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This cooking video is for one of our family’s favorite dishes. I make these Portobello Dip Sandwiches often!

PORTOBELLO DIP SANDWICHES

Ingredients.
1 baguette
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon parsley, minced
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 large portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 portobello mushroom stems, cubed
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 quart vegetable broth
4 tablespoons
low sodium soy sauce
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
paprika
extra virgin olive oil
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions.
Slice the baguette into four pieces, cut each of the four sections into eight open faced sandwich pieces. Place the pieces, cut side up, on a cookie sheet. Mix together the butter, garlic, Parmesan cheese, parsley and mayonnaise in a small bowl. Spread evenly on the open side of the bread. Sprinkle each piece with a pinch of paprika. Set aside.

In a small saucepan combine the vegetable broth, soy sauce and mushroom stems. Cover and simmer over low heat.

Meanwhile heat a bit of olive oil in a large skillet and sauté the thinly sliced mushrooms until golden brown. Set aside.

Add a little more olive oil to the pan and sauté the bell peppers and onions together until they are softened and lightly browned. Return the mushrooms to pan. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Using a strainer, pour the vegetable broth sauce into the pan. Discard the stems. Stir and simmer on low for a few minutes. Turn off the heat. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to a bowl. Strain the sauce into another bowl.

Start the oven broiler and cook the garlic bread just until it’s golden and bubbling. Remove from the oven and top each piece with a good amount of the vegetables. Top with a bit mozzarella cheese and another pinch of paprika. Return to the broiler until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately with the sauce. Enjoy!

PRINTABLE RECIPE.
PORTOBELLO DIP SANDWICHES

Portobello Mushroom French Dip Sandwiches RecipePIN

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This week the freezing air swept in and it’s officially winter. It feels like fall just hurried past. A couple weeks ago we had a wonderful day with our good friends embracing the fall by gathering apples and pressing fresh apple cider. Our friends, Ivy and Mike, acquired a press last year and we ready to put it to good use this fall. Kyle’s boss has an apple orchards so we headed up into the hills with our neighbors Patrick and Kate and their son, Waylon… who is Gigi’s regular partner in crime. The orchard was wet and muddy but these two tiny helpers didn’t seem to mind at all and we quickly had our bin filled with apples.

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Then it was time to head to Mike and Ivy’s house with our bounty. Waylon and Gigi gladly joined their little friend Grace to play while the adults got the apples and press ready to make cider.
Apple Cider PressingPIN

It didn’t take long before we were ready to get the press going. The kids were a huge “help”. It was amazing how quickly the process went. Before long we had tons of fresh, sweet cider flowing.

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It was exceptionally sweet and delicious. We took a few jugs home and Kyle filled a big carboy to make hard cider but, due to neglect it has since turned into apple cider vinegar… and lots of it. Before we took the babes home for their late afternoon naps, we took them out to feed the crushed apples to the goats and go for a little ride in the Radio Flyer. These three, I tell ya.

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Brown Butter Brown Sugar Cookies RecipePIN

Thanks for all the sweet encouragement on feeling better. Unfortunately we’re still feeling pretty rotten and now Kyle seems to have caught the bug. Poor Gigi can’t sleep with a stuffy nose and cough and the whole house smells of Vick’s Vapor Rub. We’ll get through it, and hopefully in time for Thanksgiving! If I’m being totally honest, between the sickness and the days turning dark at 4pm, I’ve been feeling a bit lonely. We’ve hardly left the house for ten days. Luckily I have my cooking. I’ve been baking, cooking and reading cookbooks. Nothing encourages experimentation like cabin fever. The idea for these Brown Butter cookies came to me when I was wanting to make a simple cookie but I’m not a huge fan of sugar cookies. I thought if I browned the butter and used brown sugar instead of white I might end up with a toasty, rich version of the classic sugar cookie. I was surprised at just how wonderfully they turned out. They are crispy on the outside and chewy in the center like molasses cookies, and the flavor is rich but not overpowering. These are my new favorite cookie! They’re perfect for the holidays so get baking!

Brown Butter Brown Sugar Cookies RecipePIN

BROWN BUTTER BROWN SUGAR COOKIES

Ingredients.
2/14 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. fine salt
3/4 cup light brown sugar (not packed)
3/4 cup dark brown sugar (not packed)
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 sticks butter, browned
2 tsp. vanilla extract
granulated sugar

Directions.
Begin by browning the two sticks of butter, one stick at a time. Slice the butter, into several pieces. Heat a small sauté pan over medium-low heat and gently melt the pads of butter, stirring constantly. It will begin to foam. Continue stirring. The foam will subside leaving you with separated butter. It will look perfectly clear. Continue to stir. The butter will begin to foam up again and will quickly begin to turn a toasty brown color. When it smells amazing and turns a beautiful golden brown hue, quickly transfer the butter to a measuring cup. Wipe the pan clean with a damp paper towel and repeat with the second stick of butter. 

Allow the browned butter to cool to room temperature. Don’t try to rush this process by sticking it in the fridge. Let it cool naturally!

Meanwhile, measure out your other ingredients. 

Once the butter is cooled, pour it into a stand mixer or bowl. (It’s best to use an electric mixer or stand mixer for this part). Cream together the butter and the two brown sugars until fluffy and light. Do a taste test because it’s irresistible.
Whisk together the eggs before adding them to the mixer along with the vanilla.

Mix in the dry ingredients in thirds by hand, until combined.

Scrape the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap, flatten and seal. Use another piece or two of plastic wrap to ensure their is no air reaching the dough. Place on a plate and chill for at least 6 hours, overnight is best.

Once the dough has chilled, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Break of pieces of it and roll them between your palms to create the cookie dough balls. Roll them gently in the white sugar to coat and place them 3-5 inches apart on a cookie sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes until golden all over and slightly browned on the edges. Place on a cooling rack… or eat immediately with a steaming cup of tea.

PRINTABLE RECIPE.
BROWN BUTTER BROWN SUGAR COOKIES

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