Grilled Blueberry + Brie Sandwich

Moving on . . . If I could ever open a restaurant, I'd definitely try my hand at a sandwich shop. Nothing fills my stomach better than crusty bread with lots of fillings, sauces, and cheeses. Remember the ultimate vegetarian behemoth, The Lover? Of course you do! Who can forget?

And if you're looking for a way to use that homemade Honey Whole Wheat + Flax Loaf, I've got you covered. With all those freshly picked blueberries hanging around and a forgotten wheel of Aldi brie, I melted together pure perfection. This sandwich is delicious for breakfast, brunch, or lunch. OK. Dinner and dessert, too.

Here's how you do it:

GRILLED BLUEBERRY + BRIE SANDWICHES
Makes 4 sandwiches total, but you can always cut ingredients down to make one!

What you'll need . . . 

• 8 slices of Honey Whole Wheat + Flax Bread (or other bread)
• 1 wheel of brie, I sliced the rind off mine
• 1/2 cup of 10-Minute Chia Blueberry Jam, recipe below
• Earth Balance or butter 
• Honey, for drizzling (optional)

// BLUEBERRY CHIA JAM

• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• Splash lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pot. Heat on medium until blueberries plump. Then squash them down with a spatula, lower heat, and keep stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. Let sit 5-10 minutes before using in the sandwich (or storing in the fridge). You will have extra jam to spread on toast or baked muffins.

Putting the sandwich together . . .

1. Warm a grill pan* (or a regular pan can do in a pinch) on the stove over medium-high heat while you prepare the ingredients. Lower heat just before starting to grill to avoid burning. It's a lot like making grilled cheese, if that helps.
2. Spread one side of bread slices with Earth Balance or butter. Then flip over and spread one side with jam and arrange sliced brie on other side. Sandwich together and place one on the griddle.
3. You'll want to press down ever-so slightly to get those grill marks going. After a few minutes of cooking, arrange the sandwich in another direction to get the cross grill marks. Then flip and repeat on the other side. The brie should start to ooze -- that's when you know it's done!
4. I like serving this sandwich with the jam side on the bottom and the brie on the top. It hits my palate better that way. But -- either way -- you can also choose to drizzle with a little honey for extra indulgence.

* I have a Le Creuset Grill Pan that I had won in a contest like 7 years ago or something like that. It's wonderful -- even for vegetarians -- with making sandwiches or grilling tofu with those characteristic marks. You can also find one for less $$$ made by Lodge for just under $20. And it's pre-seasoned!

Behold . . .


The best thing about this sandwich is that you can make it with whatever berries are seasonal. I've made quick chia jams using the exact method above with strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, etc. So, please make this sandwich SOON and let me know how you like it. It's a new favorite around these parts. So simple to make, yet so . . . I don't know . . . fancy.

Happy Friday!

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Brie-Stuffed Pumpkin Garlic Rolls

Finally got a chance to make the last dish for our Thanksgiving Brunch special. So far, we've served up Soft-Boiled Eggs atop Spinach Toast, a Bittersweet Pumpkin Pie, and Maple Roasted Fingerling Potatoes. There were a lot of directions I wanted to go with another selection, but I simply couldn't choose between sweet + savory.

So I settled on these guys.

This recipe is incredibly easy to make. So much so, you'll want to eat them again and again. If you've been reading for a long while (in which case, I'm thankful for you!), you've already got the basics down. You can even mix your dough together today, let rise, and refrigerate for use tomorrow.

Get going!

:: Make up a batch of Pumpkin Garlic Knots dough + let rise for 2 hours.
:: Then consult the Pumpkin Pesto Rolls post for some method illustrations.

The real difference with these rolls versus the others is the filling.

Check it out:


BRIE-STUFFED PUMPKIN GARLIC ROLLS

You'll need . . . 

• 1 wedge buttery brie, cut rind off + chop
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup 
• 1 handful baby kale or spinach, chopped 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 
• Salt + pepper to taste
• Jam for topping

Method . . .

• Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease a standard muffin tin, like this one.
• Once you've chopped the garlic and kale, just toss everything into a bowl and mix by hand until well incorporated.
• Then roll your dough atop a floured work surface into a long log. Divide into 12 equal portioned pieces of dough.
• Take each piece and roll out into an oval-ish shape, spread your cheese mixture inside, then roll and place in your muffin tin.
• Continue with all remaining pieces of dough and until you run out of brie mixture.
• Then bake in the oven for 15 to 17 minutes. Until golden brown and bubbling. Let cool before eating.

We then topped ours with some delicious Hot Pepper Raspberry Preserves. You can eat them however you like. But consider this your alternative to boring stuffing. Or just eat them whenever. I mean, these rolls are quite literally stuffing, so we have you covered in that regard!

I wish you luck with all your final shopping trips + tweaks with recipes for the big day tomorrow. I'd love to know what's on your menu this year. As well as if you celebrate with traditional Thanksgiving dinner or do something a little different like brunch.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Roasted Beets and Smoky Chutney

Our CSA baskets have featured beets these past couple weeks. Though I've definitely eaten my fair share of beets before (remember BEET-za or Dwight's Apple-Beet Muffins?!?!), I had never prepared them at home. We either had them out, at a friend's house, or -- not-as glamorously -- out of a can.

A quick Google search brought me to Alanna's tutorial on how to roast beets in a dutch oven. I followed it exactly (well, I cut my stems too short, but it wasn't an issue).

The result: Beets + dutch oven + time = YUM! (and magenta-colored fingers)

And since I've not used beets in cooking for a while, I didn't want to just eat them roasted. Though, they taste amazing that way, and my friend Chris says they're great quartered with a bit of olive oil, garlic, salt, and rosemary.

I had other plans. Chutney. Not just any chutney, though. Paul Mercurio's Smoky Beet Chutney (Cooking with Beer -- PDF document)

(((I am adding the original recipe to this post because many people have reported to me that they are getting an error trying to open the PDF document I found.)))

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh beet roots, scrubbed and tops removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
Juice of one fresh orange
2 fresh bay leaves
1 cup porter ale
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon (or to taste) red pepper flakes or diced chiles
1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Method:

Preheat oven to 400F. Wrap beets in foil and place in a baking dish. Bake in oven for 1 hour. Set aside to cool slightly. Using disposable gloves to avoid staining your hands, remove the skins and tough stem ends and chop the beets very fine.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and fry onion until soft. Add garlic, apple cider vinegar, orange juice, bay leaves, porter, brown sugar, salt and chiles. Simmer 10 minutes. Stir in chopped beets and smoked paprika. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer 45 minutes or until the mixture thickens slightly. Remove bay leaves. Spoon the hot chutney into sterilized 8 oz. jars.


I guess that recipe is more fall-appropriate (in my search, I discovered there's a general consensus that beet chutney goes best with Thanksgiving). Still, the combination of beets, onions, beer, smoked paprika, and orange couldn't have pared better with brie, (The NEW 5-minute) naan, and almonds.

Have you roasted beets at home? What's your favorite way to use them? Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

PS: HAPPY 4TH of JULY, my fellow Americans!


And if you've got a baby, you might be interested to read how to dropped Ada's 2AM/3AM feed on Writing Chapter Three. I was worried the post would jinx us out of the great sleep we've been getting. And -- sadly -- that's exactly what happened last night!

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Baked Flatbread with Sweet Onions, Collards, and Brie

In our home, it always feels like a pizza or garlic knots night. Especially recently. But I'm growing tired with our usual recipes. I also want to add more veggies to the mix (since cheese pizza is my go-to favorite). The temps were too hot for my run last night, so I decided to get a workout in the kitchen creating a new recipe.

As you'll see in just a moment, the recipe is long. I suggest you read it over once to see how easy these steps are once you get started. If you like to prepare ahead, a great way to approach this meal might be making batches of dough ahead of time, freezing them, then preparing the toppings fresh the day of.

Stephen and I loved the crispy crust and light toppings. We ate the entire thing, but didn't feel overly full -- leaving room for dessert.


FLATBREAD DOUGH

What you'll need . . .

• 1-1/3 cups unbleached bread flour
• 2/3 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon dry active yeast
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup warm (wrist-temperature) water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• More flour for kneading

Method . . .

1. In a small bowl, pour your water and mix in the yeast. Let sit to 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours and salt.
3. Pour the olive oil into the yeast mixture. Stir. Then pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix (a spatula works well, then transition over to your hands to a kneading).
4. Use extra flour in your bowl to get your dough from sticky to a nice, elastic ball.
5. Then cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour.

TOPPINGS

What you'll need . . .

• 1 medium to large white onion
• Bunch of collard greens, chopped
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• Fresh or canned (drained/rinsed) tomatoes
• 1 wheel brie
• Fresh herbs (we used dill, basil, thyme, and sage)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

Method . . .

1. In a medium pan, pour in a bit of olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Toss in the onions and cook until glassy. Then add the collard greens (they will cook down), brown sugar, and water. Cook until onions are browned. Then set aside.
2. Slice your tomatoes. If you're using canned, squeeze out as much extra moisture as possible so your dough won't get soggy when you bake.
3. Slice brie into small pieces. We always take off the rind. (And YES! Pregnant women can eat Brie. We used President, which is pasteurized.)

PUTTING IT TOGETHER

1. Preheat your oven to 500 degrees F. Place a pizza stone on the center oven rack. A metal sheet should work, too. You may want to lower the oven temp to 475 degrees F, in that event.
2. Divide dough into two balls. Bag and freeze one for a rainy day. On a lightly floured work surface, stretch out the other one until it is thin and about 18 inches in diameter (about the diameter of the pizza stone).
3. When the oven is preheated, put the dough in and bake on one side for 3 to 5 minutes. You will see the dough bubble up.
4. Remove the crust from the oven and flip it over. Drizzle your 2 tablespoons of olive oil onto it. Then distribute the onion/collard mixture, the tomatoes, the brie, and finish with the herbs. We also added a pinch of salt at the last minute.
5. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes -- until brie is bubbly and browned. Then finish with a quick broil -- 1 to 2 minutes, depending on how crisp you'd like it.
6. Then cut and serve.

You'll be fighting to get your fill . . . up until the very last piece.


So, that's what I like to do on nights when I don't run (and actually have time/energy mid-week to cook!). I woke up at 5:40 to try and get a morning jog in . . . only to be greeted by thunder and lightning. Here's hoping my luck will improve tonight . . .

But the extra time did give me a chance to finally record our 16 (and 17) week pregnancy vlog. We'll post it on (never home)maker, baby! once it uploads. For now, you can read the rest on today's 17-week update post.

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Brie Stuffed-Crust Pizza

Would you believe me if I told you our kitchen cabinets are bare? Our refrigerator is only stocked with condiments, almond milk, and a quarter bag of spinach? That we do indeed have some veggies -- carrots, onions, and broccoli -- but we let them get past their prime? And that our usually full-to-the-brim pantry has only a can of beets, two cans of kidney beans, and a can of pumpkin left inside?

It's pitiful, really. But our weekend was busy. We've been living off some homemade peanut butter, oatmeal, and eggs for the past three days. Thankfully, we have a ton of chili in the freezer. But we had chili for lunch (as well as for lunch and dinner on Sunday). Sick. Of. It. Already!

Last night, the ability to be creative with the odds and ends we do have wasn't in me. I had to make it happen. And it was incredibly difficult. But, as I usually do . . . I tried my best to find a way to either order or make pizza.

Yeah, I thought. My love for pizza can get me through this.


As always, the issue with pizza is time. Once the dough is ready, it's pretty easy. Just put whatever you have on the crust and bake. So, I set out to experiment with some of my favorite pizza dough recipes. And I didn't let the dough rise. I thought of it as an experiment.

My hypothesis: The crust would turn out OK, but not as deliciously as normal. Nor would there be as much lift -- the texture would be off slightly. But, it would be worthy of the title "pizza crust."


Did I mention we had a wheel of brie? Probably not. But . . . that was the only cheese in the house besides a Parmesan shaker. I got the idea to stuff the crust with brie because I thought it might make up for the bread being iffy.

These shots were taken of the cold pizza this morning, but you can see the brie inside. It oozes out in all its cheesy glory when heated . . .


BRIE STUFFED-CRUST PIZZA

What you'll need for the crust . . .

• 2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (or one packet)
• 1-1/4 cups warm -- not hot -- water
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 2 cups white bread flour
• 1-1/4 cups white whole wheat flour (or regular whole wheat)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup olive oil

Method . . .

1. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the yeast and warm water. Then stir in the maple syrup. Let sit until frothy -- about 5 minutes.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours and salt. Set aside.
3. Create an impression in the middle of your dry ingredients with your fist (like a bowl). Pour into the impression your yeast mixture and 1/8 cup of the oil.
4. Mix with a spatula. Then give up and just use your hands. Knead the dough for five minutes. Ad a bit more oil if the dough is too dry. You want a nice, elastic round.
5. Divide dough into 2 balls.
6. Refrigerate or freeze one, unless you want 2 pizzas.

What you'll need for the pizza toppings/stuffing . . .

• 1/2 a round of brie cheese (or a single wedge may do)
• 1 can of white beans, drained, rinsed, and mashed
• 1/2 to 1 cup spinach, rinsed
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Stretch out (or roll) your dough so it's maybe 12 to 14 inches in diameter. (This measurement will make more sense in a moment.)
3. You're going to use a round pie pan, and you want like an inch of overlap. So, make sure your dough is that big . . . then spritz a pie pan with a bit of olive oil . . . center the dough over the pie pan and press into all the sides. Let the part that overlaps hang out for a moment.
4. Cut thin slices of your brie round and line the perimeter of the pan with them. Use as much cheese as you like. When you're done, fold over the excess dough and press into the bottom of the dough to seal. (If this doesn't make sense, please ask questions!)
5. Prick bottom with a fork once or twice, then bake for 10 minutes.
6. While that's baking assemble all your other ingredients. You can really use anything you want. We just used what we had around our kitchen.
7. After the 10 minutes is up, pour your mashed beans into the pizza. Smush them down until they are level. Top with the spinach and then the tomato sauce.
8. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and pepper. Then return to the oven to bake for another 10 to 15 minutes.
9. We broiled ours for 3 minutes at the end, too.

My hypothesis was correct. The dough did work with no rising time. It wasn't the best pizza dough I've ever made . . . but it wasn't terrible by any standards. I'll definitely make it again just because it was so fast. The brie tasted amazing . . . and now I'm on a stuffed pizza kick.

I can't wait to try different kinds. I'm even thinking that string cheese might be a great stuffer. I just wish I could find a slightly larger pie pan. It was cool how round the pizzas turned out. Usually mine looks more like the state of Pennsylvania. Sometimes Idaho, even. Yikes.


I also can't wait to get myself to a grocery store! I'm eating chili again for lunch (as I post this) as well as some delicious treats Ashley sent to me this weekend! Her famously beautiful mandel bread.

Wow it's good. I had to limit myself because if I'm not careful, I could seriously eat all of it in one sitting!


How do you make due when you seem to have bare kitchen cabinets and refrigerator shelves? Has it forced you to eat out? Or to just be creative? We'd love to hear your tips/recipes! Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.



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Autumn Harvest Cupcakes

Favorite from the METHOD archives:

I came across the whole Iron Cupcake phenomenon on Flickr . . . and, I must say, what an awesome group! Using my baking skills to make treats using strange and -- as with last month's choice of basil -- unusual ingredients is not only fun, but also challenging (that's the idea, I suppose).

This month's ingredient is cheese . . . so, I tried inventing a weird, but yummy combination using feta & vanilla, or cheddar (with this chocolate my husband found with hot peppers in it), etc. But when I thought about what I'd most like to eat, and brie came to mind immediately. It may be playing it safe, I'm not entirely sure.

I just like brie. Plain and simple.

Luckily, my mother-in-law was in town visiting this weekend, and she helped create the rest of the recipe. Originally we planned to use zucchini. But the grocery store was out for some odd reason, so yellow squash made a great substitute. Then, we thought pumpkin might be nice (it's autumn, after all) . . . and cider . . . the list grew and grew with all those favorite fall staples.

So here are our Autumn Harvest Cupcakes -- to be eaten with or without the dark chocolate frosting.


AUTUMN HARVEST CUPCAKES

What you’ll need . . .

. . . for the cake part:

• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1-1/3 cups natural sugar
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/4 cup applesauce (unsweetened)
• 1/2 cup apple cider
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-1/2 cups organic all-purpose flour (unbleached)
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1-1/2 cups shredded yellow squash

. . . for the cheese part:

• 2 rounds of brie (16 ounces in all)
• 2 tablespoons honey (we're talking HEAPING tablespoons, here!)
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (or however much you’d like to add, depending on your love of chocolate)

Method . . .

. . . for the cake part:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Insert liners into a medium cupcake pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine the oil, sugar, pumpkin, applesauce, cider, one teaspoon baking powder, and vanilla extract. Beat well with an electric mixer or in a stand mixer.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
4. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Mix until fully incorporated.
5. Fold the yellow squash into the batter.
6. Fill the cupcake liners half full – no more, as you’ll need room for the cheese, as well as extra batter to top it with.
7. Make the cheese mixture (instructions below).

. . . for the cheese part:

1. Cut off the top (rind) of the cheese rounds and scoop the soft cheese out into a medium-sized bowl.
2. Add the honey and mix the two together using a fork (until nice and soft).
3. Feel free to add more honey (or use less) to taste.
4. Add the chocolate chips.
5. Drop a teaspoon-ish amount into each cup. I found that once I was finished, I would have liked more cheese in mine, so you may also do the first 12 with 2 teaspoon-ish amounts of cheese, and the next batch without cheese. It’s up to you!
6. Top each cup with a bit of the remaining batter – until cup is three-quarters full.
7. Bake for approximately 23 minutes (or between 20-25). Let cool. And eat plain (my husband and his father preferred them this way) or frost with the following . . .

DARK CHOCOLATE FROSTING

What you’ll need . . .

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (or butter substitute, whichever you prefer)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 2/3 cup Hershey’s “special dark” cocoa (or whatever dark cocoa you like)
• 1/2 cup milk (or soy milk -- even when I don't bake vegan, I tend to make it as non-dairy, etc., as possible)

Method . . .

1. Cream the butter and vanilla together with an electric mixer on low to medium speed.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture until fully integrated. Slowly add the milk to the frosting until you have reached your desired consistency. (You may very well not use all the milk.)

Wow. That post is ancient! (My photography since then has improved quite a bit, too!)

I made these cupcakes (and, by the way, the recipe makes 24 of 'em) two years ago. Yes, they are rather involved. Yes, they're worth every minute. I mean, what's better than spending an entire Sunday afternoon baking? I plan to make these treats again sometime soon.

Do you experiment with "weird" ingredients in your baking? Ever put cheese in cupcakes? Chocolate in pizza sauce? Or -- here's another question -- is this recipe just way too involved for you to want to try it? We'd love to hear your thoughts! Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

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