Profile

claireOOTO

I'm an independent filmmaker turned mom.

  • Website
  • Location: Lambertville, NJ
  • Favorite foods: I like it all! There aren't a lot of foods I don't like. I'm a vegetarian, though, so there are a few I won't eat.
  • Last bite on earth: Exceptionally good vanilla ice cream.

What's the best chocolate chip cookie recipe?

I like my chocolate chip cookies crispy outside and chewy in. I make them almost every week, so I've tried lots of variations...with oatmeal, with different spices...

Here's one for easter, with mini cadbury eggs baked right into the cookies!
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/02/28/cadbury-egg-cookies/

How do you get out of a food rut?

I just wrote about this! I made the first thing that I invented that seemed really special, that I felt proud to share. It was a big double crusted pie with roasted mushrooms, french lentils and spinach...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2013/03/14/double-crusted-pie-with-roasted-mushrooms-french-lentils-and-spinach-the-ur-ordinary-pie/

Taco Innards -- What do you make at home?

Tacos are my quick meal, but I still like to make them interesting. Here's one with chickpeas, black beans and pumpkinseed basil sauce...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/07/31/tacos-with-chickpeas-black-beans-and-pumpkinseed-basil-sauce/

Or beet and zucchini tacos with chipotle and queso blanco...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/07/11/beet-zucchini-tacos-with-chipotle-queso-blanco/

Thoughts on Sicilian Eggplant

I have a recipe I call "eggplant anyone can love," because everybody loves it!
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2011/11/17/eggplant-that-anyone-can-love/

I marinate the eggplant, and dip it in egg and then crumbs, nuts or flour and spices, and then I oven-fry it in olive oil. Tender inside crispy outside. And then I use it a million different ways.
Since sicilian eggplant is wide across, it might be good for something like this...eggplant stacked with chard and cheese and french lentils...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/08/29/roasted-eggplant-stacked-with-french-lentils-chard-and-malcolms-spicy-sauce-and-isaacs-carrots-capers/

What spice blends have you decided to make for yourself?

I made my own spice mix! I combined all the herbs and spices I most love and use most often to make my own mix. It's heavy on smoked paprika, sage, rosemary! My son made his own mix, called Malcolm's supreme spicy spice mix...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/02/22/spice-mix/

Baking bread - yeast

I had a real revelation a few years ago that you don't need to use the whole packet of yeast when you make bread. In fact you shouldn't! I've made two big beautiful loaves with one teaspoon of yeast, and they have much less yeasty flavor. You might need to let them rise a tiny bit longer, but they taste so much better! Try using less yeast!

If you had to eat one nationality...

Can I cheat and pick a region? I'd pick that area where lots of cultures and cuisines come together - southern France, Italy, Spain, and Northern Africa. They share a lot of characteristics, but they all have their own flavor.

Weekend Cook and Tell: Love For Legumes

Alison - I think I was the one that wasn't being clear! I didn't mean to criticize SE or this post! I just thought it was funny that melissa Clarke's fancy vegetarian meal had bacon. I realize I'm taking her post out of context, too! Just being silly. Sorry.

Thanks for the link to the round up.

Weekend Cook and Tell: Love For Legumes

Okay, part 2 will be savory pastries. I love savory pastries. As a filling, slightly fancy vegetarian option, I think they're unbeatable. And I love to fill them with legumes!

So here goes...

White bean, spinach and roasted mushroom pie with pecan-sage crust
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/12/13/white-bean-spinach-and-roasted-mushroom-pie-with-pecan-sage-crust/

White bean and tarragon pie...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2011/11/12/white-bean-tarragon-pie/

Ring-shaped pie with french lentils, butternut squash, chard and walnuts...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2013/01/03/ring-shaped-pie-with-french-lentils-chard-walnuts-and-butternut-squash/

French lentil roasted mushroom tart with savory almond topping...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/09/05/french-lentil-roasted-musrhoom-tart-with-savory-almond-topping/

Chard and french lentil empanadas
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/07/12/chard-and-french-lentil-empanadas/

Double crusted fennel, black bean and pecan pie...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/11/22/say-happy-thanksgiving-with-a-double-crusted-fennel-pecan-and-black-bean-pie/

Empanadas with black beans, spinach, potatoes and smoked gouda...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2013/02/11/empanadas-with-potatoes-black-beans-spinach-and-smoked-gouda/

Empanadas with red beans, chipotle and butternut squash...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2011/12/07/empanadas-with-chipotle-and-butternut-squash/

Chickpea pot pie...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/11/20/chickpea-pot-pie-sweet-potato-hashbrowns/

roasted chickpea and tarragon pie...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2011/12/22/roasted-chickpea-tarragon-pie/

Well, I'd better stop! I know it's too much, but I haven't even really gotten to croquettes or soups or stews!! I haven't covered every type of legume! This is an overwhelming topic!

Weekend Cook and Tell: Love For Legumes

Thanks MissMochi!!

Lemonfair - that dish sounds delicious! I like the idea of trying to recreate a perfect meal from many years ago.

So...legumes...I'd better divide it into categories!

SInce Melissa Clark did beans in wine, I'll start with a few of those. (I should say that I usually use canned beans, but always use fresh lentils!)

Here's black beans cooked in red wine and tamari with roasted mushrooms and potatoes. Hearty and a bit fancy! Umami, baby.
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/08/11/red-beans-in-red-wine-tamari-sauce-with-roasted-mushrooms-and-potatoes/

Here's a bean bean bouillabaisse, with wine, orange, fennel...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2011/12/19/bean-bean-bouillabaisse/

French lentils cooked in red wine, with beet greens, roasted beets and walnuts...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/06/20/french-lentils-with-roasted-beets-and-walnuts/

White bean, turnip and thyme stew, with white wine and a lovely warm broth...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2013/01/04/white-bean-turnip-and-thyme-stew-and-cheddar-cornmeal-biscuits/

Wilted Kale Salad - substitutions

I've always cooked my collards a little longer than kale. I'd boil it in salted water for ten to fifteen minutes, and then drain it, and sautee it in olive oil. I think it would be delicious! Not crisp, maybe, but collards have a lovely texture all their own. I prefer them to Kale, to be honest!

Weekend Cook and Tell: Love For Legumes

I just followed your link to Melissa Clark's bean dish. It has bacon! Impressive? yes. Delicious? Undoubtedly. Vegetarian? I think not!

Weekend Cook and Tell: Love For Legumes

First of all - this is a dangerous topic for me because I love legumes, and my whole life is a search for an impressive, budget conscious, vegetarian dish. So I apologize in advance for posting too many links.

Second of all - I can't find the "round up" any more! Where does one look for it? I haven't been able to find it in a couple of weeks!

Your bestest Quinoa recipe

Funny, I'm just this minute making a red quinoa, sweet potato, chard and white bean soup. I'll let you know how it turns out.

In the meantime, I like this spinach, quinoa and chickpea soup...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/04/19/quinoa-spinach-chickpea-soup/

And I made some black quinoa and beluga lentils that were nice...turned the leftovers into delicious burgers!
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/05/11/black-quinoa-beluga-lentils-and-semolina-buns/

(you could make it with regular quinoa and french lentils as well, if you can't find the fancier varieties!)

Weekend Cook and Tell: Breakfast For Dinner

I like to do twists on traditional breakfast foods. We had savory french toast the other night, with broccoli rabe pesto puree...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2013/02/10/savory-french-toast-with-truffle-butter-and-broccoli-rabe-pesto-puree-with-chickpeas/

I love to make various kinds of savory pancakes...

Here's a big puffy spinach and mozzarella pancake...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2013/02/12/spinach-and-mozzarella-cake/

A chickpea flour/chard frittata cake (so yummy!)
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/09/12/chickpea-flour-chard-frittata-cake-with-olive-sofrito/

A stack of crepes with a medley of fillings - something different in each layer...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/07/30/rosemary-crepe-stack-with-csa-medley-filling/

Roasted red pepper/semolina pancakes with broccoli rabe and chickpeas...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/03/24/red-pepper-semolina-crepes-with-broccoli-rabe-chickpeas/

Crispy cornmeal cakes with chard and olives and roasted red peppers...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/12/24/crispy-cornmeal-cakes-and-chard-with-chickpeas-olives-and-roasted-red-peppers/

Masa harina crepes with pumpkinseed sage sauce...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/04/18/pumpkinseed-sage-sauce-smokey-masa-harina-crepes/

Crispy soft cornmeal pudding...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/11/09/crispy-soft-cornbread-pudding/

Of course, sometimes you want sweet pancakes for dinner, so we had these cider pancakes with a winter fruit compote
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/02/24/cider-pancakes-and-winter-fruit-compote/

International Desserts!

I've been cooking my way through the cake section of a French cookbook from 1962. Lots of lovely cakes. They're mostly fairly simple, but very tasty. This was a nice one...gateau au chocolat de nancy. A very simple chocolate cake that we ate with a blackberry sauce...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/07/27/le-gateau-au-chocolat-de-nancy-with-blackberry-cassis-sauce/

One of my favorites was this gateau basque, which I filled with jam and chocolate covered cherries...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/04/21/gateau-basque-with-quince-black-currant-jam-and-chocolate-covered-cherries/

Picking Up Two Live 90lb Boar Pigs!!!

Hey, I'm really sorry I said anything. I was feeling down, and wasn't really thinking about what I typed. I probably shouldn't have read the post in the first place, but I was curious about the nature of a boar-pig! More power to you for making an effort to understand the process and use every part of the meat.

Coconut milk lovers, anyone?

I like coconut milk! I'll buy a can and use it up half sweet half savory. For instance...

Broccoli and chickpeas in curried coconut milk...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2013/02/08/broccoli-and-chickpeas-in-coconut-curry-sauce/

And white chocolate cardamom blondies, made very lush with coconut milk...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/01/27/cardamom-coconut-brownies-with-white-chocolate/

Picking Up Two Live 90lb Boar Pigs!!!

Most depressing SE post EVER!

Weekend Cook and Tell: Breakfast For Dinner

Wine in the morning, and some breakfast at night. Well I'm beginning to see the light.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MGu697BMss

Weekend Cook and Tell: A Bitter-Sweet Love Affair

I love a combination of tart and sweet. Really wakes up your tongue!

I love dried tart cherries with chocolate. I've made a bakewell tart with bittersweet chocolate, cassis and dried tart cherries...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/01/19/bakewell-tart-with-cherries-cassis-and-bittersweet-chocolate/

A chocolate gateau basque with apricots and cherries...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/06/28/chocolate-gateau-basque-with-apricots-cherries-cassis/

Gateau basque with quince and blackcurrant jam and chocolate covered tart cherries...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/04/21/gateau-basque-with-quince-black-currant-jam-and-chocolate-covered-cherries/

And I like lemon and chocolate together, too. These are tart, sweet and salty...
Millionaire's shortbread with meyer lemons and sea salt...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/05/01/millionaire-shorbread-with-sea-salt-rum-and-meyer-lemons/

On the savory front, I like to combine bitterish greens and raisins, like this dish with kale, raisins, almonds, roasted chickpeas and cauliflower...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2013/01/12/roasted-chickpeas-and-cauliflower-with-kale-raisins-and-almonds-and-manchego-cheese/

And this one combines kale and lime with sweet potatoes and ale, to balance sweet and bitter
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/01/12/kale-sweet-potato-chickpea-stew-with-cumin-paprika-lime/

A curry with a balance of Kale, lemon, raisins, coconut
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/12/17/kale-and-chickpea-curry-with-ricotta-naan/

This one combines broccoli rabe, which has a bitter taste, with apricots, which have a tart sweet flavor...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/05/27/broccoli-rabe-with-ginger-apricots-cashews/

And I'd better stop!!

Chocolate raspberry dessert

How about chocolate-covered, raspberry-filled coconut shortbread cookies?
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/11/19/chocolate-covered-raspberry-filled-coconut-shortbread-cookies/

They're like little cakes, and they're very addictive!

Birthday Dessert Ideas

Congratulations! Babies are fun. (remember that when you're exhausted next month!)

My husband loves cherry and chocolate together, which also always seems very valentine-y to me, so I have a few recipes that showcase these ingredients...

Chocolate covered cherry cake...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/10/03/chocolate-covered-cherry-cake/

Chocolate covered cherry cookies (shortbread cookies with cherry jam inside and melted chocolate outside!!!)
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/06/04/chocolate-covered-cherry-cookies/

Spicy chocolate cake with chocolate covered cherries
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/06/04/chocolate-covered-cherry-cookies/
(I made this one for valentines day last year!)

Favourite Leftover Hacks

I like to make croquettes or burgers with leftover rice, mashed potatoes, millet, quinoa, couscous or risotto. I made them extra special the other week - beer-battered, cheese stuffed risotto croquettes...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/12/28/beer-battered-cheese-filled-risotto-croquettes/

Here are some zucchini hazelnut and millet croquettes (leftover millet)
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/08/13/zucchini-hazelnut-and-millet-croquettes/

Couscous sweet potato and goat cheese...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/02/27/cousous-sweet-potato-goat-cheese-croquettes/

Spinach pesto croquettes (with mashed potatoes)
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2011/12/31/spinach-pesto-croquettes/

Best coffee on a budget

Trader Joes! They have a wide variety of beans, all cheaper than the grocery store variety. And they're good!

Recipe pet peeves

I'm not a snobby cook at all - I use cans of beans and sometimes I'll use frozen vegetables (but only peas and corn!) - but I was thinking the other day that there are a few things I'm picky about, and when I see a recipe that doesn't specify these things, I don't trust the whole cookbook. For instance, if it calls for "lentils" but doesn't tell you what kind, or calls for "curry powder" rather than a mix of specific spices (unless it gives you a recipe for curry powder!) I know there's no real rhyme or reason to these things, but there it is. Do you have certain things you're snobby about? or pet peeves that will spoil a recipe for you?

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