FamilyFood

White Asparagus with Ham and Gruyere

For this easy side dish, I tossed a bunch of white asparagus gently with a little olive oil (not too much as the cheese will release some oil), salt, and pepper.  I arranged it in a baking dish and topped with:

• 1 large slice or 2 small slices of Black Forest Ham, julienned
• a handful of grated gruyere
• a handful of grated parmesan

Bake at 350º until asparagus are tender but crisp, about 10-15 minutes depending.

Creamy Brussels Sprouts

When Mary Tsao mentioned the creamy brussels sprouts the first time, I sat up and took notice. When she mentioned them a second time, I knew I would be making them ASAP.

ASAP was last night. I cooked up two pounds of sprouts and Bunny, my five-year-old brussels sprouts freak, ate about a pound and a half of them. Next time I think I'll double the recipe and that'll be dinner along with a loaf of crusty bread.

They were creamy and cheesy and nutty and in a word: gooooooooood.

"Steakhouse" Salad: Tomatoes, Sweet Onions, and Blue Cheese

This salad, is hands-down, my family's favorite. What's not to love about thick slabs of sweet, juicy heirloom tomatoes; thinly-sliced piquant onions; and crumbles of sharp and salty blue cheese (in this case Stilton and gorgonzola)?

Bunny and Wallie love blue cheese (just like their parents) and by the time I get around to serving this salad, I notice that there are far fewer crumbles on it than I thought...Hmmmm...

Simply arrange the tomato slices on a plate and lightly salt them (just a touch to bring out the tomato flavor; the cheese is salty), top with onions and cheese and fresh ground pepper, then drizzle with fruity olive oil.  We had this alongside grassfed tri-tip from Whole Foods, and it was the perfect complement to the meal.

Pre-dinner snack: Cheese Plate

This is what "'doing it up' looks like" says my chef/sister.

The cheeses—from the Bronx grapes going clockwise: robbiola, idiazabal, stilton, and pepper cheddar. In the middle are picholine olives (my absolute fave).

We also had truffle honey served along side to drizzle over the cheeses or figs.

We opened a bottle of Archipel 2002 (a blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, and malbec) and it went perfectly with the strong cheeses which we prefer in my family.

Yum! Now on to dinner!

Cheese Pizza in Under 15 Minutes

Now, I'm not a huge pizza fan but, my family is. So I make it when forced to, and making it this way is almost too easy. I usually use whatever cheese I have on hand (in this case it was P'tit Basque, my five-year-old's fave) and make my own fresh tomato concassé to top the pizza.  It goes like this.

Preheat oven to 350º.

Make the tomato concassé: In a blender or mini-food processor blend 6 small tomatoes (seeded, just give 'em a squeeze) with a glug of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. Add a clove of garlic if you like.

Spread the tomato mixture over a store-bought round bread crust (I used Trader Joe's herb crust). Heap with shredded cheese. (photo) I use a MicroPlane medium ribbon grater to shred the cheese.

Bake for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Slice and serve to your pizza-lovers.

Snack Attack: Cheesy Tortilla Roll-ups

I'm thinking about back-to-school these days and what I will put in my daughter's lunchbox for her snack. I want her snacks to be healthy, tasty, and easily portable.  For the month of August I'm going to be blogging snack ideas and if you have any to share, please let me know!

Cheesy Tortilla Roll-Ups

• Tortillas (any style or flavor)
• 1 cup each shredded low-fat cheddar cheese, shredded mozarella cheese (or whatever combo your kids prefer), combined
• light cream cheese
• thinly sliced green onions
• 1 chopped seeded tomato
• 1/2 chopped, seeded red, yellow, or orange bell pepper
• 1 can of sliced olives drained
• optional: chopped, leftover chicken or turkey

Spread tortilla lightly with cream cheese. Top with shredded cheese. Let kids add remaining toppings of their choosing.  Roll up tightly and serve immediately alongside lime-cilantro yogurt dip. Or, wrap securely in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Keeps well for at least a day. Makes 4-6 roll-ups.

Lime-Cilantro Yogurt Dip

In a food processor or blender, whiz until uniformly smooth:

• 1 cup low-fat plain yogurt
• juice of one lime
• a handful of fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
• salt to taste

Serve alongside tortilla roll-ups.

Cheeseburgers with Sage Cheddar and Bacon (and lots of napkins)

I love writing about raw food and becoming vegetarian then following it up with a post about cheeseburgers.  I'm an unabashed Libra. What can I say?

Tonight we had grilled burgers topped with sage cheddar and bacon. The hamburger patties themselves were from Costco. They come in a huge pack and I divide them up and freeze them in 4's.  I really like the Costco hamburger patties (these are fresh, not frozen, and are located near the steaks) because they are so thick and so incredibly juicy. We've done them for friends and always get compliments. I just shrug and say, "Costco."  They don't need anything except salt and pepper.

To the burgers I added hunks of sage cheddar that I bought from a local maker at our neighborhood farmer's market. Then I topped them with thick-cut bacon (another reason to have ready-cooked bacon on hand), onions and lettuce. We like our burgers with mayo and ketchup, and for me, a squeeze of Sriracha.

Maybe tomorrow is vegetarian day.

Silly Skewers: Mozzarella, Tomato, and Basil

These skewers are like having an insalata caprese on a stick. These make a great party appetizer or you can pack them and take them to the park for a picnic with the kids. The best part about skewers is that the possibilities are endless. You could do cubes of low-fat cheese like gouda with green grapes, cheddar with chunks of nectarine, or pepper jack cheese and jalapeño-stuffed olives. Anything goes!

SILLY SKEWERS

Let the kids help.  Even little ones can do this.

• 1 container mozzarella balls (ciliegine) or equivalent cheese cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 pint container of small tomatoes
• fresh basil, larger leaves only
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper
• toothpicks

Drain mozzarella if using. Place cheese in a medium-sized bowl and toss with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Wrap each cheese ball or chunk with a basil leaf and skewer with a toothpick, then skewer a tomato. Arrange on a platter and serve.

Impulse Buy of the Week: IKEA Scandic Swiss Cheese

The Scandinavian cheeses from IKEA are yummy and usually a great buy.  I loaded up on some for a cheese platter for our Superbowl party, but my favorite by far was the Scandic Swiss.  It's not too sharp, buttery, and pleasantly nutty.  And for around $6/pound it's a great deal, too. Best of all, it's a kid-approved snacking cheese.  If you live near and IKEA hit up the cheese section on your way out!