This recipe hails from a restaurant in Asheville, NC.  It has just a hint of cheddar that pairs deliciously with a little salt and the nuttiness of the whole wheat flour.  This was wonderful served with breakfast.  
Source: Food and Wine Mag

2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk


  1. Preheat the oven to 450°. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk in the cheddar cheese. Using your fingers or a pastry blender, rub or cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-size pieces remaining. Mix in the buttermilk, stirring, just until the dough holds together.
  2. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to a 7 1/2-inch square that's 3/4 inch thick. Cut the dough into nine 2 1/2-inch squares and transfer the squares to an ungreased baking sheet. Bake the biscuits for about 12 minutes, until golden brown on top. Let the biscuits cool slightly and serve.
 
This is great fall vegetarian dish.  I haven't eaten a whole lot of kale but I'm not sure why.  It's a delicious green that is very good cooked.  I couldn't find any wheat berries so I used barley instead.
Source: Food and Wine Mag
  • 1 pound peeled butternut squash, cut into 1/2-inch dice (3 cups)
  • 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 2 cups whole einka or other wheat berries
  • 10 ounces Tuscan kale, stemmed, leaves sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick (4 cups)
  • 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
  • 1/2 cup minced shallots
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped sage
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/3 cup dry white wine
  • 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the squash with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast the squash for 20 to 25 minutes, until tender. Transfer to a large bowl.
  2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, cover the wheat berries with 5 cups of water and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat until tender, 25 minutes.
  3. Add the kale to the wheat berries, cover and remove from the heat; let stand until the kale is wilted, 5 minutes. Drain well and add the wheat and kale to the squash. Add the vinegar and 2 tablespoons of the oil to the salad, season with salt and pepper and toss.
  4. In a medium skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt and cook over moderately high heat until just starting to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sage and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the wine and simmer, stirring, until evaporated. Scrape the shallot and garlic into the salad and toss. Season with salt and pepper, garnish with parsley and serve.
MAKE AHEAD The salad can be refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature before serving. NOTES Einka berries are available frombluebirdgrainfarms.com.
SUGGESTED PAIRING
 
Here's another great recipe from Aunt Janet.  This is delicious way to grill chicken.  The marinade/sauce is very flavorful!
  • 2 Large limes
  • 1/2 C. Rice vinegar
  • 1/3 C. chunky peanut butter
  • A handful of fresh cilantro
  • 1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger 
  • 3 cloves minced garlic 
  • 3 Tbsp Soy Sauce
  • 3 Tbsp firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp Asian sesame oil
  •  4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (approx 1.5 lbs) cut into thick strips
 
1.  Grate 1 tsp lime zest and squeeze 1/4 C juice from limes.  Whisk together the lime zest and juice, vinegar, and peanut butter until smooth in a glass or ceramic bowl.  Stir in the cilantro, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar and sesame oil.  Reserve about 1/2 C of the mixture in a separate bowl for use as a sauce.  Add the chicken to the marinade and turn to coat. Can marinade for 30 minutes at room temp or cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or more.
 
2.  Oil your BBQ grill rack or preheat a broiler in your oven.  Oil the pan if using the oven.  When ready, remove the chicken from the marinade and discard it.  Divide strips among 8 skewers, threading the strips on lengthwise.  Place skewers on grill or put them on a baking sheet if using the oven broiler.  Cook, turning once, until seared on the outside and cooked inside, probably 6-8 minutes or so (depending on heat).  Drizzle with separately reserved sauce and serve, passing any additional sauce at table.
 
I'm obsessed with making my own pasta. At the moment, I'm going through a ravioli stage because of my new ravioli plaque I bought on Amazon for $13.  The plaque consists of a little metal frame with indentations and a plastic tray with wells.  This recipe featured here is a take on the previously posted ravioli recipe.  I found some delicious handmade goat cheese of assorted flavors at my farmer's market so I filled these babies with that.  No, I did not mix in ricotta (which you could do in equal parts with the cheese) because I wanted to really taste the goat cheese.  YUM!
First, make the dough.  For 24 ravioli, mix 1 1/2 cups of flour with two egg yolks, 2 tablespoons of oil, and 1 teaspoon of salt in a stand mixer with the flat beater.  Switch to the dough hook and knead for a minute or so.  Slowly, add in water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough becomes a ball.  If it's sticky, just flour the outside of the ball.  Cut into four equal parts with a bench scraper.  Remember to coat all surfaces with flour.
Roll out into sheets and keep throwing on the flour.  Roll out the sheets about 1 inch longer than the plaque in length on both ends.
Spray the plaque with cooking spray.  Lay down a pasta sheet on the plaque.  Then press the plastic part into the dough to make little wells.  Fill these with no more than 1 teaspoon of filling.  This picture shows local goat cheese with sundried tomatoes.  Five to six oz of cheese or filling will make 1 whole plaque.    
Next, lay down another pasta sheet over the plaque.  Use a rolling pin to press the dough into the plaque.
Make sure you can see all of the little ridges of the plaque, especially between the ravioli.  Remove excess dough.  Then flip the plaque over and carefully poke the ravioli out onto your working surface.
Flour a cutting board or baking sheets and place your ravioli on that.  DO NOT let them touch or they will stick.  Repeat this process until you have your desired amount of pasta.
Place a pot of salted water on to boil.  To finish, you will want to make a light sauce that augments the flavor of the ravioli without covering up its delicious flavor.  I usually mince 3-5 cloves of garlic (plus or minus a shallot or so) and cook for about 60 seconds in 3 tablespoons of butter or extra virgin olive oil. Allow pasta to cook for 2-3 minutes and scoop out with a slotted spoon directly into the garlic butter. Toss and serve immediately with crisp white wine. Bon appetit!  
 
This was supposed to be a soup served on a crisp fall night.  Instead it was 90 degrees today.  So I turned up the air conditioner a little bit.  This was great and I will definitely make it again.  When I do so, I think I am going to reserve some of the potatoes before pureeing them and I will add them with the roasted veggies and herbs at the end. 
Source: Food Network Mag
  • 3 large leeks
  • 1 large bulb fennel, diced (stems and fronds reserved)
  • 3 large carrots, diced
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • Cooking spray
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 1/2 cups skim milk
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley and/or dill
  • 1/2 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
  • 4 slices crusty Italian bread, toasted

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Make the broth: Cut off the dark green tops of the leeks and put in a large pot along with the fennel stems and fronds; add 8 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, halve the remaining leeks lengthwise, then thinly slice and rinse. Put the carrots and half each of the sliced leeks and diced fennel on a foil-lined baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper, coat with cooking spray and toss. Roast until golden, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add the remaining leeks and fennel and cook, stirring, until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the potatoes and 2 cups of the prepared broth. Cover and cook until tender, 15 minutes. Add 4 more cups broth and the milk; bring to a boil. Working in batches, transfer to a blender and puree; season with salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into bowls; top with the roasted vegetables and chopped herbs. Spread the ricotta on the toasted bread and season with pepper; serve with the soup.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/potato-fennel-soup-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback