Oh, this potluck staple brings back memories. I loved it so much as a kid, but as an adult this is the salad I always walk right by. As a grown up I’m no longer such a fan of vegetables swimming in mayonnaise.

But the other day Bear made an enormous batch of Carrot Cake Cupcakes for his staff, and he had a bunch of shredded carrots left over. I thought I’d see if I could do something with them that reminded me of a childhood favorite in a way my adult self didn’t get grossed out by.

Carrot Raisin Citrus Salad
2 C shredded carrots
1/4 C raisins
1 C mayo
1 T white wine vinegar
3 T orange flavored olive oil
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp sugar

Mix all the ingredients, except the raisins and carrots, together. I had some fancy artisan orange infused olive oil around, so I used that. If you don’t have any then scale back a tablespoon on the mayonnaise, and add some orange juice. I featured my favorite olive oil made locally here in Modesto, and their stuff is unreal. It’s available here.

Toss the carrots and raisins in the sauce and let chill. This is better once it’s had overnight to marinate.

I really love how the citrus flavor brightens this salad and makes it stop just tasting like mayonnaise. I kept it in the fridge and just snagged a few forkfuls at a time as I was going about my day. Delicious.

My first taste of risotto came in the cooking school I got to go to a couple of years ago. Prior to that it had existed in my imagination alongside crepe suzette and duck a l’orange as foods that only the rich and glamorous ate.

But then I made it and I went, what’s all this fuss about? It’s fantastic, but it’s not like you have to milk a rare breed of goat that lives on a remote mountaintop in order to make it.

The big secret is, it’s just like cooking rice, except you stir it. You just have to buy the right kind of rice.

Parmesan Risotto
1 1/2 C Arborio rice
1/2 C onion, diced
3 C chicken broth
3 C water (as needed)
1/2 C butter
1/2 C parmesan cheese
2 T parsley, diced

Melt the butter in a tall sided saucepan, and sweat the onions. When the onions are translucent, pour in the rice and toss to coat each grain in butter. Add the chicken broth and cook until boiling. Turn the heat down to a simmer. When the rice turns white it’s about half way done and it’s time to begin stirring. Stir frequently until the mixture turns creamy and thick, adding water as necessary to cook the rice all the way through. Add the cheese, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.

A “proper” risotto is loose enough to not hold a shape, and that’s lovely, but sometimes I like it a little thick. I make this in big batches and keep it in the fridge to serve me and Atti at lunch time. Atti loves it, and as he has struggled with eating it’s been way easier for him to eat than regular rice. It’s like feeding him cheesy creamy oatmeal.

Now that fall is upon us, I’m breaking into all those canned goods I put up throughout the summer and rejoicing in my hard work. After an adventure picking blackberries, and not finding very many great recipes for canning blackberries, I decided to get a little adventurous and come up with my own.

I love a slightly savory jam, something with a lot of acid or a little heat, that you can serve with cheese and crackers. My friend Cynthia makes a really great apricot habenero jam, so I decided to do a twist on that and make a blackberry chipotle one.

This recipe makes enough to can about five 8-ounce jars, or you could halve it and make enough to glaze one big ham.

Blackberry Chipotle Jam
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
4 cups crushed blackberries
1 pouch liquid pectin

Finely chop the peppers, getting as close as possible to a puree. Combine blackberries with peppers and 2 T of the adobo sauce.

In a deep saucepan, combine fruit and sugar. Bring to a full boil over high heat, stirring constantly. While boiling, add pectin, and boil for another full minute while constantly stirring.

If canning, ladle into clean hot jars, leaving 1/4″ of headspace and processing for 10 minutes.

Otherwise, pour into a storage container and let cool on the counter for a few hours. When cool, store it in the fridge.

To use as a glaze, pour the jam over precooked ham. Roast the ham in the oven until heated through.

This would also be great with chicken or a pork loin, or even lamb. Or of course with cheese and crackers. It’s a nice change to have blackberries in a way that’s not overly sweet, and the smokiness of the chipotle goes wonderfully with them.

The heat is starting to break around here, and we’re now entering that glorious Indian summertime. These days are some of my favorite of the year and disappear so quickly that I want to spend those perfect dusk hours outside instead of worrying about what I’m going to make for dinner. This is a quick one that’s perfect in springtime with fresh garden peas, but frozen peas work so well I still make it all year round. And if you make it with rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, you can have it all done in two pots in the time it takes to cook the pasta.

Fettuccine in a Lemon Cream Sauce

1/2 lb Fettuccine noodles
Small bag frozen peas or 2 cups fresh shelled peas
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 oz flour
1 oz butter
2 C cream
1 C milk
Juice and zest from 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Put the fettuccine on to boil in a pot of salted water. If using frozen peas, microwave them until warm. If fresh, blanch in hot water.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and flour together to form a light roux. Add some of the cream and let the roux dissolve. On medium low heat, continue to add the cream and milk as needed so that the sauce is still thickened, but not pasty. Grate the zest into the sauce, then add the juice. Stir to combine, then salt and pepper liberally.

Drain pasta, Add peas and chicken. Toss with the sauce.

To make this even easier on myself, I like to keep a little pre-made roux in the fridge. Then I just cut a hunk off and I just have to let the milk thicken. This is also what Alton Brown would refer to as “refrigerator velcro” meaning you could add anything you’ve got left over in the fridge. Sauteed onions or mushrooms would be great, bacon would never hurt, all manner of herbs would be welcome.

I tend to have the ingredients for this one on hand at all times, so it’s the perfect solution when it’s five o’clock, you’re still out running errands, and you haven’t even begun to think about dinner. Swing by the deli for a chicken and you’ll have dinner in no time.