Apple, Mushroom and Gruyere Pastry Squares

To say that I am well traveled might be an understatement. But I have definitely been places.

I have swam in Hawaiian waters, seen the beauties of Alaska, eaten pizza in New York, caught a fish at Pike’s Market in Seattle, sunbathed on the beaches of Barcelona, walked the cobble stones of London and bobbed in the seas surrounding the Greek islands.

Lets just say I’m no homebody.

But I always come back home to southern California. There are tons of reasons why, but it is possible that the weather is number one.

Come on, who gets to ride their bikes to the beach for this view in mid January.

With that being said, I have a message for the California weather gods.

It is too cold. Turn it up a notch dudes. I live in Orange County. Orange. A very warm and sunny color. There should be no ice on my windshield and the temp should not be below sixty.

Stop it.

This weather calls for something warm and toasty. Just like these tasty pastries of goodness. Perfect for snacks or appetizers.

You will need…

1 large onion, caramelized and chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 ounces mushrooms (crimini or baby bellas), chopped

2 tablespoons butter

2 granny smith apples, diced

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup grated gruyere cheese

2 tablespoons chives, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped

1 package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 egg, beaten

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F.

In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. When it is hot, add in the mushrooms and sauté them until tender. About 5 minutes.

 

Season with salt and pepper and place in a bowl with the caramelized onions.

In the same pan, melt the butter and add in the apples. Toss them with the sugar and season with salt and pepper.

Cook the apples until they are soft. About 10 minutes.

When softened, add them to the bowl with the mushrooms and onions.

Then, stir in the cheese, chives and thyme.

 

Slice the pastry into even squares and place them on a silicone pad or parchment lined baking sheet.

Brush with the beaten egg and top with about 1 tablespoon of the mixture.

Bake for 25 minutes, just until the pastry is golden and crisp.

Allow to cool slightly and serve nice and toasty.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela 

Apple, Mushroom and Gruyere Pastry Squares 

1 large onion, caramelized and chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 ounces mushrooms (crimini or baby bellas), chopped

2 tablespoons butter

2 granny smith apples, diced

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup grated gruyere cheese

2 tablespoons chives, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped

1 package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 egg, beaten

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F.

In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. When it is hot, add in the mushrooms and sauté them until tender. About 5 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper and place in a bowl with the caramelized onions.

In the same pan, melt the butter and add in the apples. Toss them with the sugar and season with salt and pepper.

Cook the apples until they are soft. About 10 minutes.

When softened, add them to the bowl with the mushrooms and onions.

Then, stir in the cheese, chives and thyme.

Slice the pastry into even squares and place them on a silicone pad or parchment lined baking sheet.

Brush with the beaten egg and top with about 1 tablespoon of the mixture.

Bake for 25 minutes, just until the pastry is golden and crisp.

Allow to cool slightly and serve nice and toasty.

Gruyere Baked Broccoli and Cauliflower

Lobotomy success!!!

My minor procedure went off with out a hitch yesterday and today I woke up feeling like a million bucks.

After reflecting on the whole experience, I came up with one conclusion.

I now have a full understanding of how people become addicted to painkillers.

The procedure I had was MINOR. I was only out for about twenty minutes and have minimal pain.

But somehow, I left the hospital with a prescription for thirty high dose ibuprofen pills and thirty Vicodin tablets.

That is a LOT of pain pill power. When in reality, I probably would have been good with one of each. Since that is all I’ve taken and now I feel fine.

Don’t worry, I’m not going to develop ANOTHER habit.

For now, I’m sticking with food.

And this perfect option for a Thanksgiving side dish. 

Or just a Tuesday side dish.

You will need…

1 large head of broccoli, chopped

1 large head of cauliflower, chopped

4 tablespoons butter

¼ cup flour

2 cups whole milk

2 cups shredded gruyere cheese

½ cup almond slivers

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees F.

Then fill a large pot with about ½ inch of water and heating it over medium heat.

Add the broccoli and cauliflower to the pot and steam the veggies for 3 to 5 minutes. Just until they are barely tender.

Drain the water and add the veggies to a large oven safe dish.

In a saucepan, gently melt the butter.

Slowly stir in the flour with a wooden spoon until completely combined.

Cook the butter and flour mixture for 2 minutes, but be careful not to burn.

Add in the milk and cook for an additional 4 to 6 minutes until the milk begins to thicken. Stirring regularly.

When the milk has thickened, remove the heat and add in 1 cup of the cheese.

Stir the cheese until it has completely melted into the milk.

Season with the salt, pepper and cayenne. Stir well and pour over the veggies.

Top the veggies with the slivered almonds and the rest of the cheese.

Pop the dish in the oven and bake for 40 minutes, till browned and bubbly on the top.

Let it cool for about 10 minutes and serve hot.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela 

Gruyere Baked Broccoli and Cauliflower

1 large head of broccoli, chopped

1 large head of cauliflower, chopped

4 tablespoons butter

¼ cup flour

2 cups whole milk

2 cups shredded gruyere cheese

½ cup almond slivers

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees F.

Then fill a large pot with about ½ inch of water and heating it over medium heat.

Add the broccoli and cauliflower to the pot and steam the veggies for 3 to 5 minutes. Just until they are barely tender.

Drain the water and add the veggies to a large oven safe dish.

In a saucepan, gently melt the butter.

Slowly stir in the flour with a wooden spoon until completely combined.

Cook the butter and flour mixture for 2 minutes, but be careful not to burn.

Add in the milk and cook for an additional 4 to 6 minutes until the milk begins to thicken. Stirring regularly.

When the milk has thickened, remove the heat and add in 1 cup of the cheese.

Stir the cheese until it has completely melted into the milk.

Season with the salt, pepper and cayenne. Stir well and pour over the veggies.

Top the veggies with the slivered almonds and the rest of the cheese.

Pop the dish in the oven and bake for 40 minutes, till browned and bubbly on the top.

Let it cool for about 10 minutes and serve hot. 

Cheesy Orzo Pasta

If you know anything about me, you know that swimming was a very major part of my life for seventeen years. Even after I graduated college, Lish and I would go swim at least once a week with our college coach Bonnie.

Tomorrow is our fifth alumni meet and I am terrified. Not because I’m getting old, but because I haven’t swam since the last alumni meet.

I’m not even sure I’ll be able to make it two laps of the pool. Chances aren’t great.

Since it is too late for me to get any training in, I’m just going to carbo load for the event with this delicious pasta side dish.

You will need…

4 cups orzo pasta

½ cup white cheddar cheese, grated

½ cup gruyere cheese, grated

1 tablespoon garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by boiling large pot of water.

When the water has boiled, add in the pasta and cook it per the box instructions.

When the pasta is al dente, strain the water reserving ¼ of a cup.

Add the pasta to a medium bowl and toss it with the cheese.

Slowly add in the garlic powder while stirring.

Add in the reserved pasta water, stir well and serve hot.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Cheesy Orzo

4 cups orzo pasta

½ cup white cheddar cheese, grated

½ cup gruyere cheese, grated

1 tablespoon garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Ultimate Turkey Burger

If given the option, ninety-nine times out of one-hundred I would pick a straight beef burger over any other option.

I just think that the flavor of a barbequed beef burger is like nothing else.

Which is why even I was surprised the other day when I was suddenly craving a turkey burger.

Random.

And man oh man did these little suckers satisfy my craving.

This interesting mix made for an incredibly flavorful and juicy burger.

Juicy, messy and awesome.

If it doesn’t get all over the place, it doesn’t belong in your face.

You will need…

1 ½ pounds ground turkey

½ cup finely grated Gruyere cheese

4 green onions, thinly sliced

1 yellow onion, half grated and half finely chopped

¼ cup dried breadcrumbs, preferably Italian seasoned

¼ cup Dijon mustard

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 of your favorite burger buns

Butter lettuce, for garnish

Sliced tomato, for garnish

Ketchup to taste

Whole grain garlic mustard, to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil plus a little extra for the barbeque grates

Start by lightly greasing your grates with a little bit of oil so the burgers will not stick. Then, heat your grill to a medium heat.

Then, in a small pan, combine the tablespoon of olive oil and the finely chopped onion. Season with salt & pepper, and heat over medium heat until the onions are very brown.

While the onions are browning, combine the turkey, cheese, green onions, grated onions, mustard, breadcrumbs, garlic and season with salt and pepper.

After the mixture has been completely combined, divide the meat into 4 equal sections. Then, form your sections into patties.

Using your spatula, make little score marks on your burgers so they don’t shrink up as much on the grill.

Place the patties on the hottest part of the grill. Sear until browned, about 1 to 2 minutes a side.

Move to a cooler part of the grill and cook until they are cooked through. About 7 to 10 minutes per side.

When the burgers are cooked through, grill your burger buns over a hot part of the grill for 20 to 30 seconds.

Layer your burger with a mixture of your sauces, tomatoes, butter lettuce and grilled onions.

Serve hot with a cold beverage.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela          

Ultimate Turkey Burger

1 ½ pounds ground turkey

½ cup finely grated Gruyere cheese

4 green onions, thinly sliced

1 yellow onion, half grated and half finely chopped

¼ cup dried breadcrumbs, preferably Italian seasoned

¼ cup Dijon mustard

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 of your favorite burger buns

Butter lettuce, for garnish

Sliced tomato, for garnish

Ketchup to taste

Whole grain garlic mustard, to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil plus a little extra for the barbeque grates

Start by lightly greasing your grates with a little bit of oil so the burgers will not stick. Then, heat your grill to a medium heat.

Then, in a small pan, combine the tablespoon of olive oil and the finely chopped onion. Season with salt & pepper, and heat over medium heat until the onions are very brown.

While the onions are browning, combine the turkey, cheese, green onions, grated onions, mustard, breadcrumbs, garlic and season with salt and pepper.

After the mixture has been completely combined, divide the meat into 4 equal sections. Then, form your sections into patties.

Using your spatula, make little score marks on your burgers so they don’t shrink up as much on the grill.

Place the patties on the hottest part of the grill. Sear until browned, about 1 to 2 minutes a side.

Move to a cooler part of the grill and cook until they are cooked through. About 7 to 10 minutes per side.

When the burgers are cooked through, grill your burger buns over a hot part of the grill for 20 to 30 seconds.

Layer your burger with a mixture of your sauces, tomatoes, butter lettuce and grilled onions.

Serve hot with a cold beverage.