Mango Salsa

As a thank you for our last project, one of the analysts that I work with gifted me his fruit of the month club (he's a dreamboat). Three perfectly ripe honey mangoes sat on my desk for almost a week. I considered the margarita, the mojito, and even the daiquiri... I stared at them without a clue until I decided to grill pork chops last weekend. Pork chops and applesauce, you have been schooled by pork chops and mango salsa! Consider yourself on notice (Mr. Smith agrees).


Mango Salsa
3 ripe mangoes, peeled and chopped (about 2 cups)
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1/3 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced (add more depending on how much heat you like)
juice of 2 limes

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Serve along side grilled meats or with chips as a dip.

Soba Noodles with Sesame Seeds

One of my all time favorite tv "chefs" has got to be Nigella. With the soft lighting in her kitchen and British accent, I could watch her for hours. She even manages to look fantastic as she's licking the bowl or raiding her fridge at midnight, in a way the Paula Deen will never pull off. Her soba noodle recipe is an absolute go to in the summer months when it's too hot to cook, and you want to eat something cold and straight from the fridge. This would be a great side for a bar-b-q, or even topped with grilled shrimp.


Soba Noodles with Sesame Seeds
From: Forever Summer
1/3 cup sesame seeds
salt
8 ounces soba noodles
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
5 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons sesame oil
5 scallions

Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan over a high heat until they look golden brown, and tip them into a bowl.
Bring a large pan of water to a boil and add some salt. Put in the soba noodles and cook them for about 6 minutes until they are tender, but not mushy. Have a bowl of iced water waiting to plunge them into after draining.
In a bowl you are going to serve them in, mix the vinegar, soy sauce, honey and oil. Then finely slice the scallions and put them into the bowl with the cooled, drained noodles and mix together thoroughly before adding the sesame seeds and tossing again.
Let the noodles set in the fridge for at least an hour before serving cold.

Mr. Smith's Wife

Is it really the end of June, and I haven't been here since May? Time has certainly gotten away from me and my kitchen. With big projects at work, a job search, and a couple of trips away I have been reaching for the take out menus. However, the best trip was to celebrate the anniversary of becoming Mr. Smith's wife. Just over three years ago, barefoot on a beach next to the Caribbean sea, promises were made, rings were exchanged, and I married the guy I will feed (and love) for the rest of my life. I love you Mr. Smith!

Cream Cheese and Blueberry Pound Cake

I was putting away a bag of ice during last weekend's epic water crisis here in Boston, and stumbled on a bag of farmers market blueberries that I had frozen from last summer. How had I left these beauty's for so long! After a great recipe debate I decided to whip up a batch of my favorite pound cake. This cake is great topped with strawberries or fresh grilled peaches and whipped cream. I would love to tell you that I did either of these, but after letting it cool, I went to wrap it and it looks like someone beat me to it...

I questioned Mr. Smith's BFF, the Hound, but she kept suspiciously quiet...

Cream Cheese and Blueberry Pound Cake
From: Cooking New American
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
4 oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 cup blueberries

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with a non- stick coating.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt until well blended. With a hand blender or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until very pale and little tails have formed. Sprinkle in the sugar and beat well until slightly fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl well. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until well blended before adding the next. With the mixer on low, add the flour, vanilla, and zest, and mix until almost incorporated, but not quite. Switch from the mixer to a stiff spatula and mix just until the batter is well blended and smooth, scraping the bowl well. Gently fold in the berries.

Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake in the middle of the oven until the cake is golden and a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs on it (60-65 minutes if using fresh berries, or 75-90 minutes if using frozen).

Cool completely before serving.

Spicy Maple Walnuts

Last weekend Mr. Smith packed up his seersucker suit and headed off to The Derby, so I promptly called my girlfriends for a weekend of eating, drinking, and shopping. I knew at some point we would be headed back to my place for some late afternoon cocktails, and wanted to have some snacks on hand that I could make ahead of time. This was not the time for bagged chex mix, so instead I grabbed for this recipe knowing they would be perfect with a delicious cheese plate, or the ever present Coors Lite.


Spicy Maple Walnuts
From: Cooking New American
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
6 quarter size slices fresh ginger, halved
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco, or to taste
1 pound (4 cups) shelled walnuts

Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Combine all the ingredients except the nuts in a small saucepan and slowly simmer over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Put the nuts in a bowl, pour the glaze over them, and stir and toss to coat them with the glaze.

Line a baking sheet with foil and spread the nuts in a single layer on it. Bake for 30- 40 minutes, stirring at the 15 minute and then 10 minute intervals. When the nuts look light and almost dry as you toss them, they're done. Don't touch them; the caramelized sugar is hot. Slide the nuts on the foil onto a cooling rack and let them cool completely.

Store in an airtight container until ready to use.

Penne with Spicy Tomato Sauce

So contrary to what I wrote before, there are times when I don't have to persuade Mr. Smith too much to watch Food TV. It's usually when the bobble head chef with the giant knockers is on- yeah, you know the one. Doesn't it figure that this is also his favorite sauce. The man never eats leftovers and ate this for three days straight.... what the ....? This takes about an hour and a half to come together, so it may be tough for a weeknight, and is reminiscent of a puttanesca sauce. I played with the ingredients and added a bit more crushed red pepper and garlic than the recipe below, and it came out perfect for us, but I leave that up to you.

Penne with Spicy Tomato Sauce
From: Everyday Pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes, with juice
1 dried bay leaf
8 anchovy fillets packed in olive oil, minced
3/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
2 tablespoons drained capers
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 pound penne pasta
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

In a large dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, carrot, and salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes longer. Add the tomatoes and bay leaf. and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Add 1 cup of water if the sauce gets too thick. Remove and discard the bay leaf.

Place the minced anchovies and some of their oil in a medium, heavy skillet. Stir over medium heat until the anchovies melt, about 2 minutes. Add the olives, capers, remaining 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Saute until the olives are heated through, about 2 minutes. Stir the olive mixture into the sauce and simmer over medium heat until the flavors blend, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the penne and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring often to prevent the pasta from sticking together, about 10 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water. Add the penne to the sauce and toss to coat, adding enough of the pasta water to moisten. Transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.

Cinnamon Banana Wake-up Cake

Damn, it's been a while! Mr. Smith and I have had a few busy weeks with travels and whatnot, the most recent being to the Big Easy where we chowed down here and here. If you haven't been to NOLA~ GET.THERE.NOW... Anywho- back to the kitchen. With all that traveling, another bunch of bananas hit the skids and turned up in my favorite coffee cake- so here it is. The cookbook is a bit kitchy, but it was the first one I ever bought so it has a special place in my heart.


Cinnamon Banana Wake- Up Cake
From: Keeping Good Company

1/3 cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup water
2 bananas, coarsely mashed (not pureed)
1 2/3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans are good)
2 tbsp sugar mixed with 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
Beat together first four ingredients until well blended. Stir in bananas and next six ingredients and mix well. Spread batter into a greased bundt pan and sprinkle top with nuts and cinnamon and sugar mixture. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan.