Kitchen Talk To Chew On

Fried Rice - why order takeout?

2012-01-04T10:51:00.007-05:00

I don't know why, but New Years day always makes me crave asian food. Why is this?! Someone please explain!!! Actually, let me think about this for a moment...it could be because New Years is a turning point in America's healthy brigade, and all I can think about (besides the fact that I will not be able to find a parking spot at the gym) is that I want something salty that will give me cankles, high blood pressure and make me hungry a couple of hours later! I've tried my hand at a couple of "asian inspired" dishes throughout the years, but my fried rice has become a staple.

I don't know why more people don't make fried rice at home?! It's easy, and if the rice is already cooked - and left over from your pork chops and applesauce dinner - fast to prepare. It can also be very substantial and satisfying because you can load it with as many vegetables and lean protein as you want! Really, you are limited by your own imagination.

I like making it at home because I like to keep the crunch in my vegetables - something my mother never believed in growing up! A mushy piece of broccoli makes me want to run towards the front door kicking and screaming about the monstrosity of it all. It's funny how I said "growing up" as if her mushy veggie love doesn't still appear to this day. Someone take away her steamer!!!! Or, give her a new kitchen timer that clips to her apron that doesn't go over 6 minutes.

FRIED RICE

2 tbsp vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 cup onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
2 cups of prepared, cooled white rice of your choice*
1 cup cooked and cubed pork or beef
1/2 cup soy sauce, or ginger flavored soy sauce (whatever suites your palette)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup grated carrot

In a large WOK, or skillet heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil over medium high heat. Add eggs and stir until they form a soft scramble. Remove eggs from WOK and set aside.

Heat remaining vegetable oil over medium high heat. Add onion, garlic and ginger and saute until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add rice and meat, stirring to combine. Add soy sauce and sesame oil, and cook through. Before serving, add frozen peas (they will defrost with the heat of the rice), reserved scrambled egg and carrots. Serve.

That's it...about 10 minutes in prep, total. I've seen fried rice with lots of different kinds of vegetables, seafood and meats...but this happens to be my favorite combination. Oh, and the leftovers are AMAZING!!!

*I use Jasmine rice for all of my rice needs. It's the only kind of rice that I don't seem to burn, and I like the way each individual piece of rice stands on it's own and doesn't clump up or stick.

Pumpkin Spiced Ice Cream

2011-12-20T10:49:00.011-05:00

The ice cream maker...my nemesis.

I loved you so much the day I brought you home. You were hiny and new and smelled good...then I began to loath you as one recipe failed. Then, another. And another. I spent so much money in hopes that I would win you over. Finally, I gave up on you. I stored you in the back of the cabinet, out of sight and out of mind. I forgot about you and all of the embarrassment you laid on me. I forgot your smell and your newness and the hum of your motor.

Then one day, I made a joke to my niece who *hates* pumpkin everything, and said "hmmm...I'm going to make some pumpkin ice cream to go with our pumpkin pie." Why would say such a thing when all you have done over the course of 5 years is fail me? I think it's because I'm a persistent bitch. And, I really want to make a successful ice cream!

On Wednesday, November 23, 2011, I cracked your code and your ice cold heart!

That's right!!! Ice cream SUCCESS!

I promptly threw out your little "recipe book" that does not have one single recipe that tells me to make an ice cream base with eggs. That truly is the secret.

So, now that I'm onto you and your trickiness, I can welcome you back into the family. Instead of the back of the cabinet, you now take center stage next to the blender and food processor. Welcome home, ice cream maker.

PUMPKIN SPICED ICE CREAM

1 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
the seeds of 1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
5 egg yolks
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp salt
5 grates of fresh nutmeg

In a bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree and vanilla. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours.

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine 1 1/2 cups of the cream and 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Cook, stirring constantly, until bubbles form around the edges of the pan, approximately 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the egg yolks, cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg. Add the remaining cream and brown sugar. Whisk until the sugar begins to dissolve and the mixture becomes creamy.

Remove the cream mixture from the heat and temper your egg mixture. (Seriously - click on the link to learn how to "temper" your eggs - or else you will make scrambled egg ice cream, and that can't be tasty.) Transfer tempered mixture into the heavy saucepan and cook over medium hear, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon and keeping the custard at a low simmer, until it becomes thick and coats the back of the spoon. Not not allow the custard to boil! Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and place the bowl into an ice bath, stirring occasionally to cool. Whisk the chilled pumpkin mixture into your ice cream base. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of the custard, so you don't make a "skin." Chill for 3-24 hours.

After chilling, transfer to your ice cream maker and churn per the manufacturer's instructions. (I have to completely freeze my maker's bowl prior to churning, so there is definitely some plan-ahead activities to be aware of.) Transfer your ice cream into a freezer-safe container and freeze until firm. Scoop and serve!

Our Thanksgiving dessert was pumpk'tastic! Pumpkin pie, pumpkin spiced ice cream and a little drizzle of homemade Carmel sauce. Funny thing is, I didn't taste much pumpkin in the ice cream - just the essence of it, which is fine by me. The ice cream was surprisingly smooth and VERY rich, so one scoop really went a long way. My niece did try a small spoonful, but was not impressed. Oh well. I was! And really, all that matters is that the whole experiment didn't crash and burn.

Pumpkin spiced ice cream is so freaking good!!!

For those looking to make plain vanilla ice cream, I italicized the base ingredients. The recipe itself is pretty easy to decifer. If you'd like to add in something special, prior to churning, throw in whatever you'd like: fresh strawberries, chocolate chips, crushed cookies, etc.

How To - fluffy gnocchi

2011-08-14T13:24:00.011-05:00

The word gnocchi may derive from the Italian word nocchio, meaning a knot in wood, or from nocca, meaning knuckle...and it's easy to see why, because that's exactly what these tasty little potato dumplings look like. For years I have been purchasing pre-made vacuum packed gnocchi at the grocery store, and it's so silly! Gnocchi are fairly easy to make, and taste a hell of a lot better when made with your own two hands, and not vacuum packed, to sit on a shelf for god knows how long. Although I try not to think about it, I do wonder how many chemicals it takes to keep the egg in them from going bad while sitting on said shelf. Hmmmmm....barf.

Gnocchi are often the served as an alternative to soups or pasta in some Italian eateries. I prefer them to be the star of own soups, which then enable those soups to become more of a meal of substance.

Contrary to popular thought - and what the Food Network has been pounding into my head for years, which is why I've never made them before - you DO NOT NEED a potato ricer. A fine strainer and a spoon will do the job quite nicely, and since most home cooks have them at their disposal already, there's no need to take a trip to the local kitchen supply store. Who has that kind of expendable income now-a-days anyway?!

I think it's pretty amazing that you can take 3 simple, everyday ingredients and transform them into something new and exciting.

Little cute pillows of potato GNOCCHI!

Basic Gnocchi

2 large potatoes
2 cups of flour
1 egg
salt, to taste

Peel and dice the potatoes into bite sized pieces, add to a medium pot and fill with water until potatoes are just covered. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until potatoes are tender. Drain into a fine strainer for 5 minutes, or until potatoes have lost their moisture and are cool to the touch. Set strainer over a large bowl and mash cooked potatoes into the strainer, until your potatoes are "riced" into the awaiting bowl. It should look something like this:

Combine your "riced" potatoes with two cups of flour and one egg and combine using the paddle attachment of your mixer until the dough just comes together, about 1-2 minutes. Do not overwork the dough, as the gnocchi will then become tough.

Collect a handful of dough and roll into a long log, about 1/2 inch in diameter on a slightly floured surface. Cut into 1 inch pieces, then using the tines of a fork, flick each dough piece off, creating the shape and texture of the gnocchi. Place pre-cooked gnocchi in a single layer on a cookie sheet, and repeat until all the dough is used.

Don't worry if your gnocchi don't look uniform...homemade cooking should be rustic!

To cook: place handful of gnocchi in salted, boiling water until it floats to the top. Serve immediately in your favorite gnocchi application! (You can also store your homemade gnocchi for several days in an air tight container, or freeze them for later use.)

Like I said before, I like to beef up my soups with gnocchi, and since I recently dined on soup, salad and bread sticks from a chain that shall not be mentioned - I was inspired to whip up my own version of creamy chicken and gnocchi soup.

Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
3 large carrots, peeled and diced
3 large celery stalks (leafy tops included), diced
1 large onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 cups pre-cooked chicken - your choice of diced or shredded white and/or dark meat
2 quarts of chicken stock
16 oz. of prepared gnocchi
1 cup of heavy cream
1 tsp each: dried parsley, oregano and thyme
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
salt and pepper, to taste

Melt oil and butter in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, carrot and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender. Add parsley, oregano and thyme - then add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Drop chicken and simmer for 1/2 hour until the liquid reduces slightly. (You can add more stock if your soup reduced too much.)

Right before service, add gnocchi. When the gnocchi floats, turn off the heat and add the cream, salt and pepper and grated nutmeg. Spoon into shallow dishes and serve with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

The texture of this soup is to die for...between the tender chicken and the fluffy, pillow'y gnocchi...I was in heaven! I also baked up some homemade bread to go along with this, so I could dunk the bread into the broth, which was so flavorful.

Truth be told, not only was this dinner - but also breakfast the next morning.

Frozen Tiramisu

2011-06-26T15:04:00.006-05:00

I like Tiramisu. I like ice cream. Is there a way to combine the two? Hell yes! Buck "tradition" and make this...pronto! (And be extremely disappointed when there are no leftovers to chow on.)

Frozen Tiramisu

1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups strong, freshly brewed coffee
1/3 cup Kahlua liqueur
Pre-made angel food cake
1/4 cup crushed Oreo Cookies
1/2 gallon of chocolate ice cream, softened*
1/2 gallon of coffee ice cream, softened*
whipped cream
Cocoa (for garnish)

Place sugar and 2/3 cups of water into a sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally until dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in brewed coffee and Kahlua. Let syrup cool completely.

Meanwhile, spray a 9x9x2 inch baking dish with vegetable spray. Using a serrated knife, cut angle food cake into thin squares, layering along the bottom of the dish. Using a pastry brush, brush the cake layer with the coffee syrup. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of crushed oreos over cake.

Spread a layer of chocolate ice cream over cake. Place a second layer of angle food cake over ice cream, and once again brush the cake with the remaining coffee syrup. Place in freezer until completely frozen.

Remove from freezer, sprinkle with remaining oreo cookie crumbs, and spread a layer of coffee ice cream over top. Freeze until completely hardened. When ready to serve, top each portion with freshly whipped cream and a sprinkle of cocoa, if desired.

Hello, lover.

*Time saver: If you do not have time to let your ice cream soften, place into a stand mixer bowl and beat on low until spreadable.

I was completely amazed at how great this turned out! The layers of angel food cake absorbed all of the liquid and became this gooey, coffee goodness - and the ice cream just held it all together, making it taste like traditional Tiramisu. It was a big hit at the "going away" dinner party I held for a friend who is going on a mission trip to Africa.

I may have licked my bowl.

Very Berry Gummy Squares

2011-02-22T10:26:00.005-05:00

My all-time favorite candy is a tie between RED Gummy Bears and RED Sour Patch Kids, so when I came across a recipe in Taste of Home Magazine for making your own gumdrops, I was intrigued, but I had to change it up because I wanted more of an all-inclusive berry taste.

I must admit, I shelved it for quite some time. I like instant gratification and the process of making these provides none of that. There is a full 24-hour waiting period, while the semi-done gumdrops stare at you from across the room, taunting and whispering your name in their gelatenous sweetness. If you have a sweet tooth, like me, it's worse than Chinese Water Torture - or so I would think. The payoff is grand if you can muster up the extreme patience.

These gumdrops are soft and chewy and go down a little too easy, especially if you cut them into small bite sized pieces. They were the most perfect little Valentine's Day gift. I was impressed with how the cranberry flavor wasn't overwhelming, and am left wondering how I could change up the recipe to include other flavors. I have a couple of ideas that center around lemon curd and fruit juices, but that may include adding an additional packet of unflavored gelatin, to balance the liquid out. I'm up for figuring out the science of it all, because they are just that good.

My warning to anyone who makes this must be headed...1.) If you eat too much, you will get a severe stomach ache. And, 2.) Embrace the pink pee and poo! It means your systems are all working! *Sadly, this is not the first time I've mentioned poo on this blog.*

VERY BERRY GUMMY SQUARES

2 envelopes unflavored Knox gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
1 can jellied cranberry sauce
2 cups sugar
2 3-oz packages of raspberry gelatin
1 3-oz package of strawberry gelatin
granulated sugar, for dusting

In a saucepan, sprinkle unflavored gelatin over water. Let stand for two minutes, or until the gelatin softens. Add the cranberry sauce and 1 cup of sugar and cook over low heat until the cranberry sauce is melted and the sugar is completely dissolved, whisking lightly. Remove from the heat and add the raspberry and strawberry gelatin, stirring to completely dissolve.

Coat an 8x8x2'' pyrex baking pan with cooking spray. Dust lightly with sugar, and pour your gelatin mixture into the prepared pan. Cover with plastic and let stand at room temperature overnight.

Cut into 1-inch squares with a knife that you've run until hot water, so it slips through the candy easier. Roll each piece in sugar. Place on baking sheets and let stand for 3 hours. Turn pieces over, roll in additional sugar, and let stand an additional 3 hours until very firm.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature until they are gone!

What one should bring when attending an adult-only party...

2010-11-28T23:06:00.010-05:00

Every couple of years, one of my horny friends decides to throw a sex toy party which I always feel *obligated* to attend. (I see you rolling your eyes!) It's the ultimate girls night**, with yummy fruity cocktails, lots of amazing finger foods, nervous laughter, inappropriate jokes (me) and touching (me, again), demonstrations (not me!) and the exchange of funds for goods. Being a little deviant, I offered to make a cake.

Tell me? What the hell was I thinking? I HATE making cakes! But, since I opened my big mouth and couldn't back out without looking like a huge schmuck, I pressed onwards. I wanted to do some kind of kinky jacuzzi tub cake with nakedness that would shock the ladies. A couple of years ago, I made a camping cake with a "lake" made with jell-o, so I used that same basic technique.

The run-down:

The CAKE is Betty Crocker, from a box. No brainer! I doubted that anyone would want to eat this thing, so I wasn't going to bake from scratch and cross my fingers that it would be OK.

The TILES are Mike & Ikes candies.

The PEOPLE and ACCESSORIES are gum paste.

The "WATER" is jell-o. Prepared after assembly of the people, with a hope and a prayer!

The assembly:

Followed all cake ingredient directions with two 8 inch round cake pans. Frosted the layers, cut out the hole for the Jacuzzi, then crumb coated the entire cake and set aside. Later, frosted the cake, smoothing out the sides and top. Attached candy tiles.

Making the people sucked! I've never used gum paste before and it's tricky stuff. (And, BTW - tastes disgusting!) I found the gum paste in the cake decorating section of Michael's Crafts. $10 bucks for a 10 oz. bag. Some tips I picked up the hard way: 1. Keep the bag sealed, because it dries out fast! To tint the paste I used basic food grade food coloring and kneaded the paste until it was colored to my satisfaction. My hands were the color of the rainbow for a day or so afterwards - so 2. use plastic gloves or be prepared. 3. Make sure that you position your figures how you would like them to dry, otherwise you have to start over.

I tried to be as anatomically correct as possible. At least when it came to the nether-regions! I mean this guy has no head hair, but a very nice package if I do say so myself!

This lady was a little more demure, I decided.

Add your figures to the cake, using icing to prop them up if needed. Prepare jell-o according to the instructions. Let jell-o cool slightly, and gently pour into the iced cake hole. If you are not gentle, you'll get bubbles. If you get bubbles, just pretend that your figures are farting. :)

I am the first to admit that this cake, although hilarious, it's very amateurish - but really, who cares. There's penis and vagina and ass and boobies! Looking back, I should've tinted the paste that I used to make the people so that they had somewhat of a tan. Poor little sculptures were very, very white! I'm just happy that the whole thing made it to the party without a major cake'tastrophy and that it made all the ladies giggle.

**To all the boys out there, sorry...these parties are so much more fun without your participation - just sit back and hope that your woman receives a package in about 6-8 weeks.

Creamy Potato Gratin

2010-11-28T22:18:00.008-05:00

When I think of my ultimate comfort food, I think potatoes. Mashed, with lots of sour cream and butter and a lake of thigh-hugging gravy on top. Baked with (more) sour cream, chives and REAL bacon bits. Roasted new baby reds with a sprinkling of olive oil and salt and pepper.

Pardon me while I wipe the drool off the front of my shirt....

Hats off to my friend Lisa who didn't balk when I proclaimed "I'm going to try a new recipe on you. I hope it works."

I've had a lot of really nasty Gratin potatoes, mainly from my mother's kitchen - god bless her non-culinary heart - so when I came across trying to make them myself, I was a little leery. Nothing kills your proposed food coma like half-done potatoes, or separation of the cream, or dry spots. However, if you do try this recipe (and please do!), you will see that they are fool proof and super easy, and so tempting that you may heat them up for yourself for breakfast the next day. (I can not be the only one!) What I will NOT promise is how calorie laden they are, but you know...all things in semi-moderation.

CREAMY POTATO GRATIN

1 lb russet potatoes

1 cup each of whole milk and heavy cream

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup of white sharp Cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 tsp grated nutmeg* (optional)

3 tbsp breadcrumbs (Italian or plain)

3 tbsp Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x9 inch Pyrex baking dish and set aside.

Peel and slice potatoes to 1/4 inch thickness, either using a mandoline or a steady hand. (I have a mandoline, but I am terribly afraid of it because I almost sliced my finger off, even though it came with a hand guard.)

Combine the sliced potatoes, milk, heavy cream, garlic, nutmeg, salt and pepper in a large saucepan. Simmer of medium heat for about 8-10 minutes. Watch your saucepan, because you do not want to pick up the mess if it boils over! The potatoes will still be firm when pierced with a knife. Remove the potatoes from the heat and add in your grated Cheddar cheese, stirring to melt.

Pour entire mixture into your prepared baking dish. Combine the breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese and scatter over the top evenly. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until the top is golden brown and bubbly. Remove from oven and allow the Potato Gratin to "set" for 5-7 minutes before service.

Can you believe that there is no butter in this recipe?!

*I use freshly grated nutmeg in all of my creamy based dishes because it provides just a hint of something in the background that I really like. If you only have store-bought nutmeg, pre-ground, omit. The flavor just isn't the same.

3-Blend Citrus Poppy Seed Cake

2010-05-17T21:05:00.007-05:00

"Cake from scratch."

That single line often makes me break out in hives. Seriously. The measuring, the testing, the uncanny ability for all of your hard work to go up in smoke! Hey...I'm a cheater. (No comments from the peanut gallery!) If I can use a cake mix, I will. I openly and freely admit it!

However, sometimes you have to take the plunge...like when all there is for "Poppy Seed" mixes is muffin mix - and surely that would've sucked. Scratch was my only option. Sigh. Lucky for me, the recipe turned out to be pretty fool-proof. Without further adu...

3-BLEND CITRUS POPPY-SEED CAKE
(I apologize if you see the word "poopy" instead of "poppy." I've caught myself twice already.)

Cake (all ingredients should be room temp):
3 sticks of unsalted butter
3 3/4 cups of flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
4/3 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups sugar
7 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp grated lime, lemon and orange zest
1/3 cup poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 2 or 3 8x2 inch round cake pans. Set aside. (2 pans will give you (4) 1/2 inch layers, 3 pans will give you (3) 1-inch layers.)

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-low speed until lightened, about 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add sugar, and once again beat until lightened, about 3 to 4 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed to combine thoroughly. Drizzle in eggs, a little at a time, beating on medium-low speed after each addition until batter is smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla.

7 eggs is a lotta eggs!

Reduce mixer speed to low and alternately add flour mixture and milk, a little at a time, beginning and ending with the flour mixture until well combined, scraping often. Beat in the zest of the lime, lemon and orange, as well as the poppy seeds.

OOOOOO...zesty!

Divide batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 minutes, then rotate pans for even browning, baking an additional 5 to 10 minutes more - or until a skewer comes out clean when poked into the center of the cake. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool for about 15 minutes, then carefully turn cakes out (top up) to completely cool.

Meanwhile...

The icing will need to chill at least 3 hours before spreading. Don't taste it though, or you might eat it all!

Icing (reminder - ingredients should be kept at room temp!):
12 oz. cream cheese
6 tbsp butter
3 cups confectioner's sugar

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the butter, scraping the sides often, until combined. Carefully add the confectioner's sugar on low-speed until the mix is completely combined. Beat frosting on medium-speed until smooth and fluffy, about 1 full minute, then transfer to an airtight container and chill until firm.

Assemble the cake...

Place a little of the icing on the serving platter to keep the cake from sliding around. Place one layer of cake on top, then spread 1/3 of the icing onto the cake and repeat until all you have left is one layer of cake.

When ready to serve, glaze!

Lemon Glaze (can be made 3 to 4 hours ahead):
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
3 to 4 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp poppy seeds

Place sugar in a bowl. Gradually add lemon juice, stirring with a fork to combine until smooth. The mixture should be slightly thick. Stir in poppy seeds. Glaze cake immediately by pouring mixture over the center of the top and allowing it to run down the sides.

Then, DIG IN!

The recipe is definitely not as complicated as it seems, and the finished product was excellent, much to the delight of my dinner guests (and co-workers who got the leftovers the next day). My only other alternate addition for next time...I might play a little with the moistness of the cake by brushing some Limoncello over the cut layers. It would also give the cake a little more robust lemon flavor, which I was missing. Wish I thought of it earlier.

Am I still afraid of "cake from scratch?" Hell yes! But this recipe did give me a little more confidence in that realm.

Seared Drunkin' Chicken

2010-05-16T11:13:00.005-05:00

Even though I had only two guests over the other night for food and wine, I will herein call my little gathering a "dinner party." I'm really not sure what the socially accepted rules are to call such a gathering a "party," but I've decided that I make my own rules on this blog! So it shall be.

There were so many foodie ideas going on in my head that I wanted to try, now that I had a captive audience at my disposal. I threw some ideas out to one of guests and got very, very nervous when every reply was "Ew" and "I'm not a fan." I wanted something light (to save room for the copious amounts of wine and CAKE we would consume), but also something easily identifiable, since this would be the first time I would be cooking for these girls. Then it hit me...

DEARED DRUNKIN' CHICKEN

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp butter, divided
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 large (or 2 small) shallots, sliced thin
1 clove garlic, finely minced
2 cups of vermouth or dry white wine
2 cups of chicken stock
2 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp apple cidar vinegar
1 lb of fresh baby spinach
2-3 tbsp fresh basil, ciffonade
Salt and pepper, to taste
Halved cherry tomatoes, if desired

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat 1 tbsp each of butter and oil in a large skillet. Season both sides of chicken breast with salt and pepper, and place top-side down in pan. Cook until chicken is nicely browned, flipping only once. (Chicken does not have to be cooked through.) Place chicken in a large glass baking dish.

Meanwhile, heat remaining butter and oil in a deep saucepan. Add sliced shallot and cook until shallot is translucent. Add vermouth, chicken stock, mustard and vinegar to shallots, stirring occassionally, and boil until mixture reduces to half. Once reduced, immediately pour over chicken in baking dish and bake in the oven for 25 minutes.

While chicken is baking, re-heat the large skillet. Add minced garlic and spinach, turning to wilt the spinach. (You may need to add a little more oil.) Season with salt and pepper.

To plate: Spoon out a portion of spinach in the bottom of a shallow bowl. Arrange cooked chicken on top of spinach. Place cherry tomatoes around the dish, if desired (I think the dish needed another color to make it pop!). Spoon broth on top of chicken and garnish with the chiffonade of fresh basil.

I served some Pinot Grigio to bring out the flavor of the vermouth in the broth.

The dish was lovely! Simple, pretty and full of flavor. The raw tomatoes softened up nicely when the hot broth was poured over the top. The perfect bite included a piece of chicken, some spinach and a tomato half!

Jar vs. Homemade

2010-04-26T19:27:00.006-05:00

I received an email a few months ago from Patak's Original, the company that makes a variety of Indian cooking spices and sauces. The Chicken Tikka Masala recipe that I posted on January 27, 2007 apparently sparked their interest, and they asked me if I would try their Tikka Masala Curry cooking sauce (medium heat) and share my opinion.

Tikka Masala is a curry dish in which chicken chunks (tikka) are served in a rich red, creamy, lightly spiced, tomato and yogurt-based sauce. It's one of those dishes that I have to order every time I go to my favorite Indian restaurant...it's just so good.

I don't generally endorse fast food since it's loaded with sodium and other bad stuff. I actually like to be able to pronounce the ingredients that go into my belly! Plus, what if the jarred stuff is better than my recipe?! How embarrassing would that be? I replied with a hesitant "yes" and waited for my jar of cooking sauce to arrive.

I finally got around to trying the stuff out, and you know what...it was actually very good.

The ingredient list actually impressed me: water, tomato, onion, yogurt (spelled wrong, btw), cream, spices, concentrated tomato puree, sugar, corn starch, lemon juice, garlic, salt, vinegar, ginger, turmeric, paprika, cumin seeds, black pepper, coriander seeds, cilantro and dried crushed chili. Not artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. WOW! Most home cooks probably know what every single one of those ingredients are! DOUBLE WOW! (P.S. - this product is Gluten Free.)

For a complete meal all you have to do is follow 3 easy steps...1-2. Heat some oil in a large skillet and brown up some chicken breast, 3. Pour the jar of sauce over chicken and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Of course, I jazzed it up a bit with some sliced onion and green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks, then served the whole thing over some steamed rice and garnished with a little fresh basil for color. Naan on the side.

This jar sauce did have a little more heat than my recipe, and it's a heck of a lot more convenient and less time consuming than cooking tikka masala from scratch...but it was missing *something* and I think that something was the tang of plain yogurt. I would probably add about a 1/3 cup of plain or Greek yogurt next time and maybe a touch of nutmeg. The jarred sauce was not as smooth as mine, but the color was gorgeous. Of course, like any curry you might make at home, the smell lasted for days. In fact, a day later I went out with some friends and one of them mentioned that it smelled like curry was seeping out of my pores. Not sure if that's a good thing!

My final verdict...if you have the time and desire to make a home cooked meal of Chicken Tikka Masala, definitely go with my recipe. However, if you want dinner in 20 minutes Patak's Original Tikka Masala Curry cooking sauce is a pretty darn good substitute. I'll be keeping a jar in my pantry.

Chunky Tomato Soup

2010-01-24T21:38:00.005-05:00

It's soup season! Well actually...the Northeast is pretty much half way through "soup season," and I unfortunately am coming to the party a little late. As usual. Don't judge me!

I just love taking everyday ingredients, like tomatoes, potatoes, rice and pasta and making something that's tasty, healthy and easy. Soup is a great way to stretch your dollar, and for me as a singleton living alone, one pot provides many wonderful meals throughout the week. I also like that soup is filling, yet satisfying - so it's great for the waistline (as long as you don't load it with butter and cream).

This particular soup can really be steller...however, it does need a tiny bit of tweaking. So if anyone makes this, please let me know your thoughts and what you added to make it yours. There is one major shortcut that I will also make note of!

CHUNKY TOMATO SOUP

3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 large onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 lbs roma tomatoes*
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 large carton of chicken stock (use Vegetable Stock to make this Vegetarian)
1 can of cannalini beans, drained
3 tbsp fresh parsley, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp cumin
2 tsp paprika
1/4 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Halve roma tomatoes and place on baking sheet skin side down. Drizzle with 1 tbsp of olive oil and season with salt. Roast in oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Once cooled, peel skin off of tomatoes set aside. *This step can be omitted if you would like...substitute roma tomatoes with 2 large cans of stewed tomatoes.*

In a large stock pot, heat 2 tbsp oil and butter until butter is melted. Add onion and garlic, stirring until onion is translucent. Add reserved roasted tomatoes, tomato paste and chicken stock. Stir until tomato paste melts into liquid. Add paprika and cumin. Cover and bring to a boil. Cook for 20 minutes or until tomatoes fall apart completely. Add drained, but not rinsed, cannalini beans, parsley and cream. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Serve with shaved parmesan cheese and crusty bread for dipping.

I can't even begin to imagine how sweet and robust this soup would be if tomatoes were actually in season right now! I can't wait to try it again in the summer. I also think that fresh basil should be the herb'age of choice since parsley is so mild in flavor. And maybe a little palm-ful of crushed red pepper flakes for some heat. However, even with those issues not addressed the first time, I totally enjoyed this soup. I loved how the starch in the beans slightly thickened the liquid and the addition of the cream added just a tiny bit of sweetness that was to die for.

mini Cheesecake Cookie Cups

2009-12-09T23:49:00.007-05:00

Last year, I posted the original recipe for these awesome Cheesecake Cookie Cups. At the time I thought they were great, but this year I wanted to play around with the size of them. I really like the idea of mini, bite-sized cookies...which allows me to justify eating 2 or 3 of them without feeling *too much* guilt.

Of course, making things minature means that you spend a little more time on baking the buggers. Something to keep in mind if you have a life. Obviously, since I made 250'ish of these little delights...well, we won't go there.

Cheesecake Cookie Cups (the mini version)

1 package Nestle Toll House Refrigerated Mini Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar Dough
2 packages of cream cheese, room temp
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Paper-line mini muffin trays. Place 1/2 piece of mini chocolate chip cookie dough in each muffin cup, and press down slightly. Bake for 8-10 minutes of until cookie has spread to the edge of each cup, but is not fully cooked through. (If it doesn't spread to the edge, don't sweat it...they will still be delicious, and I promise no one will notice.) Let cool in mini muffin tray until they collapse slightly.

Meanwhile, beat cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, eggs and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth. Pour about 1 tbsp of the mixture over each cookie in cup. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until set. Cool completely on a wire rack. Top each cheesecake with pie filling. Keep refridgerated.

So cute! You can substitute the chocolate chip dough with sugar cookie dough, or use a traditional graham cracker crust.

Chicken with Mustard'y Mandarin Orange Sauce

2009-04-27T20:51:00.007-05:00

Around this time of the year, I look in the refridgerator and say "Man. I have way too many jams, jellies and preserves in this place." Most are left over from The Great Cookie Bake-Off of (insert year here).

I was trying to think of when I actually purchased the peach preserves that were staring back at me. I'm pretty sure I was still with Nathan, which means that the jar and it's contents are at least 9 months old. I examined the insides of the jar, from the outside. No fuzzy stuff. I opened it. No odd smell. I tasted it and it didn't make me gag! We were in the clear!

If you like sauces that contain mustard, you will love this. I used a grain mustard, but honey mustard would be lovely. Dijon would work too. I loved the way the grain mustard made little speckles in the sauce though.

CHICKEN WITH MUSTARD'Y MANDARIN ORANGE SAUCE

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup of either orange marmalade or peach preserves (I hate orange marmalade!)
2 tbsp grain mustard
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 small can of mandarin oranges, drained
1 tsp grated orange peel
salt and pepper, to taste

In a large skillet, heat oil and butter together until butter is melted and sizzling. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken on both sides. Meanwhile, combine OJ, preserves, mustard and thyme in a small bowl. Don't fret if the preserves do not dissolve into the juice...they will when the mixture hits the heat. Lumps are fine! Pour mixture over chicken. Bring to a boil and continue cooking for another 5-8 minutes or until the juices from the chicken run clear and sauce thickens. Gently stir in oranges and orange peel. I plated over steamed white rice cooked in chicken stock for added flavor.

Sweet and sticky. Just like Madonna's last tour. I promise that people - adults and children alike - will be licking their fingers.

Creamy Pasta with Shrimp

2009-04-02T08:51:00.006-05:00

Friend: "Do you have anything to eat in this house?"

Me: "Ummmm..."

I had frozen pre-cooked shrimp, a green pepper, half a pint of grape tomatoes and cream - plus some pickles, yogurt and a couple Balance Bars. There was some serious potential in my *seriously* understocked kitchen pantry/fridge!

CREAMY PASTA with SHRIMP

Pasta of your choice - I used plain spaghetti
6 tbsp butter
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 lb pre-cooked shrimp, de-veined and de-shelled
1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp flour
1/2 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved - if desired
2 tbsp fresh basil, or 1 tsp dried basil
Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Cook pasta as usual.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet. Add onion, garlic and green pepper. Cook until onion is translucent and fragrant. Add shrimp.

Combine cream and flour in a small glass - mix well to form a slurry. Pour cream mixture over shrimp and cook until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat. Add pasta, tomato and basil and combine. Grate a little fresh parmesan cheese just before service.

Dinner was done in about 12 minutes, tops. The leftovers were pretty tasty as well - still creamy, which surprised me!

Plus, I got to break out the pasta bowls I've been sitting on for 2 years, which made me very, very happy.

Coffee Cake

2009-01-25T21:08:00.006-05:00

This coffee cake recipe is so good, and so easy, that I have already made it 5 times! It's moist and light, and the crumb topping is to die for.

(BLUEBERRY) COFFEE CAKE

1 stick butter, softened
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries (thawed and drained, if frozen)
1 cup streusel (recipe below)
powdered sugar glaze (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8 or 9 inch tube pan, set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add 1 cup of flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda and beat until combined. Add 1/2 cup of sour cream, mixing well. Repeat process with the remaining flour and sour cream.

Spoon half of the batter into the prepared pan. Arrange the blueberries in a single layer on top of the batter - making sure to keep them away from the sides of the pan so they don't burn. Top with remaining batter, making sure it is evenly distributed. Sprinkle the streusel over the top.

Bake for 60 minutes, or until cake is golden and center is completely set. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes. Remove cake from pan, and let cool completely. Before service, spoon the glaze over the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Dig in!

STREUSEL

2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp coarse salt
1 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Cut in butter using a pastry fork until large, moist clumps form. Makes 4 cups.

GLAZE

1 cup confectioner's sugar
2 tbsp milk

Whisk sugar and milk together until completely smooth. Immediately drizzle over cake.

Marinated Flank Steak

2009-01-01T11:52:00.007-05:00

Hooray for the first post of 2009! I won't say that increased blogging is my New Year's resolution, because you know how those things go...but I have taken an oath to myself to cook for *me* more and this blog will most likely reap the benefits.

I now find myself looking for ingredients that will do double (or triple) duty for me. For example - flank steak. I can cook it once - then use the leftovers to make a whole new meal of fajitas with just the addition of some grilled peppers and onions! No waste, and my taste buds still can rejoice.

MARINATED FLANK STEAK

2 1/2 pounds flank steak, trimmed, excess fat removed
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 tsp black pepper*
4 tsp salt*
2 garlic cloves, bruised
2 tsp paprika
*or to taste

In a large plastic food storage bag, combine all ingredients, with beef. Marinate at room temp for 30 minutes, or longer if desired. Preheat broiler to 400 degrees. Using a meat thermometer at the very center of the steak, broil until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees - medium rare. (The ends will be more well done.) It took about 10 minutes.

Allow the steak to rest for 3-5 minutes before slicing to redistribute juices. Hold a very sharp knife at a 45 degree angle and slice the steak across the grain into thin slices. Carving this way makes the steak extremely tender!

I served the steak with some basic roasted fingerling potatoes and my own raw vegetable salad (recipe below). Of course, if you have a grill working during these winter months, go ahead and grill the steak instead of preparing it in the oven/broiler...it'll probably taste better too.

RAW VEGETABLE SALAD

1 large pepper, any color (or combination), julienned
1 small red onion, sliced
1/4 cup frozen corn, thawed and drained
1/2 cup green beans, thawed and drained
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste
fresh parsley, finely chopped

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and let chill at least 3 hours prior to service. Wonderful color!

The Great Cookie Bake-off of 2008

2008-12-26T10:09:00.007-05:00

This Christmas season wrapped up the third annual Great Cookie Bake-off! With just about 5,000 cookies being produced from one KitchenAide stand mixer (with one bowl and handle attachment), 4 silpats, 4 baking sheets and one oven, I say I did A-OK. It took about 3 days, start to finish, and I lost most of my sanity.

On the docket was the usual crop of tasty nuggests: cream cheese cookies, thumbprints, buckeyes, delux sugar cookies, gingerbread men and ladies, russian teacakes, cherry snowballs and bourbon balls - this time with actual boudon! This year, as I always do, I tried a couple of new recipes. Some were successful, some were not. I realized that A.) I need a cookie press and B.) I can not make a pinwheel cookie look pretty to save my life!

English Toffee Bars

1/2 cup butter, 1 cup oats
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
2 tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla
1 6-oz pack semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup almond brickle pieces (or a couple of chopped Heath candy bars)

Melt 1/2 cup butter in a large saucepan. Stir in oats, flour, brown sugar and nuts. Press mixture firmly in the bottom of a greased 13x9 inch pan. Bake in 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes.

Meanwhile heat sweetened condensed milk and 2 tbsp butter over medium heat until bubbly, stirring constantly. Stir in vanilla. Pour over baked crust layer. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with chocolate. Let stand for 2-3 min or until softened. Spread chocolate evenly over top. Sprinkle with almond brickle pieces. Cool. Chill for 5-10 minutes or until chocolate layer is set before cutting into pieces. Makes about 36 if you cut methodically. (I did not.)

I thought the English Toffee bars tasted like a candy bar, although there was nothing particularly Christmas'y about them. The recipe was easy and I was able to double it without a problem. The bars came out of the baking dish perfectly without any kind of hassel, which is always nice, and when the cookies were delivered to their recipients, this was the first cookie that about 75% of them went after.

********

For years and years I have tried to make macaroons. Each year I adapt the recipe just a touch, and each year the recipe fails. I was just going to give up on the idea of macaroons this year but looked at all the coconut I had leftover and changed my mind. I'm glad I did, because 2008 became my year for kicking coconut macaroon's asses! The cookie had always kinda melted into a flat mess that tasted really good, but did not resemble a macaroon at all. In this go'round, I added a little flour to stabalize the batter...and it worked. I came out with an army of perfectly shapped coconut macaroons!

(no fail) Plain Coconut Macaroons

3/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 cups shredded coconut

2 large egg whites

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

1/4 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use silicon silpats. In a large bowl whip egg whites until frothy. Mix in all other ingredients. Dampen hands with cold water. Form 1/2 inch balls. Keep macaroons about an inch apart on baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool on wire rack.

******

Cheesecake Cookie Cups

1 package Nestle Toll House Refrigerated Mini Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar Dough

2 packages of cream cheese, room temp

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Paper-line 24 muffin cups. Place one piece of mini chocolate chip cookie dough in each muffin cup, and press down slightly. Bake for 8 minutes of until cookie has spread to the edge of each cup.

Meanwhile, beat cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, eggs and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth. Pour about 3 tbsp of the mixture over each cookie in cup. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until set. Cool completely on a wire rack. Top each cheesecake with a level tablespoon of pie filling. Keep refridgerated.

You could use your own homemade cookie dough, if you so desire...but taking a little help when you can is SMART! Totally tasty and very much like the real thing.

Ooooohhhhh, aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh

2008-11-28T10:31:00.004-05:00

Some photos of a very successful Thanksgiving meal. (Minus the fire I started on the stovetop the previous night...a pot with vinegar spilled over then stunk up the whole place!) Desert recipes forthcoming.

Deviled eggs, risotto rice balls with marinara for dipping and jumbo shrimp cocktail in the background. There was also a cheese platter...but it didn't make it into the shot.

I am very proud of this turkey! I basted it every 1/2 hour and foiled where I had to to make sure that the skin tanned evenly all over.

Got out the good plates!

Caramel Pumpkin Pie. Yum-my. And, I'm not a fan of pumpkin pie.

A slow drizzle of chocolate ganache for the Chocolate Torte. (A little too chocolate'y for my taste - but everyone else raved about it.)

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-11-25T11:56:00.003-05:00

Where I ask, did this year disappear to? It doesn't seem right that it is already the end of November, especially since I just got used to writing/typing "2008" on all my business letters. My mother called me up a couple of weeks ago and tricked me into hosting Thanksgiving at my apartment. I'm pretty game for the adventure since I have been a very bad home cook lately. She tried to get me to agree that I would give her all of the leftover turkey - but funk that! I paid $44 dollars for that 20lb organic, corn-fed, farm raised piece of gold...it's going in my belly for days. Plus, I have never left her house with any kind of Thanksgiving rememberance of the meal!

Just for comparison, here is what I planned last year, and the year before.

And now...for this year's (not so) exciting offering. Or as I like to say - more of the same. There's a reason it's called "tradition."

To start:
Jumbo shrimp cocktail
Cheese and fruit platter
Risotto rice balls (because they were such a HUGE hit!)
Bacon wrapped pineapple

Dinner:
Butternut squash soup
Turkey
Stuffing
Mashed potatoes
Fall fruit salad
Roasted brussel sprouts (not everyone is thrilled about this veg)
Tossed salad
Cranberry and pitted date conserve
Sweet potato biscuits

Dessert:
Chocolate torte with a chocolate ganache
Caramel pumpkin pie
Vanilla ice cream / homemade whipped cream

My sister also requested a cranberry jell-o salad, and since I want to make her smile, I just may make a small batch of it...plus, I have that Jell-O cookbook that I've been threatening to break out.

Spaghetti with Creamy Garlic Sauce

2008-11-18T10:08:00.005-05:00

Everything's better with bacon, right? Does that question even have to be asked? Creamy pasta happens to be one of my major downfalls - and when combined with crisp bacon it means that I ate a whole lot of this meal, then passed out in a coma on the couch cursing at myself. The pasta itself is so rich and flavorful, not only from the glorious bacon that rests on top, but because it's also loaded to the gills with garlic. Hey, I'm not kissin' anyone right now...I can eat all the garlic I like. (And for those of you who are kissing someone, remember that two garlic breaths cancel each other out!)

SPAGHETTI WITH CREAMY GARLIC SAUCE

12 oz. uncooked spaghetti, or pasta of your choice
1/2 lb sliced bacon, sliced into 1 inch pieces
1 medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 1/2 cup milk
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese
2 tbsp butter
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (fresh, preferred)
1 cup frozen peas

Cook pasta according to packaged directions.

Meanwhile, crisp bacon and set aside on paper towels to drain excess fat.

In the same pan you used to crisp the bacon, add butter, onion and garlic and saute until onion is translucent. Add cream cheese, milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper and gently stir until cream cheese has melted into a beautifully creamy sauce. Add peas. Once sauce is thickened, add drained pasta and toss to combine. Top with bacon!

When I make this again, I will probably substitute the peas for a little fresh baby spinach, because I felt that the dish needed a little more green in it. Can I also say "yay" that I got to use my pasta bowls for the first time ev-ah! (I've only had them for 4 years, but they were stored away in the attic.)

Be warned - like most pasta dishes, the leftovers were not as satisfying as the actual meal. The cream sauce solidifies (a little extra milk did loosen the sauce, but it wasn't the same) and the bacon loses some of it's crispness. My advice - make only what you plan to eat that night. If you want more, spend the 20 minutes and make it again...after all, you have that 1/2 package of bacon left!

Pumpkin Empanadas

2008-11-11T09:57:00.006-05:00

Let me start off by saying that I am not a big fan of pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving - or anytime, actually. I prefer fruit pies or anything cheesecake or chocolate or better yet, any combination of the three. However, when I saw this recipe for Pumpkin Empanadas, I was intrigued and knew that I had to try them.

The result? A rich morsel of goodness wrapped in a light, flaky crust. The recipe promised that the empanada would taste like an individual slice of pumpkin pie. Not so, in my opinion...it's more of a cross between a pumpkin pie and a super sweet pecan pie.

PUMPKIN EMPANADAS

Filling ingredients:
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (I didn't have this, so I substituted 1/4 tsp ground cloves, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg and 1/4 tsp ground ginger)
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Crust ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes
8-10 tbsp cold water

Glaze ingredients:
1 egg
1 tsp water

In a saucepan, combine pumpkin, brown sugar, 1 tbsp butter, filling spices. Stir to combine some and cook over medium heat until mixture is thickened. Remove from heat, and cool completely (approximately 1 hour). Stir in pecans and set aside.

(OK - so I realize this is not the most appetizing of photos...but the filling is really tasty!)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, salt and butter. Pulse ingredients until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pulse in enough water until dough is just moistened.

Divide dough in half. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface, until about 1/8 inch thick. (Keep remaining dough in the refrigerator so it remains cold.) Cut circles with a 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter. Place 1/2 tsp of the filling in the center of each circle. Fold one side of the circle over to form a crescent-shaped empanada. Pinch dough lightly to form a seam, then use the tines of a fork to seal the empanada closed. Place on a non-greased cookie sheet. Repeat until all cookies are made.

Whisk together egg and 1 tsp water in a small bowl. Brush egg mixture lightly onto empanadas. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until cookies are browned and glossy. Remove from oven and let cool. Eat warm!

Although I appreciate the absolute perfection that is homemade pie crust - the next time I make these, I will probably cheat and buy some pre-made crust to cut down on the mess and save time. The recipe also said that it would yield 4 dozen cookies...which is a total LIE! I got about a dozen and half out of my dough, with lots of filling left over. This did irritate me some, but I plan to make another batch tonight, so I threw the leftover filling in the fridge with a little plastic wrap to cover it.

I do think that a touch of "sugar in the raw" sprinkled over the top, pre-bake, would give these cookies a little somethin-somethin. All I'm thinking about today, is how good they would be with a side of vanilla ice cream!

Ham and Lentil Soup

2008-08-19T12:16:00.004-05:00

I had big plans for those lentils, I really did. But, then I made this soup and although it was tasty, it looked a wee bit unappetizing, and I became afraid. Afraid not of the lentils themselves - but of what they can become when matched with a immersion blender.

Silly, silly me.

So, after finding 3 bags of lentils (the green variety) in the pantry, I knew that I must search for a recipe that would highlight the little disc-shaped legume and bring it to it's former glory. Since I've been on a soup kick, it only seemed natural that the recipe I would give the thumbs up to would be...soup. Ham and Lentil Soup. Brace yourself for some serious "yum."

HAM AND LENTIL SOUP

1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery sticks, washed and diced
8 oz. cubed ham
1 1/2 cups dried green lentils
4-6 cups of chicken stock
1/2 cup dry vermouth
1 can of stewed tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
2 cups baby spinach
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried parsley

Heat oil and butter in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots and celery and cook, stirring often, until onion becomes translucent. Add vermouth and continue to cook until vermouth reduces by half. Add ham, lentils and tomatoes - followed by 4 cups of chicken stock. Bring to a boil, and cook (with lid on) for about 15-20 minutes, or until lentils are al'dente. Take lid off, add spinach and season with dried herbs and salt and pepper. The spinach will immediately wilt down. If soup is too thick for your liking, add more chicken stock until it becomes the consistency you desire.

If you are not a lentil fan, prepare to be converted!

Pasta Fagioli

2008-08-13T08:57:00.006-05:00

I'm a sucka for soup.

I prefer cream based soups to clear broth soups in the winter, but in the summer I really like chunky, fresh from the garden (obviously, not my garden) "meal all in one" soups, that provide leftovers for days.

I've had this Pasta Fagioli recipe stuck in my head for days, after cleaning out my pantry and happening across 3 separate boxes of dilatini pasta and 5 cans of cannalini beans! Sometimes when I grocery shop, my stomach takes over without my mind realizing it - so it's no wonder I've been craving Pasta Fagioli...the ingredients were calling my name from behind closed doors for a few weeks now!

I really like this soup because it is not only simple and economical, but it feeds an army and is so tasty. Unlike some other soups, Pasta Fagioli is flavorful immediately. Try it, and get on the Pasta Fagioli Love Train!

All aboard! The Fagioli Love Train is departing!

PASTA FAGIOLI

2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, washed and chopped
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 bay leaf
1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 cup dry vermouth
1 large can (28 oz) of whole stewed tomatoes, with juice
2 cans white or cannalini beans, well rinsed
4-6 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups cooked ditalini pasta (or any other small pasta)
2 tbsp dried parsley
2 tsp dried thyme

In a large stock pot, heat butter and oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic stirring occassionally until onion is translucent. Add bay leaf and red pepper flake and stir to combine. Add vermouth and cook until liquid reduces and alcohol cooks out.

Meanwhile, rinse beans completely. Add beans, canned tomatoes with juice and chicken stock to pot. Bring to a boil and cook until vegetables are tender. Add herbs, and season with salt and pepper. Before service, add cooked pasta. (Pasta will absorb liquid, so I like to keep the pasta completely separate so it doesn't overcook, or "bloat.")

I've made this same recipe and added zuchinni and squash into the vegetable medley. I've also switched out the chicken stock for vegetable stock.

Some people are scared of red pepper flake, but I've found that if you add the spice at the beginning of the cooking process, it looses some of it's heat and adds just a small kick at the end when you are ready to serve it.

It's important to get a little of each ingredient on the spoon!

Pesto

2008-08-12T08:53:00.003-05:00

As much as I would like to proclaim from the mountaintops that I can grow food from the earth with my own two hands, I cannot. I kill most things I look at. I try, I really do. I planted some parsley, basil and chives at the beginning of the summer - and they were growing nice and lush, until I forgot to water them.

Plants need water, plants need water, plants need water.

Lucky for me, a coworker has a much greener thumb than I, and she doesn't mind sharing her bounty, for which I am forever grateful. I left work last Friday with a huge bundle of fresh basil just wanting to be made into homemade pesto!

PESTO

1 bunch fresh basil, leaves cleaned and removed
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts*
1 garlic clove
1 tbsp grated lemon peel
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper
extra virgin olive oil

In a food processor, blend together basil, pine nuts, garlic, lemon peel and juice and salt and pepper. While blending, stream in olive oil until the pesto reaches the desired consistancy. (I like it a little runny, so I use more oil.)

Pesto works well on meats such as chicken, beef and fish...and it of course, it is delicious as a pasta sauce. I like to also use it in soups for an extra punch of flavor, and I also add it to homemade pizza, under the tomato sauce.

Want pesto all year round? After preparation, freeze it in ice cube trays!

Of course, I went the traditional route and enjoyed this batch with some pasta.

*To toast your pine nuts: place nuts in a single layer in a dry skillet. Bring skillet to medium heat, shaking nuts every couple of seconds so they do not burn. When they turn a golden brown, take them off the heat. Toasting your nuts brings out the natural oils and develops the flavor. You can certainly make pesto without doing this step, but it won't be as tasty!

Simple, Cheap and Versatile...Jell-O

2008-07-06T16:37:00.003-05:00

Who knew that Jell-O could be added to so many dishes?

My mom gave me her Jell-O cookbook, "The New Joys of Jell-O," that she received as a wedding gift in 1973. I'm figuring 1973 was smack dab in the middle of the great Jell-O boom, because according to this WHACK cookbook, you can add Jell-O to basically anything.

Don't believe it?

How about a stunning Salad Nicoise - as seen on page 67? The ingredient list: tuna, tomato, green beans, olives, green peppers, onions, hard boiled egg, lettuce, mayo, cream, anchovy and the seemingly secret ingredient...Lemon Jell-O! I'm imagining it to be the glue that holds the whole dish together. Those who threw up a little bit in their mouths, please raise their hand. (Yeah, me too.)

My favorite chapter happens to be "Things You Never Thought Of" because, really - the whole book should be titled that! I'm not going to spill the beans too much, but I'm thinking that it might be fun to host a little Jell-O party. I mean, this cookbook pretty much has a 5 course meal planned out, including appetizers. I'll blame it on having a broken oven. Dare me?

Tomato Soup

2008-07-03T09:05:00.008-05:00

For those who watched Top Chef Chicago as faithfully as I did - you will know that the true test of a chef (or, home cook in my case) is making a successful, yet simple homemade soup. Thank you Ming Tsai for that bit of wisdom!

I love soup. For some reason, I especially love soup in the middle of summer, which I understand is very strange for some. It's light and satisfying and you don't feel like a beached whale after dinner. That does have a certain summertime appeal, right? Unfortunately, Nathan doesn't appreciate a bowl of soup for dinner at any time of the year. For him, soup is a good starter - to be combined with his meat and potatoes. When he decided to cash in his free night at the casino, I decided to tinker around in the kitchen with a few basic ingredients.

I've been wanting to try my hand at a tomato soup for a long time...the thing is, I didn't want to spend a long time preparing it...nor did I want to handle potentially harmful salmonella-infused tomatoes!

What is nice about this tomato soup - besides it being absolutely bowl-liking delicious (I kid you not!) is that all of the ingredients are very basic, and will be found in a well stocked kitchen without any issue. Oh, and BTW...not only did I eat this soup for dinner, I also warmed up a little for breakfast, and took some for lunch the next day as well. I also made a notation to double the recipe next time!

KAT'S SUMMERTIME TOMATO SOUP

1 28oz. can of whole plain tomatoes, in their juice
1 quart of vegetable stock
1 - 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 onions, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup torn fresh basil, plus more for garnish
salt and pepper, to taste
cooked rice*, optional
2 tbsp olive oil

In a large stock pot, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent. Drain tomatoes, reserving the tomato juice. Add drained tomatoes and vegetable stock to pot, stirring to combine. Bring mixture to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes until the tomatoes break down slightly. Add basil and cook for another 2 minutes.

Take pot off the heat, and use a stick blender to puree soup to the desired consistency. Add cream and reserved tomato juice, if desired and stir gently to combine. Return pot to heat. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a scoop of cooked rice, and a little fresh basil for garnish.

*Use up those leftovers! Keep the rice separate from the soup until service, or the rice will suck up all the soup and become gummy. You can also substitute your favorite pasta, or omit the starch all together.

There is nothing better than fresh basil! It's one of those herbs that I have no problem growing myself, thank goodness!

Weekly menu planning

2008-06-30T10:42:00.003-05:00

Sorry I've been absent for so long. I have a good excuse though - our oven is (still) broken. The stovetop work just fine, but the oven fills the house with gas and doesn't heat up. We almost killed ourselves! I didn't think I used the oven all that much. I do. When I can't use it is when I get these sudden intense urges to bake. My toaster oven just doesn't make the cut.

Monday - Cream of Tomato Soup
Tuesday - Poached Chicken Florentine
Wednesday - Broiled Mahi-Mahi with Pineapple Chutney
Thursday - Capellini with Grilled Vegetables
Friday - Hamburgers with all the Fixins'
Saturday - Sausage Ravioli with Tomato-Basil Coulis

The original recipes will have to be adjusted as some of them require that gentle oven heat (or the broiler), but I'll make do. It's time to start blogging again!

Thai Lettuce Wraps

2008-06-01T07:53:00.003-05:00

When I think of Thai food, I often think of overly complicated dishes with many steps done in a particular order with ingredients not found in many kitchens. I'm so silly, because in the end - none of that is even true. The most complicated thing about this dish was making the rice. And, who (besides Lisa on Top Chef) doesn't know how to make some kind of rice? I also think of my very special pan thai. (Cheating is OK!) Thai food has this way of ending with a "pretty" and a "yum." I think what draws me to this particular cuisine over and over are the vibrant colors, different textures and the break from the American norm of meat and potatoes. I went out to dinner with a couple of friends last week to a newly opened Thai restaurant, and tried the fried bananas...you can bet I will be attempting to make those soon!

Give this recipe a shot. I promise you will not be disappointed in the outcome. It's lovely on a warm summer night! Plus, no silverware.

THAI LETTUCE (under) WRAPS

2 cups prepare Jasmine Rice
1 head of a leafy green lettuce (such as Boston), leaves separated, cleaned and patted dry
1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple, milled finely to a canned "crushed" texture
1 bell pepper (any color), diced
4 scallions, diced
1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 tsp minced garlic
4 tsp minced ginger
2 lb. lean ground pork
3/4 tsp chili paste, or Tabasco sauce (less if you want less heat)
1/3 cup Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
1 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Prepare rice according to package directions.

While rice is steaming, prepare lettuce leaves and set aside. Prepare pineapple, scallions and bell peppers and place each ingredient in their own small bowl.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. When hot, add ginger and garlic and cook about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Immediately add pork - using a wooden spoon to separate the meat. Season with pepper. Add chili paste and stir to combine. Cook meat until done, approximately 10-12 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and fish sauce. Add sauce to cooked pork and simmer for 1 minute. Turn off heat. Add chopped cilantro, and transfer to a serving bowl.

Assemble your lettuce wraps using each of the prepared ingredients, and enjoy.

Sometimes you just need to feel like a kid again, and eat with your hands. Pork and pineapple are such a classic combination, there was no doubt in my mind that this recipe would work and be great. Plus, it left ample room for ice cream.

Weekly menu planning

2008-05-27T11:32:00.003-05:00

For the week of Monday 5/26 - Saturday 5/31:

The grill is out, and the propane is flowing! Thank goodness. It kills me to use the oven, until the a/c is up and running.

Monday - BBQ Grill Out: Baby Back Ribs, Sesame-Soy marinated Chicken, baked beans and salad
Tuesday - Thai Lettuce Wraps
Wednesday - Pasta with Peas, Cream, Parsley and Mint
Thursday - Brown Sugar and Ginger Glazed Salmon
Friday - Kat's Hamburgers Supreme
Saturday - Orzo with Grilled Shrimp, Summer Vegetables and Pesto Vinaigrette

Reward your Mama

2008-05-12T10:27:00.006-05:00

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Tulips, fresh with morning dew, from my garden.

For the past couple of years, I treated my mother and sister to a gourmet brunch as a special Mother's Day gift. My mother has the craziest diet restrictions, so this is no easy feat. This year, my sister had to work Mother's Day morning, so while brunch was pretty much out of the question...dinner was not. Personally, I like brunch better because I never treat myself to yummy breakfast foods like french toast and sweet breads - my breakfasts usually consist of buttered toast and a glass of juice.

Each woman had a special request...my mother really wanted Butternut Squash Soup. My sister asked for Corn Chowder. 2 soups you say? No problemo! My sister also requested cheesecake, minus the crunchy eggshells. Smartass. (My brother requested cheesecake for his birthday last year, and I didn't do what I tell everyone else to do: crack your eggs into a separate container. A small bit of eggshell got into the batter and disbursed so that every bite had a cruch to it! Apparently, no one likes that added bit of calcium in their cheesecake!) Good thing for her that I have been jonesing cheesecake for several weeks now, ever since I spied Amanda's salted caramel sauce on her blog.

So, this is what my menu looked like:

Butternut Squash Soup, with a bit of grated fresh ginger
Bacon, Potato and Corn Chowder
9-Grain Rolls
Pork Tenderloin with a Cherry Reduction
Cherry and Apple'sauce
Baked Potatoes
Grilled Skewered Vegetables (colorful bell peppers, yellow summer squash, mushrooms and tomatoes)
Cheesecake with Salted Caramel Sauce

Sometimes cheesecake can be a real hassel. My cheesecakes have a tendency to crack (and I mean crack!) and the result is not the pretty smooth cake that is always pictured in cookbooks. This time, I settled on a new cheesecake recipe that turned out really, really delicious. It was smooth and creamy and mile high! The baking technic was a little different than I had seen before, but it totally worked because it came out with only one small crack that was easily hidden with the caramel sauce. No gaping craters!!! Horray!

See? Isn't it beautiful? No trick photography here!

SMOOTH SPRING CHEESECAKE

For the cheesecake:

5 (8 oz.) bricks of creamcheese,

1/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Finely grated zest of 1 orange

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
5 large eggs
2 large egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Graham Cracker Crumb:

1 1/2 cups (5 oz) finely ground graham crackers

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/3 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 550°F.
Stir together crust ingredients and press onto bottom and 1 inch up side of a buttered 9-12'' springform pan. Set aside.

Beat together cream cheese, sugar, flour, and zests with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs and yolks, 1 at a time, then vanilla, beating on low speed until each ingredient is incorporated and scraping down bowl between additions.

Put springform pan with crust on a large cookie sheet. Pour filling into crust (springform pan will be completely full) and bake on cookie sheet (to catch drips) in the middle of the oven for 12 minutes, or until puffed. Reduce temperature to 200°F and continue baking until cake is mostly firm (center will still be slightly wobbly when pan is gently shaken), about 1 hour more. Turn off oven and allow the cake to sit on oven rack for another oven. Remove cake from oven and run a knife around top edge of cake to loosen. Cool completely in springform pan on a cooling rack. Chill cake, loosely covered, at least 6 hours. Remove side of pan and transfer cake to a plate. Serve as is, or with any kind of fruit, chocolate or caramel sauce.

Oh so good with just a slight hint of lemon and orange flavors from the zests of the fruits. It made the cheesecake come alive and dance on your taste buds. Beware though, this cake is rich!!!! Cut small slices and don't be ashamed when you have lots leftover. Share the love by bringing the remaining cake to work!

"Go To" Dishes

2008-04-30T10:41:00.005-05:00

My new job sometimes requires me to pull some late nights. Since Nathan can rarely fend for himself, I often find myself searching out recipes that are quick and easy enough to prepare while half asleep. One pot/skillet meals are the best, because that also affords me a quick clean up (and who doesn't appreciate that?). The cherry on top - most of these meals are prepared without having to defrost the protein!

Sausage Bow Tie Pasta is one meal that I keep filed away in the back of my head because it takes about 15 minutes, start to finish, and is super tasty. Chicken and Wild Rice Almondine is another. Both fall into my ultimate "Comfort Food" category as well.

CHICKEN AND WILD RICE ALMONDINE

1 box long grain and wild rice, with seasoning packet (I use Uncle Ben's)
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into narrow strips
2 1/2 cups water
1 bag frozen green beans, any cut - I like the whole beans
2 large carrots, peeled and shredded
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 cup sour cream
salt and pepper, to taste

Season chicken strips with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Saute chicken until browned. Add rice, seasoning packet and water and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Add green beans and carrots and cook (covered) for another 5-7 minutes, until rice is completely done. Remove from heat. Gently stir in sour cream.

Meanwhile, in a small dry skillet, toast the almonds for approximately 2 minutes - watching them to make sure they do not burn. Garnish dish with toasted almonds. Taste for seasoning. Serve!

This meal is a winner every time. It has great texture from the rice and the almonds...and the green beans and carrots provide wonderful color and crunch, making it the perfectly pretty end-of-day-weekend meal. The sour cream holds everything together, lending a tangy and creamy consistency that is fork-licking good.

I always tell myself that I should double the recipe so that we have leftovers (Nate helps himself to seconds and thirds!) - but I have yet to do it...and I kick myself each and every time.

Weekly menu planning

2008-04-14T11:09:00.003-05:00

Last night, I went through a couple of my favorite cookbooks, marking recipes that I wanted to try. For the life of me, I can not remember a single recipe that I book-marked - I was just so tired! I've picked my weekly menu based off of what I have available in my pantry and freezer, in hopes that I will spend my time at home doing things I enjoy and not in the market waiting in line at the register.

I'm also packing up my knives at some point this week and sending them to Shun for either a replacement or a grind down. Both my shantoku and pairing knives have chipped. The warranty department told me that the turn around time is approximately 2 weeks. I have no idea how I am going to function without them!

Monday - Wonton and Bok Choy Soup
Tuesday - Chicken with Mushroom Sauce
Wednesday - Potato tart with a side salad
Thursday - Country Fried Steak
Friday - Chicken and White Bean Chili
Saturday - Shrimp and Sweet Potato Cakes with Slaw

I also plan on making a special batch of brownies for dessert at some point during the week.

200th Post! Let's celebrate with meat on a stick!

2008-04-08T10:33:00.005-05:00

I never thought when I started this blog over a year ago that I would be celebrating my 200th post! Yippee!

I've always wanted to prepare beef (or chicken) satay, but I thought that I would need a lot of time set aside for the actual preparation...and that I would need to buy an expensive piece of meat...and that I would have to wait until our grill was up and running...and...

Yep. I had a lot of excuses. Fact of the matter is, I was lazy. You don't need a whole of time, because the marinating liquid is crazy flavorful - so the actual marinating part of the recipe can be done in about a half an hour - with cooking only taking about 8 minutes, tops. You can prepare the marinade in a bag so there's no extra dishes to do. Make broiler is your friend! I'm a believer now.

BEEF SATAY

3 pounds beef flank steak, all fat removed, sliced at an angle across the grain
bamboo skewers, soaked in water

marinade:
1/2 cup oyster sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
8 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 1/2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp honey
1 1/2 tbsp curry powder

dipping sauce:
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 tsp peanut oil
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tsp garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup water

In a large kitchen bag, combine all marinade ingredients. Place sliced meat in bag, and seal. Set aside for 1/2 hour so that meat can marinade.

In a small saucepan over low heat, combine all sauce ingredients. Bring to a simmer. Let simmer for about 4-5 minutes, or until sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat and bring to room temperature. If sauce is too thick for your liking, thin it out with a couple extra tablespoons of water.

Meanwhile, preheat broiler. Thread skewers with meat and discard marinade. Broil meat for approximately 4 minutes on each side. Let meat rest 5 minutes before service. Serve with dipping sauce.

Meat on a stick is a fun way to eat dinner! I used a flank steak, which has a tendency to be tough - but with the help of the marinade...and the way that I sliced the meat, it actually was extremely tender and so full of flavor. Eat bite had a little hot, a little sweet and just a touch of spice. I've tried peanut butter dishes before with unsavory results - peanut butter is such a strong flavor that it gets old quick - but this dish definitely ranked high up in my book.

If flank steak isn't in the cards, go with your favorite cut of beef and either thinly slice it, or cube it - just adjust the cooking times for thicker pieces.

I served the beef satay with steamed brown rice and some grilled zucchini spears.

Weekly menu planning

2008-04-07T10:27:00.003-05:00

This is the plan for this week:

Sunday - BBQ ribs with a pear, walnut and goat cheese salad
Monday - Satay of beef
Tuesday - Chicken Picatta
Wednesday - Marinated Tofu with red curry, peas and scallions
Thursday - Chicken Lasagna roll-ups
Friday - Pizza
Saturday - Grilled Salmon with lime-butter sauce

Alternate: Sausage and Pepper Bowties

Raid my kitchen, Top Chef!

2008-03-28T08:43:00.005-05:00

My friend Patti is blogging Top Chef in a cool and interesting way - taking the presented challenges, and noting how she would present them to her "judges." That got me thinking...if I was living in the Chicago neighborhood the Chef'testants were savaging through, what I would I have to offer to the Block Party feast?

A look around my kitchen and pantry might surprise and delight some.

In the freezer:
1 whole beef tenderloin, fat and silver skin removed
2 lbs frozen cooked homemade beef/pork meatballs
1 lb raw shrimp
chicken - drumsticks, thighs, boned breasts and boneless, skinless breasts
juice concentrate
frozen vegetables: green beans, corn, peas and Italian Stir-fry medley
homemade chicken stock
nori
puff pastry
phyllo

In the fridge:
block of Parmesan cheese
fresh mozzarella
herbs: Italian parsley, tarragon, chives and a huge punch of basil
citrus: oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit
pint of heavy cream
vegetables: carrots, broccoli, baby spinach, peppers, English cucumber, leeks, scallions, radishes, mushrooms, butternut squash, beets
yogurt
vinegar: balsamic, champagne, white, red wine and apple cider
fruit preserves
condiments: ketchup, mustard (3 kinds), mayo, soy sauce, hot sauce, chocolate syrup
kimchee
eggs
wonton wrappers
butter
prosciutto
active yeast

In the pantry:
Onions
garlic
potatoes
baking supplies
dried fruit
Oil: vegetable, extra virgin olive oil, peanut, canola and sesame
sesame seeds
chocolate: chips, chunks, slabs (milk, dark and white)
canned/jarred products: chickpeas, anchovies, sardines, condensed soup, beans, salsa, fruit, tomatoes
pasta of all shapes and sizes
rice: brown, white, wild
couscous
honey
peanut butter: crunchy and smooth
teas
bread crumbs: Italian style and Panko
liquor/wine/beer
tomato sauce
dried beans and legumes
nuts: walmuts, pinenuts, almonds
chicken and beef stock

I'm pretty well stocked, and I think that because I cook with so many fresh ingredients, they'd probably all be taken in an instant.

It's bread...that tastes like puddin'

2008-03-26T09:16:00.005-05:00

I have an issue with textures, which is why I have never tried bread pudding until recently. Bread is for sandwiches or toast. Or, so I thought.

A trip to the buffet changed my mind. They had a slight menu change, and replaced my beloved banana cream dream with bread pudding. "Oh yuck" I thought, but took a spoonful to try anyways. Oh my goodness gracious!!! I waited 30 *mutter, mutter* some-odd years to try this stuff?! Why am I such a fool? The crust on top was nice and dense, and the insides were so creamy and full of vanilla flavoring, yet the whole dish was so rich, which made it so sinfully delicious.

When I started to talk to my Aunt J. about Easter dinner, I knew that bread pudding had to make it onto the menu. Lucky for me, she was down with it - - and I began the search for a bread pudding recipe that would awaken our taste buds out of a sleepy winter slumber.

BANANA BREAD PUDDING WITH CARAMEL

1 jar of purchased caramel sauce
1/4 tsp kosher salt (table salt would make the dish way too salty)
8-9 slices potato sandwich bread, very lightly toasted, torn into large pieces
3 ripe bananas, mashed
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups half and half
1/3 cup whole milk
2 1/2 tbsp sugar, divided
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds removed
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

To make 1 large bread pudding dessert: Spray one pyrex 8x8x2'' glass baking dish with a non-stick cooking spray, such as PAM. Pour enough caramel into the dish to coat the bottom. Arrange half of the torn bread into the baking dish. Spoon about 3 tbsp caramel sauce over bread. Spread mashed bananas over bread, then arrange second half of torn bread on top, fitting layers snugly. (Like a dessert lasagna!)

In a medium bowl, whisk together half and half, eggs, milk, salt, 1 1/2 tbsp sugar and vanilla until combined. Pour 3/4 of custard into baking dish, and let stand app. 30 minutes until the bread absorbs the prepared custard.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Pour any remaining custard onto bread mixture. Brush any exposed bread pieces with melted butter, and drizzle top with 2-3 tbsp caramel sauce. Sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake bread pudding uncovered for 55-60 minutes, or until middle is set. Remove and let cool. Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream and a final drizzle of caramel sauce.

To add a touch of whimsy, I also fried up a couple of plantains as a garnish - but next time I will just leave them out...bread pudding shouldn't be so fussy.

Additional preparations...

To make 8 individual portions: Butter eight 3/4-cup ramekins. Spoon 1 generous tablespoon caramel into each ramekin. Tear each bread slice into 6 squares, for 48 pieces total. Set 1 tbsp of mashed banana on each bread square. Arrange 6 banana-topped bread squares standing on edge, side by side in each prepared ramekin, fitting snugly.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, half and half, milk, 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, vanilla and salt until combined. Pour enough custard into each ramekin to reach top. Let stand until bread absorbs some of custard, about 30 minutes. Reserve any remaining custard. Meanwhile, position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Pour remaining custard into ramekins. Brush exposed bread pieces with melted butter, and drizzle with caramel sauce. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Set ramekins in large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into pan to come halfway up sides of ramekins. Bake puddings until set and knife inserted into custard comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Remove from pan; cool.

Chickpea Cakes

2008-03-25T08:52:00.005-05:00

Chickpeas are just about my favorite food. I've played around with chickpeas before on this blog with some pretty fantastic results - but this recipe takes the "cake"...uh...literally. Think crab cakes, minus the crab and made with chickpeas instead!

CHICKPEA CAKES with a Blood Orange Sauce

For cakes:
2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 small garlic cloves, finely minced
1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
1/4 cup chopped scallions
2 eggs
3 tbsp flour
1 tsp curry powder
4 swipes of whole nutmeg on a microplane grater
2 tbsp vegetable oil
salt and pepper, to taste

For sauce:
1/4 cup blood orange juice
2 tbsp grated blood orange zest
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 cup orange marmalade
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tbsp butter
Orange sections (optional)
Cherry tomatoes (optional)

Fill a food processor with chickpeas, garlic, basil, scallions, eggs, flour, curry, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Pulse to combine. (I left mine chunky for added texture.)

Heat oil in a large frying pan until hot. Scoop out chickpea mixture into large baseball sized rounds, and place in pan. With a spatula dipped in water to prevent sticking, gently flatten each chickpea round slightly. Fry for approximately 4-5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan bring together juice, zest, stock and orange marmalade to a boil. Reduce to about 1/2 cup. Season with salt and pepper and add butter to give the sauce a glistening look.

Arrange chickpea cakes on a plate and garnish with halved cherry tomatoes and blood orange sections. Drizzle orange sauce over the top. If desired, juilenne a little extra basil on top.

I served ours with a couple of slices of roasted pork loin and additional blood orange sauce (I made a double batch of the sauce.) It really brought a touch of Spring to our evening! I was surprised at the texture and flavor that the chickpea cakes gave...the curry was definitely the dominant spice. If you don't like curry, then reduce / omit / replace it! The original recipe actually called for cilantro - but the basil looked so nice in the store that I couldn't pass it up...and I'm really glad I made that change. The basil leant a sweet scent to the entire dish without being bitter or overpowering. Super good!

I used this dish as a side, but they can easily be converted to cover all parts of the meal! These cakes would be fabulous as an appetizer if made smaller, and could also be breaded with Italian breadcrumbs or panko crumbs and fried as you would for risotto rice balls. The next time I make them I will surely put the front and center as the main part of the meal, along with a salad.
I'm sorry - it's pretty obvious that chickpeas in general excite the heck out of me!

Fennel and Sausage Strudel

2008-03-19T10:19:00.005-05:00

Phyllo dough scares me. I've used it once or twice, with great results, but it doesn't matter, my mind still thinks what it wants. And, truth be told - once you have all of your ingredients ready to go, the use of phyllo is actually painless and easy.

Some time ago, I found a recipe for fennel and chorizo strudel in the Culinary Institute of America's Gourmet Meals in Minutes cookbook that I glanced at, saw phyllo, made a mental note and filed it away in the depths of my mind for months. (The picture is actually featured right on the cover!) This week I finally pulled out the phyllo sheets to defrost so I could make a variation of this recipe that intrigued me so - replacing the chorizo, which I do not like, with good old Italian Sausage.

FENNEL AND SAUSAGE STRUDEL (makes two six inch strudels - enough to feed 4 people)

8 sheets of prepared and thawed phyllo dough
1 stick of butter, divided
1 fennel bulb, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
6 oz. ground sweet Italian sausage
2 tbsp fresh tarragon
1 tbsp fresh chives
1 1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs, divided
1 egg
pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large skillet, melt 2 tbsp butter. Saute sausage and onion until sausage is fully cooked. Add fennel and continue to cook until fennel is tender. Set aside and let cool until mixture is room temperature. Finely chop herbs. Add herbs, bread crumbs and egg to cooled mixture and stir to thoroughly combine. Season with pepper. (No need to add salt - the sausage is salty enough!)

The chives add such a nice flavor to the overall mixture. Save a little for some garnish at the end.

Prepare your workplace for the phyllo. Melt remaining butter, and dampen a clean kitchen towel. (Use the kitchen towel to cover the phyllo you are not using so that the dough does not dry out and become brittle while you are working.) Place one sheet of phyllo on a piece of parchment paper. Brush melted butter on phyllo, working away from you. Sprinkle a thin layer of bread crumbs on buttered phyllo, and repeat with remaining dough until you have 4 complete layers.

Spread 1/2 of sausage mixture on one end of the phyllo, and carefull roll up, tucking the ends under slightly and placing the strudel seam side down on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat all steps to create another strudel roll.

Brush strudels with remaining butter and dust another layer of bread crumbs on top to assist with browning and flavor. With a very sharp knife, score the top of the strudel rolls to make cutting the final product easier. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned and flaky.

Although I served this for dinner, it would make an absolutely awesome appetizer if made into a thinner roll and cut into bite sized pieces. I loved the way the phyllo crisped up and became this buttery, flaky covering for the flavorful sausage interior. Be warned though - it is incredibly rich.

These strudels would also be incredible (and a little healthier) with ground chicken, or even a spinach mixture for all the vegetarians out there! I may even try the technique stuffed with spinach and artichoke dip for Easter, so that no one has to mess with broken tortilla chips!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2008-03-17T11:49:00.003-05:00

While others are filling their blogs with Corned Beef and Cabbage recipes, I thought I would go the sweet route and tell/show you the cookies I made last night in celebration of this Irish holiday!

MINTY CHOCOLATE 'SURPRISE' COOKIES

1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp mint extract
bag of large marshmallows
chocolate frosting
Green spinkles, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, sift all dry ingredients - flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add milk, extracts and egg beating well to throughly combine. Turn mixer onto low and beat in dry ingredients a little at a time until all of the dry is incorporated into the wet. Use a 2 inch cookie scoop to drop dough onto a silpat lined cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut each marshmallow in half. Place one half of a marshmallow onto the hot cookie, pressing gently, and return to oven for an additional 2 minutes. (Any longer and the marshmallow may fall off the cookie!) Remove from heat and let cook on a wire rack.

Once cooled, ice each cookie with the prepared chocolate frosting, completely covering the marshmallow center - making it a 'surprise'! Store in the refrigerator.

Cooking with Fruit: blueberries

2008-03-12T20:03:00.003-05:00

This week I am cooking with fruit. Citrus is the obvious choice, of course - but I am trying to think a bit out of the box. Tonight's chicken recipe was inspired by a drink I had this past weekend...an antioxidant martini. (As I explained to the liquor store clerk, alcohol may be bad for you - but the add-ins negate all of that, making it healthy. I'm pretty sure he already thought I was drunk.) Hang in there, the martini recipe will follow...

BLUEBERRY CHICKEN

1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup pomegranate juice, such as POM juice
1/2 cup blueberry preserves
salt and pepper, to taste
fresh blueberries
Chicken of your choice, cooked how you like it*

To make blueberry sauce, bring chicken stock, POM juice and blueberry preserves to a boil and reduce to about 1/4 cup. Add fresh blueberries and heat until warmed through. Spoon over chicken.

*I started my chicken on the stove top in an oven-safe skillet. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil and sear both sides. Finish chicken in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and juices are clear. You can also bake, grill or pan fry boneless skinless chicken breasts, bone-in thighs or drumsticks - your imagination is a good thing!

I served the chicken with some roasted purple cauliflower (Nathan thought I dyed it myself!) and baby carrots. So colorful! And purple!

Everybody's had raspberry chicken...blueberry is a nice spin. And now, for the perfect liquid accompaniment:

ANTIOXIDANT MARTINI

For the blueberry puree: 1 cup blueberries, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup fine sugar all blended together.

For the drink: 1 oz Stoli blueberry vodka, 2 oz POM juice, 1 oz triple sec, 1/2 oz freshly squeezed orange juice, 1/2 oz prepared blueberry puree. Shake all ingredients with ice. Garnish with orange peel.

Now normally, I would post a picture...however, after one of these (...OK, OK - it was 3) picture taking was not a high priority. Tee-hee.

Move over McD's

2008-03-06T10:49:00.004-05:00

I made the most outrageous hamburgers the other night! They were juicy, flavorful and huge. We don't eat many hamburgers at home since Nate tends to eat fast food at lunchtime, and I tend to stay away from ground beef as much as possible unless I get a craving for meatloaf. Hamburgers to us are mainly a summer party food that we enjoy at our family and friend's homes. However, being a little stir-crazy played havok on my meal planning this week! I want summer here and now!

In the hamburger meat: 85% lean ground beef, italian bread crumbs, an egg, salt and pepper, dried parsley, onion and garlic powder and a touch of paprika.

On the hamburger: Toasted hard roll, american cheese (not on mine), lettuce, tomato, red onion, brown mustard, ketchup and mayo.

On the side: my potato salad - which consists of potatoes, hard boiled egg, red bell peppers, carrots, english cucumber (skin on), dill pickles, salt and pepper, dried parsley, mayo, italian dressing and dijon mustard.

On our faces: A serious smile! I will never doubt my indoor hamburger-making abilities ever again.

Braised Pork

2008-03-04T10:28:00.005-05:00

Slow cooking is definitely an art that I am growing more familiar with. I officially gave up trying to make anything taste good in my crock pot. That thing hates me, and turns everything into gourmet dog food. I've tried all the tricks of the trade (searing meat first, low and slow, adding vegetables last, upgrading to a better machine) but it seems as though I do not have the magic touch with crock pots, which happens to be fine with me. Personally, I never found fulfillment in coming home to a dinner already prepared...I need that 10-15 minutes of prep and chop time to get any aggression I may have out!

What I do enjoy is 'slow' cooking in the form of braising on the stove top in a nice big pot. We are late eaters (there is definitely not enough time in the day!) so I can still work all day then come home and have dinner ready at our regular time....I just start cooking a tad earlier than usual.

BRAISED PORK

1 lb pork of your choice - I did boneless pork chops on accident...they were packaged to look like boneless short ribs and I was totally fooled!
5 large carrots, peeled and sliced into 1 inch pieces
1 large onion, quartered
1/2 lb baby red skinned potatoes, halved
2 cups sliced button mushrooms
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh thyme
1 tbsp fresh oregano
1 tbsp fresh rosemary
2 cups red wine
beef stock
1 large can of pureed tomato
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tbsp sugar (optional)
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Add olive oil to a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Season pork on both sides with salt and pepper. Sear pork on both sides until nicely browned. Add carrots, onion, potato and mushrooms to pot with meat. Add wine, tomato puree and enough stock until the liquids completely cover all of your vegetables. Add herbs and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to medium and simmer for about an hour or until the meat is extremely tender and the liquid has reduced and thickened. Add balsamic vinegar, then taste for seasoning. (I added the sugar because the tomato puree I used wasn't as sweet as I wanted it to be.)

Serve alongside your favorite steamed rice.

I was pleasantly suprised that the carrots still had a little bite to them - which is good since mushy vegetables suck! The balsamic vinegar gave just a little bit of tang, which cut through the tomatoey gravy nicely. And, can we talk about the pork? It was fork tender and melt in your mouth good.

The recipe would rock with beef as well.

Aphrodisiac Cooking for Valentine's Day

2008-02-11T10:30:00.002-05:00

Valentine's Day - a day to show your love to the special person in your life. If you play your cards right, what you feed your loved one could enhance the rest of your evening, if you catch my drift! Some foods that are known to have aphrodisiac qualities - like asparagus, almonds, avocados, bananas, basil, coffee, figs, honey, libations, rosemary, strawberries and oysters. Cayanne and chili are known to rev up the lovin' as well.

If you've been watching Food TV, you'll also know that chocolate is a must-have for any Valentine's cooking...and that chocolate is not just an ingredient for desserts. Case in point, Ellie Krieger's "Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Rosemary, Chocolate and Wine Sauce." Chocolate and beef...a classic combination? Oh yes. And I am not kidding. Make this sauce with your favorite cut of meat, and you will be on the way to the bedroom in no time!

ROSEMARY, CHOCOLATE AND WINE SAUCE

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
2 cups dry red wine
2 cups low-sodium beef broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 tablespoon unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, carrot and celery and cook, stirring a few times, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more. Add the wine and broth and stir in the tomato paste. Add the bay leaf and thyme and bring to a boil. Simmer until the liquid is reduced to about 1/2 cup, about 40 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a small saucepan. Stir in the cocoa and rosemary and season with salt and pepper. Serve on the side with the sliced tenderloin.

This sauce is slightly bitter, due to the wine and cocoa powder, and blends really nicely with the buttery texture of the beef fillet. Nathan thought it was a bit too bitter - - so taste it before serving, and add a tsp or two of honey, if desired, to sweeted the sauce up just a touch.

Doughnuts

2008-02-10T07:42:00.001-05:00

Doughnuts or donuts? Who the heck knows..."doughnuts" makes my poor spell check go crazy, throwing red squiggly lines all over the place, but "donuts" is the incorrect spelling according to all of my cookbooks and the recipes listed on the internet! Whatever way you spell it, just call them delicious.

Last Thursday I had the most intense craving for doughnuts. Cake doughnuts, in particular. Moist, dense little circles of pleasure covered in sugar or dipped into a glaze. I thought about them all day. Now, I could certainly run over to Duncan Donuts and pick up one on the way home to satisfy the craving, but with my luck they would be out of my favorites or they would be stale. So, why not make them at home? After all, any well stocked (or even partially stocked) pantry has all the ingredients you need to make these fresh...

BASIC CAKE DOUGHNUTS (and doughnut holes!)

3 cups of flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 beaten eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
cooking oil for deep fat frying
Glaze: 2 cups powdered sugar, 3-5 tbsp water. In a bowl, mix together sugar and water until you have achieved the desired consistancy.

Combine 2 cups of flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium mixing bowl. In a large mixing bowl (I used my KitchenAid Mixer) combine eggs, sugar and vanilla. Beat about 3 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken slightly. In a smaller bowl, combine milk and butter. Alternately add flour mixture and milk mixture to egg mixture, beating well after eat addition. Stir in remaining 1 cup of flour. Cover dough with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours.

Heat cooking oil in a large, deep skillet until temperature reaches 375 degrees.

Meanwhile, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll dough into a 1-inch thick slab. Cut dough with floured doughnut cutter (size of your choice), dipping cutter into flour between cuts. Reroll as necessary.

Fry doughnuts, 2 or 3 at a time, for about 1-2 minutes on each side, turning once with a slotted spoon. Drain fried doughnuts on a rack or on paper towels. Repeat with remaining doughnuts and doughnut holes. If desired, shake warm doughnuts in a plastic zip lock baggie with cinnamon and sugar. Or, dip tops in a simple glaze.

Tip: Do a "test fry" with one doughnut, so that you can gage the correct frying time and thickness of your dough. My first batch came out perfect on the outside, but raw on the inside - and that is not good eats! I simply flattened out my donuts more and that did the trick. Oh, and make a double batch...they are that good. (And, not greasy believe it or not!)

Vegetarian Sushi

2008-02-08T11:49:00.001-05:00

I am in love with making Sushi!

I'm obsessed with it. I've been scouring the internet for tips and tricks. I stopped at the Asian Food Market and grabbed a sushi rolling mat to increase productivity - which set me back a cool 99 cents! I can now chuck my sacraficed bamboo placemat which is pretty much ruined anyway, since I was pushing it past it's regular job of sitting pretty on my table.

It's funny, because although I wince at the thought of eating fish, no matter how I try to tell myself how good it should be - raw fish (particularly red snapper and tuna) is quite tasty. There's no "fishiness" - or there shouldn't be if it's fresh - and I find the texture to be quite similar to the rice in the sushi roll. Plus, if eaten with a dab of wasabi, dipped in soy sauce and chased with a piece of pickled ginger you can barely taste anything else!

I'm not brave enough to try my hand at working with the raw sea animals - but I have been playing around with the colors of the rainbow via the veggie briggade. Peppers in every single hew, carrots, sprouts, avocado, cucumbers, pickles, zuchinni and squash.

VEGETARIAN BROWN RICE SUSHI

2 sheets of Nori (found in Asian Food Markets)
1 carrot, peeled and cut into long, thin strips
1/2 cucumber, seeded and cut into long, thin strips (Do not peel!) 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into long, thin strips
1/2 a ripe avocado, removed from outer skin and cut into strips
1/4 cup mung bean sprouts
wasabi paste
pickled ginger

For Rice:
2 1/4 cups of water
1 cup brown rice
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Add rice and soy sauce. Cover with a lid and let rice steam for 40-45 minutes or until done. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl with a large surface area for cooling. Sprinkle with rice wine vinegar and gentle stir rice to coat. Let stand 20 minutes.

Meanwhile prepare all vegetables.

Lay out your sushi rolling mat onto a clean cutting board or other flat surface, so the slats are perpendicular to your body. Lay a piece of nori on the mat, shiny side down. Using damp fingers, spread a layer of rice over nori, covering the nori almost entirely - leaving a 1 inch strip at the top of the nori, furthest from you. (Doing this will help to seal the roll.)

Spread a very thin bead of wasabi paste in a single line along the edge nearest to you. Be careful with the wasabi, because if you use too much, you will blow yourself and your dinner mates out of the water! Arrange vegetables strips. Using your thumbs, gently begin to roll up the mat, squeezing gently to adhere the nori to itself. Chill roll for 10 minutes or so, then cut into pieces with a very sharp knife.

I served my sushi alongside some pork and vegetable pot stickers.

Now, some may think that brown rice was a strange choice...but I wanted to up the nutrician level and brown rice certainly did the trick. However, if I didn't tell you, you'd probably never know...it still had the same consistancy as traditional sushi (or sticky) rice, but with a slight nutty flavor.

I'm now thinking of ways to create a little sushi dessert roll. (Hummmm.....YUM!)

Beets...lunch ladies beware

2008-02-05T09:41:00.001-05:00

Walking through the grocery store last night without a menu or list in mind, put my brain into a tail spin. I continued through the produce aisles, glancing at boring button mushrooms, overgrown eggplant and yellowed icebugh lettuce. I was in an idea rut until I happened upon a bunch of yellow organic baby beets. So tiny and so cute! I also selected a bunch of organic red baby beets as well, and the tide started to turn.

At home, I scrubbed my beets with a spud scrub and let them air dry. I grabbed a couple of carrots, peeled them and set them aside as well. Since the baby beets were so young, I decided to leave them unpeeled. The skins were so thin anyway that it seemed like a waste (of time and nutrients) to remove them.

ROASTED BEET SALAD (served hot or cold)

1 bunch of baby yellow beets, trimmed, scrubbed and cut in half
1 bunch of baby red beets, trimmed, scrubbed and cut in half
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (keep in similar size to beets)
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
salt and pepper
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare all vegetables and place on a baking sheet. With your fingers, mix together vegetables, 2 tbsp olive oil and salt and pepper until coated. Roast for 30 minutes, flipping vegetables half way through.

Remove from heat and place vegetables into a bowl. Add reserved olive oil, fresh parsley and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper, if needed. Serve warm, or chill for two hours if you prefer your salad cold.

I served this earthy salad alongside a portabello mushroom burger with avocado, tomato and onion. It was a beavy of colors and textures - which was just heaven to me!

Be warned though - - eating too many red beets may cause your poo to turn purple. Just trust me on this.

Fast, Easy, Tasty

2008-02-04T11:25:00.002-05:00

Fast, easy and tasty just about sums up this meal in 3 simple words.

DITALINI WITH PESTO, BEANS AND BROCCOLI RABE

1/2 lb ditalini pasta
1 jar prepared pesto (or, make your own)
1 can light kidney beans, rinsed
1 bunch of broccoli rabe, cleaned and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup vegetable stock

Prepare pasta as directed. About 3 minutes into the pasta cooking, add the broccoli rabe pieces to the boiling water. Drain and return to pot.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring vegetable stock to a boil. Add drained beans and pesto and cook until beans are heated through, approximately 1 minute. Add mixture to pasta, stirring gently to combine. Serve!

Seriously good eats in about 15 minutes tops. I really enjoyed the nuttiness of the beans against the fresh flavor of the broccoli rabe - and the rabe was not bitter at all! This definitely made my "make again, and again..." list. (And, did a nice job in satisfying that comfort food craving.)

Indian Spiced Cauliflower and Potatoes

2008-01-30T20:32:00.001-05:00

I love the flavors of India - - cumin, tumeric, curry. I love it all. I don't care that the smell of the strong spices will linger on your skin and in your hair for days. Nathan and I usually hit our favorite Indian restaurant on the weekend for their lunch buffet and leave totally satisfied and full for the rest of the day. Luckily, making Indian food at home is relatively easy, and equally satisfying.

I've never been a huge fan of the cauliflower. I mostly like it raw, but if given an option I would always choose broccoli or peppers or any other kind of veggie platter vegetable. However, I adore cauliflower in it's roasted state. It turns slightly brown and takes on an almost nutty flavor, yet still retains a tender crispness that I like. So, instead of following the original recipe, and boiling my cauliflower and potatoes, I decided to roast them. (Which also saved my kitchen from that terrible cauliflower stench!)

INDIAN SPICED CAULIFLOWER AND POTATOES

1 head of Cauliflower, cut into 3/4 inch florets
1 pound of Potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 medium red pepper, cubed
5 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
salt
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic clove, finely minced
2 tsp minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground corriander
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tbsp paprika
1 cup water
1/4 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

Toss cauliflower and potatoes together on a large baking sheet with about 3 tbsp of vegetable oil, cumin seeds and season with salt. Roast on the top rack in your oven for about 20 minutes, turning once, or until the cauliflower begins to brown, and the potatoes are tender.

While the cauliflower and potatoes are roasting, cook the onion, garlic and ginger in a large skillet with the remaining 2 tbsp of vegetable oil over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the onions turn translucent. Add your spices: cumin, coriander, tumeric, cayenne and paprika and cook for approximately 2 minutes. Stir in water and bring to a boil. Add roast cauliflower and potatoes and cubed peppers. Cook covered for about 5 additional minutes. Turn off heat and add the sour cream, stirring gently to combine.

Serve over steamed white or brown rice.

I was pleasantly surprised with the flavor and texture of the entire dish. The peppers - added at the very end - give a nice raw pepper crispness and provide such a vibrant color to the entire dish. Next time I will add more of the spices as the sour cream seemed to "cool" then down a little.

Weekly Meal Planning

2008-01-29T12:24:00.001-05:00

Monday - Leek Fritatta with Cranberry and Walnut Salad
Tuesday - Indian Spiced Cauliflower and Potatoes with Steamed Brown Rice
Wednesday - Ditalini with Pesto, Bean and Broccoli Rabe
Thursday - Polenta and Vebetables with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Friday - Dinner out
Saturday - Curried Red-Lentil Stew with Vegetables

Vegetarian? Yes. Vegan? Almost. Does Nathan know? Not yet.

Poached Pears with a Simple Fruit Salad

2008-01-25T11:20:00.001-05:00

I've been craving dessert like no body's buisness lately - probably because I am trying to restrict myself from sugary foods in an effort to get back on track after the holidays, which pretty much isn't as bad as I thought it would be. However, the other day I went to a local produce outlet and was blown away by all of the beautiful fruits and vegetables at just pennies! For $19 and change, I bought: a cantelope, 3 kiwi fruits, 2 pears, 1 pint each of blueberries and blackberries, 1 lb of strawberries, a cucumber, 1 red pepper, 1 bunch of flat leaf parsley, a loaf of crusty Italian bread and some feta cheese. How exciting is that?!??

Back when I made the White Chocolate and Spiced Pear Tiramisu, I really enjoyed the soft graininess of the poached pears, and immediately wanted to try a different kind of dessert that involved those wine poached pears. A perfect inspiration!

The following is the result:

WINE POACHED PEARS WITH A SIMPLE FRUIT SALAD

Poaching liquid:
4 ripe Anjou pears, peeled but left whole
2 cups of dry Vermouth
2 cups of pear nector
4 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 vanilla bean, split
4 tbsp honey

Fruit Salad (cut into small pieces):
1/2 cantelope
1 lb strawberries
1 pint blueberries
1 pint blackberries
3 kiwi fruit

In a deep saucepan, combine all sauce ingredients. Drop in peeled pears and bring liquid to a boil. Drop heat to a simmer and cook for 30-40 minutes, or until the pears are fully poached and soft when pierced with a knife. Remove pears from heat and set aside. Increase heat and bring the liquid to a boil, cooking until liquid is reduced and thick. Let cool.

Meanwhile, cut up all fruit salad ingredients into small pieces (as this resembles a salsa of sorts). Place in a bowl and keep chilled until service.

For service: Place fruit salad in a bowl, creating a crater in the middle for the poached pear to sit. Position pear, and drizzle sauce over everything. Add a sprig of mint (I only had parsley on hand!) to the pear for a bit of whimsy. If desired, sprinkle a touch of powdered sugar over dessert, or add a dollop of fresh whipped cream. Stand back and take the compliments!

Not only are you eating every color in the rainbow - which the experts say is beneficial, but you are also experiencing a bunch of different tastes and textures. This dessert was the perfect ending to a light meal, and was not much fuss to prepare (although it did remind me that it is time to sharpen my knife). Plus, how pretty!

Edited to add: Son of a Bitch!!! I thought I was being super cleaver creating a new recipe...but epicurious.com had a very similar recipe (and picture) for almost the exact same thing! Sigh.

BiBimBob

2008-01-24T11:56:00.001-05:00

I'm sure I mentioned it before now, but Nathan is 1/2 Korean - so Korean food has quickly become one of my favorite cuisines. I have a particular love for BiBimBob, and order it (almost) every time we go out to our favorite Korean restaurant. To me, it's the most perfect meal. You can eat a lot of it, and not get that "I'm going to slump into a coma" full feeling.

BiBimBob is basically a loaded salad covered in a spicy bean paste and served alongside some steamed white rice. BiBimBap is the same thing, only it is served over rice in a hot stone bowl, so the rice becomes crunchy on the bottom. I prefer soft rice, and don't enjoy the whole stone bowl thing, as I often suffer burns while trying to eat out of it. Seriously!

BIBIMBOB (Kat style)
4 portions

1 6oz. beef tenderloin steak, sliced thin
2 big handfuls of baby spinach
1 handful of fresh bean sprouts
6 oz. fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
1 carrot, peeled and grated
4-6 cups of chopped romaine lettuce
1/4 cup diacon radish, peeled and grated
2 green onions, sliced
4 chicken eggs
3 tbsp vegetable oil
toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
8 tbsp Gochujang
4 tsp water
Prepared rice
Kimchee (a must!)

Heat oil in a large skillet. Brown beef, and set aside. In the same skillet, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Drop in spinach, carrots, diacon and mushrooms. Cook until spinach is wilted. Drain from boiling water and set aside.

Meanwhile, distribute chopped romaine between 4 bowls. Top each bowl with beef, and blanched vegetables. Add bean sprouts and green onions. Mix together gochujang with water and divide into 4 small condiment cups.

For added flair right before service, add 1 egg yolk (or gently fry an egg if you do not want to do the raw stuff) to the middle of the bowl on top of the vegetables. Top with toasted sesame seeds.

To eat: break the egg yolk and mix in the gochujang mixture. Enjoy with rice and kimchee, and a dumpling or two!

I also tried my hand at a little vegetable (carrot, red pepper and cucumber) rolled sushi, which wasn't as bad as I anticipated. I couldn't find the wasabi that I purchased a couple of weeks ago, until after our meal was over. Turns out it was right in front of my face. Figures.

Weekly Meal Planning

2008-01-21T13:46:00.001-05:00

For the week of January 21 - January 26.

Monday - Mushroom and Barley Soup with Crusty Bread for dippin'
Tuesday - Grilled Chicken Kebabs with Greek Salad
Wednesday - BiBimBob (Korean Vegetable Rice Bowl)
Thursday - Sweet and Sour Chicken Thighs with Carrots over rice
Friday - Shrimp and Sweet Potato Cakes, with Cabbage and Apple Slaw
Saturday - Penne with Chicken, Shiitake Mushrooms and Capers

Ice Cream Cake

2008-01-21T12:56:00.001-05:00

My brother turned 18 this past weekend, and being the snow-covered jack rabbit that he is, asked for an ice cream cake instead of a traditional Birthday cake. Just thinking about it makes me shiver!

My grandmother discovered the art of the ice cream cake when I was around the age of 15 - and for about 4 whole years that's all anyone ever got for their birthday. My grandmother had a real sweet tooth (even though she had dentures!) and would place little surprises in the ice cream layers that would seriously send you off to the dentist in pain...snickers bars, Carmelo squares, M&M's - - all of which would harden to bricks when frozen!

Truth be told, ice cream cakes are super easy to make as there is no baking involved. There's no right or wrong way to make one, and you are only limited by your imagination, and perhaps your wallet. Premium ice cream is expensive!

ANDY'S 18TH BIRTHDAY ICE CREAM CAKE

1/2 gallon (each) Friendly's Forbidden Chocolate and French Vanilla ice cream, softened
1 package chocolate wafer cookies
4 tbsp butter, melted
Butterscotch topping
Chocolate fudge topping
Butterfinger crunch topping

Place cookies in a food processor, and pulse until cookies become the texture of coffee grounds. Add melted butter and pulse to combine. Press cookie mixture into the bottom of a large (10-12 inch) spring form pan.

Evenly spread your 1st choice of ice cream directly on top of the crust layer. (I always put the darker ice cream on the bottom so that it doesn't "bleed.") Layer candy/crunch topping, butterscotch and chocolate fudge topping. Place pan in freezer for about an hour to firm up ice cream.

Evenly spread your 2nd choice of ice cream directly over the candy layer. Decorate as desired. Freeze overnight covered with plastic wrap.

To serve, remove from freezer about 1/2 before cutting. Gently run a knife around the edge of the spring form pan to loosen the ice cream. Cut into wedges and serve with a drizzle of chocolate fudge topping.

Did you wish for a cure for ice cream headaches?

Brussel Sprouts Alfredo

2008-01-21T12:21:00.001-05:00

I didn't try a Brussels sprout until I was well into adulthood, and with good reason - - my mother hates them with a passion. I like anything and everything in cabbage family, Brussels sprouts included! Steamed and tossed with some butter and salt...oh man! I just adore their earthy flavor.

The grocery store had some lovely organic Brussels sprouts that I simply could not pass up when I did my weekly shopping. I bought only about a cups worth - - and immediately started to think about how I would use them.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS ALFREDO

1 cup of Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts
egg noodles
1 jar of your favorite Alfredo sauce*
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place Brussels sprouts on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven, turning once, until sprouts are tender and have developed color. Remove from heat.

Prepare pasta as directed. Drain. Add Alfredo sauce and roasted Brussels sprouts, gently stirring to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Meanwhile, toast pine nuts in a dry skillet until browned. Sprinkle pine nuts over side dish at service time.

I served this pasta side dish alongside breaded and baked bone-in pork chops and applesauce.

The meal itself was pretty darn fantastic! The pasta satisfied that need for something "creamy" without dominating the plate (as I am being very mindful of portion control), and the pine nuts added just a touch of crunch. And, the whole meal was done in about 30 minutes - including roasting time, which also makes it great for a weeknight dinner.

*To make this more of a main dish, add some pre-cooked chicken to the final product.

Chocolate Mousse

2008-01-09T09:54:00.001-05:00

For years, Nathan has been telling me that he does not like chocolate. I always chuckle when he makes this statement, because he is totally fooling himself! Case in point, whenever we go out to dinner and treat ourselves to dessert, he picks whatever delicious confection has "chocolate" in the title. Naturally I do too - but I'm not lying to myself over my likes and dislikes! I gently remind him of his total apparent dislike for chocolate when he's on his last bite.

Last night, he succumbed and admitted that he is a chocolate fan.

I've been wanting to try my hand at Chocolate Mousse for some time now. Mousse is supposed to be cloud-like, yet rich...and the recipe that I found looked very easy, with only a couple of ingredients and steps. And you know what? It came out amazing!!! I may use a milk chocolate instead of bittersweet chocolate next time, since it was a little too bitter for my tastes - but the end result was light and fluffy, and the perfect ending to a light meal.

BASIC CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

3 large egg yolks
Pinch of salt
2/3 cup whole milk
12 ounces imported milk chocolate, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dark rum (optional)
1 1/2 cups chilled whipping cream, divided
Dark chocolate shavings (for garnish)

Whisk yolks and salt to blend in medium bowl. Bring milk to simmer in medium saucepan over medium heat. Temper milk into eggs, then gradually whisk tempered eggs to hot milk into yolk mixture; return to same pan. Stir over low heat until custard thickens, about 1 minute (do not boil). Remove from heat; add chocolate. Whisk until chocolate melts and mousse base is smooth; whisk in rum. Cool 45 minutes on the counter.

Beat 3/4 cup cream in bowl until peaks form; fold into mousse base. Place prepared mousse in service cups, cover with plastic wrap; chill at least 4 hours. (This mousse is extremely rich, so don't go overboard filling your vessels...)

Before service, beat 3/4 cup cream in another bowl until peaks form. Drop a dollop of whipped cream onto mousse and sprinkle with chocolate shavings. Serve!

I wish I had taken a before picture of the finished dessert, because it was so impressive...but we were both too excited to dig that we didn't stop to think first.

Turkey Meatball, Orzo and Escarole Soup

2008-01-07T09:36:00.002-05:00

I realized the other day that it has been a very long time since I made any kind of soup for dinner. It's time for soup!!! The days are cold and blustery and there is nothing better than coming in from outside with a hot bowl of satisfying soup. Gentle warmth from the inside out.

Eating healthy has had it's challenges. I prefer creamy soups as opposed to clear soups, so I am trying to psych myself out and change my preferences - without sacrificing flavor and texture. Substituting a leaner chicken breast or turkey breast meatball for a beef meatball is a smart and healthier choice. I'm most surprised by how tasty the low sodium or sodium-free chicken stocks are! I thought they would be very bland and watery, and that is just not the case. I've also focused more on eating colors. Red beets, purple cabbage, green spinach, orange carrots - - a rainbow on your plate signifies health and well being.

If only I would stop procrastinating and get myself to the gym!

What was I talking about? Oh yes! Soup! The following soup has become an instant classic in my kitchen. It was easy to prepare, tasty, reheats well and kept me full for the rest of the night due to the high protein content of the turkey meatballs.

TURKEY MEATBALL, ORZO AND ESCAROLE SOUP

For the meatballs:
1 lb ground lean turkey breast
1 cup Italian style bread crumbs
2 whole eggs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp paprika
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Add all meatball ingredients in a large bowl, and gently combine with your fingers. Do not overmix! Form meatballs into 1 inch balls and place on an oiled baking sheet. Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes, shaking the baking sheet halfway through the cooking process. Remove from heat and let cool.

Leftover cooked meatballs can be frozen for up to 3 months in a zip lock freezer bag.

For the soup:
Prepared Turkey Meatballs
1 1/2 cups chopped carrot
1 cup dried orzo
8 cups chicken stock
4 cups roughly chopped escarole
salt and pepper, to taste
water, if needed

In a large stockpot, bring chicken stock to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and add carrots and orzo. Cook for 10 minutes. Add turkey meatballs and escarole. Cook until meatballs are completely heated through and escarole wilts into the soup. (Add water, if soup is not broth'y enough.) Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with some bread of your choice. My choice was a 9-grain breadstick, so easy dipping.

The meatballs provided the biggest flavor punch with just a hint of garlic in the background, and the carmelized texture from baking them in the oven. The orzo was nice and tender. My only change would be exchanging the escarole for spinach, as I prefer the taste of spinach to the other. (Escarole is a lettuce, and even though it does wilt into the soup, it still keeps a watery crunch.)

2007, in pictures...

2008-01-02T10:10:00.000-05:00

I'm a total copier. But imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right? When I saw some of my favorite blogs showing off their year in pictures, I knew I had to join in the fun. Here are some of the dishes that I made in 2007, in no particular order.

When I first started this blog over a year ago, I never thought that I would have enough know-how to fill an actual blog! I knew that I loved cooking and baking and that I had some pretty amazing recipes in my aresenal of tricks. This blog has been a culinary confidence builder!

Here's to a fantastic 2008 and even more foodie surprises!

Christmas Dinner - start to finish

2007-12-31T08:25:00.001-05:00

My family's Christmas tradition was thrown out the window this year when my mother decided to have dinner with the steps - leaving me and my sister to fend for ourselves. We tried to make the best of it, and I invited my sister and her children to celebrate at our tiny apartment. We set up two card tables, I bought some new dishes and linens and tried some interesting recipes full of fat and flavor! And, you know...we had a great time. My mother better watch out, because we may have started a whole new tradition without her! (One that includes wine!)

Christmas Dinner Menu:
Risotto Cakes - your favorite risotto recipe, chilled, rolled into balls and flattened, then pressed into Italian-style breadcrumbs and fried in oil. Serve with a simple salad and a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese to bring it on home.
Olives / Sweet Baby Pickles
Shrimp Cocktail
Onion, Apple and Potato Gratin
Slow Roasted Prime Rib with a Madeira Wine Au Jus
Roasted Baby Carrots with Herbs
White Chocolate and Spiced Pear Tiramisu

It was heavenly. Especially dessert.

And, now for your blogging pleasure....the recipes:

ROASTED PRIME RIB with a MADEIRA WINE AU JUS
1 9- to 9 1/2-pound prime rib beef roast, excess fat trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 medium onions, peeled, quartered
2 1/2 cups beef broth
1 3/4 cups Madeira
1 1/4 cups dry red wine
4 large fresh thyme sprigs
4 large fresh parsley sprigs
3 large fresh rosemary sprigs
1 bay leaf

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 450°F. Place beef, fat side up, on heavy large rimmed baking sheet. Rub with oil; sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast beef 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Place onions around beef. Continue to roast until thermometer inserted into center of beef registers 125°F for medium-rare, stirring onions occasionally, about 2 hours 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine broth, Madeira, wine, thyme, parsley, rosemary, and bay leaf in medium saucepan. Boil until mixture is reduced to 2 cups, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat. Discard herbs. Transfer beef to platter. Using slotted spoon, transfer onions to same platter; tent with foil. Let stand 30 minutes.

Nothing goes better with a slab of pink beef, then a side of tender potatoes! I was going to do a regular old mashed/smashed potato, but that seemed a little on the boring side. Instead, I found a recipe that combined onions, apples and potatoes (3 classic flavors) - but still remained on the healthier side, omitting all of the cream and cheese from a traditional gratin. It was a gamble that paid off!

ONION, APPLE AND POTATO GRATIN

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, divided
2 pounds onions, sliced
2 tablespoons (packed) chopped fresh thyme
4 teaspoons fine sea salt, divided
2/3 cup water
2/3 cup dry white wine
2 1/2 pounds Baby Yellow and Red potatoes, left unpeeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
2 pounds Granny Smith Apples - peeled, halved, cored, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Butter 13x9x2-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Melt 6 tablespoons butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onions, thyme, and 2 teaspoons salt; sauté until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high; sauté until onions are tender and begin to color, about 8 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Add remaining 6 tablespoons butter, 2/3 cup water and wine to skillet; stir and swirl skillet to combine. Bring to boil. Cool onion mixture to lukewarm. Combine potatoes, apples, remaining 2 teaspoons salt, and onion mixture in large bowl; toss gently to blend.

Transfer to prepared baking dish, spreading evenly. Cover dish with parchment paper, then cover with foil, shiny side down. Bake gratin until potatoes are tender, about 55 minutes. Uncover and bake until top browns and juices bubble thickly, about 20 minutes longer. Let gratin stand about 15 minutes before serving.

(Photo Credit: www.epicurious.com)

Last, but not least...DESSERT! The photo can speak for itself, no? Although this recipe was a tad time consuming, it was so worth it. The layers were creamy and delicious. I'm not a fan of white chocolate - but this recipe made me a believer for sure!

WHITE CHOCOLATE AND SPICED PEAR TIRAMISU

Spiced Pears:
1 750-ml bottle dry white wine
2 cups pear juice or pear nectar (Goya has a great pear nectar)
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 1-inch-diameter rounds peeled fresh ginger (each about 1/8 inch thick)
2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
5 large firm but ripe Anjou pears, peeled and cut in half with stems and core removed

White Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse:
7 ounces high-quality white chocolate, finely chopped
1/3 cup poire Williams (clear pear brandy - beware, you are going to drop $20 for a small bottle - but I can't imagine substituting anything else)
1/4 cup water
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 8- to 8.8-ounce container mascarpone cheese (found in the specialty cheese case at the market)
1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream

Trifle Assembly:
3 3-ounce packages soft ladyfingers
2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup minced crystallized ginger
White chocolate curls**
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

For spiced pears:
Combine first 5 ingredients in large saucepan. Stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Add pears and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer until pears are just tender when pierced with knife, about 35 minutes.

Using slotted spoon, transfer pears to plate. Boil poaching liquid in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat until slightly thickened and reduced to generous 1 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes. Strain into 2-cup measuring cup; discard spices in strainer. Cool. Cover and chill pears and pear syrup until cold, approximately 3 hours.

For mousse:
Combine white chocolate, pear brandy, and 1/4 cup water in top of double boiler set over simmering water. Stir until smooth (mixture will be very liquidy). Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; discard bean. Transfer white chocolate mixture to large bowl; gradually add mascarpone, whisking until mixture is smooth. Cool mascarpone mixture until barely lukewarm.

Using electric mixer, beat 1 cup cream in medium bowl until peaks form. Fold whipped cream into mascarpone mixture in 4 additions. Cover and chill white chocolate mousse until set, about 3 hours.

Pears and mousse can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.

For trifle assembly:
Cut pears lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

Arrange ladyfingers, rounded sides down, in single layer in bottom of 12-cup trifle dish (about 8 inches in diameter and 5 inches deep), covering bottom completely (using about 15 ladyfingers). Drizzle 5 tablespoons pear syrup evenly over ladyfingers. Using small offset spatula, spread 1/3 of white chocolate mousse over ladyfingers, making layer slightly thicker around outer edges of dish to allow mousse to be more visible (center of mousse layer will be thin). Starting at outer edges of dish, place pear slices in single layer with curved edges against sides of dish atop mousse, covering completely. Repeat layering of ladyfingers, syrup, mousse, and pears 2 more times. Cover with fourth layer of ladyfingers (some ladyfingers and pear slices may be left over). Drizzle ladyfingers evenly with 5 tablespoons syrup.

Using electric mixer, beat 2 cups whipping cream in large bowl until soft peaks form. Add 1/4 cup pear syrup and beat until stiff peaks form. Working in batches, transfer cream to large pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe rosettes all over top of trifle, mounding slightly in center. Sprinkle with crystallized ginger. Garnish with chocolate curls.

Sift powdered sugar over trifle just before serving.

**To make chocolate curls, place one 3 1/2-ounce bar of white chocolate on a plate and microwave on high at 5-second intervals just until slightly softened, but not hot or beginning to melt. Using vegetable peeler and starting at one long edge of the chocolate bar, shave white chocolate into curls. If the shaved chocolate breaks into small shards, it's not soft enough, so place in microwave again for a few seconds. If the chocolate becomes too soft, let it stand at room temperature or chill briefly until it firms up a bit.

Filet of Beef with Cucumber Raita

2007-12-27T10:09:00.001-05:00

As much as I love to entertain - I loath big gatherings. Gatherings such as our family Christmas. I often feel out of the loop and lost in a sea of strangers whom I have nothing in common with. This year, it wasn't even fun to shop for anyone, since it was decided that we would all participate in a Chinese Auction. It also didn't help that I basically went into the party in a sour mood.

My mother asked everyone to bring something for the brunch part of the shin-dig. There were muffins, quiches, egg pies, cinnamon breads and general breakfast'y sorts of things...oh, and my beef filet with cucumber raita sauce! Brunch is a combination of breakfast and lunch - and I wanted to bring something a little more lunch-like than eggs and donuts. I guess it was a hit, because I came home with a clean platter to store until next time.

Beef filet is expensive (I got mine at a Discount Club and still paid about $60.00 for the whole filet). If you go to a regular grocery store, be warned...you'll probably drop about a $100 bucks on the same filet. (Save that other half by slicing into 1inch thick slices and freezing them for a later use.) It's totally worth it though - there is nothing like filet mignon!

FILET OF BEEF WITH CUCUMBER RAITA SAUCE

1 center cut Beef Filet, visible fat removed

salt and pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

probe thermometer

Raita:

1 English Cucumber (sometimes known as "Burpless" and "Seedless" cucumber), grated with skin on

1 1/2 cups Plain Full-Fat Yogurt

salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 cup Red Onion, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Season beef with salt and pepper. Pan fry until meat is carmelized and nicely browned, sealing in the juices. Transfer beef to a baking sheet, insert thermometer into the center of the filet and place in a hot oven until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees for medium. (Take it out at 160 dregrees and tent the beef with foil - carry over cooking will allow it to reach 170 without direct heat.)

Meanwhile, mix together all raita ingredients in a bowl and chill until service.

Once beef is cool to the touch, use a sharp knife to thinly slice meat. Arrange on a platter and serve at room temperature.

Tender and juicy.

English Muffin Bread

2007-12-24T20:54:00.001-05:00

I'm not sure where this recipe originated, but my family has been preparing and eating it for as long as I can remember. If you like to nosh on traditional English Muffins, then you will love the nooks and cranies that you can bake up yourself with very little effort. Plus, chances are - you will have most ingredients already in your pantry.

Each batch makes two loafs...eat the first, and wrap the second tightly in foil, the freeze.

ENGLISH MUFFIN BREAD

2 pkg. yeast
6 cups flour
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
2 cups milk
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup water
cornmeal

Grease bread pans and sprinkle with cornmeal. Set aside.

In a microwave-safe bowl, heat water and milk until just warmed in a microwave - about 90 seconds. In a mixer, combine 3 cups of flour, yeast, sugar, salt and baking soda. Add warmed liquids to dry ingredients, and beat well to combine. Stir in remaining 3 cups of flour. (Dough will be sticky.)

Transfer dough to prepared bread pans and let rise for 45 minutes - covered with a damp tea towel and left in a semi-warm spot. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 25 minutes. While still hot, sprinkle top of bread with cornmeal. Once cooled to the touch, remove from bread pan and cool completely on wire rack.

To serve: Slice bread and toast until browned. Spread with real butter or jam!

It really is a little slice of heaven.

The Great Cookie Bake-Off of 2007!

2007-12-20T09:43:00.001-05:00

It's officially OH-VAH!

Shakeer and Kelsey arrived Saturday night, in an effort to beat the Nor'easter that rocked the East Coast this past weekend. We were baking by 8:00am Sunday morning, after a quick cereal breakfast and didn't take a break until Kelsey told me that she was "going to die from hunger!"

On the agenda:
Delux Sugar Cookies
Cream Cheese Cookies
Thumbprint Cookies
Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Buckeyes
Russian Teacakes
Strawberry Oatmeal Bars
Checkerboard Cookies
Cherry Snowballs
Bourbon Balls
Peanut Clusters
Fudge
Chocolate-Mint Wafers
Triple Chocolate Brownie Cookies
Poinsettia Cookies
Petite Lemon Sandwich Cookies
Macaroons

We went waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay overboard, and had a great time doing it. (Of course, we got a little behind schedule, so I had to take a personal day off of work to finish up.) You can either click on the highlighted cookie name, or you can scroll down a little.

Happy cookie season!

Russian Teacakes

2007-12-18T21:36:00.001-05:00

These cookies happen to be Nathan's mother's favorite...and in a couple short days, she will be receiving a surprise package in the mail which will include these melt-in-your-mouth cookies! They are also a family favorite and one cookie that I will never not include in my Christmas cookie arsenal.

The dough is tender, with a nutty walnut crunch - and the confectioner's sugar coating gives a great lip-smacking finish.

RUSSIAN TEACAKES

1 cup of butter, softened (no substitutions)
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
Additional confectioner's sugar, for dredging

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix butter, sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Work in flour, salt and nits until dough holds together when squeezed. Shape into 1 inch balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until set but not brown. While warm, roll in powdered sugar. Cool on a wire rack. Once completely cool, roll again in powdered sugar.

(Photo credit: Talida at http://talidabakes.blogspot.com)

No Bake Treats

2007-12-18T21:14:00.001-05:00

2 ingredients are all you need to make dipped nuts (of any kind). I prefer peanuts because I really like that peanut and chocolate combination. (Who doesn't?!) You can totally play around with this technique, substituting white or dark chocolate, or adding pecans instead of peanuts. Last year, I drizzled a little bit of white chocolate or a marbled effect. Whatever you decide to do - definitely make these at home...it's a shame to spend $9.99 a pound on dipped nuts at your local Candy Shoppe.

NUT CLUSTERS

1 12 oz package of chocolate chips
2 cups chopped nuts of your choice

Place chocolate chips/pieces in a heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until melted. Stir in nuts. Spoon mixture by rounded spoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Chill until firm. Store in the refrigerator.

I've never seen anyone turn down a peanut butter cup, and the same holds true for no-bake Buckeye cookies at Christmas time. They are the perfect two bite treat, and they have great stage presence on any cookie platter. The peanut center is smooth and sweet, and the chocolate outside is firm and delicious.

BUCKEYES

3/4 cup butter, no substitutes
3 1/4 - 3 3/4 cups confectioner's sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
16 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
1 tbsp shortening

Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Combine melted butter and 2 cups of confectioner's sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Beat until smooth. Add peanut butter, beating well until combined. Stir in milk and vanilla. Beat in enough of the remaining sugar to make a firm, crumbly-looking mixture.

Roll dough into 1 inch balls. Arrange on a lined tray; insert toothpick into the center of each ball and chill for at least 30 minutes. (The step is crucial - by chilling the cookies, the toothpick will remain firmly in the center while you are dipping them.)

Meanwhile, melt chocolate and shortening in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Cool slightly. Dip 3/4 of each ball into the chocolate mixture, so that the ball resembles a buckeye. Place balls, undipped side up, on a tray lined with a silpat or waxed paper. Chill until chocolate becomes firm. Store in the refrigerator.

Check Mate

2007-12-18T13:38:00.001-05:00

I sat looking at this recipe for an hour, I swear...there were so many words and it looked so complicated. I had some experience with a Checkerboard Cake that yielded wonderful results, and was not as hard as what I am imagined (or read). I bucked it up and decided to use my brain and threw the directions into the trash! You don't need to read all of those words either...so I posted my own abreviated directions below.

FESTIVE CHECKERBOARD COOKIES

1-1/4 cups butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
Red food coloring

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture. Divide dough in half. Tint one portion red and leave the other plain. (At this point, you can flavor the red portion with a touch of peppermint extract, if you would like.) Form each dough portion into a 6 inch long by 2 inch wide log. Wrap red and plain portions separately in plastic wrap; chill for 2 hours or until stiff.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Using a sharp knife, slice 8 to 10 - 1/2 inch strips lengthwise off of each log. Stack the strips in groups of four, alternating plain and red strips, until you have 4-5 rows of alternating colors. Press together gently. Cut dough into 1/4 inch slices. (If you would like to cut into specific shapes, do so at this time...) Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool.

(I cut out about 2 paragraphs from the original recipe there!)

These cookies will make your family and friends squeal for joy, then wonder aloud how you made such a cookie. You don't have to tell them how easy it actually was!

Poinsettias you can chow on!

2007-12-18T13:19:00.001-05:00

POINSETTIA COOKIES (recipe courtesy of Taste Of Home Magazine)

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 egg
2 to 3 drops red food coloring (or more to achieve desired results)
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup finely crushed red-hot candies*

FROSTING:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2-3 tsp milk
Additional red-hot candies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar. Beat in egg and food coloring. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in red-hots. Divide dough in half; wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until firm.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out one portion of dough into a 12-in. x 10-in. rectangle. With a sharp knife, pastry wheel or pizza wheel, cut dough into 2-in. squares. Place 1 in. apart on lightly greased baking sheets. Cut through dough from each corner of square to within 1/2 in. of center. Fold alternating points of square to center to form a pinwheel; pinch gently at center to seal. Repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 7-9 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool. Combine the confectioners' sugar and milk. Pipe 1/2 teaspoon frosting in center of each cookie; top with red-hot candy.

(Photo Credit: Taste of Home)

(*) Our red hot candies would not break down in the food processor!!! They were tough little suckers! Instead, I placed them in a plastic baggie, and gave the kids permission to beat the heck out of them with a rolling pin. It was a whole lotta fun for them - although a little stressful for me, since I mistakenly forgot that I had a glass kitchen table under the protective plastic tablecloth. Oops. I did the assembly of the poinsettia leaves because it seemed like it would be a little too complicated for the kiddos to handle.

The cookies came out moist and delicious - not unlike a plain sugar cookie. I was expecting more cinamon flavor from the red hots, but loved the color and texture the candies gave.

Triple Chocolate Brownie Cookies

2007-12-18T12:59:00.001-05:00

I have to admit - I was a little under impressed with this recipe and the way the cookies finally turned out. Although tasty (Shakeer called them "the love of his life!"), they came out flat and crisp, leading me to believe that the leavening measurements were a little off. The cookies also stuck to my silpats, which ticked me off because nothing sticks to silpats!!! I ended up with a lot of cookie 'mistakes' that the bakers got to try.

We tried making the cookies smaller, and that didn't help either. I may have to enable a google search to find out how to solve this issue.

(Photo credit: Taste Of Home, since this is what they are supposed to look like!)

TRIPLE-CHOCOLATE BROWNIE COOKIES

3/4 cup butter, cubed
4 squares (1 ounce each) unsweetened chocolate
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips, divided
2 teaspoons shortening

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter and unsweetened chocolate; cool. Transfer to a large mixing bowl; add sugar and eggs. Beat until smooth. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually add to chocolate mixture. Stir in 1-1/2 cups chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until easy to handle.

Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake 7-9 minutes or until edges are set and tops are slightly cracked. Cool for 2 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat shortening and remaining chocolate chips on high for 1 minute or until chips are melted; stir until smooth. Drizzle over cookies. Let stand for 30 minutes or until chocolate is set. Store in an airtight container.

Bourbon Balls...with Southern Comfort!

2007-12-18T12:45:00.001-05:00

I made these Bourbon Balls two years ago, and people raved about them - especially my little brother who was about 16 years old at the time. I'm pretty sure he thought he could get drunk off of these little cookies. Little did he know, even if he ate the entire batch, he'd only get about 1 1/2 shots of bourbon into his body!

This year, the bourbon was gone...but I had some Southern Comfort - - and that seemed like a good enough substitution to me!

"COMFORT" BALLS (no bake!)
1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp light corn syrup
1/3 cup bourbon
2 1/2 cup (about 5 dozen) finely crushed graham cracker wafers
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
Granulated Sugar to roll balls in

Melt chocolate over hot water in a heat safe bowl. Remove from heat and stir in sugar and syrup. Blend in bourbon. Combine graham crackers and nuts and add to chocolate mixture; mix well. Form 1-inch balls and roll in granulated sugar. Let ripen in covered container at least several days.

Cherry Snowballs

2007-12-18T12:31:00.001-05:00

CHERRY SNOWBALLS (Original recipe courtesy of TasteOfHome.com)
A juicy maraschino cherry is the pleasant surprise tucked inside these unique cookies.

1 cup butter (no substitutes), softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 tsp salt
36 maraschino cherries, well drained

COATING:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 to 1/3 cup milk
2 cups flaked coconut, finely chopped

In a mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar, water and vanilla. Combine flour, oats and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Shape a tablespoonful of dough around each cherry, forming a ball. Place 2 in. apart on un-greased baking sheets.

Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes or until bottoms are browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Combine sugar and enough milk to achieve smooth dipping consistency. Dip cookies, then roll in coconut.

The kids really enjoyed making these cookies - mainly because there were a couple of cherries left over for them to snack on! Kelsey did the rolling in the confectioner's sugar mixture, and Shakeer finished off the cookie by giving it a good roll in coconut.

These cookies look absolutely terrific on the cookie platter against all of the other colors.

Chocolate-Mint Wafers

2007-12-18T11:27:00.001-05:00

CHOCOLATE-MINT WAFERS (Courtesy of MarthaStewart.com)

Imagine the Girl Scout's "Thin Mints" - only more substantial and surprisingly easy to make. This one is definitely a winner on all counts and will be added to my cookie arsenal for future use.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp salt
6 tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 tsp pure peppermint extract
Sprinkles, for decorating (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and 1/4 tsp salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture; mix just until combined.

Form balls of dough (each equal to 1 tsp) and place on two baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Dip the bottom of a glass in water, and flatten balls into 1 1/2-inch rounds (about 1/4 inch thick). Bake until slightly firm to the touch, 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make chocolate coating: Place chocolate, peppermint extract, and remaining 1/8 tsp salt in a large heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes; remove from heat. Line a baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper. Set each cookie on a fork, dunk in chocolate, then tap underside of fork on side of the bowl to allow excess chocolate to drip off. Place cookies on prepared baking sheet, and decorate with sprinkles, if desired. I dragged a fork over the tops of the cookie to give them a little decoration.

Refrigerate until chocolate has hardened, about 30 minutes, and keep chilled until ready to serve.

Your family and friends will gooble them up... if you don't eat them all yourself.

Tomato and Goat Cheese Pasta

2007-12-12T11:35:00.003-05:00

Rachael Ray created an empire on 30-minute meals. I am bitter about her success (to say the least) and posted about my feelings at least once - cleverly titled "Damn that Rachael Ray!" Tee-hee. Dinner doesn't have to be made in 30 minutes, it can be made in 15 with time leftover to make yourself a beautiful cocktail!

TOMATO AND GOAT CHEESE PASTA

1 lb Dried Pasta, shape of your choice
Container of Cherry Tomatoes
1 small block of Goat Cheese, crumbled
1 bunch of fresh Parsley, roughly chopped
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Cook pasta in boiling water. Once drained, add tomatoes, crumbled goat cheese, parsley, salt and pepper and olive oil and toss to combine. Serve!

The heat from the pasta will soften the tomatoes and melt the cheese. It's simply fabulous. If you don't care for goat cheese, make a substitute of either fresh mozzarella cheese or a crumbled feta.

White Chili AKA Chicken Chili

2007-12-12T11:08:00.001-05:00

I was never a fan of white chili, or chicken chili - until I decided to take matters into my own hands and fool around with a recipe of my own. What I came up with was creamy and flavorful and satisfying for a cold night, and completely changed my mind about chicken chili forever.

CHICKEN CHILI
(Be forewarned - this recipe will make enough to feed a freakin' army!)

1 pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, white and dark meat removed and shredded (or roast your own if you have the time!)
1 large onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp cumin
couple of grates of fresh nutmeg
1 carton of chicken stock
1/2 cup sour cream
3 cans of Northern White Beans, drained but not rinsed
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tbsp fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion becomes translucent. Add in all dried herbs and spices - the cayenne pepper, oregano and cumin and cook for a couple of minutes longer to develop the flavors. Add shredded chicken, beans, peppers and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.

Just before service, turn off heat and gently stir in sour cream, nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with fresh parsley. Eat as is, or serve with steamed white rice.

The beans add just enough starchiness to thicken the chili and the tiny bit of sour cream adds a nice richness that rounds out the dish. I added a bit more cayenne pepper - which ever so slightly added some gentle heat to the back of your throat. Next time, I will add some chopped carrot into the mix for a little more color and pizazz. YUMMY!

Suckered into it.

2007-12-10T11:42:00.001-05:00

This Sunday will mark the Second-Anual Great Cookie Bake-off. I was going to skip it this year, since I've been feeling under the weather, but my niece pulled out the cute factor and totally tricked me into saying yes. (And, how could I say no and live with myself - I am so *into* children helping out in the kitchen!)

This year I have a new tool that will make cookie making even faster - if it doesn't blow out a fuse to the shared outlet - another KitchenAid mixer that Nathan acquired during one of his clean outs! Now, both kids can make their own batch of cookies at the same time. (God help me!)

On the docket this year: our usual family favorites - Jam Thumbprints, Cream Cheese Cookies, Russian Teacakes, No-Bake Buckeyes, Chocolate Covered Peanut Clusters, Delux Sugar Cookies and Strawberry Cheese Cake Bars. And, what cookie escapade wouldn't be complete without some new recipes to try: Chocolate Mint Wafers (think Girl Scout Thin Mints!) and Petite Lemon Curd Cookies. There may be a couple of tricks up my sleeves as well.

Turkey-day Leftovers - - Swedish Meatballs made healthier

2007-12-03T15:43:00.002-05:00

2 people.

18 pound fresh turkey.
4 1/2 hours cooking time.
Leftovers galore = PRICELESS

We're not totally glutenous...we planned for an entire week of leftovers when we bought such a large turkey for two people. Not only did we feast on hot open-faced sandwiches, but I also re-purposed some traditional items into entirely new dishes.
, meat
Who says that you need to roast the entire bird all at once? Before our brine experiment, I cut away one of the breasts and placed it in the fridge for the next day. Why? So that I could use the lean meat to make some homemade turkey meatballs! I just ground the meat myself in my food processor.

(Not Really) SWEDISH MEATBALLS

2 lbs ground turkey meat to substitute the ground beef in my meatball recipe.
1 medium onion, diced
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 tsp olive oil
2 cups half & half (the original recipe called for cream!)
1 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 (10 3/4 oz) can condensed cream of chicken, 99% fat free
black pepper
1 package of uncooked dried egg noodles
chopped fresh parsley, for garnish if desired

Follow meatball recipe in the link provided, substituting 2 lbs ground turkey in place of the ground beef, or make you own meatballs using your recipe...OR purchase a package of pre-made meatballs!

In a large skillet, sweat onions and garlic in olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the half & half, sour cream and chicken soup, stirring to combine. Add already cooked meatballs and continue to cook in skillet for 20-25 minutes, or until sauce begins to thicken. Meanwhile, prepare egg noodles as directed on package.

Season meatballs and sauce with a few grinds of fresh black pepper, and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve over eggs noodles.

This dish satisfies that creamy texture I was craving - but still remained on the healthier side, since I used fat-free or low-fat ingredients and lean turkey breast meat in the meatballs. Be forewarned that the turkey meatballs will have a slightly different texture than beef or pork meatballs traditionally used in Swedish Meatballs. Plus, it was totally different than the other turkey meals we had after Thanksgiving!!! It was a total curve ball!

Dinner is served - a little late...

2007-12-02T20:56:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone who reads this blog had a wonderfully chaotic Thanksgiving!

This year, Nathan and I decided that we wanted to keep everything low-key and instead of celebrating with family we made a tasty Thanksgiving meal for the two of us. We cooked (and ate) way too much food, checked out all of the Black Friday circulars, napped, played with the puppies and went to bed early. It was my idea of heaven!

The chefs over at Food TV have been telling us to brine our turkeys for years now - to ensure a moist, flavorful bird. Since we don't mind being Guinea pigs, I said "What the hell, let's do it!"

POULTRY BRINE

1 gallon of boiling water
2 cups kosher salt
2 cups honey
1 (5lb.) bag of ice
cooler, or other large vessel
raw turkey, cleaned with giblets removed

Once gallon of water is boiling, dissolve both salt and honey. Let cool slightly. Position turkey in container so the cavity is within your reach. Empty 1/2 of the bag of ice...carefully pour brine liquid over turkey (add additional water to fully cover bird, if needed) and follow up with remaining ice. Make sure that the liquid is in the cavity as well, or you will have a floating turkey. Cover and place in a cool, dry place and leave at least 12 hours or overnight.

Ready to roast: Drain liquid from container and remove bird. Thoroughly rinse bird removing any brine residue. Set in roasting pan, and pat dry with paper towels. Prepare bird as desired.

I like to think the brining worked, since we *kinda* took positioned our turkey a little too close to the top of the oven, thus giving it a little more color than we hoped. The breast meat still came out super moist and succulent. I'm pretty sure that if we didn't do the brine, it would've been as dry as sandpaper. Everyone has been asking "Is the meat salty?" and the short answer is NO. I don't really understand all of the science behind it, so if you are like me, you just gotta take my word for it. The brining process is a bit of a pain in the ass, to put it bluntly, so we may not do it again. I've read some bloggers who dry brined their bird with good success, so there's a possibility we may take that route next time.

The dogs waited on the couch patiently as we dressed the table.

Unfortunately, the turkey did not make a formal appearance at our table, since the table was a little small, and we had so much other food! It was a tad disappointing for me, since I purchased a beautiful new serving platter to place it on, and fresh herbs as a "bed" to ground the turkey and keep it in place. Oh well.

Leftover recipes to follow!

Thanksgiving menu 2007

2007-11-17T22:08:00.001-05:00

I am cooking my very first whole turkey this Thursday, and I am waiting patiently (not!) with eager anticipation. Nathan and I have decided to break away from the family scene this year and have Thanksgiving dinner with just the two of us. We are planning some major leftovers to justify purchasing an 18 lb. bird for only 2 people! (You can see last year's Thanksgiving menu here!)

On the menu this year:

Deviled Eggs
Baked Artichoke Flowers (made with wonton wrappers)

Roasted Turkey with gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Homemade Stuffing
Steamed Broccoli and Baby Carrots
Individual Green Bean Casseroles
Cranberry Fruit Conserve
9-grain rolls

Pumpkin-Ginger Cheesecake Pie with fresh whipped cream

Note to self: pick up a new meat thermometer before Thursday.

Tell me your Thanksgiving menu!!! (Or post a link in the comments so I can check you out!)

SPICY Noodles with Veggies (out in the open!)

2007-11-08T09:50:00.002-05:00

Thanks to Nathan, I love Korean food and all things spicy! He's half Korean, and when we started dating he brought me to a Korean restaraunt, opening up a whole new world of sights and tastes.

I rarely dabble into Korean food at home because it is just not the same, unfortunately. However, I've been holding onto this recipe because I thought it might have some potential...and I was right! It was simple to make, the ingredients were easy to find (with an easy substitution if you don't want to go to an Asian food store) and the meal was really, really tasty. But, he forewarned - it was HOT! Grab a glass of milk, a side of kimchee, some chop sticks and enjoy Korea, without the plane ride and language barrier.

SPICY NOODLES WITH MUSHROOMS AND CABBAGE

1/3 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 tsp gochujang* 1 tbsp brown sugar
1 lb dried spaghetti (or soba noodles, if you want to keep it truly authentic)
10 oz. of sliced mushrooms - I prefer shiitake for the visual
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup sliced green onions
2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted until browned
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp garlic, finely minced
1 inch of fresh ginger, finely minced

In a small bowl combine water, soy sauce, brown sugar and gochujang together until sugar dissolves and set aside. Prepare pasta as directed.

While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet until hot. Take off direct heat, and add ginger and garlic. (If you keep your ginger in the freezer, like me - be prepared for some "spitting" when the residual water hits the oil!) Return to the heat and immediately follow with the sliced mushrooms, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mushrooms take on a darker brown color, approximately 6 minutes. Add cabbage, carrot and green onion, and saute until veggies become crisp tender. Add sauce and mix thoroughly, until heated through.

Add your noodles to the vegetable mixture and toss to combine. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds for a garnish. Serve immediately.

*Gochujang, a Korean spicy bean paste, is readily available in most supermarkets in the international food aisle. If you can't find it there - check out your local Asian Food Market. It retails between $4.00 - $5.00. You can substitute 3/4 teaspoon Chinese chile paste and reduce the amount of soy sauce to 1/4 cup.

C & C Chicken

2007-11-07T08:55:00.001-05:00

In pouring over various cookbooks and websites, I'm finding that one of the quickest and healthiest ways to add color and flavor to your food is to top it with a homemade salsa. To me, there is nothing better than fresh vegetables and fruits. Salsa is perfect because you are only limited by your own imagination, and what you have in your kitchen. I made mine with the slightest pinch of salt and maybe a tsp of olive oil to bind it all together. I'm totally eating the leftovers for lunch in a lettuce wrap!

CORNMEAL AND CORRIANDER CRUSTED CHICKEN with BLACK BEAN AND MANGO "SALSA"

...for the chicken:
4 slightly pounded boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tbsp ground corriander
1 tbsp olive oil

...for the salsa:
1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
1/2 cup corn (if using frozen, thawed)
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 large shallot, finely diced
1/4 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, diced
2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro (or parsley, if you do not like cilantro)
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Place cornmeal and corriander in a large plate and mix with fingertips. Dredge each chicken breast into the mixture until coated.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken approximately 7 minutes on each side, until completely cooked through, and the crust turns a nice golden brown.

Meanwhile, mix together all salsa ingredients - tasting before adding salt for seasoning.

Serve by spooning the salsa over the chicken!

This meal took about 15 minutes to put together, start to finish - so it is the perfect "on the go" dinner. I also whipped up a batch of polenta made the cornmeal, chicken stock and milk (instead of cream and butter). No salt. And you know what?! It totally didn't even need it - - the salsa was the perfect compliment without being overpowering.

Times are a ch-ch-changin'

2007-11-06T11:55:00.000-05:00

The past couple of times that I have gone to my doctor, my blood pressure has been high. Since I was either sick or in pain (or both), they didn't worry too much - but I was asked to return for a quick blood pressure check when I was feeling better. Last week, I did.

And the results were not pretty.

No more Creamy Beef Stroganoff...no more Mac and Cheese...no more Baby Back Ribs! No more of my absolute favorites!!! Whaaaaaaa! It really is hell on earth right now, but I have to keep reminding myself that it is time to take care of me.

This weekend marked the beginning of a newer, healthier Kat. I'm ready to give this low sodium/low fat/lower carb thing a try. I have to.

Giving you the finger

2007-10-30T08:49:00.001-05:00

Halloween is tomorrow, so it is only fitting that we celebrate with something creepy!

Sugar Cookie Fingers! Ewwwwww!

I saw an original recipe at http://www.epicurious.com/, but decided to use my family's "Delux Sugar Cookie" recipe, since those cookies come out perfect every time. Everyone is totally freaked out by the fingers this morning at work!

DELUX SUGAR COOKIES

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar

In a large bowl, mix together butter, confectioner's sugar, egg, vanilla and almond extracts. Blend in flour, soda and cream of tartar. Form dough into a ball, cover and chill for 2-3 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Divide dough. Roll out tiny finger shapes on a lightly floured surface, pinching around the knuckle area to create a knarly shape. (The first batch I did was so big, that I scaled down the dough on the second batch - which worked perfectly.) Use a knife to create the lines of the knuckles. Gently place an almond slice as the fingernail. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake 7-8 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

With the other half of the dough, I decided to make a cookie piano. (What better way to highlight my gorgeous fingers?!) The piano is frosted with vanilla and chocolate store-bought icing.

Beet Soup (don't be afraid!)

2007-10-23T20:01:00.002-05:00

I just love Autumn! We've finally begun to snap out of the Indian Summer we are courting, and allowed the chill to enter the air - and finally I can start to plan menus that involve some heavier flavors and longer cooking times. Plus, having the leaves changing colors brings on some much needed inspiration into my everyday cooking.

At the market this weekend, I spotted some very nice looking beets - firm and dark red with robust looking leafy greens attached. I hurriedly plucked them from their spot on the shelf - not really thinking about what I would do with them. The last time fresh beets were in my kitchen, I transformed them into tasty little
ravioli. This time I desperately wanted to make a soup.

So, I did.

BEET SOUP (served in a roasted acorn squash "bowl")

5 medium beets, peeled* and diced
1 red-skinned tart apple, peeled and diced
1 smallish red onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
4 cups of chicken or vegetable stock (I used chicken stock, because I do not like the taste of veggie stock)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
salt and pepper, to taste

If serving in an acorn squash bowl: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut the top off the squash, and hollow out the insides. (if needed, take a little off the bottom, so that the bowl is stable) Place on a cookie sheet, brush a little olive oil into the cavities and season with salt. Roast for approximately 60 minutes, or until the flesh is tender. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large pot and cook onion and garlic until the onion becomes translucent. Add apple and beets and cook for approximately 5 minutes, stirring often. Add stock and let simmer for about an hour, or until the beets are fork tender. Remove from heat and add vinegar and brown sugar.

Blend soup with either an immersion blender or a food processor. (I used an immersion blender first and then had to clean off the wall! A food processor is a little less messy believe it or not!) Add water to achieve the consistency you like. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

*Unless you want red hands, invest in some disposable latex or fitted plastic gloves...beets will stain just about anything they come in contact with including skin and cutting boards! You were warned!!! I will be rocking the purple handed look tomorrow at work.

I was blown away at first bite! The beet soup was sweet, yet had a hint of tartness from the vinegar - and the flavor of the overall dish was subtle and delicious. The color was so vibrant and beautiful that I almost didn't want to dip my spoon into it. Using the acorn squash (my favorite of all the squashes) was awesome, because it gave the meal a little more substance as well as a bit of whimsy. The flesh of the squash went so well with the soup itself. The next time I make this, I may add a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt to richen the soup up just a bit.

Stick your vegetables in something cheesy!

2007-10-23T08:30:00.002-05:00

There has been a recent influx of cookbooks designed to take healthy vegetables and disguise them in everyday meals. Jessica Seinfeld, wife of comedian Jerry Seinfeld, recently wrote a cookbook entitled Deceptively Delicious. From the Publisher: Deceptively Delicious has all of Jessica's winning combinations, including cauliflower in mac and cheese and spinach in brownies.

Forgive me, but WHAT THE FUCK?! If someone tries to feed me a brownie with spinach in it, I will punch them in the face! I definitely do not agree with this method of cooking because I think it could cause more harm them good - if a child isn't given the opportunity to try new tastes, that kid is going to grow up into an insufferably picky adult!

(Have you ever been to a restaurant with a person who hates everything except chicken nuggets? It makes me want to scratch my eyes out, and I am not even an adventurous eater! "Can you omit the onions?" WHOA lady!!!! No! Just stop already!)

I cook and bake regularly with my niece Kelsey and nephew Shakeer - avid readers will remember our forray into Christmas cookies. I found that if they participate in the food prep, they are more likely to eat something new...plus, they love to help out in the kitchen. Banning children from the kitchen can make things easier, but you are seriously missing out on a great experience, as well as the opportunity to teach them about good nutrition.

That being said - I totally found a recipe that hid a great deal of perfectly tasty vegetables under a melting mound of delicious cheese! I'm such a hypocrite!

SWEET PEA AND ARTICHOKE LASAGNA

12 no-boil lasagna noodles
2 (15 oz.) containers of ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 (1 lb) bag of frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup fresh basil
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 cups mozzarella cheese
2 eggs
2 jars of marinated artichokes, drained
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brush a 13x9x2 baking dish with oil, and set aside. In a small bowl, combine drained artichokes, 1/2 cup of cream and basil. Set aside. In a large blender or food processor, combine peas, ricotta, parmesan cheese, 1 cup of whipping cream, salt and pepper and 2 eggs. (I had to do this in 2 batches.)

Pour 1 cup of ricotta mixture in the bottom of the baking dish. Layer 4 lasanga noodles, then 1/2 of artichoke mixutre, then 1/3 of the ricotta mixture. Sprinkle 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Repeat process with second layer.

For the last layer - 4 additional noodles, rest of ricotta mixture and 2 cups of mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 25 minutes or until cheese has browned slightly, and is bubbly around the edges. Remove from oven and let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Yes, it's a little time consuming - but the reward is this sweet and creamy, yet tangy combination of flavors. I never even missed the tomato sauce! The bottom layer of noodles almost becomes this crust of sorts - anchoring the whole dish. Plus, just look at the color of the layers...it's quite eye catching, and everyone knows, you eat with your eyes first.

I ate the leftovers for 3 days!

When life gives you lemons...

2007-10-19T10:44:00.001-05:00

...just save yourself the trouble, and make lemonade.

I was blown away by the produce at the market the other day, and totally succumbed to the enticing lemons that were staring me down from across the aisle. I grabbed about a dozen or so, and happily went along to the check out counter with my loot.

When I got home, I poured over my cookbooks, finally settling on an "all lemon" meal consisting of lemon spaghetti and mini lemon souffles. (And, maybe a lemon drop to wash it all down!)

The lemon souffles were especially intriguing - - a typical custard made with egg yolks, gently cooked over a water bath then mixed with fluffy meringue and baked in their own hollowed out lemon shell. Let me tell you, although they looked really pretty, they were so gross!!!!

Same result with the lemon spaghetti. Dry and disgusting.

My lemon meal made my eyes water, and that's NOT a good thing. The whole mess went straight into the garbage, and I ended up chowing on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Sometimes even the best laid plans fall through - no matter the best intentions.

Mixed Berry Bundt Cake

2007-10-03T13:22:00.002-05:00

Wow, it's been a long time since I posted last! I'm totally slapping myself on the wrist! Truth of the matter is, I have been cooking - just not anything that's picture worthy...or recipe posting worthy. I'm hoping that this weekend I will be able to get my "cooking mojo" working again.

Until then, here is a fantastic recipe for a cake I made which was mostly gobbled up by the puppies only about an hour afterwards, while I thought it was safely cooling. They allowed me some of the crumbs. Note to self...Sparky can now reach the table with his grubby little paws.

The little that I was able to taste was moist (OMG, so moist) and sweet and simply delicious. It was also incredibly easy to make! I used frozen strawberries and raspberries because the fresh ones at the market looked terrible, and I really wanted to try the recipe. It was a successful substitute!

MIXED BERRY BUNDT CAKE

5 eggs
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
20 Tbs. (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small pieces
2 Tbs. kirsch or other fruit liqueur
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powderPinch of salt
3 1/2 cups raspberries
1 1/2 cups blueberries or blackberries
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting (optional)

Preheat an oven to 325°F. Butter and flour a bundt cake pan.

In a large bowl, blend the eggs and granulated sugar. Using an electric mixer, beat in the butter and liqueur until fluffy. Add all but 2 Tbs. of the flour and the baking powder and salt, and beat until well incorporated and no lumps remain. In another bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups of the raspberries and the blueberries with the remaining 2 Tbs. flour. Toss to coat the berries evenly with the flour. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the berries into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool in the pan for 20 to 25 minutes. Unmold the cake onto the rack and let cool completely. Fill the center of the cake with the remaining 2 cups raspberries. Dust the cake with confectioners' sugar. Serves 10 to 12.

Yum, yum!

Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Soup

2007-09-16T18:53:00.001-05:00

I adore chickpeas. I love them roasted and covered with garlic powder, or on salads, or mashed up in hummus. My most favorite Indian dishes either include or feature chickpeas in them. When I saw the recipe for this soup, I knew I had to try it. Not only was this meal hearty - but it is also pretty cheap to make, and the leftovers were fantastic.

MOROCCAN SPICED CHICKPEA SOUP

3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 can of diced tomatoes
3 (15 oz) cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
salt and pepper
2 good handfuls of pre-washed baby spinach

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until onions become translucent. Add cinnamon, cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper and cook for approximately 2 minutes to develop the flavors. Add the tomatoes, chickpeas and stock and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Continue cooking on medium-low for approximately 45 minutes or until the chickpeas become tender.

Take soup off heat, and use a potato masher to mash up some of the chickpeas right in the pot. (This is an optional step...but it does change up the texture and makes the soup thicker.) Stir in the spinach until it wilts, then season with salt and pepper and serve!

If you don't like the heat, omit the cayenne - because even though you are using just a tad of the spice, it still will hit the back of your throat when you least expect it!

Cal-zone-ezzzzz

2007-09-10T20:13:00.001-05:00

Every now and then calzones will pop up on my menu planning - yet in all this time, I have never posted a recipe or a picture. I love calzones, because you can change them up so easily by adding a variety of different ingredients. Personally, I like mine to be stuffed with cheese, spinach and broccoli. Nathan likes meat. You can also use what you have and clean out the fridge making it "garbage bread."

To me, it's all about the layering of ingredients. Pick up a round of your favorite raw pizza dough from your supermarket, and divide into 4 equal servings. Gently pull on the dough, creating a round even circle. Lay on a slightly floured surface, and begin to introduce the "stuffing:" I use provolone cheese slices as my first layer. The cheese keeps the dough from shrinking, providing a nice base for the rest of my ingredients. Then, I pile on ham, dollops of ricotta cheese, raw broccoli florets, a touch of minced garlic, and finally a handful of shredded mozzarella cheese. For flavor add about a tsp of your favorite dried herb - I used thyme and a sprinkle of salt. Pull the dough up and around your mound of fillings, and secure by folding it under, creating a pouch. Crimp the edges. Brush some melted butter over the top, and season with salt, pepper and dried parsley. Poke a couple of holes in the top so that steam can escape.

Rectangle calzone, unbaked.

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until calzone is golden brown. Let cool 5 minutes. Serve with your favorite tomato sauce.

Baked...and ready to eat! YUM!

Tonight I made a family'zone, then served slices alongside a spinach salad. Huge success. Even the kids eat it, because it's like a stuffed pizza. Just look at all the gooey good stuff leaking out.

Smells like feet - and weekly meal planning

2007-09-10T10:38:00.001-05:00

The other day I made the Meditteranean Risotto that I had on deck in last week's dinner menu. The idea was so appealing...I adore sun-dried tomatoes, olives and feta cheese. I love rice and the creaminess of risotto. I thought the dish would be a slam dunk!

However, when feta cheese is heated up, it smells like old, disgusting, wet gym socks. In this dish, it tasted about the same also.

Looks pretty though!

I really, really wanted to like it! I tried so hard to encourage myself to continue eating it - but in the end, I gave up. I don't know why I kept the copious amounts of leftovers...maybe I'll revisit the risotto cold. Maybe. Probably not.

Monday - Calzones
Tuesday - Roasted Garlic and Citrus Chicken
Wednesday - Moraccan Spiced Chickpea Soup with Sandwiches
Thursday - Tofu Ka-bobs with Mustard Dipping Sauce
Friday - Pizza

Coconut Curried Tofu with Green Jasmine Rice

2007-09-07T20:05:00.001-05:00

When I type "tofu" most people say "ewwwww!" Truth of the matter is, tofu takes on the flavors that you are cooking with, and is a great alternative, or substitution to meat in some dishes. It's not just for vegetarians, I swear! I tend to use the extra-firm variety because it has the texture that I prefer.

This particular recipe has a lot of big flavors that blend perfectly. Garlic, lime, ginger, cilantro, curry and cumin. YUM!!! You'll smell for days, but it is so worth it!

COCONUT CURRIED TOFU with GREEN JASMINE RICE

1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

2 cups water
1 tsp salt
1 cup jasmine or basmati rice

1 big handful of coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (if you do not like cilantro, you can use parsley)
3/4 cup unsweetened light coconut milk
4 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 large garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp vegetable oil
16 oz. extra firm tofu, drained, patted dry and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp dried crushed red pepper flake
1 cup whole small cherry (or grape) tomatoes

2 tbsp coarsely chopped peanuts

Brown shredded coconut in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Set aside.

Bring water and salt to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Stir in rice; return to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until water is absorbed and rice is tender - between 18 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, puree cilantro (parsley), 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1 tsp ginger, lime juice and half of the garlic in a blender until smooth. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over high heat. Add tofu and stir fry until golden. Add onions, curry, cumin, red pepper flakes, remaining ginger and remaining garlic. Stir fry for 1 minute. Stir in remaining coconut milk, and season with salt and pepper. Right before service, add tomatoes. The residual heat will soften the skins without turning the tomatoes to complete mush.

When rice is finished cooking, stir in shredded coconut and cilantro puree until combined. For service, spoon rice onto plate. Top with tofu mixture and sprinkle with peanuts. Garnish with a little lime, and right before digging in - squeeze that lime over the dish. It adds a wonderful brightness to the whole meal.

I liked this meal the further I got into eating it, which is just strange. The tofu resembled chicken in taste and texture, and the warmed tomatoes exploded when you bit into them. Each bite had a different flavor - which was so cool. The leftovers were even good!

Of course, my major flaw (which you can see from the picture) is that my rice is not green. The cilantro looked disgusting at the store, and the parsley looked even worse so I used dried parsley instead. It worked, but didn't give that green verdant color that I really wanted. Although, green rice would probably turn a lot of people off!

(Two) Mustard Chicken

2007-09-04T20:20:00.001-05:00

Dark meat chicken is cheap. Most people like it. I do not. I like the breast meat...same goes for turkey. However, every once in a while I purchase the dark meat since it is one of Nate's favorites (and let's face it - all of what I do in the kitchen is for him). This recipe originally calls for boneless, skinless chicken breast - - but the bone-in thigh meat in the store looked really good, so I made a couple of adjustments, and saved myself about $5.00 in the process!

It was absolutely the right thing to do. The meat was succulent, and since the mustards have so much flavor, I was not bothered by the slightly "gamy" taste that I specifically do not like about dark meat. This dish is definitely on our "must make again" list. Plus there are only 4 ingredients. How can you go wrong?

(TWO) MUSTARD CHICKEN

Chicken pieces that you like the best (I chose bone-in and skin-on thighs)*
1/2 cup dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup stone-ground mustard

(Yep, that's it!)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix together mustards and honey in a 9x13 baking dish. Coat chicken in mustard mixture, and bake for 25-30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink with a safe internal temperature of 170 degrees. Turn chicken once, to ensure that all sides are basted with mustard mixture. Spoon extra mustard mixture over chicken at service.

*If you are using skin-on chicken of any kind, heat a couple of tsp of oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet, and brown on all sides. Transfer to baking dish with mustard, and bake as directed. For bone-in chicken, you may have to add 5-10 minutes onto the cooking time.

I can not believe how non-mustard'y this meal was...I don't know exactly what I expected - but in my head I really thought that we would be reacting as if we had sucked on a lemon. The sauce was sweet and delicious, the perfect balance of sweet and sour. I served it alongside some mashed potatoes and a bit of vegetable medley, so as not to compete with the main dish. Just look at how that chicken glistens!

Make extra...the leftovers were just as good! Oh, and pack lots of napkins - it's just that finger-lickin' good!

Weekly Meal Planning

2007-09-04T09:02:00.000-05:00

Monday - 2 Mustard Chicken
Tuesday - Swiss cheese "trapped" hamburgers on the grill, with pasta salad
Wednesday - Curry Tofu with green Jasmin rice
Thursday - Eggs Benedict
Friday - Pizza
Saturday - Mediterranean Risotto

Summer Fruit Terrine

2007-09-03T20:13:00.001-05:00

Does anyone remember those molded jar candles that Bed, Bath and Beyond used to make? The wax would be shaped like fruits that would melt down inside this clear jelly-like substance. The fruit would be suspended in time! I had about three of them - - my favorite being the candy corn version, which I never lit because that sweet smell would make me ill.

This dessert reminds me of those candles.

SUMMER FRUIT TERRINE

Bottle of non-alcoholic Sparkling Cider* (which I found in my market's cheese section)
pint of fresh raspberries
green and red seedless grapes - halved
1 small can of sliced peaches, drained
2 (1/4 oz) envelopes of non-flavored powdered gelatin
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Arrange fruit in a glass, ceramic of nonstick loaf pan.

Pour 1/4 cup sparkling cider in a small bowl, and sprinkle with gelatin. Let stand 1 minute to soften.

Meanwhile, bring 1 cup of cider to a bowl with sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add gelatin mixture, also stirring to dissolve completely. Gently stir in 3/4 cup cider and lemon juice, then transfer to a metal bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and cold water to cool. Stir occasionally, until cider is room temperature.

Slowly pour cider over fruit, then chill, covered, until firm - approximately 5-6 hours.

To unmold, dip pan in hot water for 3-5 seconds to loosen and invert onto serving dish.

*For an adult-only audience, substitute the sparkling cider for a Prosecco - an Italian Sparkling Wine.

Much to my dismay, people seemed afraid of this dessert, and I ended up bring over 1/2 of it home...which is a pure shame, since it was really light and tasty. The berries added a sour punch, and the grapes remained firm and sweet. The next time I make it, I will go a little lighter on the fruit so that it is not so dense.

You can also use any fruit you'd like - - but I really like the idea of this dish being an "end of summer" item, with traditional summer fruits. Plus, it looked really pretty. (Although it would've looked even prettier if I had a fluted dish or something to mold it into.)

Garlic and Tomato Chicken

2007-09-01T21:32:00.001-05:00

We were all set to go out to eat the other night, when suddenly I felt the sudden urge to cook. I didn't have a recipe, but I did have some thawed chicken breast waiting to be used...as well as a boatload of garden fresh tomatoes.

So, we stayed home.

I made dinner in 20 minutes, on the fly - with what I had on hand.

And, it was fabulous.

GARLIC AND TOMATO CHICKEN

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts - pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup sliced button mushrooms
1 large ripe tomato, cut into cubes
2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
1/2 cup dry vermouth (or white wine, or chicken stock)
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
palm-full of dried parsley

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Season raw chicken with salt and pepper, then add to skillet and brown on each side. Once browned, add garlic and deglaze pan with vermouth - scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon to pick up all the brown bits. Once reduced by half, add mushrooms, heavy cream and parmesan cheese. Stir occasionally, turning chicken to coat. Finish with cayenne pepper, salt and pepper and some dried parsley for color. At the last minute, add your tomatoes and serve over rice.

The sauce is not a thick sauce, but it is mighty tasty with all that garlic and cheese in it! Rice was indeed the perfect accompaniment, even though I first thought that pasta would work better. I would've been so wrong. If the sauce was thicker, the pasta would've worked.

Pad Thai

2007-08-28T08:37:00.001-05:00

Weekly meal planning has gone to hell this week, due to our new puppy addition. It's much more fun to play with Patches than it is to pour over cookbooks right now.

Which is why we ate dinner out of a box last night. (Gasp!)

I LOVE PAD THAI! It's what I order when we go out for Thai food. I love the rice noodles, and the sweet yet slightly sour and spicey sauce that accompanies it. I especially love the many textures you get in the dish - the noodles are soft, but still have a bite to them, the peanuts provide a chewiness when they hit the heat, and the bean sprouts lend a nice crunch.

I've been reluctant to try to make original Pad Thai from scratch, when this box version tastes so good. Dinner is ready in a snap - - and because you actually have to cook something, you feel good about making it. It's almost as easy as picking up the phone and ordering take out! For my money, the Thai Kitchen brand is definitely the best one on the store shelves. (Damn, I wish I was getting paid for this review!) I change up the recipe slightly from the directions on the box, depending on my culinary mood.

Thai Kitchen's ORIGINAL PAD THAI
(makes a meal for 2)

1 box Thai Kitchen Original Pad Thai Stir Fry Rice Noodles with Sauce (see picture above)
2 chicken breasts, cut into strips*
12 medium shrimp, de-shelled and de-viened*
6 oz. tofu, cut into cubes*
2 eggs
4 tsbp vegetable oil
1 can of bean sprouts, drained
1/4 cup green onions, sliced into 1-inch straws
1/2 cup peanuts, roughly chopped
boiling water

In a large bowl, soak rice noodles in boiling water for approximately 20-25 minutes.

When you have about 5 minutes left in your soak, heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over high heat. Scramble eggs, stirring constantly. Once eggs are cooked, remove from heat and set aside. Place remaining oil in skillet, and once hot, saute chicken, shrimp and tofu. Add soft rice noodles and sauce packet, and stir to combine. Let cook a couple of minutes until the noodles absorb all of the sauce. Add green onions and peanuts. Cook an additional minute. Finish the dish with cooked eggs and bean sprouts. If desired, garnish with some additional green onion and chopped peanuts. Sometimes I add a lime wedge if I want to be fancy!

*These proteins are completely optional. Last night, I made it with only chicken - which is what I had on hand. However, I've made it with no proteins, or all three, and it is still delicious.

The last time I made it, I didn't have any peanuts (I know I had some - - but they were mysteriously eaten!)...so I added a tablespoon of crunchy peanut butter. I never even missed the peanuts!

BTW - these rice noodles are gluten free, which is pretty darn awesome if you adhere to a gluten free diet.

Seared Scallops with Warmed Creamed Corn Salad

2007-08-27T10:55:00.000-05:00

The last time I made scallops, I bought them fresh and wrapped them in bacon, but was a little disappointed in the outcome because they were filled with grit! This time I went the frozen route, hoping that the package process included some filtering of all the sand. Going frozen paid off this time! (Although the drawback was teeny-tiny scallops, instead of the jumbo variety that I really wanted.)

Scallops taste best when cooked simply, in my humble opinion. A little butter, salt and pepper and 2-3 minutes per side of intense heat is all they really need to be carmelized, tender, sweet and delicious. This recipe highlights the simple scallop, on top of a impressive bed of fresh homemade creamed corn. What a perfect summertime dinner!

SEARED SCALLOPS with WARMED CREAMED CORN SALAD

1 lb jumbo sea scallops (or about 5-6 scallops per person)
8 ears of corn, shucked
1 green bell pepper, finely diced
1 onion, finely diced
2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
2 celery ribs, finely diced
1 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp fresh basil, torn
1 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper, to taste
4 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil

Shuck corn, and gently cut corn off the cob into a large bowl. Melt 3 tbsp of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add corn, pepper, onion, carrots and celery and cook until onions are translucent and vegetables are crisp tender. Add cream and season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Cook until cream reduces slightly, stirring occassionally. Directly before service, add basil.

Meanwhile, melt remaining 1 tbsp butter with olive oil in a skillet. Rinse and dry scallops, and season with salt and pepper. Place seasoned scallops in skillet, and cook approximately 2-3 minutes on each side until the scallops are golden brown. Remove from heat and serve alongside, or on top of warmed corn salad.

There is nothing better than fresh picked local corn! I eat it raw and cooked, and this application was nice and light, but satisfying in a vegetarian kind of way. The red pepper flakes added just a bit of punch in the background and the carrots and green bell pepper provided the color that made this dish pop. I wish my photo did this meal justice!

Swiss Steak

2007-08-20T21:24:00.000-05:00

Swiss Steak was a staple in my home growing up...it was one of the few meals that my mother felt comfortable making - that and Shepard's Pie, which I still refuse to make. I never cared for it much due to the overcooking of all of the vegetables in the dish. I absolutely hate mushy vegetables, and unfortunately my mother liked to cook the hell out of all of 'em.

This recipe is very traditional, and rib-sticking good...but I've changed it up just a bit so that the peppers remain peppers, and don't become mush-meal. Novel idea, right?

SWISS STEAK

4 pieces of cubed steak*
3 tbsp flour
1 tsp dried mustard
salt and pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cans of whole or stewed tomatoes, with their juice
1 large green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
water, if needed

In a small bowl, combine flour, mustard and salt and pepper. Combine. Lay out cube steak on a piece of plastic wrap. Lightly sprinkle meat with 1/2 of flour mixture. Use the tenderizing part of a kitchen mallet to pound steaks, so that the flour becomes incorporated in the steak. Repeat with opposite side, using the rest of the flour.

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet. When hot, carefully place prepped steak across the bottom in an even layer. Cook for 7 minutes on each side, until steaks are browned and completely cooked through. Add tomatoes, their juice and garlic, reduce heat and cover for 1 1/2 hours - turning the meat occasionally. (The tomatoes will break down the meat making it fork tender.)

Add onions and peppers to the hot skillet, and gently stir so that the tomatoes and vegetables combine. Add water, if necessary. Cook for about 7-10 minutes, until the onions are translucent and the peppers are crisp-tender. Serve alongside some creamy mashed potatoes or egg noodle pasta. It's one of our favorite comfort meals.

I totally smother my potatoes with the tomato mixture...

*You can make your own cube steak with the use of a kitchen mallet. It's a great way to get that evening frustration out!

Weekly Meal Planning

2007-08-20T20:51:00.000-05:00

Sunday - Swiss Steak
Monday - Pasta Primavera
Tuesday - Seared Scallops over Creamed Corn Salad
Wednesday - Chicken fajitas
Thursday - Pizza (our new puppy comes home!)
Friday - Beef Stroganoff
Saturday - Challah French Toast with Caramelized Apples

A little bit of cool summer flare...a little bit of warm and comfy winter eats. The weather is acting up a bit, so it's the perfect week to mix it up a bit!

For my B'day...Lattice Pear Pie

2007-08-15T08:42:00.000-05:00

When you make your own birthday dessert, it means that you are really and truly a grown-up. Damn. I rather liked being a kid!

For the past decade, instead of a birthday cake I requested a birthday pie - my take on "bucking the system." (I know, I'm such a bad ass!) But, I just adore pies...fruit pies to be exact. Strawberry rhubarb, apple, cherry, peach, blueberry and most recently pear! I love the way the fruit bakes down and gives it's juices creating this gooey sticky goodness in the middle of a crust.

I've made one successful crust in my 31 years. One! The stars aligned and the gods smiled down...I thought I had conquered the great crust mystery...but as soon as it came, it went. I have not been able to recreate that flaky buttery goodness since. Luckily, store bought pie crusts aren't too bad! They are my saving grace.

Without further ado - the recipe for this year's birthday pie:

LATTICE PEAR PIE with BROWN BUTTER

8 ripe pears
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp butter
1 vanilla bean, split with insides scrapped out
2 tbsp flour
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 tsp salt
2 prepared pie crusts
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add vanilla bean to butter and cook until butter is browned - about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, discard vanilla bean and set aside. Slice pears into a large bowl. Add lemon juice, brown sugar, flour, raisins and salt and stir to combine. Add browned butter mixture to pears and gently stir to combine.

Prepare your pie dish...roll out first crust and lay on the bottom of the pie dish. Fill dish with pear mixture. Roll out second crust on a lightly floured surface, and create your lattice pattern. Go here for step-by-step instructions, or just fake it, like I did. (It'll taste good all the same!) Crimp edges, brush crusts with milk and lightly sprinkle sugar over the top. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until filling is bubbly and crust is golden brown. If the crust browns too quickly, simply drape foil over the pie.

Serve hot with a little french vanilla ice cream, or as Nathan calls it "a la mote." Yep, you read that right. I've corrected him a thousand times, but it makes no difference.

Happy Birthday to me!

I can not believe how yummy this filling came out! The brown butter lent a wonderful nuttiness, and the raisins plumped up making a nice contrast between with the grainy texture of the pears. I left the skin (red) on the pears, instead of peeling them because I wanted that pretty punch of color. It was such a different and decadent summertime treat.

Savory Bacon and Potato Chowder

2007-08-14T13:52:00.000-05:00

When I was 18 years old, I moved out of my parents house (for good, thank you very much!). One of the first meals I made was this hearty chowder, and honestly it was because of this meal that I found out I loved cooking. Not only is it made with bacon - BACON!! - but one bowl of the stuff will fill you up until breakfast the next morning. It's also good for a crowd, because you don't have to spend the money on a lean slab of bacon, the fattier kind actually works a little better because the grease is a major ingredient. It's a recipe that is easily doubled, without adding any additional prep or cooking time, and the prep is ridiculously easy...you basically cut up potatoes. Child's play, I tell ya!

Make this and bask in all of the praise you receive...

SAVORY BACON AND POTATO CHOWDER

8 slices of bacon, cut into cubes
2 cups new potatoes, scrubbed and cut into bite sized pieces
1 cup whole kernel frozen or fresh corn
1 1/2 cups milk
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 medium onion, diced
pepper, to taste
thyme (fresh herbs do taste better, but dried are just fine) - adjust accordingly
water or chicken stock, optional

Fry up bacon in a large pot until crisp, and most of the fat has rendered. Add onions and potatoes to the bacon and grease and cook until potatoes begin to soften and onions become translucent, stirring often. (You can drain off some of the grease.) Add milk, cream of chicken soup and sour cream and stir until well combined. (Note: you may want to add some chicken stock or water to thin out the soup as it will reduce down some...it totally depends on how chunky you prefer your overall product to be.) Bring to a boil, and cook until potatoes are soft. Add corn, thyme and pepper. Serve alongside a salad, or in a bread bowl.

We like ours chunky...Nathan actually ate his with a fork!

Speaking of Nathan - he also ate the entire bread bowl...in one sitting! Not only did he eat the bowl, but he also ate the bread I scooped out to make the bowl shape. I was amazed and horrified, all at the same time. I don't know where he puts it.

Weekly Meal Planning

2007-08-13T12:00:00.000-05:00

Monday - Savory Bacon and Potato Chowder served in a bread bowl (didn't get to make this last week, so we are finally having it tonight!)
Tuesday - Crab Cakes with Spicy Avocado Sauce and a Garden Salad
Wednesday - It's my birthday, and we are going out!
Thursday - Veggie Wontons with Citrus Soy Dipping Sauce and Vegetarian "Sushi" rolls
Friday - Pizza
Saturday - Bok Choy with Sausage over Polenta

Big Flavor all we long...