We're so excited about our September contest — Quick Weeknight Meals. We've been looking forward to this one for a long time, and we're especially excited about the great prizes we have lined up for the winners. These aren't just for the winners, though; the first ten entrants are going to receive a little special something too. Read on to see what that is, and to get the lowdown on the rest of the prizes.
1st Ten Entrants
The first 10 entrants (by timestamp on their received entry) will receive a copy of Pillsbury Best of the Bake-Off 1959, Facsimile Edition (Wiley 2009). This rather wonderful book is a reprint of a cookbook published in 1959 with 1000 recipes from the first ten years of the Pillsbury Bake-Off contest.
We enjoyed this cookbook so much; it's retro and nostalgic, but still useful, with whimsical illustrations and a whole host of recipes for things like Cinderella Tarts, Peanut Blossoms, and Orange Kiss-Me Cake. There are awesome photos from 1950s era Bake-Offs, as well as photos of the dishes themselves.
• More about Pillsbury Best of the Bake-Off 1959, Facsimile Edition at Wiley
We're happy that our first ten entrants are getting a copy of this book; it's a nod to to the granddaddy of all cooking competitions!
Grand Prize
Essential Cookware & Tools for Weeknight Meals
The grand prize goes to the winning recipe with the most votes. The lucky chef will get a big package of cookware and tools that are all recommended by us here at The Kitchn. They come from great brands and companies that we wholeheartedly recommend to other cooks.
• Wüsthof - Classic Ikon Carving Set, great for holiday roasts.
• Microplane - Gourmet Ultra Coarse Grater for cabbage and potatoes.
• Circulon - Try induction cooking for yourself with a Circulon Induction Burner.
• Anolon - An induction-friendly Anolon Chef Clad 12-inch Deep Skillet.
• Chef'n - A couple of our favorite tools: the VeggiChop and a Switchit spatula set.
• Benriner - An essential tool for sure: a Japanese mandoline from Benriner.
• Le Creuset - A gorgeous 3.5 qt Round French Oven in Black Onyx.
• P.O.S.H. Chicago - We're capping this package with a couple vintage linen tea towels — perfect for polishing glassware
Runner-Up: Omnivore Division
Essential Pantry Goods for Weeknight Meals
The runner-up in the Omnivore division will get a big package of gourmet delicacies worth about $200. There are oils, vinegars, chocolate, cheese, tea, wine, and a couple other pantry essentials, provided by some of our favorite companies. These are all products that we have tried and found to be truly enjoyable.
• Lucini - A package of olive oils and vinegars that includes Savory Fig Infused Gran Balsamic, Dark Cherry Infused Gran Balsamic, Pinot Noir Italian Wine Vinegar, Pinot Grigio Italian Wine Vinegar, Delicate Lemon Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Fiery Chili Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Robust Garlic Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and Tuscan Basil Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
• Wisconsin Artisan Cheese - A big package of the best American, artisan-made cheese from a collective of Wisconsin farmers and cheesemakers. It will include an aged cheddar, SarVecchio parmesan, Emmentaler and a cloth-bound cheese.
• Scharffen Berger - A dark, rich collection of baking chocolates and other goodies from our favorite chocolate company. It will include a 70% 9.7oz baking bar, a 99% 9.7oz baking bar, a 6oz pouch of Roasted Cacao Nibs and 1 of each 3oz bar - 41%, 62%, 70%, 82%.
• Honey Ridge Farms - Honey and creamed honey, as well as delicious honey vinegar, from a small family farm in Washington. The prize package will include a gift crate trio of Honey Crèmes, 1 bottle of award-winning Balsamic Honey Vinegar and 1 bottle of Wild Blackberry Honey.
• Adagio Teas - One of our all-time favorite products, a utiliTEA kettle for your pantry, as well as a selection of premium green and black teas.
• Liparita - Two bottles of Cabernet from this small, historic winery in Napa Valley. (The winery has been around since 1880!) One bottle each of 2006 Liparita Stags Leap Cabernet and 2006 Liparita Oakville Cabernet are included.
• Inklore - This Northern California artist makes lovely things in linen and canvas for the home. We're a big fan of her linen aprons, so we're throwing one in to finish off this pantry essentials package.
Runner-Up: Vegetarian Division
Essential Tableware for Weeknight Meals
The runner-up in the Vegetarian division will get a big package of tableware and servingware worth over $200. There are dishes, platters, and other lovely things that we feel are both classic and timeless. These are all pieces that we hope last a long time and serve many wonderful meals.
• Lenox - An Aspen Ridge classic white baker is included; we love how it goes from oven to table to fridge to freezer to microwave...
• Prepara - One of our new favorite tools is Prepara's Tabletop Oil Mister, which is great for dressing salads and spraying oil on bread. It's handsome, too, with a glass bottle.
• Le Creuset - We like serving mini desserts and casseroles in these four Petite Round Casseroles in Black Onyx.
• Baerreis - Handcrafted salad tongs for your dinner table.
• Green Leaf Wood - A hand-turned wood salad bowl -- classic and modern.
• Modern-twist - We love their pretty placemats and Doileez for cake plates and centerpieces. There is a package of pretty things from Modern-twist in this prize collection.
• Crate & Barrel - We're including a couple table essentials from Crate & Barrel: a glass decanter and a set of classic white porcelain platters.
Whew! We hope that you enjoy this contest and get lots of great recipes.
Apartment Therapy reserves the right to substitute prizes for others of equal value at the conclusion of this contest.
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Gnocchi with roasted peppers and sausage:
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 lb hot italian sausage
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 package gnocchi
Put a heavily heavily salted pot of water on to boil.
Roast peppers on the grill, under the broiler or on the gas stovetop until thoroughly blackened. Place in a ziploc bag for a few minutes to steam, then peel by hand. Cut off the top, core, save juices inside peppers and cut peppers into strips.
While peppers are roasting, brown meat, then remove from pan, preserving one tablespoon of grease. Cook onion in olive oil over medium heat. When onions go translucent, add garlic, peppers, sausage. Add gnocchi to boiling water, remove when they float up to the top, reserve a cup of pasta water. When gnocchi are done, remove sauce from pan, add gnocchi and sausage grease to pan and brown gnocchi over medium high heat. Combine sauce with gnocchi, add parmesan cheese and stir, drizzling in enough pasta water to thicken and bind sauce. Add fresh ground black pepper and salt as needed.
These look fantastic!
But how do you enter the contest?
I'm excited about this contest, too! But how do you enter? Am I already entered by commenting?
Quinoa Tabouli
To prepare quinoa:
1 cup quinoa (easily found these days, we get ours from Trader Joe's or the Berkeley bowl)
2 cups water
(Quinoa directions from our Trader Joe's box):
Place 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups waters in a 2 cup of water in a large saucepan or pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover and cook until all water is absorbed 10-15 minutes. When done, the grain appears soft and translucent, and the germ ring will be visible along the outside edge of the grain.
Allow the cooked quinoa to cool at least until room temperature (you might want to refrigerate for a bit in a large, covered bowl once it cools down a bit).
For mix in:
1 small onion (you can use red onions or shallots if you like), finely diced
2 pickle cucumbers (kirby or persian would be best, or one regular/larger cuke if you can't find the small ones. Peeled and diced.
juice of 2-4 lemons (depending on taste)
1 tablespoon olive oil
half bunch of mint minced (or whole pack if they come in those plastic box things at Trader Joe's)
half bunch of cilantro minced (or whole pack if they come in those plastic box things at Trader Joe's)
1 cup of cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half -- prepare only when ready to serve
Salt to taste.
Preparing mix in:
Combine all onions, cucumbers, lemon juice, olive oil, mint, and cilantro. Leave salt and tomatoes out for now. (We leave them out because we might want to refrigerate the tabouli and you should never ever ever refrigerate tomatoes). Set aside.
Combining:
Once quinoa is cool, mix in the onion, cucumber, etc.. mixture and toss to combine. Add salt to taste. When you are ready to serve, add the appropriate amount of tomatoes (either go with my suggestion of 1 cup/1 cup dry quinoa or add as much as you like) to the amount you're eating and enjoy. Otherwise, stash in the fridge until you're ready to enjoy.
Photos on my blog:
http://dicedtomato.blogspot.com/2008/06/quinoa-tabouli.html
•2 whole Large Lemons
•¼ cups Olive Oil
•1 whole Garlic Clove, Peeled & Minced
•¼ cups Fresh Lemon Thyme (Or Parsley Or Basil)
•Salt & Pepper
•½ cups Toasted Pine Nuts
•1 pound Spaghetti
•16 whole Medium Shrimp, Grilled
•Cracked Black Pepper
Remove the zest from both lemons and then squeeze juice from both. Mix together the oil, garlic, thyme, lemon zest and juice. Season with salt and pepper. Add the toasted pine nuts, stir well, and allow to sit for a couple of hours for the flavors to meld. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until it is al dente. Just before draining, remove a small cup of pasta water.
Drain the pasta, and return it to the pot with the lemon sauce over high heat. Add a little pasta water to prevent it from drying out. As soon as it is piping hot, remove from the heat and serve. Scoop the pine nuts off the bottom of the pot to top the pasta, and serve topped with grilled shrimp if using. Offer additional cracked black pepper if desired.
Credits: Recipe originally found at Tasty Kitchen website
Title for above post: Lemon Shrimp Pasta
No -- entry is here:
- Quick Weeknight Meals
Summertime Fish Tacos
Marinate tilapia fillets in:
* Juice from 4-6 limes (about 1/2 cup)
* 1/4 olive oil (add a little at a time and taste)
* 1 tbsp garlic powder (or more to taste)
* 1 tbsp honey
* salt & pepper
Whisk together rapidly and pour over fish in a big bag. If you need more marinade, it is easy to make more. I marinated the fish for a couple hours before cooking.
Because it was raining, this was cooked inside. In a non-stick pan, I sprayed some olive oil and, once it was hot, sauteed some peppers, green onions, and garlic to top the tacos. Once those were done, I cooked the fish. One pan: lots of food!
To top the tacos, I also made a delicious cucumber mint salad or salsa or… well call it whatever you want. It could easily be a side dish, but I used it on the tacos.
* Two cucumbers peeled and chopped
* Mint chopped
* Green onions chopped
* Red wine vinegar — just a dash
Into small tortillas! Onions, peppers, garlic, fish and delicious cucumber salsa.
http://eatniks.wordpress.com/2009/06/22/recipe-summertime-tacos/
Quinoa Tabouli sounds delicious!
Just to be really explicit, recipes in comments are NOT eligible entries. Please enter the contest via this link:
- Quick Weeknight Meals Entry Form
You will need an original recipe and five photos to enter. Thanks everyone! This will be fun!
I'd really like the veggie runner up prize. Just the Le Creuset pot alone is reward enough!
Not fair for anyone who doesn't have a digital camera!
Here's my recipe for all to try....
White Trash Pasta
1 lb of lean ground beef
2 tablespoons olive oil or any other kind of cooking oil
1 packet of Ortega/Taco Bell Taco seasoning
1 packet of Goya sazon
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper, season according to taste.
1 packet of ziti or medium elbows (anything that has a cavity so ground beef will find its way there)
Boil water in large pot for pasta.
Heat olive oil in frying pan. Add beef to pan, then add seasonings (taco and sazon seasonings and salt and pepper). Saute beef. Put on simmer.
Add pasta to boiling water when pasta is 2 minutes away from official time, add 2 soup ladles (about 2 cups) of pasta water to pan. Stir beef with pasta water.
Drain pasta. Place back into pot. Add beef from pan and stir gently. Place lid on pot and let rest for about 10 minutes. The pasta will be able to sit in meat sauce and take on flavor that way.
Parmesan cheese optional! Perfect with beer or wine.