Tanglewood!

On Sunday, the hubby and I trekked out to Lenox, MA to visit Tanglewood, the summer home of the BSO. This was part of his anniversary gift to me, and a very nice gift it was! Since this is a cooking blog, I'll try to get through the music stuff quickly. Their program included three pieces: Suite from Iberia by Albeniz, Lalo's Cello Concerto (performed by Yo-Yo Ma!), and Symphonic Dances by Rachmaninoff. I wasn't super familiar with any of these pieces, so it was nice to hear some new things. I think if we'd been in a concert hall (I'll explain momentarily), my favorite would have been the cello concerto. In this case, my favorite ended up being the Rachmaninoff. I'm definitely going to need to get a recording.

Anyway, Tanglewood has a few different performance venues, this concert being held at the Koussevitzky Music Shed, which has a few sections of covered seating close to the stage, but then a huge lawn area in the back for people to picnic (do you see the food connection now?) and lounge while they listen to the music. The thing I love about it, is that unlike many other outdoor concerts that I have attended in the summer of jazz and rock/pop groups, people are really here to listen intently to the music and when the concert begins everyone is quiet (except for the small children who do their best to keep things under control!). It's really quite nice.

OK. On to the picnic! We wanted to keep things simple, but delicious. We started with some pesto, tomato, and mozzarella finger sandwiches. For these I just sliced up some ciabatta bread, spread a little pesto on each slice, and layered each sandwich with a slice of tomato and a slice of fresh mozzarella. Easy!


I did make my own pesto using this Cooking Light recipe. I really like this version because it's not as oily as store-bought.

Pesto
Recipe courtesy Cooking Light

Ingredients...

• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 4 cups packed basil leaves (about 2.5 oz)
• 1/4 cup pine nuts **I used walnuts
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Directions...

Drop garlic through food chute with food processor on; process until minced. Place basil and next 4 ingredients (basil through pepper) in processor; process 10 seconds. Combine water and oil in a measuring cup. With processor on, slowly pour oil mixture through food chute, processing just until blended.



Next, we had some strawberry spinach salad (not pictured), which consisted simply of baby spinach, sliced strawberries, walnuts, salt, and pepper with your favorite balsamic vinaigrette.

After salads...and some rain in the middle of the cello concerto (which is why I cannot call it my favorite...sadly, I couldn't hear the whole second half due to the sound of the rain on our umbrella)...


...we moved on to Brie with Grape Jelly and Wheat Thins. This is honestly one of our favorite treats ever! It was of course accompanied by a nice bottle of merlot. Notice how the sun is now shining brightly. The weather was quite fickle that day.


Finally, during Rachmaninoff, we reached dessert. I wanted something chocolaty, but fairly light. I found this recipe and then simply subbed light ingredients.

Dirt
Recipe courtesy of Recipe Zaar

Ingredients...

• 1 180z package Oreos, crushed **I used reduced fat Oreos
• 1 box instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1 8oz container Cool Whip **I used light
• 1 8 oz package gummy worms **I left these out and put in some sliced strawberries instead

Directions...

Make the pudding, fold in the Cool-Whip. Place half the cookie crumbs on the bottom of a glass bowl **I used three cookies each on the bottom of individual serving dishes. Spoon in the pudding mixture and place the worms, half in, half out, on top. **I just put some strawberry slices on top. Top with the remaining cookie crumbs. Chill.

The following photographs are examples of why I portioned everything instead of having us share out of one dish. I always feel like I'm racing. In the second photo, hubby's dish is on the left and mine is on the right - about 2 minutes after we started eating...

Dinner Party #3

For this third edition of "Cooking Adventures with Annabel," we decided to attempt jambalaya - something which I have never eaten before. Annabel also really wanted to try fried plantains (again - never had them) and I decided that corn bread would compliment the jambalaya quite well.

I'll warn you in advance, we took the easy way out on the corn bread by using a mix. After last week's labor intensive Indian meal we weren't feeling so ambitious. However, we did improve the mundane mix by adding a couple tablespoons of chili powder and about a half cup of cheddar cheese before baking.

The jambalaya was quite tasty, but next time I think I'll use less chicken broth than the recipe called for. We actually ended up pouring some out because the rice was getting so saturated. That being said, neither of us were sure of the texture of authentic jambalaya. Our rice ended up bordering on risotto texture. Who knows if this is "correct" but it sure was tasty!



Cajun Jambalaya
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, Food Network

Ingredients...

• 12 medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped
• 4 ounces chicken, diced
• 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning, recipe follows
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 3/4 cup rice
• 3 cups chicken stock **This seemed like way too much. Next time I'd try 2 cups.
  
• 5 ounces Andouille sausage, sliced **used smoked pork sausage
  
• Salt and pepper

Directions...

In a bowl combine shrimp, chicken and Creole seasoning, and work in seasoning well. In a large saucepan heat oil over high heat with onion, pepper and celery, 3 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves, Worcestershire and hot sauces. Stir in rice and slowly add broth. Reduce heat to medium and cook until rice absorbs liquid and becomes tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. When rice is just tender add shrimp and chicken mixture and sausage. Cook until meat is done, about 10 minutes more. Season to taste with salt, pepper and Creole seasoning.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

The plantains were simple to make and really delicious. They will definitely be seen again on my dinner table.

Fried Ripe Plantains
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence, Food Network

Ingredients...

• 4 yellow plantains
• vegetable oil for frying
• kosher salt

Directions...

Cut the ends off the plantains and cut them into 2 pieces. Peel them and slice them in half lengthwise. In a large skillet over medium-high heat add 1/4 cup oil and fry the plantains slowly until they are browned and caramelized, about 15 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Season with salt and serve.



I almost forgot about dessert!! This recipe was so delicious. It was supposed to be light, but all we had was whole milk for the pudding (we weren't really all that dissapointed...). I'm sure it would be delicious with low-fat milk also. The only criticism that I have is that this dessert needs a better title! Any ideas?

Cool, Creamy Chocolate Dessert
Recipe courtesy Cooking Light

Ingredients...

Crust:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (about 5 1/2 ounces)
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 6 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
• Cooking spray

Filling:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) fat-free cream cheese, softened
• 1 (8-ounce) carton frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping, thawed and divided
• 3 cups 1% low-fat milk
• 2 (3.9-ounce) packages chocolate instant pudding mix
• Unsweetened cocoa (optional)

Directions...

Preheat oven to 325°.

To prepare crust, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor; pulse 2 times or until combined. Add butter; pulse 10 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in pecans. Firmly press mixture into bottom of a 13 x 9–inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 325° for 20 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Cool completely.

To prepare filling, place 1 cup sugar and cream cheeses in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until fluffy. Fold in half of whipped topping. Spread cream cheese mixture on cooled crust. Cover loosely; refrigerate 1 hour.

Combine milk and pudding mix in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed for 2 minutes. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or until pudding is set. Spread the pudding mixture over cream cheese layer. Spread remaining half of thawed whipped topping over pudding layer. Cover and chill for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cocoa, if desired. Cut into 15 pieces.

Summery Goodness

I brought this dessert to my sister-in-law's graduation this past weekend and it seemed to be a big hit! I knew I wanted to make a trifle, but couldn't seem to find a recipe that sounded delicious but didn't take all day. I ended up studying a few recipes and coming up with my own.

Lemon Berry Trifle

Ingredients...

1 lb strawberries, sliced
1 pint blueberries
1 T sugar
juice from one lemon
1 8 oz container cool-whip
1 package instant lemon pudding
2 cups milk
8 oz sour cream
1 store-bought angel food cake, cut into cubes

Directions...

Combine strawberries, blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a bowl and set aside. Prepare pudding according to package directions. In a separate bowl, fold pudding and sour cream into cool-whip. In a large bowl (ideally, glass, but anything big enough and pretty enough to serve out of) place one layer of angel food cake cubes, top with 1/3 of berry mixture, then add 1/3 cool-whip mixture. Layer ingredients two more times, topping with cool-whip mixture. Reserve a few berries to decorate the top - especially if you don't have a glass bowl so people can kind of tell what's inside. Chill until ready to serve (at least 30 minutes).

Fresh Fruit Popsicles

I got this recipe from Paved With Good Intentions and it looked so good I immediately ran to Target and found popsicle molds. I made a couple changes from the borrowed recipe: I decided not to strain the fruit and I cut back on the sugar a bit. Eating these popsicles reminded me of a good fruit smoothie. Yum!

Ingredients...

1 cup strawberries
1 cup watermelon
handful of mint
1/8 cup sugar
juice of one lime

Directions...

Put everything into the food processor and process until smooth. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze overnight.

Apple Crisp

We found a really great orchard not far from us and took home a bag full of fresh apples. I figured there was no way we could eat them all and, never being a huge fan of baking pies, decided to make some crisp instead!


Apple and Oatmeal Crisp
Recipe Courtesy of Emeril LaGasse/Food Network

Ingredients...

1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups (packed) light brown sugar
1/2 stick butter, melted
2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 1/2 pounds cooking apples, cored and cut into wedges
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 stick butter, cut into small pieces and at room temperature

Directions...

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, combine the water, 3/4 cup brown sugar, melted butter, 2 tablespoons of the flour, salt, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon of grated nutmeg, whisk until smooth. Place the apples in a 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish (10 cup) and pour the liquid sugar mixture over the apples. Mix well. In a mixing bowl, combine the remaining 3/4 cup brown sugar, remaining 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, remaining 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 1/2 cups flour, oatmeal, and butter. Using your fingers, work the mixture together until it resembles a coarse crumb-like mixture. Sprinkle the oatmeal topping over the top of the apple mixture. Bake for 1 hour, or until the apples are tender and the crust is golden.

Of course this could not be complete without some vanilla ice cream. Yum! :)