True talk: Rachael Ray taught me how to cook. Living alone after graduating college, I binged on 30 Minute Meals and absorbed her tips and tricks. As I learned more from other TV cooking shows, cookbooks, and blogs, she's fallen off my radar as a go-to resource - until recently. A friend gave me a stack of old Rachael Ray magazines and this stuffed pepper recipe popped out as something different but delicious-looking.

You start off prepping your poblano peppers. Her recipe asks for 6 but I only did 4. I sliced off the tops, removed the seeds and ribs, and rinsed inside and out. Then, you prep the filling, which includes:

1 15 ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed
1 4 ounce log soft goat cheese
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Monterey jack (I used feta - had it on hand!)
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup fresh corn kernels (I used frozen kernels rinsed in warm water)
1/4 pound salami, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (I left out)

So, I cut down the number of peppers, but didn't cut down the filling amount. You'll see below that this causes a tiny problem. My beans were not on board with being mashed up as the recipe calls for, so I left most of them whole. All in all, I liked the heartier texture when we ate them later!

I stuffed the filling into the peppers which were simply overflowing. I tried to jerry-rig a "stand" of sorts by rolling up some aluminum foil to keep all of the stuffing from falling out during baking. I popped these into an almost 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

Some of the stuffing still fell out, yes, but it was AMAZING. The cheese on the outside got all crispy and crunchy and the high heat of the oven blistered the pepper skin beautifully.

I paired the peppers with But I'm Hungry's Pork Chops Adobado. Sounds and tastes super fancy, but it's basically a (mostly) dry rub for pork that contains:

2 tablespoons olive oil
5 large garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste

I marinated two chops in the rub overnight and then threw them in the oven for 30 minutes or so in the same oven as the peppers until cooked through. Admittedly, I was preparing them right before bedtime and was wiped out, so I just tossed everything in a bag instead of toasting them all a bit on the stove. Even in Raw & Lazy form, the flavor is delicious. The paprika just adds such a big punch of smoky, rich flavor - you will love them.

We each got a chop and two peppers. This was one filling and flavorful dinner! The peppers were such a hit. I love that the heat was so high in the oven that the pepper skin got so blistery and hot. It was totally the look, texture, and flavor I imagined when I read the recipe, but I didn't have to deal with the grilling. I'll definitely be serving these again!

Oops, I Did It Again - Herbs De Provence French Bread

I am obsessed with this Rosemary Kalamata French Bread I shared with you awhile back. I've made it twice since and it is just perfection. I enjoyed a slice of it with some scrambled eggs for breakfast when inspiration struck. I love adding Herbs de Provence to my scrams and knew those same herbs would be outrageous in this most perfect of breads.

And so I began making this recipe for a fourth time. I started with the traditional HdP mix:

If you can't read the labels in the photos, I used savory, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and dried lavender. I used ALL of each of the 5 green ones and a little more than a tablespoon of the lavender buds. I've lamented with friends before that, though I LOVE fresh herbs, I loathe the tedious process of removing them off of their stems. Other than the lavender, I prepped all of these herbs. It took me for fucking ever to do, and I grumbled along the way, but I knew the final product would be worth it. (Spoiler: it is.)

I ran a pair of kitchen shears through the whole mix to slightly break down the larger pieces, but otherwise kept everything whole. Primarily this was for full flavor permeation and a rustic look to the final bread, but I was also so friggin tired of working on the herbs at that point. Laziness doesn't always taste better, but it rocked in this case.

If you don't want to click back to the original post, I mixed 4 cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon active dry yeast, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 cups warm water with the dough hook in my Kitchenaid. Once it all started to come together, I dumped in the herbs. After about 8 - 10 minutes mixing on low, I removed the hook and covered the bowl with plastic wrap.

Plop this somewhere dark and come back four hours later. It will expand into this:

Roll it around on a lightly floured countertop and shape it into a ball. Oh, update! In the original recipe, I have you simply put the ball of dough into a lightly oiled Dutch oven. That was great but the bottom crust was too dark for my liking, almost black. In my subsequent executions of this recipe, I put a piece of Parchment paper on the bottom, then add a bit of oil, then add the bread. The bottom crust comes out PERFECT. I highly recommend this twist to the recipe. Let it sit in the Dutch oven on the counter for another 30 minutes or so, slice an X on the top, and bake. You bake at 450° with the lid on for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and reduce the heat to 375° for another 15 or so minutes.

This is a thing of beauty. The time it took to pluck all of the herbs? Beyond worth it the second you catch a whiff of this aromatic, fresh and fragrant bread.

And you want to keep eating it. And eating it. And eating it. And your husband calls to you from the other room and you can't answer him because your mouth is stuffed full of herbaceous, doughy, hot from the oven bread. And you wonder if you REALLY have to share the rest of the loaf with him or save it for future use.

You save it. Breakfasts are better because of Herbs de Provence toast. Soups are better because you dip Herbs de Provence bread into them.

Make this bread. Make it with herbs, make it with olives, make it with sun dried tomatoes, make it with roasted garlic cloves, make it plain Jane. I just beg of you - make it. You will never be the same again.

Roasted Salmon With Horseradish Dill Sauce

Happy Thursday! It's my Friday today as I'm traveling tomorrow - thank freakin' goodness - so I'll give you this quick and easy salmon sauce.

The fish itself is simple -- I had the fishmonger take the skin/scales off of two beautiful salmon fillets. I seasoned them with salt and pepper and a tiny drizzle of olive oil and baked them at 325 degrees for 25 minutes.

While the fish cooked, I mixed up the sauce. I started a ton of fresh chopped dill -- it's not helpful recipe-wise, but dill is very hit or miss for people, so use as much as you like. I went with "lots". I added it into a cup of 2% Greek yogurt with the juice of one lemon and 2 tablespoons of horseradish. I love the spicy punch that the horseradish brings, but the yogurt helped cool it down a bit so the fresh green dill shone through the brightest.

I served with a few Persian cucumbers sliced up and lightly salted on the side. They added some much needed crunch to the plate.

Oh, and remember the soup?

This almost edged into Diet Food territory, it was so light and healthy. So I had an extra glass of chardo for dessert. Moderation is the name of the game, right?

Wine Wednesday: Bigorre, Clos Basté 2012

My new job is a few short blocks from Astor Wines, an absolute playground for oenophiles in NYC. I've gone there a few times on lunch breaks just to wander and 'window shop' so to speak. The staff is extremely approachable and knowledgable

I felt very much in a rut a few weeks ago and decided that cooking a fancy weeknight dinner and pairing it with a new wine we'd never tried would help lift the shroud. The soup part of that dinner I shared with you yesterday and the salmon piece is coming tomorrow (promise!). All I could think of that day at Astor was finding a red wine to go with a nice hearty piece salmon. I know, I know -- red wine and fish? It worked and did not overpower.

No lies, I picked this bottle primarily because it was French and I wanted to help break out of my rut with my Edith Piaf Pandora station. You know I like a theme.

I got a very crisp celery and green pepper aroma - very exciting since I didn't want it to be too heavy with the fish. After sipping, it gave me a very bright mineral feeling, almost like licking a stone (don't tell me you never did this as a child), with a very smooth dark blueberry flavor as well. The crispness and fruitness paired beautifully with the fish. When I checked back to my photos of the signage from the store, "wet stones" is listed as a flavor note - I felt really proud at myself for identifying what should otherwise be a ridiculous flavor to pick out of a wine!

I purchased this for $11.96 at Astor Wines and loved it. The price is perfect for Weeknight Wine and I certainly will be back for another bottle!

Artichoke Asparagus Soup

Beautiful Soup, so rich and green,
Waiting in a hot tureen!
Who for such dainties would not stoop?
Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!
- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
As evidenced by the poetic intro, I love soup. I whipped one up recently on one of our first chilly days of autumn. Ironically, I went with two super springtime vegetables - asparagus and artichokes.

I started out with the following ingredients:

1 lb marinated artichoke hearts (oil drained)
1 bunch of asparagus, woody stems removed and tops reserved
2 1/2 c vegetable stock (you can certainly use chicken stock or plain water - use what you have!)
2 cloves garlic
Chives, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon 2% Greek yogurt (not pictured above)

I heated a bit of olive oil in my tallest-sided pot and added the chives and garlic to sweat a bit. After a minute or two, I added the asparagus, stirred, and cooked for 3 - 4 minutes. Next came the artichokes.

I left them whole since I planned to puree the soup, but you can certainly slice them down if you want to get fancy with your presentation. While the veggies softened and cooked, I added salt and a LOT of fresh black pepper.

After about 5 minutes of the vegetables sauteing, I added in the stock. I brought it to a boil, reduced the heat, and let the whole thing simmer for about 10 minutes.

Then, I whipped out the immersion blender. I have been living with J for four plus years now and this was my first time actually using the tool myself. I always imagined me splattering the entire kitchen with food and/or burning myself in the process. Luckily this worked out and the soup turned out perfectly smooth.

Once blended, check for seasoning and add more stock if you want it to be thinner. Then, stir in the tablespoon of Greek yogurt. You can certainly use cream if you wish, but I love the tangy flavor from the yogurt as well as the protein. I also added in the asparagus tops, a trick I learned from the OG Of Asparagus Soup (my mother). You get the pretty flowery tops of the stalks as well as that nice tender bite in the otherwise smooth, velvety soup. Keep the soup simmering for another 5 minutes or so to be sure you heat the tops all the way through.

Serve up in bowls and top with more fresh cracked black pepper.

I patently love pepper. Start to finish, this took about 30 minutes, including the vegetable prep. The leftovers were delicious to take to work in my Thermos and reheated really well. It was so light but still quite filling. I served this on the side of a light, herby fish dish that I'll post later in the week!