Napa Farmhouse 1885™

I "retired" from the corporate world a couple of years ago because I wanted to experience a real life after years of 80 hour work weeks and constant travel. A year later I realized that I was having a really good time, was always busy (how did i ever fit in a job??) and needed a creative outlet to share my experiences. Now I split my time between California and New Mexico but, wherever I am, I write about delicious, fresh, local, organic/sustainably grown food.

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Sauteed Broccolini With Garlic And Chile On Toast

I always like to add one dish with a bit of spiciness to a holiday menu. Take Easter for example. Roast lamb, or ham or turkey with a potato dish, salad, vegetable. Delicious and perfectly fine but just a bit bland. Now add a dish with garlic or chile and it perks everything up.

This broccolini on toast recipe is the perfect example. Crisp-tender vegetable sauteed in olive oil with loads of garlic and a heaping spoonful of one of my favorite condiments Calabrian Chile Paste. I love the Silanfunghi brand of chile paste and used to buy it by the case at NapaStyle, Michael Chiarello's store, and catalog. They are "rebranding" and not taking orders at this time, so I have found other brands on Amazon. I am pretty addicted to this sauce and always have a number of jars in my pantry. Pile the broccolini on toast, top with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and you have the perfect side dish. Or, if you are like me, place a couple of portions on your plate, pair with a glass of wine, and dinner is served!

Sauteed Broccolini With Garlic and Chile On Toast
(serve 6)

1 1/2 lbs broccolini, trimmed
extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon Calabrian Chile Paste (I like the Silafunghi brand)
sea salt
black pepper
6 pieces Italian or French bread, toasted or grilled
grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Fill a large skillet 1/2 with water. Cover and bring to a boil. Add the broccolini, cover pan and boil until crisp-tender. (approximately 4 minutes). Remove broccolini and set aside. Drain water and dry skillet.

Heat skillet until hot. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and the broccolini and garlic. Saute for 2 minutes. Add the chile paste and stir to combine. Taste and add a pinch of salt if necessary. Stir in a pinch of black pepper.

Drizzle olive oil over grilled bread. Top toast with broccolini and grated cheese. Serve hot

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It is Easter Sides week at Food Network's Sensational Sides roundup. Do you have a favorite Easter side dish recipe to share? Please list (or link) in the comments below. And be sure to check out the other delicious sounding recipes from my blogger friends and Food Network.

The Lemon Bowl: Roasted Asparagus and Tangerines with Toasted Almonds
Devour: Have a Hoppin’ Easter with These Remixed Brunch and Dinner Dishes
Creative Culinary: Deviled Eggs with Lemon Zest, Capers and Chives
The Mom 100: Spring Greens Salad with Kohlrabi and Golden Beets
Elephants and the Coconut Trees: Vanilla Pudding with Fruit Jam Topping
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Sauteed Broccolini With Garlic And Chile On Toast
Red or Green: Pasta With Kale, Garlic & Calabrian Chile
Big Girls, Small Kitchen: Fennel & Cherry Tomato Salad with Toasted Pistachios
Healthy Eats: 5 Spring Sides for a Healthier Easter Feast
Taste with the Eyes: Butter Lettuce Cups with Fried Goat Cheese, Green Apple, Meyer Lemon Cream
The Wimpy Vegetarian: Creamy Feta and Asparagus Casserole with Orzo
FN Dish: 5 Side Dishes That Are More Important Than the Easter Ham

best,

diane

napa farmhouse 1885

red or green?

California Girl in Taos

MoseyLove

napa farmhouse 1885

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Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Three Cake Recipes To Get You Through Till Spring

Ahh..it is March 15th today, only five days till spring! So, of course, we need cake to get us through. Here are three of my favorite recipes. Perfect for these last chilly days with a cup of tea...wonderful in summer with fresh fruit topping. Which one is your favorite?

Meyer Lemon Marmalade Cake (just happens to be vegan)

(with Strawberry/Balsamic Sauce)

For the cake:

3 2/3 cups organic unbleached flour

2 cups sugar (organic will really make a difference)

1 tsp salt

2 tsp alum free baking powder

2 cups cold water

1/2 cup plus 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp pure vanilla extract (I use Tahitian vanilla)

Meyer lemon marmalade syrup

2 cups organic sugar
zest from 1 Meyer lemon, plus 3/4 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice
2 cups water

2 tbsp Meyer lemon marmalade

Combine sugar, zest, and 2 cups water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar has completely dissolved. Bring to a boil. Turn off heat and allow syrup to come to room temperature (keep in the saucepan). When completely cool, pour through a strainer into a small bowl (throw away strainer contents). Stir in Meyer lemon juice and marmalade.

Strawberry/Balsamic sauce

2 1/2 cups fresh strawberries

1 1/2 tbsp organic brown sugar

One tsp orange zest

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

4 tbsp balsamic vinegar

a handful of fresh mint for garnish, rough chop

(I use this sauce all summer on cakes, pancakes, waffles, ice cream, fresh fruit. .etc. feel free to substitute other berries..whatever you like)

Wash, stem and puree 2 cups of the strawberries in a blender or food processor. Add the brown sugar, orange zest, pepper and balsamic vinegar and puree until almost smooth. Pour into serving bowl. Slice the remaining 1/2 cup berries and add to bowl. Taste and add a bit more sugar if needed...total amount will depend on how sweet your berries are.

step 1...make cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil and flour a bundt pan and set aside. Combine the water, e.v.o.o., vinegar and vanilla in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients...do not skip the sifting, you want all the small lumps removed... add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. (do not over-mix). Bake in preheated oven approx. 45 min-1 hour. Start checking at 45 minutes...when a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean...the cake is finished. Remove from oven and place on rack. Let cool for 10 minutes.

step 2

Turn out the cake from bundt pan onto a serving plate. Using a toothpick, poke a number of holes in cake top. Using a large spoon, drizzle Meyer lemon marmalade syrup onto cake top, about 1 to 1 1/2 cups in total. Cake should look really moist...not soggy. Allow to cool completely. garnish cake with large pieces of lemon peel from the marmalade (I just use a fork to strain out from the syrup mixture)

step 3

To serve, slice cake and plate...either spoon strawberry/balsamic sauce around cake...or serve plain and pass the sauce separately. Top serving with a sprinkle of mint...as my friend Richard says.."the mint is key...it wakes up the entire mouth."

Vegan Chocolate Cake with Balsamic & Olive Oil

I am resharing one of my go-to recipes, Vegan Chocolate Cake. This recipe was inspired from the Moosewood Restaurant Book*Desserts. I substituted balsamic vinegar and olive oil, doubled the ingredients and turned it into a bundt cake. Regular readers know how often I use in-season fresh figs in my recipes, but this cake is very adaptable. If figs are out of season, or you do not like them..leave them out or use dried dates. This is one of those *just happens to be vegan* recipes. I did not start out with that as a goal but hey! Don't tell your non-vegan friends. They will never know!

3 cups unbleached flour (organic if possible)

2/3 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (best quality)

1 tsp salt

2 cups organic sugar

2 tsp baking soda

1 3/4 cups cold water

1/4 cup cold coffee (just use your leftovers from breakfast)

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp plus 1 tsp balsamic vinegar of Modena

1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup fresh figs, stems removed..figs finely chopped (or use dates when figs are out of season)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease (use olive oil) a bundt pan and set aside. Sift flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda together in a bowl. In a large mixing bowl combine the remaining ingredients (except figs) and mix well. You can use a mixer..but I just use a wooden spoon and do this by hand. Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and stir until just combined..do not over-mix. Add the figs and stir again until incorporated into the batter. Pour into prepared bundt pan and bake approximately one hour until a cake tester inserted into the center of cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool until just slightly warm. Remove from pan and allow to cool completely.

You can drizzle your favorite chocolate glaze over cooled cake or sprinkle with powdered sugar...this recipe also make delicious cupcakes.

One more favorite recipe:

pumpkin & chocolate chip cake

It is Cake week at Food Network's Comfort Food Feast roundup. Do you have a favorite cake recipe to share? Please list (or link) in the comments below. And be sure to check out the other delicious sounding recipes from my blogger friends and Food Network.

Homemade Delish: No-Bake Mascarpone Cheesecake in a Cup
Creative Culinary: St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Three Cake Recipes To Get You Through Till Spring
Red or Green: Spiced Gingerbread Cake
Healthy Eats: 5 Cupcakes That Are Secretly Lighter
In Jennie's Kitchen: Dark Chocolate Brownies
The Mom 100: Raspberry Streusel Coffee Cake with Sweet Vanilla Drizzle
FN Dish: 5 Stunning Cakes with Sky-High Fan Reviews

best,

diane

napa farmhouse 1885

red or green?

California Girl in Taos

MoseyLove

napa farmhouse 1885

Promote Your Page Too

I have started sharing my newest blog "California Girl in Taos." Please visit and let me know what you think.

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Oven Baked Bacon (and a Bacon Recipe Roundup)

When I am serving bacon to a large crowd, I always bake it in the oven. So easy, and virtually no mess! My friends always ask me for the recipe (no recipe, just a technique), so I thought I would share the method and post a few of my favorite recipes. Ahh..bacon!

Oven Roasted Bacon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil. Lay bacon strips directly on top of foil...or you can add a rack to the sheet and place the bacon on top of the rack...frankly, I have prepared the bacon both ways and do not see much of a difference).

Bake bacon in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, flip slices and return to oven for another 5-10 minutes....caution...watch bacon carefully during the last few minutes...it goes from cooked to burnt really fast!

Remove from oven and place bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate. Pat extra fat off bacon and allow to cool....tear into bite sized pieces. Reserve bacon drippings from baking sheet.

Now that you have a pile of fresh, hot, crispy bacon, here are some of my favorite way to use the bounty:

It is Bacon week at Food Network's Comfort Food Feast roundup. Do you have a favorite bacon recipe to share? Please list (or link) in the comments below. And be sure to check out the other delicious sounding recipes from my blogger friends and Food Network.

The Lemon Bowl: Roasted Green Beans with Bacon
Creative Culinary: Bacon, Potato and Leek Soup with Roasted Garlic
TasteBook: Smokey Caramelized Onion, Coffee & Bacon Jam
Healthy Eats: 5 Better Ways to Put Bacon on Everything
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Oven Baked Bacon (and a Bacon Recipe Roundup)
Taste with the Eyes: Hawaiian Wedding Shower, Bacon Wrapped Pineapple Appetizer
The Mom 100: The Ultimate BLT Sandwich
Dishin & Dishes: Bacon Chipotle Caramel Crack
FN Dish: 6 Ways to Make Over-the-Top Foods More Over the Top ... with Bacon

best,

diane

napa farmhouse 1885

red or green?

California Girl in Taos

MoseyLove

napa farmhouse 1885

Promote Your Page Too

I have started sharing my newest blog "California Girl in Taos." Please visit and let me know what you think.

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Easy 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Balls

I like to have easy, delicious and healthy snacks available to grab whenever I am hungry but too busy to make a proper meal. These peanut butter balls perfectly fit the bill. Three ingredients; peanut butter, coconut, and dark chocolate, (a pinch of salt is optional) provide a guilt free and satisfying treat that keeps me full for hours.

These easy-breezy balls require no more work than mixing peanut butter and coconut together, forming the balls, chilling and dipping into melted chocolate chips. Allow to chill and they are ready to pop in your mouth. I often make a double batch and keep in the fridge for up to a week. Mid morning snack? Yes. A couple for lunch? Of course. Afternoon treat? OK. Dessert? Absolutely. Enjoy!

Easy 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Balls
(makes 12)

2 cups freshly ground peanut butter, room temperature (I grind my peanut butter fresh using the machines at the market)
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
10 oz best quality dark chocolate chips (I like the Chocolove dark chocolate chips brand)
1/2 tsp salt (optional and makes this a 4 ingredient dish!)

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Place peanut butter and coconut in a medium bowl and mix together. Taste and add salt if desired. Using an ice cream scoop, melon baller or 2 spoons, create 12 balls. Add balls to prepared baking sheet and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Melt chocolate in the top pan of a double boiler. Dip ball with a fork into melted chocolate. Let excess drip off and add back to baking sheet. Refrigerate balls until firm (a minimum of 2 hours).
Serve. Will keep for one week covered and refrigerated.

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Other peanut butter recipes you may enjoy: