Pasta Salad. Two of my favorite words in the dictionary. I’m a fool for it, really. In my broke college days I would make a huge cold pasta salad with a vinegar oil dressing – loaded with veggies – and eat off of it for a week! So of course, when Dreamfields Pasta asked if I wanted to join in on their 3^rd Annual Pastapalooza Pasta Salad Celebration, I said yes and jumped on that like a duck on a junebug!

Dreamfields is the creator of Dreamfields Pasta, a delicious all-natural pasta with 5g of fiber, only 5g of digestible carbohydrates per serving and a very low glycemic index. This year for their 3^rd Annual Pastapalooza Pasta Salad Celebration they’re having an international flavor inspired virtual picnic. Yours truly is bringing this delectable Spanish Charcuterie Pasta Salad loaded with layers of fresh flavors including some of my favorite Spanish cured meats.

In the Steele house we love to have appetizers out before a weekend dinner and our favorite is a charcuterie tray, a selection of cured and dry meats, paired with olives, and fresh vegetables. I took that inspiration and used the flavors of Spain: paprika, sherry vinegar, chorizo, serrano ham, oregano and came up with this bright and deliciously flavorful pasta salad — perfect for a summer picnic or side dish at your next BBQ.

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Breakfast has always been my favorite meal of the day and I’m perpetually puzzled by people who ignore it. The last time I skipped breakfast I left my phone on top of my car and drove off, forgot to put shoes on my child then dropped her off at school, didn’t wash the conditioner out of my hair, sounded like I just had a lobotomy on a conference call with a client, and almost set the house on fire cooking dinner. Trust me people, eat your breakfast.

Some of my favorite breakfast recipes are savory and one of the easiest savory breakfast recipes is strata – a cheesy savory bread pudding if you will. This Spinach and Ham Strata is one I make often for brunch. Cheesy, savory, and come back for seconds delicious — there are never any leftovers!

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One of my favorite snacks as a kid was Wasa Crispbread with peanut butter and honey. Back then (when Reagan was president and crimped hair was all the rage) there always seemed to be what I called “Wasa Bread” in the house because my parents were health fanatics and believed these were the best crackers for you–and they weren’t wrong! The wholesome, all-natural ingredients used in Wasa crispbread recipes make them naturally full of fiber and low in fat. Wasa crispbreads contain no trans fats (fats that have been shown to elevate cholesterol) and most do not contain sugar. Of course, at the time I didn’t care how healthy they were; they always tasted great to me. Some years later–minus the crimped hair–I still love to have a Wasa Crispbread for a snack.

With time, not only have my tastes changed, but so have Wasa options. There are many more varieties of Wasa Crispbreads these days, including Multi Grain, Light Rye, Hearty Rye, Fiber Rye, and (my favorites) Sesame, Whole Grain, and Sourdough. What I have always enjoyed about Wasa Crispbreads is that they are crisp and hearty enough to hold a variety of toppings for a snack or even a meal while still being nutritious.

giveaway

The giveaway is now closed. Thanks to everyone who participated! Love me a giveaway. A $25 Gift Card and two boxes of Wasa Crispbread will be given to the lucky person who can tell me what their favorite recipe is using Wasa. Haven’t tried Wasa before? That’s ok. Just tell me what you think a good topping on a Wasa Crispbread would be.

To enter:

1. Leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite recipe is using Wasa.

Giveaway will end at noon central on Wednesday, January 30, 2013. The winner will be notified by e-mail. United States residents only please. Good Luck!

recipe

Now I can’t let you go with out showing you one of my favorite recipes is using Wasa, could I? Cottage Cheese and Peach Compote Crisps are a healthy yet completely satisfying snack or even meal. Layers of sweet and salty make this a fresh and delicious snack that break your calorie count for the day.

Cottage Cheese and Peach Compote Crisps

• 1 cup chopped peaches, fresh or frozen
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 to 3 teaspoons of honey*
• low-fat cottage cheese
• Wasa Crispbread (Whole Grain or Multi-Grain preferred)
• pomegranate arils (optional)

*The amount of honey will depend on the freshness of the peaches. The sweeter the peach the less honey is needed.

In a small pot over medium heat, combine the peaches, water, and honey. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes or until the water has reduced to a syrup.

When the compote has cooled, place 1 to 2 tablespoons of cottage cheese on top of a Wasa Crispbread, I recommend the Whole Grain Crispbread. Top the cottage cheese with a spoonful of the peach compote with syrup. Next sprinkle with pomegranate arils for a pop of color and tang.

Serve and enjoy.

Disclosure: I received the product mentioned above for free for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own

Along with, “Where do you get sock money slippers?” and “What camera do you use?” it’s one of the most common e-mails I get… What cookbooks do you recommend? I love cookbooks because you can never stop learning and being inspired and I’m really particular on what I define as a good cookbook. First of all it must inspire me to cook. If it doesn’t it goes in the donate pile. Second, the recipes have to be fresh and creative. Third, it should have a clean design and stunning or informative photography. With those three criteria (and it’s a bonus if it sucks me in with a story) you have the perfect cookbook, in my opinion at least. So if you are looking for a gift to give the cook or foodie in your life, check out these six fabulous selections.

1. The Farm by Ian Knauer (pictured above)

One of my absolute favorites! The pictures are stunning. The recipes are pure, wholesome, and delicious and the story Ian tells about falling in love and resurrecting his family farm is engaging and inspiring.

2. The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg

This is an essential book for anyone that likes to create their own dishes. It’s a complete source of flavor pairings and recommended to me by Chef Wilcox of the Village Marque.

3. Tartine Bread by Chad Robertson

Beautifully written, this book reads like a novel. Robertson takes you through his discovery to create the perfect bread and teaches you how to create it in your home. Plus side, there are recipes from the Tartine Bakery in San Francisco! Perfect for the bread maker in your life.

4. The Sweet Book of Candy Making by Elizabeth LaBau

This book was sent to me for review (post is coming soon) and I have fallen in love with how simple she makes candy making look. It features step-by-step photography, clear instructions, and most importantly troubleshooting tips. It’s a world full of information that even novice cooks or candy makers would enjoy having in their collection.

5. Bouchon Bakery by Thomas Keller and Sebastien Rouxel

There are just no words to describe the beauty in this book! Thomas Keller takes you back to his childhood favorites and all the French classics he fell in love with that made him first become a master chef. This is a must have for the fanatic chef, cook, and foodies in your life.

6. The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook by Tom Douglas

Perfect for everyone, this glorious books takes you right into Seattle’s famous Dahlia Bakery. From sandwiches and meals to pastries and cookies, this book is simply beautiful to read. Definitely my most used book this holiday season.

There you have it. From my kitchen to yours, Happy Holidays!

Chocolate Truffle Cookies. Three little words that pack a mighty punch. Then add “Dahlia Bakery” to to that and you know you have one of the best cookies on this planet. For those of you who don’t know, the Dahlia Bakery is located in Seattle and known through out the country as one of the nation’s best bakeries. Luckily, you can satisfy your craving for the Dahlia Bakery’s irresistible food even if you don’t live near Seattle. Seattle’s most popular chef and James Beard Outstanding Restaurateur Award winner Tom Douglas shares his secrets for 125 scrumptious treats in his new book, The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook.

I’ve thumbed through this book and made a few recipes and I have to say it is honestly now one of my favorites! I wouldn’t review it if I didn’t think it had potential. Engaging and beautiful, Tom Douglas’ The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook is full of gorgeous photos and informative recipes that bring you into the bakery itself. From The “Seattle”–an English muffin sandwich with cured wild salmon–to the Best Créme Caramel In The World, this cookbook has everything for every taste. I highly recommend it and give it two slippers up, so to speak! Find out where to purchase The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook, visit harpercollins.com.

So, without further adieu, I give you the recipe for the insanely delicious famous Dahlia Bakery Chocolate Truffle Cookies.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the product mentioned above for free for review purposes from William Morrow. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Can a simple paring knife be sexy? Normally I would say, no until I found this paring knife from New West Knife Works and let me tell you it’s the sexiest little knife I’ve ever had in my hand. Seriously.

Not only gorgeous, the Fusionwood 2.0 Paring Knife is one of the best performing knives I now own. Made with powder metal super steel CPM S35VN combined with their unique blade shape and grinding method, New West Knife Works creates a paring knife unparallelled in performance. Basically… this knife is amazing.

I put it to the test the other day by simply cutting sections out of a clementine, something that all other paring knives I’ve used just can not do without making a horrible mess and leaving me with bits and pieces of citrus. The verdict… beautiful perfect slices and a peel that sliced off like butter. I highly, highly, highly recommend this knife for anyone, no matter what your skill level is in the kitchen.

New West Knife Works is an American company. Their knifes are made in the USA with USA made steel, sustainably harvested wood, and have a lifetime garantee. For more information about New West Kife Works visit their website, NewWestKnifeWorks.com, and check out their Facebook page for a fabulous giveaway (until 12/20/2012) for a chance to win a four peice knife set!

giveaway

The giveaway is now closed. Thanks to everyone who participated. Because I’m incredibly in love with this knife, New West Knife Works is graciously giving me a Fusionwood 2.0 Paring Knife valued at $99 (just like the one I have) to give to one of you!

to enter:

1. Leave a comment here telling us who in your life (it can be you) deserves this amazing knife.
2. “like” InSockMonkeySlippers on Facebook and/or Twitter – leave a comment here
3. “like” New West Knife Works on Facebook - leave a comment here

The giveaway will end Friday, December 14, 2012, at noon central. The winner will be chosen randomly and will be notified by e-mail. United States residents only, please. Good Luck!

Disclosure: I received the product mentioned above for free for review purposes from New West Knife Works. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Coq au vin – roster with wine – is a French dish where a roster is slowly braised in red wine (Burgundy) with mushrooms. This dish is nowhere near that but swerves down the road close to it. This is Coq au Vin’s second cousin, if you will. The black sheep of the family because it went to art school and married a musician. Hmm… that sounds vaguely familiar.

I absoulutely love this dish and if you come over to my house for a dinner party you have a good chance of being served this because I can make it the day ahead. Ever since Chef Tre Wilcox taught me how to make Coq au Vin in a cooking class I have been stuck trying to create different variations and this is my favorite.

Succulent and uniquely spiced with Chinese five spice, this recipe for Spiced Coq au Vin will have your mouth watering the moment it hits the oven. I know this because it to me happens every time. The flavors are amazing and the chicken is so tender it falls off the bone. It’s one of our family favorites and even Mia at four years old will clean her plate.

the tools

In the past I’ve made this dish in a saute pan and then transferred it to a baking dish but after trying out this 5 qt. Enameled Cast Iron Braiser there’s no going back.

It’s from the Martha Stewart Collection, Collector’s Enameled Cast Iron and it’s fabulous. The heavy duty design makes it perfect for slow braising and it’s also safe to use on the stove top for searing making this a true one pot cooker. Pros: heavy duty design for even cooking, large enough to cook family meals, super easy to clean, and it looks fantastic on my stove. Cons: I haven’t found any yet. Although you don’t absolutely need the braiser to cook this recipe, I highly recommend it and I highly recommend this one from the Collector’s Enameled Cast Iron Collection from Martha Stewart.

Spiced Coq au Vin {chicken braised in red wine) serves 4 

• 6 to 8 chicken thighs with the skin on (figure 2 a serving)
• 1 Tablespoon Chinese Five Spice*
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon grapeseed or canola oil
• 1 yellow onion, peeled and quartered
• 3 plum or roma tomatoes, halved
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 sprigs fresh oregano
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 cup water

* Chinese Five Spice is a traditional Chinese blend of ground star anise, Szechuan peppercorns, cinnamon, cloves and fennel seeds. It can be found at most grocery stores or specialty shops.

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a bowl, combine the Chinese five spice, salt and pepper. Rub this mixture over all chicken thighs, covering every surface including underneath the skin.

In a large cast iron braising pot that is safe for the stove top, heat oil over high until hot and smoking. I mean hot and make sure to turn your vent hood on. You don’t want to set off the smoke detectors, do you? Place the chicken thighs skin side down in the hot pot. Sear for about 3 minutes until golden brown and then flip each thigh and sear the underside. You can also do this in a skillet and transfer to a baking/casserole dish. Do not over crowd the pan. If your braising pot is not large enough for all of the thighs at once do this in two batches of four.

Remove the chicken to a plate and cover with foil. Place the onions, tomatoes, and garlic in the pot with a pinch of salt. Simmer until the onions become translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add wine and stir, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Bring the wine to a boil. Cook until the wine is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add water and stir. Turn off heat.

Return the chicken thighs to the braising pot, nestling them in the wine, onions, and tomatoes. Add the thyme and oregano. Cover with a lid or tightly cover with foil. Place in the oven and cook for 1 hour.

Once the chicken is finished cooking, remove the thighs to a plate and cover with foil. Place a strainer on top of a sauce pot. Pour the juices, onions, tomatoes, garlic, and herbs into the strainer. With a wooden spoon press the mixture to make sure all cooking juices strain from the vegetables. Remove the strainer and add a pinch of Chinese Spice. Bring the cooking juices to a high simmer over medium high heat. Simmer until the cooking juices have reduced to 1/3 a cup and has thickened.

Plate the spiced coq au vin. With a spoon drizzle the reduction over the chicken. Serve with mashed potatoes, risotto, roasted vegetables, or whatever you desire. Tonight, I’m serving it with Demerara sugard mashed sweet potatoes and garlic roasted brussels sprouts. I’m getting hungry just looking at this picture. The flavor of the chicken is outstanding and the meat just falls off the bone!

Falls off the bone, I tell you! Seriously… it’s wicked good.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the product mentioned above for free for review purposes from GigaSavvy. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Not too long ago, I partnered up with Barilla to bring you the Farmers Market Challenge with a nice little giveaway. We also created a tasty dish with Barilla PLUS Pasta and a simple Roasted Tomato Basil Sauce. Today, I’m exited to tell you that Barilla has revamped their packaging and expanded their Blue Box family to include 2 new lines of Better for You products – Veggie & White Fiber!  These new products will feature the new Blue packaging, along with their Whole Grain and Classic Blue Box pastas.  And as before, your favorite PLUS pasta will still be found in its familiar yellow packaging.

Y’all know how much I love coffee but what you may not know is my weakness for lattes. In my college days I was so addicted that I bought an espresso/latte machine to save money. It was an absolute failure because it was impossible to use and when I did happen upon a miracle and correctly make a latte the thing was so hard to clean it wasn’t worth the trouble. Although it never gave me a good latte, it finally gave me joy as the boxed promised. I gave it to a pretentious ex-boyfriend with hopes that he thought of me every time he used it and cursed the day I walked into his life. This made me smile.

Lately, I’ve had to budget my latte intake as it isn’t to kind to my wallet. That’s why I was really excited when I was contacted to have a coffee date with a Mr. Coffee Café Latte and a few of my food blogging friends. With the Mr. Coffee® Café Latte, you can create authentic coffeehouse style drinks without having to deal with traffic, long lines, or baristas. The whole idea of creating my ideal coffeehouse at home with my perfect mug, my favorite chair, the essential soundtrack, and my dog at my feet while sipping lattes at home with my amazing blogger friends online is just too hard to pass up.

To get our coffee date started I’m making a Caramel Spiced Latte. To my surprise the Mr. Coffee Café Latte can make many hot drinks such as hot chocolate, all different types of lattes, coffee drinks with liquor, tea based lattes, and anything your little creative heart can come up with. Please, get comfy, grab a latte and join Susan from She’s Becoming DoughMessTic, Angie from Eclectic Recipes, Brandi from Bran Appetit, and myself for a little ”coffee talk.”

Remember, holiday season is upon us. This awesome all-in-one Mr. Coffee Café Latte would make a great holiday gift! Mr. Coffee is extending a special offer to our blog readers: $10 off and free shipping on the purchase of a Café Latte at www.mrcoffeelatte.com. (Enter promo code: MLAT10A).  Please visit http://www.mrcoffeelatte.com to purchase and find the Mr. Coffee® Café Latte recipes.

The Mr. Coffee Café Latte is unlike any latte maker I’ve used because it is an all-in-one brew and froth machine. No burn your hand hard to clean steamer here.

To start, simply place a filter in the basket and add ground espresso or even coffee (3 tablespoons for a single cup or 6 tablespoons for a double) to the filter. Add cold water to the water reservoir to the desired water level. Close the lid.

Remove the pitcher from the base and add milk filling to the single cup mark line or the double cup mark line. For a Caramel Spiced Latte, add 1 teaspoon caramel syrup, 2 pinches of cinnamon, and 2 pinches of fresh grated nutmeg. Return the pitcher with lid back to the base.

Next, and here’s the extremely hard part, push the selector switch up to the latte function and lower the on/off button to turn on.

In just a few quick minutes, the espresso brews into the pitcher with the milk and then the frothing wand starts to spin creating a thick luxurious foam.

When it’s finished, raise the on/off lever and remove the pitcher from the base. Pour latte into a mug and spoon on any additional foam.

Top with a small pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Delicious, warm, and inviting. Perfect to sip at home while laughing with your friends about those pretentious ex-boyfriends.

I received the product mentioned above for free for review purposes from Mr. Coffee. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Who wants a package of these sinfully Sweet and Spicy Praline Pecans, made by yours truly, to arrive at their doorstep?

My friend Megan with the tasty food blog, Wanna Be A Country Cleaver, is hosting a Bake Sale to benefit the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America. The bake sale ends TODAY, October 29th, 2012. So, if you would like to taste one of my favorite fall treats (and you should because they’re fantastic) head on over to her blog today and bid. You will be helping a good cause and getting a sweet reward in return.

To view and bid on the bake sale, please visit the Bake Sale For Beka.

Cheers!