foodstuff

South Beach Phase One

2011-10-11T12:47:00.000-07:00

My friend Naomi asked me about my blog yesterday and she gave me the inspiration to write a post. Actually, I have been cooking a little more and taking pictures as I go along. Today I will post a bunch of recipes, because really, who knows when inspiration will strike again? And that would mean you might miss out on some great ideas!

The following recipes are all South Beach Phase 1 friendly, which means no sugar, bread, pasta, rice, starchy veggies, fatty meats or fruit. What's left, you say? That's what I said too...then I started searching on the internet for recipes and came up with these winners.

I've found that chick peas (garbanzo beans) are a great snack when you roast them up with some spices. They almost taste like corn nuts. Who woulda thunk?

Garam Masala Roasted Chickpeas

Feel free to use any spice you like, or a blend of spices. Indian curry powders are great here, as are all kinds of paprika or chili powder. Experiment!

2 15-oz cans chickpeas
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. Garam Masala
1 tsp. fine-grain sea salt

Preheat the oven to 375°. Drain the chickpeas in a colander and rinse very well. Let them dry for 5 minutes or so, then place them in a big bowl. Add the olive oil, Garam Masala and sea salt. Toss until the chickpeas are evenly coated.

Spread them out on a rimmed cookie sheet so that they’re not overlapping, then bake for 40 – 45 minutes, tossing the pan occasionally. They’re done when they’re crisp and crunchy.

Let them cool completely, then store in an airtight container for up to a week (as if they’d last that long).

I know some people gag when they think of eggplant, but personally I love the flavor when roasted in the oven. I found this cute recipe for Eggplant Pizzettes, which is a fine alternative when you're craving a big pie from Skipolini's

Eggplant Pizzettes

Eggplant, skin left on and sliced
Spaghetti Sauce (no sugar)
Mozzarella Cheese
Black Olives, sliced

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat the oven or toaster oven to 425 degrees F. Season eggplants with the salt and pepper. Arrange on a baking sheet and bake until browned and almost tender, 6 to 8 minutes, turning once. Spread 1 tablespoon of pasta sauce on each eggplant slice. Top it off with shredded cheese and black olive slices. Bake until the cheese melts, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Who says you can't have a hearty low carb meal? We had this last night and it was great! The house smelled like a veggie pizza with onion, pepper and mushroom aromas filling the air. (Can you tell I have pizza on the brain?) Okay, so I don't ever remember ever having Chicken Cacciatore, so not sure how the flavors should have been, but this was delicious and filling. We served it on top of steamed spaghetti squash and roasted brussel sprouts.

Chicken Cacciatore

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 medium green bell pepper, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 medium yellow bell pepper, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup sliced mushrooms

Spray a large skillet with cooking spray. Add chicken; cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until browned, about 4 minutes. Remove from skillet.

In same skillet, heat oil, until hot but not smoking. Add garlic, onion, green pepper, and yellow pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 4 minutes. Add tomato sauce, stock, and oregano. Bring mixture to a boil. Return chicken to skillet.

Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until chicken is tender, about 25 minutes. Place chicken on a serving platter; cover with foil to keep warm.

Add mushrooms to skillet; increase heat to high; cook until mushrooms are tender and sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Spoon sauce over chicken. Serve immediately.

If you've never done South Beach diet before, trust me when I say that breakfast is the hardest meal. You really have to tweak your brain that it's okay to have leftover chicken and veggies for breakfast. Or eggs. Or more eggs. This here is the best breakfast we've had in the past 3 weeks. We have tried it with a couple times, once with black beans and another with Fat free refried. While both were great, we preferred creaminess of the refried. Also, adding a piece of chopped up Canadian Bacon in there helped bring out that salty bacon flavor. Overall, a great recipe that we can whip up in about 10 minutes.

Huevo Ranchero - almost

1/2 cup black beans (or fat-free refried black beans)
dash cumin, if desired
1/2 thin slice red onion
1/2 oz. shredded reduced-fat cheese
1 egg
2 Tbsp. sugar-free salsa
chopped cilantro

Directions
Poach egg in simmering water. While egg is poaching, put beans in a microwave-safe bowl, and mash slightly with a dash of cumin, if desired. Top with onion and cheese, and microwave for about 30-45 seconds, until cheese is melted. Top with egg and then salsa and cilantro.

This is a very satisfying side dish to a simple grilled chicken or fish. The spices are flavorful but not overpowering. I was concerned that the whole cloves of garlic would be too sharp, but they were creamy and almost sweet. Once you get all that chopping out of the way, it is a very easy dish to cook!

Roasted Veggies with Chickpeas

1 large red onion sliced thinly
1 green pepper sliced thinly
1 red pepper slice thinly
2 cups whole button mushrooms
1 bulb of garlic separated and de papered
1 can drained chickpeas or 1 and 1/2 cups of dried chickpeas that have been prepared
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp chili powder (I like new mexico chili powder found in bags in the Hispanic food isle)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or more if you like it spicy
juice of one small lime

Directions
Pre Heat oven to 450
Slice peppers and onions very thin. In a big bowl place veggies, garlic and chickpeas. Drizzle with olive oil and then add spices. Mix with hands or cover and shake until veggies and spices are well mixed.
Spread veggies on a large greased pan. Bake for 25-45 minutes (depending on your oven) until veggies begin to brown to your liking. Drizzle with lime juice and garnish with cilantro or parsley.

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Okay, so that's it for now. Hope you enjoyed seeing what I've been doing (food wise) and just maybe it will give you some inspiration to go find some new recipes to try out for yourself. Try a spice you've never used. Find a new veggie or meat and look up some new way to cook it....but whatever you do, embrace the therapy of cooking and enjoy nourishing your family and friends!

PS. Tonight will be Meditteranean Turkey Meatballs with a Feta Yogurt Sauce. Not sure the kids will eat it, but I might let them have a PB&J if they promise to take one bite!

Menu Planning

2011-01-19T09:01:00.000-08:00

I'm trying what my friend Cathy suggested - menu planning for the week. I used to do it and I know it goes much easier just to have the plan and the ingredients on hand. Here is my menu for the rest of the week:

Chicken Parmesan
Mashed Potatoes
Steamed Veggies

Turkey Burgers
Fresh Fruit

Crock Pot Mac 'n Chicken with Mushrooms
Salad

Thai Basil Chicken
Brown rice
Cucumber Salad

Do you do a menu plan or just wing it for dinners? What's on your list this week?

Blackberry Muffins

2011-01-18T21:55:00.001-08:00

I'm not sure if it's me just cutting back a bit on sugar here in this household, but the oldest boy, who's 6, said these were "the best muffins you ever made, mom." ((swoons))

OK, so this is my super easy and trusty (and not too sweet) muffin recipe that will accept any form of fruit, nut or chocolate. Or all of those things. In one batch. I usually just use what fruit is on sale that week - berries, bananas, plums, apples & nectarines are a few of my faves. I've also used half whole wheat flour and half white flour and it comes out just fine! You can substitute apple sauce for the oil too. And if you want to be even more stealthy, sneak in some ground flax or wheat germ. Shhhh, I won't tell.

Anything Muffins

Ingredients:
2 c. flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
dash of salt
3/4 fruit or whatever
1 egg
4 Tbsp. oil
1 c. milk
topping: 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon mixed together

Preheat oven to 400. Mix dry ingredients together and then add fruit to it, so the pieces are coated in the flour mixture. In a small bowl mix the egg ,oil and milk together. Add the wet stuff to the dry and mix only until the mixture becomes all one consistency. Let set about 5 minutes and then fill muffin cups about 2/3 full. Top each with 1/2 tsp. cinnamon sugar topping. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

I hope you will give it a try and let me know how they came out!

Butternut Lasagne

2010-11-01T21:37:00.000-07:00

Today I am revisiting a recipe from last year. This was the one I was so excited about that I made it 3 times in one month, which I wouldn't recommend because it took a whole year to get to the point where I wanted it again. And now that I've had it for dinner and leftovers, I am anxious to make it again.....but I really don't want to burn out again, so I will wait.

But seriously, this is good. Really good. This time I made a few changes - I added a layer of spinach and also grated some onion into the bechamel. I just love the sweet roasted squash mixed with the savory browned sausage and veggies. If you have the time, make this! I made the butternut puree and browned the sausage the night before to cut down on my time in the kitchen during the day, when elusive crawling baby tends to get out of eyesight and chews on shoes or video game cords.

Butternut and Sausage Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash, halved and seeded
EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for drizzling
Salt and pepper
Freshy grated nutmeg
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
4 tablespoons butter
2 T. grated onion
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups whole milk
10-12 leaves fresh sage, very thinly sliced
1 box no boil, flat edged lasagna sheets
1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 cup other sauteed veggies (spinach, mushrooms, eggplant, etc.)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Drizzle squash with a little EVOO and season with salt, pepper and a little freshly grated nutmeg. Roast cut-side down until tender, about 40 minutes. Let cool enough to handle, then scoop flesh out of skin and add to food processor. Puree squash with stock and brown sugar, in 2 batches if necessary, and reserve.

Heat a drizzle of EVOO in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and brown the sausage, crumbling it into very small bits as it cooks, about 7-8 minutes.

While the sausage cooks, heat a pot over medium heat. Add butter and grated onion until melty and fragrant. Whisk in flour, cook 1 minute then whisk in milk. Season with salt, pepper, a little freshly grated nutmeg and the sage. Cook until thickened, about 7-8 minutes, whisking occasionally.

Spread about 1/3 white sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish then add a layer of pasta. Top with the cooked sausage and cover with 1/2 of the butternut puree and some Parmigiano. Cover with another layer of pasta, butternut sauce, other veggie of choice and Parmigiano. Add the last layer of pasta, remaining white sauce and more Parm cheese. Cover with foil and bake lasagna about 30 minutes. Uncover and cook 15 minutes or more to brown the top.

And now I want to give a product shout out of the day. This is a picture of Trader Joe's Pumpkin Bread and Muffin Mix (I threw the box away before thinking about taking a picture of it, but you can find it in huge quantities right next to the other bread and muffin mixes). It was so easy to make - just add eggs, oil and water. Y U M. Just yum.

Bloody Eyeballs

2010-10-28T16:53:00.000-07:00

Halloween Week is here and I love it!! We are trying to eat Halloween-y all week so here is what we made last night. They came out so cute and the boys loved calling their dinner "bloody eyeballs" with questions like this all through dinner: Where did you get the bloody eyeballs mom? The graveyard? Mmmm...these bloody eyeballs are really yummy. Is there blood inside? Let me check. Are these eyballs sitting on top of brains? Mmmm, I love to eat brains.

Okay so super easy recipe which is perfect for this hectic week. I'm sure everyone has their favorite meatball recipe, so use that or feel free to use mine. Thank you to Monica at http://lickthebowlgood.blogspot.com/ for inspiration!!

Bloody Eyballs (Turkey Meatballs in Sauce)

1 1/2 jars spaghetti sauce
1 pkg. ground turkey

1/4 c. chicken broth
1 egg
2 T grated onion
1 t. minced garlic (or a frozen cube from TJ's)
3 T. parmesan
1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon each salt & pepper
1 T. fresh chopped basil (or 2 frozen cubes from TJ's)

Mix broth through basil until well blended. Then add turkey and gently fold with your hands until it is evenly mixed. Make into meatballs.

First put the sauce in the pan, about halfway up. Add an olive to each raw meatball, pushing it down a bit. Plop them in the sauce and voila! Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. It's actually much simpler than the browning process I do for regular meatballs.

Nom nom!

Pumpkin Ravioli with Brown Butter Sage Sauce

2010-10-26T21:21:00.001-07:00

My parents were here helping me out while Tall Guy was away on a business trip the past 5 days. I really don't think I could have gotten through that time without them here. Seriously. Even with all three of us, taking care of these kids and their messes sometimes seems like shoveling the driveway while its snowing. The good part though, is that when the grandparents are here, kids hone in on the fact that any pleads to read a book, play tickle monster, "jungle", puzzles, Transformers or even "night soccer" will be happily obliged. So, thanks again Mom and Dad. We are already missing you!

With the extra arms in the house, I had some free time for a little cooking and decided to make some pumpkin ravioli in honor of Halloween Week. I actually used Kabocha Squash, which has a dense pumpkin texture and sweet flavor when roasted. I looked at some recipes, but ended up just eyeballing the filling mixture. I was really happy with the way it turned out and I think everyone else enjoyed it too! The picture does not do it justice - these early dark nights are bad for photography!

Pumpkin Ravioli with Brown Butter Sage Sauce

1 Sugar Pumpkin or Kabocha Squash
1 T. olive oil
2 T brown sugar
salt/pepper to taste

1 small container Ricotta cheese
1 clove minced garlic
2 T. grated onion
1 egg
1/4 cup Parmesan
1 tsp. brown sugar
1 T. chopped herbs (basil/thyme/parsley)

1 package wonton wrappers

1 stick butter
12-15 sage leaves, coarsely chopped
squeeze of lemon

Heat oven to 400. Cut squash in half horizontally, drizzle with oil, salt, pepper and rub in the brown sugar. Roast on baking sheet, cut side down, for about 30-40 minutes, or until very tender. Scoop out flesh into a bowl and mash down until the lumps are gone.

Add ricotta, parmesan, egg, onion, garlic, brown sugar and salt/pepper and mix until smooth.

Lay out the wontons on a large work surface and add about a teaspoon of the filling to each. Use water to seal the wrappers in half, taking care not to squish the filling out the sides. Really press down the edges!!

Okay, so now you are ready to roll. Get that water boiling.

In the meantime, melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Once it is all melted, add the sage and cook on high until the butter is brown and the sage is crispy. Turn off heat. Add the squeeze of lemon juice and stir in.

Gently place the raviolis into boiling water. Watch close, you only want to warm them up. Once they rise to the top and get a bit translucent, about 2-3 minutes, take them out with a slotted spoon right onto your serving plate. Add the sauce.

Get ready for a party in your mouth (as Giada would say)!

This makes a TON of ravioli. I only boiled half and also had a bunch of leftover filling. The rest is now in the freezer ready for another gourmet meal. Hopefully Tall Guy will appreciate that when I pull it out next week!

Best Banana Bread

2010-10-19T09:27:00.000-07:00

I don't have any stories about this recipe except that it comes from my mom and that I've been eating it for 30+ years. Sometimes perfection does not need to be messed with! (Oh, okay, I DID add the cinnamon to her recipe because I LOVE cinnamon!!) Thanks, mom. Someday we will get that cookbook put together!

Best Banana Bread (my mom's recipe)

1/2 cup margarine or butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs well beaten
2 cups flour
1/2 t. salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup sour milk (add 1 tsp vinegar to milk)
1 cup banana pulp (about 2 large bananas)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs and beat well.
3. Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
4. Stir in dry ingredients alternately with sour milk and banana pulp. Don't overmix.
5. Stir in nuts.
6. Bake in greased loaf pan for 50-60 minutes.

For 4 mini loaves, bake for 25 minutes.

Risotto Cakes

2010-10-18T10:05:00.000-07:00

It's a rare day when we actually have leftover risotto, but today happens to be that day. I've had these little puppies on the back of my mind for quite some time after seeing them on a recent episode of The Next Iron Chef. Crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside....delish.

I did not follow a recipe so here is what I did:

Risotto Cakes

Leftover Mushroom Risotto (it was about 2 cups)
1 egg
2 T. flour
2 T. Parmesan
1 T. grated onion
1/2 clove minced garlic
salt/pepper to taste

Mix everything together and form patties. Fry in oil until the sides are crispy and brown, about 5 minutes per side. Serve hot*!

* Because of the baby, I usually try to cook dinner during the day when she is asleep, so I cooked these in the morning and plan to re-heat in the oven and serve them with Chicken Piccata and a green salad. Bon Appetit!

Adventures in my Kitchen

2010-09-07T19:14:00.001-07:00

Hey I've been cooking, really. Here's proof:

This is a little late night snack I made for our "date night" at the Dave Matthews Band concert a couple weeks ago (first night out together since the birth of our daughter.....5 months ago!). I ran out of time and did not get a picture of the finished sandwich, but it was incredibly yummy. I still think about it! I roasted eggplant and red peppers at 450 for 25 minutes with olive oil, salt & pepper. Carmelized the onions in a saute pan with a half teaspoon of sugar (to hasten things up) for about 20 minutes. I added goat cheese and fresh basil to this awesome roasted veggie sandwich on whole wheat!

Tried this new recipe called an Upside Down Pizza. Basically layered meat sauce, broccoli, mozzarella and pizza dough on top. It was quite tasty but probably more work than it was worth and harder to eat than the real right-side-up edition. Also, the kids saw the green layer and decided to snub their noses. Erg!

Here is shiny fresh tomato sauce straight from the garden! I had about 6 tomatoes sitting on the counter and decided this was the day I would finally try a fresh tomato sauce. Blanched and peeled the tomatoes first. Sauteed onion, garlic & red pepper flakes until soft, added chopped tomatoes, basil and salt. Simmered for half hour over low heat. Sweet and tangy goodness! The picture is very early on in the process...it turned into a nice red-orange chunky sauce. Added fresh basil, extra salt and olive oil to finish.

And finally, my second time making a green chile enchilada entirely from scratch. I made the green sauce the day before, roasting green hatch chiles then peeling, seeding and chopping them for the sauce. Inside the corn tortillas are shredded poached chicken and jack cheese. I LOVE the clean fresh taste of the sauce and think this simple recipe from a recent local paper is a keeper!

If anyone wants this recipe, please comment and I will post it.

See, I told you I was still cooking. I also made Martha Stewart's Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars that were dense, balanced and incredibly addicting! Bon Apetit...until next time. -Deanna

Alevropita (Feta Tart)

2010-07-28T10:48:00.000-07:00

Hi again, it's me, trying to touch base with my neglected blog. I am super excited and wanted to share this recipe I found in my new August issue of Saveur magazine called "The Greece Issue." I am really looking forward to trying more of the recipes because they all look fabulous. This tart was super easy to make and delish! The olive oil in the bottom of the pan gives it a nice crispy crust and the charred feta is both creamy and tangy. Although this was lovely as is, I think that it can be played around with...next time I might add some oregano or diced olives.

I love Saveur because it is not just a recipe magazine, but contains many stories about world travel centered around food. Each and every time I find the time to sit down and read, it ignites my fire to someday experience this kind of travel and get to the heart of a different culture by way of food. This particular dish was described by the writer as coming into the taverna after a morning of hiking the hills above a small village and finding her Greek hostess offering this straight from the oven. She found that the alevropita "might as well have been sent down by gods from Mount Olympus - nourishing, elemental and satisying to the soul." I heartily agree and all I did today was change diapers and pick up toys (not quite hiking the hills above a quaint Greek village - but oh well!)

I made this along with some baked chicken and a Greek salad for dinner, thinking the kids would not touch it, but they loved it and asked for seconds!! Give it a try as a side dish or appetizer...yum!!

ALEVROPITA (Feta Tart)

6 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp. vodka
1 egg
1 1⁄4 cups flour, sifted
1⁄4 tsp. kosher salt
1⁄8 tsp. baking powder
10 oz. feta, crumbled
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

1. Heat oven to 500°. Put an 18" x 13" x 1" rimmed baking sheet into oven for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, whisk together 2 tbsp. oil, vodka, egg, and 1 cup water in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, salt, and baking powder. Pour wet mixture over dry mixture and whisk until smooth.

3. Brush remaining oil over bottom of hot pan and add batter, smoothing batter with a rubber spatula to coat the bottom evenly, if necessary. Distribute cheese evenly over batter, and dot with butter. Bake, rotating baking sheet halfway through, until golden brown and crunchy, about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly before slicing and serving.

Monkey Bread

2010-06-18T23:03:00.000-07:00

Mmmmmmm...this recipe came to fruition due to my recent obsession with clipping coupons and saving tons of money on groceries. I found a great deal on the Sunday SF Chronicle just for the purpose of getting those extra coupons. I've been reading the Contra Costa Times for so long, that I forgot the Chronicle has a food section on Sundays....BONUS!

Love love love how this turned out...it was not your basic muffin recipe where you whip it up in a few minutes, but well worth the effort. I've always been a little scared of yeast for some reason...it seems so mysterious. All that foamy business, and then waiting around for the dough to rise and stuff. Luckily the recipe was very precise (and long-winded) for newbies like me. Here it is verbatim:

Monkey Bread

Instant yeast streamlines yeasted baking because you don't need to "proof" it by first dissolving the yeast it in water, then waiting for tiny bubbles to appear on the surface. The rising times are also shorter. This bread is best eaten the day it is baked, but can be prepared a day ahead (see instructions).

Dough
2 1/2 to 2 3/4 cups bleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast ( 1/4-ounce packet)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup whole milk
4 tablespoons ( 1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Coating
1/3 cup packed golden brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the dough: Using a rubber spatula or whisk, thoroughly combine 2 cups of the flour, the sugar, yeast, salt, allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon in the bowl of a stand mixer; set aside.

In a small heavy saucepan, heat the milk and butter over low heat just until the butter melts (150°-160° on a candy thermometer). Remove from the heat; add 1/4 cup cold water and set aside until the milk-butter mixture cools to 120°-130°, about 1 minute. Pour the milk mixture over the flour-yeast mixture and mix well with a rubber spatula until the dry ingredients are moistened.

Attach the bowl and the flat paddle attachment to the mixer. With the mixer on low speed, add 1 egg and mix just until incorporated, stopping to scrape bowl as needed. Repeat with the second egg, then add the vanilla. Stop the mixer, add 1/2 cup more flour and resume mixing on low speed until smooth, about 30 to 45 seconds. Add 2 tablespoons additional flour and raise the mixer to medium speed for about 45 seconds, or until the dough is smooth, still soft and slightly sticky.

Sprinkle a clean work surface with 1 tablespoon flour. Place dough in the center of the flour-dusted area. Knead the dough gently for about 1 minute, or until it is smooth and still just slightly sticky; add additional flour (1 to 2 tablespoons) only if necessary. Place the dough in a large bowl, cover the bowl securely with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise in a warm place (75° to 80°) until it is about 1 1/2 times its original size, 45 to 60 minutes. (No need to grease the bowl since covering it with plastic wrap keeps the dough surface moist.) The dough is ready if an indentation remains when touched.

For the coating: Combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Reserve the butter in a separate bowl. Assembly: Lightly spray or grease a 10- to 12-cup nonstick tube or Bundt pan. Gently push down the dough to deflate it, divide it in half, then divide each half into 17 equal-size pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Coat each ball in melted butter, then roll in the spicy sugar mixture. Arrange the balls in the prepared pan, layering them evenly on top of each other. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for about an hour, or until about 1 1/2 times in size.

To bake: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375° at least 30 minutes before baking. Remove the plastic wrap from the pan and bake the bread for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Cover the pan with a serving plate and invert the bread onto it. Carefully lift the pan off the bread. Let the bread cool for 15 to 30 minutes to serve warm, or let cool even longer (up to 6 hours) to serve at room temperature.

To do ahead: Up to 24 hours before baking, prepare the dough as directed up to the point of assembly. Gently deflate the dough in the bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to use, but remove from the refrigerator at least one hour before assembly to let dough come to room temperature. Continue assembly and baking as directed.

Chicken Marbella

2010-06-09T13:04:00.000-07:00

It's funny how convoluted life can be.....all these twisty roads that somehow always bring us back to what we love to do the most. For me one of those things is cooking (the other is pool, which I happen to be starting back up tonight!!) So while we have a precious new addition in our family and schedules have changed dramatically, I am determined to keep doing the things I love so that I can stay a happy mama.

Lately the adventurous and time consuming meals have been far and few between, but I finally feel that I am slowly able to try new recipes while the little one is sleeping happily in her swing. Most of the work on this one is making the marinade the night before, and then a little basting while it cooks. I served it with a salad and roasted red potatoes. YUM!

I love the combination of sweet, salty and tangy in this chicken. I found it in People magazine touted as Matt Lauer's favorite recipe that he's eaten on the Today show. I really liked the subtle meditteranean flavors of the olives, capers and prunes mixed together with oregano and wine. Give it a try if you are feeling like something a little different!

Chicken Marbella

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, 5 lbs. cut into 8 pieces
1/2 head of garlic, peeled and pureed

2 T. dried oregano

2 T. coarse salt

2 T. ground pepper

1/4 cup red-wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup pitted prunes

1/4 cup pitted green olives

1/4 cup capers with a bit of juice

1 bay leaves

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 T. fresh chopped parsley or cilantro

1. Combine chicken, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, vinegar, olive oil, prunes olives, capers and bay leaves in a large bowl. Cover and marinate in fridge overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. Place chicken in large, shallow pan and spoon marinade over it evenly.

4. Pour white wine over the chicken, and sprinkle with brown sugar.

5. Bake for 50-60 minutes, basting frequently with pan juices.

6. Transfer chicken, prunes olives and capers to serving platter with a slotted spoon. Moisten with pan juices and sprinkle with parsley or cilantro.

Chicken and Dumplings

2010-02-20T18:27:00.000-08:00

All of us have colds here and I thought some old fashioned comfort food would hit the spot right about now. I remember visiting my grandma during my childhood and one of the dinners she would always make was Chicken and Dumplings.....the fluffy doughy biscuits floating at the top would try to melt away if I didn't gobble them up first. And then the thick stew filled with chicken and other tidbits would be next down the hatch. If there was any left, seconds were usually not out of the question. I remember her process was an all afternoon affair. She boiled the whole the chicken first while making her own stock, and then picked the meat off the bones for the soup. I'm sure that is what made it so special.

What's great about this recipe is that it takes literally 25 minutes tops and is so tasty and satisfying. I even had that flashback moment like in the movie Ratatouille, where Ego, the nasty food critic, tastes the dish and is sucked back in time to when he was a kid. Isn't that what food is about anyways? Making memories with your family and enjoying each other's company? It always amazes me what tastes and smells can bring me right back to being a kid.

Give this a try before the warm weather hits....you won't be disappointed and may even add it to your winter menu rotation like I am going to do!

Chicken and Dumplings by Rachael Ray

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds chicken breast, cut into small bite size pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil 1 turn of the pan
2 tablespoons butter
1 russet potato, peeled and diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced or thinly sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 rib celery, diced
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, (I also added 1/4 t. dried thyme)
2 tablespoons flour
1 quart chicken broth or stock, canned or paper container

2 cups Bisquick

1/2 cup milk
Handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 cup frozen green peas

Directions

Dice tenders into bite size pieces and set aside. Wash hands.

Place a large pot on stove over medium high heat. Add oil, butter, vegetables and bay leaf and cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Season mixture with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Add flour to the pan and cook 2 minutes. Stir broth or stock to the pot and bring to a boil. Add chicken to the broth and stir.

Place biscuit mix in a bowl. Combine with 1/2 cup milk and parsley until a dough consistency forms. Drop tablespoonfuls of prepared mix into the pot, spacing dumplings evenly. Cover pot tightly and reduce heat to medium low. Steam dumplings 8 to 10 minutes. Remove cover and stir chicken and dumplings to thicken sauce a bit. Stir peas into the pan, remove chicken and dumplings from heat and serve in shallow bowls.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

2009-11-16T07:40:00.000-08:00

I wanted to re-post this recipe from last year in case anybody is looking for an awesome Thanksgiving dessert....enjoy!

I know, I know - more cheesecake, you say. I made this today for my in-laws Thanksgiving dinner coming up on Sunday and wanted to share it just in case anyone wanted a holiday dessert idea. Obviously I can't taste it to tell you how it is, but it got rave reviews over at http://www.allrecipes.com/. I will update the post on Monday to let you know the results.

INGREDIENTS
Crust:
1 1/2 cups crushed gingersnap cookies
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/3 cup butter, melted

Filling:
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup white sugar, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium bowl, mix together the crushed gingersnap cookies, pecans, and butter. Press into the bottom, and about 1 inch up the sides of a 9 inch springform pan. Bake crust 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, and vanilla just until smooth. Mix in eggs one at a time, blending well after each. Set aside 1 cup of the mixture. Blend 1/4 cup sugar, pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg into the remaining mixture. Spread the pumpkin flavored batter into the crust, and drop the plain batter by spoonfuls onto the top. Swirl with a knife to create a marbled effect. (I piped the white mixture with a ziplock bag into a swirl effect instead)

Bake 55 minutes in the preheated oven, or until filling is set. Run a knife around the edge of the pan. Allow to cool before removing pan rim. Chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

Butternut and Sausage Lasagne

2009-11-11T10:02:00.000-08:00

I've been trying some new recipes lately and haven't really had any bombs, which is unusual for me. Some recipes I've tried in the past month are Alphabet & Beef Soup, Mushroom Risotto, Sticky Coconut Chicken, Red Lentil & Kale Soup, and this one: Butternut and Sausage Lasagne. I loved it so much, that I had to take some time to post it up.

I got it from one of my mommy allies (thank you Traci!), and made a few minor adjustments. She mentioned that it was from Rachael Ray, but this is the closest I found from RR, which actually is kind of different. Maybe I will have to try that one next time. I think adding another veggie to bulk it up would be nice too...maybe mushrooms or spinach?

I bought the noodles from Trader Joes, as well as the Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage. And no mozzarella or ricotta makes this much cheaper to make than regular lasagne. It was rich, but not heavy. Subtle unique flavors, but not bland! The creamy sauce will fool your toddlers (and husbands) that it is made from cheese instead of nutrient-rich winter squash. If you have some time to make and freeze it this week, it would be a great to serve any holiday crashers you have coming for Turkey Day weekend.

Butternut and Sausage Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash, halved and seeded
EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for liberal drizzling
Salt and pepper
Freshy grated nutmeg
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian sausage
4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups whole milk
10-12 leaves fresh sage, very thinly sliced
1 box no boil, flat edged lasagna sheets
1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400ºF.
Drizzle squash with a little EVOO and season with salt, pepper and a little freshly grated nutmeg. Roast cut-side down until tender, about 40 minutes. Let cool enough to handle, then scoop flesh out of skin and add to food processor. Puree squash with stock and honey, in 2 batches if necessary, and reserve.
Heat a drizzle of EVOO in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and brown the sausage, crumbling it into very small bits as it cooks, about 7-8 minutes.
While the sausage cooks, heat a pot over medium heat. Add butter and melt, whisk in flour, cook 1 minute then whisk in milk. Season with salt, pepper, a little freshly grated nutmeg and the sage. Cook until thickened, about 7-8 minutes, whisking occasionally. Mix in the squash puree to make your base sauce.
Spread a little sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish then add a layer of pasta. Top with 1/3 of the cooked sausage and cover with sauce and Parmigiano. Cover with another layer of pasta, sausage, sauce and Parmigiano. Repeat one more time, and for the last layer do pasta, sauce and remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake lasagna 30 minutes. Uncover and cook 15 minutes or more to brown the top.

Mile High Lemon Meringue Pie

2009-10-05T12:15:00.000-07:00

Hello out there....me again, finally. Yes, I know - one of the golden rules for maintaining an audience for your blog is to POST OFTEN. But guess what? I actually have an excuse that is more than just "I got busy." I got pregnant! We are a little suprised, but blessed and getting more excited by the day to meet our new little bean in March.

The only thing I could have blogged about in the past 3 months would have been Jamba Juice, grilled cheese or pre-natal vitamins. For some reason, the nausea bug hit hard this time, much worse than my previous two. I could not get enough watermelon, strawberries and lemonade, but handling raw meat gave me the heebies, especially chicken. If I could manage to cook something for the family, the last thing I wanted to do was photograph it and write about it. Ew.

But now I'm feeling better and ready to start cooking again. I got this recipe from the show America's Test Kitchen, which I DVR'd and watched twice. I'm not going to lie, this pie was time consuming and tedious. It seems like it took me a good part of a day. With all the timing and cooling, it is very precise...but that's what the test kitchen is for - they do all the legwork for a perfect recipe every time. And perfect it is! The filling is tart and rich, the meringue fluffy, creamy and stacked to the sky. Instead of baking the pie to cook the meringue, it uses an Italian Meringue which is cooked by hot sugar syrup that you stream in while whipping. This prevents the common "weeping" of water from the egg whites, which makes your meringue slide off and get goopy over time.

So read this a few times before you start. I made my own pie crust, but next time will just buy a pre-made one and save the extra step.

Lemon Filling
1 ¼ cup sugar
1 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons finely grated zest (see note)

½ cup water

3 tablespoons cornstarch

¼ teaspoon salt

8 large egg yolks (4 whites reserved for the meringue)

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and softened

Note: Zest the lemons before juicing them.

Whisk sugar, lemon juice, water, cornstarch and salt together in a large nonreactive saucepan until cornstarch is dissolved. Bring to simmer over medium heat, whisking occasionally until mixture becomes translucent and begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Whisk in egg yolks until combined. Stir in zest and butter. Bring to simmer and stir constantly until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 2 minutes. Pour into cooked and cooled pie crust. Place plastic wrap directly on surface of filling and refrigerate until set and well chilled, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

Meringue
½ cup water

1 cup sugar

4 large egg whites (reserved from filling)

Pinch of salt

½ teaspoon cream of tartar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine water and sugar in small saucepan. Bring to a vigorous boil over medium to high heat. Once syrup comes to a rolling boil, cook for exactly 4 minutes (mixture will become slightly thickened and syrupy). Remove from heat and set aside while beating egg whites. The 4 minute time frame was stressed in the show to get the sugar syrup to the right temperature.

Beat egg whites in stand mixer at medium-low speed until frothy, about 2 minutes. Add salt and cream of tartar, and beat gradually increasing speed to medium-high, until egg whites hold soft peaks, about 2 minutes. With the mixer running, slowly pour hot syrup into whites. Add vanilla and beat until the meringue has cooled and becomes very thick and shiny, 7-9 minutes)

Using a rubber spatula, mound meringue over filling, making sure meringue touches the edges of the crust. Use the spatula to create peaks all over the meringue. Bake until peaks turn golden brown, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Serve.

This picture was taken after the pie had been under a piece of plastic wrap and sitting in the fridge overnight. You can see how well the meringue stood up! Yes, I have to admit - this was breakfast today. At least I can blame it on the baby now. (evil grins)

Carrot Fennel Soup

2009-08-02T11:33:00.000-07:00

Do most people go to farmer's markets with a list? Or a menu they are trying to shop for? If so, I must be the minority type of patron. While I seek out bargains and stick to a list for pantry items, I am extremely impulsive when it comes to buying fresh produce. Most times I see something that looks particularly fresh or intriguing. Something that would normally cost a fortune at the local supermarket. Take fennel bulbs, for instance. They cost $3+ at the grocery store, but fresh from the fields....$1.50 and !

Anyway, once home with my fennel this week (or okra or pattypan squash) the question always comes up, what am I going to do with that thing? I've made a raw shaved fennel salad on this blog, so now it's time for a soup. This one is actually pretty healthy and dairy free. I really enjoyed the sweet and subtle anise flavor of this soup. Don't leave out the fennel oil...it really makes the soup stand out!

Carrots and fennel caramelize when roasted at high heat, then release their sweet essence when blended. A drizzle of fennel-seed oil echoes and intensifies the fennel flavor.

Carrot Fennel Soup

1 medium fennel bulbs with fronds
5 carrots, coarsely chopped
1 medium onion, sliced
1 garlic clove
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
1 teaspoon fennel seeds

Special equipment:an electric coffee/spice grinder

Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in lowest position.

Chop enough fennel fronds to measure 1 tablespoon and reserve. Discard stalks and remaining fronds. Slice bulb 1/4 inch thick and toss with carrots, onion, garlic, 2 tablespoons oil, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Spread in a 4-sided sheet pan and roast, stirring occasionally, until browned and tender, 25 to 30 minutes.

Blend vegetables in a blender with broth until very smooth. Transfer to a medium saucepan. Thin to desired consistency with water and simmer 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, finely grind fennel seeds in grinder and stir into remaining 2 tablespoons oil.
Serve soup drizzled with fennel oil and sprinkled with reserved fronds.

Soup can be made 1 day ahead and chilled. Serves 4.
Fennel oil can be made 2 days ahead and kept at room temperature

Recipe is adapted from Gourmet Magazine, November 2008

Coconut Macaroons

2009-08-02T08:18:00.000-07:00

I have not really been a fan of coconut until the last couple years, when I learned how to make Thai curry with the milk. And then a few Halloweens ago, I tried an Almond Joy from my son's candy stash - and I was sold! So, now I like coconut, but for health reasons it's only an occasional treat.

I wanted to make an unusual cookie for my afternoon tea, and this easy recipe hit the spot!

Coconut Macaroons

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
5 1/2 cups flaked coconut
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, coconut and salt. Stir in the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla using your hands until well blended. Use an ice cream scoop to drop dough onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until coconut is toasted.

Garden Goodies

2009-07-20T10:12:00.000-07:00

Recently got home from vacation with fresh yummy produce waiting to be picked from my garden! What a wonderful gift....

Okay, so I've been really slacking on my blog updates, but I am working on a few posts as I type, so stay tuned....

Italian Shepherd's Pie

2009-06-22T22:21:00.000-07:00

Sauteed fresh zucchini + turkey bolognese sauce + leftover mashed potatoes = My made-up Italian Shepherd's Pie = awesome yumminess.

I've never made an actual Shepherd's Pie, nor have I ordered it from a restaurant. It seems that whenever I see it on a menu, there is a myriad of reasons that prevent me from ordering it......I've had a big lunch that day or it's 100 degrees out or I'm having a hankering instead for some fish n' chips with my Guinness. And because of this, I don't really feel like making it with an Italian flair is altogether blasphemous. I don't know what its supposed to taste like, so it's not confusing to me and my tiny little brain.

Anyway, this is really an attempt to stretch out ingredients from a previous meal....instead of using all 1.25 lbs of the turkey package the night before, I saved about a half pound to whip up this quick bolognese sauce.

Quick Turkey Bolognese

1T. light olive oil

1/2 lb. ground turkey

1/2 diced onion

2 diced carrots

1 diced red bell

2 cloves chopped garlic

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1 small jar TJ's marinara sauce

Brown the turkey with the onion, carrots, bell and garlic until done. Add marinara and parm. Simmer for about half hour, stirring occasionally, until thick.

Alright, so throw this bad boy together. Saute those zucchini (I used 5 small ones) on high heat to get some color and add to bottom of large pie pan. Top with the bolognese and then the leftover mashed potatoes. I added a bit of parmesan on top of the pie. Cook at 375 for 45 minutes and if the top is not brown enough, crank up the broiler for a minute.

If your pie pan is loaded to the brim like mine, please put a cookie sheet underneath. Please? Oh, and next time I'm adding mushrooms..mmmmmmmmmm.

Roasted Salsa and Cilantro Lime Chicken

2009-05-25T21:20:00.000-07:00

Made this yummy recipe up, based on what was left in my fridge and the fact that the Cuisinart was sprung out from the depths of the garage for the salsa recipe (tiny kitchen=no storage). We really liked the south of the border zingy chicken BBQ'd this way.

Cilantro Lime Chicken

Throw the following in the food processor:

1/2 onion

4 cloves garlic

1 bunch cilantro

3 T. light olive oil

1 tsp. pepper

juice from 1 lime plus zest

I did not add salt because the chicken we had was "plumped" (you've seen the commercial) with some kind of saline solution. From now on, I will seek out the all natural chicken whenever I can because it was actually too salty without any added salt in the marinade. Scary.

Anyways, marinade 4 hours, poking the chicken a couple times with a fork violently to inject more flavor. While doing this, as tempting as it might be, avoid yelling "die, die, die" or else your significant other might have you committed.

Grill and eat. Easy Spanish rice recipe coming soon.

While you have the cuisinart out, here is another recipe that is pretty easy. Roasted salsa has a smoky mellow flavor and when you make your own, it's easy to control the heat or lack of it (if you are like me). The recipe I read here called for a whopping 20-25 serranos. Ummmm.....after tasting ONE bite of ONE serrano that was ALREADY ROASTED, I wanted to chug a whole gallon of milk to cool off my mouth, so I adjusted it down to a measly 3 peppers and it was still plenty hot!

Roasted Salsa

16 roma tomatoes, halved
2 onions, quartered
8-10 garlic cloves
3-5 serrano peppers
1 bunch cilantro
1 T. salt
lime juice to taste.

Preheat oven to 375. Lay tomatoes, onions, garlic and peppers out on cookie sheets and cook until the onions are soft and translucent, about 20-25 minutes.

Cool off a bit and pulse in a cuisinart with cilantro and salt. Add lime juice to taste.

Green Curry Chicken

2009-04-30T14:45:00.000-07:00

Today I did a little demonstration for some friends and made Green Curry Chicken for lunch. I know for me, there is a world of difference between watching someone cook and trying to figure it out from a written recipe. I'm assuming that's the reason that the Food Network is wildly popular - most people prefer visual learning. But even with those shows, the measurements and cook times are vague or glossed over.

Luckily for us, vague is the best way to cook Thai food....you do it by taste, trying to find the right balance between the 4 S's -- salty, sweet, sour and spicy. Once you have the ingredients and understand their strengths, it is easy to do. For blog's sake, I've written out a recipe with precise ingredients for a guideline, but it's up to you what your palate prefers. Some people like spicier and others like sweeter. Make up your own veggie combination too...green beans, sweet potatoes, and summer squash are all fine additions. I've put my favorite brands in there too, in case you were curious.

Thank you to my enthusiastic tasters too....it was a fun afternoon!

Thai Green Curry with Chicken

Ingredients:
1 lb. chicken breast tender, cut into bite-sized chunks
2-3 tbs. green curry paste (Mae Ploy brand)
1 can coconut milk (Mae Ploy or Chaokoh brand)
3 kaffir lime leaves, split and thinly sliced
¼ to ½ cup chicken broth (optional)
1 tsp. fish sauce or to taste (Golden Boy or Three Crabs brand)
1 tbs. brown sugar or to taste
1 cup eggplant, cut in bite sized pieces
1 sliced red bell pepper
½ sliced onion
3 sliced carrots
½ lime
½ cup Thai basil leaves

Method:
1. Saute the chicken until just done, set aside.*
2. Do not shake the coconut milk before using, so that the cream stays on top. Scoop out ½ cup coconut cream into a pan over medium high heat until bubbly and the oil surfaces (3 mins). Add curry paste and fry it in the cream until fragrant (3 mins)
3. Add the remaining coconut milk, sugar and fish sauce. Add broth until you get a consistency and richness that you like. (If you like it super-rich, skip the broth.) Bring to a boil.
4. Add the veggies and simmer uncovered until they are tender (7-10 mins.)
5. Add the chicken back in and bring back to a simmer. Add the basil. Squeeze the lime juice in. Stir and remove from the heat. Serve over rice.

*You could add the raw chicken in at the end of step 2, but after having a few batches curdle on me, I’ve decided it’s better just to sauté the chicken before.

Steak Sandwich with Caramelized Onions

2009-04-21T21:14:00.003-07:00

I don't know how it happened, but all of a sudden my DVR is recording Barefoot Contessa every day. Probably more like 5 episodes a day. I've always loved the simple and delicious recipes of Ina Garten, but tall guy does not appreciate her New England sensibilities and her trips to the "market" for fresh lobster, caviar and truffle oil. So I have to watch them in secret or deal with the snickering in the background.

Anyways, this sandwich is reproduced from one of those episodes. Most of my prep was done in the morning so I could enjoy my day and then put it together at the last minute. I caramelized the onion when it was still cool in the house and then grilled a flank steak right before serving (yes, this girl can BBQ with the big boys).

Steak Sandwich with Caramelized Onions

Saute until brown:
1 large sliced onion
1 T. olive oil
1 tsp. sugar
Set aside or refrigerate until ready to serve

Lightly score flank steak and marinate in: (4 hours+)
2 T. soy
2 T worchestershire sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp pepper
1 T. brown sugar

Cook on a hot grill until medium rare. Let rest 10 minutes then thinly slice against the grain.

Sauce:
1/4 cup mayo
2 T. brown mustard

Arrange:
4 toasted ciabatta rolls
spread 1 T. sauce on each
add 4 oz. sliced flank steak
then 1/4 of the onions
2 tomato slices (optional)
top with spinach or arugula

Caribbean Steak Wrap

2009-04-14T22:30:00.000-07:00

Stuck at home today, so I have a little time to share my dinner with you. I wish I could have actually shared it because it was quite tasty. My goal over the next couple of weeks is to try out some of the recipes I've been clipping over the years.

I am now trying to stick to a food budget and so I am meal planning on Sunday for weeknight meals in order to shop more efficiently. This is something I have not done in the past and so far it has been really nice to have all the ingredients I need because I have actually planned it that way. Yay for being organized!

Approximate cost for main ingredients (the rest I had on hand):

1 lb. thin sliced steak - $5
1 can black beans - .60
1 mango - $1
1 avocado - $1
lime - .20
cilantro - .50
4 large flour tortillas - $1
$9.30 for 4 servings

This was one of my clippings from the Contra Costa Times called "Steak Wraps with Rum Black Beans and Mango-Avocado Relish" and was tagged as a 30 minute dish. I shortened the title because although descriptive, it's just too much. I also don't consider mango, avocado, cilantro and lime juice to be a "relish." Whatever. On to the recipe - it seems long, but just read over it before you start and it comes together pretty quick.

Caribbean Steak Wraps

3 T. olive oil
3 t. jerk seasoning (purchased, or make it as follows)
1 t. salt plus more to taste
1 lb. thin steak (flank or carne asada cut)
2 cloves garlic
1 can black beans
1/4 cup water
1 ripe mango
1 ripe avocado
1 T. lime juice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
pepper
1 T. rum
4 large flour tortillas

Instructions:
Preheat the broiler.
Combine 1 T. of the oil with 2 t. of the jerk seasoning and 1 t. salt in a small bowl. Rub this mixture into both sides of the meat and place the meat on a baking sheet. Broil until medium rare, about 5 minutes per side for flank steak (less for carne asada cut). Let it rest until ready to serve.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 T. oil in skillet. Add the garlic and remaining teaspoon of jerk seasoning and saute for a few minutes. Add the beans and and water and simmer gently for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, dice the avocado and mango and place in serving bowl. Drizzle with lime juice and add chopped cilantro. Toss with salt and pepper to taste.
Add the rum to the beans, and increase the heat to cook off the alcohol for a couple minutes. Season the beans with salt and pepper.
Slice the steak into thin strips. Serve fajita style with each component laid out, or roll everything into a burrito for your lucky guests. I also added a dollop of sour cream because I thought it was lacking in sauciness.

Easy Jerk Seasoning
1 T. brown sugar
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. cayenne pepper
1/2 t. ground allspice
1/2 t. ground black pepper
1/2 t. dried thyme
1/4 t. ground ginger

Tall guy really enjoyed it and was impressed that it did not taste like your average Mexican burrito. He thought it was like one of those gourmet burritos that cost $8 a pop. He was also happy to have an extra to take to work tomorrow. I just love it when a plan comes together....

Little Einsteins Rocket Cake

2009-04-10T13:44:00.000-07:00

Happy 3rd Birthday, Wesley! Yesterday we had a nice little art party where the kids got to create some masterpieces and get messy. We had a fun time, even though I was hoping for a non-rainy day so we could be outside.

The Little Einsteins Rocket was a cake I had envisioned making for a few months because it is his favorite show....and the art theme of the party seemed to go along with it. One who has not worked with cakes or fondant might have tried a less ambitious first project, like a simple round cake. But noooooo....not me. I don't work up to these things, I just dive in and go for it.

You can find the fondant recipe on my previous post. After using almost a whole bottle of red food coloring, I still had a big pink mass of fondant. I ran out to Michaels to find the Wiltons Icing Color, which I added a bit at a time to get the right red. I did not want to knead it out on my table in order to avoid staining it, so here was my solution. Lots of powdered sugar in a baking dish.

For the cake, I used 2 boxed cake mixes. The first one I made was a rectangle for the base. The second batch was split between a round cake pan for the base of the rocket, and a small oven safe mixing bowl, which was used for the top. I realized that it would need a little shaping, so I just used a serrated knife and started carving away. It wasn't pretty, but I think the shape was pretty close. A layer of frosting held each level together.

For the boosters, I used two Twinkies, with one end cut off, separately covered in fondant. The rudders sticking up were pieces of graham crackers covered in fondant and then stuck into the Twinkies. The antenna was a covered cut down straw and a fondant ball stuck into it. The windows were stuck on with royal icing and the lights were cut from banana Laffy Taffy.

I ended up cutting the base cake into a free form because it was falling apart at the edges. I added marshmallows as clouds, but mostly to hide the crumbs and frosting left on the cookie sheet. Sneaky, right?

I had fun making this cake when the kids weren't up in my business and trying to steal pieces of pure sugar fondant to fuel their already crazy behavior or thinking it was fun to "skate" in the powdered sugar that landed on the floor. They also wanted me change the channel or get them a snack while my hands were covered in Crisco or food coloring. It was an adventure and maybe by July's birthday I will have forgotten the challenge of it all....and only remember how excited he was about that rocket cake. Totally worth it!

Marshmallow Fondant

2009-04-06T20:00:00.000-07:00

I am always impressed by those elegant fondant cakes...you know, the ones that look all modern and sleek. And after watching Duff and his cakerators use fondant on everything, I really wanted to give it a try. I heard that the pre-made fondant tastes pretty bad, so I found this easy recipe all over the internet...it's simple and cheap! It cost about $3 for the whole batch, which should be enough to cover a whole cake and decorate it too. It was a little messy, but not that complicated. The fondant is held in place by frosting underneath.

This is my very first try with fondant. The Easter cupcakes were for the Annual Mom's Club Easter Egg Hunt Party we attended today. Good times!

1 lb. bag mini marshmallow
2 T. water
2 lb. bag of powdered sugar
Crisco to prevent sticking

Dump all marshmallows and water in microwave safe bowl. Put in the microwave for 30 seconds, stir, back in microwave for 30 seconds more, stir again, and continue doing this until melted. It usually takes about 2 minutes total. Place 3/4 of the powdered sugar on the top of the melted marshmallow mix.

Now grease your hands generously (palms, backs, and in between fingers), then heavily grease the counter you will be using and dump the bowl of marshmallow/sugar mixture in the middle. Start kneading like you would bread dough. You will immediately see why you have greased your hands. Add the rest of the powdered sugar and knead some more. Re-grease your hands and counter when the fondant starts sticking. Add water or sugar as needed to get the right consistency. It may take up to 8 minutes to get a firm smooth elastic ball so that it will stretch without tearing when you apply it to the cake.

Cover the ball with a thin layer of Crisco and wrap in plastic wrap. Put in the fridge until you are ready to use. It should last at least a week in the fridge. When you are ready to use, microwave for 10-15 seconds and then add your food coloring, if desired. Knead and roll out on a greased surface (again).

I used a canned frosting to stick mine on, since the tops of my cupcakes were flat. To wrap an entire cake, I would use buttercream underneath the wrap and then if you are decorating the sides, use a Royal Icing that will dry hard, so your pretty little flowers will not slide off (thanks for the tip, Jill!). Most of all, have fun! If you like to play with play-doh with your kids, this will be right up your alley.

Thai Turkey Basil

2009-03-13T15:59:00.000-07:00

I had ground turkey in the fridge that needed to be used up, so I asked my husband this morning...."Would you like meatloaf or meatballs for dinner?" He was nice about it, but I could tell he was tired of both. And then I thought to myself..."I can do better" and then "OOOOooooh, I have a whole bunch of basil waiting to be used!"

Not sure if this is really a "Thai" dish, but I'm the blogger and I'll name it what I want, dammit. It reminds me of a food demonstration I saw in Santa Barbara from the owner of the Coleman Family Farm, called "Cambodian Style Pork with Chilies and Two Basils", which used a mushroom soy sauce and 2 types of basil. Yum!

I encourage you to add more veggies to this dish...bell peppers, zucchini, mushrooms - whatever you have. A little grated ginger would be nice too. The only produce I had left were 3 measly carrots and an onion. I'd better go shopping so I don't have to crack open that frozen bag of peas that's been in the freezer for months. Eek.

I would start the rice right before you begin this dish...it takes about 20 minutes total.

1 T. olive oil
1 package ground turkey
2 t. minced garlic
1 T. 1 chopped onion
3 carrots, sliced on diagonal
3 T. soy sauce
1 T. fish sauce
1/3 cup water
1 T. brown sugar
1 -2 tsp. sriracha sauce (or minced thai chiles)
squeeze of lime
cornstarch slurry
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup roughly chopped basil

In a large skillet, brown the turkey in olive oil, adding onion and carrots in after the first couple of minutes. When the turkey seems about done, add the garlic and stir for another minute. Drain off the turkey liquid. Add soy, fish sauce, water, brown sugar, lime juice, hot sauce or chiles. Stir until all mixed up. Taste sauce and adjust the seasonings until you like it. Add a tablespoon or two of the cornstarch slurry and let simmer until thickened. Stir in cilantro and basil until wilted. Serve over hot rice.

Butternut Risotto

2009-03-03T15:19:00.000-08:00

I made my first risotto last month and loved it so much, I decided to embellish it a bit with some winter squash this time. Thanks to Monique for steering me to the original recipe at Williams-Sonoma, which I used as inspiration. I love the sage brown butter addition. Absolutely sinful. You must go to confession if you make this.

Ingredients:

5 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cups cubed butternut squash
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 Tbs. minced fresh sage

Directions:

In a saucepan bring the chicken broth to a simmer and maintain over low heat.

In a large saucepan over medium warm the olive oil. Add the onions and butternut cubes, saute until soft, about 8 minutes.

Add rice and stir until the grains are well coated with the oil and are nearly translucent with a white dot in the center, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and stir until it is absorbed.

Add the simmering stock mixture a ladleful at a time, stirring frequently after each addition. Wait until the stock is almost completely absorbed before adding more.

When the rice is tender to the bite but slightly firm in the center and looks creamy, after about 30 minutes, stir in the the cheese, salt and pepper. Add more stock if needed so the rice is thick and creamy. Let stand for 2 minutes.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 4 Tbs. butter. Add the the sage and heat until the butter browns. Drizzle each serving with about a teaspoon of the sage butter and serve immediately. Serves 6.

Mac 'N Cheese

2009-02-04T22:50:00.000-08:00

I couldn't do it. I just couldn't. I stared curiously at the box of Velveeta giving me sexy little winks and putting out that "come hither" vibe on me. But it was just sitting there all warm on the grocery store shelf....the non-refrigerated shelf! And so sadly, I could not bring myself to put that box of "cheese" in my cart. I know, I know...I've heard all the dirty little secrets about how it makes your mac 'n cheese oh so creamy. Just add a few other gourmet cheeses and nobody will know. And yet, I still could not do it. Does that make me a snob??? I hope not.

Instead, I compromised with a little cream cheese, and kicked it up (sorry, I don't really like Emeril but sometimes you just need to kick things up) with some cayenne and basil. Yum! This is comfort food at it's finest and even when it's 70 degrees in February, you gotta love it.

Mac 'N Cheese

1/2 pound elbow macaroni or other pasta
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 t. powdered mustard
3 cups milk (I used 1%)
1 T. grated onion
1/8 t. cayenne
1 egg
2 T. chopped basil
8 ounces extra sharp cheddar, shredded
1/2 package cream cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper

Topping:
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Stir in the milk, onion, and cayenne, whisking so no lumps form. Simmer for about ten minutes until thickened up a bit.

Temper the egg and add back to the mixture. Stir in cheeses and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish.

Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

Pesto Cheesecake

2009-02-04T14:10:00.000-08:00

I had this at my friend Cathy's Christmas party and loved it so much that I tracked the baker down for the recipe. I'm not sure that "cheesecake" is the right term for a savory dish like this, but whatever the name, I'm digging it bigtime. I suggest reading the entire recipe before starting.

Pesto Cheesecake courtesy of Rebecca A.

Crust:
Butter
¼ C bread crumbs
2 T grated parmesan cheese

Filling:
2 – 8oz packages cream cheese
1 C ricotta cheese
½ C grated parmesan cheese
½ t salt
1/8 t cayenne
3 large eggs
½ C pesto sauce
1/3 C pine nuts
2- 3 T. Bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350. The instructions call for a 9 in springform pan but you can use a pie dish that is about 10 inches in diameter. Rub butter over sides and bottom of the pan and sprinkle with about 1/4 cup bread crumbs and 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese.

Filling - With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, ricotta, Parmesan, salt and cayenne until well blended then add eggs one at a time, beating well. Transfer half the cheese mixture into a separate bowl and mix the pesto into one of the portions of cheese. Spoon the pesto cheese mixture into the pan, sprinkle with 1 T. bread crumbs, then add the plain cheese mixture on top and smooth gently. (I added too much breadcrumbs in the middle...you want the layers distinct, but my sprinkling of bread crumbs was so thick that the layers came apart too easy when cutting into it). Sprinkle pine nuts over the top and add the rest of the bread crumbs.

Bake for about 45 minutes or more until the center doesn't jiggle and it is lightly browned. It will puff up slightly and then fall back when cooled. Garnish with springs of basil.

Cut into small wedges for easy serving. Crackers would be great alongside.

Slow Roasted Roma Tomatoes

2009-01-26T15:20:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite ways to use tomatoes when they are not at their end of summer sweetest. When I find them on sale, I always buy a several pounds with this in mind. Slow roasting brings out all the sugars and concentrates the flavor into a delicious smoky morsel....use on salads, in pastas or eat them plain with a little chopped basil and balsamic vinegar.

Directions: Wash tomatoes and cut in half, squeezing out the seeds. Lay them on a baking sheet and sprinkle with olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Bake at 275 for 2-3 hours, depending on their size. They should shrink and get a bit carmelized. Yum!

Tomorrow I will post a recipe that incorporates said morsels...stay tuned!

Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

2009-01-25T14:02:00.000-08:00

I'm finding it very hard to type that it's been over a month since my last post. Really? That is just lame. However, no time to make excuses or feel guilty. It's time to get cookin'. I'm just hoping that I can find some inspiration to keep it going in 2009.

I did manage to find the strength to join Weight Watchers in December. It's slow but steady and I'm feeling better about my choices. I've also been getting to the gym more to offset things like Pancake Sunday, our weekly family tradition.

This week, instead of the normal Bisquick variety, I wanted to try something new and happened upon this recipe in last week's Contra Costa Times food section. I'd like to think its a healthier version because of the whole wheat flour....but I kind of doubt it. They tasted great and the lemon flavor gave it a fabulous zing!

Lemon-Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all purpose flour

2 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

2 T. sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup egg substitute*

2 cups buttermilk*

2 T. canola oil

3 T. light pancake syrup

1 t. vanilla extract

1 T. grated lemon zest

1 1/2 cups small blueberries

1. In a medium bowl, place the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Blend with a whisk.

2. In a mixing bowl, place the egg, egg substitute, buttermilk, oil, syrup, vanilla and lemon zest. Beat on medium speed until smooth.

3. Add flour mixture and beat on medium-low until just smooth. Do not over mix. Let batter rest for 10 minutes.

4. Preheat nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat until a drop of water skittles across it.

5. Pour the batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto the hot griddle. Sprinkle blueberries on top of each pancake. Cook over medium heat for 30 to 60 seconds or until bubbles form on pancakes. Turn over with spatula and cook until the pancakes are golden brown. Serve with whipped topping if desired.

Recipe serves 6.

5 WW points per serving. 285 calories, 4 g. fiber, 6.5 g. fat

*Because I had no buttermilk, I substituted with 2 cups of 1% milk mixed with 2 T. lemon juice (and letting it sit for 5 minutes before using). I also substituted 2 egg whites for the fake egg stuff. I love using the internet to find substitutions - anything to avoid making a trip to the store with two crazy-kids-who-want-every-package-of-cookies-and-candy-they-see in tow.

Cabbage Rolls

2008-12-12T09:24:00.000-08:00

As promised, another easy weeknight meal. After eating this dish throughout my childhood, I decided to look up a little history on it. I found out that cabbage rolls are a common peasant food originating in Europe and Western Asia. They were meant as a means for using up leftover food, so additions and changes are encouraged. The sauce varies widely by region...in Finland and Sweden, the sauce is typically a bittersweet ligonberry jam. This tomato-based sauce would most likely be from Eastern Europe.

You could make it even healthier by using ground turkey and brown rice. Enjoy!

Grandma D's Cabbage Rolls

Mix together:
1 lb ground beef (or turkey)
3 Tbsp raw rice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 can diced tomatoes

Rest of recipe calls for:
8-10 cabbage leaves
remainder from can of diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste

Boil whole cabbage leaves until pliable, about 3-5 minutes. Drain. Trim rib from back of leaves. Roll meat in leaves like a burrito. Place in skillet, cover with remainder of can of diced tomatoes with a little salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano sprinkled over the cabbage rolls. Cover and simmer until done (about 45 minutes). Add a little stock or water if it gets too thick.

All You Need is Love

2008-12-08T14:12:00.000-08:00

I'm always on the lookout for any signs from above, lessons in karma and other cosmic activity. So far, I have not found any images of the Virgin Mary on my grilled cheese sandwiches and have not seen a UFO. So imagine slicing off the side of a bell pepper for a salad and having this little extra goodie falling out onto your cutting board. A perfect heart!! I put it on my husband's plate and I got all mushy inside and thought it was a reminder of how much my family is shrouded in love...and how lucky we are to have each other.

Apricot Dijon Chicken

2008-12-04T15:29:00.001-08:00

I was looking over my blog and realized that there are a lot of desserts and condiments and just not enough main dishes. Therefore, I will try to give you a few of my easy weeknight dinners in the next couple of posts. After a day of shopping, taxi-driving, baking, breaking up fights and picking up toys, it's really incredibly easy to order pizza. Believe me, I've been there....recently even.....ummm.....like last night.

This simple one is from a recent Family Circle magazine and the whole family really seemed to enjoy it. The kids preferred theirs without the nuts and parsley (eww...something GREEN?)

I know everyone has a similar recipe in their files, but if you don't, give it a try. Pair it with brown rice and a salad for a healthy dinner.

Apricot-Dijon Chicken

1/3 cup apricot preserves
2 T ketchup
1 T dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts (I used walnuts)
1 box wild rice (I used brown rice)
1 T. olive oil (I omitted)

Make rice according to directions. Heat oven to 400. Spray baking dish with nonstick spray.

Whisk together apricot preserves, ketchup, mustard, ginger and garlic. Reserve 1/4 cup of mixture. Place chicken in dish and spread remaining apricot mixture over the tops. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until done.

To serve, lay one chicken breast on top of 1/2 cup rice, drizzle with a little extra sauce if desired. Sprinkle with chopped nuts and parsely, if you have any on hand.

Olive Tapenade

2008-11-24T21:52:00.000-08:00

I love olives, don't you? What could possibly be better than putting black olives on your fingers and pretending you have long fingernails? Well, I'm not 8 anymore, so I had to find something better to do with them, so here goes.

I learned this dip from my sister in law (she's from Boston) several years ago at our extremely traditional family Thanksgiving. We are talking the same menu every year - turkey, mash, candied yams, green bean casserole, apple salad and cranberry sauce from a can. I think that was the same year she brought Oysters Rockafeller, which went over like a ton of bricks. But this one was a hit, and I've been making it every year since. Thanks, Lori!

It calls for ripe black olives, but if you have an adventurous bunch, use half kalamata.

Olive Tapenade

1 can black olives drained

2 t. capers

1 T. chopped fresh parsley

1 clove garlic, minced

2 T olive oil

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. Tabasco

Pulse all in Cuisinart until blended. Let sit overnight in fridge.

Mini Cheesecakes

2008-11-19T14:28:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine turns 40 this week (Happy Birthday, Leslie!) and I got a request for mini cheesecakes to bring to pool league tonight. I thought they turned out kind of cute! Of course, I had to try one for quality control, ahem. Yeah, they pass.

This recipe is super easy, especially if you forget the graham cracker crumbs and use a Nilla Wafer in the bottom of each cup instead. I opted for the higher degree of difficulty (only because going to the store with the munchkins would have been a wash in level of difficulty)

Mini Cheesecakes

Crust:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup sugar

1 stick butter, melted

dash of cinnamon

Mix all together and push down 1 T. crumb mixture into each muffin cup with the back of a spoon.

Filling:

2 blocks cream cheese (ROOM TEMP - important!)

2 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp lemon zest

Set oven to 350. Mix the cream cheese in a Kitchen Aid or with a hand beater until creamy and fluffy. Add rest of ingredients and mix until smooth. Pour a heaping spoonful into each cup. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve chilled.

For the chocolate decoration, I melted chocolate chips and used a ziplock with the tip cut off to squeeze out and make the design.

Vegetarian Salad Rolls with Nuoc Cham

2008-11-14T22:15:00.000-08:00

Ever since tasting the yummy style salad rolls with the spicy lime dipping sauce at a Vietnamese restaurant, I have wanted to try making them myself. I picked up the dried rice wrappers at the Asian market with the intention of giving it a whirl.

It was pretty funny because when I looked at the rice wrappers, there was not a single word in English...no pictures either! However, with the internet, nothing is a mystery for long....I found a cool web page all about it here. I made the water a little too hot because the first one turned into a gummy mess, but once the water cooled down a little, they came out fine.

I know these are fabulous with mint and shrimp inside, but I just went with what I had on hand.
This is a very light and delicate starter, perfect for an asian themed party or meal. I actually made quite a few and they stood up in the fridge for 4-5 hours.

Onto the recipe:

Vegetarian Salad Rolls with Nuoc Cham

Salad rolls:
1 package round rice papers
2 carrots, shredded
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 package extra firm tofu, baked or fried
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
2 cups spinach or lettuce

Nuoc Cham (Vietnamese dipping sauce):
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 cloves minced garlic
2-3 chopped Thai bird chiles

Mix up all the sauce ingredients and let sit while you prepare rolls.
Sprinkle tofu with garlic, ginger and soy sauce. Bake at 400 for 2o minutes. (or fry it up)
Get all the ingredients for the rolls prepared.
Heat a pan of water to almost boiling.
Soften 1 paper in the hot water.
Layer the ingredients in the wrapper and roll up tight like a burrito.
Repeat until the ingredients are gone.

For me and tall guy, it seemed like a gourmet treat to eat with our coconut chicken and sticky rice. Nummers!

Candied Tangerine Peels

2008-11-12T12:29:00.000-08:00

I recently bought a bag of Fairchild tangerines, not realizing that the skins were really tight and not easily peeled. They were also loaded with seeds. They lingered in my fridge for several days until I decided to somehow salvage them. Not only did I turn out these little gems, I got a good two cups of tangerine juice. Yummy!

I happen to love the bitter-sweet combination of candied citrus peels...my last batch was grapefruit. It's easy but a little time consuming because you have to blanch them several times to get out most of the bitterness in the peel. Here's how it's done:

Candied Citrus Peels

About 15 small or 6 large fruit

2 cup sugar

2 cup water

Wash and peel your citrus with a vegetable peeler, being careful not to get too much of the white pith. Try to make long strips so that when you cut them lengthwise, you get a nice ribbon effect. Put the strips in a pan of cold water and bring to a boil. Dump the water, and do it again 3 times.

Now you are ready for the sugar. Put the peels, 2 c. sugar and 2 c. water in the pan and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until they are transluscent and sweet. Remove from heat and let cool before handling. Fish them out of the syrup and into a bowl of sugar. Make sure they are all coated with sugar, and then lay them out on wax paper to dry. My bag of tangerines made about 2 cups of candied peels. Chop and sprinkle on dessert or just eat them plain with a nice cup of tea. I also thought of coating in chocolate, but didn't do it this time.

On another note, we made a family of radishes yesterday and the kids had a great time pretending with them....just goes to show, you don't always need plastic toys.

Sweet Chile-Lime Glazed Veggies over Quinoa

2008-10-24T15:40:00.000-07:00

A cool new Asian grocery store opened up in Antioch recently called County Square Market. It's right behind the Sizzler on Hillcrest. I went in there and was thrilled to see the variety of choices in condiments, produce, meat and ready-made Asian food. I didn't have a lot of time to browse, but I certainly found some of my favorite Thai cooking ingredients, including Mae-Ploy curry paste, Dragonfly oyster sauce, Golden Boy fish sauce, Chaokoh coconut milk, holy basil, kaffir lime leaves, galanga, and hot thai bird chiles. I even dug out my old recipes and hope to start doing some more Asian dishes for you (and me!).

I saw this recipe over at Vegan Yum Yum, which was my inspiration. I changed some minor things and added more veggies. This was also my first time cooking with quinoa...and I LOVED it! I was imagining a fibrous bland grain, but it wasn't that way at all! I toasted it first which gave it a sweet nutty flavor. My skepticism prevented me from buying more than one cup from the bulk bin, so I will have to pick up more later. It's a nice alternative to rice or pasta - and it has way more protein and fiber!

Sweet Chile-Lime Glazed Veggies over Quinoa

Quinoa:

1 T. olive oil

1 cup quinoa

2 cups veggie broth

Heat oil in a pan and add the quinoa. Cook, stirring frequently, until the quinoa is golden and fragrant. You might hear a little popping sound. Add the broth, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, work on the rest of the dish.

Glaze:
3 T. sugar
2 T. lime juice
1 tsp. lime zest
2 T. reduced sodium soy sauce
1 T. Dragonfly oyster sauce*
1 T. water
1 clove minced garlic
2 red thai chiles, chopped fine
1 T. chopped mint

Mix everything in a bowl and set aside.
* Here is a picture of the thai chiles and they oyster sauce that I prefer.

Veggies:
1 T. olive oil
1 block firm tofu
2 japanese eggplants
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. water
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 green onions cut into 1/2 inch pieces

I'm not sure the correct way to cook tofu - I just know how good it tastes when the outside is crunchy and the inside is smooth. I cut my tofu kind of thin, pressed on it with some paper towels and then put it in 1 T. of really hot oil. Use your non-stickiest non-stick pan. Trust me on that. Let it brown on all sides. Put in a separate bowl. Slice the eggplants once lengthwise and then into half inch pieces. Since I used the oil for the tofu, I decided not to on the other veggies. Get your nonstick pan hot and add the eggplant. When its starting to brown too much, add the soy-water mixture. After a few minutes, toss in the chopped bell pepper. The liquid should evaporate about the same time that the veggies are soft. Add back in the tofu and green onions. Pour glaze sauce over the veggies. It should bubble up and get a little thick. That's it.

Honestly, I would have been extremely happy with this dish if I ordered it at a restaurant. And while I was taking pictures, I turned around to see the kids devouring the quinoa. Shhh...I'm not telling them its *gasp* healthy!

Baked Chicken Nuggets

2008-10-23T18:00:00.000-07:00

A book called The Omnivore's Dilemma states that there are 38 ingredients in a Chicken McNugget. Can you believe 56% of those ingredients are derived from corn? I thought the chicken percentage would have been a wee bit higher. Read more about it here.

Knowing that nugget of information (forgive the pun), I decided to make my own healthy version. It worked...the kids gobbled them up with the voracity of ants on a lollipop. For children who shun meat in most forms, this was like winning a key battle. And why didn't I think of it sooner??? Duh!

Baked Chicken Nuggets

3 chicken breasts, cut into pieces
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vinegar
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. oregano
salt & pepper

Heat oven to 400. Put a rack inside of a cookie sheet or baking pan. This will allow more even crisping on the underside.

In a bowl, mix the milk with vinegar and throw in the chicken pieces (This would be a tenderizer kind of like buttermilk). Make the breading by mixing up the rest of the ingredients in another bowl. Roll the chicken pieces in breading until coated and put on the rack.

Cook for 15 minutes, then turn them over and turn the oven up to broil. Cook for 5 more minutes. Serve with dipping sauce of choice (we used marinara).

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

2008-10-21T12:48:00.000-07:00

Oh man, it's been way too long since I've been on my blog. Sorry about that! For your patience I'm giving you a yummy little recipe to get you into the Halloween spirit. And if you are a local friend, come knock on my door and I'll give you some! Seriously.

I had this recipe from www.recipegirl.com bookmarked for so long and finally got around to it. And wow, they did not disappoint! These were so moist - just sweet enough and spicy enough to please every palate. I changed the original recipe by cutting the oil in half and adding some applesauce.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

BATTER:
1 ¾ cups pure pumpkin puree (1 small can)
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup applesauce
4 large eggs
1½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole- wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves
¾ cup mini- chocolate chips

FROSTING:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 Tbs butter, softened
2 tsp milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
½ cup mini- chocolate chips (for topping)

Prepare batter: Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray muffin tins with nonstick spray or line with paper cups.

In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, oil, applesauce, eggs and sugars until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, ginger and cloves. Toss in mini chocolate chips and stir to combine. Add dry ingredients to the wet and stir until moistened.

Pour batter into muffin pan coated with nonstick spray or paper cups. Bake until the center springs back when lightly pressed in the center- about 20 minutes. Remove and place on wire rack to cool completely.

Prepare frosting: In a large mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese, butter, milk and vanilla. Slowly add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, and mix until smooth. Frost cupcakes and sprinkle with additional mini chocolate chips.

Baked Egg Puffs (with butternut squash)

2008-10-03T18:02:00.000-07:00

Okay, so here's the deal. When I first heard about it, I wasn't sure how I felt about Jessica Seinfeld's book "Deceptively Delicious." I think it's important to serve your kids vegetables in their whole form, rather than trying to "hide" them within a dish. I can see arguments for both sides.....and I decided that it's okay to hide the veggies as long as you offer more veggies visibly obvious on the plate as well. Let's face it, every night after scraping green beans, zucchini or broccoli off your kid's plate into the sink, it's hard not to wonder if your child is actually getting all the nutrients they need. Seriously, my kids are professional gaggers when being coerced to "just taste" their veggies. (I have to hold in my laugh at this tactic)

The book was also riddled with controversy because Mrs. Seinfeld was accused of plagiarism and defamation of character from a woman who a few months prior to Seinfeld's release, wrote a very similar book called "Sneaky Chef." It seems that the concepts and recipes were practically identical, but it was Seinfeld's book that raked in the dollars. That is the reason I checked the book out from the library instead of buying it. The Seinfeld Empire does not need any of my cash!

The main concept of the book is cooking and pureeing veggies and freezing them in 1/2 cup portions, so that when you make a recipe like this, you just pull the veg out of the freezer and throw it into the recipe. I can't imagine cooking the squash just for this, but if it was already prepped, then it's is a snap. I may try another butternut recipe since I have several baggies in the freezer now. I could see how you need to build up your stock of purees in order to try more of these sneaky recipes. Try finding time to do that!

I am going to post the recipe exactly as written and I hope nobody accuses me of plagiarism. The book shows theirs all puffed up over the edges, whereas mine fell flat once I turned the camera on. They were still very tasty - fluffy yet substantial and sweet enough for toddler palates. They were so easy, I could even make them on a weekday morning.

Baked Egg Puffs (with butternut squash)

2 eggs

4 egg whites

1/2 cup butternut squash

2 T. grated cheese

2 T. flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat the oven to 400. Coat 4 (1/2 cup) ramekins with cooking spray and set on a baking sheet.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, egg whites, squash puree, cheese, flour, baking powder and salt until combined. Divide the mixture among the ramekins and bake until the tops are puffed up and the eggs are no longer runny in the center when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Ratatouille with Cornmeal Thyme Crust

2008-09-30T16:01:00.000-07:00

This is kind of similar to my last post flavor-wise. If you feel cheated, too bad! I was just bent on making one big tart with all those tomatoes. Throw in some zucchini and voila - RATATOUILLE! I embellished my version with a crunchy cornmeal thyme crust, carmelized onions and goat cheese. Besides being visually appealing, this was incredibly delicious. A blend of contrasting textures and flavors made for a perfect little lunchtime treat. It's also been fun having my husband around during the day to try out my concoctions. He approved of this one!

You may not know it, but my kitchen is pretty tiny and I finally decided to let my food processor live on the much-coveted counter space.....for the time being. Even though it is an eyesore, when I see it sitting there, it reminds me of how easy it is to whip up a little dough for crust. It makes me happy.

On to the recipe:

Ratatouille with Cornmeal Thyme Crust

1 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp. salt

3 T. butter

2 T. olive oil

1 T. fresh thyme

4-5 T. cold water

Put all ingredients except water in food processor. Pulse until crumbly mixture forms. Add the water and pulse until the dough forms. Put it in your tart pan and push it around until its evenly spread up the sides. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes. You can weigh it down with rice or beans, over foil. I didn't do that because I felt like the cornmeal wouldn't puff up much. I was right. This is a dense crunchy crust, so don't expect your grandma's flakey version!

1 medium onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 oz. goat cheese

1-2 thinly sliced zucchini

3-4 thinly sliced tomatoes

2 basil cubes (from Trader Joe's frozen section*)

1 T. olive oil

Saute onion until it becomes carmelized (at least 10 minutes). Add the garlic during the last 2 minutes. Put onion mixture on top of the crust. Crumble goat cheese evenly on top of onions. Starting in the middle, layer the tomatoes and zucchini in a concentric pattern. Put the basil cubes into the olive oil and mix together. Brush this mixture on top of the veggies and then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Bake at 375 for about 30-35 minutes.

* Small packs of frozen herbs that come in packages of 20 cubes. Each cube = 1 tsp. fresh herbs. The package has a red lid, if you are looking for it in their freezer section. They are so handy - I always have basil, garlic and parsley in my freezer.

Tomato Tartlets

2008-09-29T16:56:00.000-07:00

I had a bunch of tomatoes and really wanted to make one big tart with a sheet of dough because I think it looks so striking, but could only find the little puff pastry shells at the store. Despite the few ingredients and simplicity of this dish, these were so elegant and incredibly addicting!

Tomato Tartlets

1 package puff pastry shells

5 oz. goat cheese

1 garlic clove, minced and crushed into a paste

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

salt/pepper to taste

4-5 medium sized ripened tomatoes, sliced and quartered

Preheat oven to 400. Take the almost thawed shells and separate them. With a rolling pin, roll them out a little bit flatter and bigger. Place on cookie sheet. This way they don't puff up so high. Mix the goat cheese, garlic, thyme and salt/pepper together. Spread about 1/2 tsp. cheese mixture on each tart shell and top with tomatos slices. Sprinkle with pepper and bake for 20-25 minutes, until desired golden color.

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

2008-09-25T13:30:00.000-07:00

When I think of fall several types of food come to mind......baked winter squash, hearty soups and poached pears. Because its still in the 80's here (temperature, not decade - hah!), we haven't quite gotten the autumn feel, but I still oven-roasted a head of cauliflower yesterday, with plans of a simple creamy and healthy soup.

I made a cheesy cauliflower soup recently, but I prefer this one, hands down. I was going for a more subtle flavor this time, with the cauliflower center stage - no onions, garlic, cheese or other herbs (besides the garnish). I think roasting the cauliflower first gave it a sweet nutty flavor which worked really well. I balanced that roasted flavor with a dash of sugar, which gave it even more depth. It's also really important to blend it vigorously so that it has a rich creamy consistency.

Roasted Cauliflower Soup
1 head cauliflower
2 T. olive oil
1/2 cup FF half and half
1/2 cup milk
1 small can veggie broth
generous amount of salt & pepper
1/2 tsp. sugar

Heat oven to 450. Cut up and spread cauliflower on baking sheet. Drizzle oil over and mix gently so it's evenly coated. Roast for 20-25 minutes, stirring a couple times until soft on the inside and browned on the outside. Chill until cooled.

Put cauliflower and rest of ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Heat on the stove until hot. Gobble up with a nice grilled cheese sandwich. Yum!

Asparagus & Mushroom Quiche

2008-09-24T13:48:00.001-07:00

Ahhh....quiche. This is most definitely my new favorite lunch...well, and breakfast...actually, it's nice for dinner too. It's just so perfectly versatile and can be whipped up with whatever you have on hand. Eating it cold is better than warm and it's also better the second day (if it lasts that long). This is my second posting for quiche in the past couple of months so you can tell I am a fan. I usually get inspired when eggs are on sale and veggies are plentiful. And the artist in me likes to make pretty patterns.

Crust
2 cups flour

1 stick unsalted butter

1 tsp. salt

1 T. light olive oil

6 T. cold water

egg wash

Pulse the flour, butter, oil and salt in a processor until crumbly. Add the water and pulse a few times until it comes together. Carefully dump it out onto a board and push it together gently! Roll into the shape of your pan. My tart pan has a removable bottom for easy serving. Brush egg wash on the edges and bake at 400 for 10 minutes. Let cool off a bit while you make the filling.

Filling

4 eggs

1 cup milk

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1 T. olive oil

1/2 chopped onion

1 10 oz package sliced mushrooms

1 clove chopped garlic

1 T. chopped basil

1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese

1 bunch very thin asparagus

Mix eggs, milk and parmesan together in a bowl and set aside. In a pan, saute the onions, garlic and mushrooms until soft. Add the basil or any other herbs and remove from heat.

Put mushroom mixture onto crust. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with grated cheese. Pour egg mixture over that. Arrange asparagus in a starburst pattern. You may have to trim the asparagus down into 2-3 inch pieces. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Baked Flautas de Carnitas

2008-09-12T16:25:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love fried flautas smothered with salsa, guacamole and sour cream?? I sure do, even though I've never made them myself. These are just as good, in my humble opinion and much better for you. You can surely use chicken to save even more calories.

Flautas are a nice alternative to enchiladas and are a snap to assemble after you've let the pork cook in the crockpot all day. It took me all of 5 minutes to get the meat going. I definitely prefer the "butt" roast (no snickering, kids). For some reason, the last few times I tried using a pork shoulder, it came out kind of gamey.

FOR CARNITAS:
Put into crockpot:
1/2 cup water
3-4 lb. pork butt roast with dry rub*
sprinkle 3 sliced jalepenos on top of meat

Cook on high for 5-6 hours. Remove from crock and shred meat, picking out obvious fatty spots.

* My favorite dry rub seasoning is something called "Santa Maria Style Seasoning" which is salt, garlic, black pepper and parsley. I used about 2 tablespoons of this along with 1 tsp. of cumin.

FOR FLAUTAS:
10-12 flour tortillas
shredded carnitas (above)
2 cups shredded cheese
1 can black beans
1 cup salsa
1/2 onion, minced
Olive oil for brushing over tops

Preheat oven to 375. Warm tortillas in foil for 10 minutes in oven. Spread a little of each ingredient in a line down the middle of the tortilla and roll up as tight as possible. Place on greased cookie sheet, seam side down. Once, you've made them all, brush with olive oil and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Serve with salsa and guacamole.

Fruit Pizza

2008-09-09T14:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, I've been out of order for awhile, as a couple of you have pointed out. Thank you so much for caring, I feel so special...sniff sniff. I was actually on a family vacation for a couple weeks and unable to check my e-mail for over 9 days. In a row! After the first couple days of going through the shakes and feeling disconnected from my virtual life, I really got the hang of it and enjoyed just playing with my family. I even read two whole books....like real books, the kind with no pictures! Besides doing all things San Diego, we got to visit some relatives that we had not seen for many years, including my aunts and uncles from Oklahoma who were visiting California.

That's it for the update. Hopefully I will be back to blogging, but I'm working on another project which has been keeping me occupied. So this morning at about 9:30 my kids were asking for pizza because they were soooooooo hungry. I decided to let them make their own fruit pizza, and they were thrilled with that prospect.

Owen keeps telling me that he wants to be a chef (and I get a pang of pride each time I hear that), but then again, he also wants to be a Super Spy, an astronaut, a doctor, and a pilot. So I'm not holding my breath.

Notice below, Wesley licking his hand. Awesome! Clearly no rules around here for fun-time cooking. I try to bite my tongue and just let them make a grand old mess. They were so proud of themselves, and that was my goal here. It didn't matter that the sugar melted and ran off the pizza stone into the bottom of my oven. It didn't matter that the crust was hard as a rock. Nor did it matter that I had to sweep up a pound of flour from the floor. They ate it and beamed. Mission accomplished.

Not sure if you knew this, but getting a loaded pizza onto a pre-heated pizza stone is not easy. Especially when your topping is sugar and round berries. Next time I will use a plain ol' rimmed cookie sheet.

And I might "help" with the cinnamon-sugar portion control so it doesn't melt off the pizza and do this:
When they are all grown and married with their own kids, I can only hope that they remember mornings like this and smile. And their wives can sit back with a cup of coffee and the newspaper while dad whips up some gourmet breakfast!

Grilled Peaches with Cinnamon-Spiked Ricotta & Honey

2008-08-22T14:14:00.000-07:00

Just taking advantage of what's hanging around the house here - a little extra ricotta and some fresh peaches. Again, if you don't like ricotta cheese, this will not impress you. I just think it gave the peaches a little extra pizazz (is that a real word? It looks wrong). Anyways, if this is a jumping point for embellishing your own fruit then, whoopie! But I toally get it if you prefer your fruit nude. And sometimes ricotta just won't satisfy your ice cream craving. I understand. Really, I do.

Cooking spray
1/2 cup ricotta
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Splenda
Honey

Spray your grill or grill pan with cooking spray. Once hot, lay those peaches down. Meanwhile, mix ricotta, cinnamon and Splenda (or sugar) together. Once the peaches are heated through and have the grill marks, take them off the heat. Put 1 T. mixture into each peach and then drizzle with honey. Yum!

A Few of my Favorite Things

2008-08-19T20:18:00.000-07:00

Chocolate filled raspberries. I just melted chocolate chips and put in a ziplock bag. Snip the corner and pipe the chocolate into fresh raspberries. Best served at room temperature so the chocolate melts in your mouth along with the berry. So delicate and beautiful, these would make a perfect adornment to a cupcake, tart or just pop them in your mouth for no apparent reason (my favorite way).

Dreyer's Yogurt Blends - Caramel Praline Crunch. If you are an ice cream fan and just have to have a serving every night, here is an interesting solution. I LOVE this particular flavor, but there are several to choose from. Only 120 calories per serving and 3.5 grams of fat, plus all those live culture things that yogurt has, which is apparently good for digestion and what not. I think it just tastes so incredibly good.

Do you remember the ice cream trucks coming around your neighborhood when you were a kid? This one I remember well because of the gumball eyeballs. There was also Tweety Bird and the foot-shaped one with a gumball for the big toe. I'm scared of the ice cream truck that comes around my hood. That beat-up 70's van must cruise through here at a brisk pace because when I hear that creepy wailing tune, by the time I run out the front door, he is long gone. I often wonder if maybe they sell more than just ice cream, if you know what I mean.

Sopapillas - Fried flour tortillas topped with powdered sugar or cinnamon-sugar. Now you picky foodie people, I realize that mine are not traditional sopapillas, which are some sort puffy bread made from scratch and then fried....it's just my gringo version. My parents used to make these every once in awhile. I think it was a frugal dessert which made us totally happy.

Go FIGure

2008-08-16T13:15:00.000-07:00

Mmmm... I think we are at the height of fig season because they are everywhere right now. I even found a new park this week that had HUGE fig trees with sticky fig residue everywhere. Too bad the branches were so high that I couldn't reach them. I also couldn't resist buying a couple baskets at the Farmer's Market this week. Here are a few ways I decided to use them:

Fresh Figs - With walnuts and Cambazola (creamy blue cheese). Simplicity at it's finest.

Oven-Dried Figs - This was kind of a mistake, but it turned out pretty good! I was going to pre-bake some figs to put on a pizza or tart. So I put them in the toaster oven at about 300 degrees......and TOTALLY forgot about them. Over 2 hours later, I got these dry sweet chewy morsels. A blessing in disguise!
I know, I know, that's a fire hazard waiting to happen. It's just that they didn't really emit an odor and I was completely engrossed in catching up with some housework and a little Olympics on the TIVO. If you are planning a hike in the hills, these would be a great natural sweet snack to bring along. It makes me think of trying to find a food dehydrater.

Fig & Ginger Chutney - Aside from a little chopping, chutneys are easy to make and they are so versatile. Serve it on grilled meat. Pour it over a wedge of brie with crackers. Make a crostini appetizer with some goat cheese and chutney. I love the sweet-sour-spicy combination!

1 pint figs, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 T. grated ginger

3 T. apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup minced onion

4 oz tomato sauce

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp. lemon zest

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

salt/pepper

Mix everything together in a non-reactive bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Transfer to sauce pan and simmer for about and hour, or until all the flavors have mellowed. Best to eat the next day.

Heirloom Tomato and Watermelon Salad

2008-08-15T07:16:00.000-07:00

I can only take credit for recreating this dish because I hoisted it directly from Tami at Running with Tweezers. It just looked so refreshing and I happened to have all the ingredients on hand. (I wish I could find those green zebra tomatoes she had) This is a visually stunning salad and the sweet tomatoes and watermelon meld together quite nicely. It reminded me that salt tastes great with watermelon.

Heirloom Tomato and Watermelon Salad

Tomatoes

Watermelon

Goat Cheese

Basil Leaves

Salt/pepper

Olive Oil

Put everything together on a plate. Sprinkle with salt & pepper and drizzle with olive oil.

I am categorizing this in both salad and dessert because it could really be the handsome beginning or end of any summer meal.

Caramelized Onion Quiche with Fresh Mozarella and Zucchini Flowers

2008-08-13T12:54:00.000-07:00

Eggs, onion, cheese and some leftover zucchini flowers make for a cute little quiche. I was inpired by all the beautiful quiches I found online that were topped with concentric patterns of food - asparagus, ramps or red bell strips, making neat patterns.

First things first. The crust. Do what you wish here....I made mine from scratch. Nothing wrong with frozen pre-made crust. In fact, if I had some handy it would have been just fine and cut my prep by at least 15 minutes.

Pie/Quiche Pastry Crust
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
4-5T. ice cold water

Cut the butter into the flour and salt. Add the water, until a formable ball of dough forms. Roll it out and put in a pie pan. Cover the crust with parchment paper and top with dry beans or rice to weigh it down so it won't puff up. Bake for 15 minutes in a 350 oven.

Second, saute the onion slices in a little olive oil until caramelized. This takes a good 15 minutes. I usually cheat and add a teaspoon of sugar to help the browning along. Then get all your other ingredients ready to go.....slice your mozarella, grate the parmesan, cut up some basil and brush off those zucchini flowers.

Filling
1 onion, sliced and caramelized
4 oz fresh mozarella
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 T. chopped basil
1/4 cup grated parmesan
salt/pepper/nutmeg
6 zucchini flowers, halved vertically

In a separate bowl, mix 4 eggs with 1 cup milk. Add parmesan, basil, salt, pepper and a dash of nutmeg. Spread the onions on the crust, then the mozarella. (mushrooms would also be delish) Pour egg mixture over the top, reserving a couple tablespoons. Lay flowers in a pattern on top and push them down a little so they get wet with the egg. Cover with the last couple tablespoons of egg. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes or until done.

Yucatan Chicken Tacos with BBQ Chile-Peanut Sauce and Red Slaw

2008-08-09T23:15:00.000-07:00

I wonder if everyone is impulsive like me when it comes to food. I do sometimes overindulge, but what I'm talking about is when you see something on a cooking show or in a magazine and immediately say, "I am making that tonight". You drop what you had planned for dinner. You ignore the tornado frenzy that are your children racing around your feet. You must recreate that recipe!

That's what happened here. The show was Throw Down with Bobby Flay and it was a challenge for "Puffy Tacos." It looked so easy on TV (doesn't it always?), but once I saw Bobby's recipe, I decided to simplify it just a bit....like ditching the puffy aspect. I used regular corn tortillas. And I didn't make the base BBQ sauce from scratch. And no peanut-cilantro relish. It was still OUTSTANDING. I loved the creamy peanut BBQ sauce with the tangy slaw. It wasn't your typical taco, but the flavors were so unique and addicting. If you have some extra time on a weekend or something, I say give this a whirl.

Step 1 - Marinate the chicken.

Step 2 - Make the BBQ sauce.

Step 3 - Make the red cabbage slaw and finish the sauce.

Step 4 - Cook the taco shells and assemble.

So here is my version:

Yucatan Tacos with BBQ Chile-Peanut Sauce with Red Slaw

Chicken Marinade:
2 lbs. chicken cut into small chunks
2 T. honey
2 T. lime juice
2 T. rice wine vinegar
2 T. olive oil
2 t. minced garlic
1 minced chipotle pepper
salt/pepper

Mix everything together and let marinade while making the rest of this dish.

BBQ Sauce:
1 T. olive oil
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 inch chunk of fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp. minced garlic
1-2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, chopped
2 cups of your favorite BBQ sauce

Saute onion until soft, add ginger & garlic and saute another 2 minutes. Add BBQ sauce and chipolte and then simmer for about 10 minutes. Cool for a bit and then blend together in a blender until smooth.

Put sauce back in pan and add:
1 1/2 cups chicken broth

Increase heat to HIGH and cook until reduced by half.

Add:
2 T. soy sauce
3 T. creamy peanut butter

Cook another 5 minutes.

Red Slaw:
1/2 head red cabbage, finely shredded
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves

Place cabbage and onion in a large bowl. Whisk together the vinegar, orange juice, oil and honey and pour over the cabbage. Add the cilantro and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with mint. Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.

The last step...this is it, really.

Fry corn tortillas into taco shells - or let your partner do that while you stir fry the chicken. Grate some cheese. Assemble tacos - chicken, sauce, cheese and slaw.

Eat. Enjoy. Sneak one more taco than you anticipated. Come on, you worked for it!

Zucchini Blossoms with Ricotta

2008-08-07T15:05:00.000-07:00

Pssst. Don't tell anyone, but I've been having a summer fling. His name is Ricotta. He is so great to be around - he gets along with everyone and never talks back or steals the remote. If you want, I can give him your number.

Anyways, it's farmer's market Thursday again, usually one day I'm feeling a little adventurous in the kitchen. I can honestly say that I've been wanting to make these for 6 years!! How do I know the exact moment, you ask?

That was the first time I tasted ricotta-stuffed zucchini flowers in a restaurant....it was shortly after we got married and I remember making the reservations to A'Cote in Berkeley with my new last name. I was giddy - and even more giddy after finding these on the menu. To me, it was so fru-fru and fancy, but now with the explosion of foodie bloggers comparing notes, nothing seems out-of-the-ordinary anymore.

I've tried to reproduce them making my basic ricotta stuffing that I use to make stuffed pasta shells. I found the tempura batter online, a really easy flour/egg/water mixture.

Pick some zucchini flowers from your own garden, steal them from your neighbor's garden, or just seek them out from your local farmer's market. Brush off any visible bugs and cut out the pistil or stamen, whichever reproductive organ you see lurking down inside. Ack!

Cut up some veggies really tiny and saute until soft. Add some herbs like basil or thyme.
Add the veggies to some fresh ricotta and stir together.
Stuff each blossom with the ricotta mixture and coat with the tempura. Fry those puppies up. Get your splatter screen out. Trust me. Do it.
You can serve them up on a plate and let people pick them up like perfect little hand-held appetizers or......
.......make an appetizer plate for each person. I found some beautiful heirloom tomatoes to use as a base. They were so incredibly sweet and juicy - a perfect way to balance out the creamy fried goodness.
Nibble nibble. Munch munch.
Zucchini Blossoms with Ricotta

12 zucchini blossoms

oil for frying

1 cup finely chopped veggies (zuc, carrot, onion, broccoli, peppers etc.)

1 clove minced garlic

2 T. chopped herbs (basil, thyme, oregano, etc.)

salt/pepper

1 small container of fresh ricotta

tempura mixture:

1 egg

1 cup ice water

1 cup flour

Directions: Saute the veggies in 1 T. water until starting to turn soft. Add the garlic, cook for another minute. Remove from heat and cool. In a bowl, mix ricotta, veggies and fresh herbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stuff each blossom with 1 - 2 T. of ricotta mixture. I think you could put these in the fridge at this point (not sure on that).

Heat up enough oil to cover the bottom of your pan. For the tempura batter, mix the egg and super cold ice water together, then add sifted flour, stirring briskly to avoid lumps. (This reminded me of the paper mache "glue" we made as kids). Dip the blossom into the batter, twisting the top of the flower to seal it up. Fry until golden brown on all sides. Sprinkle with sea salt after removing from pan. Enjoy!

Grilled Yams with Honey-Ginger Dressing

2008-08-05T20:55:00.000-07:00

After grilling some chicken yesterday, I got inspired to try something new (for me) on the BBQ. This was simple and not at all messy to make - one cutting board, a knife and a bowl to make the dressing. I loved the way the sweet and sour ginger dressing soaked into the hot grilled potatoes.

If you are curious about the other thing on the dish, it is the rest of our dinner: Pan-fried Red Snapper, done up real simple in a seasoned flour and cornmeal crust and fried in about a teaspoon of olive oil.

Grilled Yams with Honey-Ginger Dressing

2 yams, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices
Cooking spray to coat

2 Tbs. honey
1 tsp. grated ginger
1 Tbs. rice wine vinegar
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 Tbs. canola oil
dash hot sauce
salt/pepper to taste
cilantro for garnish

Get your grill going on medium. Slice the yams and coat with cooking spray and some salt. Throw them on the hot grill and cook on one side for 7 minutes. Turn and cook another 7 minutes, or until tender. Prepare the dressing while they are cooking - I use a microplane to grate the ginger. Mix the rest of the ingredients together. Pour over the hot potatoes, garnish with cilantro and serve. Serves 4-6.

I would like to say the kids loved this and gobbled it up. They did not. Mom and dad ate their portions so no worries there.

Chimichurri Sauce

2008-08-03T21:13:00.001-07:00

Hello again! It's about time I made another post. This was actually something I made last week, but honestly for me, writing and posting is more time consuming than cooking and photographing.

This Latin American condiment made with mostly fresh herbs is a quick way to jazz up grilled meat or add to a sandwich, pizza or whatever. I even resorted to taking a slice of turkey lunch meat and slopping on a spoonful, rolling it up for a speedy low-carb snack.

My first incarnation was to top off some grilled tri-tip. We usually just use salsa, but I wanted something different. The tangy and flavorful sauce will amaze you...use it sparingly so as to not overpower your meat! I am sure there are several variations out there, this was adapted from several recipes I looked at.

Having a good amount leftover (Tall Guy did not partake with the tri-tip), I decided to whip up an easy tart made from crescent roll dough, feta, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and the chimichurri sauce. Yum! Okay, onto the recipe:

Chimichurri Sauce

1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro

3 green onions, chopped fine

juice of one lime

1/4 cup light olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. hot sauce

dash of sugar

salt/pepper to taste

Mix everything together and let sit in the fridge for at least an hour.

Random Produce

2008-07-29T21:17:00.000-07:00

Just a few farmer's market photos. I'll be back to cooking soon...still trying to use up freezer contents.

Spicy Roasted Corn Soup

2008-07-24T15:40:00.000-07:00

Make this. Now.

Spicy Roasted Corn Soup

5 ears super sweet local corn
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup cilantro
2 tsp. Sriricha hot sauce (or a couple of hot chiles)
Juice from half a lime
1/2 cup milk
salt/pepper

Shuck and grill the corn until starting to char. An alternate method is to cut the kernels off and then pan-fry on high heat until they start to caramelize (that's what I did). Put 2/3 of the corn kernels, the cilantro and broth in a blender and blend until smooth. In another pot, saute the onion and garlic in the oil until soft. Add the remaining corn, blended corn mixture, lime juice and hot sauce (or chile). Cook for another 5 minutes. Add the milk and seasonings. Stir and serve.

On a budget? Make some corn soup! With prices around 4 ears for a buck, this is a cost efficient way to eat gourmet. Complete the meal with some Jiffy cornbread.

Horta me Avga

2008-07-23T12:15:00.000-07:00

Since finding an issue of Saveur deep in the recesses of my nightstand, I have decided to test out a few more recipes from it. I thought this would be a perfect lunch on a warm day.

Horta me Avga is a casual dish of home cooks in Cyprus and is suited for the country's hot climate. It is basically sauteed greens with egg and lemon. Although the dish is simple, the flavors are vibrant and the lemon juice gives it a wonderful zing. This would be perfect alongside some crostini or as a side dish to grilled meat. I used less oil and eggs than the orginal recipe to cut down on calories.

Horta me Avga (Sauteed Greens with Egg & Lemon)

(adapted from Saveur, May 2008)

2 T. olive oil

1 bunch green onions

1 clove garlic, minced

4 cups packed greens (spinach, arugula, etc)

1 tsp. salt

4 eggs (2 whole and 2 whites)

3 T. chopped parsley

juice of half of a lemon

freshly ground pepper

Crack eggs into a bowl and set aside. Slice the green onions once lengthwise and then into half inch slices crosswise. Saute them in oil over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes or until starting to turn brown. Add garlc, greens and salt. Saute another minute, until greens are wilted. Add the eggs and parsley and quickly stir to break up the yolks. Let sit for about 30 seconds, then stir again and let cook until eggs are done. Remove from heat and put in a serving bowl. Squeeze a good amount of lemon over the top and season with pepper.

It's not pretty, but sure is tasty. If you like a leafy omelet, you will enjoy this.

Tomatoes Stuffed with Brown Rice and Feta

2008-07-21T14:28:00.000-07:00

I'm doing my best to use up everything we left have in the fridge and freezer so I can start fresh. Today I had about a cup of leftover brown rice and several Roma tomatoes, which I thought would make a great side dish to our grilled chicken.

You too can spruce up leftovers and make them seem like a dish that you planned all along. It takes having some good basics to work with, but really you can stuff anything - tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, mushrooms. The filling can be any combo of meat, veggies, cheese, herbs and starch...whatever you have laying around. Garlic and onions are mandatory for me.

The inspiration for this dish came from an article in Saveur magazine (May 2008) on brown rice and clearly leaning towards Greek flavorings.

Tomatoes Stuffed with Brown Rice and Feta

6 Roma tomatoes

1 cup brown basmati rice

1/4 cup chopped fresh spinach

1/4 cup crumbled feta

2 T. finely chopped red onion

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp. lemon juice

salt/pepper to taste

1 -2 tsp. olive oil

Spray the inside of a cooking dish with Pam. With a serrated knife, cut off the top of each tomato and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Cut off a tiny part of the bottom of each tomato so it will stand up in the dish. Sprinkle the insides with a little salt.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Stir together the rest of the ingredients (except oil). Stuff the mixture inside each tomato, mounding the tops slightly. Drizzle olive oil over the tops and bake for about 25 minutes.

This is a healthy side dish that will give your plate an extra WOW factor. Add some parsley and mint, if you have it!

Southern Fried Okra

2008-07-18T15:07:00.000-07:00

Technically, I am not a Southern gal, but I am guilty by association. My parents met in Oklahoma and moved to California shortly after getting married. Every other summer we would make our way back to Tulsa, and often driving as far as Alabama to visit relatives. It was there I learned the beauty of southern food.....mac n' cheese, fried green tomatoes, baked beans, fried okra and hush puppies.

My dad would sometimes fry up some okra...it seemed to be his favorite and I just loved those browned crispy morsels. So flash forward about a hundred years (well okay, 20) and I find myself thinking about frying me up some okra after finding a batch at the farmer's market. While I know this is not good for you, (about as healthy as a french fry) an occasional foray into my deep South ancestry serves to nourish my soul.

Slice the okra. Don't freak out about the slimy innards.

Let it soak in a bath of 2 cups buttermilk and two eggs for 20 minutes.

Dip in a breading made from 1 cup cornmeal (I used the coarser polenta grains) and 1 cup flour, a tsp. of salt and pepper, and a tsp. of baking powder.

Fry in oil until golden crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with sea salt. Best eaten hot!

Note: If you plan on making this a side dish, make sure it is the last thing cooked or else they will disappear before you get the rest of dinner on the table.

I want coffee too, mommy!

2008-07-15T23:09:00.001-07:00

Does your child poke his grubby little fingers into your coffee every morning and say "mommy, hot?" Mine does. Maybe I should get him his very own coffee maker. But seriously, who would think of making this, let alone buy it??

Arugula Pesto Pizza

2008-07-14T21:57:00.000-07:00

Pepperoni pizza is an American icon, no doubt about it. And there is certainly a time and a place for it.....a kid's birthday party, a college dorm cram session, Superbowl Sunday or like when your power goes out and the contents of your fridge are spoiled. I'm just sayin'.

It's just that I've been to the other side and I'm not going back.

I'm actually a total novice at making my own pizza. Making my own dough? Using yeast? Nope, never done it. I am not gifted with bread-making abilities. If you have a lot of time and a hankering to make your own, check here . If you want my secret, it's Trader Joe's Pizza Dough in a bag. You find it in the fridge section near the cheese and salads. On a side note, this is really fun to use for cooking with kids too. You can divide it up and make several little pizzas.

But back to toppings....ahhhh, the possibilities are endless. Just use what you have handy and it will be golden (no pun intended). Mine today included pesto, arugula, sundried tomatoes, red onions, goat cheese and pine nuts and a splash of olive oil. Pre-heat the oven to super hot, ie 500 degrees. Transfer the rolled out dough to your baking vessel (pizza stone, cookie sheet, pizza screen) and add the toppings. Bake for about 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and firm.

What are your favorite topping combos? Hit me with some ideas for my next pizza. I need some more........practice (mouth watering).

Budino di Ricotta

2008-07-11T11:45:00.000-07:00

Ricotta desserts are an acquired taste. I got used to it from my days on the South Beach Diet. My boys weren't really into this, probably because of the texture. Although I blended the ricotta in a food processor for 5 minutes, there was still a slight grainy feel. I thought this dessert was divine, not cloyingly sweet and just perfect for a warm evening.

Ricotta is not technically a "cheese" because it is made from the sloppy seconds of another firm cheese such as mozzarella or provolone. The whey from that cheese is drained off and is used to make ricotta. In Italy, they still use ricotta made from sheep's milk which produces and nuttier and dryer product. In America, it is mostly made from cow's milk whey and is moister and more neutral in taste.

Caramel Ricotta Pudding (Budino di Ricotta)
Serves 6
Adapted from "A Fresh Taste of Italy," by Michele Scicolone (Broadway Books, 1997).

1 cup + 3 tablespoons sugar
15 or 16-ounce container whole-milk ricotta
2 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
zest of one lemon

Instructions: Preheat the oven to 325°.

In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup of the sugar and 1/4 cup water. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. When the mixture begins to boil, stop stirring and cook until the syrup starts to brown around the edges. Then gently swirl the pan over the heat until the syrup is an even golden brown. Protecting your hand with an oven mitt, immediately pour the caramel into six 6- to 8-ounce custard cups, swirling the cups to coat the bottom evenly. Let cool briefly.

In a food processor or blender, or using an electric mixer, beat the ricotta until very smooth, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, milk, vanilla, zest and remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and blend again. Divide the mixture evenly among the caramel-lined cups. Place the cups in a roasting pan or baking dish and add enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the cups.
Bake until the tops are set but the centers are still soft and jiggly when you tap the cups, 50 to 55 minutes. Transfer the cups to a rack to cool. Cover the cups with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

To serve, run a small knife around each pudding and invert onto a serving plate.

I used a raspberry sauce for a little extra oomph. Bring raspberries and a little sugar to a boil, then smash up with a fork. Put the sauce through a fine mesh strainer to get rid of the seeds.

Deanna's Chicken Pho

2008-07-07T20:34:00.000-07:00

When I started this dish, I wasn't sure how it was going to end. Let me explain. Chicken thighs needed to be cooked....so I throw them in the crockpot. Hmmm...now what? Let's go Asian today. Okay so, in goes the onion, garlic, soy, fish sauce, water, ginger & lemongrass.

After about 4 hours, the chicken was done and a wonderful smell permeated the house. I tasted the remaining broth in the crock and determined that it was soup-worthy for sure. Then I started looking up some pho (I THINK you pronounce it "phuh") recipes to see if there were any other flavors missing: Yes, cinnamon and anise. I add a dash of each and voila! Perfect pho (for a beginner like me).

Chicken Pho
2 lbs. chicken thighs, skin removed
3 T. soy
3 T. water
1 T. fish sauce
1 tsp. Sriracha sauce
1/2 onion, chopped
1 inch chunk of ginger, peeled and smooshed
3 garlic cloves, smooshed
1 stalk of lemongrass, cut into 1 inch pieces and smooshed
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
(smooshed means hit with the back of a knife to release the aromas - don't bother chopping)

Throw everything into the crock and cook for about 4 hours or until chicken seems done. Remove chicken from pot and strain out the other solids, saving the broth. Here you can skim the fat off of the broth if you'd like (I did). Put broth back into crockpot. Add about 3 cups of water, a squeeze of lime juice and some rice stick noodles. Pick the chicken off the bones and put back into crock. Cook on low for another hour or until the noodles seem soft. Garnish with green onion, cilantro and slice chile peppers.

This was outstanding and flavorful. I'm not sure if it's a classic pho, but it was my version! Give it a try if you dare.

Whoopie Pies

2008-07-07T10:30:00.000-07:00

Aren't these cute? They are a specialty of my friend, whose son has celiac disease. Celiac disease is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. People who have celiac cannot tolerate a protein called gluten, found in wheat, rye, and barley.

It is extremely challenging to eat gluten-free because not only must you avoid all bread products, it is hidden in so many processed foods including soy sauce, ketchup, chips, cold cuts and anything labeled with "caramel coloring," "natural flavors," MSG and "modified food starch." Take a look at a couple of labels and you'll realize how many products contain gluten.

My hats off to her for finding alternative ways to bake so her son can be included in holiday and birthday festivites!

Ingredients

1 C Gluten Free Flour
1/4 C Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 C Sugar
1/4 C Solid Vegetable Shortening
1 Egg White
1/2 C Low-Fat Milk
3/4 C GF Marshmallow Spread (Wal-Mart Great Value Brand States GF right on the can)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Mix on medium speed, beat the sugar, shortening , and egg white in a medium bowl until fluffy and well blended, about two minutes. Stir in the flour mixture, then the milk, until just blended.
2. Drop the dough by spoonfuls onto large, ungreased baking sheet, making 36 cookies. Bake until top springs back when lightly touched, 5-7 minutes. Cool on the sheets on a rack. Spoon 2 tsp of marshmallow spread on the bottoms of half the cookies. Top with the remaining cookies.

Plum Crisp

2008-07-05T21:12:00.000-07:00

I wasn't totally sure what to name this dessert until I found the following definitions. I'm putting this in here in case you had any confusion like me about the whole "cobbler-crisp-crumble" thing.

Betty — a baked pudding made of layers of spiced and sugared fruit and buttered bread crumbs.

Clafoutis — a French cobbler, with fruit (usually cherries) on the bottom, custard, and a rough batter crust baked on top

Cobbler — a spoon pie (more like a fruit stew with dumplings), in which biscuit dough is dropped onto the fruit before baking. The consensus is that the dish got its name because the lumps of cooked dough resembled cobblestones.

Crisp — a deep-dish fruit dessert made with a crumb or streusel topping and baked.

Crumble — a British dessert in which raw fruit is topped with a crumbly pastry mixture and baked. One reference says a crumble is like a crisp, but not as rich.

Grunt — a spoon pie, with biscuit dough on top of stewed fruit, which is steamed, not baked

Pandowdy — a spoon pie, with fruit on the bottom and a rolled crust on top, which is broken up to allow the juices to come through

Slump — a spoon pie, including cooked or uncooked fruit topped with biscuit dough or piecrust, which can be baked or steamed, and can be made upside down

Thanks to Cathy R. for all the wonderful Santa Rosa plums. OOooooh, this was good. Tart, but good. I actually ran out of sugar (how does that happen?) and ended up only having about 2 T. for all these plums. After eating a couple bites, I improvised and squirted a little agave nectar over the top to balance it out. Our family nibbled on it all day until it was gone.

Plum Crisp

3 cups sliced plums
1/4 cup sugar (less, if you have sweet-skinned plums)
1 T. cornstarch
1 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 cup flour
2 T. butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 rolled oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt

Mix first four ingredients and put into pie plate. Mix the next 6 ingredients and pour over the fruit. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until the topping is browned.

Basil Potato Gratin with Goat Cheese

2008-07-03T23:15:00.000-07:00

I know it seems a bit heavy for this time of year, but OMG this was so good! I made just a cute little dish of it, enough for 2 or 3. I had four small yukon gold potatoes in the cupboard waiting to be used, so here it is. You will clearly want to double it for a bigger family.

Basil Potato Gratin with Goat Cheese
4 Yukon Gold potatoes
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic
2 T. butter
2 T flour
1 cup milk
1 T. chopped basil
Salt/pepper
2 oz goat cheese

Spray baking dish with cooking spray. Peel potatoes, slice very thin and arrange in flat layers. In a pan, heat butter and saute onion and garlic until beginning to soften. Add flour and cook for a minute. Gradually add milk and heat until a thick sauce forms. Take off the heat and add the basil, salt and pepper. Note that it needs quite a bit of salt (at least a teaspoon) to season the potatoes. Pour mixture over the potatoes and shake the dish a bit so the sauce permeates the layers. Add goat cheese to the top and cook at 375 for 30 minutes.

White Lasagna

2008-07-01T17:45:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post this recipe that I made down at my folks house last month. This was my first try at a white lasagna and I think it came out nice considering there was nary a speck leftover.

Next time I will add a couple more layers. I used those no-boil, non-curly lasagna noodles which made my usual 3 layers of pasta seem short. It was a little labor intensive since I made my own bechamel and seared the mushrooms before assembly, not to mention squeezing liquid out of the spinach, always a messy endeavor for me.

White Lasagna

Bechamel sauce

1/4 cup unsalted butter

2 cloves minced garlic

1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk

1/8 tsp nutmeg

salt/pepper to taste

Ricotta Mixture

1 container ricotta

1 egg

1/4 c. grated parmesan

1/2 tsp. pepper

Rest of layers

1/3 cup pesto

1 package frozen spinach
1 lb cremini mushrooms
3 oz feta

For the sauce: Melt butter and garlic together, just for a few minutes until the garlic softens up. Add the flour and cook another couple minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk, making sure to break up the lumpy flour along the way. Add seasonings.

For the cheese: Mix ricotta, egg and parmesan together in a bowl.

Other: Sear mushrooms on high heat, getting a nice browned edge. Set aside. Thaw and squeeze spinach. Set aside.

Assembly: Put down a few tablespoons of white sauce on the bottom of pan, follow with a layer of noodle, half the ricotta mixture and the spinach. More sauce, noodle, ricotta and then spread the pesto on top of that. Add mushrooms. More sauce, noodle, sauce again, then the feta. Cook at 350 for 45 mins.

Yum! I only used the feta because I didn't have any mozarella, and was pleased by the results...it gave it a more mediterranean tangy flair which was suprisingly awesome.

Um, Yeah....Lighthouses

2008-07-01T14:12:00.001-07:00

I had to giggle at this profound candy concept. Looks like these lighthouses are ready for a little action......

Roasted Cauliflower with Capers

2008-06-29T12:18:00.001-07:00

Another odd farmer's market find: Orange Cauliflower. They had purple too, but I couldn't imagine using up two heads of cauliflower in one week.

This is my go-to cauliflower side dish. Cruising through http://www.allrecipes.com/ I could not find a similar recipe, so maybe I should post it over there. Most of those use butter and/or cheese in theirs. Mine is more of a sour-salty version.

Roasted Cauliflower with Capers

1 head cauliflower, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. capers
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. dijon mustard
2 T. olive oil
2 T. chopped basil
salt/pepper to taste
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Put veggies in a baking dish. Mix the rest of the ingredients (except bread crumbs) and pour over. Mix well and top with the bread crumbs. Bake at 450 for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 mins.

Fresh Figs with Honey Balsamic Syrup

2008-06-26T14:01:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to post this picture today because after watching Top Chef, Hell's Kitchen and The Next Food Network Star (yes, I am a reality TV cooking show junkie), I've noticed that careful plating is half the battle. I can't believe that I missed the special Food Network's "challenge" episode about Food Styling because I'm really interested in that.

Now for the little plate. I went to the Antioch Farmer's Market today and found fresh Black Mission Figs from Tachella Farms. They were so gorgeous that I was tempted to eat them plain, but decided to step it up a notch and topped them with a honey balsamic syrup. I used equal parts balsamic and honey, 1/2 tsp each of black pepper and thyme. Simmer until reduced to a syrupy glaze. Cut the figs in half and lovingly pour the sauce over the figs. Flower arrangement is cute, but optional.

Grilled Pork Chops with Spiced Peach Sauce

2008-06-25T13:37:00.000-07:00

I have determined that white meat and fruit are kindred spirits. Some may not agree with me and that's okay. It just seems to me that it's a recurring impulse to pair these two.

This sassy sauce was made with fresh peaches and nectarines that we picked yesterday. I made a base sauce without the spice which was wonderful over ice cream (see below). Chicken or turkey would also work well if you are one of those rare people allergic to pork

Base Peach Sauce

4 cups peeled and chopped fresh peaches

1 T. cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

1 T. lemon juice

Spiced Peach Sauce for Meat

2 cups Base Peach Sauce

1/4 tsp. curry powder

1/4 tsp. ginger powder

1/8 tsp. cayenne
1/8 tsp. white pepper

2 tsp. white vinegar

Season and grill the meat to desired doneness. I've heard that its okay to cook pork chops medium well instead of burnt to a dry crispy rock these days. The salmonella scare that shook our nation is not as prominent now due to better meat standards and packaging. By all means, if you are more comfortable with dry pork, go for it!

The sweet-spicy factor gives this dish a WOW effect for the standard blah pork chop and rice was the perfect back drop to absorb the extra goodness.

And for dessert we have:

Baja Style Fish Tacos

2008-06-23T21:05:00.000-07:00

Just got back from a trip to sunny Carpinteria and had a great time cooking, eating, drinking and visiting with family. It was unusually warm and not foggy, which made the beach mandatory. Every day. The kids LOVED it this time... splashing, jumping, digging, screaming, chasing birds and doing all things a kid should do on the beach. It was great to see that maybe they will turn out to be beach rats just like mom was.

While we had much yummy food, this meal here is worth mentioning. My (much) older and adventurous brother is quite the fisherman. Turns out our dinner was a small portion of a 30 pound white bass caught off the coast of Santa Barbara. By my brother. With a spear. Seriously.

Anyways, many thanks to the whole family for making such a wonderful dinner. Everything was delish and the fish was so fresh and light, and had a beautiful crunchy coating that made a great base for all the yummy toppings. Other highlights include a lesson on Guitar Hero by my niece and nephew, a mean margarita from my Sis-in-Law and lick on the face from Otter dog.

Baja style tacos are basically battered and fried fish wrapped in a grilled corn tortilla and topped with a creamy tangy white sauce and other condiments. Cabbage seems to be the most unique of these toppings. I suggest not skipping it. I could look up the origin and some other interesting story about this style of taco, but I don't have the energy or time! You'll have to do your own research. Or better yet....just try it!!

The Basics:

Corn tortillas, grilled over flames
White fish, cut into 2 inch pieces
Oil, enough to fry fish

Fish Batter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. double acting baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup water

Mayonesa Secret Sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. white vinegar
1 1/2 T. milk

Condiments (any or all)

pico de gallo
sour cream
cilantro
cheese
guacamole
onions
shredded cabbage

Directions: Mix up the batter and fry fish in batches until you have a nice little pile. Lay out all the condiments, mix up the secret sauce and grill those tortillas. Put a couple pieces of fish into a tortilla, top with secret sauce and condiments. Don't skip the cabbage!!

Turkey Tenderloin with Papaya Mango Salsa

2008-06-13T20:54:00.000-07:00

I had a brilliant idea the other day. How exciting would it be to make a cookbook based solely on ingredients from Trader Joe's?? I even thought maybe my foodie friend, Louanne, would be interested in helping me research and write it. So I Googled it to make sure nobody out there had a similar idea. ARRRRRGGHHH. Oh well.

Anyways, this is a complete and easy TJ meal. You can't even really call it cooking. Even the green beans were the "microwave in the bag" style, all trimmed and washed. Nice.

However, before you go out and buy this salsa, there is a disclaimer: We didn't really enjoy it all that much. It's texture was chalky and the taste was bland but spicy, if that makes any sense. While I love most Trader Joe's items, this was not one of them. You'd be better off to make your own with tropical fruit, onion, lime juice and cilantro.

Turkey Tenderloin with Papaya Mango Salsa

1 pkg. turkey breast tenderloin

1 container Papaya Mango Salsa

seasoned flour to coat

1 T. oil

Directions: Um, yeah. Let me babble for a minute because the directions are too simple to take up space here. My package of turkey cost $6.54. It was two gargantuan tenderloins. I cut up one tenderloin into four pieces, slicing out the thick membrane running through it. I decided this was enough for our family. And it was. Added bonus, I froze the second tenderloin and plan to stretch that out with a turkey veggie green curry or something.

Okay, so directions: Dredge tenderloin pieces in seasoned flour and cook in the oil until done. Top with salsa and serve with your favorite veggie and starch. We try not to do the starch with dinner. Later in the evening, though, we are usually rummaging the pantry for anything with carbs. Tall guy prefers handfuls of cereal.

Cheesy Cauliflower Soup

2008-06-12T10:07:00.001-07:00

I was thinking of Mrs. Seinfeld's book when I went to make this soup. The Marketing Associate (aka MOM) touted this soup as "Super Duper Cheesy Soup" to her toddlers and Production Manager (MOM again) made sure that it's main ingredient was veggies.

My kids LOVE cheese, but this soup is mainly cauliflower and carrots with a just a little cheese. The carrots give it the "cheese color". It went over great with the 2 year old, not so much for the 3 year old. I didn't take that personally because he does not eat much these days unless it starts with the letters P-I-Z-Z-A.

Added bonus: This is another crockpot recipe.

Cheesy Cauliflower Soup
1 head cauliflower, cut up
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
4 cups broth
Dry spice of choice (parsley, thyme, basil, etc.)
salt/pepper

Throw all of the above into crock and cook on high for 4 hours until tender.

Blend everything up in the blender to desired consistency. I went for really smooth. Return to crock and add:

1 cup milk
1/2 cup grated sharp cheese
2 tsp Worchestershire sauce
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp sugar (optional)

Cook on low for another hour or so. I left it on warm for a couple hours and it was fine.

Gigi's Cookbook

2008-06-11T13:50:00.001-07:00

My husband's grandma (gigi to our kids) has been cleaning out her cupboards lately and we are getting some windfall from her spring cleaning. She's been kind enough to think of me and my blog when unloading cool retro dishes, tea towels and now cookbooks.

This one in particular I thought was pretty neat. It was printed in 195o and I've been perusing the pages and thinking that some of the recipes could make a comeback. I especially love the section on "Refrigerator Cakes" which are basically cakes made from cookies, whipped cream and other gooey stuff, which don't require any cooking. I see one of these in my future.

Here are some pictures that will give you the vibe of my new old cookbook:

Crockpot Chicken Enchiladas

2008-06-10T21:14:00.000-07:00

Okay, well I wasn't going to post this because it was an experiment for me (and I wasn't thrilled about the pictures). I cooked the chicken for my enchiladas in the crockpot from about 8 am to 12 noon and after shredding it, realized that maybe it would work for the actual enchiladas too. It was worth a try. Looking online, I found many recipes for enchiladas layered into a type of casserole instead of rolling them up like I did.

From 2 bone-in breasts, salsa, a can of black beans, some cheese and a small can of enchilada sauce, I ended up with about 3 layers of enchiladas.

Here is the result: As I suspected, dishing it up and making it look good would prove difficult. Those first enchiladas were beautiful. Underneath was a complete mess. But hey, it all tasted the same...pretty darn good.

My recipe is usually about the same, with variations depending on what I have on hand.

Crockpot Chicken Enchiladas

Place chicken breasts and a cup of salsa in the crockpot. Cook on high for 4 hours. Shred meat and add some minced garlic and black beans (olives, corn and onions would also work well at this point). Stir until uniform.

Grate some cheese. Spray each corn tortilla with Pam and stack them up on a paper towel. Cover and microwave for about 45 seconds, until they are soft and warm.

Put a spoonful of enchilada sauce on the bottom of crockpot. Place chicken mixture and cheese on tortilla, roll up and place in crock. Continue this until you have the layer complete. Cover with sauce. Another layer and more sauce. Keep this up until you have enough enchiladas stacked up to feed your family.

Cook on low for a 2 hours or so.

Grilled Tri-Tip and Rajas con Crema

2008-06-08T11:20:00.000-07:00

IMHO, Tri-tip is best done on the grill. We have a special seasoning that we use called "Susie Q's Santa Maria Style Seasoning" which we rub on the outside - it gives the meat a wonderful smoky flavor. I'm not going to go into detail about the grilling because it's not my forte and it's best left to Tall Guy, who is getting to be quite the Mr. BBQ. Maybe I should change his name to Mr. BBQ. We always serve our tri-tip in the Santa Maria tradition of slicing thin and topping it with your favorite salsa and a squirt of lime juice. This time a side of peppers completed the meal.

Check out these interesting bell peppers:

I found them at the farmers market in Concord and the woman who sold them to me could not give me any information except that the light purple ones were "very sweet" (and they were, especially when cooked). When I sliced them open, I was suprised that their flesh was about half the thickness of the red and green bells from the grocery store. They almost seemed like a cross between a bell and a poblano.

Anyways, I decided to do some sauteed Mystery Peppers in a classic Mexican style. I've never made this before and it turned out really good! I call it Rajas con Crema and here is how I did it:

Rajas con Crema

Sliced peppers of your choice

1 tsp olive oil

salt, pepper and/or favorite seasoning

1/4 cup milk

1 clove minced garlic

Heat oil over HIGH heat, add peppers and seasoning and let them get almost black before giving a stir. Once they start to soften up, turn the heat to low and add the garlic and milk. Simmer until the garlic is soft and half the milk evaporates.

Wednesday Night at Bing's

2008-06-06T08:37:00.000-07:00

I just saw in the newspaper that a band called Steve Lucky and the Rhumba Bums is playing at Bing's in Walnut Creek every Wednesday night from 7-10 pm. They are also offering complimentary swing dance lessons.

This band is so much fun!! I saw them several times before I was a mommy, when I didn't have to pay a babysitter to watch a cool band on a weeknight. But if you happen to have a free Wednesday night, go check them out!! Obviously, you might have to purchase a swanky martini beverage to enhance the evening. Here are a couple of song clips.

Daddy-O

Where's My Gravy

Crockpot Lemon Chicken

2008-06-05T20:58:00.000-07:00

Another crockpot recipe, you ask? You could say I'm just a little giddy with my new cooking device. I'm trying to find my crock-legs, if you will. And the fact that I don't have to turn on my oven on an 85 degree day is a bonus!

I found the bone-in chicken breasts on deep sale at the store last week, and was looking for something easy to do while I was out all day. My inspiration was the lemon-pepper rotisserie chicken from Raley's. My version turned out moist and flavorful, and because I took the skin off before cooking, it is very healthy too. I know that you can probably do this recipe without first browning the chicken, but I prefer the nice browned skin the extra step adds.

Crockpot Lemon Chicken

4 bone-in chicken breasts
flour to dredge
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp oregano
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
Veggies for bottom of crock (peppers, carrots, onions, mushrooms, etc)

Dredge chicken in flour and brown in a big skillet. Put any veggies you want in the crock and top with the browned chicken. Mix the remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6, and then check for doneness. Mine went for 5 hours on high and was a tad overdone. The taste was still perfection!

I seem to have a problem figuring out the timing on cooking in my crockpot. My friend Louanne said that older crockpots aren't as hot and therefore, less likely to overcook your meat. It's true - I'm going to start cooking my stuff on low and check the meat after 4 hours. I have three settings on my machine. High, Low and Warm. I wonder if "warm" would actually cook something. Is it worth a try?

Crockpot Korean Ribs

2008-06-04T14:09:00.000-07:00

Crockpot Korean Ribs

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 T. sesame oil

2 T. rice vinegar

1 tsp dried ginger or 1 T fresh

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 package short ribs (3-5 lbs)

Put ribs in crock. Mix all other ingredients together and pour on top. Cook on high for 5 hours or low for 8. If you are home, go ahead and baste them every hour or two. If you want sauce to go over the ribs and some rice, then pull ribs out, skim the fat off of the sauce, add a little cornstarch/water mixture and boil for 2 minutes until thickened.

I loved this.....it was tangy, sweet and a little spicy.

Garden Party Lemonade

2008-06-03T13:18:00.000-07:00

Garden Party Lemonade

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 5 or 6 lemons)

1 seedless cucumber, peeled and chopped

2 sprig of fresh dill, roughly chopped

¾ cup sugar

1 cup crushed ice

4 cups water

Option Garnishes – lemon slices, dill sprigs, cucumber spear

Blend all ingredients in a blender.

Whoa. This was soooooo yummy! As I was browsing blogs yesterday I came across this recipe from Carol at Simply Gluten Free and something inside said "You must try". And then boom, like a flash of lightning, dill and fresh cucumbers at the farmers market....on the same table even. It was meant to be. Delish.

Turkey Patty with Bing Cherry Basil Salsa

2008-06-02T19:29:00.001-07:00

If you noticed a theme, congratulations! I think its going to be all cherries, all week. If the cherry-basil combo sounds strange, I thought so too. But what the heck, I had all the ingredients on hand...why not give it a whirl? If you like any kind of fruit salsa, you would enjoy this too. It would also compliment a pork chop.

Italian Turkey Patty (stuffed with goat cheese)

1 package ground turkey

1/4 cup minced onion

1 clove minced garlic

1 T. minced basil

1 T. minced sundried tomatoes

1/4 cup parmesan

1/2 tsp pepper

1 slice goat cheese per patty

Form a very thin patty and put the goat cheese in the middle. Top with another thin patty and smoosh together to make one big honkin' stuffed patty. Pan fry or grill until done.

Cherry Basil Salsa

2 cups chopped cherries

2 T. julienned basil

1 chopped jalepeno

1 tsp. lime juice

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

salt/pepper to taste

Okay, I'm not going to say much else other than I hope this inspires you to go out on a limb and try something new. If you do, please post a comment here and let me know how it turned out!

Rainier Cherry Tart

2008-06-01T22:57:00.001-07:00

So, cherry picking. Yay! Early summer is good livin' out here in the East County. It's all about fresh and local. A mere 5 minute drive puts us in the heart of U-Pick heaven. Today I think we picked about 10 lbs of cherries, half Rainier (the yellowish guys) and half Bing.

I am still pondering things to do with these juicy puppies beside eat them right out of the box.....let's see, cherry salsa, cherry soup, cherry brandy? Well, anyways, my first inclination was for a sweet treat.

Rainier Cherry Tart

Dough:

1 1/4 cups flour

1 T. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 stick unsalted butter

2 T. cold water

Mix flour, sugar, salt and butter in food processor. Pulse on/off until mixture resembles small particles. Add 1 T. water and pulse, add another and pulse again. If the dough is damp enough to roll out, then do so. If not, add a couple more drops of water until you get it right. Roll it out and lay it into tart pan, pushing more dough up around the edges to make it thicker there. Poke holes with a fork and bake for 10 min. at 350. Cool slightly before adding filling.

Filling:

1 block cream cheese

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp lemon zest

1 egg

Mix everything but the egg together until creamy. Taste it several times until you are completely sure that it tastes good. Then one more taste for good measure. Add egg and mix until uniform. Spread over tart crust. Add fruit in a thoughtful symmetrical pattern (or not). Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Rustic Bruschetta & Asparagus Salad

2008-05-31T21:02:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile, and it wasn't because I was ordering pizza every night....its just that our meals have been simple, quick and not worth documentation as of late. We're talking tacos, enchilada casserole, turkey burgers and salads topped with chicken nuggets. Hey, I never claimed to be gourmet!

Anyways, tonight I finally had a little time to throw together something. Here is the appetizer we cooked up from ingredients bought at TJ's today. The "par baked panini rolls" were something new to me and were great because by the time you toast the cheese on top, the rolls are not teeth-breaking crunchy as they might be if the rolls were already fully cooked.

Here's how I made it: Melt a frozen cube of crushed garlic (or 1 tsp chopped fresh) in one Tbsp. of olive oil. Brush over the rolls or baguette slices, and give them a quick toast. Add sliced basil, sliced tomato and sliced fresh mozarella. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and toast until melty.

I love the size of Trader Joe's box of basil. It is the best bargain around. I will have to get creative with the rest of it later this week....if anyone has a great basil dish, please let me know. Here is the rest of our dinner, caught in the very last of the natural daylight around 7:30 pm.

Sauteed Asparagus on Field Greens with Chevre and Lemon Zest

Perfectly served with the honey baked chicken over rice recipe from an earlier post.

Saute asparagus with cooking spray and generous salt/pepper. Meanwhile, dress the greens in your favorite salad dressing. Mine is a dijon vinaigrette made from lemon juice, dijon, rice wine vinegar, olive oil and a dash of honey. Place hot asparagus on top of dressed greens, and add the chevre and lemon zest.

I personally love how the hot veggie melts the cheese and wilts the lettuce a bit. I wonder if that's weird. Just like some people cannot handle sweet pineapple on their pizza, I bet the consensus is that a salad should be all cold ingredients. Hmph.

On a side note, I want to congratulate Shawn this week for trying a new dish for her family - chicken picatta. I heard it came out great (maybe a little tart) and she's ready to move on to veal. Way to go!

BBQ Pork Sandwich

2008-05-20T17:45:00.000-07:00

This was so easy that it's almost ridiculous to even post. However, I am delighted to be using my new crockpot and you are getting this recipe whether you like it or not.

I used a frozen pork loin that I salvaged from the depths of my freezer and cooked it overnight. In the morning, I shredded the meat, added the sauce and popped it in the fridge (pic below), so I could assemble the sandwiches that evening. I'm sure you could just do it in the morning and shred it when you get home from your long hard day at work.

BBQ Pork Sandwiches

For the meat:
2-3 lb. pork roast or loin
1 chopped onion
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup water
salt/pepper to taste

1 bottle BBQ sauce (I like Sweet Baby Rays)

For the sandwiches:
lettuce
onion slices
squishy buns

Directions: Put onion, garlic and water in the crock and plop the meat on top. Season with salt and pepper. Cook on low for 8 hours. Shred meat and add the BBQ sauce. Assemble the sandwiches to your liking.

Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill

2008-05-19T09:35:00.000-07:00

My annual pilgrimage to Vegas is over. Anticipated for months, and over in a flash. While most of my days and nights are spent playing in a pool tournament, any free time is usually consumed with eating and drinking....the highlight on this trip was the Mesa Grill in Caesar's Palace. We had planned to spend it with friends, but could never figure out a time when everybody was not required to be on the pool table.

Tall guy and I had no reservations and decided to take a chance anyways. I told him that I would be taking pictures, and luckily, it doesn't seem to faze him at all anymore. Admittedly, since this would be embarrassing to the average dining partner, I promised to be quick and discreet, which is why I used no flash and the pics turned out a little blurry. So when we got there, the hostess told us that the dress code was "no hats" unless you want to eat at the bar. We opted for the bar. This turned out to be a great choice because the service was attentive and friendly, and we got to watch the mixologists at work. We never mustered up the courage to order a $15 prickly pear margarita, although they looked heavenly.

It was Saturday at 1:00 pm and it turned out that we had to choose from the brunch menu. Fine by me, since a hearty breakfast and a bloody mary would be a perfect first meal of the day. You heard that right. While on vacation without children, it is mandatory to stay up until 4 am and sleep until noon....at least that is my rule of thumb.

Anyways, everything on the menu is inspired by Southwestern flavors, if you couldn't guess. Our meal started off with a delightful complimentary bread basket consisting of tiny Jalapeno Cheese Biscuits, a Yellow and Blue Corn Muffin and Coffee Cake with Blueberries and Pecans. We loved everything here...the muffin was moist and perfectly sweetened by the fresh corn kernels. The biscuit was fluffy and still warm with a lovely pepper kick. Coffee cake? Yum!

Next up - an appetizer called Goat Cheese "Queso Fundido" (12) with Rajas and served with blue corn chips. This was so gooey and rich, but oh, so good. It seems the goat cheese was mixed with jack cheese and other spices and baked to bubbly perfection. By the time we (almost) polished this off, I was actually pretty full. But wait, there's more.

We decided to share our entrees, and this one was the star for both of us. It's one of Flay's signature dishes. The menu read like this exactly: "spicy chicken + sweet potato hash + poached eggs + green chile hollandaise". (18) Everything on the menu was like that, with a lot of plus signs. I would have given it some cute name like "fiery hash benedict" or "benedicto diablo". The flavors were very diverse, with the sweet creamy potatoes mixed in with the spicy chicken and chiles.....when eaten together with the over-easy egg and hollandaise, it made for rich and satisfying burst of flavors. However, my one problem with the dish was that it may have been a tad too spicy for me, and after a few bites, it was hard to taste anything but heat.

Tall guy ordered "new mexican spiced pork tenderloin sandwich + grilled red onion, arugula, and ancho chile mayonnaise + southwestern fries" (15) Bartender warned us that the pork was cooked medium and that it had some pink. We agreed to the terms. The foccacia bread was too crunchy, and while the pork was so extremely tender and delicate, the sandwich lacked a depth of flavor that we were expecting. As Randy Jackson would say, "Dog, it was just alright for me"

Overall, I was pleased with my visit to Mesa Grill....it's huge windows overlook the gigantic sports book, and it just happened to be the day of the Preakness horse race, so the buzz and energy outside the restaurant was fun to watch. The service was great at the bar. Next time, I would like to go for dinner.......then again, there is so much competition for fine dining in Vegas that it seems like a crime to go to the same place twice. At least I have a year to think about it.

Berries on Sale

2008-05-07T15:06:00.001-07:00

So I told myself "no more blogging until after vacation" and when I say "vacation" I mean competing in an International 8-Ball Pool Tournament in Vegas next week. All my free time until then will be spent practicing in the garage. Wellllllll, I was doing drills extremely diligently, thank you very much, when I got to thinking about how I could really use a refreshing snack, and those berries I picked up this morning looked so juicy, and then I started washing them and realized the colors were vibrant and beautiful....and hey, wouldn't that look good in a picture?

Anyways, if you are a foodie in this area, blackberries and strawberries are on sale at Raley's/Nob Hill this week for $1.47 per basket. Well worth it!

Honey Baked Chicken

2008-05-04T22:35:00.000-07:00

This is a fairly new recipe to me, but it will probably be put on the rotation for sure. There is some curry in it, which gives it a delicately sweet Indian flavor (and I am no expert on Indian cuisine; in fact, I'm embarrassed to admit that I've only had it twice - please don't hold it against me!)

I served it this time with boneless skinless thighs, which were on sale, but the breasts also work great, especially if you cut up each one into 2-3 pieces. It is best served drizzled with the sauce over rice and a nice healthy green side like my sauteed red chard spiked with fresh garlic.

I know some of you may not appreciate the amount of honey and butter, but really, if you keep your drizzling to a minimum, its not THAT bad for you. I bet you could also play with the amounts to give it an acceptable level of health for your diet. Trust me when I say that this is worth a try and super easy to boot.

Honey Baked Chicken

2-3 lbs boneless skinless chicken parts

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup brown mustard

1 tsp. curry powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp minced garlic

Mix ingredients in your baking dish (save a bowl) and add the chicken parts. Poke holes in the chicken with a fork and move around so they are coated with sauce. Let sit for about an hour in the fridge. Pop into a 350 oven, covered in foil for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 30 minutes, basting with the sauce every so often.

Green Garlic?

2008-05-03T16:23:00.001-07:00

Does anyone know if this is "Green Garlic"? Or is it just fresh garlic with the stem still on? I got it from the side of the road on my way to Sacramento where the nice lady didn't seem to speak English. She just said "garlic one dollar".

Update: It's not green garlic...just fresh.
Here is the inside view:

Fava Beans

2008-04-30T11:15:00.000-07:00

Warning: Don't try this at home.

New ingredient (never tasted or cooked by me) for the week was fava beans. I saw them on sale for 99 cents a pound and bought about a pound and a half, thinking that would be plenty. These suckers were big, probably 8 inches long and plump too. I thought such gargantuan pods would yield a large plate of tasty beans. Wrong.

So here's how to prepare the fresh fava beans at home (I already warned you, don't try). First shell the beans (see above). Blanch the beans for 3 minutes, and dump in an ice bath. THEN, shell the beans AGAIN (see below). They have a lining that is tough and inedible, so they need the second shucking. Take the remaining little tiny amount of beans (i got 1/4 cup from my batch) and do with them what you wish.

They might be nice in a salad mixed with tomatoes and onions. I saw a recipe for green risotto made with blended fava beans. I decided not to fuss too much with my whole handful of beans. I added some bacon bits (I cooked that for my fritatta tonight), salt, pepper and parmesan.

Alright, so they were good. Would I do it again? Heck, no! Unless you have a little army of 10 year olds willing to do your dirty work, just leave it to the professionals and order it next time you see it on a menu.

Sauteed Radishes

2008-04-29T14:20:00.000-07:00

This is more of an idea than a recipe. I found beautiful radishes at the market this morning and remember reading that they are quite tasty when cooked. Here is the result and it was yummy and unique. I love the zing and bite of a raw radish, but this brought a mellow and nutty subtle flavor that reminds you that they are root vegetables too.

2 bunches of radishes quartered
1 T. unsalted butter
1 tsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

In a saute pan, heat the butter and oil until piping hot. Add the radishes and let them sit for at least 2 minutes to get them browned. Stir and let sit another couple minutes. Take off the heat and give it a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper.

I would totally make this again as a side to any dish. I served them this time with my favorite White Turkey Chili. Oh, and I have to give props to my new favorite blog for crockpot cooking. It's called A Year of Crockpotting. Stephanie, aka "The Crockpot Lady" posts a new recipe every day and the commentary is pretty darn hilarious.

Curry Chicken Salad Wrap

2008-04-26T21:17:00.000-07:00

Tasty lunch today, using veggies starting to wilt and pantry chicken. This is entirely influenced by the Piadini that we always order at Tomatina in Walnut Creek. (Theirs is a salad on flatbread which is smeared with roasted garlic paste - OMG). And although this lacks the homemade rustic breadiness, I felt like I would actually pay cold hard cash for a lunch like this. It was simple yet satisfying and a thumbs up from the tall man living here. Here are the ingredients below:

Chopped veggies or fruit (I used yellow bells, cucumbers and cranberries), can o' chicken, 1/2 tsp. curry, 3 T. light mayo. Apples, grapes, red onions or walnuts would make a great addition. This is another one of those "use what you have" type of recipes.

So, mix it all up. Heat a tortilla on the gas burner until hot, add some greens and top with the chicken salad. You can either roll it or fold in half to eat. It beats a PB&J by a mile.

More Filo Fun

2008-04-25T22:11:00.001-07:00

Leftover filo dough from previous night + leftover grilled asparagus + last of the goat cheese = yummy snacky thingy.

With only a few ingredients I made this cute little appetizer AND used up my leftovers. It's all about efficiency, folks. Especially now with the state of affairs, rice will be like $10 a pound or something like that. If you haven't stocked up on rice, go to the grocery store now and fill up your cart. Seriously.

Anyways, I took one sheet of filo and put a bit of leftover asparagus, goat cheese and lemon zest in one corner. Then you just fold it over and over into special triangular shape until you run out of dough. It was kind of heavy on the filo, so maybe a half sheet would have been sufficient. Baked at 350 until golden (15-20 min). I ate one really hot and the other at room temperature. I suggest the latter.

Strawberry Rhubarb Filo Flowers

2008-04-25T09:34:00.000-07:00

What an odd sensation... when I'm going through the grocery store now, I think not only about feeding my family, but also about what new ingredient will I use this week for my blog. I think about what would look scrumptious on a plate, about presentation, colors and garnishes. I think about how the light is that day and if it will be sufficient for a photograph. You didn't know I cared so much about pleasing you, did you?

Growing up, for all the holidays there were 3 type of pies: pumpkin, cherry, pecan. Later on, sometimes we would throw in an apple or the ever popular but labor intensive lemon merengue. There was no banana cream pie, no berry pie, no key lime pie, no chess pie, no mincemeat, no chocolate cream pie and certainly no strawberry-rhubarb. Honestly, I would have not thought of the combo unless I was really looking through my produce aisle for something different.

This dish will qualify as two new ingredients: rhubarb and filo. I bought the filo without really knowing what I was going to do with it. I knew it was versatile (savory or sweet) and tricky to work with. For me, it wasn't so bad. The flower cups were quite easy actually, just fragile. You couldn't pick the flower up and eat the dessert, it was a spoon adventure for sure.

Strawberry Rhubarb Filo Flowers

For the topping:
2 cups chopped rhubarb
2 cups chopped strawberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 T. orange zest
Saute the rhubarb with sugar for about 7 minutes, turn off heat and add strawberries and zest. It might be a good idea to thicken the sauce with a little cornstarch. I didn't do that, but it would have been better and less juicy/messy.

For the filling:
1 package cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
zest of one lemon
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup sugar (or more to taste)

Wisk together until very smooth and keep in the fridge until ready to assemble.

For the filo flowers:

Take out 6 sheets of filo, and cut in half lengthwise and then in thirds from there. You should get 6 smaller squares from one sheet. Put them in a pile and cover with plastic wrap and a damp towel. Invert a muffin tin and spray with Pam. Lay a sqare over the inverted muffin cup and then stagger the next so that it forms points. In between every two sheets, give it a spray. If you want more flavor, use melted butter in between layers (too much work for me). Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. You may have to do this on every other muffin cup, so they don't overlap and stick together.

Assembly: You really should have figured this out, but I will insult your intelligence anyways. Put a couple tablespoons of cream cheese mixture in the filo cup and top with the fruit mixture.

This tart and sweet dessert was a hit with everyone. I heard the word "fancypants" being thrown around, so maybe it seemed more gourmet than it actually was. Who knows, maybe I will try a souffle soon....or not!

African Lentil Soup

2008-04-21T19:31:00.000-07:00

I'll take "Spices" for $800, Alex. On this continent you would find a spice blend of cinnamon, tumeric, ginger, and cumin all together in one soup.

What is "Africa"?

After looking at several recipes for lentil soups, I decided to take a few ingredients from something called "Moroccan Stew" and "African Chicken Soup" to make our dinner tonight. After being away for the past 4 days (I wish it was on vacation, but thats a whole other story), I found that most of the veggies in the fridge went south on me. I had carrots and an onion left.

Here is what I came up with and it was totally yummy. My two year old even begged me for a taste. I thought it might be a little too spicy for him, but he came back for several more bites. Scott also raved about it, said he liked the spice combo and asked if it was healthy. Indeed!

African Lentil Soup

1 T. olive oil

1 chopped onion

3 carrots chopped

1 can diced tomatoes

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp tumeric

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. cayenne

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1/2 c. chopped cilantro

6 cups water or veggie broth

1 cup lentils (rinsed)

1/2 cup orzo or other small pasta

2T creamy peanut butter

Saute the onions and carrots until starting to turn soft, about 7 minutes. Add all the spices and drained tomatoes (save the juice) and saute for another 5 minutes, stirring often. Dump in the broth, reserved tomato juice, cilantro and lentils. Simmer with the lid on for 2 hours. Remove lid, add orzo, cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Stir in the peanut butter until melted. You can eat it like that or thicken it up by stirring with a stick blender for a few seconds. Squeeze in a little lemon juice if you like the tang.

Worms in Dirt

2008-04-15T15:44:00.000-07:00

Had to post these cuties! Having a birthday party for Wes tomorrow with a "Camp Out" theme...I can't wait to see all the 2 year olds playing in the tent and "fishing" in the pond.