i only remember making roast pumpkin seeds once when i was a kid. i also remember them being the best. thing. ever. i roasted a sugar pie pumpkin today and the recipe said roast the seeds (as in do. not. throw. the seeds. away.). so i roasted them according to oh she glows and they turned out just like i remember. it’s taking all my strength to save some for m.

pepitas gently massaged with EVOO and sea salt

roasted pepitas

we are attempting homemade limoncello using the last of the lemons on our tree with these 4 recipes to guide us. finding 100 proof vodka was slightly more difficult than expected but certainly not impossible…everclear, on the other hand…(isn’t that a band?).

the arugula became lunch and the lemons became lemon bars for dessert:

i also made roast chicken using a new recipe: thomas keller’s recipe, to be exact. there are quite a few out there.

1. First, let your chicken come to room temperature before you roast it. Take your chicken out of the fridge at least 45 minutes before you start roasting it. If it’s still refrigerator-cold when you put it in the oven, your cooking time will be longer, and your chicken won’t be as tender.
2. Don’t wash your chicken. Rinsing your chicken just spreads gross raw chicken germs all over your sink. If you cook the meat to the proper temperature (165 degrees), any dangerous germs or bacteria will be killed anyway.
3. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
4. Dry your chicken REALLY WELL on the outside AND on the inside.
5. Next, sprinkle kosher salt and pepper inside the chicken cavity. (N.B., we use 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt per pound of chicken.) The salt that you sprinkle in the cavity will get absorbed into the meat from the inside, meaning that all of the meat will be flavorful, not just the outside surface.
6. Then you’re gonna truss your chicken: Cut a piece of butcher’s twine that’s about 24 inches long and lay your chicken on a cutting board, breast side up with the legs facing away from you. Put the center of the twine under the tail. Cross the ends then loopback under around the legs and pull the string tight to bring the legs together. Flip your chicken over. Bring the twine around the sides, tucking in the wings. Pull the twine tight and tie a knot at the neck, but loop the string through the knot twice (this is called a butcher’s knot). Then tighten. Trim the excess twine with scissors or your knife. Flip your chicken back over, and you’re trussed!
7. Season the outside of your chicken with lots of salt and some pepper. A 4-pound chicken will need about a tablespoon. Don’t just pour salt out of a container; use your hand to sprinkle salt all over the chicken to ensure that it’s evenly coated.
8. Place the chicken breast side up on a rack over a roasting pan.
9. Put it in the 450°F oven for 50–60 minutes.
10. No flipping, no basting, no checking on the chicken unless smoke starts pouring out. First of all, opening your oven while the chicken is cooking will decrease the oven heat and increase cooking time. Flipping your bird is unnecessary when you’re roasting on a rack, since the heat is hitting all sides of the bird evenly. And basting? It can actually make the skin of your chicken soggy, since you’re likely basting with not only fat but also liquid.
11. Your chicken is done when its internal temperature is 165 degrees. Insert your thermometer right between the breast and the thigh; this is the thickest part of the chicken. If you cook the chicken past 165 degrees, it will start to dry out and won’t be as flavorful as it could be.
12. Let your chicken sit on a cutting board for 15 minutes before removing the twine and carving.

we wanted to make this at thanksgiving but ran out of time. we still have a ton of squash so we made this at mp’s house tonight (along with m’s famous wings). i love quinoa!!! this salad rocks: so fresh, simple, and healthy.

from domesticate me:

Ingredients:
2 ½ cups butternut squash, cut into ½ inch cubes
4 teaspoons, extra virgin olive oil, divided
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ cup uncooked red quinoa
1 small shallot, minced
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon good quality maple syrup
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 pinch cayenne pepper
Salt
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted
1/3 cup pomegranate arils
2 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped
3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
Preparing your Red Quinoa and Roasted Butternut Squash Salad:

-Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.

-Place the cubed butternut squash on a baking sheet or in a baking pan. Drizzle with two teaspoons olive oil and sprinkle with ground cinnamon. Toss to coat.

-Roast your butternut squash for 30 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes, until it is very tender.

-While your squash is roasting, cook red quinoa according to package directions. When cooked, transfer it to a large bowl to cool slightly.

-In a small bowl, combine the minced shallots, remaining two teaspoons olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, lemon juice and cayenne pepper. Season with salt to taste and set your delicious dressing aside until ready to use.

-Now it’s time to toast your walnuts. Heat a small pan over medium heat. (Do not put any oil in the pan!) When hot, add the walnuts and toast for about 2 minutes, shaking the pan regularly, until the nuts are lightly browned and fragrant (they will literally smell like toast.). Remove from the pan and set aside.

-Add your roasted butternut squash, toasted walnuts, pomegranate arils, parsley and crumbled feta cheese to the bowl with your cooked red quinoa.

-Pour the dressing over your salad and gently toss to coat. Serve warm, at room temperature or chilled and enjoy your sassy fall meal.

crock pot indian recipe – take 3.

Slow-Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

we started this one last night and let it cook while we slept. this recipe is super simple and yielded a very mild, perhaps very traditional tikka masala (bland for bland palates) – it contains absolutely no heat. it needs at least double the garam masala. this was by far the simplest recipe.

*We have a 7 quart slow cooker so double the recipe below.

Serves 4
Ingredients
1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons garam masala (Indian spice blend)
kosher salt and black pepper
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 8)
1/2 English cucumber, halved and thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup basmati or some other long-grain white rice
1/2 cup heavy cream
Directions
In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic, tomato paste, garam masala, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables, cover, and cook until the chicken is tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours (this will shorten total recipe time). In a small bowl, toss the cucumber and cilantro with the lemon juice and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours. Twenty minutes before serving, cook the rice according to the package directions. Just before serving, stir the cream into the chicken tikka masala. Serve over the rice with the cucumber relish.

crock pot indian recipe – take 2.

Easy Chicken Tikka Masala {Crockpot recipe!}

INGREDIENTS:
8 boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins, or about 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts about, 3 lbs. (preferably organic)
1 large onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 green peppers, chopped (optional)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
1 (29 oz.) can of tomato puree
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. Garam masala
1 tbsp. cumin
1/2 tbsp. paprika
2 tsp. salt, or to taste
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1-3 tsp. cayenne pepper (depending on your heat preference)
2 bay leaves
1 cup heavy cream, preferably organic ( I have used 1 C full fat coconut milk and it was Delicious!)
3 tbsp. cornstarch, preferably non gmo
1 small bag frozen peas (about 1-2 cups)
Chopped parsley or cilantro, for topping

INSTRUCTIONS:
Put all the ingredients up to the bay leaves in a large bowl. Stir to combine all the wonderful spices and ingredients. Make sure the chicken is well coated. Pour the mixture in your crock pot (carefully!) and add the 2 bay leaves. Cover and cook for 8 hours on low (or 4 hours on high). When the chicken is cooked through, in a medium bowl, whisk together heavy cream (or coconut milk) and corn starch, then pour the mixture into the crockpot. Add the peas (frozen) at this time too, and gently stir the whole mixture. Let cook an additional 20 minutes to thicken up. Serve hot over hot brown rice mmmmm. Lundberg short grain or brown basmati rice are my favorites :) . If you have any leftover store it in an air tight container for up to 5 days.

m has been giving me a hard time about how she sends me *all* these recipes and they *never* get made. so here ya go: i’m preparing to undertake a series of slow cooker (crock pot) recipes and here’s one m sent me. i just happen to have all of these ingredients in the house and i love me some methi leaves. check out my (almost professional) dramatic side lighting in the photos.

food processed tomatoes, onions, ginger, garlic, salt, turmeric, garam masala, oil, yogurt, red chili powder, and methi

neighbor on the other side just gave us *huge* shrimp. i marinated them in a bobby flay food network thyme/chili/garlic sauce recipe and grilled them. i undersalted them but it wasn’t the end of the world. the thyme was lovely.

update: it’s saturday and we are having the leftover shrimp as shrimp tacos complete with a purple cherokee tomato from our garden.

halibut bones are the size of small daggers – definitely bigger than toothpicks. ellie and sayla got the boiled fish goodies that fell off the bones.

s+j came to visit so i prepared an iceberg wedge salad with homemade blue cheese dressing (bon appetit) and cioppino with homemade fish stock. i called gustavo at santa monica seafood to get some halibut bones but all he could offer me was 2.5 lbs of mixed halibut and salmon bones. no matter, stock turned out great. see?

doesn’t even need the bottle of clam juice i still have in my cupboard – would be a travesty to mix the two

perfectly crunchy bacon topping for iceberg wedge salad

i also learned how to crisp *absolutely perfect* bacon. and now i’ve done it 4 times in a row. forget air bacon and skillet bacon. these pieces are *awesome*.