The Occasion: Whenever you’re ready for a little nosh, that’s the perfect occasion for these Reuben Pinwheels. Perfect for serving when, let’s say, there may be a big deal sports game on the teevee, or an awards show, or an international event featuring daring feats of athletic prowess. When it’s time to upgrade your snacks from chips and dips, this recipe scores a touchdown every time.  

The Recipe: Spicy Southern Kitchen is an excellent food blog which posts gorgeous food pix and well-produced recipe videos that appear all over my Facebook feed. Always mesmerized by Christin’s tasty-looking food, I finally decided to try one of her recipes for myself. So glad I did! 

What Makes It Special? Warm appetizers are always nicer than cold apps, in my opinion, and this one features bold, savory flavors in a finger food format. What’s not to like about that?!

Serve With: Beer and other snacks. Although some New Yorkers enjoy Dr. Brown’s Cel-Ray soda with their corned beef, so you do you.

Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

The Verdict: Double up on the corned beef and we’ve got ourselves a winner! We really enjoyed the Reuben Pinwheels, but following the recipe as posted we tasted mostly cheese. Not that there’s anything wrong with a cheese puff, mind you, but for full Reuben impact I recommend adding several more slices of meat to the roll-ups. Otherwise, this is a delightfully easy, deliciously tasty snack or light meal. Enjoy!
​

Reuben Pinwheels
Recipe source: Spicy Southern Kitchen
 
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
• 1 egg
• 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons Thousand Island dressing
• 6 slices Swiss cheese
• 1/2 cup sauerkraut, squeezed in paper towels to remove liquid
• 6 slices deli-sliced corned beef (Note: Use more meat if desired, up to 12 slices)
• 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds, optional
• More Thousand Island for serving

DIRECTIONS:

• On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin on the puff pastry to flatten creases and extend the size just a little bit in all directions.
• Whisk egg with 1 tablespoon of water and lightly brush the top surface of puff pastry with the egg mixture.
• Keeping a half-inch border on all edges, lay slices of swiss cheese on top of puff pastry, overlapping slightly. You may need an extra slice or two to cover the space.
• In a bowl, mix together cream cheese and Thousand Island dressing. Spread on top of cheese layer.
• Evenly place sauerkraut on top of cream cheese layer.
• Lay corned beef slices on top of sauerkraut.
• Starting at one end, roll the pastry up jellyroll style, keeping a fairly tight roll. Brush the far edge of pastry with egg wash and press to seal it to the roll.
• Wrap in plastic wrap and chill it in the freezer for 20 minutes. (Or refrigerate for 1-2 hours.)
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and give it a light spritz with cooking spray.
• Cut the pastry roll into 16-18 thin slices and place them on the baking sheet.
• Sprinkle with caraway seeds, if using.
• Bake for 20-24 minutes, or until golden.
• Serve with extra Thousand Island dressing for dipping.

The Occasion: Fast, easy, and flavorful – the three must-have characteristics of a wonderful weeknight meal. We had planned to enjoy Baked Trout with Oranges, Olives and Herbs as a cozy dinner for two one night last week, but two turned to a happy threesome when a dear friend decided to join us. No worries. This recipe is impressive enough for company, and easy enough so you won’t be left out of the conversation.

The Recipe: I morphed together two separate recipes from a new-to-me website, Inspired Taste. Joanne and Adam specialize in easy to prepare dishes that pack a whole lot of flavor. I am a new fan, and recommend you go check ‘em out! 

Kitchen Tips: Many fish recipes are baked inside a parchment or aluminum foil pouch. It’s a great technique resulting in moist, tender fish. I am Clumsy Clementine when it comes to carefully folding the parchment paper for such a pouch, so I usually default to the foil solution. It ain’t pretty but it is effective and won’t cause my blood pressure to spike. When you want to impress company, the parchment version makes a more elegant presentation but not too foo-foo. Just place the pouch on the dinner plate, slice it open, and let your guests enjoy. Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

The Verdict: We are big fans of baked or grilled trout at our house. So easy and versatile too. You can use lemon slices and thyme sprigs instead of the oranges and olives, or chopped onions, tomato and basil. Whatever you like, it’ll be fine. Trout is easygoing that way. And oh so delicious!

Baked Trout with Oranges, Olives, and Herbs
Recipe Source: Adam and Joanne Gallagher for Inspired Taste
 
INGREDIENTS:

• Olive oil
• 2 small rainbow trout, cleaned and butterflied (opened up with the halves still attached), about 1 pound
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup pitted olives, halved
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chicken stock, fish stock or dry white wine
• 4 thin orange slices plus more for serving
• 2-4 sprigs fresh thyme

DIRECTIONS:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut two 16-inch squares of cooking parchment paper or use foil.
• Place one trout, skin side down, on each piece of foil. Lightly oil both sides with oil. Season both sides, inside and out, with cinnamon, salt and pepper.
• Open up the trout, like a book, and add half of the olives, two orange slices, and 1 or two sprigs of thyme.
• Season with another pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper then pour one (1) tablespoon of liquid (stock or wine) over each trout. Close up the fish.
• Fold up the foil by grabbing at the edges and crimping together in the middle and at the ends to make a packet.
• Place packets onto a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the fish flakes easily with a fork, 10 to 15 minutes. checking one packet after 10 minutes. The flesh should pull apart easily with a fork.
• Place each packet on a plate. Carefully open the foil packets — take care not to let the steam burn you. Slide the fish away from the packet and onto the plate and pour juices over it. Serve with more fresh herbs and orange slices.

The Occasion: We made Galaxy Chocolate Mousse Cakes for our recent Pick Your Planet themed dinner party with The Foodies, where they were a big hit. “Out of this world,” our friends said. “We love this dessert to the moon and back!”, and “Seconds, please!”

If this sounds like music to your ears, you should make a batch of Galaxy Chocolate Mousse Cakes for a special occasion such as a birthday, anniversary, or some other fancy affair. 

What Makes it Special? The shiny, mirror glaze with shimmering colors creates a real Wow factor.

It’s loads of fun getting artistic while decorating the cakes. Release your inner Jackson Pollock or Peter Max, perhaps.

Follow the instructions, allow enough time for each step (including chill time for the mousse), and find your zen place about the huge amount of mess that will occur during the final phase.

The Recipe: There are many recipes and helpful YouTube videos on mirror glaze frosting. Informative and mesmerizing to watch. Do a quick online search and see for yourself. This winning recipe comes from Elizabeth at Sugar Hero – she specializes in dessert recipes for the home cook. Noble work indeed, she has my thanks and admiration!

Our photos and process are shared below – including the magnificent mess! – but you should do yourself a favor and click through to read the Sugar Hero recipe in her own words. The author covers this detailed and complicated process in an accessible, straightforward, yet humorous way. 

Let's start with the end in mind -- a few shots of the cosmic cakes in-process and ready to serve. Then we'll backtrack and take you through the steps. For the full recipe, please read/print the original Sugar Hero recipe here. Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

Galaxy Chocolate Mousse Cakes
Recipe source: Sugar Hero
 
Makes 10 Mousse Cakes
Required equipment: Silicone baking molds in half-sphere shapes, washed and dried

INGREDIENTS:

Brownies:

• 6 ounces unsalted butter
• 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder, optional
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 5 ounces granulated sugar (3/4 cup)
• 2 ¼ ounces all-purpose flour (1/2 cup)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt

 
Chocolate Mousse:

• 9 ounces chocolate, chopped or chocolate chips (We used 6 ounces 60% bittersweet and 3 ounces semi-sweet)
• 1 ¾ cups heavy cream, divided
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 packet unflavored powdered gelatin (1/4 ounce)
• 2 tablespoons cold water

 
Mirror Glaze:

• 3 packets unflavored powdered gelatin (3/4 ounces)
• 9 ounces water, divided use
• 10 ½ ounces granulated sugar (1 ½ cups)
• 7 ounces sweetened condensed milk (1/2 of a standard 14-ounce can)
• 12 ounces real white chocolate, chopped or white chocolate chips
• Gel food coloring (Your choice of colors: we used Blues, Pink, Purple, Yellow, White, Orange, White)

As always, please click on the photos below to enlarge them and read the captions.

Begin with the brownies, which will form the base of each cake. Prep the oven and the pan (350 F., and a foil-lined 9 X 13 pan, lightly oiled). Melt the butter and chocolate together, then let it cool. Add the eggs, then espresso, vanilla and sugar. Whisk, whisk, whisk! Next add the flour and other dry ingredients. Stir gently, then add to the pan. Bake for about 20 minutes, then cool completely. Use a large cookie cutter to cut out brownie circles. Freeze them until ready for use.

Now let's consider the mousse. Combine chocolate, cream and salt. Alternate between melting and whisking until smooth. Cool the mixture to room temperature. Meanwhile prepare the gelatin and set aside. Using a mixer, whip the cream and set aside. The chocolate should be cool by now, so melt the gelatin and mix it in. Fold in the whipped cream. 

Now it's time for the silicone half-sphere molds. Fill the half-spheres with chocolate mousse to the appropriate level, about a half inch from the top. Top the mousse cups with a frozen brownie round, pressing firmly. Freeze the mousse cakes in their silicone molds until very firm - at least 2 hours, 4-6 hours would be better. 

Once frozen, un-mold the cakes and place them on small cardboard circles for easy handling later on. Store them in the freezer until ready to glaze.  ​

Finally it's time to glaze. This is where the magic happens. (Remember: for the detailed recipe visit Sugar Hero.)  Mix the gelatin and set aside. Cook the water, sugar, and condensed milk, then add the gelatin, whisking until it is incorporated. Add the white chocolate to the pan. Use an immersion blender to melt and smooth the entire mixture. 

Divvy up the glaze into assorted bowls for base and accent colors. Add gel food coloring to the bowls and mix. Now set up a 'creativity play station' where the cakes can be elevated, and the glaze can run off, and the whole mess can be contained. Take the mousse cakes out of the freezer and place them on jars or glasses to raise them off the surface but still provide stability. Take a new bowl and mix one of your base colors with a few drops of the accents colors, give it a swirl, and then pour the mixture over one of the galaxy cakes, making sure that the sides are covered. Keep mixing and swirling until all cakes are covered. You can add edible sprinkles if desired -- we used silver stars. Chill the cakes again before serving. ​

The Verdict: These cosmic mousse cakes are so pretty, is it too much to ask for them to taste good too? NO, not too much, these babies are delicious -- with three variations on chocolate (brownie, mousse, and glaze) how can you go wrong?  

As you can see, this is a capital "P" Project. If you're up for it, I say lean in and embrace the challenge. None of it is especially difficult, there are just so many steps. Please let us know if you decide to try making Galaxy Chocolate Mousse Cakes yourself - we'd love to hear all about it!
​

Want more planetary reading material? Find the recap of our Pick Your Planet dinner party here. 

The Occasion: More healthy eating. This salad tastes awesome with a diverse mix of flavors, textures, sweet and salty, all together. This Apple Fennel Salad would be great for a weekend or work-at-home lunch – less ideal for a brown bag meal, it tastes best shortly after mixing. It’s also nice as a dinnertime side dish. 

The Recipe: This tasty recipe comes to us from the archives of Joy The Baker. Have you checked out her website yet? Do yourself a favor and get there soon! I like her ‘realness’ and of course those amazing recipes! She names this one Apple + Fennel + Pistachio + Apricot.

What makes this salad a crowd pleaser is the toppings: rich and savory chopped pistachios; sweet, diced, dried apricot; and shaved, salty, parmesan cheese. That’s a flavor party in your mouth – and you’re on the VIP guest list! Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

Kitchen Tips: I prefer to do meal prep in advance whenever possible, but worried about the fennel and apples turning brown if sliced too far ahead of time. But a squeeze of fresh lemon juice on top and a toss in the bowl helped them stay fresh for a couple hours. Plus, the salad got an extra lemon-y kick – bonus!  

Serve With: If you’re serving the salad with dinner or a leisurely weekend lunch, a nice glass of white wine is the perfect go-with. We’ve been enjoying a chardonnay from Folie a Deux lately. If you’d prefer to 86 the alcohol, I recommend an accompaniment of crusty bread and a cup of strong tea.

The Verdict: Yes, yes, yes! That’s the verdict. Make this salad. You’re welcome!

Apple Fennel Salad with Pistachios and Apricots
Recipe source: Joy the Baker
 
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 large Fuji or Golden Delicious apple, cored and thinly sliced
• 1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• 2 large handfuls arugula, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons finely diced red onions
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup finely diced dried apricots
• 1/2 cup shelled and coarsely chopped pistachios
• 1/4 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Note: If you like to prep your ingredients ahead of time, as I do, squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the apple and fennel slices so they won’t turn brown before the salad is assembled. This should hold for 1-2 hours.

• In a large bowl toss together the thinly sliced apples, fennel, arugula, and red onions.
• Drizzle with lemon juice, vinegar, and olive oil.
• Add the dried apricot pieces, pistachios and cheese. Toss to incorporate.
• Season with salt and pepper and toss just before serving.
• Serve soon after assembling.

The Fish for Dinner feature chronicles my education in the ways of fish-cookery. I grew up avoiding fish other than sticks and was well into adulthood before adding the real deal into my diet, usually at a restaurant. The impetus to cook more fish at home comes from joining a sustainable fish program through Hooked on Fish. I’ll tell you what we made and how we liked it, plus occasionally a few tips and tunes too.

The Occasion: New Year. New commitment to eating right, working out and getting fit. In the name of getting healthier, most everyone I know is adding more plant-based meals to their diets and amping up the clean and lean proteins – hello sustainable fish and organic chicken! 

The Recipe: Many recipes feature this combination of ingredients paired with fish – tomatoes, capers, garlic or onions, and fresh green herbs. It’s a classic cuz it tastes so good! Today’s recipe comes from Carolina Meat & Fish. Good stuff!

Serve With: I love this dish because of the strong, savory flavors. Keep the accompaniments simple – perhaps a brown rice blend or couscous with herbs to help soak up those yummy juices. 

Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

The Verdict: Quick, easy, delicious - and versatile. You can use almost any type of white, firm fish. Here I used meagre. Corvina would also be good. Make it year-round with cherry tomatoes from the grocery, and then really amp up the farm-fresh flavors with local produce during the summer months.

​This is one new year’s resolution you won’t mind keeping – clean, healthy eating is easy and rewarding with a recipe as tasty as this one. 

Baked Fish Fillets with Cherry Tomatoes and Capers
Recipe source: Carolina Meat & Fish

​INGREDIENTS:

• 12 ounces cherry tomatoes, more or less
• 1 tablespoon shredded lemon zest
• 8 cloves garlic, bruised
• 1-1/2 tablespoons salted capers, rinsed
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 4 firm white fish fillets, such as Meagre, Corvina, Snapper (about 4 ounces each)
• Lemon juice
• Sea salt and cracked black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat the oven to 350F.
• Place the tomatoes, lemon zest, garlic and capers in a baking dish. Drizzle with half of the oil and bake for 20 minutes.
• Add the fish fillets to the baking tray, drizzle with the remaining oil and cook for a further 15-20 minutes or until golden and cooked through.
• Drizzle with lemon juice and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve.