Preheat oven to 400*F. Slice tomatoes in half and place on a foil lined cookie c=sheet. Drizzle 1 tbsp. of evoo over tomatoes. Roast for 20 minutes.
In the meantime...in a small skillet on medium-low, sauté carrot, celery in the remaining evoo for 10-15 minutes until soft. Add garlic and shallots, turn heat to low and sauté for 4 minutes.
Remove tomatoes from the oven and allow to cool. Peel the tomatoes skin, this should easily slide off an discard. (If you prefer no seeds, at this time, press tomatoes through a sieve. Add tomatoes and broth to veggies and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend thoroughly. Add back to the pot to warm and serve.
Awesome with grilled cheese sandwiches!
How To Freeze Blueberries For Winter
If your like me, you enjoy a little taste of summer in the cold winter months. Freezing is the best possible way to store berries and it is super easy. Once frozen, you can do anything from making muffins to jam to popping them right into your mouth!
What you will need: *Blueberries - any amount *Cookie Trays *Parchment Paper *Ziploc Freezer Bags *Strainer or Colander
Once you have picked or purchased your berries, give them a good rinse with water and let sit in a strainer until most water is gone. Place parchment on a cookie sheet and fill the tray with berries. Place tray (uncovered) in the freezer and freeze overnight. Next day remove berries and fill baggies and place back in the freezer. That's it! Tip: While filling bags, measure out exact amounts for pies, treats or jams to make it easier when you are baking!
Garlic Scape Hummus
2 cans of chick peas (garbanzos), drained
1 cup sesame seeds or tahini
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup fresh chopped garlic scape pesto (sold at farm, while supplies last)
Place the ingredients in a blender and mix on high until a thick paste
forms. Salt to taste. Simple, Easy, Enjoy!
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
In a large
bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar. Add the egg, syrup and vanilla.
Mix until well blended. Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda.
Stir into mixture until well blended. Shape into 1 inch balls and
roll in sugar. Place on cookie sheets about 2 inches apart and flatten
slightly.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Let cool on wire rack.
allrecipes.com
Maple Bacon Biscuits
Syrup
1/2 pound bacon, cooked until medium-brown
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose Flour
1/4 cup Maple Syrup
2 tablespoons melted butter
Biscuits
2 cups all-purpose Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) cold butter
1 cup cold milk or cold buttermilk
1)
Preheat the oven to 475°F. Lightly grease an 8" square or 9" round pan;
whichever size you choose, make sure it's at least 2" deep, to prevent
any boil-over.
2)
Syrup: Chop the cooked bacon into 1/2" pieces. Combine the bacon with
the remaining syrup ingredients, stirring until well combined. Spread in
the bottom of the prepared pan.
3) Biscuits: Whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
4) Work in the butter until the mixture is crumbly; some larger, pea-sized pieces of butter may remain intact.
5) Add the milk or buttermilk, stirring to make a sticky dough.
6)
Drop the dough in heaping tablespoonfuls atop the syrup in the pan. A
tablespoon cookie scoop, slightly overfilled, works well here.
7)
Bake the biscuits for 10 minutes. Turn the oven off, and leave them in
the oven for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, until they're golden brown.
8)
Remove the biscuits from the oven, and immediately turn the pan over
onto a serving plate. Lift off the pan, and scrape any syrup left in the
pan onto the biscuits. Pull biscuits apart to serve.
Yield: 16 small biscuits.
kingarthur.com
Maple Broiled Scallops or Chicken Breast
4-6 sea scallops per person, or 1" pieces of chicken breast
1/3 strips of bacon, 1 per scallop or chicken piece
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 tsp. horseradish
Mix syrup and horseradish. Wrap each scallop or chicken piece with
1/3 strip bacon and secure with a toothpick. Place on broiler pan, brush
with syrup, and broil 3 minutes. Turn, brush, and broil 2-3 minutes
more, until bacon is crisp. Serve hot.
massmaple.com
Blueberry Maple Muffins
1/3 cup whole flaxseeds
1 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup nonfat buttermilk, (see Tip)
1/4 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon sugar
Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray.
Grind flaxseeds in a spice mill (such as a clean coffee
grinder) or dry blender. Transfer to a large bowl. Add whole-wheat
flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt;
whisk to blend. Whisk eggs and maple syrup in a medium bowl until
smooth. Add buttermilk, oil, orange zest, orange juice and vanilla;
whisk until blended.
Make a well in the dry ingredients and stir in the wet
ingredients with a rubber spatula just until moistened. Fold in
blueberries. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle
the tops with sugar.
Bake the muffins until the tops are golden brown and
spring back when touched lightly, 15 to 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan
for 5 minutes. Loosen edges and turn muffins out onto a wire rack to
cool slightly.
eatingwell.com
Chestnut Cupcakes
Makes 12
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3 ounces chestnut puree
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Frosting:
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
2Tb. butter, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
4 oz. melted chocolate
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake papers. Set aside. In a small bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda. Set aside. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the chestnut puree. Mix well. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing. For the frosting: in a large mixing bowl, use a spatula to mix well the cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar. Paint the inside of a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip with the melted chocolate. Spoon the cream cheese mixture in the bag and decorate the cupcakes in whirly motion.
Brussel Sprouts with Chestnuts and Bacon
1 pound brussels sprouts
1/3 pound thick-sliced bacon or slab bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces or batons
1 red onion, chopped
20-25 canned roasted chestnuts, quartered or roughly chopped
1/4 cup chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon wedges to serve
METHOD
1 Put a large pot of salty water on the stove to boil. While the water is heating, cut the brussels sprouts in half and slice thinly, starting at the top of the sprout and working back toward the stem. Discard the hard tip of the stem side.
2 Cut the bacon into pieces about 1/4 inch wide and put them in a large sauté pan over medium heat.
3 Once the water is boiling, add all the brussels sprouts and boil them for 2 minutes. While the sprouts are boiling, get a large bowl of ice water ready. Transfer the brussels sprouts to the ice water (this will shock them vibrant green and stop the cooking) and chill thoroughly. Move to a colander to drain.
4 When the bacon is browned, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat (do not put down the drain, see how to render bacon fat). Turn up the heat to high, add the red onions. Cook until the onions begin to brown, add back the bacon.
5 Add the chestnuts and brussels sprouts to the sauté pan with the bacon and onions. Add the chicken stock and toss to combine. Stir in about 1 teaspoon of salt, more or less to taste. Cook over high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add pepper to taste.
Roasted Chestnuts
Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Cut little crosses in the chestnuts as described before, then place them in a roasting pan and cook uncovered for 20-30 minutes.
Roasted chestnuts are best eaten still warm to the touch and peeled by the eater. We like dipping them in a little bowl of sea salt.
