St. Andre

I picked up something different during my last Trader Joe's run. I decided to splurge a bit and opted out of my usual low-fat feta purchase and moved in toward an aged double-cream. It was a brilliant decision!


The flavor was full and nutty and the texture was creamy yet firm. The St. Andre is a welcome addition to any cheese plate and goes well with mild-flavored crackers or toasts.

Balsamic Figs

Figs. I have a new found love for figs. I suppose its not that new really, but its new to you since this is the first time I am posting about them. Since I still havent found a place in Lafayette that carries fresh figs, I use dried figs. While I cant make a beautiful fig tart like so many I have seen on tastespotting, I find that the dried ones work quite well for many other things. I have made a version of fig newtons that just could not be done with fresh figs. I even added them to a lamb stew, recipe courtesy of Eat.Drink.Think, and their desiccated flesh readily absorbed the flavors of the broth.*


One thing I like to keep on hand is dried figs macerated in balsamic vinegar. It makes for a quick but impressive appetizer should unexpected company arrive but also frequently serves to quell stomach pangs until dinner is ready. On my last trip to Cost Plus World Market, I picked up an airtight container so that I could have easy access to greater quantities of the stuff given that its J's favorite snack.


Making the balsamic figs is super easy, but the key is to use an aged balsamic. Go ahead and splurge on it; you will find it makes all the difference. First, slice the dried figs as thinly as possible, discarding any stems that may still be hanging on. Put them in your airtight container and add your balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon at a time. Stir between additions to coat the figs. Should you add too much balsamic, you can always reduce the mixture on the stove.


The figs can be eaten the same day but have a richer flavor if you set them in the fridge for a few days. I have had my most current batch in the fridge for about two weeks and add more balsamic when the figs have absorbed what I originally added. Serve the balsamic figs with crackers or drizzled over goat cheese. They also make a great addition to spinach salad.


*BTW, the lamb stew was amazing! I really loved the flavor the meyer lemons added to the dish.

Great scones, a loaded quiche, and a new contributor

Vaughn lab, the haven for archaeology grad students, has become THE place to get free food, and that is mainly due to the fact that I bring in my homemade scones to share with others. A few of the cultural anthro students regularly lurk around the door of the lab to see if they can score a free scone. Even the secretary to the department head pops in for a scone. I really enjoy baking but hate eating the same thing for an entire week so I bring in what I cant possibly eat, plus it helps me to share the calories!

Typically I follow my basic scone recipe for cheddar, bacon, and green onion scones but substitute the additions with whatever is on hand. In the last few weeks I have made apple-oat-walnut, saffron-orange blossom-pistachio, and lavender-lemon scones (thanks mom). The last of the lavender-lemon scones are still being consumed by the masses, mainly V. :) Sorry, there are no photographs. I will be better, I promise, once I get the windows...

Also lacking a proper photo is the amazing quiche I made for dinner the other night. When I discovered I didnt have much to assemble into a real meal, I hunted through my freezer and came up with a batch of homemade pie dough. I knew that I needed to use two packages of leeks from Trader Joes (best thing ever because they are already cleaned for you) and that I had eggs...a quiche was born. I sauted some prosciutto in butter, deglazed the pan with 1/2 cup of white wine. When that had reduced a bit I added the sliced leeks and waited til they got wilty. In the meantime I rolled out my pie dough with my new silicon coated rolling pin and beat 4 eggs with 1/2 cup of cream and salt and pepper. With the dough assembled in the pan, I crumbled a bit of gorgonzola in the bottom of the pie, spread the leek mixture evenly on top, added a bit more gorgonzola on the surface of the leeks, and poured the egg mixture over all of it. I baked the quiche for 25 minutes at 350. The aroma of it baking had me drueling the whole time. I served the quiche with Trader Joes Sweet Potato Bisque for a more complete meal.

After realizing that there may be times when I am upable to fulfill my blogging duties, I am happy to announce that Sarah S. will be contributing to this blog on occation. Her specialty is cake baking, a task I generally steer clear of, and she is a stellar photographer so her pics should be dazzling. Three cheers for Sarah S.!

Variations on a Gnocchi

The problem with frozen meals is that they are rarely the right size for me. The frozen meals I am specifically refering to are those that come in a bag, not the budget gourmet type meals in the subdivided plates. Those kind dont set box in my freezer. Most of the ones I have are from Trader Joes and consist of bell pepper farfalle, chimichurri rice, thai carrots, or the subject of this post - Gnocchi alla Sorrentina. I do apologize for the blurry shot, but all the others were worse (yes, its possible!).







So, instead of finishing the entire package of food as I have in the past, I am making a conscious effort to make it into two meals. This is somewhat difficult for me since I get bored with food easily and dont like to eat the same thing twice in a row. I have managed to find a way around my little problem, at least with the TJs Gnocchi.













First, I defrost and cook the gnocchi via package directions and eat about half of whats in the pan. Then, as any grad student is want to do, I leave it in the pan until dinner time at which point I magically revive the sad little gnocchis with some Tomato and Roasted Bell Pepper soup. The pasta sauce for the gnocchis adds a little pizazz to the soup and makes for a wonderfully delicious and easy dinner meal.

What to do with Harvest Grain?

Before I left for Indiana I stopped by Trader Joe's and purchased some items that I knew they didn't have at the Indiana stores. One of the things I bought was this Harvest Grains blend. The thing is, I have NO idea what to do with it.

It is made up of Israeli Couscous, Orzo, Baby Garbanzo Beans, and Red Quinoa. The cooking directions are to bring chicken broth to a boil, add the grain mixture, and simmer covered for 10 minutes.

The serving suggestion provided on the package ("Serve as a side dish with meat") left a little something to be desired. Please let me know what you would do with this product. I really want to bring out its full potential!

Carnitas Pizza with Guacamole

If you read this often it will become evident that I have been having an affair, an affair with Trader Joes. Its been difficult to maintain due to the nearest one being a full hour away from my home in Lafayette but I have stayed true. I particularly love the items available at the California Trader Joes since they have more of a selection than those stores in Indiana. The disparity between the quality of Trader Joes in the two states will be a blog post sometime in the near future.

Today I get to highlight a food item they don’t carry in Indiana: Carnitas. I appreciate that the meat which traditionally has a long preparation time is neatly packaged in useable serving sizes and is pre-cooked! It lacks the large fatty portions of meat that I despise and it isn’t dried out or over salted. The carnitas can easily be shredded by hand, warmed in a pan, tossed with red onions and cilantro, drizzled with lime juice, and served with tortillas or a side of rice. While that is one of my favorite ways to have carnitas, this weekend I tried something new: Carnitas Pizza!

This dish is extremely quick to prepare and all the ingredients can be picked up at the same place: Trader Joes. Here is the list of what you will need:

1 package of Pizza Dough
1 medium Red Onion
4 oz of Mozzarella
4 oz of Mexican Blend Cheese
Cilantro Roasted Pecan Dip
1 package of Carnitas

Follow the directions on the pizza dough since the directions on the bag are designed to get you the best results on your pizza crust. Next, spread the cilantro dip on the dough as though it was your run of the mill pizza sauce. Top the sauce with a thin layer of mozzarella and then add a thin layer of the Mexican blend cheese. The Mexican blend seems to be slightly oilier and less stringy than the mozzarella so by using a base of mozzarella you can cut down on the amount of Mexican blend and, hence, the grease while still getting that stringiness of traditional pizza. Top the cheeses with diced carnitas and sliced red onions.

As a dish to munch on while preparing the meal, I had some chips and guacamole which I later used to top the pizza.

While there are good photos of the uncooked pizza, I had apparently already sampled too much of the Trader Joes knockoff Corona to take any steady photos of the completed version. I do apologize and have since purchased a mini tripod so that my hands don’t have to be quite as stable. Good times!