A Pinch of this, A Smidgen of that

Limoncello Cupcakes

2012-01-20T14:47:00.000-08:00

I have found a use for my homemade Limoncello other than drinking it.. lol... Now who wouldn't want a refreshing lemony cupcake.

I found a recipe from Brown Eyed Baker for Lemon-Limoncello cupcakes... I made these the other night and let's just say thankfully they only made a dozen. I loved them. One thing I would change in the recipe is the amount of lemon zest in the lemon curd..

Lemon-Limoncello Cupcakes
Yield: 1 dozen

For the cupcakes:

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 ounces (½ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons limoncello
½ cup buttermilk
¼ cup lemon juice
Zest of one lemon

For the lemon curd:

Zest of 2 lemons
½ cup lemon juice
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk

For the cream cheese limoncello frosting:

2 ounces (½ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tablespoon limoncello
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1. Prepare the cupcakes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and position a rack in the center. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until light and creamy, 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the limoncello and beat an additional minute. On low speed, add flour mixture and buttermilk alternatively, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Add the lemon juice and zest and mix on low speed just until incorporated. Divide the batter between 12 muffin tins. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely.

2. Prepare the lemon curd. In a heavy medium saucepan, stir together the lemon zest, juice and sugar and bring to a simmer over medium heat. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and egg yolk. Whisk the lemon mixture into the eggs to temper them. Scrape the mixture back into the saucepan and place over medium heat, whisking constantly until it thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and let cool completely.

3. Prepare the cream cheese limoncello frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until light and creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the limoncello and beat for an additional minute. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the sifted powdered sugar and beat until fully incorporated and smooth.

4. Assemble the cupcakes. Cut a hole into each cupcake with the large end of a melon baller or the back end of a large pastry tip. Fill each cavity with the lemon curd. Fill a pastry bag with a star tip (I used Wilton 1M) with the cream cheese limoncello frosting and pipe onto each cupcake. Decorate with lemon and berries, if desired.

Spicy Pop Pulled Pork

2012-01-20T14:40:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned I follow the Pioneer Woman's blog. Can you believe I have nevered watched an episode of her show on the Food Network? My best friend Melissa sent me emails reminding me to watch it.

Last Saturday I watched her Ranching in the Mist episode. I felt like I was watching some old friends. This episode she was making her Spicy Pop Pulled Pork. Now I have heard of using soda/pop in pulled pork recipes but I was reluctant to use it. She proved me wrong. Another thing she proved to me is that a Pork Butt (no it is not the butt of a pig, actually it is from the front shoulder) can be delicious. I had made a pork butt once and was devastated with the results.

This recipe was a pleasant surprise.

Spicy Pop Pulled Pork

Pioneer Woman - Ree Drummond

Ingredients

2 onions, peeled and quartered
1 whole pork butt (pork shoulder roast)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
One 11-ounce can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
2 cans pop (I use Dr Pepper)
4 packed tablespoons brown sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Start by placing the onion quarters in the bottom of a pot. Sprinkle the pork with salt and pepper, and then place on top of the onions. Pour the chipotle peppers over the top, and then crack open the cans of pop and pour them over the whole thing. Add the brown sugar to the liquid and stir.

Cover the pot, put in the oven and cook for at least 6 hours, flipping the roast 2 or 3 times during the cooking process. When it's done, the pork will be dark and weird and wonderful. It'll also be fork-tender. That's when you know it's done.

Remove the meat from the pot and shred completely. Then return the meat to the pot and keep in the juice until you need it.

Pioneer Women's Spicy Whiskey BBQ Sliders

2012-01-20T14:31:00.000-08:00

I usually check Pioneer Women's site every day. I happen to have checked it on the day she blogged about her Spicy Whiskey BBQ sliders. Once I saw that recipe I knew it was part of the New Year's Eve menu. They are simple and easy to make. And, they were the hit of the party. I have made them one other time since.

Spicy Whiskey BBQ Sliders
Pioneer Women - Ree Drummond

Ingredients

2 pounds Ground Meat (beef, Bison, Turkey)
Salt And Pepper
4 Tablespoons Butter
1 whole Large Onion, Diced
1/2 cup Whiskey
1 cup Barbecue Sauce
1/4 cup Jarred Jalapeno Slices (more To Taste)
12 whole Slider Buns Or Dinner Rolls, Split

Preparation Instructions

Form the meat into 12 (or so) miniature patties and salt and pepper them on both sides. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook the patties until just about done in the middle, approximately 3-4 minutes per side. Remove the patties from the skillet and set aside. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of grease, then return the skillet to the stove.

Throw the diced onions in the skillet and stir to cook, about 3 minutes. Pour in whiskey (be careful if you're cooking over an open flame; turn it off momentarily to be extra careful) and stir. Allow the whiskey to reduce by half, about 2 to 3 minutes, then stir in jalapenos and the barbecue sauce.
Reduce the heat to low and place the patties in the barbecue sauce, turning to coat. Allow the patties to simmer in the sauce until everything's hot and bubbly.

Place the patties on individual buns and be sure to spoon extra sauce (with the jalapenos!) over the top of each one before topping with the other half of the bun.

Machaca

2012-01-20T14:25:00.000-08:00

Machaca... I get a kick out of saying this word, don't know why.. lol.. Lately I have been watching Rachel vs Guy - Celebrity Cook-Off on the Food Network channel. Are you surprised??? One person that surprised me with his cooking was Cheech Marin. I believe it was the first or second episode he made a beef machaca for the hungry people. I had never heard of machaca. It looked delicious and the crowd loved it. I thought I have to make that... So I found a recipe, cooked it and loved it...

Big Dave's Beef Machaca

Marinade:

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
Juice of two limes
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ cup vegetable oil or olive oil

Machaca:

2-3 lb Chuck Roast or Skirt Steak, trimmed and cut into ¼ lb portions.
1 Large Texas Sweet Onion (yellow onion) diced
½ green bell pepper diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
1 Fresh Jalapeno Pepper, minced
1 14oz can diced tomatoes or tomatoes with green chilies
¼ cup beef broth
1 Tb dried oregano
1 Tb ground cumin
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce such as Tabasco
salt and pepper to taste
Vegetable oil for searing the beef

Preparation

For the marinade, combine all the ingredients in a bowl then whisk them to form an emulsion. Add the beef making sure every piece is evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate.
Marinate the beef overnight in a bowl in the refrigerator. Before preparing, drain thoroughly and allow meat to come up to room temperature for about 30 minutes.

In a large soup pot, heat a few tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Sear the beef a few pieces at a time to develop a rich brown color on all sides as well as on the bottom of the pan. Do this in several batches if the pot is too crowded.

When all the beef is browned nicely and removed from the pan, add the onions, peppers, and garlic to the hot pan. Sauté for a few minutes then add the remaining ingredients to the pan along with the beef. Bring to a boil, scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer slowly for about 2 hours. The meat should be very tender and should easily fall apart when pricked with a fork.

Remove from heat, remove meat to a cutting board and shred with a pair of forks. Return to the pot and bring to a simmer, uncovered. Reduce the liquid until very thick, almost dry. At this point, adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and whatever additional heat you want to add if any.

Serve with tortillas, cheese, salsa, lettuce and guacamole for a great beef taco. Portion and freeze the remaining machaca in zip lock bags for later use.

Happy New Year!!!

2012-01-20T14:17:00.000-08:00

One day I was sitting here thinking of the menu for our New Year's Eve Party and realized how many years it has been since we started. Can you believe it has been 14 years since our first our first New Year's Ever party. I can remember that night all to well. My oldest son had a incident with the tabletop warm mist vaporizer. He was fine but scared the heck out of me.

We also incorporate my Mother-In-Law's birthday into the NYE party, since she was born on NY day. This year I made my Mother-In-Law a checker board birthday cake. I saw this beautiful cake in a catalog and thinking I can make that. What I didn't want to do is pay $70 to order it. I set out on my mission to make this cake.

I used one white cake mix and a devil's food cake mix. I found a recipe for a white frosting from Amada's Cookin'. I made the chocolate mousse from scratch and can not find the recipe I used.

White Frosting
1 cup vegetable shortening (not butter flavored)
4 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
4 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons clear vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

To Make the Frosting:

Beat shortening and extracts until creamy, about 1-2 minutes on medium speed. Slowly add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, then 2 tablespoons of milk, 2 more cups of powdered sugar, then the remaining milk and any additional powdered sugar that may be needed.
Put 1/3 of the frosting into a separate bowl and tint it with a small amount of yellow paste food coloring. Frost in between the layers yellow and the sides and top of cake white. Decorate with green tinted coconut and jelly beans on top.

Once I had the cake frosted I decorated it with shaved white chocolate and mini chocolate chips.

Let me just say, if you are using a new recipe test it out first. The frosting was very good, but the chocolate did not stick very well to it. I should have used a buttercream or whipped cream frosting instead. I was not happy with the way my cake looked.

Here is my sorry looking cake..

The inside:

I promise I will do better next year! lol

What happened???

2012-01-20T13:52:00.000-08:00

I wish I had an excuse as to why I haven't blogged any recipes in almost a year. It's not like I starved my family. Nothing exciting happened in the past year. hmm...

Let's see my last couple of post said something about dieting. Ha! Ya, right. Actually, I was behaving for a while and eating healthier meals. I had lost 10 pounds for a while. I think once I came back from Key West it went down hill from there. Those 10 pounds I lost found me again... ugh...

Anyway, I will try to do better at posting the recipes I have try.

Spice Rubbed Chicken Fingers with Cilantro Dipping Sauce

2011-02-01T15:41:00.000-08:00

This is the first of many South Beach Diet recipes I will be posting. The spices on the chicken has a mellow heat to it. As for the "dipping sauce," it dances around on your tongue with the heat from the serrano pepper and the bite from the cilantro. The parsley gives it a mellow cool fresh flaver. Does that make sense??? As you can see from the photo I had mine with just steamed broccoli. When I make dinner for my guys I do serve a starch/carb, ie potato, rice or pasta.

Spice Rubbed Chicken Fingers with Cilantro Dipping Sauce

•1/2 teaspoon chili powder

•1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

•1/8 teaspoon salt

•1/2 pound chicken breast tenders

•1/4 cup cilantro sprigs

•2 tablespoons parsley sprigs

•2 tablespoons blanched slivered almonds

•1/2 clove garlic

•1/2 serrano chile pepper, seeded (wear plastic gloves when handling)

•1/16 teaspoon salt
•1 tablespoon lime juice
•1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
•1 tablespoon water
•Sprig cilantro, for garnish

Instructions

Coat a grill rack or broiler-pan rack with cooking spray. Preheat the grill or broiler.

In a cup, combine the chili powder, cumin, and salt. Cut two 1/2"-deep slashes in each side of the chicken tenders. Rub the spice mixture over the chicken, pressing it into the slits. Place the chicken in a baking pan and coat completely with cooking spray. Let stand for 10 minutes.

In a food processor, combine the cilantro, parsley, almonds, garlic, chile pepper, and salt. Process until chopped. While the processor is running, add the lime juice and oil through the feed tube, stopping the machine once or twice to scrape down the sides of the container, until the sauce is smooth. Pour the sauce into a bowl. Stir in the water, cover, and chill until ready to serve.

Place the chicken on the prepared rack and grill or broil 6" from the heat, turning several times, for 15 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion registers 170°F and the juices run clear. Serve with the sauce and garnish with the cilantro.

New Year, New Me (well hopefully)

2011-02-01T14:43:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! Sorry it is a little late. The holidays around here was a little busy. We had my mother-in-law, sister-in-law and her kids here for Thanksgiving. Then the following week my best friend from Michigan, Melissa, came out for a quick visit. We met up with our good friend Donna from Myrtle Beach. We had a great time at a wonderful restaurant in Dedham MA, called One Bistro. Oh yummo is all I can say. Two weeks after visiting with Melissa and Donna, my parents came to NH for Christmas. We enjoyed having them, even though it was a bitterly cold week of weather. They probably won't be coming back during the winter ever again. lol. After my parents left preperations for our annual New Year's Eve get together got started. So any way, I'm sure everyone has a busy holiday season. I just can not believe I have not posted anything since last September.

Now on to the new me... I have been going to my local gym five days a week since November. It wasn't until about 1.5 weeks ago I realized I needed to step up my game plan. I found myself at home practically binging on the snacks I buy the kids for school. Well geez, no wonder I haven't lost any weight. So I decided to go back to the South Beach Diet in addition to stepping up my exercise regimen. So my new friend at the gym is this Arc Trainer. Man I love this machine. It gets your Heart Rate up to where it should be. You can feel it working your thigh and butt muscles. I remember the first time I worked out on it I could only do about 7 minutes and that is on the manual setting. Now I am doing 50 minutes on it at the weight loss level. Since starting the South Beach Diet and upping my time on the Arc Trainer I have lost 3 pounds. So it does show that exercising and eating healthy goes hand in hand.

From now on any of the recipes I post will more than likely be a South Beach Diet recipe or a low-fat recipe.

I hope everyone has a Healthy and Safe New Year!

Baked Kibbee, Tahini & Tabouleh

2010-09-13T16:06:00.000-07:00

I am so grateful that I found a man who likes to eat different things. I was one of those people who would eat the basic foods. After I met Steve I started to eat different foods, well it took a while to muster up the courage but I did it.

One day he brought me to a restaurant (hole in the wall type) to get something to eat. I ordered a sandwich with fries. Steve ordered a Lebanese plate. I looked at him with that expression on my face as "what the heck is that?" I did try it but wasn't too keen on it at first. Years later I tried it again and loved it.

One day I decided to make my own Kibbee at home. It came out bland and a bit dry. I said I would leave it up the real cooks to make it.

Well this past weekend I decided to make it again (don't know what made me do it but I did). I found a recipe on-line and gave it a go. My local grocery store did not have ground lamb so I used all beef. The kibbee came out moist and tasty. I was so happy.

A little note: Note sure if this helped with the moistness of the kibbee, but I used some of the bulgar that I had soaking in water for the tabouleh.

Baked Lebanese Kibbee

1 pound (500 g) lean ground beef or lamb

1/2 cup fine- to medium-grade bulgar (crushed wheat)

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons pine nuts or walnuts

2 tablespoons dried parsley

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon peanut oil

1/2 teaspoon dried mint

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine the meat, bulgar, onion, water, parsley, mint, allspice,

pepper, and cinnamon in a food processor. Process until doughy.

Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Lightly oil an 8 inch square baking

dish or a 9 inch round baking dish. Pat half of the meat mixture

into the pan. Sprinkle the nuts over the top. Then cover with the

remaining meat. While still in the pan, cut the kibbe into 1 1/2

inch square or diamond shapes. Brush the peanut oil over the top.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until firm and browned well. Serve

the kibbe from the pan or invert it onto a platter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I did make the Tahini & Tabouleh. I used the recipe for Tahini from a previous post. I love making Tahini.

I have made Tabouleh in the past and it was okay. This time I really enjoyed it.

Tabouleh

Ingredients:

•2 bunches of fresh parsley (1 1/2 cup chopped, with stems discarded)
•2 tablespoons of fresh mint, chopped
•I medium onion, finely chopped
•6 medium tomatoes, diced
•1 tablespoon salt
•1/2 teaspoon black pepper
•1/2 cup bulghur, medium grade
•6 tablespoons lemon juice
•6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:

Soak bulghur in cold water for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until soft.

Squeeze out excess water from bulghur using hands or paper towel.

Combine all ingredients, except for salt, pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil.

Line serving bowl with grape leaves or romaine lettuce, and add salad.

Sprinkle olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper on top.

Serve immediately or chill in refrigerator for 2 hours before serving.

Chicken Cordon Blue Bread Bowl

2010-09-13T15:51:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe in a Cuisine At Home magazine. Unfortunately I do not have this magazine right now to post the recipe (I lent it to my sister-in-law).

It was a tasty recipe but there was something that was off. It could have been our taste buds but not really sure. I loved the idea of making a bread bowl for dinner (my boys love the ones from Dominos Pizza).

I will post the recipe as soon as I get the magazine back. In the meantime you can stare at the picture I took of it... lol...

Kathleen King's Double Chocolate Almond Cookies

2010-09-13T15:39:00.000-07:00

I love chocolate cookies, especially if there are chocolate chips in there... I was watching an episode of Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network and she had a guest on by the name of Kathleen King.

I knew I had to make these cookies!!!

Kathleen King's Double Chocolate Almond Cookies

Ingredients

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) salted butter, softened to room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 cup firmly packed dark or light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup almonds, chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream the butter and sugars. Add the egg and vanilla and mix together. Add the flour mixture and continue mixing until just combined.

Add the chocolates and almonds and mix until combined. Using two tablespoons or a small ice cream scoop, drop the dough two inches apart on sheet pans lined with parchment. Bake for 15 minutes.

Cool the cookies on the cookie sheets. The cookies should be very soft when they are removed from the oven. They will firm up as they cool.

Tuna Steaks with Olive-Caper Sauce

2010-08-22T05:22:00.000-07:00

This is another recipe from my Cuisine at Home magazine. I wanted to try some different recipes with ingredients I have never used before. This recipe calls for Farro. What the heck is Farro I asked myself and will my local grocery store have it??? Sure enough they did.

This recipe was super super easy to make. It was tasty. My local fishmonger did not have tuna so I went with swordfish steaks. I chose not to buy frozen tuna since the last time I bought some I did not like the frozen taste.

Tuna Steaks with Olive-Caper Sauce

For the sauce:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup capers

1/4 cup pitted and sliced kalamata olives

2 Tbsp. minced shallots

2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

For the Tuna:

4 fresh tuna steaks

olive oil, salt and black pepper

Preheat grill to medium-high.

Heat 1/2 cup evoo in a saucepan over medium-low heat until it shimmers. Add capers, olives and shallots; simmer 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in parsley and lemon juice just before serving.

Rub tuna lightly with oil and season with salt & black pepper. Grill tuna, covered, 3 minutes per side for medium-rare steaks. Remove from the grill, tent with foil and rest 3 minutes. Serve steak with sauce and lemon wedges.

Farro Salad with Tomatoes & Feta

1 cup dry pearled or semi-pearled farro

1 cup diced tomatoes

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

minced zest of 1 lemon

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

salt & pepper to taste

Cook farro in a saucepan of boiling salted water according to package directions; or until tender 15-20 minutes; drain and set aside.

Combine tomatoes, feta and parsley in a medium bowl. Stir in farrow, zest and lemon juice. Season with salt & pepper.

Margherita Pasta with Grilled Chicken

2010-08-22T05:07:00.000-07:00

This is a very simple and fast recipe I found in my Cuisine At Home magazine (August 2010).

For the pasta:

8 oz dry spaghetti

3 cups halved grape or cherry tomatoes (12 oz)

2 cups diced fresh mozzarella (8 oz)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste
toasted pine nuts

For the chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (4-5 oz each)
evoo, dried oregano, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes

Directions:
Preheat grill to medium-high. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the spaghetti.

Cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain and set aside.

Combine tomatoes and mozzarella for the pasta in a bowl; set aside.

Coat chicken with oil, oregano, salt, pepper and pepper flakes. Grill, covered until cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Remove chicken from grill and tent with foil; rest 3-4 minutes. Slice each breast into strips.

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Toss tomato and cheese mixture with the garlic-infused oil and pasta. Stir in basil; season with salt, pepper and pepper flakes.

To serve, divide pasta mixture among 4 bowls, and top with sliced chicken and pine nuts.

Penne Alla Vodka

2010-08-22T04:56:00.000-07:00

This was an easy recipe to make. I was a little concerned about igniting the vodka. When I did it I was excited but standing there saying holey moley that flame is pretty high. I tried taking a picture of the flame but realized I had the flash on.. Oh well maybe next time.

Penne Alla Vodka

3 Tbs butter

1 Tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 small onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup chopped prosciutto
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup of vodka
1/2 cup whipping (heavy) cream
1/2 cup sliced imported Italian black olives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 package (16 ounces) penne or mostaccioli
2 Tbs freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat butter and oil in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Saute garlic and onion in butter mixture. Stir in prosciutto and chicken. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is brown. Stir in vodka. Heat over high heat until hot.

Carefully ignite. Stir in whipping cream, olives parsley and pepper when flame dies out. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened.

Cook penne as directed on package. Mix penne and cream mixture; top with cheese.

Homemade Limoncello

2010-08-21T11:10:00.000-07:00

This past May my sister-in-law Kathy and her husband Bob went to Italy for a week. After they got back we went over to see them. They were so kind to bring me back a dish towel that had some lemons on it and the recipe for Limoncello (in Italian & English). Thanks Kathy & Bob. They also brought back some Italian Limoncello. Mmmmm... Is all I had to say.

Since I liked the what I had at their house I thought I would give the homemade version of it a try.

First you will need an air tight container. A bottle of vodka (I used 80 proof). The peels of 8 lemons. I used a vegetable peeler. Make sure you do not get any of the white pith.

In your jar, place the lemon peels and vodka then put the cover on.

Let the lemon peels and vodka sit for seven days. I sloshed mine around everyday. After 7 days your lemon peels will look somewhat pale.

Now strain the vodka from the peels and set aside.

Meanwhile, mix 5 cups of water and 3 cups of sugar together in a sauce pan. Let it cool to room temp. Next pour the vodka mixture into the water. You will notice a slight cloudiness. This is normal.

After mixing the water with the vodka pour into bottles that can be sealed. I used a variety of bottles. One of my best friends Melissa told me to use the small wine bottles, so of course I had to go buy some and drink them. lol... I don't know why I didn't keep the vodka bottles that I emptied for the recipe. I guess just dumb thinking on my part.

I thought it came out pretty darn tasty. One night we had about twenty people over to the house and I took out one of the larger bottles for everyone to try. It was a hit especially with one neice's husband who doesn't like lemon. Another night we took a large bottle over to a brother-in-law's cookout and it was a hit there. Actually someone put an order in for Labor Day weekend..

I will be making this over and over...

P.S. Don't forget to make homemade lemonade with all those naked lemons. I had doubled the limoncello recipe so I have alot of naked lemons.

Citrus Marinated Jerk Chicken with Mango Salsa

2010-07-23T15:47:00.000-07:00

Lately it seems all the cooking shows have been showing similar recipes. A couple of days ago Sunny Anderson from Cooking for Real was making Caribbean Jerk Chicken. It looked great. I haven't had Jerk chicken in years.

I made another trip to the grocery store this week for the ingredients I didn't have. Yes, that does happen once, twice maybe even three times a week especially if I didn't make a menu for that week.

I found a recipe that uses a Jerk rub instead of a sauce. I love putting all the herbs together for rubs. The smells are wonderful.

I made the Jerk Chicken with the Mango salsa and some rice.

This recipe came from Tasty Kitchen.

Citrus Marinated Jerk Chicken with Mango Salsa

•FOR THE MARINADE:

•2 pounds Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast Cutlets
•1 whole Orange, Juiced
•1 whole Lemon, Juiced
•2 whole Limes, Juiced
•2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
_________________________________

•For The Spice Mixture

•2 Tablespoons Paprika
•1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
•1 Tablespoon Granulated Garlic Powder
•1 Tablespoon Granulated Onion Powder
•1 teaspoon Rubbed Sage
•1 teaspoon Allspice
•1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
•1 teaspoon Chili Powder
•1 teaspoon Sweet Basil
•1 teaspoon Black Pepper
•1 teaspoon Dried Thyme
•½ teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
__________________________________

•FOR THE SALSA:

•2 whole Naval Oranges, Peeled And Diced
•2 whole Ripe Mangos, Peeled And Diced
•1-½ cup Fresh Pineapple, Peeled, Cored, And Diced
•1 whole Small Red Pepper, Seeded And Diced
•1 bunch Fresh Cilantro, Chopped
•3 Tablespoons Fresh Chives, Finely Chopped
•1 Tablespoon Fresh Or Bottled Lime Juice
•1 Tablespoon Honey
•1 pinch Salt

Preparation Instructions

1) Place marinade ingredients in a gallon zip bag. Add chicken and marinate for 30 minutes to one hour. Discard marinade.

2) In a small bowl with tight fitting lid, mix all spice ingredients, set aside.

3) In a medium size bowl, mix all salsa ingredients together and refrigerate until ready to serve.

4) Preheat gas grill for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, season each piece of chicken with spice mixture. Label and store any leftover spice mix in a cool, dry storage.

3) Grill chicken on medium high heat for 6-8 minutes or until juices run clear.

Iced Chai

2010-07-23T15:39:00.000-07:00

I have to admit I don't think I have ever had an Iced Chai before this week. I received my latest Cuisine At Home magazine last week. I have looked through it several times and the one recipe that stood out was the Iced Chai. I was intrigued by the ingredients.

I finally made it. The house had a wonderful aroma from the spices. I had to substitute some anise extract for the whole star anise.

After the Chai was done cooling I decided to try it out. Wow, what flavor this drink has. The one thing I noticed was after you finished your sip there was a "dance" of flavors on my tongue. I know. I know sounds strange. I guess I can not explain it much more than that.

This drink may very well become my afternoon drink instead of coffee.

Iced Chai

2 1/2 cups water

3 green cardamom pods, crushed

1 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed

1 piece fresh ginger, cut into 1-inch coins

5 star anise, whole

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, ground

4 looseblack tea leaves or tea bags

2 cups milk, reduced fat (skim, 1% or 2%)

2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

ice cubes

Directions:

1 Place water in saucepan over medium heat. 2 Add crushed cardamom pods and peppercorns. 3 Add ginger, star anise and cinnamon; bring to a boil for 1 minute. 4 Add black tea, simmer 5 minutes. 5 Stir in milk; return to simmer. Sweeten with turbanado sugar to taste; remove tea from heat. 6 Cool chai to room temperature. Once cool, pour through a fine mesh sieve into a pitcher. Discard solids. 7 Refrigerate chai up to one week. 8 To serve, fill glasses with ice; pour chai over ice.

** I'm sorry for the horrible photo

Sno-Cones

2010-07-23T15:28:00.000-07:00

What child doesn't like a cold sno-cone on a hot summer day???? Let me tell you these past 2-3 weeks here in New England have been hot and humid. Did I ever tell you I don't care for summer with this amount of humidity??

I try to watch the Food Network everyday to get some ideas of what to cook for the coming week. I was watching Cooking for Real with Sunny Anderson one day and she happened to be making some Kiwi Sno Cones. Man, did those look yummy. One thing she used was her food processor to shave the ice down to "snow". The first thought that went through my mind was, do I dare use my 16 year old food processor??? Yes, this is the same one I got as a wedding gift. The reason I asked myself that question was, it is not in that great of shape (ie I can not grate cheese in it since the post to hold the grater broke. another reason I see a spark when I push the button to use it). I am eyeing a couple different new food processors but still need to convince my husband I need one.

Anyway, getting back to the Sno Cones. I got the stuff out and made them for the family the other night. Let's just say it hit the spot. The first night I made Black Cherry. The second night I made Lemon for the boys and Margarita ones for me and my husband. The rita's ended up being in between a frozen rita and on the rocks, but boy were they yummy.

Summertime Sno-Cones

Snow Cone Syrup

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup water

1 package unsweetened Kool-Aid, any flavor

Directions:

Place the sugar and water in a medium pan and bring to a full boil. Remove from heat and stir in the Kool-Aid. Cool to room temperature, then place in the refrigerator until chilled. Pour over crushed iced.

*** Recently I bought some of those squeeze bottles for when you make chocolate molds. I put the syrup in the squeeze bottles and pour over the ice...

Heirloom Tomatoes - Brandywine

2010-07-23T15:14:00.000-07:00

In the last couple of years I have heard all about Heirloom Tomatoes. I remember watching the Martha Stewart Show sometime ago and was intrigued by these funky shaped but beautiful tomatoes. I kinda put them at the back of my head until my friend Jen told me about the plant she bought. I could just imagine my ears perking up when she told me where to get them. The next day I drove to the nursery and bought myself a plant. The plant was 4 feet tall and had several green globes on them. I only paid $15 for the plant. I have had several tomatoes off of the plant. Boy they are juicy, sweet and delicious.

Mini Meatball Subs

2010-07-17T15:48:00.000-07:00

Every week I make a dinner menu for that week. Last week The Pioneer Women had a recipe for mini meatball subs on her webpage. When I saw the picture I knew that would go on the menu. I did not use her recipe just the idea.

I actually just threw some ingredients (normal ones for meatballs) into the bowl, formed them and started to brown them up. They ended up to be about 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter.

The sauce I had made and had in the freezer. So I just dumped that into the pan to warm up with the meatballs.

To top the sandwiches off I slice some fresh mozzarella ontop of the hot sauce and meatballs. Man were they messy.

Spicy Italian Pork Cutlets

2010-07-17T15:38:00.000-07:00

I am a big fan of pork roast. I tend to make them the same way lately and wanted to try something different. I sat down at the computer and searched for recipes. After a while I decided on a few different ones and printed them. Luckily I had all the ingredients for the different recipes.

I picked a Spicy Pork Roast recipe since I had some tomatoes I needed to use. As I was prepping the ingredients I was thinking this recipe sounded familiar. After looking at the ingredients closer I realized it is almost the same as my Ravioli Pomodaro recipe. I will say the pork wasn't nearly as spicy as the ravioli recipe.

We all liked this recipe and I would definitely make it again. It was such an easy recipe to make.

Spicy Italian Pork Cutlets

Ingredients

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided

4 boneless pork chops, pounded to 1/4 inch thick

salt and pepper to taste

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 large tomato, diced

1/3 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup dry white wine

3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions

1.Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper, and quickly sear on both sides. Remove from heat, and set aside.

2.Heat the remaining olive oil in the skillet over medium-high heat, and saute the garlic about 30 seconds. Mix in the tomato, chicken broth, wine, parsley, and red pepper flakes. Cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes.

3.Return the pork chops to the skillet, and continue cooking 5 to 10 minutes, to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Serve pork with the tomato and broth mixture from the skillet.

Cream Cheese and Pecan Stuffed Berries

2010-07-17T15:32:00.000-07:00

I love watching the Food Network, if you haven't already figured that out. I happened to have caught Paula Deen cooking with her son Jamie on tv one day. One particular recipe jumped out at me ~ Cream Cheese Filled Berries. They looked absolutely delicious. I did make one change to the recipe, I used Marscapone cheese instead of the cream cheese. Oh I lied, I didn't have any pecans so I used walnuts.

The night I made these little gems we had my sister in law Kathy and her husband over for dinner & a dip in the pool. Everyone thought the were delicious and could not guess what the filling was.

Cream Cheese and Pecan Stuffed Berries

Ingredients

20 whole large strawberries, hulled

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup confectioners' powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
2/3 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Cut a thin slice from the bottom of each strawberry so the berries stand upright. Place berries, cut side down, on a serving platter. Carefully cut the berries into 4 wedges, cutting almost to, but not through, the bottoms with a criss-cross cut. Fan wedges just slightly, taking care not to break them. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until combined but still stiff. Using a teaspoon or pastry bag with decorative tip, fill the strawberries with the cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top of the stuffed strawberries. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Fresh Lettuce

2010-06-07T04:02:00.000-07:00

As you may know I have a small raised garden bed in my backyard. This year we thought we would try some "fancy" lettuce blend. I really don't know what type of lettuce are in bunches but they sure are pretty.

Yesterday I cut some of the lettuce back to have for a salad with tonight's dinner. While rinsing the lettuce I decided to try a piece of each kind. There was one that I liked and the other two were on the bitter side. I'm sure with all the other fixin's I will not taste the bitterness as much as by itselft.

I'm really excited that the garden is starting to show some flowers and growth. I was starting to wonder if any of the plants would survive the cold snap we had a few weeks ago. While I was looking around the garden I noticed my broc had some florets showing. I can not wait for that.

Barefoot Bloggers - Grilled Herbed Shrimp

2010-06-07T03:57:00.000-07:00

For our second recipe of May 2010, Penny of Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen picked a wonderful Grilled Herbed Shrimp recipe.

I hardly ever cook shrimp since the boys aren't big fans of it. My husband and I really liked this recipe. I thought the shrimp were nicely marinated. The pain of the whole recipe was peeling the shrimp. For this recipe I served it over a nice fresh garden salad.

I will make this recipe again but cut it in half. Thank you Penny for a wonderful choice.

Grilled Herbed Shrimp

Ingredients

2 pounds large shrimp (16 to 20 per pound), peeled and deveined (see note)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium yellow onion, small-diced

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

1/4 cup minced fresh basil

1 teaspoon dry mustard

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup good olive oil

1 lemon, juiced

Directions

Combine all the ingredients and allow them to marinate for 1 hour at room temperature or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Skewer the shrimp. I use 3 or 4 shrimp on a 12-inch skewer for dinner. Heat a grill with coals and brush the grill with oil to prevent the shrimp from sticking. Grill the shrimp for only 1 1/2 minutes on each side.

Note: I leave the tails on when I'm peeling the shrimp.

Barefoot Bloggers - Spring Green Risotto

2010-05-18T15:32:00.000-07:00

I have to say I have grown to love risotto. I love the creaminess of it. I like the idea of all the different ingredients you can put in it. I enjoy making risotto even though you have to stand there and babysit it. My boys don't really care for risotto. One will eat it one way and the other one definitely doesn't like lemon.

Spring Green Risotto by Ina Garten

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 leeks)

1 cup chopped fennel

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
2/3 cup dry white wine
4 to 5 cups simmering chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 pound thin asparagus
10 ounces frozen peas, defrosted, or 1 1/2 cups shelled fresh peas
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese, preferably Italian
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
3 tablespoons minced fresh chives, plus extra for serving

Directions

Heat the olive oil and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks and fennel and saute for 5 to 7 minutes, until tender. Add the rice and stir for a minute to coat with the vegetables, oil, and butter. Add the white wine and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until most of the wine has been absorbed. Add the chicken stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring almost constantly and waiting for the stock to be absorbed before adding more. This process should take 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the asparagus diagonally in 1 1/2-inch lengths and discard the tough ends. Blanch in boiling salted water for 4 to 5 minutes, until al dente. Drain and cool immediately in ice water. (If using fresh peas, blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes until the starchiness is gone.)

When the risotto has been cooking for 15 minutes, drain the asparagus and add it to the risotto with the peas, lemon zest, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Continue cooking and adding stock, stirring almost constantly, until the rice is tender but still firm.

Whisk the lemon juice and mascarpone together in a small bowl. When the risotto is done, turn off the heat and stir in the mascarpone mixture plus the Parmesan cheese and chives. Set aside, off the heat, for a few minutes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve hot with a sprinkling of chives and more Parmesan cheese.

Bobby Flay Flank Steak

2010-05-18T15:23:00.000-07:00

Last week my husband happen to be home while I was watching Bobbie Flay - Grill It. Bobbie & his wife Stephanie were cooking flank steaks with a Mexican twist. We thought the steaks looked great. We planned to make this while our boys were at Boy Scout Camp.

Before dropping the boys off, my husband and I preppred/cooked what needed to be cooked.

I did not make the chimichurri sauce, instead I had made the tomatillo sauce. I do have to say I love the tomatillo sauce over salsa.

It was a perfect evening grilling with my husband, having margaritas and sitting by the fire pit.

Don't you just love the fancy plates... lol

Flank Steak Crostini by Bobby Flay

Ingredients

Steak:

2 cups red wine
1 cup cassis
1/4 cup canola oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
Freshly ground black pepper
1 (2 to 3-pound) flank steak
Kosher salt

Chimichurri Sauce:

1 cup cilantro leaves
1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/2 cup mint leaves
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3/4 to 1 cup olive oil
1/4 to 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Vidalia Relish:

3 Vidalia or other sweet onions, skin on, sliced 1/4-inch thick
Canola oil
1 tablespoon Bobby Flay Poultry Rub
Kosher salt and black pepper
4 green onions, sliced
1 serrano chile, minced with the seeds
2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 to 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

To serve:

1 baguette
Olive or canola oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Steak:

Directions

Mix the wine, cassis, oil and black pepper in a nonreactive dish. Add the steak, turn to coat, and marinate at room temperature 1 hour.

Sauce:

Pulse the herbs and garlic in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Add 3/4 cup oil, 1/4 cup vinegar and salt and pepper, to taste, and pulse to make a soupy vinaigrette — it will look a bit creamy until it settles. Add more oil and/or vinegar if too thick. Set aside.

Preheat the grill to high. Remove the steak from the marinade and season with salt and more pepper. Grill, covered, until nicely charred and medium rare, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove from the grill and rest 5 to 10 minutes before slicing across the grain.

Relish:

Brush the onions with some canola oil and season with rub, salt and pepper. Grill the onions, turning, until charred and soft. Remove from the grill and chop coarsely. Chop again with the green onions and then stir them together with the chile, oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper.

Slice the baguette on a diagonal 1/4-inch thick. Brush with oil, season with salt and pepper and grill briefly, until just starting to crisp. Top each piece with some sauce, a slice or 2 of steak, more sauce and some relish.

Southwest Breakfast

2010-05-08T17:37:00.000-07:00

My husband and I recently went out for breakfast. That morning he had a Southwest omellette. I thought I could make something like that. So the next week I gave it a try. I wanted something other than the hash browns so I cut up some tortillas and fried them in some oil.

After I was done with the chips I got started on the eggs. I made the normal omellette but added some peppers, cheese and onions. When the eggs were done I topped it with more cheese to melt.

I placed some chips down and placed the eggs on top. Then I added some salsa topped witha chip.

We thought it was pretty tasty.

Garden 2010

2010-05-08T17:24:00.000-07:00

This year I finally got my two raised veggie beds. We ran to Home Depot to get the 2x4x8 (12) pieces of wood. Do not use pressure treated.

Our boys are in Boy Scouts and they are working on their Carpentry Merit Badges. One of the requirements is to make a piece of furniture or something to use around the house (something like that). They managed to make then in one afternoon with little assistance from my husband. A couple days later we moved them to the spots, layed weedblock and shoveled in the compost. Once the compost was in, I planted all the veggies (still need to buy the tomatoes).

Hopefully this year we will be having fresh lettuce, snow peas, sugar peas, brocolli, cauliflower, celery, eggplant, peppers and two different types of cucumbers.

Here are my photos of the semi-finished garden.

I am still working on my herb garden. I have added garlic, chives and tarragon this year.

Tomatillo Sauce

2010-05-08T17:15:00.000-07:00

My husband and I went out for dinner at a favorite Mexican restaurant Casa Blanca. As with most Mexican Restaurants they bring out salsa and chips, well last time we were there they had brought out something that looked like cole slaw with the chips/salsa. I didn't care for it. This time they brought out the salsa, chips and a green semi watery concoction. I was hesitant on trying it. Once I did I loved it. I rattled off to my husband what I thought was in it. Then I asked the waiter the ingredients. He said exactly what I thought and a couple more.

Tomatillo Sauce

Tomatillos

lime juice

garlic

cilantro

jalapeno

avocado

cumin

I couldn't tell you how much I used since I was winging it. I did boil the tomatillos for about 5 minutes, chopped and tossed into the blender with the rest of the ingredients. I used a whole avocado which made the dip/sauce more creamier than what the restaurant served.

I will be making this more often...

Lemon Meringue Cupcake

2010-02-03T09:41:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine had posted a blog that featured a cupcake challenge based on the Martha Stewart Cupcake Cookbook. Each month there is one cupcake featured and you are to bake that cupcake. I have not personally signed up for this challenge, especially since I do not own the cookbook. I do want try the recipes so I looked at the Martha Stewart website and found some of the featured cupcakes.

I decided I would give the Lemon Meringue Cupcakes a whirl. I am so glad I did. I love the tartness of the lemons. This just hit the right button...

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes
by Martha Stewart

Ingredients

Makes 24

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
Finely grated zest of 3 lemons (about 3 tablespoons), plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

2.With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is until incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in zest and vanilla. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk and lemon juice, and beating until just combined after each.

3.Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

4.To finish, spread 1 tablespoon lemon curd onto middle of each cupcake. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large open-star tip (Ateco #828 or Wilton #8B) with frosting. Pipe frosting onto each cupcake, swirling tip slightly and releasing as you pull up to form a peak. Hold a small kitchen torch 3 to 4 inches from surface of frosting, and wave it back and forth until frosting is lightly browned all over. Serve immediately.

Lemon Curd:

8 large egg yolks
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
1 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces

Directions

1.Combine yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar in a heavy-bottom saucepan; whisk to combine. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon (be sure to scrape the sides of the pan), until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, 8 to 10 minutes, and registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.

2.Remove saucepan from heat. Add salt and butter, one piece at a time, stirring until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve into a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled and set, at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.

Seven-Minute Frosting:

Makes about 8 cups

1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2/3 cup water
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
6 large egg whites, room temperature

Directions

1.Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar with the water and corn syrup in a small saucepan; clip a candy thermometer to side of pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Continue boiling, without stirring, until syrup reaches 230 degrees.

2.Meanwhile, in the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. With mixer running, add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, beating to combine.

3.As soon as sugar syrup reaches 230 degrees, remove from heat. With mixer on medium-low speed, pour syrup down side of bowl in a slow, steady stream. Raise speed to medium-high; whisk until mixture is completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl) and stiff (but not dry) peaks form, about 7 minutes. Use immediately.

Spicy Tuscan Soup

2010-02-03T09:32:00.000-08:00

It was really could this past weekend. I'm not kidding like 0 degrees at night. BRRR... It was definitely a weekend to stay inside and keep warm. While staying warm I decided to work on my weekly menu, yes I'm back to making them. I wanted to have atleast a soup and sandwich night.

As I was looking around the internet I found myself on the Pioneer Women's website. Then I meandered over to the Tasty Kitchen section. One of the featured recipes caught my eye. It was a Spicy Tuscan Soup. Oh yum that sounded great.

I made it this past Monday night for dinner and had a sandwich with it.

Spicy Tuscan Soup

by iamcaressa

via Tasty Kitchen

•1 pound Spicy Breakfast Sausage

•1 whole Medium Red Onion, Diced

•2 slices Bacon, Diced

•3 cloves Garlic, Minced

•3 whole Medium Potatoes

•1 quart Water

•3 cubes Chicken Bouillon

•¼ bunches Kale, Roughly Chopped

•½ cups Heavy Cream

•Salt And Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Crumble sausage into a dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat until cooked through. Drain and set aside.

Chop onions and dice bacon; add to the dutch oven. Reduce heat to medium and cook until onions are clear. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and cut into 1/4″ slices. Add warm water, bouillon cubes and potatoes and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until potatoes are almost done.

Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 5 more minutes. Let cool and serve with warm garlic breadsticks.

Beef & Veggie Pot Pies

2010-02-03T09:24:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't like a decent pot pie once in a while, especially during these New England winters. I usually make chicken pot pies but really wasn't in the mood for them. I had some beef stew meat and didn't want stew again (had it a couple weeks ago). So I sat down at the computer and looked up a recipe for Beef Pot Pies.

The one that interested me the most was by Ina Garten. Her recipe called for saffron and Pernod. When I read the recipe I was like what the Hey is Pernod??? I opted to leave out the saffron and Pernod.

Vegetable Pot Pie

by Ina Garten

Ingredients

12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)

2 cups sliced yellow onions (2 onions)

1 fennel bulb, top and core removed, thinly sliced crosswise

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups good chicken stock

1 tablespoon Pernod (omitted)

Pinch saffron threads (omitted)

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons heavy cream

1 1/2 cups large-diced potatoes (1/2 pound)

1 1/2 cups asparagus tips

1 1/2 cups peeled, 3/4-inch-diced carrots (4 carrots)

1 1/2 cups peeled, 3/4-inch-diced butternut squash (omitted)

1 1/2 cups frozen small whole onions (1/2 pound) (omitted)

1/2 cup minced flat-leaf parsley

For the pastry: (I used premade pastry dough)

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 to 2/3 cup ice water
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
Flaked sea salt and cracked black pepper

Directions

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and fennel and saute until translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the flour, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Slowly add the stock, Pernod, saffron, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the heavy cream and season to taste. The sauce should be highly seasoned.

Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 10 minutes. Lift out with a sieve. Add the asparagus, carrots, and squash to the pot and cook in the boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain well. Add the potatoes, mixed vegetables, onions, and parsley to the sauce and mix well.

For the pastry, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the shortening and butter and mix quickly with your fingers until each piece is coated with flour. Pulse 10 times, or until the fat is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Divide the filling equally among 4 ovenproof bowls. Divide the dough into quarters and roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Brush the outside edges of each bowl with the egg wash, then place the dough on top. Trim the circle to 1/2-inch larger than the top of the bowl. Crimp the dough to fold over the sides, pressing it to make it stick. Brush the dough with egg wash and make 3 slits in the top. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.

Barefoot Bloggers - Shrimp Bisque

2010-01-31T14:44:00.000-08:00

Jennifer of Our Blessed Home has chosen Ina's Shrimp Bisque recipe for our last recipe of January 2010.

Please do not laugh when I tell you all this. I have NEVER had Shrimp or Lobster Bisque before. I don't really like seafood chowder. BUT, I really enjoyed the Shrimp Bisque. I was so proud of myself for making it.

Shrimp Bisque

Ingredients

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved

4 cups seafood stock

3 tablespoons good olive oil

2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (3 leeks)

1 tablespoon chopped garlic (3 cloves)

Pinch cayenne pepper

1/4 cup Cognac or brandy

1/4 cup dry sherry

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups half-and-half

1/3 cup tomato paste

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Place the shrimp shells and seafood stock in a saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain and reserve the stock. Add enough water to make 3 3/4 cups.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the leeks and cook them for 10 minutes over medium-low heat, or until the leeks are tender but not browned. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute. Add the cayenne pepper and shrimp and cook over medium to low heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the Cognac and cook for 1 minute, then the sherry and cook for 3 minutes longer. Transfer the shrimp and leeks to a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until coarsely pureed.

In the same pot, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook over medium-low heat for 1 minute, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the half-and-half and cook, stirring with a whisk, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the pureed shrimp, the stock, tomato paste, salt, and pepper and heat gently until hot but not boiling. Season, to taste, and serve hot.

Barefoot Bloggers Challenge - Indonesian Ginger Chicken

2010-01-24T06:02:00.000-08:00

Todd of A Cooking Dad has chosen Indonesian Ginger Chicken, which can be found in The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook on page 125, for our first recipe of January 2010.

When I was putting the marinade ingredients together my husband was like "that is an awful lot of soy sauce. It's going to be salty." I told him I would hope a cook/chef wouldn't have you cook with that much if it was going to make your food taste salty. Remember they are trained professionals, dear heart. I realized I only bought one cut up chicken instead two, oops. Next time I will have to make two since my oldest son had three pieces of chicken.

I thought the recipe was very good. It had a light fresh taste. I served the chicken with a ginger rice.

Indonesian Ginger Chicken
Ina Garten

Ingredients

1 cup honey
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup minced garlic (8 to 12 cloves)
1/2 cup peeled and grated fresh ginger root
2 (3 1/2 pound) chickens, quartered, with backs removed

Directions

Cook the honey, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger root in a small saucepan over low heat until the honey is melted. Arrange the chicken in 1 layer in a shallow baking pan, skin side down, and pour on the sauce. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the baking pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover the pan, turn the chicken skin side up, and raise the temperature to 375 degrees F. Continue baking for 30 minutes or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh and the sauce is a rich, dark brown.

Barefoot Bloggers Challenge - Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

2010-01-07T05:42:00.000-08:00

Again I didn't make both recipes for the month of December 2009. I actually had two sick kids and I was sick for over a week.

Michelle of Welcome to the Club picked the second recipe for the Barefoot Bloggers challenge group.

I thought this was a tasty and savory snack. I also thought were a little heavy on my stomache but that could be from not being 100% well.

I would make these for an appetizer by using the smaller mushrooms.

Sorry I forgot to photograph them.

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients

16 extra-large white mushrooms
5 tablespoons good olive oil, divided
2 1/2 tablespoons Marsala wine or medium sherry
3/4 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from the casings
6 scallions, white and green parts, minced
2 garlic cloves minced
2/3 cup panko crumbs
5 ounces mascarpone cheese, preferably from Italy
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Remove the stems from the mushrooms and chop them finely. Set aside. Place the mushroom caps in a shallow bowl and toss with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and Marsala. Set aside.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage, crumbling it with the back of a wooden spoon. Cook the sausage for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until it's completely browned. Add the chopped mushroom stems and cook for 3 more minutes. Stir in the scallions and garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the panko crumbs, stirring to combine evenly with all the other ingredients. Finally, swirl in the mascarpone and continue cooking until the mascarpone has melted and made the sausage mixture creamy. Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan, parsley, and season with salt and pepper, to taste, Cool slightly.

Fill each mushroom generously with the sausage mixture. Arrange the mushrooms in a baking dish large enough to hold all the mushrooms in a snug single layer. Bake until the stuffing for 50 minutes, until the stuffing is browned and crusty.

Barefoot Bloggers Challenge - Company Pot Roast

2010-01-07T05:36:00.000-08:00

I feel I haven't blogged or participated in any of the challenges lately. It has been crazy around here for the past couple of months and I failed to complete both recipes for November & December.

One of November 2009's recipe was Company Pot Roast by Ina Garten. This recipe was brought to us by Lisa of Lime in the Coconut.

We really enjoyed this flavorful dish. I will definitely be making again soon.

Company Pot Roast

Ingredients

1 (4 to 5-pound) prime boneless beef chuck roast, tied

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour
Good olive oil
2 cups chopped carrots (4 carrots)
2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
2 cups chopped celery (4 stalks)
2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 to 4 leeks)
5 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 cups good red wine, such as Burgundy
2 tablespoons Cognac or brandy
1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes in puree
1 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 chicken bouillon cube
3 branches fresh thyme
2 branches fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Pat the beef dry with a paper towel. Season the roast all over with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Dredge the whole roast in flour, including the ends. In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the roast and sear for 4 to 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Turn and sear the other side and then turn and sear the ends. This should take 4 to 5 minutes for each side. Remove the roast to a large plate.

Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the Dutch oven. Add the carrots, onions, celery, leeks, garlic, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper and cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned. Add the wine and Cognac and bring to a boil. Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, bouillon cube, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Tie the thyme and rosemary together with kitchen string and add to the pot. Put the roast back into the pot, bring to a boil, and cover. Place in the oven for 2 1/2 hours, until the meat is fork tender or about 160 degrees F internally. Turn the heat down to 250 degrees F after about an hour to keep the sauce at a simmer.

Remove the roast to a cutting board. Remove the herb bundle and discard. Skim off as much fat as possible from the sauce. Transfer half the sauce and vegetables to a blender or a food processor fitted with the steel blade and puree until smooth. Pour the puree back into the pot, place on the stovetop over low heat, and return the sauce to a simmer. Place 2 tablespoons flour and the butter in a small bowl and mash them together with a fork. Stir into the sauce and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring until thickened. Taste for seasonings. Remove the strings from the roast, and slice the meat. Serve warm with the sauce spooned over it.

Blue Cheese Souffle

2009-11-11T13:49:00.000-08:00

Wow I totally forgot to post for this recipe.

Summer of Sexy Apartment had chosen Blue Cheese Souffle as the second recipe for October. It can be found in the Barefoot in Paris Cookbook on Page 50.

I had never eaten souffle in my entire life. So this was a test for myself and my guys. For some reason my souffle did not puff up and crack like I have seen in other photos. Not sure why, maybe someone can help me.

I thought it tasted pretty good. The boys weren't so keen on it. My husband usually tells me if they are recipes that we could make over and over, but this just wasn't one of them. Sorry Summer. I hope I don't offend you...

Homemade Fresh Pasta

2009-10-17T04:14:00.000-07:00

This past summer I was given a great birthday gift from my good friend Melissa. She gave me the pasta roller attachments to my Kitchenaid. I was intimidated by them. When I was at William Sonoma I signed up for their pasta class. I am so glad I went to that class. The instructor made it seem so easy to make the pasta. She also showed us the new pasta attachment that I so want for Christmas. I could write up a whole blog entry about that gadget.

Anyway, back to the pasta. I came home that afternoon after the class and made the pasta dough. I went through the process of letting it rest. Then I started to work on rolling it through the pasta roller.

Next thing my youngest son Nicholas wanted to help. Sure okay you can. He thought it was the coolest gadget/toy mom has ever had. The little bugger took over making the pasta. I stood there like "hey when do I get to play with my birthday gift???" All was good. I atleast had some help.

I continued onto making a fresh Alfredo Sauce. Oh yumm...

2009-10-17T04:05:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to see the first recipe of October posted. We love chowdah here in New England. I usually make a different recipe but I will be using this one from now on. It is tastier. I thought it should have been a little thicker.

This recipe was chosen by Jill of My Next Life. The recipe for Cheddar Corn Chowder
can be found in The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook on page 74

Ingredients

8 ounces bacon, chopped
1/4 cup good olive oil
6 cups chopped yellow onions (4 large onions)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
12 cups chicken stock
6 cups medium-diced white boiling potatoes, unpeeled (2 pounds)
10 cups corn kernels, fresh (10 ears) or frozen (3 pounds)
2 cups half-and-half
8 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated

Directions

In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, cook the bacon and olive oil until the bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and butter to the fat, and cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent.

Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, and turmeric and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and potatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. If using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cob and blanch them for 3 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain. (If using frozen corn you can skip this step.) Add the corn to the soup, then add the half-and-half and cheddar. Cook for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve hot with a garnish of bacon.

Barefoot Bloggers Challenge - Beatty's Chocolate Cake

2009-09-26T11:05:00.000-07:00

The last recipe of the month was picked by Mary of Passionate Perseverance. Mary has chosen Beatty’s Chocolate Cake.

I just made this recipe with my youngest son. We did cupcakes instead of a cake. We are taking some of the cupcakes over to my sister-in-laws house for a dessert.

I will post my picture and write tomorrow.

Edit October 17, 2009.

I will have to say I liked the moistness of this cake, however I thought it was too moist. I loved the coffee flavor. Some people could have done without the coffee (not big coffee drinkers).

If I had to make a cake for a special occassion it would be the Birthday Sheet cake. I thought the cake had a richer taste to it and I loved the frosting.

Beatty's Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

Butter, for greasing the pans
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Directions

Chocolate Buttercream, recipe follows.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 2 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

Chocolate Frosting:
6 ounces good semisweet chocolate (recommended: Callebaut)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder

Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

Portuguese Fisherman's Stew

2009-09-12T04:31:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite restaurants here in New Hampshire is called the Galley Hatch. The first time I had this entree at the restaurant I loved it. I order it everytime we go there for dinner.

I have always wanted to try to make this at home. I finally looked around the internet and found several recipes that were close. Then the other day I looked again and found one.

Jasper White's Portuguese Fisherman's Stew

Ingredients

4 tbsp olive oil
4 small bay leaves
1/2 tsp crushed red-pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tbsp)
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves chopped (about 1 tbsp)
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
1 medium-sized red or green bell pepper, halved, seeded, and thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 tsp saffron threads, chopped
1 can (14 oz) whole tomatoes packed in their own juices, drained, juice reserved, and tomatoes cut into strips
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups fish stock, clam juice, chicken broth, or water
1/4 pound chorizo or linguica sausage, casing peeled off and sliced 1/2-inch thick

8 littleneck clams, scrubbed and washed
8 oz fatty fish fillets, such as bluefish or mackerel, skin and blood line (the spongy dark strip found in fast-swimming fish) removed and discarded, and then cut into 4 pieces
8 oz lean fish fillets, such as hake, cod, halibut, or striped bass, cut into 4 pieces
10 oz mussels, scrubbed and debearded

Optional: For the most authentic version, add 4 oz clean squid with tentacles, bodies cut into 1/2-inch-thick rings. (Don't try to clean yourself; just ask fishmonger for "cleaned squid.")
Ground black pepper
Kosher or coarse salt 2 tbsp Italian parsley, chopped
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions

Esquire's note: Have everything chopped, measured, and ready before you start.

In a large pot (8 quart), heat olive oil over medium heat. Add bay leaves and red-pepper flakes, sautéing until sizzling and bay leaves begin to brown. Add garlic, thyme, onion, bell pepper and sauté, stirring frequently until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in saffron and sauté 1 minute.

Add tomatoes and juices, wine, fish stock and increase heat to medium-high. Bring to a boil, stirring once or twice. Stir in chorizo and clams and simmer uncovered for 2 minutes. Add fish and stir to submerge while still raw. Simmer slowly for 5 minutes, reducing heat if stew is boiling too fast. Add mussels and squid, leaving them on top of stew without submerging (steam will cook them), and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove pot from heat and allow to sit for 10 minutes so flavors blend.

Using tongs, evenly distribute fish and shellfish among 4 soup plates. Return broth to heat, add salt and pepper to taste, and stir in parsley and cilantro.
To serve: Ladle hot broth over fish in each bowl, passing side dish of plain white or brown rice.
Jasper White is the proprietor of Summer Shack in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is the author of The Summer Shack Cookbook.Read more: http://www.esquire.com/features/guy-food/fishermans-stew-recipe-ll-0307#ixzz0QtLCxpJH

******** I used swordfish, shrimp and scallops, since those are what the Galley Hatch had in theirs. Besides I don't care for mussels or squid.*********

Barefoot Bloggers Challenge - Birthday Sheet Cake

2009-09-12T04:22:00.000-07:00

Susy of Everyday Gourmet has chosen Birthday Sheet Cake for our first recipe of September.

When I looked at the recipe I though holey moley my arteries are going to be screaming.. lol.. This recipe is not for the person watching their weight.

I did make the cake with one change, instead of using a sheet pan I split the batter between two 8x8 square pans. This way I wouldn't be so tempted to eat the whole cake while home during the day.

I thought it was a tasty cake, especially the chocolate frosting.

Birthday Sheet Cake

Ingredients

For the cake:
18 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups sugar
6 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
8 ounces (about 1 cup) sour cream, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 lemon, zested
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

For the frosting:

24 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Chocolate candies for decorating (recommended: M&M's)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 12 by 18 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.

To make the cake, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. On medium speed, add the eggs, 2 at a time, then the sour cream, vanilla, and lemon zest, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix well. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir just until smooth. Finish mixing by hand to be sure the batter is well mixed. Pour evenly into the pan, smooth the top with a spatula, and bake in the center of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan to room temperature.

For the frosting, place the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a bowl set over a pot of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chips are completely melted. Off the heat, add the corn syrup and vanilla and allow the chocolate mixture to cool to room temperature. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the chocolate mixture and softened butter on medium speed for a few minutes, until it's thickened.

Spread the frosting evenly on the cake. Have the children decorate the cake with chocolate candies.

Lobsters

2009-09-12T03:53:00.000-07:00

We decided to have lobsters for Labor Day. After going to the outlet stores we stopped at a fish store. Holey Moley those little buggers are expensive. We got (4) 1 1/4 lb lobsters. The total purchase price was $50... wow.. We couldn't believe it. Anyway, we also figured since the boys have never had lobster this will probably be the only time we actually buy them for home.

While the water was coming to a boil we put set the tables with the "nut" crackers, poking spears for the claws, extra napkins and a baking dish to put the water from the lobsters & lobster shells in. Good thing my husband was helping because never would have thought of that.

The boys seemed to have enjoyed it but they didn't make it through the whole lobster.

Easy Crepes

2009-09-12T03:31:00.001-07:00

I decided to sign up for some of the demonstration classes at William Sonoma. My first one was Crepes & Croque Monsieur. I have tried making the family some crepes not that long ago and boy was it a mess.

I took notes on my handout while the demonstrator was talking and figured I could make these with no problems.

The following weekend I looked up on the internet for an easy recipe for crepes and found one. So I set out to make my family some breakfast. I filled my with fresh blueberries. The boys had nutella on theirs. My husband had them with just syrup.

Easy Crepes

3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup milk or more
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon sugar
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon oil

I threw all but the oil into a bowl and mixed well. Finally add the oil (some people use melted butter) and stir it in. Don't stir too much at this point. If there is some oil sitting in pools on top that's fine. Make the batter and let it sit for 30 minutes or so. Then stir it again and add a bit more milk if you think it needs it.

Use a non-stick pan (one with low sides to be able to flip) and heat to Medium-High heat before adding any batter.

I used my Pampered chef batter bowl to pour the batter into the pan. After pouring the batter you will want to swirl the batter around the bottom of the pan; coating the bottom. I had to pour just a tad more to fill in the holes.

Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes or so then flip. The second side only takes a few seconds and then you are done.

Cooked Crepes can be kept in the fridge for a couple of days or upto 2 months in the freezer.

Short Ribs with Tagliatelle

2009-09-02T15:36:00.000-07:00

Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 ounces chopped pancetta (about 1/2 cup)
2 1/2 pounds short ribs
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves
2 cloves garlic
1 (14-ounce) can tomatoes (whole or diced)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
2 1/2 cups beef broth
3/4 cup red wine
1 pound fresh or dried tagliatelle
4 to 6 teaspoons shaved bittersweet chocolate
Directions
Place the olive oil in a large heavy soup pot over medium heat. Cook the pancetta until golden and crisp, about 4 minutes. Meanwhile, season the short ribs with salt and pepper, and dredge in the flour. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta from the pan and set aside. Add the short ribs to the pan and brown on all sides, about 7 minutes total.
Meanwhile, combine the onion, carrot, parsley and garlic in a food processor and blend until finely minced. Then add the tomatoes and tomato paste and pulse.
Once the short ribs are browned, carefully add the mixture from the food processor to the pot. Return the pancetta to the pot and stir. Add the rosemary, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, beef broth, and wine. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for another hour and a half, stirring occasionally. Remove the meat and bones from the pot. Discard the bones. Shred the meat and return it to the pot. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes for dried pasta and 2 to 3 minutes for fresh. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the pasta to the pot and stir to combine. Add the reserved pasta liquid 1/4 cup at a time, if
needed, to moisten the pasta. Transfer to serving bowls, top each bowl with 1 teaspoon of chocolate shavings. Serve immediately.

Chicken & Corn Chowder

2009-09-02T15:28:00.000-07:00

Here in New England the weather has started to get cooler at night. Lately the high's during the daytime has been around 75. I love this weather. I could live in it year round.

At this time of year I start thinking of chowders, stews and fall baking. I just saw an apple orchard talking about some of the apples that were ready. Apple picking is the one family tradition I look forward to the most.

This past weekend I decided I wanted some chowder, I'm not a big seafood or clam chowder type of person. I was talking to Melissa and she said Williams Sonoma has a great Lobster chowder recipe. So I went looking on their website. I found what I was looking for, Chicken and Corn Chowder. Oh yum...

Chicken & Corn Chowder

from Williams Sonoma

Ingredients:
4 bacon slices, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
4 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
3/4 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
3/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
6 green onions, white and pale green parts, thinly sliced
3 Tbs. minced fresh thyme
2 1/2 cups half-and-half
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

Cook the bacon:
In a saucepan over medium heat, fry the bacon until crisp, about 5 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 3 Tbs. of the fat from the pan.

Cook the vegetables and chicken:
Add the bell pepper, corn and potatoes to the same pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the peppers are just softened and the corn and potatoes are lightly tinged with gold, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the broth and wine and bring to a boil. Cover and cook until the potatoes are almost tender, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken and cook, covered, until opaque throughout, 5 to 7 minutes.

Finish the chowder:
Stir in the green onions, thyme and half-and-half. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until heated through, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle the chowder into bowls, sprinkle with the bacon and serve immediately.

Serves 4.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Series, Weeknight, by Melanie Barnard (Oxmoor House, 2006).

Ratatouille Tart

2009-09-02T15:23:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite magazines is Cuisine At Home. I love it. There are no ads, which 3/4 of other magazines are littered with ads, this one none.

I just recently started getting Cuisine At Home (thank you Melissa) and while I was thumbing through it I stopped on a certain page. It had a beautiful tart with zucchini, summer squash, red peppers and onions on it. I was destined to make it.

Ratatouille Tart

1 1/2 yellow squash
1 1/2 zucchini
1 1/2 red bell pepper
1/4 red onion
3/4 cup shredded firm chevre (goat cheese, 2.5 oz)
2 Tbsp. thinly sliced basil
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
salt & pepper

Prepare the dough: Pulse 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour and 1/2 tsp. each table salt and black pepper in a food processor. Add 6 Tbsp. cold, diced unsalted butter and 3 Tbsp. cold, diced shortening; pulse until pieces of butter and shortening are the size of peas. Add 3 Tbsp. ice water; pulse to combine. Shape dough into a flat disk; refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Roll dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch; fit dough into a 9-inch tart pan. Press dough into pan's fluted edge; trim excess. Cover tart shell with aluminum foil; fill with dried beans.

Bake crust until it feels dry, about 25 minutes; remove foil and beans and bake shell 5 minutes more. Remove shell from oven. Let tart shell cool at room temperature.

Using a mandoline, slice squash, zucchini, and bell pepper into rounds and onion into half-moons, all 1/8 inch think. Pat vegetables dry with paper towels. Sprinkle chevre cheese and basil over bottom of tart.

Arrange vegetables around edge of tart shell repeatedly overlapping two slices each of yellow squash, zucchini, and bell pepper, followed by three slices of onion. Arrange a small circle of vegetable slices inside the first circle. Use squash slices to cover center of tart.

Drizzle tart with oil; season with salt and pepper. Bake until tart is golden brown around the edge, about 30 minutes.

Barefoot Bloggers Challenge - White Pizza with Arugula

2009-08-28T04:54:00.000-07:00

This recipe was brought to us by Andrea of Nummy Kitchen. I have always been wanting to have different pizzas and just never really tried anything out of the normal.

I will say I tried making Ina's pizza dough and it did NOT come out the correct way. I had to leave it and walk away for a little while. I decided to make a different and new recipe that I could throw into my bread machine. Let me just say I have found my new pizza dough. More on that recipe in another post.

I loved the mix of the three cheeses. Oh yumm... The garlic oil not sure what I can say about that. The fragrance in the house was to die for.

I hope everyone had a better time with their dough and enjoyed the rest of the pizza as much as I did.

White Pizza with Arugula

Ingredients

For the dough:
1 1/4 cups warm (100 to 110) water
2 packages dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey
Good olive oil
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
Kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, sliced
5 sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

For the topping:
3 cups grated Italian fontina cheese (8 ounces)
1 1/2 cups grated fresh mozzarella cheese (7 ounces)
11 ounces creamy goat cheese, such as montrachet, crumbled

For the vinaigrette:
1/2 cup good olive oil
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces baby arugula
1 lemon, sliced

Directions

Mix the dough.

Combine the water, yeast, honey and 3 tablespoons of olive oil in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. When the yeast is dissolved, add 3 cups of flour, then 2 teaspoons salt, and mix on medium-low speed. While mixing, add up to 1 more cup of flour, or just enough to make a soft dough. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until smooth, sprinkling it with the flour as necessary to keep it from sticking to the bowl.
Knead by hand.

When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured board and knead it by hand a dozen times. It should be smooth and elastic.

Let it rise.

Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and turn it to cover it lightly with oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Make garlic oil.

Place 1/2 cup of olive oil, the garlic, thyme and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook for 10 minutes, making sure the garlic doesn't burn. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. (Be sure your oven is clean!)

Portion the dough.

Dump the dough onto a board and divide it into 6 equal pieces. Place the doughs on sheet pans lined with parchment paper and cover them with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 4 hours.

Stretch the dough.

Press and stretch each ball into an 8-inch circle and place 2 circles on each sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (If you've chilled the dough, take it out of the refrigerator approximately 30 minutes ahead to let it come to room temperature.)

Top the dough.

Brush the pizzas with the garlic oil, and sprinkle each one liberally with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the pizzas evenly with fontina, mozzarella and goat cheese. Drizzle each pizza with 1 tablespoon more of the garlic oil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the crusts are crisp and the cheeses begin to brown.

Make the vinaigrette.

Meanwhile, whisk together 1/2 cup of olive oil, the lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Add the greens.

When the pizzas are done, place the arugula in a large bowl and toss with just enough lemon vinaigrette to moisten. Place a large bunch of arugula on each pizza and a slice of lemon and serve immediately.

TIP Make sure the bowl is warm before you put the water and yeast in; the water must be warm for the yeast to develop.

TIP Salt inhibits the growth of yeast; add half the flour, then the salt, and then the rest of the flour.

TIP To make sure yeast is still "alive," or active, put it in water and allow it to sit for a few minutes. If it becomes creamy or foamy, it's active.

Garden beauties

2009-08-26T05:44:00.000-07:00

I don't have much of a garden just a couple roma tomatoe plants, a couple of yellow pear tomatoe plants and two pepper plants. The yellow pear plants seemed to being growing crazy (they were almost at tall as me). One day I was talking to a friend while I was looking at her garden. I mentioned none of my tomatoes were changing colors. She was here for the bbq and said the plants needed to be cut back so the nutrients went to the tomatoes instead of the sucker branches.

I came home and cut back the plant. Can you believe with in a couple of days the tomatoes started to change color. Just this morning I picked 13 yellow pear tomatoes. My romas need a couple more days.

Stuffed Zucchini

2009-08-26T05:24:00.000-07:00

My youngest son planted a couple of zucchini seeds this past spring. Only one seed grew into a plant. From one plant we have had atleast 12 fruits. Nicholas sent two regular size zuch's home with Melissa on the plane. She said they made it in one piece.

The last few zuch's Nick picked have been about 12 inches long and quite plump. So I decided to use one for dinner. I made for the first time Stuffed Zucchini. I kinda used my stuffed pepper recipe and it came out great.

Stuffed Zucchini

(recipe to follow)

My birthday gift

2009-08-26T05:11:00.000-07:00

My husband asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I originally told him I wanted two cabinets to go under my craftroom counter. I showed him the ones I wanted from Ikea. He is not a big Ikea fan and said I thought you wanted some new pots and pans. Well I do, I said. So I started the my quest for the "right" set of cookware.

I searched several websites for different types. I found a few sites with consumer opinions and even one that described the differences. One morning I woke at 4:45 am and had a discussion with my husband about them. He said, "Boy, you are really conflicted abought this decision." I didn't want to buy just some cheap inexpensive cookeware again. I have two sets already.

I finally had it down to two sets of cookware. One was a 13 piece set by Cooks (found at JcPenny). The other set was a 13 piece set with two Bonus pieces from Calphalon (found at Macys). The bonus pieces was the 6 piece utensil set and a 5-Qt. Dutch Oven Set. I told the lady I didn't want the 5 qt dutch oven since it was non-stick. She let me substitute it with a 12 qt stock pot.

We went with the Calphalon. Can you believe I have not opened the box yet. The weather here has been too hot to cook lately, so that is really the reason I have not opened the box yet. Plus I need to make room for all my goodies.

My 40th Birthday Celebration

2009-08-26T04:55:00.000-07:00

Recently I celebrated the big 40. We were having a BBQ and my husband decided to make it a celebration. I have the best husband and sister in law I could ever imagine having. I have a good friend Melissa who lives out in Michigan who came out for my birthday. Now a little history, I met Melissa a few years ago on a website called Split Coast Stampers. We have emailed each other over the years. Several times we have web-cammed with another friend Donna (many laughs there). Melissa and I have spoken many hours on the phone together. She is like my childhood friend but never met until August 7, 2009.

Friday before the BBQ I was running around the house getting things cleaned, organized and setup. I sat down for a few minutes (watched my favorite soap opera while my boys were outside picking up the yard) and saw a car slowly drive by. Now I wouldn't have given it any thought had just that morning 50 million other cars (a little exaggerated) hadn't turned around in my driveway. So I got and looked to see what this person was doing. The car actually pulled into my driveway and parked. Now I'm thinking who the heck is this car/person. Once I saw Melissa's face I was shocked. Never knew she was coming. My hands were trembling.

I went out side and asked what the hell was going on... She hands me the phone and Donna was on the other line laughing. So Donna knew also. I have met Donna last year when I was visiting my parents in NC. Me and the boys drove 3 hours to meet Donna & Melanie for the first too. What a great visit that was.

So Melissa and I chatted from Sun up to Sun Down. She was a big help the day of the bbq. She is so organized and made me keep my kitchen clean. lol.... I don't think I have ever met someone with so many similarities as myself. We both love to cook, her a little than me.

Melissa I hope you don't kill me for posting our picture.

White Sangria

2009-08-26T04:41:00.000-07:00

White sangria is one of my ultimate summer drinks. Many years ago I tried making a red sangria and I hated the recipe. After a while I got a subscription to Cuisine At Home cooking magazine and they had a White Sangria recipe on the back cover. I decided to try and I absolutely Loved it. I have even used red wine instead white and it was just a good.

White Sangria

½ cups Hot Water
½ cups Sugar
1 bottle White Wine
¾ cups Brandy
1 whole Vanilla Bean
1 whole Lime, Sliced Into Rounds
1 whole Orange, Sliced Into Rounds
½ whole Pineapple, Cored And Sliced Into Rings
2 cups Club Soda

In a pitcher, dissolve the sugar with the hot water.

Add the white wine, brandy, vanilla bean, limes, oranges and pineapple.

Chill for about 2 hours.

Stir in the club soda and some ice.

Pour into glass and garnish with a wedge of pineapple or slice of citrus

Barefoot Bloggers Challenge - Mango Banana Daiquiris

2009-08-13T16:14:00.000-07:00

This drink was a wonderful frozen concoction to have on a steamy New England day and my birthday.

My sister-in-law Kathy and mother-in-law Sheila came over yesterday afternoon. We sat out by the pool chatting up a storm. I never knew my mother-in-law did not like mangos, but she had one for the first time yesterday and seemed to have enjoyed the drink.

I personally thought there was a "good" amount of rum in it. Let's just say I could have curled up on the sofa and fallen asleep at 6pm.

This recipe was brought to us by Veronica of Supermarket Serenade.

Mango Banana Daiquiris
serves 4

2 cups chopped ripe mango (1 to 2 mangos, peeled and seeded)
1 ripe banana, chopped
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (4 limes)
1/4 cup sugar syrup*
1 1/4 cups dark rum, such as Mount Gay
Mango slices, for serving

Place the mango, banana, lime juice, sugar syrup, and rum in a blender and process until smooth. Add 2 cups of ice and process again until smooth and thick. Serve ice-cold in highball glasses with the mango slices.

*To make simple syrup, heat 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Chill.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

2009-07-26T15:27:00.000-07:00

One thing we love is a good pulled pork sandwich. We found a place up the road about twenty minutes or so called Goody Cole's. They smoke their meats. Absolutely delicious and reasonably priced.

I decided to give a go at making some pulled pork but obviously it would be smoked. I tried a couple different recipes and they were okay. Then I saw Tyler Florence make his on the Food Network and I adopted his recipe. I just do not put as much heat into the rub.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Ingredients

Dry Rub:
3 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
3 tablespoons coarse sea salt
1 (5 to 7 pound) pork roast, preferably shoulder or Boston butt

Cider-Vinegar Barbecue Sauce:
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
1 cup yellow or brown mustard
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pan drippings from the pork

Directions

Mix the paprika, garlic power, brown sugar, dry mustard, and salt together in a small bowl. Rub the spice blend all over the pork. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Put the pork in a roasting pan and roast it for about 6 hours. An instant-read thermometer stuck into the thickest part of the pork should register 170 degrees F, but basically, what you want to do is to roast it until it's falling apart.

While the pork is roasting, make the barbecue sauce. Combine the vinegar, mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, salt, cayenne, and black pepper in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer gently, stirring, for 10 minutes until the sugar dissolves. Take it off the heat and let it sit until you're ready for it.

When the pork is done, take it out of the oven and put it on a large platter. Allow the meat to rest for about 10 minutes. While it's resting, deglaze the pan over medium heat with 3/4 cup water, scraping with a wooden spoon to pick up all of the browned bits. Reduce by about half.

Pour that into the saucepan with the sauce and cook 5 minutes.

While the pork is still warm, you want to "pull" the meat: Grab 2 forks. Using 1 to steady the meat, use the other to "pull" shreds of meat off the roast. Put the shredded pork in a bowl and pour half of the sauce over. Stir it all up well so that the pork is coated with the sauce.

To serve, spoon the pulled pork mixture onto the bottom half of each hamburger bun, and top with some slaw. Serve with pickle spears and the remaining sauce on the side.

**** Okay I take the lazy way out and use my crockpot. I flip the pork every 45 minutes. During the cooking process in the crockpot you end up with a lot of juices, so I tend to drain about 1/2 of the juices and then pour some sweet store bought bbq sauce in. I prefer my bbq to be on the sweet side.

As for the Buns I make the dough in my bread machine. When it is done I dump the dough onto a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray and pull apart the dough to make the buns. When I'm done forming the buns I place a warm damp cloth ontop for about 1/2 hr. When done I brush with an egg wash and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Caprese Salad

2009-07-26T15:15:00.000-07:00

There is one salad I have heard of but never tried. It is the simplest salad every. The Caprese Salad.

I have seen it on so many shows and in so many cookbooks. I always thought what is the big deal with sliced tomatoes and mozzarella cheese.

I went to the fresh produce stand and bought the tomatoes to make this. When I got home I went to grab the mozzarella from the fridge and saw that it was past it's prime. Oh man, I thought. I guess I will have to wait til tomorrow for the salad. I bought some fresh mozzarella at the store this morning and made my salad for lunch.

Oh my was this delicious. I decided to use Giada's Lemon vinegrette for the salad. The lemon gave it such a fresh taste. I will be making this simple salad more often.

I don't have a real recipe since I watched her make it on a video through the Food Network online.

I squeezed half a lemon into a bowl, added salt, pepper and some EVOO. Whisked it and poured over the salad.

Paula Deen's Chocolate Dippity Donuts

2009-07-26T15:05:00.000-07:00

Last night my youngest son and I were watching Paula's Party on the Food Network. The show was all about chocolate. Paula and her son Jamie were reminesing about his childhood. The Dippity Donuts he remembered very fondly.

After that segment was over my son looked at me and said can we make those tomorrow morning. (that was the deal breaker for him being waken at 6:45 to go grocery shopping with me. See my husband and oldest son was on a boy scout retreat climbing Mt. Washington (NH) so that left me and the little one (10 yrs old is not little by any stretch of the imagaination but when he wants to cuddle he will).

So I woke the poor kid up and we went shopping. We came home put the groceries away and he started in on the donuts. I heated the oil and helped put the holes in them. He stood there flipping the donuts and taking them out. In the meantime I was getting the toppings ready.

He did a great job on the donuts and they were delicious for something so easy.

Chocolate Dippity Donuts
by Paula Deen

Ingredients:
Oil, for frying
1 can biscuits

For the sauce:
1 (4-ounce) bar sweet chocolate (recommended: Baker's German's)
1/2-ounce unsweetened chocolate
1 stick butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Toppings:
Chocolate chips
Chocolate sprinkles
Toasted coconut
Colored candies
Chopped pecans
Store-bought glaze

Directions

Preheat oil in a deep-fryer to about 360 to 375 degrees F.
Remove biscuits from the can. Poke a hole in each one with your thumb. Form them into doughnuts. Drop them into hot grease and brown them on both sides until they were done about 2 minutes on each side. Don't forget to flip often.

For the sauce:

Melt the chocolate and butter in a saucepan over very low heat. Stir in the sugar, alternating with the evaporated milk, blending well. Raise the heat to medium and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Lower the heat and cook, stirring, until the mixture becomes thick and creamy, about 8 minutes. Stir in the vanilla, remove the pan from the heat.

Dip cooked doughnuts immediately into the chocolate mixture before the chocolate starts to cool.
Add topping/toppings of your choice.

Place the doughnuts on a plate and serve when the chocolate on the doughnuts sets, about 5 minutes.

Barefoot Bloggers Challenge - Peach & Blueberry Crumbles

2009-07-24T02:22:00.000-07:00

Wow I can not believe July is practically over already. Here in the Northeast we have had a mediocre summer so far, too much rain. I was kind of dreading making this dessert since the humidity has been up and I didn't want to heat up the house more. Thankfully yesterday was a cool day with a wonderful breeze to keep the heat down. So I took advantage of the coolness and made the crumbles for dessert.

This last recipe challenge for the month of July came from Aggie of Aggie’s Kitchen. It is a wonderful Peach & Blueberry Crumble found in Barefoot Contessa at Home on pages 197-198. I thought it was a very easy recipe.

Peach & Blueberry Crumbles

For the fruit

2 lbs firm, ripe peaches (6-8 peaches)
2 tsp grated lemon zest
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup fresh blueberries (1/2 pint)

For the Crumble

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 lb (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Immerse the peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until their skins peel off easily.

Place them immediately in cold water. Peel the peaches, slice them into thick wedges, and place them in a large bowl. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, granulated sugar, and flour. Toss well.
Gently mix in the blueberries. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes. Spoon the mixture into ramekins or custard cups.

For the topping, combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas. Rub the mixture with your fingertips until it’s in big crumbles, then sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Place the ramekins on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and back for 40 to 45 minutes, until the tops are browned and crisp and the juices are bubbly. Serve warm or at room temperature. If you want to make these early, store the unbaked crumbles int he refrigerator and bake before dinner. Serves 5 to 6.

******I have made this recipe before but I used fresh raspberries, black berries, strawberries and blueberries. I thought it was delicious then and even more delicious with the peaches.

As you can see by my picture my ramekins were larger than normal, so my recipe only made four desserts. (my boys will not eat this dessert. just more for me and my hubby).

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette

2009-07-11T17:03:00.000-07:00

The more I try new recipes the more adventurous I am getting. Well maybe adventurous is not the word I should use, maybe experimental.

When I make salads I never give Arugula a thought. Arugula is a word that I had probably never heard of until recent years. (I lived life like I lived in a shell, seriously). I do agree that it has a bitter taste. I didn't pick up the peppery taste as I have heard it discribed as. One thing I thought of right away is that it tasted like a piece of grass. But what do I know, I'm not a seasoned chef. lol... Another thing I never would have thought about putting on a salad is roasted butternut squash. I think I ate more of the squash while it was cooling than in the salad.

One thing I did not do per the recipe was serve the dressing warm. I had a baseball game in the backyard to play. I love the sweet mustard flavor of the dressing.

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette
recipe by Ina Garten

Ingredients

1 (1 1/2-pound) butternut squash, peeled and 3/4-inch) diced
Good olive oil
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons dried cranberries
3/4 cup apple cider or apple juice
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
4 ounces baby arugula, washed and spun dry
1/2 cup walnuts halves, toasted
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the butternut squash on a sheet pan. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the maple syrup, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and toss. Roast the squash for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until tender. Add the cranberries to the pan for the last 5 minutes.

While the squash is roasting, combine the apple cider, vinegar, and shallots in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the cider is reduced to about 1/4 cup. Off the heat, whisk in the mustard, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.

Place the arugula in a large salad bowl and add the roasted squash mixture, the walnuts, and the grated Parmesan. Spoon just enough vinaigrette over the salad to moisten and toss well.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Pork with Sweet Onion Marmellata

2009-07-11T10:59:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from Giada's Kitchen cookbook by Giada De Laurentiis. I have been having a great time cooking through my cookbooks.

I love pork. I can not stand pork chops that are still on the bone. Not exactly sure why, but I do remember a couple of times eating the boned pork chops and chomping down on small fragments of bone. So now when the recipe calls for chops I use only boneless. Ya Ya Ya, I know the bone is where all the flavors are but I can not bring myself to buy them.

While the onions were cooking I had "taste" them... Oh my goodness I loved them. I don't normally eat marmalade but it made the onions oh so sweet.

I thought this was a delicious dish. I actually had some of the onions on my burger the next night.

Pork with Sweet Onion Marmellata

Ingredients

Onion Marmellata:

1/4 cup olive oil
4 large onions, thinly sliced (about 3 pounds)
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar (or more to taste)

Pork Chops:

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 to 6 pork chops
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

For the onion marmellata, place a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and the onions. Stir to combine and cook until starting to sizzle, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients. Reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and cook over low heat for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes to scrape up any brown bits. The onions should be a soft, jam-like consistency and a deep mahogany color.

Meanwhile, for the pork chops, combine the rosemary, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Using your fingers, work all the ingredients together until well combined. Rub the herb mixture over the pork chops. Cover with plastic wrap and reserve in the refrigerator.

About 20 minutes before the onions are finished, remove the pork chops from the refrigerator.

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Grill the pork chops to medium, about 7 minutes a side depending on thickness. To serve, spoon the onion marmellata over the pork chops. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Halibut with Grapefruit & Fennel Salsa

2009-07-11T10:48:00.000-07:00

While I have been making recipes out of my BareFoot Contessa Books I have also been trying Giada De Laurentis' Cookbook.

My boys seem to like fish. They especially love salmon but I wanted to try something that I have never had. I found a recipe that called for Halibut. Gee, would the fish market have Halibut??? I have never bought it or eaten Halibut. Yesterday the boys and I had a few errands to run and going to the fish market was one of them. Much to my surprise they had Halibut. I asked for about 2 pounds of the thick cut of fish. I was told it is similar to haddock but better. Great we all love haddock.

I made the salsa and let it sit in the fridge for a little while to marry. The fish was very simple. We all could not believe how white it truly is. The Halibut was a nice surprise of a meal. I will be cooking this again. The grapefruit salsa gave the fish a freshing taste. My husband thought there was too much fennel, but what does he know. lol..

Halibut with Grapefruit & Fennel Salsa

Ingredients

1 cup ruby red grapefruit segments (about 2 grapefruits)
1/4 cup grapefruit juice
1 teaspoon grapefruit zest
1 fennel bulb, trimmed
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons pitted nicoise olives, halved
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 (6-ounce) pieces halibut
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In small bowl combine the grapefruit segments, juice, and zest. Halve the fennel bulb lengthwise, thinly slice and add to the bowl. Add the olive oil, olives, parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.

Meanwhile, place the fish on a parchment-lined roasting dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper and bake for 10 to 12 minutes depending on thickness.

Gently transfer the fish to a serving plate. Top with the grapefruit and fennel salsa and serve immediately.

Barefood Bloggers Challenge - Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes

2009-07-07T17:22:00.000-07:00

This weeks recipe comes from Cat of Delta Whiskey. She has chosen Ina's Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes recipe, which can be found in Barefoot Contessa Family Style on page 58.

I was excited to try this recipe. I have used sundried tomatoes once in a salad dressing. For some reason I was thinking this was a warm pasta meal. I was thoroughly excited to see it as a cool pasta "salad". I think this would be a great summertime pasta salad. Hmm, when are we having a cookout next.

Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes

1/2 pound fusilli (spirals) pasta
Kosher salt
Olive oil
1 pound ripe tomatoes, medium-diced
3/4 cup good black olives, such as kalamata, pitted and diced
1 pound fresh mozzarella, medium-diced
6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped

For the dressing:

5 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 tablespoons good olive oil
1 garlic clove, diced
1 teaspoon capers, drained
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup packed basil leaves, julienned

Directions

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water with a splash of oil to keep it from sticking together. Boil for 12 minutes, or according to the directions on the package. Drain well and allow to cool. Place the pasta in a bowl and add the tomatoes, olives, mozzarella, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

For the dressing, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, capers, salt, and pepper in a food processor until almost smooth.

Pour the dressing over the pasta, sprinkle with the Parmesan and basil, and toss well.

Oh another mishap

2009-06-30T03:56:00.000-07:00

After the dinner mess, I tried to make some Blueberry turnovers.

Before I started with dinner I threw together some fresh blueberry, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and spices. I let that simmer for a bit and put a thickening agent. It tasted delish and I was excited about it.

Then dinner happened.

After that I took my puff pastry placed it on my baking dish, opened it up and tried to unfold it. I guess it was too warm in the kitchen and thawed the pastry thawed too long/too much. I decided I would roll it out and cut it into thirds. I placed the Blueberry mixture on the dough and with the help of my youngest son, we crimped the edges. I threw the pan into the oven for about 20 minutes. They were golden brown and puffy when they came out. However, most of the blueberry mix oozed out of the crimped edges.

Oiy..... Can this night get any worse???

What a Night...

2009-06-30T03:33:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had one of "those" days? I had one last night. I had this week's menu planned and had chicken out to thaw. Then I saw an Olive Garden commercial. I sat down at my computer and looked at their menu. I came across a chicken dish called Chicken & Gnocchi Veronese. It is sautéed chicken with Italian dumplings and roasted red peppers in a parmesan and ricotta cheese sauce. Yum that looked great. I did a search for this recipe and found one on RecipeZaar.com. Hmm... I didn't have any fresh peppers but I did have roasted red peppers in a jar. So I used those. Then the next hmmm moment, I did have any heavy cream so I searched for the alternative.

After finding the alternatives for the peppers and cream I moved onto the gnocchi dough. I have never eaten a gnocchi in my entire life. (I also saw an episode on the Food Network where the chef Anne Burrel making gnocchi). I have never made them before and have wanted to try to make them. Oiy, what was I thinking. I made the gnocchi dough while the chicken was marinating. Then came across a couple of road blocks:

First, I don't own a potato ricer so I had to mash them by hand.

Second, I'm not sure if I had enough flour. I added a little her and a little there just so it wouldn't be so sticky. I finally got it to a consistency to where I can roll them into logs. I made the little "dumplings" out of half the recipe. Thank goodness my husband helped me with this meal and a glass of wine.

Thirdly, (is that proper English???) my oldest son came in to help. He mixed the ricotta, parmesan and the cream. I pour it in the pan and it looked like the ricotta didn't mix in "well".

Let's just say I made it through the recipe and served the meal. I was so upset with the way it came out I couldn't bring myself to take a photo. Since we have never had gnocchi before, we didn't know what type of texture or taste they are suppose to have. The one person that I know of that could have helped me and explained the process happens to be on vacation. Melissa, I was practically in tears. So I had a second glass of wine and whined all night about the darn meal.

Berry Muffins

2009-06-25T18:00:00.000-07:00

I love grocery shopping early Sunday mornings. I like to take my time and look at the fresh produce. This week I bought fresh strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. As I was getting ready to go to the check out I stopped and looked at the muffins in the bakery. My husband usually take cereal or muffins for his morning break. Well the store usually has the same kind week in and week out...

I decided to make him some berry muffins this week. Wow, were they delicious...

Tri-Berry Muffins
by Ina Garten

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbs baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp kosher salt1
½ Tbs ground cinnamon
1 ¼ cups milk
2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
½ lb (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup fresh blueberries
½ cup fresh raspberries (gently sliced in half)
½ cup diced fresh strawberries
1½ cups granulated sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line muffin tins with paper liners.
2. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Stir with your hand (or a whisk) to be sure the ingredients are combined. In another bowl, combine the milk, eggs and melted butter.
3. Make a well in the middle of the dry mixture, pour the wet mixture into the well, and stir until just combined. There will be some lumps but don’t overmix the batter. Add the blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and sugar and stir gently to combine.
4. Using a large spoon or scoop, spoon batter into the muffin cups to fill the liners. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean and the tops are nicely browned.

Pasta Primavera

2009-06-25T17:56:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday morning I was doing my usual thing - grocery shopping at 7am... While I was at the checkout counter I was looking at the cooking magazines. The magazine that caught my eye had a dish of pasta on the front. I will post the name when I go upstairs to get the recipe/magazine. EDIT: magazine name is the Mixing Bowl by Better Homes & Garden.

The directions and ingredients sounded so simple. It was a very easy dish to make and tasted great.

Garden Special Primavera

6 ounces fresh wax or green beans, cut into 2-inch pieces (2 cups)

1/2 cup bias-sliced carrots

6 ounces fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces (1 1/2 cups)

1 cup broccoli flowerets

12 ounces fettuccine, linguine, vermicelli or spaghetti

1 small red and/or yellow sweet pepper, cut into julienne strips

1 small zucchini or yellow summer squash, halved lengthwise and sliced (1 cup)

1 small onion, cut into thin wedges

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons butter

3/4 cup chicken broth

3/4 cup whipping cream

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

2 ounces prosciutto or cooked ham, cut into thin strips (1/3 cup)

2 green onions, thinly sliced (1/4 cup)

2 tablespoons snipped fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried based, crushed

finely shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. In a large saucepan, cook beans and carrots in a small amount of boiling salted water for 10 minutes. Add asparagus and broccoli. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and cook 5 minutes more or till vegetables are crisp-tender. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook pasta according to package directions. Add sweet pepper and zucchini or yellow summer squash to pasta in boiling water for the last 3 minutes of cooking. Vegetable should be crisp-tender. Drain and return mixture to the saucepan. Add the bean mixture to the saucepan and keep it warm while preparing the sauce.

3. For the sauce; in a medium saucepan, cook onion and garlic in hot butter over medium heat for 5 to 8 minutes or until tender but not brown. Stir in chicken broth. Bring to boiling; reduce heat.

4. In a small bowl, stir together whipping cream and flour. Add cream mixture to saucepan. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Stir in the 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, prosciutto or cooked ham, green onions and snipped basil. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. Pour sauce over pasta and vegetables. Toss gently to coat.

5. Arrange pasta mixture on a large serving platter. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan and garnish with basil sprigs, if you like. Make 6 main-dish servings.

**** Since I found this magazine at the check out counter, I did not use the green beans. I also sliced the peppers larger than julienne, since I do not have the skills to julienne things.

Herb Garden update

2009-06-25T17:43:00.001-07:00

Last month or so I posted some pictures of my small herb garden. I am so excited to have one. Two weeks ago when my parents were visiting I ended up giving my mom a good amount of the herbs we clipped together.

It has been raining practically non stop for the last 1.5 - 2 weeks. Today was the first day we have had sun in weeks. Although I have gone out several times to clips some herbs it was nice to get out to take pictures of it's progress.

The cilantro is growing crazy. I don't think I can make enough salsa to keep up with it.

Here are a few current pictures, parsley doing quite well, the whole garden:

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-06-25T17:26:00.000-07:00

I was in the mood to make some cookies recently. My family loves homemade cookies. So I went thumbing through my cookbooks and came across this Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip cookie recipe by Curtis Stone.

I absolutely love peanut butter and chocolate together (fav chocolate bar Reese's PB cups). These cookies are very easy to make.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chunky peanut butter
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoon (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp
2 tablespoons honey
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 3 large heavy baking sheets with parchment paper.

Mix the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the peanut butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, honey, egg and vanilla in a large bowl until well blended. Stir the dry ingredients into the peanut butter mixture in two additions. Stir in the chopped chocolate.

Scoop about 3 tablespoons of dough for each cookie onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2.5 inches apart. Back for about 12 minutes, or until the cookies puff and begin to brown on top but are still very soft to the touch. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Then use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack. Enjoy the cookies warm or let them cool completely.

*** I used creamy peanut butter. My kids really don't care for nuts in their foods. I also use my small ice cream scooper to measure out the dough.

Barefoot Bloggers Challenge - Gazpacho

2009-06-25T17:18:00.000-07:00

The second recipe for the month of June was brought to us by Meryl of My Bit of Earth. She has chosen Gazpacho, which can be found in The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook on page 79.

I can not recall if I have ever had Gazpacho and was a little reluctant to try it. I always thought soup was to be served hot. I figured what do I have to lose by making this recipe, except a few veggies and maybe 1/2 hr of my time. My oldest son actually came in the kitchen to help me out. He just wanted to push the buttons on the food processor.

I truly liked the Gazpacho. I thought the texture would bother me with small chunks of veggies but it didn't.

I think tomorrow night's dinner will be Gazpacho and sandwiches. Something easy before a scout meeting.

Gazpacho

Ingredients

1 hothouse cucumber, halved and seeded, but not peeled
2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
4 plum tomatoes
1 red onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
23 ounces tomato juice (3 cups)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and red onions into 1-inch cubes. Put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Do not overprocess!

After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well and chill before serving. The longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop.

Barefoot Bloggers Challenge - Cranberry Orange Scones

2009-06-18T14:33:00.000-07:00

This month's BRC (Bonus Recipe Challenge) was picked by Em of The Repressed Pastry Chef. She has chosen Ina’s Cranberry Orange Scones.

This recipe was very easy to make. I thought the scone was good but it needed more orange. Perhaps some orange extract or orange juice concentrate. I have been eating these like there is no tomorrow. I would be interested in your thoughts about the light orange flavor or if you have added anything to these.

Cranberry Orange Scones

Ingredientsnocoupons
4 cups plus 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
3/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cold heavy cream
1 cup dried cranberries
1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water or milk, for egg wash
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
4 teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix 4 cups of flour, 1/4 cup sugar, the baking powder, salt and orange zest. Add the cold butter and mix at the lowest speed until the butter is the size of peas. Combine the eggs and heavy cream and, with the mixer on low speed, slowly pour into the flour and butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough will look lumpy! Combine the dried cranberries and 1/4 cup of flour, add to the dough, and mix on low speed until blended.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead it into a ball. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4-inch thick. You should see small bits of butter in the dough.

Keep moving the dough on the floured board so it doesn't stick. Flour a 3-inch round plain or fluted cutter and cut circles of dough. Place the scones on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Collect the scraps neatly, roll them out, and cut more circles.

Brush the tops of the scones with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are browned and the insides are fully baked. The scones will be firm to the touch.

Allow the scones to cool for 15 minutes and then whisk together the confectioners' sugar and orange juice, and drizzle over the scones.

Barefoot Bloggers Challenge - Curried Couscous

2009-06-12T16:41:00.000-07:00

This has been quiet a week. My parents drove up from North Carolina. So I have cooking and baking my heart out.

The first June recipe is brought to us by Ellyn of Recipe Collector and Tester. She has chosen Ina Garten's Curried Couscous.

I will be honest and the first to say my family is not big on couscous, BUT I had to give this recipe a try. We grilled some fresh salmon filets and served with the couscous. The couscous was pretty tasty. I had to try the "dressing" first and loved it enough to dunk my extra carrot sticks in. Sorry for the out of focus picture. My boys were impatient to eat.

Curried Couscous

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups couscous
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup small-diced carrots
1/2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup dried currants or raisins
1/4 cup blanched, sliced almonds
2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
1/4 cup small-diced red onion

Directions

Place the couscous in a medium bowl. Melt the butter in the boiling water and pour over the couscous. Cover tightly and allow the couscous to soak for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, vinegar, curry, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Pour over the fluffed couscous, and mix well with a fork. Add the carrots, parsley, currants, almonds, scallions, and red onions, mix well, and season to taste. Serve at room temperature.

Barefoot Bloggers Challenge - Outrageous Brownies

2009-06-05T08:04:00.000-07:00

The second recipe for the month of May was chosen by Eva of I’m Boring, who has chosen Outrageous Brownies by Ina Garten.

I was a little late in getting this posted due to a trip to Toronto.

I didn't read the whole recipe (a problem I have most of the time) and didn't read the part about tapping out the airbubbles half way through baking. So I have a feeling mine came out too fluffy. I love coffee and chocolate. So these brownies were right up my alley. Since my boys do not like nuts in their food I poured half the batter into my prepared pan and then mixed the nuts into the other half of the batter then baked. My boys enjoyed with warmed up with a mound of ice cream on the side. Mmmmm.......

I will have to say these are not for someone who is watching their diet or cholestoral, 6 eggs is a bit much...

I have to resize my photo and post later.

Outrageous Brownies

1 pound unsalted butter
1 pound plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, divided
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
6 extra-large eggs
3 tablespoons instant coffee powder
2 tablespoons real vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided (1 cup for batter and 1/4 cup in the chips and nuts)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups diced walnut pieces

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13 by 18 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.

Melt together the butter, 1 pound chocolate chips, and unsweetened chocolate on top of a double boiler. Cool slightly. Stir together the eggs, instant coffee, vanilla and sugar. Stir in the warm chocolate mixture and cool to room temperature.

Stir together 1 cup of the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the walnuts and 12 ounces of chocolate chips with 1/4 cup flour to coat. Then add to the chocolate batter. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until tester just comes out clean. Halfway through the baking, rap the pan against the oven shelf to allow air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Do not over-bake! Cool thoroughly, refrigerate well and cut into squares.

Barefoot bloggers second recipe for May

2009-06-01T16:05:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post this before hand but completely forgot all about it. We have been dealing with dealer/Ford regarding our lease and then our trip to Toronto.

We were away for the weekend visiting Toronto and that is why I never posted my recipe. Will do that tomorrow.

Herb Garden

2009-05-19T16:29:00.001-07:00

I have been wanting a garden for a while. So I decided I would start with an herb garden. We have this circular bulb garden area, if that is what you want to call it, that iI decided would be a perfect spot for a small herb garden.

While the boys were on their shortened Spring Break this year I put them to work. We dug up the bulbs, not very many there, turned over the soil and shook out the grass. Then we went to Home Depot for the plants, compost and whatever I thought I needed. We came home and got right back to work on it. Laying down the weed blocker. Cutting holes in the weed block to plant the plants. I was very surprised that the boys actually helped the whole time. We got all the plants in the ground. Luckily for us the forecast had been rain for what seemed like eternity after we planted. They have grown some. The one plant that is doing well is my Cinnamon Basil. Never heard of it but I will tell you when you smell it there is a light scent of Cinnamon to it. When you chew a leaf you will taste cinnamon. Pretty neat. I guess I didn't read the label when I bought it. Hopefully it won't screw up any recipes.

So here are some photos of my Herb Garden 2009.

The whole herb garden. Basil, oregano and parsley.

Sage & Cilantro Rosemary & Thyme

Giada's Pork chops with Fennel and Capers

2009-05-14T02:53:00.001-07:00

I was watching the Giada DeLaurentis on the Food Network a couple of weeks. She was making pork chops. Now I am not a big fan of pork chops with the bone in. So when I was watching this show I said I had to make this recipe, it uses Boneless Chops.

I have never used nor touched fennel before and I wanted to try something different. I have always heard that fennel smells like licorice, which I do not like at all. I was skeptical about trying the fennel and realized it was "that" strong of a smell.

The one negative thing that I have to say about cooking this recipe is I NEED a larger pan. It was very good.

Pork Chops with Fennel and Caper Sauce

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
4 boneless (2-inch-thick) pork chops (about 2 pounds total)
3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning meat
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning meat
2 fennel bulbs with fronds, thinly sliced (about 8 ounces or 2 cups)
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus 1/3 cup
1/2 cup white wine
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with their juices
1/2 lemon, zested
2 tablespoons capers

Directions

In a large, heavy skillet heat the olive oil over high heat. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. Add the pork to the pan and brown on both sides, about 4 minutes each side. Remove the pork from the pan, cover loosely with foil, and set aside.

Add the fennel, shallots, and 1/3 cup parsley to the pan and cook over medium heat until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the wine. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes and stir. Add the pork back into the pan, nestling the chops between the fennel and tomatoes so they are mostly submerged in the pan juices. Cook until the fennel is tender and the pork is done, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Place the pork on a serving dish. To finish the sauce, add the lemon zest, remaining 1/3 cup parsley, capers, and 3/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Spoon over the pork chops and serve immediately.

Key Lime Cheesecake

2009-05-14T02:46:00.000-07:00

This week was Staff Appreciation Week at my oldest son's school. I volunteered to make something sweet for the staff. So I decided to make a Key Lime Cheesecake. I have made this recipe several times (you should see my cookbook). It is a labor of love grating several limes and juicing them too.

Refreshing Key Lime Cheesecake

Crust:

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup butter, melted

Filling:

1 cup lime juice

1/4 cup water

2 (1/4 ounce) envelopes unflavored gelatin

1 1/2 cups sugar

5 eggs, slightly beaten

1 tablespoon grated lime peel

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup whipping cream

In a medium bowl stir together all crust ingredients. Press on bottom of 9-inch springform pan; set aside. In 2-quart sauce pan combine lime juice, water and gelatin. Let stand 5 minutes to soften. Add sugar, eggs and lime peel. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture just comes to a boil (7 to 8 minutes). DO NOT BOIL. In large mixer bowl combine 1/2 cup butter and cream cheese. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed (1 to 2 minutes). Gradually beat in hot lime mixture until well mixed (1 to 2 minutes). Refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until cool (about 1 hour). In chilled small mixer bowl beat chilled whipping cream at high speed, scraping bowl often, until stiff peaks form (3 to 4 minutes). Fold into lime mixture. Pour into prepared crust. Cover; refrigerate until firm (1.5 to 3 hours). Loosen edge of cheesecake with knife; remove pan. Garnish top of cheesecake with sweetened whipped cream. If desired, garnish with lime slices.

Barefoot Bloggers Challenge - Tuna Salad

2009-05-14T02:31:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Kate of Warm Olives and Cool Cocktails, has chosen Tuna Salad by Ina Garten for our first recipe of May.

I have only had Tuna Steaks once or twice in my life and I loved it. So I was excited to try this recipe. This was the easiest recipe I think anyone can make.

I don't know about the rest of you who made this recipe but my house filled with smoke once I placed the tuna on the hot pan. That was the first thing that went "wrong". The recipe says to cook it for 1 minute on each side. I think I did 2 minutes each side and when my husband looked at how "red" it was inside his face was just priceless (reminded me of a kid not wanting to eat something for the first time). So we actually threw it onto the bbq grill for a couple of minutes. It was still pink inside and tasted good. I decided to serve it as a steak with a side salad.

The vinaigrette I thought was tasty. I could do without the salt in it but that is just me. I only used the juice of two limes (that was all I had left after making a Key Lime Cheesecake) and still thought is was sour.

I know my comments above sound negative but that is the farthest thing from the truth. Both my husband and I loved this recipe. We like the tang from the limes in the vinaigrette to the spicyness after. We will be making this recipe more over the summer time.

Tuna Salad

Ingredients

2 pounds very fresh tuna steak, cut 1-inch thick
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black, plus extra for sprinkling
2 limes, zest grated
1 teaspoon wasabi powder
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (3 limes)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
10 dashes hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
1 to 2 ripe Hass avocados, medium diced
1/4 cup minced scallions, white and green parts (2 scallions)
1/4 cup red onion, small diced

Directions

Brush the tuna steaks with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the tuna steaks in a very hot saute pan and cook for only 1 minute on each side. Set aside on a platter.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the olive oil, salt, pepper, lime zest, wasabi, lime juice, soy sauce and hot sauce. Add the avocados to the vinaigrette.

Cut the tuna in chunks and place it in a large bowl. Add the scallions and red onion and mix well. Pour the vinaigrette mixture over the tuna and carefully mix.

Barefoot Bloggers Challenge - Croque Monsieur

2009-04-23T15:31:00.000-07:00

The second Barefoot Bloggers Recipe Challenge came from Kathy of All Food Considered. Kathy has chosen Ina's Croque Monsieur.

As one of six kids we had our share of grilled cheese sandwiches, but nothing this decadent. I thought this was a very rich but tasty sandwich. I ended up making this sandwich today (talk about waiting til the last minute) for lunch and had to cut it down to a smaller size, since I was alone for lunch.

Croque Monsieur

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups hot milk
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch nutmeg
12 ounces Gruyere, grated (5 cups)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
16 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed
Dijon mustard
8 ounces baked Virginia ham, sliced but not paper thin

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan and add the flour all at once, stirring with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Slowly pour the hot milk into the butter–flour mixture and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thickened. Off the heat add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, 1/2 cup grated Gruyere, and the Parmesan and set aside.

To toast the bread, place the slices on 2 baking sheets and bake for 5 minutes. Turn each slice and bake for another 2 minutes, until toasted.

Lightly brush half the toasted breads with mustard, add a slice of ham to each, and sprinkle with half the remaining Gruyere. Top with another piece of toasted bread. Slather the tops with the cheese sauce, sprinkle with the remaining Gruyere, and bake the sandwiches for 5 minutes.

Turn on the broiler and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the topping is bubbly and lightly browned. Serve hot.

Raspberry Marzipan Coffee Cake

2009-04-19T05:13:00.000-07:00

When thumbing through my cookbook I thought this sounded yummy. This is my husbands breakfast food for a few days this week.

Raspberry Marzipan Coffee Cake
(Betty Crocker 40th Anniversary Edition Cookbook)

Buttery Streusel

1/3 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup firm butter or margarine
1/3 cup slivered almonds

Coffee Cake

2 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 package (7- or 8-oz size) almond paste, finely chopped
1 cup fresh or unsweetened frozen (thawed) raspberries

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Prepare Streusel. Grease square pan, 9x9x2 inches.

2. In large bowl, beat all coffee cake ingredients except almond paste and raspberries with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.

3. Spread half of batter in pan. Sprinkle with half each of the almond paste, raspberries and streusel. Repeat with remaining batter, almond paste, raspberries and streusel.

4. Bake about 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm or cool.

* If using self-rising flour, omit baking powder and salt.

Raspberry-chocolate coffee cake variation: substitute 1 package (6 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips for the almond paste.

*** I used white chocolate chips since my husband isn't a very keen on chocolate in his breakfast.

I really liked the sweetness from the raspberries. It took longer to bake since I used an 8x8x2 pan instead of my 9x9x2.

Honey Almond Apple Puffs

2009-04-19T03:46:00.000-07:00

I came across this recipe while I was at my boy's lacrosse practice (I took four cookbooks with me to plan my menu for the week. Am I a nut or what???).

Last night I made these very easy dessert/breakfast nibbles. We each had one for dessert and then my husband took two this morning for his ride into work.

Honey Almond Apple Puffs

(Betty Crocker's 40th Anniversary Edition Cookbook)

1/2 package frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 large pared cooking apple, cut into 6 wedges

Ground nutmeg

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup sliced almonds

Directions:

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Unfold pastry and cut into 9 squares. cut apples wedges crosswise in half (only 9 apple pieces are needed). Place 1 apple piece on each pastry square and sprinkle with nutmeg. Moisten corners of pastry with water. Gather corners over apple and pinch to seal well. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes or until deep golden brown and puffed. Heat honey until thin. Brush over warm puffs. Sprinkle with almonds. Serve warm.

Anniversary Cornish Hens

2009-04-18T05:45:00.000-07:00

It seems as though we have been celebrating our anniversay all week long. It started with the Tomato & Goat Cheese Tarts. Then the Cheese Platter. I had planned Cornish Hens for the night of our anniversary until I realized they were still frozen. So we decided to pack up the boys and go out for dinner, nothing fancy. Friday night I cooked the hens and tonight (saturday) the two of us will go out to the fancier restaurant we love.

Anyway for the Cornish Hens I drizzled with a little Olive Oil since I didn't have enough butter and had to save it for the rice. Then I sprinkled the hens with salt and pepper. That's it. Next I threw them in the oven at 350 degrees for 1.5 hours. They came out very moist.

I served the hens with a Mushroom and Wild Rice Pilaf. I wanted to make Mushroom Risotto but didn't have enough time.

Mushroom and Wild Rice Pilaf (cdkitchen.com)

4 teaspoons butter

2 shallots, peeled and chopped

2 cups chopped shiitake, oyster or white mushrooms

2/3 cup wild rice

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 cups chicken or beef broth

salt

pepper

Directions:

Melt butter in saucepan. Add shallots and mushrooms. Saute over medium heat for 5 minutes.

Add wild rice, rosemary and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer about an hour or until rice is tender and liquid absorbed. Season to taste.

This recipe from CDKitchen for Mushroom And Wild Rice Pilaf serves/makes 4

BB BRC - Cheese Platter

2009-04-18T05:32:00.000-07:00

Barefoot Bloggers has a Bonus Recipe Challenge (BRC) once every four months. Rebecca of Ezra Pound Cake was the winner for January 2009 Bonus Recipe Challenge. Rebecca has picked Ina's cheese platter!!

My husband and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversay this past week. I even made a trip to the Wine Steward store and bought a nice bottle of Pinot Noir, which was suggested by the gentleman at the store. Glad I went with that type of wine.

I had served Danish Blue Cheese, Smoked Gouda and Sharp Cheddar on the platter. Along side of the cheese I placed fruit and crackers.

We had a lovely time enjoying the cheese, fruit and wine.

Lemon Curd and Fruit Tarts

2009-04-17T09:18:00.000-07:00

Every week when I go grocery shopping I have to buy something for my husband for breakfast break at work. Well I'm getting tired of buying the same old things. I can not even imagine how tired he is of eating the same old things.

I decided to try my hand at Lemon Curd (the recipe is from Curtis Stone of Take Home Chef). I have never made Lemon Curd and was a bit worried how it would come out. My first mistake was using a double "lined" metal mixing bowl. Due to the double thinkness of the bottom of the mixing bowl it didn't heat up the eggs enough at first. So I transferred the eggs to a regular metal bowl and increased the heat a little. Viola it worked. I also mixed together some cream cheese and sugar to make a "cheesecake" mix.

Lemon Curd Recipe (Curtis Stone recipe from Take Home Chef)

4 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

1 stick salted butter, diced

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Decrease the heat to low. Whisk the eggs, sugar, lemon juice and zest in a medium stainless steel or glass bowl to blend. Place the bowl over the hot water and whisk in the butter.

Continue to whisk for about 3 minutes or until the curd has become thick and creamy and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and whisk until most of the heat from the curd dissipates. Set the curd aside to cool completely, stirring occasionally. The curd will continue to thicken as it cools.

***After I prepped the puff pastry like in the Tomato and Goat Cheese recipe, I smeared a layer of cream cheese on the puff pastry and threw it in the oven at 400 for a few minutes. Once the cheesecake tart was cooled enough I placed a dollip of Lemon Curd onto and smeared. In the morning I placed the fresh fruit ontop.

Barefoot Bloggers Challenge - Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart

2009-04-17T09:05:00.000-07:00

I took a look at the past Barefoot Bloggers Recipes and came across this one. It was chosen by Anne of Anne Strawberry . I have never tried Goat Cheese and wanted to give it a chance. This past Saturday, I decided to make them. They were pretty easy to prepare. I think the part that took the most time was the onions but man they were worth it. My husband had just gotten home from school and I surprised with the tarts for a late lunch. I can not find the words to even describe how these tasted. I think the flavors hit all parts of your taste buds. The goat cheese was so creamy and delicious. The tomato gave it a bit of a "tart" taste. The onions were nicely carmelized. The whole time my husband and I sat there eating the tarts all I could say is "wow!", "holey moley", "mmmmmmmm" and "I'm definitely making these again!"

Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart

1 package (17.3 ounces/2 sheets) puff pastry, defrosted
Good olive oil
4 cups thinly sliced yellow onions (2 large onions)
3 large garlic cloves, cut into thin slivers
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons dry white wine
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan, plus 2 ounces shaved with a vegetable peeler
4 ounces garlic-and-herb goat cheese (recommended: Montrachet)
1 large tomato, cut into 4 (1/4-inch-thick) slices
3 tablespoons julienned basil leaves

Directions

Unfold a sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and roll it lightly to an 11 by 11-inch square. Using a 6-inch wide saucer or other round object as a guide, cut 2 circles from the sheet of puff pastry, discarding the scraps. Repeat with the second pastry sheet to make 4 circles in all. Place the pastry circles on 2 sheet pans lined with parchment paper and refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium to low heat and add the onions and garlic. Saute for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are limp and there is almost no moisture remaining in the skillet. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, the wine, and thyme and continue to cook for another 10 minutes, until the onions are lightly browned. Remove from the heat.

Using a sharp paring knife, score a 1/4-inch-wide border around each pastry circle. Prick the pastry inside the score lines with the tines of a fork and sprinkle a tablespoon of grated Parmesan on each round, staying inside the scored border.

Place 1/4 of the onion mixture on each circle, again staying within the scored edge. Crumble 1 ounce of goat cheese on top of the onions. Place a slice of tomato in the center of each tart. Brush the tomato lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with basil, salt, and pepper. Finally, scatter 4 or 5 shards of Parmesan on each tart.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. The bottom sheet pan may need an extra few minutes in the oven. Serve hot or warm.

Dinner menu Week of April 12

2009-04-12T07:53:00.000-07:00

Week of 4/12/09

Sunday - Ham, potatoes & carrots

Monday - Burgers & cole slaw

Tuesday - Pasta

Wednesday - Steak Tips & rice

Thursday - Cornish hens, stuffing

Friday - salmon

Saturday - chicken cordon bleu & rice

Penne Pasta with Asparagus Cream Sauce

2009-04-10T05:36:00.000-07:00

Many years ago I watched Ciao Italia with Marianne Esposito on Saturday mornings. I was just amazed how easy she made cooking look. One morning she was making a penne pasta with fresh asparagus in a cream sauce. It looked delicious. Years later, I subscribed to the Cuisine At Home magazine and she was featured in it making this recipe. Sure enough I had to give it a shot.

I really enjoy making this recipe and the family loves it.

Penne with Asparagus and Cream

Penne con Asparagi e Crema

INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup whole shelled natural pistachio nuts

2 cups water

2 teaspoons fine sea salt

1 pound thin asparagus, washed, woody ends removed, and stalks cut into thirds

¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter

1 large clove garlic, peeled and cut in half lengthwise

¼ teaspoon ground white pepper

1/3 cup dry white wine

1 cup Half & Half

¼ cup heavy cream

1 pound penne

½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

DIRECTIONS
Spread the nuts on an aluminum pie plate and toast them in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, watching carefully so they do not burn. Transfer the nuts to a cutting board, mince them, and set aside.

Bring the water to boil in a pot. Add ½ half teaspoon of the salt and the asparagus. Cook, uncovered, over medium-high heat just until a knife tip is easily inserted into the asparagus, about 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In a sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and press on it with a wooden spoon to release its flavor. When the garlic starts to brown around the edges, remove and discard it. Add the asparagus and white pepper, raise the heat to high, and pour in the wine. Stir the mixture carefully for about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium.

Mix the half and half and heavy cream together and pour it over the asparagus mixture. Cook for 2 minutes; the sauce should be thick and velvety like heavy cream. Stir in the remaining 1½ teaspoons salt. Keep the mixture warm while the penne cooks.

Cook the penne according to the package directions. Drain and return to the cooking pot. Pour the asparagus sauce over the penne and stir carefully over low heat. Add the cheese and continue to stir until the cheese melts. Transfer the penne to a serving platter, sprinkle the nuts over the top, and serve immediately.

Barefoot Bloggers Challenge - Chinese Chicken Salad

2009-04-09T02:38:00.000-07:00

Barefoot Bloggers challenge - Chinese Chicken Salad

Our first recipe for the month of April was chosen by McKenzie of Kenzie’s Kitchen. The chosen recipe was Ina Garten's Chinese Chicken Salad.

I did not use the bone-in skin-on chicken breast. I used boneless chicken breast for two reasons, 1 - I had already done my grocery shopping when I decided to join the group and 2 - I had extra boneless chicken thawed already (extra large pack). I cooked the chicken the same as in the recipe and chopped into chunks. The same goes for the red peppers. I had orange and yellow on hand but no red.

I have never had a Peanut Salad Dressing before. I thought the salad was delicious and rich in flavor. I loved the nuttiness from the sesame seeds and the peanut butter, although I did question the peanut butter. I thought the dressing would be overkill if i poured it all over the chicken and veggies so I decided to drizzle it onto the salad after plating.

I decided to serve the chicken salad in Romaine lettuce leaf "boats."

Chinese Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

4 split chicken breasts (bone-in, skin-on)

Good olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 pound asparagus, ends removed, and cut in thirds diagonally

1 red bell pepper, cored and seeded

2 scallions (white and green parts), sliced diagonally

1 tablespoon white sesame seeds, toasted

For the dressing:

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup good apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons dark sesame oil

1/2 tablespoon honey

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon peeled, grated fresh ginger

1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

1/4 cup smooth peanut butter

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub with the skin with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove the meat from the bones, discard the skin, and shred the chicken in large bite-sized pieces.

Blanch the asparagus in a pot of boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes until crisp-tender. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain. Cut the peppers in strips about the size of the asparagus pieces. Combine the cut chicken, asparagus, and peppers in a large bowl.

Whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing and pour over the chicken and vegetables.

Add the scallions and sesame seeds and season to taste. Serve cold or at room temperature.

A change in the menu

2009-04-08T05:17:00.000-07:00

There has been a change in the menu for tonight. I have decided to make the steak tonight instead of the Penne Pasta & Asparagus. (we had pasta last night with the chicken piccata). I try not to have pasta back to back or rice back to back. Don't ask me why, it's just a quirk I have.

Menu for the Week of April 5th

2009-04-08T03:13:00.000-07:00

Every Saturday night or Sunday morning (before my early morning grocery shopping) I make up a menu for the coming week's dinners. This is a typical menu:

Menu ~ Week of April 5, 2009

Sunday ~ Grilled shrimp with couscus
Ina Garten http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/grilled-herb-shrimp-recipe/index.html

Monday ~ Pork with baked potatoe
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/pork-tenderloin-with-chimichurri-recipe/index.html
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/crispy-twice-cooked-new-potatoes-with-garlic-aioli-recipe/index.html

Tuesday ~ chicken piccata
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chicken-piccata-recipe/index.html

Wednesday ~ Penne Pasta with Asparagus
Cuisine @ Home magazine

Thursday ~ Steak
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/filet-of-beef-au-poivre-recipe/index.html

Friday ~ Stromboli
Internet recipe

Saturday ~ Southwest Egg Rolls

Pork Tenderloin with Chimichurri

2009-04-08T03:03:00.000-07:00

I just love Pork Tenderloin. I'm not a big fan of pork chops with the bone still in. Monday night I made two small Pork Tenderloins with Chimichurri by Tyler Florence. I would like to say the Chimichurri marinade was refreshing. The flavors just perked up the tastebuds. We really enjoyed this meal. I served the Pork Tenderloins with Tyler's Crispy Twice Cooked New Potatoes with Garlic Aioli. Oh my goodness how yummy is that Garlic Aioli.

Pork Tenderloin with Chimichurri

Ingredients

Chimichurri:

6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 jalapenos, seeded and minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
About 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
About 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh oregano leaves
3 limes, juiced
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
2 pork tenderloins (about 1 pound each), trimmed of excess fat, patted dry
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
Lime juice, for drizzling
Parsley sprigs, for garnish

Directions

Combine the garlic, jalapeno and vinegar in a bowl. Stir in the parsley, oregano, and lime juice.

Whisk in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside at room temperature to allow the flavors to marry.

Reserve 1/2 cup of the chimichurri to serve and marinate the pork in the rest. Put the pork and marinade in a sealable plastic bag and set aside in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat an outdoor charcoal grill or oven broiler to high.

Remove the pork from the marinade, wiping off any excess. Season both sides with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and place on the grill. Grill the pork on the hottest part of the barbecue for 4 minutes per side, until well charred. Allow the tenderloin to rest for about 5 minutes prior to slicing. Spoon some chimichurri over the meat, drizzle with lime juice, garnish with parsley, and serve with the remaining sauce at the table.

Crispy Twice Cooked New Potatoes with Garlic Aioli

Ingredients - Potatoes

20 to 30 small new potatoes
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Ingredients for Garlic Aioli:

2 heads garlic
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 sprig thyme
1 tablespoon water
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
*1 jumbo egg yolk
1 lemon, juiced
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup sour cream
Chopped chives, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Lay potatoes out in a single layer on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss the potatoes around so they are evenly coated and pop in the oven to roast for 35 to 40 minutes until tender.

Cut a heads of garlic through the middle, horizontally, and put in a foil pouch with olive oil, thyme, water, and salt and pepper. Seal the pouch around the edges and roast in the oven with the potatoes - this will be used for the aioli.

When the potatoes are done and warm enough to handle make an X cut on 1 side of the potato and then squeeze gently from the bottom to form a flower-like shape. Heat a pot of oil for deep frying to 350 degrees F and fry the potatoes until crispy and golden. Drain on paper towels and season with kosher salt.

Remove the garlic from the pouch and squeeze out the flesh. Add the roasted garlic, egg, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a blender and process. Pour in the olive oil in a slow, steady stream until the aioli emulsifies. Fold in sour cream and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Garnish with chives.

Grilled Shrimp with Couscous

2009-04-08T02:45:00.000-07:00

When I decided I was going to join the Barefoot Bloggers challenge, I thought I would try a couple of Ina Garten's recipes. I was making up my menu for the week and came across Ina's Grilled Shrimp recipe. Sunday was a beautiful day outside and one of the only ones for the rest of the week. So what better than to grill outside. I wasn't too sure of what to serve with the Grilled Chicken so I figured I would give Couscous a chance. (last time we made it we didn't care for it). I think I accompanied the Grilled Chicken very nicely.

Ingredients

2 pounds large shrimp (16 to 20 per pound), peeled and deveined
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, small-diced
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup minced fresh basil
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 lemon, juiced

Directions

Combine all the ingredients and allow them to marinate for 1 hour at room temperature or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Skewer the shrimp. I use 3 or 4 shrimp on a 12-inch skewer for dinner. Heat a grill with coals and brush the grill with oil to prevent the shrimp from sticking. Grill the shrimp for only 1 1/2 minutes on each side.

Grilled Chicken and Avocado Napoleons

2009-04-08T02:36:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday I was watching Giada At Home on the Food Network and she was making some great looking "sandwiches." The "bread" for the sandwich was actually Puff Pastry from the store, except you prick holes with a fork in the pastry so it doesn't puff up too much.

After I watched the show I remembered I had some Puff Pastry in the freezer. I took the box out and got started on making the sandwiches.

This was a very easy process and my family loved them.

Grilled Chicken and Avocado Napoleons Recipe:

Ingredients

2 (9 by 10-inch) sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed and cut into 12 (3 by 5-inch) rectangles
4 (4-ounce) boneless and skinless chicken breast halves
Kosher salt
Olive oil, for drizzling
3 tablespoons reduced fat mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 large avocado, thinly sliced into 8 pieces
2 cups baby spinach leaves

Directions

Place an oven rack in the lower 1/3 of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place the pastry on the prepared baking sheets. Using the tines of a fork, prick the top of the pastry all over. Cover the pastry with parchment paper and place another baking sheet on top.

Bake for 25 minutes until golden. Remove the top baking sheets and parchment paper. Set aside to cool.

Preheat a grill pan or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Season the chicken with salt and drizzle with olive oil. Grill until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise and cayenne pepper.

To assemble the Napoleons: Place 4 pieces pastry on a work surface. Slice each chicken breast diagonally into 6 (1/4-inch thick) slices. Place 3 chicken breast slices on each piece of pastry.

Place 1/4 cup of spinach and 1 avocado slice on top. Spread 1 teaspoon of the mayonnaise mixture on the underside of another 4 pieces of pastry to create the middle layer of each Napoleon. Place on top. Repeat the layering. Each Napoleon should be completed with a piece of pastry as its top.

Arrange the Napoleons on a platter and serve.

***I did make one change. I mashed up the avocado in the mayo. I just starting eating avocados in the past year so I didn't want a large chunk at once.

Getting Started

2009-04-06T13:37:00.000-07:00

One of the things that I love to do is cook and bake. Well atleast try to.

I enjoy watching the Food Network Channel and trying some of their recipes. Recently, very recent today infact, I joined my first food group - the Barefoot Bloggers. Twice a month a recipe is chosen for all of us to cook. I am excited since Ina Garten is one of my favorite from the Food Network.

So my blog is about me trying new recipes from any magazine, food channel or maybe something I grew up eating. Each week I make a dinner menu of what I will be making for my family and I will be writing about the recipe.

I hope you enjoy my blog.