Panzanella (Italian Bread Salad) with Garlic and Capers

Something seriously exciting happened yesterday morning.

My phone started ringing at 9 AM, and the caller ID showed a random number from New Hampshire. Since I was still half asleep, I angrily cursed at my phone while grumbling that I don't know anyone in New Hampshire, and immediately went back to bed.

An hour later I when I was actually awake, I listened to the voicemail that the mystery New Hampshire caller left.

Mr. New Hampshire reminded me that last weekend at the Vintage Virginia Wine Festival, I entered a contest to win a door prize. It turns out that I won the GRAND prize, which is four round-trip, all-expenses paid airline tickets.

He informed me that I could use the tickets to go anywhere, but when I picked up the paperwork yesterday afternoon it turns out that I'm somewhat limited in terms of cities. I can go pretty much anywhere in the United States or the Caribbean, but my European choices are limited to London, Paris, Rome, and Venice.  I am certainly not complaining - trust me. The only two countries I've been to in Europe are Switzerland and Liechtenstein, so I'm pretty open to going anywhere.

Now, here's where I need guidance from those of you who are a) from Europe, or b) have traveled to the above cities. I'm pretty much set on Paris. It has been my dream vacation for as long as I can remember, so it's definitely on the agenda.

Do any of you have thoughts on London versus Rome versus Venice? I probably won't be taking advantage of these tickets for about a year (gotta save spending money after all) but I'm really excited and interested to hear opinions from people who have been to these places.

I should probably stop rambling on about my trip and tell you a bit about this salad. If you have never had Panzanella, puh-lease consider it a must try this summer. You're going to want to make this during summer months only, unless you live somewhere that has good tomatoes and basil all year long, in which case, I would like to move in with you ASAP. I keep the air-conditioner on 67, waste a lot of paper towels, have been known to wake up in the middle of the night uttering nonsense like "bacon hair" (true story...) and sleep at incredibly odd hours, but otherwise I'm a good roommate.

Here's what you'll need:

1 large french baguette, cut or torn into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 anchovy fillets, minced
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, cored, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and sliced thin
1 shallot, sliced thin
1 large handful chopped fresh basil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and adjust oven rack to the middle. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set aside.

Toss the bread pieces with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Arrange in a single layer on the baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown, stirring halfway through. Set aside, and cool until room temperature.

In a large bowl, gently toss the tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Transfer the tomatoes to a colander, and set over the bowl. Set aside to drain for 15 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Whisk the remaining 6 tablespoons of olive oil, vinegar, garlic, minced anchovies, capers, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper into the drained tomato juices. Add the bread chunks, toss to coat, and let sit for 10 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Add the tomatoes, cucumbers, shallots, and basil to the bread mixture. Toss to coat, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately.

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Source: Adapted from Cooks Illustrated

Cinnamon-Sugar Rice Pudding with Bourbon-Soaked Raisins

In my experience, there are certain foods that most people strongly like or dislike, with very little middle ground. Avocados, anchovies, mayonnaise, mushrooms, and olives all seem to fall into this category. I happen to love all of those foods, and I'm willing to bet that all of you reading have a strong opinion one way or the other about each of them as well. You never hear someone say that they could take or leave anchovies. Either you love 'em, or you don't.

This post is not about anchovies - it's about another food that is oftentimes polarizing. Most people either love rice pudding, or are completely put off by it. I've always been a fan, and when I was trying to think of a dessert to make that hadn't yet appeared on A Bitchin' Kitchen, rice pudding was one of the first things that came to mind.

I adapted a recipe from the Joy the Baker Cookbook, and threw in some raisins that I soaked overnight in bourbon and vanilla. If you make this, try and avoid eating too many of the booze-saturated raisins before adding them to your dessert. They are super-duper delicious, and I kind of wanted to just eat them as a snack...

Here's what you'll need:

For the pudding: 

1/2 cup raisins
Bourbon
Vanilla extract
2 cups water
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup long-grain white jasmine rice
3 cups whole milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

For the topping:

1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Extra grated orange zest (optional)

The day before you want to make this, add your raisins to a small bowl. Pour bourbon over the raisins until they're just covered, and add a splash of vanilla. Stir to combine, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside somewhere away from curious pets and children. Warning: your home will kind of smell like a distillery until you're ready to use these.

When you're ready to make the pudding, drain raisins and set aside. Rinse the rice thoroughly (I swish it around in a big bowl of water, pour it through a fine mesh sieve, and repeat a couple times until it's no longer foamy.) In a large saucepan over medium heat, boil 2 cups of water. Add the orange zest, salt, and jasmine rice, and stir. Return to a boil, and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Turn heat to simmer, and let the rice cook for 15 minutes (until water is absorbed) without opening the lid or stirring.

Remove the cooked rice from the saucepan and set aside. In a new saucepan, combine the milk, sugar, and cinnamon. Heat over low until the milk is warm, and the sugar dissolves, whisking occasionally.

Add the cooked rice to the pot, and stir often until the milk reduces, and the texture becomes creamy and pudding-like, 20-25 minutes. It will look like there is a lot of liquid in the pot for the first 15 minutes or so, but trust me - it will thicken! If the mixture starts to bubble too much at any point, turn the heat down to simmer. Right before you're ready to remove the pudding from the heat, stir in the butter until it melts, and add in the drained raisins.

Allow the pudding to cool and thicken for 10-15 minutes before serving. This can also be served cold, but you may need to add a little milk after removing it from the fridge to loosen the consistency.

To make the topping, mix together the cinnamon and sugar, and sprinkle on top before serving.

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Source: Adapted from Cinnamon-Sugar Rice Pudding, via the Joy the Baker Cookbook

Green Chili Cheeseburgers

Hellooooooo, new favorite burger! For a long time, this blue cheese burger was number one in the place in my heart reserved for burger love. While it will always be a favorite, it has been bumped to make room for this.

What you see here is a perfectly seasoned burger patty with cheese and chilis mixed right into the meat, topped with a big hunk of monterey jack, and finally a honey-lime-green chili mixture. Usually, I like a lot of condiments on my burger - ketchup, mustard, mayo, and sometimes even ranch dressing makes an appearance. This doesn't need any help from condiments. The flavors are so spot-on that adding ketchup would be downright sinful...and not in the good way.

This recipe makes 4 burgers. I froze 2 of them for future dinners, an am trying to decide what to do with the rest of the green chili sauce. Thoughts anyone? I'm thinking it might be good in an omelette with some of my leftover Monterey Jack cheese.

Here's what you'll need:

1 pound ground beef (85/15 or 80/20)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 (4 ounce) cans diced green chilis, divided 

1.5 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, cut into tiny cubes, plus more for topping burgers 

2 teaspoons honey 

Juice of half a lime

4 tablespoons grapeseed oil 

4 Kaiser rolls, toasted

In a bowl, gently combine ground beef, salt, pepper, cumin, onion powder, garlic cloves, half a can of green chilis, and cheese cubes. Form into 4 even patties, wrap individually in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

In a small bowl, combine the remaining chilis, honey, and lime juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use. 

To cook the burgers, heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook burgers to desired doneness (mine took about 8 minutes to be medium-well/well-doneish), topping with cheese and covering pan with lid during the last minute of cooking. 

When ready to serve, top burgers with green chili sauce, place on a toasted bun, and enjoy! 

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Source: Adapted from How Sweet It Is