Dan | Adventures in Thyme

Peach Crisp

August 13, 2015 by Dan Leave a Comment

Peach Crisp

Tonight’s offering is a simple Peach Crisp, perfect for that weekend bbq party or weeknight indulgence. The sweetness isn’t overpowering, and the oat topping compliments the stone fruit very well. Enjoy!

Ingredients

3 1/2 to 4 pounds fresh, ripe Peaches
1 cup Dark Brown Sugar
1 cup Flour
1 cup Old Fashioned Oats
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
1/2 cup Butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

Peal and pit your peaches. Slice into even, thin slices. Add 1/4 cup brown sugar and toss to coat evenly.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine. Place the peaches in a 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the top of the peaches. It should coat the entire top nicely. Don’t press it in, you don’t want a cookie.

Cook at 375 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes. The oats should be a little browned and the peaches soft.

Serve with a scoop of ice cream for a nice summery treat.

Easy Carbonara

July 23, 2015 by Dan Leave a Comment

Simple Carbonara

We were blessed this past weekend with lots of friends and family gathering for a celebration. To feed the throngs of hungry, we smoked 18lbs of beef and ham – there wasn’t much left over at the end of the day! Tonight, like most after a long day at work, the final question of the day is deciding “What are we eating for dinner?” Our question went a little more like this “What are we doing with the left over ham?” And it was a no-brainer really, this is an easy (seriously easy) carbonara recipe. Enjoy!

1/2 pound Ham
2 or 3 slices Bacon
1 or more cloves Garlic chopped fine (optional)
12 oz. Pasta (We used Gluten Free Penne Rigate)
1 cup grated Pecorino Cheese
2 tablespoons fresh chopped Parsley
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
2 eggs, scrambled in a bowl

While your pasta cooks, fry your bacon until crispy. You can multi-task here and also cut your ham into 1/4 inch strips about an inch or so long. When the bacon is done, remove it from the pan and drain. (At this point, if you like garlic you can add it to the pan and cook in the bacon fat until it just starts to turn color. If you don’t like garlic, skip this part.) Now add the ham to the pan and cook until lightly browned.

Drain your pasta and reserve some of the pasta water. Return the pasta to the pot on the stove. Turn off the burner. Add the ham, bacon, salt, pepper, parsley and cheese to the pot and toss to combine evenly and to keep it from sticking to the pot. Add the eggs. Toss together so the egg coats everything and cooks with the heat remaining in the pan. If it is too thick, add a bit of pasta water and continue to toss. Repeat until you have a light coating on all of the carbonara. This will not be a heavy sauce.

Serve hot with a little more grated cheese.

Sweet Potato Steak Fries

July 16, 2015 by Dan Leave a Comment

Sweet Potato Steak Fries

Tonight we’re sharing our oven baked sweet potato steak fries. Seasoned with fresh herbs and freshly grated Pecorino cheese they are perfect for a summer evening’s bbq.

Here’s what you’ll need:

3 Large, white Sweet Potatoes
1/4 to 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Cheese (Grated Parmesan will work as well, just don’t use the stuff in a cardboard can)
1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
2 sprigs fresh Rosemary, chopped fine

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.

Peal the sweet potatoes and then cut into wedges or slices about 1/4 inch thick and 1 inch wide. Combine the salt, pepper and rosemary. Toss the sweet potatoes with the olive oil to coat evenly. Then sprinkle the sweet potato fries with the salt, pepper, rosemary and grated cheese (having someone help you makes this MUCH easier) while tossing gently so fries get evenly coated.

Cover a couple of baking sheets with baking parchment. This will keep the fries from sticking and help get them nice and crispy!

Lay out the fries in an even layer on a couple of baking sheets. Place in the oven and bake 10 to 15 minutes. Turn all of the fries over and bake another 10 to 15 minutes or until they start to brown. Keep an eye on them as they can go from under done to burned very rapidly.

Serve hot and sprinkle with a little more grated pecorino cheese. And don’t forget the Ranch dipping sauce!

Oatmeal Banana Cookies

July 11, 2015 by Dan Leave a Comment

Oatmeal Banana Cookies

We’re baaack! Unfortunately a nasty viral bug laid us both out for awhile. We’re getting better and needed a treat to celebrate our survival. So, this is our version of oatmeal banana cookies, they’re easy on the tummy, and delicious on the tongue.

1 cup unsalted Butter
1 1/2 cups Dark Brown Sugar
1 1/2 to 2 cups mashed Banana (2 to 4 bananas depending on size)
1 Egg
1 teaspoon Vanilla
3 cups old fashioned Oatmeal
1 1/2 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon All Spice
1/2 teaspoon ground Clove
1 cup chopped Pecans
1 11oz package Butterscotch Chips

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl combine the butter and brown sugar, cream together until light and fluffy. Add the mashed bananas, egg and vanilla and beat until well combined. Scrape down the edges of the bowl periodically.

In another bowl, combine the oatmeal, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, all spice and clove. Stir until well combined.

Add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients a bit at a time and mix on a low speed or stir with a spoon to combine. Do not over mix.

Add the pecans and butterscotch ships and fold into the cookie dough. The dough will be very soft.

Scoop balls of dough out onto a cookie sheet. (My scoop holds about 1 tablespoon.) Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Makes between 7 and 8 dozen 2 inch cookies.

Pork Cherry Stir Fry

May 20, 2015 by Dan Leave a Comment

Pork Cherry Stir Fry

Ever had one of those nights when you had no idea what you wanted for dinner? Well, after a long day at work, tonight was one of those nights. So we wandered through the grocery store looking for what looked fresh and sounded appealing. We arrived back in our kitchen with bing cherries, roma tomatoes, an English cucumber, pork, and appetites waiting to be sated.

What you’ll need:

2 pounds Pork Loin or thick cut Pork Chops
1 cup pitted Cherries
3 Roma Tomatoes
1 large Cucumber
1/2 cup Soy Sauce
1/2 cup dry Sherry
1/4 cup Teriyaki Sauce
fresh Mint

Slice the pork into thing strips. Into a large bowl mix the soy sauce and sherry then add the pork making sure to cover it well with the marinade, and let sit for half an hour to an hour. While you’re waiting for the pork to bathe in the marinade, seed your tomatoes and cucumber and cut both into bite sized pieces.

Heat a large skillet and some oil (I used olive oil) over medium high heat. Drain your meat and then place it in the hot skillet. Stir until cooked through. Add the cherries, reduce the heat to medium, cover and let cook 5 to 10 minutes or until the cherries get soft. If the pan is dry, add some of your marinade to the pan, you want a little bit of juice so the cherries will steam.

Once the cherries are soft, add the cucumber and tomato. Stir until the tomato and cucumber are hot. Don’t over cook. Add 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce and stir to coat everything evenly.

Serve over rice or noodles and top with a little fresh chopped mint. Enjoy!