Another Thumb's Up for Matzo Toffee

See, I haven't forgotten that I promised you the recipes for my Christmas treats.  Here is the first of three!

I must say that I bookmarked a recipe for Matzo Toffee on Noble Pig's blog last spring during Passover.  It took me quite awhile to finally make the decadent candy, and it was worth the wait.

I can honestly say that this toffee flew off our holiday table.  I made two full batches, and I was worried my parents were going to insist I make more.  Fortunately Laura came home with some similar toffee candy that made our parents equally happy. The Matzo Toffee is sweet and crunchy, with a seriously appealing caramelized sugar edge.  Of course, I had to gild the lily and add a little  hefty sprinkle of sea salt to add that delicious salty contrast.

The other bonus about this recipe?  It takes about 10 minutes to throw together.  It was so delicious and so impressive on our holiday spread, and people had no idea how quickly I threw it together. A simple show stopper for any gift basket, I think this definitely needs to be included in your candy-making-repertoire.

I used a box of matzo that was left over from Passover 2009 - I don't know if I should admit that or not, but the stuff doesn't seem to get stale (obviously the package was unopened until December when I made the candy). Thank you very much to Mary who provided me with the box!

Matzo Toffee
adapted from Noble Pig Blog

4-6 sheets of matzo
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 ounces good quality chocolate or chocolate chips
about 1 handful chopped, salted nuts
1-2 teaspoons good quality sea salt, to taste

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Line the sheet with matzo, breaking extra pieces to fill in any spaces.

In a heavy saucepan, melt butter and brown sugar together over medium heat.  Stir until the butter is completely melted and beginning to boil.  Continue to boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.

Working quickly, pour the mixture over the matzo, covering it completely with a heatproof spatula.  Place the pan in a 350 degree oven and bake for 15 minutes.  Make sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn. 

Remove the pan from the oven and immediately cover the matzo with good quality chocolate or chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli 60% cacao).  Place back in the oven for 5 minutes or until the chocolate is melted.  Remove from the oven and spread the chocolate evenly.

Sprinkle the chocolate immediately with nuts and salt (I did one batch with cashews and one batch with almonds).

When the chocolate is completely dry, break into many pieces.  I found it kept well for several days - at least 10 or so. 

The Richest Baked Pasta Dish You'll Ever Try

Do you have tons of winter squash around your house from this autumn's haul? I do, so I try to notice new and interesting winter squash recipes while I am browsing the internet.

A couple months ago, I bookmarked a recipe that I read about on Shelby's blog, The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch for Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta. The picture on her blog tempted me, and I knew I would be throwing this recipe together ASAP for dinner.


When I finally got around to making the recipe, I wasn't disappointed. The butternut squash roasts into a creamy, caramelized treat. The rosemary is a fragrant addition that truly complements the sweet butternut squash. Similarly, the bacon is the perfect salty counterpart to all that sweetness.

I will be honest and admit that this dish came out a little rich for me. I ate one bowl of it, and then I was done. I couldn't eat any leftovers, and I gave most of the pasta to my parents. My mom loved this dish. Even though I couldn't eat more than one serving, I think this is still a worthwhile recipe. I think I might back off on the bacon - maybe cut it in half - and serve it as a side dish instead of a main course.


Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta

from Cooking Light, March 2004

Mini penne pasta works well in this dish since it's about the same size as the squash. You can also use elbow macaroni, shell pasta, or orecchiette.


3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash
Cooking spray
6 sweet hickory-smoked bacon slices (raw)
1 cup thinly sliced shallots
8 ounces uncooked mini penne (tube-shaped pasta) (I used Barilla Plus mini penne and only used 5 oz of dry pasta)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded sharp provolone cheese
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese


Preheat oven to 425°.
Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, rosemary, and pepper. Place squash on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with salt mixture. Bake at 425° for 45 minutes or until tender and lightly browned. Increase oven temperature to 450°.
Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 1/2 teaspoons drippings in pan; crumble bacon. Increase heat to medium-high. Add shallots to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until tender. Combine squash mixture, bacon, and shallots; set aside.
Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well.
Combine flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add provolone, stirring until cheese melts. Add pasta to cheese mixture, tossing well to combine. Spoon pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray; top with squash mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown.


Yield: 5 servings

A New Year? It's Time for a New Meatloaf!

Okay, I admit the title is a little weird, but what the heck! 2010 could be the year of the meatloaf - and why not start the new year off with a bang? This dish could soon become a favorite at your house. It takes a familiar dish and turns it completely upside down by adding delicious Southeast Asian flavors. You end up with a tender, moist meatloaf that is light but incredibly flavorful. It was the perfect healthy meal to wake up my taste buds and get me out of a winter funk.


I originally found the recipe for Vietnamese Meatloaf on my sister's blog, The Spiced Life. I think her results were a little mixed, but her review enabled me to make some changes along the way that made my results delicious. I decided to use ground turkey for my meatloaf, and I was thrilled with the results. I often find ground turkey a little on the icky side - just something about the taste that I need to cover up or improve on - and the ingredients in this meatloaf perfectly camouflaged that icky-ness.

The carrots and onion also kept the meatloaf moist, which is really important when using turkey. I also have to say that this meatloaf would not be nearly as enjoyable without the nuac cham on the side as Laura suggested. I more or less doused my meatloaf with nuac cham, which I had used to marinate a simple salad of sliced carrots, radishes and onions. The salad alongside the meatloaf was amazing, all covered in the tangy, sweet, salty nuac cham "dressing".

Visit Laura's blog for instructions on how to make nuac cham to your taste (I like mine a little chili-garlic paste added in!).


Cha Dum (Vietnamese Meat Loaf)
Adapted from The Spiced Life and Nancie McDemott

8 oz ground turkey
1 1/2 oz dried rice vermicelli (or try mung bean threads)
2 T finely chopped shallots or red onions
1 T minced garlic
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1 T fish sauce
1 T superior dark soy sauce (if you don't have this ingredient, try adding 1.5 T of fish sauce and 1 T of brown sugar)
1-2 T chili garlic sauce (to taste)
1 beaten egg
small handful of chopped cilantro, 1 T reserved for sprinkling


Preheat the oven to 375 F. Set aside a small baking dish.

Place the rice vermicelli in a bowl and pour hot water over them. Leave them to soak until pliable, 10-20 minutes. When they are pliable, drain them and then place them on a cutting board and roughly chop them. Set aside in a large bowl. Add to that the carrots, onions and garlic. Add the meat and mix with your hands until the ingredients are roughly but evenly distributed (i.e., do not over mix). Add the egg, fish sauce, soy sauce, chili garlic paste, and cilantro and mix again with your hands until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Do not over mix.

Shape the meat mixture into a round on the baking dish. Bake until it is firm, fragrant and cooked through, 30-40 minutes. Let the meat loaf cool for 10 minutes in its pan, and then transfer to a serving platter. Serve with fresh veggies, such as romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes and carrots, and nuoc cham. Garnish with reserved cilantro.

Serves 2

Delicious (and Easy) Bean Burgers

We have a restaurant in Columbus, Northstar Cafe, that makes the most amazing vegetarian burgers. The burgers are meaty without having meat, full of rich smoky undertones and delicious umami flavor. I have absolutely no idea how Northstar manages to create such an amazing vegetarian alternative to a hamburger. I still haven't figured out how to recreate it at home, but I do like to play around with other vegetarian burgers. Most recently, I noticed a recipe that Joe posted on his blog, Culinary in the Country, for Bean Burgers with Spicy Guacamole. I was intrigued by the addition of cornmeal to the bean mixture. I wondered if this could be part of the solution to the Northstar Cafe recipe mystery. Alas, I don't think it is the missing ingredient, but these burgers were delicious nonetheless.


The patties were very easy to throw together. I didn't have any avocados so there was no spicy guacamole on my burgers. I do think that the guacamole would be a perfect accompaniment to these bean patties. My burgers were spicy because I cooked my pinto beans with lots of dried jalapenos, coriander and dried onion.


I ate it on a toasted English muffin with pepper-jack cheese and salsa. My burger did fall apart once I bit into the bun, but it still tasted great. I served the burgers with a lime juice based slaw, similar to the recipe I posted here. The recipe was very easy to cut in half, and I was able to make a few simple adjustments based on what I had on hand. I will definitely make these burgers again.


Bean Burgers
adapted from Culinary in the Country

1/4 cup cooked brown rice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/4 cups cooked pinto beans, drained
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon toasted cumin seeds, ground
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup cornmeal, divided (I used blue cornmeal!)
salt and fresh ground black pepper
2 burger buns

To prepare the burgers

In a medium non-stick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic - cook until until soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir in beans, paprika and cumin - cook for 1 minute, stirring. Using a potato masher or fork, mash the beans to a coarse paste.

Scoop the mixture out into a bowl and let cool slightly. Stir in cooked brown rice, cilantro and 1 1/2 tablespoons cornmeal - season with salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Evenly divide the mixture into 2 portions, forming each into a patty. Coat both sides of the patties with the remaining cornmeal, then place each onto a plate. Place into the refrigerator and chill for 20 minutes.

In a large non-stick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add burgers to skillet and cook about 3-4 minutes per side, until lightly browned. Serve with pepper-jack cheese and salsa.

Makes 2 servings.

Belated Christmas Wishes!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I know I am arriving late to the party, but I really want to post these pictures before the magic of Christmas is gone :) (I will post recipes soon, I promise!) The past 3 weeks have been a whirlwind for me. I have spent a ton of time in the kitchen with my Mom baking (and my Dad lurking around to sample) and a ton of time with my entire family. I got to see my Aunt and Uncle from New York, my Great Aunt from West Virginia and her family, all of my siblings and their families, and lots of time with my parents. Of course, in the midst of it all I caught a horrible cold but it is much better than the flu that took me out for over 2 weeks last Christmas. I have had many ups and downs over the past year, but I am comforted and reassured knowing that I have so many people who love me and worry about me. I hope your holidays were filled with just as much chaos, love, joy and food as mine were!

Almond Chocolate Toffee Motzoh


Cashew Chocolate Toffee Motzoh


Santa bringing the window-pane candy


Window-Pane Candy


Window-Pane Candy cooling (with pizelles)


Cashew Brittle with Fleur de Sel


Mom breaking up window-pane candy


Window-Pane Candy
(I couldn't decide which picture I liked best!)

I have a Reputation.

Apparently my love of food is so obvious that people who know me for entirely non-food-related-reasons still know me as a food lover. Most recently, a friend, who I know only through the internet for fantasy football reasons, offered to share a family recipe with me. He said that I would be amazed at how a simple marinade could transform a cut of meat.


It just so happened that in the next week or so after this conversation, I noticed bison flank steak on sale at Whole Foods. I happen to love bison, and flank steak is a wonderfully healthful, flavorful cut, so I decided to try it out. As luck would have it, the recent marinade conversation popped into my head, and I whipped it up in no time with mostly pantry ingredients.


I let my steak marinate in the delicious salty-sweet mixture for about 18 hours. The bison was delightfully tender and kissed with flavor throughout each bite. I cooked my steak to medium-rare (I probably should have cooked it even a tiny bit rarer).

Can you identify this green?
No idea what it is called, but it tastes delicious!

As the steak rested, I sauteed up a big pile of mushrooms, green onions and some type of tasty green from the farmers' market. I sliced the steak against the grain and piled it atop the mushroom-greens saute. It was the perfect healthy, quick meal.


I am sending this post along to Lynda of Lynda's Recipe Box who is hosting December's Family Recipes Event since it is a family recipe that was passed on to me by a friend. This event has been hosted by The Spiced Life and The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch in the past. I highly recommend checking out Lynda's site so you can catch the round up of recipes at the end of the month. I am sure there will be lots of holiday recipes to tempt you (and me!).

I hope you had a Merry Christmas and whatever else you celebrate!


Paul's Aunt's Steak Marinade

1 green onion, chopped
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoon powdered sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons vinegar (I used cider)
3 tablespoons oil (vegetable or olive)
Mix all ingredients in a large resealable bag; add flank steak and marinate for several hours.