South Dakota Magazine Recap

It is that time of year when things start to get a little cray-cray. Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and then there is no stopping Christmas and all of the many holiday events. Throw in a little year-end business and a few bouts of bad weather, and before we know it 2014 will be done.

Before I get caught up in that whirlwind, maybe I should do another South Dakota Magazine Recap. I have shared several recipes (and a few stories) online with South Dakota Magazine since my last update in early April.

For Easter, I considered a new tradition of layering asparagus, ham, and pasta with cheese and a creamy sauce. Ham and Asparagus Lasagna is a perfectly elegant comfort food worthy of a Spring holiday table.

Cinco de Mayo was observed with simple Sausage and Feta Tacos. The day is a celebration of a Mexican military victory and more than just party with "2 for 1" margarita deals.

My husband was fearful that I would give up his prime asparagus hunting ground when I shared some of his wild asparagus secrets. If you are lucky enough to receive a bouquet of freshly cut wild asparagus, I recommend trying Asparagus Ravioli in Parmesan Broth.

I am happy to report that as summer dawned, the snakes in my backyard seemed to move on. Harvest of strawberries and rhubarb for Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Bars was uneventful...and the bars were delicious.

Nilla is still living in town with us, and before the snow, I noticed a new hole in my cleared-for-fall garden. She must still be digging for worms. I should have taken her fishing for some walleye to make Lemon Butter Fish.

Avocado Toast with Radish Salad pulls from produce both local, and not. Sourcing my food from whatever origins are available for the tastiest options is my "diet" plan.

I didn't get a great spinach harvest from the garden this year, but did manage enough for a few Spinach and Garlic Vinaigrette Salads.

Keeping cool was easy this summer with the Asian influenced Peanut and Cucumber Salad.

If I want to kiss my husband, I need keep my toothbrush handy whenever Bleu Cheese and Bacon Potato Salad is on the menu.

Scrambled Eggs with Pesto and White Beans is a powerhouse for breakfast and an excellent place to start while working toward those big dreams for the day.

In September, I guided Laura from the South Dakota Magazine offices through a south-central South Dakota adventure and made time for some Pho-ish Soup.

Homecoming revealed a little background of a long ago spontaneous pancake party in Colome, and I shared the story with the puffed pancake of a Dutch Baby with Caramel Sauce and Bananas.

As the winter allows Hubs more time at home in the evenings, I can't wait for movie night and Pomegranate and Popcorn.

Pumpkin Black Bean Soup is a perfect fall bowl of comfort. Topping this rich, savory soup with crumbled queso and sliced green onions enhance the earthy flavors.

And, finally, I have the tart jewel of your Thanksgiving table: Homemade Cranberry Sauce, even though I kinda miss the nostalgia of those perfect rings on the log of sauce from the can.

Whew. What a list of amazing recipes! I hope you have had the opportunity to enjoy a few, and I can't wait to share more On My Plate and with South Dakota Magazine.

Grapes of Wrath

I think that Hubs thought I was punishing him when he first came home to a Chicken and Pesto Pizza that had sugary red grapes scattered under the gooey, melted cheese. Grapes? On Pizza? WARM grapes on PIZZA??!?? One taste calmed his indignation. It is good. Damn good. This isn't any ordinary pizza. It is the difference you have been searching for among the goopy, red-sauced, pepperoni pies. Don't be trapped with the ordinary. Try it. There is absolutely no wrath for Chicken and Pesto Pizza with Red Grapes On My Plate.

 

Chicken and Pesto Pizza with Red Grapes

pizza crust (refrigerated, frozen, or homemade...your choice)

1/3 cup pesto (refrigerated works, but homemade is best)

1 1/2 cups seedless red grapes, halved

1 cooked chicken breast, shredded (rotisserie chicken or leftover grilled/roasted, whatever is in your fridge)

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 - 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

3 tablespoons grated Romano cheese

fresh cracked black pepper

1/4 cup green onions, sliced

Preheat oven to 425°.
Prep dough for pizza (pat, spread, unroll, whatever you have to do).
Spread pesto evenly over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around edges. 
Arrange grapes evenly over dough; top with chicken and garlic.
Sprinkle with mozzarella and Romano.
Top with fresh cracked black pepper. 
Bake at 425° for 15-20 minutes or until crust is golden brown. (If you use a premade crust, this bake time will be reduced until the cheese is melty and toppings are headed through.)
Sprinkle with onions.
Slice into 12 wedges. (Serves 6 average servings, but just Hubs and I usually eat an entire pizza alone.)

Fridge Friday, episode 2

It is Friday! As promised, I am going to try to keep up with Fridge Friday photo shots. Here is my refrigerator today:

Two things have occurred since last Friday. 1) My basement refrigerator which is supposed to hold beverages and worms for fishing, but often holds overflow from the kitchen refrigerator died. (Note the surplus of butter now living in the bottom right corner of the kitchen fridge.) and 2) Hubs had a doctor's appointment in the big city, so we did some stock up of produce. My fridge runneth over. Therefore, today's focus will be using as many ingredients from the fridge as possible. Some are hidden in the crisper and deli drawers; others are out in plain sight. A simple Roasted Eggplant Sandwich should fit the bill nicely.

This quick and even pretty healthy sandwich will use up some of the enormous jar of Pesto that I picked up at Sam's Club. I love to make my own pesto, but it is too early for basil from my garden and purchasing the quantity of basil needed for pesto at the area groceries (if they even had it) would be horribly cost prohibitive even for a compulsive food shopper like me.

Other players pulled from the cold for this sandwich will include eggplants and peppers (to be roasted), baby greens, and goat cheese. I realize as I circle the goat cheese in the deli drawer that the Laughing Cow cheese would have made a great stand in if goat cheese wasn't available or wasn't to your taste. Both are flavorful and would spread easily on the toasted bread. I used a toasted sour dough hoagie roll for my Roasted Eggplant Sandwich, but any firm bread would be great.

So...what is in your fridge this Friday? What are you cooking up? Do you have the makings for a healthy and delicious Roasted Eggplant Sandwich On Your Plate?

Roasted Eggplant Sandwiches

8 (1/2-inch-thick) eggplant slices

2 teaspoons olive oil

kosher salt

fresh ground black pepper

1 large red pepper

2 Sour Dough Hoagie rolls

2 tablespoons pesto

1 cup baby greens

2 tablespoons soft goat cheese

Preheat broiler.
Arrange eggplant slices in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. 
Brush both sides of eggplant with 1 teaspoon oil and season with salt and pepper. 
Cut bell pepper in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membrane. 
Arrange bell pepper halves, skin sides up, on baking sheet with eggplant; flatten with hand. 
Broil 4 minutes; turn eggplant over (do not turn bell pepper over). 
Broil an additional 4 minutes; remove eggplant from pan.
Broil bell pepper an additional 7 minutes or until blackened. 
Place bell pepper in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. 
Let stand for 15 minutes; peel and discard skin.
Toast bread or buns until lightly browned. 
Spread 1 tablespoon pesto on each of 2 bread slices. 
Layer each bread slice, pesto side up, with 2 eggplant slices, 1 bell pepper half, and 2 eggplant slices. 
Divide baby greens evenly between sandwiches. 
Spread goat cheese over each of 2 remaining bread slices; place, cheese side down, on sandwiches. (Makes 2 sandwiches)

Revisiting the Turkey

What would the week after Thanksgiving be without a recipe for leftover turkey? I try to limit the foreign objects that float around in my refrigerator by purchasing extra Gladware before any holiday meal. As the table is cleared, I can package up leftovers for everyone. My guests leave with the makings of a couple of meals at the ready, and I don't have to worry about what to do with too much turkey.

Not that I worry too much, anyway. Turkey adapts pretty well to any recipe that calls for cooked chicken. Chicken noodle soup becomes turkey noodle, and chicken salad is reinvented as turkey salad with the wave of a wooden spoon. My lunch today is one of many variations of turkey salad sandwiches. This one combines pesto and roasted red peppers to optimize flavors. I had an Asiago herb bread on hand that worked beautifully for a sandwich so good that you wouldn't know it is turkey revisited.

Pesto Turkey Salad Sandwiches

¼ cup low-fat mayonnaise
¼ cup plain fat-free yogurt
¼ cup pesto sauce
¾ tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 cups cubed cooked turkey
½ cup diced celery
focaccia bread, cut in half horizontally, toasted, and sliced
3-4 tablespoons chopped roasted red peppers (from bottle)
romaine lettuce leaves

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Stir in turkey and celery.
Spread 1/2 cup of salad onto half of bread slices. Top each serving with chopped roasted red peppers, lettuce leaf, and remaining bread. (May sub rotisserie chicken for the turkey for a quick year-round alternative.) (Makes 5 sandwiches.)