Our sweet kitty, Buttercup, is about to go in for emergency surgery. It turns out that not only did she eat one of Rose’s princess headdresses, she also ate a piece of metal wire which is now lodged in her little body somewhere. Needless to say we were in the mood for comfort food.

I consider any meal made with cream and tomatoes to be comforting. Add the stomach-settling power of fresh ginger and you’ve got it made.

Pasta With Tomato and Ginger Salsa and Creme Fraiche (original recipe here), is from Rachel’s Favorite Food at Home by Rachel Allen. I’ve made (and posted) about this dish a few times before. I swear it gets better every time.

• Pasta With Tomato and Ginger Salsa and Creme Fraiche •
adapted from Rachel’s Favorite Food at Home

12oz farfalle, penne, rigatoni or similar pasta
1 tablespoon butter
1 small sweet onion, chopped
8-10 campari or cherry tomatoes (or 2 large, good, tomatoes), coarsely chopped
2-3 teaspoons finely grated ginger
salt and pepper to taste
a pinch of sugar
3 tablespoons creme fraiche

Bring a pot of salted water to boil for the pasta.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the butter in a sautee pan, add the onion and cook until soft and translucent. Add the tomatoes and ginger to the onions and season with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar. Sautee tomato, onion, ginger mixture for a couple of minutes, stirring or tossing frequently, until the tomatoes begin to soften. 

Combine the tomato sauce with the drained pasta and creme fraiche, stir to combine and serve.

Thin, steamed, asparagus with butter is a perfect accompaniment.

Our poor, sweet, kitty, Buttercup is very sick. We’re not sure exactly what the problem is but we suspect it has to do with her eating a good portion of one of Rose’s princess headdresses. The little lady had us running back and forth from the vet all afternoon and evening, leaving little time for planning dinner. (Not that dinner trumps our Buttercup’s well-being, of course.)

I decided the best plan of action was grilled cheese, but I didn’t want just grilled cheese tonight. I wanted some kind of jazzed-up, perfectly satisfying, titillating, variation. Naturally, I thought of Joy the Baker. She’s always doing things like adding popcorn to cookies and peanut butter and bacon to pancakes, of course she was bound to have just the grilled cheese recipe I was looking for. And she did! Thanks Joy the Baker.

I used a combination of cheddar and mozzarella instead of jack cheese, and creme fraiche because I didn’t have sour cream. Joy the Baker says “Sandwiches are very personal so the ingredients above are entirely flexible and up to you!”

• Spinach & Artichoke Grilled Cheese Sandwiches •
from Joy the Baker, original recipe here

splash of olive oil
1 small clove garlic
3 cups (or 3 big handfuls) baby spinach
4 slices bread (I used sourdough)
about 2 tablespoons cream cheese
1/3-1/2 cup grated or crumbled jack cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup coarsely chopped canned artichoke hearts, drained
1 heaping tablespoon sour cream
1/2 to 1 teaspoon sriracha
large pinch of sea salt
1 tablespoon butter, for grilling the sandwiches

In a small skillet, heat olive oil over medium-low heat.  Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds.  Add spinach leaves and saute until wilted.  This should happen quickly.  Spinach just wilts in a hot pan.  Remove spinach from skillet, place in a medium bowl and set aside.

Spread each slice of bread with a bit of cream cheese.  You don’t need much.  We’re using it as edible sandwich glue.

Squeeze or press as much liquid as possible out of the canned artichoke hearts using a paper towel.

To the bowl of sautéed spinach add, jack cheese, Parmesan cheese, chopped artichoke hearts, sour cream, sriracha, and salt.  Stir until combined.

Top two slices of bread with spinach and artichoke filling.  Make sandwiches with the two remaining slices of bread.

Heat butter in a skillet over medium-low heat.  Add sandwiches and grill until each side is golden and the insides are melty warm.  Serve immediately.  

We never tire of this meal. Good old, Black Bean & Goat Cheese Quesadillas, quick and easy, loved by all. That sounds like an epitaph, but it’s not.

The  original recipe, from Dinner A Love Story is here. The version I make, which is slightly different, is below. More posts on this recipe can be found here, here and here.

• Black Bean & Goat Cheese Quesadillas •
adapted from Dinner A Love Story

vegetable oil
1 to 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 leek, white and light green parts only, cleaned well and finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup water (more if needed)
6-8* 8-inch regular or whole wheat tortillas
4 ounces goat cheese

Heat about 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, leek, cumin, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in beans and mash them with a large fork or potato masher. Add water and cook, stirring until most of water is absorbed, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Set a large skillet over medium-high heat and add a little more vegetable oil. Place half of the tortillas on a flat surface, evenly distribute the bean filling between your tortillas and spread it so the tortilla is covered, leaving a up to an inch of space around the edge. Put blobs of goat cheese on top of beans and top with a second tortilla. Cook tortillas in the oiled skillet, flipping at least once, until they  are golden and cheese is melted, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove to a dinner plate and place in a warm oven (or tent with foil) to keep warm. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Cut each quesadilla into 6 pieces and serve.

I like these with a simple salad and guacamole. Feel free to mess around with different cheeses, we’ve had great luck with cheddar and fresh mozzarella.

*Note: I like my quesadillas pretty full, so I just use 6 tortillas. If you like them a bit thinner use 8. Keep in mind that when you make them thick, it gets a bit messy with the cutting and you may need to shove some of the filling back in by hand.