This is an unusual flavour pairing that I probably wouldn't have thought of on my own, but it did make for some tasty muffins. That said, I do feel like the flavours could use some re-balancing. The cheese in them was delicious, but I don't feel like the feijoa came through quite as strongly as I would have liked. And, since I was working with dried thyme rather than fresh, I cut it back to only half a teaspoon, but I think it could have done with a bit more in the end.

The original recipe called for a 3:1 ratio of plain flour to whole wheat. I decided to skew it more toward the whole wheat and do a 1:1 mix. But, having tasted the muffins, I think 100% whole wheat would have been even better!

If I were willing to take even more liberties with the recipe, I might try adding a bit of lemon zest to the batter along with the thyme. I think that would provide a nice complement to the other flavours and give a little sharpness to round everything out.

Feijoa Muffins with Blue Cheese and Thyme

Slightly adapted from NZ Woman's Weekly

Ingredients

• 100g butter, softened
• 100g brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 c. milk
• zest of 1/2 a lemon
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 250g whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. thyme (fresh or dried)
• 5-10 grinds each of salt and black pepper
• 300g feijoa pulp, mashed
• 6 small feijoas, halved and scooped
• 75-100g blue cheese, crumbled

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease a muffin tin.
2. Cream the butter with the sugar.
3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
4. Stir the lemon zest and baking soda into the milk and add the milk mixture to the butter mixture. Mix well.
5. Sift the baking powder into the flour and add the thyme, salt, and pepper.
6. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir to combine.
7. Stir in the feijoa pulp.
8. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin(s).
9. Press a feijoa half into the top of each muffin and top with a sprinkle of blue cheese and a bit of extra pepper.
10. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 18-20 minutes.

I picked up some smoked gorgonzola on sale the other day and have been wondering what to do with it. I mean, of course we could just eat it. I do love a good blue cheese. But I thought it would be nice to take advantage of it in a recipe if I could.

I thought this squash recipe looked like a good fit for it and I was right! This was incredible. None of the leftovers even made it into the fridge. TF and I just ate them. We demolished an entire squash in one sitting! (To be fair, it was a relatively small acorn squash, so I'd only made a half batch of the recipe, but still...) You'd better believe this is going in the "definitely make again" bucket. It's tasty, it's easy, and it's even reasonably healthy. What's not to love?!

Puréed Squash with Blue Cheese

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1-2 winter squash weighing about 1kg total (acorn or butternut are ideal)
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. heavy (35%) cream
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 90g blue cheese¹

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. Cut squash in half and scoop out the seeds.
3. Drizzle with oil and rub oil into all surfaces, inside and out.
4. Place, cut-side-down, on a baking sheet and roast at 180°C (350°F) until squash is tender (45-60 minutes depending on shape and size of squash).
5. Scoop the flesh out of the skin and discard the skins.
6. Combine squash, cream, butter, salt, pepper, and cheese and beat until well mixed and somewhat fluffy.
7. If squash has cooled, reheat gently before serving.

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¹ As noted, I used a smoked gorgonzola for mine and I really liked the results. But feel free to experiment with other blues. The recipe recommends a relatively soft, mild blue cheese, but follow your heart! (Although a soft cheese will be easier to mix into the squash, so probably try to avoid anything too firm.) ^Back

This salad has a few variants, but we made the raspberries and blue cheese version; the others are documented below. Not a favourite, but I'd eat it again.

Marinated Beet Salad

Cook's Country October/November 2016, by Katie Leaird (p.17)

Ingredients

• 1½ lb whole beets, trimmed
• ½ C water
• ¼ C sherry vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or ½ tsp dried)
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 2 oranges
• 1L arugula, kale, or other greens
• ¼ C shaved romano cheese
• ½ C walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Directions

1. Wrap beets and water in tin foil. Roast at 400°F for 1 hour or until fork-tender.
2. Whisk together vinegar, oil, thyme, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
3. Once beets are cool, rub gently to remove skins, then cut into 1cm wedges.
4. Add beets to bowl with dressing, toss to cover, and let stand for at least 30 minutes.
5. Divide oranges into individual wedges.
6. Add oranges, greens, cheese, and walnuts to bowl with beets and dressing, and toss to combine.

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Variations

Marinated Beet Salad with Pear and Feta

Ingredients

• 1½ lb whole beets, trimmed
• ½ C water
• ¼ C sherry vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or ½ tsp dried)
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 1 pear, cored and thinly sliced
• 1 L arugula, kale, or other greens
• ¾ C crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tbsp pistachios, toasted

Marinated Beet Salad with Raspberries and Blue Cheese

Ingredients

• 1½ lb whole beets, trimmed
• ½ C water
• ¼ C sherry vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or ½ tsp dried)
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• ⅔ C raspberries
• 1 L arugula, kale, or other greens
• ¾ C crumbled blue cheese
• ½ C hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Ideally this omelette would be made with Stilton, but Danish blue was on sale this week, so I just got myself a wedge of that instead. This was good, but I do feel like the cheese overpowered everything else. I would be curious to try it with a fruity white Stilton sometime. I think that would give it a very different character.

Bacon, Apple, and Blue Cheese Omelette

Slightly adapted from The Good Egg by Marie Simmons

Ingredients

• 1 tsp. bacon grease or butter
• 1 apple, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 4-6 eggs
• 2-4 Tbsp. milk
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/8 tsp. Italian seasoning (optional)
• 4 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped
• 1/4 c. crumbled blue cheese

Directions

1. Melt bacon grease over medium heat.
2. Add apple and sugar and cook until tender (~3 minutes).
3. Remove from pan and set aside.
4. Beat eggs with milk, salt, and pepper and pour into pan.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 2-4 minutes.
6. Lift edges of egg and allow the raw egg to flow under. Continue cooking, covered, until eggs are mostly set.
7. Sprinkle Italian seaoning over eggs (if using).
8. Add bacon, apple, and blue cheese and fold omelette over filling. Continue cooking until egg is fully set and cheese is warmed through.
9. Cut in half and serve.

I've had my eye on this salad for a while, but I keep not quite getting around to making it. But I finally had all the ingredients and a bit of momentum, so I managed to get it put together.

I've been trying to do the Weight Watchers thing and count my calories and tally up Points and just generally be a little more mindful of what and how much I'm eating. So, with that in mind, I made a few adjustments and substitutions while making this to try to reduce its Points cost. And while it did help a bit, having now sat down and done the math, it didn't make that much of a difference in the end. The original version would've been around 4 Points per serving and my "lighter" version came out to around 3 Points per serving. So better, but not that much better. I think next time I'd just make it with the full amount of oil and cheese. (Although I'll probably keep the tofu instead of the bacon because I quite like it!)

Napa Cabbage Salad

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country February/March 2020

Ingredients

• 1 tsp. bacon grease
• 1/2 package smoked tofu, sliced
• 1/2-3/4 c. crumbled blue cheese
• 2-4 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 680g napa cabbage, cut into 3-4cm pieces
• 225g cherry (or grape) tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 English cucumber, quartered lengthwise then sliced crosswise
• 1 small red onion, quartered and sliced thin
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. Melt the bacon grease over medium heat and fry the tofu in it until crispy on both sides.
2. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
3. Meanwhile, combine the cheese, oil, lemon juice, pepper, and salt and whisk until mostly smooth.
4. Once tofu is cool, chop it into bite-sized pieces.
5. Add cabbage, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, basil, and tofu to dressing and toss to combine.

This was, in theory, meant to be a butternut squash soup. But I could only get pumpkin in my produce basket this week, so I made it with that instead. And then I was a bit shy on pumpkin, so I tossed in a lonely sweet potato that I had left over from another recipe to make up the difference. So, all-in-all, maybe not quite the same soup that the recipe authors had in mind, but it was tasty nonetheless.

And using the pumpkin worked out nicely because then I had freshly roasted pumpkin seeds to use as garnish. The original recipe called for roasted, salted pepitas (which are just shelled pumpkin seeds anyway). I had some shelled pumpkin seeds in the freezer. But I figured, rather than trying to roast and salt them, it'd probably be easier and more efficient to just use the freshly harvested in-shell seeds. They're a bit different texturally, but they still provide some nice salt and crunch, so I think it worked out well.

The original recipe was mean to be a small batch, "cooking for two" recipe. But since I wanted to use up the whole pumpkin in one go (and have enough soup to serve all three of us + have some leftovers), I just doubled all the quantities.

Pumpkin-Sweet Potato Soup

Adapted from Cook's Country December/January 2021

Ingredients

• 1 pie pumpkin (~900g)
• 2 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. olive oil, divided
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
• 3/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground, divided
• 1 sweet potato (~200g), peeled and cubed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp. dried sage
• 4 c. chicken or vegetable stock
• 1/4 c. heavy (35%) cream
• 1/2 c. crumbled blue cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F).
2. Halve the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and "guts". Reserve the seeds.
3. Brush the pumpkin halves with 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil and place cut-side-down on a baking sheet.
4. Roast at 220°C (425°F) for 30-45 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
6. Meanwhile, reduce oven temperature to 150°C (300°F) and toss pumpkin seeds with 1 tsp. of olive oil, 1/2 tsp. of the salt, and 1/2 tsp. of the pepper.
7. Roast the pumpkin seeds at 150°C (300°F) for half an hour, stirring and turning every 10 minutes.
8. Once the pumpkin has cooled enough to handle, remove the flesh from the skin. Discard the skin and reserve the flesh.
9. While the pumpkin seeds are roasting, heat the remaining 1 Tbsp. of olive oil over medium-low heat.
10. Add the onion and sweet potato and cook, stirring occasionally for 10-15 minutes.
11. Add the garlic and sage and cook for another minute or two.
12. Add the stock, pumpkin, and remaining 1/4 tsp. of salt and 1/4 tsp. of pepper and bring to a boil over medium heat.
13. Reduce heat medium-low and simer, covered, for ~15 minutes.
14. Remove from heat and blend until smooth with an immersion blender.
15. Stir in cream.
16. Serve garnished with blue cheese and pumpkin seeds.

Mashed Potato Cakes

TF made some absolutely delicious duck the other day. Which included frying potatoes in the duck fat (and a bit of schmaltz since we were short on duck fat). The duck, potatoes, and orange sauce that went with them were all absolutely delicious! However, she accidentally over-cooked the first batch of potatoes. They were relatively floury potatoes and lost too much structural integrity to be able to fry after boiling. At least, they weren't viable for frying in big chunks the way they recipe was calling for. I told TF to toss them in the fridge and I'd use them for mashed potatoes another day. And I really was intending to do that! I swear! But then I saw these potato cakes... And we had some scallions that desperately needed to be used... And I figured I give 'em a go.

Mashed Potato Cakes with Cheddar and Scallions

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country April/May 2016

Ingredients

• 450g russet (or other floury) potatoes, boiled until very tender
• 1/2 c. grated Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2-3 Tbsp. scallions, chopped fine
• 1 egg, beaten, divided
• 1/2 c. panko breadcrumbs
• sour cream, to serve

Directions

1. Thoroughly mash the potatoes.
2. Use a fork to mix in the cheese, salt, pepper, scallions, and ~1 Tbsp. of the egg.
3. Place the remaining egg in a shallow dish.
4. Place the panko in a separate shallow dish.
5. Scoop up ~1/2 c. of the potato mixture and shape it into a ball.
6. Press the ball into a flat puck, then dip it in the beaten egg.
7. Carefully transfer the egg-coated puck to the panko dish and flip it over to coat both flat sides with panko.
8. Transfer to a plate and allow to rest while you repeat the process with the remaining potato mixture.
9. Pour ~1/2 c. of oil into a wok and heat over medium heat.
10. Once oil is hot, add one or two potato cakes to the wok.
11. Fry ~2 minutes per side, pressing down gently while discs cook, then transfer to a plate.
12. Repeat frying process with remaining discs. Add more oil to wok if necessary.
13. Serve with sour cream.

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Variations

Mashed Potato Cakes with Blue Cheese and Bacon

Ingredients

• 450g russet (or other floury) potatoes, boiled until very tender
• 6 Tbsp. crumbled blue cheese cheese
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2-3 Tbsp. fresh chives, chopped fine
• 6 slices bacon, cooked and chopped/crumbled
• 1 egg, beaten, divided
• 1/2 c. panko breadcrumbs
• sour cream, to serve

Mashed Potato Cakes with Parmesan and Chives

Ingredients

• 450g russet (or other floury) potatoes, boiled until very tender
• 1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2-3 Tbsp. fresh chives, chopped fine
• 1 egg, beaten, divided
• 1/2 c. panko breadcrumbs
• sour cream, to serve