey
1/2 tsp. cinnamon, or to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1 block (8 oz.) feta cheese

Add the strawberries to a 9x13-inch baking dish.  Drizzle with the olive oil and honey.  Sprinkle on the cinnamon plus salt and pepper to taste.  Gently toss to coat, then spread the strawberries out into a single layer.

Roast at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and nestle the feta block in the center.  Drizzle the feta with a little olive oil, then return to the oven.

Roast for another 25-30 minutes, until the berry juices start to thicken slightly and the feta starts to brown.  (Even if the feta does not brown, as mine did not, DO NOT overbake or the sugars will start to burn!)  Let cool for a few minutes before serving with bread or crackers.  Serves 4.

Foodie Fridays: Hot Artichoke Green Chile Dip

Our new neighbors here in Santa Fe invited us over for dinner on New Year's Day.  I decided to bring an appetizer dish and immediately thought of my favorite Hot Artichoke Dip.  As I mentioned yesterday, my husband and I are currently obsessed with a type of jarred green chile called 505 Southwestern Flame Roasted Green Chile and have been adding it to all sorts of dishes, so I decided to add them to the dip.  The result was so tasty that I may never make this dip without green chiles again!  This recipe is quick and easy to make, and I love to serve it with large Scoops! corn chips, but celery sticks make a great healthier alternative for dipping.  Don't be surprised if you see more recipes featuring green chile in the near future here, because we truly are obsessed!

Hot Artichoke Green Chile Dip

1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts in brine, chopped
1 C. mayonnaise
1 C. grated or shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 C. flame roasted green chile (or to taste)
juice of 1/2 lemon

Combine all of the ingredients and stir until well blended.  Place in a small lightly greased casserole dish and bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes until hot.  Serve with large corn chip scoops and celery sticks.
             

On the Homefront: Spooky But Sophisticated Snoopy Halloween Table

Dalmatian One-Eyed Jack never misses a Halloween celebration!

My dog-themed tables continue for Halloween, this time featuring everyone's favorite cartoon beagle - Snoopy (plus his best buddy Woodstock, even though he is a bird and not a dog)!  I just had to use my Charlie Brown Halloween Plates from Pottery Barn Kids, which set the tone for a traditional color scheme of orange and black, with just a touch of ghostly white.  These plates also inspired me to create a table with children in mind, and that includes the menu I selected.  This tablescape works for youngsters and adults because it is sophisticated as well as fun, and just a little bit spooky! Let's take a look:

Orange round woven placemat; matte black dinner plate (from Target decades ago); Charlie Brown Halloween Plate; stainless steel flatware; black cotton napkin; orange drink glass (from The Cupboard in Fort Collins, CO, eons ago).

Here are the other three Halloween plate designs:

Little Dalmatian Witchiepoo guards the pumpkin-shaped soup tureen.

This cartoon is a holiday classic from my childhood - I always enjoy
watching the Halloween antics of the Peanuts gang!

The salt and pepper shaker set is called "Hug", but I think they look
like black and white ghosts.

I found two of these black and white square plates with a swirl
design at HomeGoods years ago - they make perfect dessert
trays for the table.

I used this Grace's Bake Shop fluted pie plate from HomeGoods
this year as a candy bowl.  It has the word "BOO!" printed on the
bottom, which you would see once you got past all of the
Halloween candy!

My new pumpkin platter from Walmart this year will hold the
vegetable sticks.

A matching pumpkin bowl from Walmart will be filled with avocado dip.

This lovely Coco + Lola bowl with a batty design from HomeGoods
this year is ready to be filled with tortilla chips.

The simple menu features a favorite childhood meal of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, plus dessert bars which include peanut butter and jam as the main ingredients.  You can use store-bought soup as I did (our local Publix sells a great tomato bisque in their deli section) or make your own (I've included a link below to an easy recipe). The avocado dip will hopefully encourage any kids at the table to indulge in a few vegetables, but if not there are always chips to complement the dip!

Snoopy (and Woodstock) Halloween Menu:

Swamp Slime (Creamy Avocado Dip)*
Brittle Bones and Dried Hide (vegetable sticks and tortilla chips)

Bloody Bisque (Tomato Soup)

Oozing Goo Sandwiches (Grilled Cheese)

Globs of Gore Bars (Vegan PB&J Oatmeal Bars)**

*Creamy Avocado Dip

1 ripe avocado, halved, pitted, and cut into chunks
1/4 C. sour cream
3 T. grated Parmesan
juice of 1 lime
pinch of smoked paprika
1/4 tsp. salt

Process, blend, or use a fork to mash all of the ingredients together until smooth and creamy.  Serve immediately.  Makes about 1 cup.

**Vegan PB&J Oatmeal Bars

3/4 C. peanut butter
1/2 C. sugar (I used coconut sugar)
1 T. vanilla
1 C. rolled oats (I used quick-cooking oats)
1 C. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 C. milk (regular or dairy-free both work - I used almond milk)
3/4 C. fruit jam (I used a 10-oz. jar of raspberry jam)

In a large bowl cut the sugar into the peanut butter with a knife until well combined (you can do this with a mixer, but I prefer to mix ingredients by hand).  Stir in the vanilla with a mixing spoon until completely incorporated.

Add the oats, flour, salt, and soda to the bowl.  Stir in with a spoon, and then use your hands to combine the ingredients into a mixture of fine crumbs.  Drizzle in the milk, adding and stirring in several additions, until the mixture forms a cohesive dough.

Roll two-thirds of the dough into a ball with your hands and place in an 8-inch square baking pan that has been lined with two overlapping pieces of parchment paper (leave some overhang at the top).  Pat the dough evenly into the bottom of the pan.

If necessary, warm the jam so that it is spreadable.  Spread the jam evenly over the top of the dough base.  Crumble the remaining dough over the jam as evenly as possible.  Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes until the bars are set and golden.  Cool completely and cut into bars (I put mine in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm them up for cutting).  Serves 16.

Note: My bars were rather soft, so I put individual servings into foil cupcake liners.

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A canine vignette on the credenza.

Woodstock and Snoopy in their jack o' lantern.

Dalmatian Ladybug returns for the Halloween party.

Dalmatian Deputy Dawg also returns to keep an eye on the
Halloween happenings.

Of course Glinda the Good Witch has reappeared, sitting safely
on my tea cart while awaiting the repast!

A fancy Halloween wreath from Pier 1 this year (no longer available)
adorns the dining room window.

For an extra special Halloween treat, you can watch "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" (1966) here.

From Town & Country

I hope your Halloween is "spooktacular" this year!

                

Foodie Fridays: Herb Roasted Nuts

Ever since I put myself on a low-carb diet I have been eating a lot of nuts.  They are the perfect snack as they have very few carbohydrates and are quite filling, keeping me from craving sugary or starchy snacks.  My husband introduced me to Los Poblanos Herbed Pecans, a savory nut snack that is so good it is positively addictive.  I decided to attempt my own version of savory nuts using a mix of nuts and herbes de Provence.  The latter is an herb blend that I received as a gift last Christmas but have not yet used as I have never cooked with this blend before.

I based my recipe on one from Genius Kitchen, substituting my dried herbs for the fresh ones.  For a first attempt, I think my roasted nut blend came out pretty well.  Next time I will reduce the cooking time as my nuts were already getting overdone after 17 minutes (I have reduced the roasting time from 20-25 minutes to 15-20 minutes in my recipe).  You can use any nuts you like (I used a mix of cashews, pecans, walnuts, and Brazil nuts), but make sure they are raw and unsalted.  My cashews were unsalted but already roasted, which may be why they were ready so quickly, but cashews and pecans burn easily anyway so I would still start checking for doneness after 15 minutes.

I am a wimp when it comes to fiery seasonings so I just used a dash of cayenne, but feel free to add as much as you can stand!  In fact, you can play around with the amounts of all seasonings, adding more or less herbs and/or salt if you like.  I also substituted 1 T. garlic-infused olive oil for 1 T. of the butter (you could also use all olive oil, but I wanted the buttery flavor).  This recipe was so quick and easy that I will certainly be making it again - after all, I have lots of leftover nuts and plenty of herbes de Provence to use up, and I love eating nuts!

Herb Roasted Nuts

3 T. butter
2 T. dried herbes de Provence
1 tsp. salt
cayenne pepper to taste (optional)
4 C. raw unsalted nuts

Combine the butter, herbes de Provence, 3/4 tsp. salt, and cayenne pepper if using in a large microwaveable bowl.  Microwave on HIGH for one minute, until the butter is melted.  Stir to combine all of the ingredients.  Add the nuts and toss until well combined and evenly coated with the butter/herb mixture.

Spread the coated nuts in a single layer in a large rimmed baking sheet, setting the bowl aside for later.  Roast at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes (be careful not to overbake and burn the nuts!).  Remove from the oven and cool slightly on a wire rack.  Spoon the nuts into the reserved bowl and toss with the remaining 1/4 tsp. salt.  Cool completely and serve.  Makes about 4 cups.
             

Foodie Fridays: Red Lentil Pasta with Butternut Squash and Tomato Ragù

Today I have another recipe using bean pasta, this time a red lentil version.  I found a recipe for Pappardelle with Roasted Butternut Squash and Tomato Ragù on the Half Baked Harvest website and modified it somewhat to include the red lentil pasta as well as other ingredients that I had available.  Keep this recipe in mind for the holiday season (using any type of pasta you like), as it is simple, satisfying, delicious, and easy to whip up on a busy day.

Red Lentil Pasta with Butternut Squash and Tomato Ragù

2 T. olive oil
16 oz. bulk Italian turkey sausage
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
2 C. cubed butternut squash
1 can (28 oz.) peeled whole tomatoes
1/2 C. red wine (or other liquid such as water or stock)
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
3 T. butter
12 oz. red lentil pasta (I used Trader Joe's Organic Red Lentil Sedanini)
grated Parmesan cheese (and burrata cheese as well if you like)

Heat the oil in a large ovenproof skillet* over medium heat.  Add the sausage and cook until it starts to brown.   Stir in the onion and cook until the sausage is brown and the onion is soft.  Add the garlic and cook one minute longer.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Stir in the squash and cook for five minutes until it turns golden and starts to soften.  Remove from the heat and add the tomatoes, wine, and Italian seasoning, stirring to break up the tomatoes.  Arrange pieces of the butter evenly over the top.  Bake at 425 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until the squash is soft and the sauce has thickened.

Cook the pasta according to package directions.  Drain and stir into the ragù sauce.  Serve topped with grated Parmesan cheese (and pieces of burrata cheese if desired).  Serves 6.

*My largest skillet is not ovenproof, so I transferred the sauce into a 9x13-inch baking pan before putting it in the oven.
             

On the Homefront: Dogs in Costumes Halloween Table

Drake the Devil Dog wishes you a very scary - I mean merry - Halloween!

Recent purchases from HomeGoods inspired the theme for this year's Halloween table.  The placemats and dog bowl used for the snack mix are printed with a fun costumed dogs theme, and the small square plates feature a Dalmatian wearing a dapper bow tie, so of course I went with a Halloween dogs table in colors of orange, black, and white.

Hallow Home Dogs in Halloween Costumes Placemat (from Homegoods recently); square white dinner plate; black cloth napkin; MAGENTA Square Dalmatian Dessert Plate (from HomeGoods recently); white-handled flatware; orange beverage glass (from The Cupboard in Fort Collins, CO, ages ago).

A ghastly ghost (vase), horrifying haunted house (cookie jar), terrifying
tree, and glowing orange mini-pumpkins are flanked by black cat
candleholders.

A Halloween treat jar (from Pier 1 last month) holds seasonal
Hershey's Kisses recycled from previous years (because I rarely eat
candy any more and now use it mainly as décor).

The THL Dogs in Halloween Costumes Dog Bowl (from HomeGoods
recently) is ready to hold the Puppy Chow snack mix for humans (see
recipe below).

This table would be great for a children's Halloween dinner, so I decided to come up with a child-friendly menu, once again with a dog theme!  Hot dogs (uncured nitrate/nitrite-free turkey for me) had to be the main dish, and the rest of the menu has some connection to dogs or puppies as well.  Make this menu easy on yourself if you like by using pre-made deli slaw and canned chili plus frozen hush puppies.  If you are more industrious, use your favorite chili and coleslaw recipes.  My favorite chili recipe can be found here, but I have to admit that I usually just use packaged slaw mix and bottled slaw dressing to make coleslaw (I stir in about 2 T. pickle relish to add a bit of "je ne sais quoi" to my slaw!).

Really dedicated cooks and/or those who are gluttons for punishment could also make their own hush puppies (a simple and straightforward recipe can be found here), but personally I like to avoid deep-frying anything, especially when a frozen alternative that can be baked is so easy to find here in Georgia.  For dessert, you could buy the Drake's Devil Dogs snack cakes that inspired the meal's finale and serve those instead.  If you do make your own cake but do not want or need a low-carb version, try the recipe that inspired my version here.  I used marshmallow creme for the frosting because I had a jar in the pantry that needed to be used up (from before I started my low-carb diet).  You could easily make your own topping (see the cake recipe link), or use whipped heavy cream or coconut cream instead.

Dogs in Costumes Halloween Menu:

Puppy Chow*

Chilling Chili Dogs and/or Scary Slaw Dogs

Hush Puppies Salad with Salty Dog Dressing**

Low-Carb Devil Dog Cake***

From Chex

*Puppy Chow

Also known as Muddy Buddies, this snack mix is always a favorite with kids!

6 C. Rice Chex cereal
1 C. semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 C. creamy peanut butter
2 T. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 C. confectioner's sugar

Place the cereal in a large bowl and set aside.  Combine the chips, peanut butter, and butter in a small bowl and microwave on HIGH for one minute or until the mixture begins to melt.  Stir and microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds.  Stir in the vanilla.  Pour the chocolate mixture over the cereal and stir gently to coat evenly.  Place the mixture into a large zip-top plastic bag.  Add the confectioner's sugar and shake until the cereal mixture is well coated.  Transfer the mixture to a rimmed baking sheet lined with waxed paper or parchment and cool completely.  Store in an airtight container for up to one week.

**Hush Puppies Salad with Salty Dog Dressing

Add and/or substitute any vegetables you like in this salad (which is what I did to the original recipe).  If you are making this menu for children who are not big fans of green salads, simply make extra coleslaw and serve the young ones just the hush puppies.

1 bag (5 oz.) salad greens
2 avocados, diced
4 small or 2 medium tomatoes, cut into chunks
1 English cucumber, cut into chunks
1/3 C. sliced scallions
1/4 C. roasted and salted pumpkin seeds
16 frozen hush puppies, cooked according to package directions
Salty Dog Dressing (see below)

Divide the salad greens evenly among four salad plates.  Top each plate with equal amounts of the avocados, tomatoes, cucumber, scallions, and pumpkin seeds.  Place four hush puppies atop each salad.  Drizzle the Salty Dog Dressing over the salads and serve.  Serves 4.

Salty Dog Dressing: Combine 2 C. pink grapefruit juice, 1/2 of a large shallot minced, 2 tsp. white wine vinegar, 2 tsp. Dijon mustard, 3/4-1 C. olive oil, and salt to taste in a large jar.  Shake until well combined.

***Low-Carb Devil Dog Cake

A slightly modified recipe for Low-Carb Dark Chocolate Layer Cake is topped with marshmallow creme from a jar to create a homemade version of Drake's Devil Dog snack cakes.

2 C. almond flour
1/2 C. cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 Tsp. baking powder
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4-1/2 C. sugar (see Note)
3 T. butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
1 T. vanilla
1/3 C. milk
1 jar (about 7 oz.) marshmallow creme (such as Marshmallow Fluff)

Combine the first four ingredients in a large bowl until lump free.  Lightly beat the eggs together in a small bowl.  Combine the remaining ingredients in a medium-sized glass bowl until well blended (see Note).  Beat in the eggs until smooth and quickly add to the dry ingredients until thoroughly incorporated.

Pour the batter into a greased 8-inch square or 9-inch round cake pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes for the square pan or 25-35 minutes for the round pan.  Cake is done when the top springs back to a light touch or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and cool completely.  Top slices of the cake with the marshmallow creme and serve.  Serves 8 (round pan) or 9 (square pan).

Note: The lesser amount of sugar in this recipe makes for a very non-sweet cake, which is my preference when using a sweet topping.  If you want more sweetness, add more sugar (you can use a sugar substitute instead - Swerve is my sister's choice - but I don't like them and prefer to make a less sweet cake).  If you use coconut oil and make this cake on a cold day you may find that the oil begins to solidify.  Simply heat the wet ingredients in the microwave before adding the eggs, then temper the eggs with about 2 T. of the oil mixture before adding them to the wet ingredients.  Immediately stir the wet ingredients into the dry before the oil begins to solidify again!

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Glinda the Good Witch of the South and One-Eyed Jack the Pirate join
Witchiepoo on the credenza to show off their Halloween style.

Glinda the Good Witch

One-Eyed Jack

Witchiepoo, who can't understand why she always gets stuck with the cat!

Deputy Dawg Tex watches the frightful festivities closely, ready to
keep the peace if necessary (and join in the fiendish feasting if not!)

Lovable little Dalmatian Ladybug comes to the spooky celebration dressed
as her favorite spotted arthropod.

And here is one more puppy that I would love to invite to my canine-themed Halloween party:

This puppy's pumpkin says it all!
(from Halloween Wizard)