Chocolate Popovers

You know the saying, "I left my heart in San Francisco"? Well, one day I dined at the Rotunda in Neiman Marcus in San Francisco and I think I did [leave my heart there]. They served me the most incredible thing I had ever eaten - a popover! What's a popover? Well, it is an incredibly light roll which rises to form a hollow shell when baked. And these popovers were light-as-air, oh-so-fluffy and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. This recipe will have to tie me over until I make it back up there again.

Chocolate Popovers

Ingredients
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup heavy cream, whipped to stiff peaks
1 cup fresh strawberries, cleaned and diced

Directions 
Preheat oven to 375F. Grease 6-cup popover pan or muffin pan.

Sift flour, granulated sugar, cocoa and salt into medium bowl; set aside. Beat eggs in large bowl with electric mixer at low speed 1 minute. Beat in milk, butter and vanilla. Beat in flour mixture until smooth.

Pour batter into prepared pan, equally dividing between the cups; about 2/3 full.

Bake for 35 minutes, without opening the oven, at which point, prick each popover a few times with a toothpick, to allow the steam to escape. This helps prevent exploding popovers. Lower the temperature to 325 degrees and continuing baking for another 10-15 minutes, or just until the popovers are brown (a little hard to tell as they are chocolate, of course).

Immediately remove popovers to wire rack. Serve immediately, while still warm, with whipped cream and strawberries.

Twix Caramel Popcorn

Caramel popcorn is one of our favorite fall snacks. One day I decided to jazz it up with one of my favorite candy bars – Twix. All I can is, “Wow!” Sweet and crunchy, this is the perfect sweet snack for movie night, game day and Halloween. This is super easy to make but looks oh-so-gourmet.

Twix Caramel Popcorn
Makes a lot!

Ingredients
5 quarts plain air popped popcorn
1 cup butter
2 cups light brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
20 "fun size" Twix candy bars, chopped
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted-to drizzle over popcorn

Directions
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Place popcorn in a large bowl and set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla extract. Pour caramel in a thin stream over popcorn, stirring to coat. Gently stir until all of the popcorn is covered.

Place popcorn on two large shallow baking sheets and bake in preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, for about an hour. Remove popcorn from oven and let cool completely.

Break popcorn into pieces and mix in chopped Twix candy bars. Drizzle popcorn with melted chocolate. Let the popcorn sit until chocolate hardens, about 30 minutes. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.

Steak, Asparagus & Chimichurri Pasta

Ever dress your skirt steaks with a dollop of Chimichurri? If you’ve never had it, you’re definitely missing out. Chimichurri is a steak condiment originally from Argentina and made from parsley, olive oil, garlic, salt, lemon juice, red wine vinegar and red pepper flakes. It’s rich and herbal, tangy and a little spicy. It’s the perfect accompaniment for grilled beef.

Since Chimichurri also resembles pesto, I figured it would make a great pasta sauce. And I was right. I grilled a skirt steak and some asparagus and tossed them with Rigatoni and a fresh batch of Chimichurri. I loved the grilled flavors with the pasta and garlicky sauce.

This is the perfect meal to eat outdoors when the weather is nice and you have a big frosty beer or chilly glass of wine. Is it the weekend yet?

Steak, Asparagus & Chimichurri Pasta
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients
For the chimichurri:
3 cloves garlic
2 cups Italian parsley, loosely packed
1 cup olive oil
1 tsp. red wine vinegar
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. salt
1 lb. Rigatoni
1 lb. skirt steak
1 tsp. salt
1 lb. thick asparagus, tough ends removed

Directions
For the Chimichurri: Place all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until all large pieces of parsley and garlic are gone. If you don’t have a blender, chop the garlic and parsley finely, then whisk with the remaining ingredients. Set aside.

Heat your grill to medium-high and sprinkle the steak with 1 tsp. salt. Once the grill is hot, place the steak and asparagus on it. Turn the asparagus often, ensuring it doesn’t burn. Remove it when it’s tender, but still crisp (time depends on how thick your asparagus is, about 5 – 8 minutes). Cook the steak to your desired done-ness, then remove and let sit for 5 minutes. Slice the steak into bite-sized pieces and cut the asparagus into 1-inch pieces.

While you’re grilling, set a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Once it comes to a boil, salt it thoroughly and add the rigatoni. Cook until al dente, then drain and return to pot.

Toss the pasta with half the amount of Chimichurri until well coated. Toss in the steak and asparagus and serve.

Risotto Primavera

I love risotto. And I love primavera dishes: pasta, pizza, lasagna. This recipe can be whipped up pretty quickly (for risotto) and you can pack it with whatever veggies you can find. A perfect go-to dish when you want to feed your kids veggies. So creamy, flavorful and utterly good.

Risotto Primavera
Serves 8

Ingredients
5 cans low sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
½ whole large yellow onion, finely diced
3 whole carrots, peeled and finely diced
½ cups cauliflower pieces
½ cups broccoli pieces
1 whole yellow squash, finely diced
½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil (additional)
1 tablespoon butter (additional)
1-½ cup Arborio rice
1-½ cup dry white wine
1½ teaspoon kosher salt (additional), more to taste
½ cups frozen peas
4 ounces, weight cream cheese cheese
½ cups grated Parmesan cheese
Optional vegetables to substitute: mushrooms, red bell pepper, zucchini, asparagus pieces

Directions
Pour chicken broth into a small saucepan. Heat to a simmer.

In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter. Add diced onions and diced carrots. Stir and cook for a minute or two. Add cauliflower and cook for a minute. Add broccoli and cook for 30 seconds. Add squash and cook for 30 seconds. Sprinkle in salt and stir. Remove from pan and put on a plate. Set aside.

Add 1 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter to the same pan. Heat over medium-low heat. Add rice and stir, cooking for 1 minute. Add half the wine and 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt. Stir and cook until liquid is absorbed. Over the next 30 to 45 minutes, add 1 cup of simmering broth at a time, stirring and cooking until each addition of broth has absorbed. Add other half of wine and cook until absorbed. Add peas, stirring to combine. Taste to make sure rice is the right texture; add another helping of broth if rice has too much bite to it. Check salt content and add more salt if necessary.

Once rice is cooked, remove from heat. Stir in cream cheese, Parmesan, and vegetables until all cream cheese is combined.

Chorizo Potato Tacos

Every night’s a good night to cozy up on the couch with a great movie and even better food. It’s action movie night and there’s no time to lose. Make these chorizo-potato tacos in a flash.

Chorizo Potato TacosChorizo Potato Tacos
Yields 4

Ingredients
2 medium red-skinned potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium yellow squash, diced
Freshly ground pepper
8 ounces fresh chorizo or other spicy sausage, casings removed
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 scallion, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced (remove seeds for less heat)
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
8 corn tortillas
¼ cup crumbled cotija or feta cheese
Sour cream and/or guacamole, for serving (optional)

Directions
Put the potatoes in a microwave-safe bowl, add 1/2 cup water and season with salt. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a medium skillet over high heat, then add the squash and cook until browned but still crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a bowl. Add the sausage to the skillet and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until it begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and cooking water and cook, tossing, until the potatoes are browned and the sausage is cooked through, 5 to 6 more minutes. Season with salt.

Combine the tomatoes, scallion, jalapeno and cilantro in a bowl and season with salt. Warm the tortillas in a dry skillet or wrap in a damp towel and warm in the microwave, about 1 minute. Fill with the squash and chorizo mixture and sprinkle with the cheese and salsa. Top with sour cream and/or guacamole, if desired.

Bistro Salad with Spinach Caesar Dressing

It’s foreign film night: go French. Get in the mood for a foreign film with this fantastic salad. Bistro Salad is the star of this movie-night, featuring heirloom tomatoes, cremini mushrooms and fresh mozzarella balls tossed in a roasted garlic and spinach dressing.

Bistro Salad with Spinach Caesar Dressing
Yields 6

Ingredients
For the Dressing:
1 head garlic
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Kosher salt
1 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
3 anchovy fillets
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Freshly ground pepper

For the Salad:
½ pound pancetta, diced
3 thick slices ciabatta bread
Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
½ pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
Juice of 1 lemon
1 pound small heirloom tomatoes, halved or cut into wedges
¼ pound small mozzarella balls, quartered
1/3 cup loosely packed fresh parsley

Directions
Make the dressing: Preheat the oven to 350. Cut the top ½ inch off the garlic head and discard; place the garlic on a piece of foil, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and wrap up. Roast until tender, 30 minutes. Cool; squeeze the cloves from their skins.

Puree the roasted garlic, spinach, anchovies, egg yolk, mustard, vinegar and ¾ cup water in a blender. With the motor running, slowly add 1 cup olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Prepare the salad: Preheat the broiler. Cook the pancetta in a skillet over medium heat until crisp, 6 minutes; transfer to paper towels to drain. Reserve the drippings in the skillet. Brush the bread with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and broil until toasted. Cool, then cut into cubes.

Toss the mushrooms, lemon juice, tomatoes, mozzarella and parsley in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the pancetta, bread cubes and 2 tablespoons of the pancetta drippings and toss. Divide among bowls and drizzle with dressing.

Steak with Blue Cheese Butter and Celery Salad

Make it a DIY Date Night. Cue up the latest romantic flick and create a romantic feast featuring Steak with Blue Cheese Butter. This dish is sure to impress. Richly flavored, charred steak with blue cheese butter contrasts beautifully with cool and crunchy celery salad.

Steak with Blue Cheese Butter and Celery Salad
Yields 4

Ingredients
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
4 6-to-7-ounce rib-eye steaks
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
4 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon

Directions
Soak the onion slices in a bowl of cold water, about 10 minutes. Pierce the steaks with a fork and season with salt and pepper. Mix the Worcestershire and hot sauce in a baking dish, add the steaks and turn to coat; set aside while you prepare the butter and salad.

Mash the butter, blue cheese and 1 tablespoon parsley in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Drain the onion and pat dry, then toss with the celery, 1 tablespoon olive oil and the remaining 2 tablespoons parsley in another bowl. Grate the zest from half of the lemon into the celery mixture and squeeze in all of the juice. Season with salt and pepper and toss.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat, then add the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil and cook the steaks until browned on the bottom, 3 to 5 minutes. Flip and continue to cook 3 to 5 more minutes for medium-rare. Transfer to a plate and let rest 5 minutes. Top with the blue-cheese butter and serve with the celery salad.