J.K.'s Scrumpy Organic Hard Cider

So... the food daily quickly became "the food whenever-i-think-about-it," and I never really thought about it.  I'm not proud of it, but there you are. Anyway, this is definitely not a recipe, but it certainly is another horrible picture (yey?)! Okay, and it's not even a food... but I recently tried this at my favorite in-town restaurant, The Salted Pig, and was hooked.

J.K.'s Scrumpy Hard Cider. Delightfully apple-ish with just enough hops flavor to satisfy the avid beer drinker. I am not much of a beer drinker, but I have a feeling that's just because I haven't been offered any good ones. Anyway, I do know that I love ciders; my first experience with ciders was Wyder's Raspberry Cider, which is much, much sweeter but with a nice berry tang. There have been many in between, but this organic scrumpy is now my favorite. I'm sure that I will try many more in my life, but if I see a menu with J.K.'s Scrumpy, it just may be too hard to resist.

roasted butternut squash and quinoa salad

Not too heavy, not too light. Perfect explanation of this warm salad. I was looking for a new way to use up some winter squash we have; I thought of filling it... but with what? Maybe a quinoa and lentil salad? No, I did something too similar recently. Ha! Roast the squash and toss it with the quinoa! Yes, yes. Now throw in some onions (because I always do), chickpeas for some nuttiness, and... hmm maybe some lemon to brighten up the party. Ta-da! Surely a new favorite, my roasted butternut squash and quinoa salad was born!

1 small butternut squash, peeled & cubed into 1/2 inch pieces

1 c pearl onions, peeled and halved

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 c quinoa

1 c chicken stock (low sodium)

1 c water

15 oz chickpeas

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lemon

kosher salt

black pepper (freshly ground)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss squash, onions, olive oil, and thyme with salt & pepper to taste. Spread mixture on a large sheet pan in one layer and roast for 15 minutes.

2. Bring chicken stock and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add quinoa and 3/4 tsp salt. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.

3. Rinse canned chickpeas well, then coarsely chop (not each one needs to be cut, just make sure most of them are no longer round). Add chickpeas and minced garlic to squash mixture, toss on the pan, and put back in the oven for 5-10 minutes (until squash is fork tender).

4. Zest lemon and add to the cooked quinoa, fluff with a fork and check seasoning. Juice lemon over finished squash mixture and also check seasoning here. Toss quinoa with squash mixture and serve.

mustard braised brussels sprouts

Move away from the stinky, mushy steamed brussels sprouts from your childhood. These are anything but... and the sauce? Pan-licking good doesn't begin to cover it... I'm going to use this sauce on chicken, fish, winter squash... and anything else that I can think of.

barely adapted from a smitten kitchen recipe...

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

1 lb brussel sprouts, trimmed and halved

3 shallots, sliced

1/2 c white wine (dry)

1 c chicken stock (reduced sodium)

2 tbsp half & half

1+ tbsp honey mustard (jack daniel's)

kosher salt

black pepper (freshly ground)

1. Heat butter and oil in extra-large skillet (flat bottom) over medium heat. Add brussels sprouts flat side down and in a single layer; brown the brussels sprouts- should take 5-7 minutes.

2. Salt and pepper to taste. Add shallots, wine, and chicken stock to the brussels sprouts. Bring to a easy boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer from 15-20 minutes (depending on the size of the sprouts)- sprouts should be "fork"-tender (i use the tip of a knife).

3. Remove brussel sprouts from the pan with a slotted spoon. Increase heat again to medium, reducing sauce for 2 minutes, then stir in half & half and honey mustard. Taste sauce for seasoning, then add brussels sprouts back to pan and lightly toss. Transfer to serving dish or plate and serve.

cherry delight cookies

One of my most popular cookies with my family, and being particularly nice for the holidays, I thought I'd start with my favorite version of chocolate chip cookies.

1/2 c shortening

1/2 c butter (unsalted)

1 c brown sugar, packed

1/2 c white sugar

2 eggs (large)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract (pure organic)

1 tsp almond extract

3+ c ap flour (king arthur unbleached)

1 c white chocolate chips

1 c dried bing cherries

1 c slivered almonds

1. Leave butter, shortening, and eggs at room temperature for approximately 30 minutes. Meanwhile, dice bing cherries. Toss them in up to 1/2 c of the flour to prevent them from clumping.

2. Cream softened butter & shortening with brown and white sugars until mixture is fully incorporated and light in color.

3. Add in eggs, one at a time. Add baking soda, salt, and both extracts, mix until fully incorporated.

4. Beat in flour 1/2 c at a time. Stop between each half cup to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, but there is no need to make sure the flour is fully incorporated each time. After adding 2 c of the flour, check consistency of the dough- make a ball with the dough, it should hold its shape easily, but leave grease on your hand. Continue to add flour and stir by hand until you reach the desired consistency.

5. Incorporate white chocolate, almonds, and cherries into dough, being careful to not over mix. At this point, I usually refrigerate my dough just for easier handling, but this is certainly not necessary. (pictured cookies were not made from refrigerated dough)

6. Drop rounded tablespoons onto silpat or parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake in 375 degree for approximately 9 minutes. Cool on pan for 5 minutes, then move to cooling rack until fully cooled. Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies.

a simple introduction

Welcome to The Food Daily. As this is my first post, I will simply introduce myself; my name is Alison and I am a student at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. I plan to provide you with some of my favorite recipes, food finds, and of course, baking and cooking tips. Baking is my way of relaxing, but I unfortunately do not get to do it as often as I like. Cooking is my way of breaking up the monotony of the week, and often my way to "travel" on a college student's budget. My food is usually simple, and always flavorful.