Romesco Sauce

This is a bittersweet post; sweet because this is one awesome recipe. This recipe is so great that I made an extra large batch and froze small portions for use later. This post is bitter because the very next day our fridge stopped working and I ended up throwing all of my precious romesco sauce in the trash :(. At least we had one night with the sauce! I have made this recipe with almonds and with cashews. I think the cashews taste the best, but both are fabulous. This sauce is great with chicken, fish or beef and it freezes very well. I like to serve this sauce with a pan seared chicken breast seasoned with basil, paprika, garlic and onion salt.

Romesco Sauce
3/4 c. cashews or almonds
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 slice white bread, torn into small pieces
1 (14 oz) can whole tomatoes, squeezed and drained
1/4 c. jarred pimentos, drained
1 T. paprika
2 T. red wine vinegar
3 T. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Cook nuts garlic and bread in skillet over medium-high heat for about 6 minutes. Transfer to food processor and pulse until fine. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until well combined. Serve over chicken.
Greta and Miles rating: Every one LOVED this!

African Peanut Soup

Oh. Dear. This soup is our new favorite! It is quick and easy to prepare, has amazing flavor and is very filling. We had this with some crusty bread and it was even better the next day. Thanks, Emeril! The original recipe calls for ground turkey, but we skipped the meat and I made a few other minor changes. This was FABULOUS. Ooooh, just typing about this makes me want to eat it again!

African Peanut Soup
2 T. peanut oil
4 c. sliced onions
1 T. curry powder
2 t. minced garlic
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks
2 c. chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1 (28 oz.) can whole tomatoes, drained and quartered
1/4 t. cayenne
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. good quality creamy peanut butter
1 c. coconut milk

Heat oil in dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high heat. Add curry powder. Cook for 1 minute. Add onions and cook for 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional minute.
Add potatoes, broth and tomatoes, bring to a boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes.(I usually puree about half of the soup because I like the texture better) Enjoy!

Greta and Miles rating: Ok, so this was not a hit with the kids. Greta ate some and Miles would NOT touch it, but this is SOOOO good that we will just keep on making it until they like it :)

Oatmeal Cream Pies

Little Debbie and I have a history. I used to eat oatmeal pies before basketball games in high school. Awesome, I know. Little Debbie doesn't have much of a place in my "make almost everything from scratch" grown-up life. When I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it...for old time's sake. Unfortunately, after I ate one, I did not play in a basketball game, but spent the evening watching Hulu :) Oh, well. They are great, and the frosting was fantastic!

Oatmeal Cream Pies
*start with your favorite Oatmeal cookie recipe or try this one*

1 c.butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 T honey
1 1/2 c.all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 c. old fashioned oats

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs, vanilla and honey. Mix well. Add dry ingredients. Fold in oats. Bake 8-10 minutes. Cool and fill with Marshmallow frosting.

Marshmallow Frosting
2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a double boiler combine egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar and heat over simmering water. Whisk almost constantly, heating to 160 degrees. Transfer mix to mixing bowl and beat on high speed (with whisk attachment if you are using a stand mixer) until egg whites hold stiff peaks. Fold in vanilla until incorporated. Spread onto cookie 1/4" from the edge and top with another cookie. Store in an airtight container.