June 29, 2016

Berry Cobbler + Papa’s 88th Birthday

laura.smoak@gmail.com Life, Sweets 2 Comments

This past weekend was a very special one for our family. Andy and I celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary (love you, bae) and my family came together to celebrate my grandfather’s 88^th birthday. Papa: the man, the myth, the legend…

I’m sure a lot of people feel this way, but my family really is the best (I mean that for all sides, but this particular party was with my dad’s side). We love getting together and we all genuinely enjoy each other. Here’s what a typical gathering may look like…

It looks like hot dogs and hamburgers and brats and fixins and loaded potato salad.
It looks like cake and pie and cobbler and Yum Yum Ice Cream.
It looks like Cheerwine and Coca-Cola in glass bottles.
It looks like croquet and corn hole and bubbles in the backyard.
It looks like great grandbabies eating ice out of the drink tub while taking a break from chasing each other around the yard.
It looks like my favorite four-year-old helping make berry cobbler.
It looks like Anna Ruth eating all of the leftover blueberries.
It looks like Jack’s shirt coming off because he cannot eat a popsicle without juice going everywhere.
It looks like laughter and fun.

It looks like my grandfather seeing his four kids and spouses, and his eight grandkids and three spouses (and two boyfriends that I’m preeeeetty sure are here for the long haul), and his three great grandkids – and hopefully feeling immense joy for the life he and my grandmother created.

We’re all getting busier, but whenever we get together it’s as if no time has passed. We play, pray, eat and laugh, and it’s really the best.

My contribution to this particular shindig was the berry cobbler. The base of my recipe is from an old episode of the Pioneer Woman, but instead of using blackberries I use raspberries and blueberries. This cobbler is so easy I literally memorized the recipe while watching the show. I just remember her saying “a cup of, a cup of, a cup of,” and that was it. Once you have the base down, you can sub any other berries or even peaches. Since we’re so close to July 4^th, I decided to be patriotic and go for the red, white and blue look, so rasp/blue berry cobbler it is!

Cobbler is such a perfect summer dessert, and the red, white and blue makes for a fun 4^th treat! This particular cobbler is especially great if you have a little chef that likes to help in the kitchen. Abigail helped mix the batter and added the berries – she was so proud of herself. If you’ve been following for a while, you may remember how I don’t bake very often. It’s because baking is so…precise. This does require measuring, but everything is a cup, so we won’t be dirtying every measuring spoon in the house. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 stick butter
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1-2 cups berries (I use a 5 oz container of raspberries and 3/4-1 cup blueberries – just eyeball it)
¼ cup sugar (for topping)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a cast iron skillet (or 9×13 pan) with cooking spray.
Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl.
Combine the flour and sugar in a mixing bowl. Whisk in the milk and then the butter.
Pour the mixture into the cast iron skillet (or baking dish), then add the berries.
Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of sugar over the top, then bake for an hour until the top is golden and bubbly.

June 22, 2016

Roasted Garlic Hummus

laura.smoak@gmail.com Appetizer, Dips, Prep Ahead, Vegan, Veggies 0 Comments

Happy third day of Summmmmer, y’all!! Today I’m taking you to the core of our summer eating habits that get us through 2/3 of our meals: fresh, simple, no cook, ready to throw on a plate and call it lunch/dinner.

No – we don’t eat roasted garlic hummus per-se for 2/3 of our meals in the summer, but you get the gist of what I’m saying, right? This is just an example of how a summer meal might go.

Grill chicken breasts while playing in the back yard.
Buy and chop the entire produce section.
Put grilled chicken on plates with fresh hummus and crudité (crudité is fancy for chopped veggies <–someone please tell me you get that reference).
Done.

Let’s get a few things out of the way…

This recipe is adapted from a recipe given to me by one of Andy’s great uncles (hiiii, Jack!). His late wife was Syrian, and the base recipe was from her, so I feel pretty good about this being truly authentic. I just tweaked it by roasting the garlic, rather than using raw.

I know I said “no cook.” That’s mostly true, but – yes – to make this you do have to roast garlic first. If you’re feeling particularly lazy you can just substitute with 3-4 cloves of raw garlic. The flavor won’t be as sweet and caramelized-y as with roasted, but it is also very delicious.

Yes, you can buy a popular brand of hummus with roasted garlic, but then you’re not getting it evenly distributed like you are here, and this recipe makes about double what you would buy at the store (for about a third of what you would spend buying two tubs). Also, this fresh, homemade version skips all of the added toxic chemicals in store-bought roasted garlic hummus (<– J/K – I am SOOOOO not that mom – I am NOT seriously saying the added ingredients are toxic). We aren’t above store-bought hummus, but I generally have all of the ingredients on hand to make my own, and you know I love any excuse to use my food processor. 😉

As mentioned, we’re roasting our own garlic here. Don’t be afraid – it’s really easy! Cut the top off, drizzle with olive oil, wrap in foil, roast in oven. Easy peasy! A whole head of garlic sounds like a lot, but it really isn’t that pungent once it’s roasted and soft and golden. We love roasted garlic so much that I don’t think I would mind even doubling the amount in the recipe.

I generally keep things easy and just serve the hummus with pita wedges and crudité, but it’s also great on a Greek salad, or as a sandwich spread. Let me know other ways you enjoy using hummus!

Ingredients:

1 head garlic
1/2 tsp olive oil
2 (15.5 oz) cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
4 tbsp tahini
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1 tsp salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the top off of the garlic and drizzle with the olive oil. Wrap in foil and roast in the oven for 40-50 minutes, until soft and golden. (Start checking around 40 minutes. The longer you roast the deeper golden it will become.)
Once the garlic cools, remove the cloves from the skin.
Place all ingredients in a food processor. Blend for one minute, then scrape down the sides of the food processor to ensure all ingredients are well mixed. Run the food processor for another five minutes until very smooth and well blended.
Enjoy with crudité and pita wedges!

Notes: as written this hummus is thick. You can thin out to a looser consistency by adding 1-2 tbsp of water at a time until desired consistency is reached.

June 15, 2016

Fiesta Summer Salad

laura.smoak@gmail.com Dips, Sides, Vegan, Veggies 1 Comment

Fiesta Summer Salad: AKA tomato, black bean, corn, onion, cilantro, avocado, lime salad. Whew. That mouthful in itself is enough for me to give this an obnoxious name like Fiesta Summer Salad. We’re going there, guys, hand in hand.

The truth is, you guys, I really don’t know what this is exactly. It’s a side “salad,” a dip, a topper of anything Mexican-inspired – tacos, nachos, burritos, etc. The one thing I am 100% certain of, though, is that this is the freshest salad/dip/topper ev-er.

Remember those fish tacos from a couple of weeks ago? This is what we make with those. It doesn’t stop there, though. This fiesta summer salad is the perfect side for anytime you grill meat and other veggies because 1) it’s a side and 2) it can also be a salsa-like topping for the meat.

It’s best to make everything minus the avocado ahead of time to let all of the flavors get cozy, then just dice up the avocado just before you’re ready to serve. Easy peasy!

My favorite part about this fiesta summer salad is that, while it’s not only vegan, it has no oil or salt. You heard me. No oil or salt. We’re working with all plant-based ingredients today. While you can salt this just before eating, I honestly don’t think it needs it…neither does Andy, who notoriously likes to salt his food. If you’re going to do it, though, just wait until you’re ready to serve – otherwise the salt will bring out the juices and make this much runnier than it should be.

Ingredients:

1 (15 oz) can black beans – drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can yellow corn – drained and rinsed
4-5 vine ripe tomatoes
1 red onion
1 large handful cilantro
2 tbsp lime juice
1 avocado

Directions:

Dice the tomatoes and onion, and mince the cilantro.
Combine beans, corn, tomatoes, onion, cilantro and lime juice in a bowl. Cover and store in the fridge for at least an hour, if not longer.
When ready to serve, peel and dice the avocado then stir into the salad.
Enjoy!

June 8, 2016

Basic Stromboli

laura.smoak@gmail.com Quick and Easy Mains 3 Comments

We’re going in a new direction on the blog today. A cheesy, meaty, saucy, doughy direction, and I’m loving it.

I’m calling this “basic” stromboli for several reasons:

It’s the standard ham, pepperoni and mozzarella combo you’d order at a pizza place
It’s the jumping off point for dozens of other strombolis made with whatever toppings you like
It is so BASIC and easy that I almost feel silly sharing it and calling myself a food blogger
It is so BASIC and easy that it is my duty as a food blogger to share it with you
Points 3 & 4 –> glimpse of how my mind works

Guys, this stromboli is probably the easiest weeknight meal we’ve ever had, and that includes take-out. You only need five minutes of prep – count that 1.2.3.4.5 – and then you have a delicious dinner in the oven, ready in 15-20 minutes. It’s kind of like pizza, but in a form that is way more fun to eat (i.e., it’s dunkable). If nothing else the Peascoes are sauce lovers. Marinara, ranch, red pepper sauce. You name it and we’ll probably want to try it. Stromboli is the perfect vessel for all of your dunking needs.

In addition to being a great weeknight meal, this is also a great picky eater kid friendly meal. Remember my favorite little 4-year-old, Abigail? Girlfriend doesn’t like much, but of this stromboli she said, “this is the best thing I’ve ever had.” BOOM. Abigail approved, so just trust that means it literally is one of the best things you’ll ever have.

Let’s look at the cast of characters: pizza dough, pizza sauce, deli ham, pepperoni and mozzarella. I recently found this brand of pizza dough at Harris Teeter, and I can’t go back to the more well-known, blue tube brand (find it in the same refrigerator as the tubes of biscuits and other dough). Any rectangular dough will work, but if you have access to it, I highly recommend. It’s the perfect rectangle, and it even comes with its own parchment paper, so literally no clean-up afterwards. The sauce can be whatever brand you like, as well as the mozzarella. For the ham, I just use a cheap-o brand from the grocery store. Feel free to get it from the deli, but I’ve found that it really doesn’t make a difference. Then there’s the pepperoni. You can absolutely use regular pepperoni, but these minis are just so darn cute.

There you have it. My most basic of the basics stromboli. We’ve also made these with sausage and mushrooms, and that was equally delicious. These are so fun and easy, you can make any combination you want and it will be delicious. Let me know what other combinations you come up with!

Ingredients:

1 roll rectangular pizza dough
¼ cup pizza sauce
6-8 slices thin sliced black forest ham
½ cup mini pepperonis
1 cup shredded mozzarella
½ tbsp butter – melted (optional)
Garlic powder (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven according to your pizza dough instructions. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (unless using dough that comes with parchment). Roll out dough.
Spread the pizza sauce over the dough, leaving about 1-2 inches along the top length.
Cover the sauce with a single layer of ham, followed by the mini pepperoni and shredded mozzarella.
Fold up the bottom third of the dough over the middle. Bring the top half down and seal it together. Seal the ends so the sauce and cheese doesn’t ooze out while cooking.
Cut 3-4 slits in the top to let the air escape while cooking.
Optional: if you’re feeling fan-say, melt a half tablespoon of butter and brush over the top. Follow that with a light sprinkle of garlic powder and salt.
Bake according to your pizza dough instructions. The top should be golden brown and juices bubbling out of the slits.
Cut into eight pieces and enjoy!

Notes: we like to dip ours in marinara sauce or ranch – YUM!

June 1, 2016

The Best Fish Tacos

laura.smoak@gmail.com Seafood 2 Comments

See what I just did there? I just told you this is a recipe for The Best Fish Tacos. I don’t take that statement lightly. Let me be super clear: THESE ARE THE BEST FISH TACOS. You will want to eat them 24/7/365, and when you’re not eating them 24/7/365 you’ll be dreaming about and counting down the minutes until you can have them again.

These fish tacos are made up of three crucial parts: well-seasoned fish, a spicy mayo and a citrusy slaw. It’s these three parts combined that make these the best fish tacos you’ll want every day for the rest of your life. If all three parts are not adequately represented (while still good) it just doesn’t make as much sense. You’ve got spice from the fish and the chipotle mayo, but then – oh hayyyyy!! – here comes the zippy cilantro lime slaw to cool your mouth down and give a little crunch. You guys, just trust me on this – these tacos are made up of a perfect trifecta. Do not leave one out.

I don’t know how Andy and I came to making our fish tacos this way, but we’ve been doing them for probably eight years now, and we just can’t get enough. We’ve made them for so many people over the years, and a lot of those people have made this their go-to fish taco recipe because it is just that good and it is just that easy.

We had these this past Memorial Day weekend while we were at the beach with friends, and I’m 99% sure everyone loved them. As written the recipe feeds eight adults, leaving just a little slaw leftover. (Don’t worry, you can easily half this.) Three pounds of fish sounds like a lot, and I honestly thought there would be leftovers, but I guess the fact that there weren’t just speaks to how delicious they are. Speaking of the beach – check out these three cuties that had a blast spending the long weekend in the sun and sand…so, so much sand. Fish tacos and beach babies. Does it get any better?

We served the tacos with a fresh veggie salad/side/dip thing (recipe coming soon), and it was the perfect beach slash way to start the summer meal.

You’ll get the best results if you make the slaw and mayo a couple hours ahead of time, so the flavors really have time to meld together. If you don’t have a mini food processor, no worries, just chop the chilis in adobo and cilantro really finely. If you don’t have one, though, I would really consider getting one. I make so many sauces so quickly (especially in the summertime) that it is totally worth the $35 spent. If you’re wondering – yes, I did bring it to the beach with us because I have become that obnoxious sauce person that can’t even go for one weekend without using my mini.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

3 lbs white fish (we generally use mahi mahi, but grouper is also good)
1 tbsp olive oil
Corn or flour tortillas
Seasoning mix:

1 tbsp EACH cumin and chili powder
1/2 tsp EACH paprika and salt
1/8 tsp cayenne (optional)

Cilantro lime slaw:

2 (10 oz) bags shredded cabbage
Large handful cilantro (leaves and stems)
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil

Chipotle mayo:

1 cup mayonnaise
3 chipotle peppers in adobo (plus about a tbsp of the adobo sauce)
Small handful cilantro (leaves and stems)
2 tbsp lime juice

Directions:

Combine all of the seasonings in a bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.
Prepare the slaw: chop the cilantro, then combine with remaining ingredients. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve (this does best when made a couple of hours in advance).
Prepare the chipotle mayo: place all ingredients in a mini food processor and pulse until well combined. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve (also does best when made ahead).
Rub the olive oil onto the fish then season liberally with the spice mixture. (If you are making this for fewer people, just use part and save the remaining mixture for next time.)
*Heat your grill to medium. Starting with skin side up, cook the fish over direct heat for 5 minutes, then flip and continue cooking another 5-10 minutes until done. The fish is done when you can flake it easily with a fork. Once done, slice into strips for serving.
Layer each tortilla with some fish, slaw and chipotle mayo.
Enjoy!

Notes: this is the amount we used to feed 8 adults. The slaw can keep for an additional day or two, and the chipotle mayo for up to a week, but we ate all but a small bit of slaw. If making this for a smaller group, just cut in half.

*You can bake the fish in the oven, as well. Just google how to bake the particular fish you’re using. For mahi mahi it’s 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes.