Category Archives: Recipes

Spicy grilled cheese

Posted on October 9, 2011 by | 2 Comments

Here I go again, making sandwiches much more difficult than they have to be. Everyone in our house adores the standard grilled cheese: bread, butter, cheese. The first time I typed that sentence, I wrote “butter” twice. Double the butter? That’s a fine idea.

This spicy grilled cheese recipe is still easy. I don’t think you can really call it cooking, but it’s a much more adult sandwich. In fact, Eleanor wanted nothing to do with it. It has the tang of cheddar, the heat of chipotle pepppers and a little sweetness from molasses.

We’re not ready to give up the old cheese-and-bread standard yet, but this is a great alternative, and I think you could serve it to guests without feeling silly.

This recipe is from Bon Apetit via Epicurious. This makes six sandwiches.

For the sauce:
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
3 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chilies
1 tablespoon mild-flavored molasses

For the sandwiches:
12 3/4-inch thick slices sourdough bread
18 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, thinly sliced
4 plum tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup chopped cilantro
butter for bread

Mix the chipotles, tomato sauce and molasses in a food processor. You can vary the chipotle to your taste. Spread butter on each slice of bread and about 1 tablespoon of the chipotle mixture on the other side. Then stack the cheese, tomatoes, red onion and cilantro. Place the top slice on the sandwich. In a skillet, cook the sandwich over medium heat until it is golden, then flip. If you used a lot of chipotle, have a glass of milk nearby.

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Posted in Mains

Chocolate granola

Posted on October 6, 2011 by | Comments Off

We were sad to learn about the death of Steve Jobs yesterday, and I’m surprised at how gloomy I feel about this news. I’ve always ranted about technology and all of the problems it causes. But if we must all live with technology, and at this point I think we must, Apple products are amazing. Greg got me an iPad last Christmas, and it is possibly the best gift I have ever received. I can sit on my couch and download a 500-page book in two minutes flat and begin to read. How is that possible? It’s possible because Steve Jobs was here.

I think the sadness comes from my recognition that the man was a genius and was clearly doing what he was born to do. The world would be a far better place if more people were willing to take risks and pursue their dreams as he did.

So if you’re feeling a little down, too, then perhaps you would like to drown your sorrows in a bowl of granola. This isn’t just any granola though. It is homemade granola with chocolate. Granola is so easy to make, and you can customize your flavors so you no longer have to settle for that overly sweet stuff at the grocery store. And chocolate for breakfast? Yes, you should give that a try.

This recipe is adapted from Orangette.

6 cups rolled oats
1 cup raw almonds, chopped
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
3 Tbsp. sugar
Pinch of salt
12 Tbsp. mild honey
4 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 cup finely chopped bittersweet chocolate

Combine the oats, almonds, coconut, sugar and salt in a bowl. Don’t forget to add the sugar lest you be forced to sprinkle it on later (as I did). You might find that you want to dial down the sugar given the sweetness of the chocolate, but you can always do that with your second batch, right? In a saucepan, warm the oil and honey, whisking until the honey thins. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix.

Spread the mixture on two rimmed baking sheets, and bake in a 300-degree oven for 20 minutes. You’ll need to stir the granola halfway through to prevent it from sticking together. Stir it again when you remove it from the oven. When the granola has cooled, add the chocolate. This is technically a breakfast food, but I think it might be good sprinkled on some vanilla ice cream. For breakfast? Well, I don’t know about that.

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Posted in Breakfast

Apple scones with white cheddar

Posted on September 21, 2011 by | Comments Off

In honor of autumn beginning this week, we have kicked off faux fall in the Muthler household. What’s that? You don’t celebrate faux fall? Well, it’s one of my favorite seasons. The temperature in Austin is now consistently below 100 degrees, and the leaves are, well, a lot of them are falling off of the trees from the drought. So even though we’re still able to go to the pool and drink lemonade, we’re going to call this season fall. Fire up your ovens!

These apple and cheddar scones are a great way to begin the day — or the season. The recipe came from Smitten Kitchen, and she found it in “The Perfect Finish.” Are you wrinkling your nose about the cheese? I generally prefer to keep my sweet and savory foods in separate corners, but Greg first made these last fall, and after giving them a few skeptical pokes, I finally tried them.

The cheddar isn’t overpowering. It just adds a richness to the dough and keeps the scones from becoming too sweet. And the egg glaze makes these really shiny and pretty. These are wonderfully delicious even on a 95-degree day.

This makes six large scones

2 tart apples (about one pound)
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar plus 1 1/2 tablespoons for sprinkling
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt plus additional for egg wash
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup sharp white cheddar, shredded
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Peel and core the apples and cut them into bite-size chunks. Place on the baking sheet and bake until they begin to get a bit golden, about 20 minutes.

Mix the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt together. Place the cooled apples, butter, cheddar, cream and one egg in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle the flour mixture on top, and run your mixer at low speed just until your dough comes together.

On a floured surface, roll out or just use your hands to shape the dough into a six-inch circle. Cut the dough into six wedges and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment. Beat the other egg, add a bit of salt, and then brush each scone with the mixture. Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar on top of the scones.

Bake until golden, about 30 minutes, but be watchful. I baked mine a few minutes less than this, and even then they came out a bit overdone. Greg now informs me that he thinks our oven runs a bit hot. Now. After six years in this house. Good to know.

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Posted in Breakfast, Recipes