Bean's Bistro

Pesto Tuna Cakes

2008-10-13T21:54:00.005-04:00

Halloween is right around the corner, which means we're throwing our annual party! Yippee for costumes and a full spread and friends!

I'm trying out a few new things this year, and had to get a jump on it early. First I made the pumpkin truffles- my first venture into ganache and real candy making. What a pain- but I'll post about that another day. Then I needed to try out a recipe that sounded great in my head, but I didn't know if it would actually taste good or not.

The idea is pesto tuna cakes. You know, like crab cakes but with tuna... and pesto. Really my motivation for this recipe is to get something filling, finger-food friendly, and green on the table. I was wary about the basil and garlic flavor with the fish.

Well my friends, turns out it is delicious! Although my original plan isn't very green as I had planned. I made two versions of the recipe, one with the pesto inside and one with the pesto just on the outside. The inside idea was the one I wanted- I though it would turn the cakes a nice green, but they stayed a normal tan and didn't have as much punch to the flavor. The ones with the pesto on the outside was really more in case the flavor was crummy so we could scrape it off! Turns out the way to go is a nice combo- put the flavor on the inside for a complete experience and the pesto on top for a lovely presentation.

Pesto Tuna Cakes

2 Cans Tunafish, drained
1/2+ C. Plain Breadcrumbs
1 Egg
Dash Mustard Powder
Dash Paprika
1 Batch Pesto, divided (see below for recipe)
Olive Oil

In a large bowl, mix together the tuna, breadcrumbs, egg, mustard, paprika, and half of the pesto.
Form this mixture into small patties; for appetizers they should be about 1-1.5 inches across, for entrees around 3-4 inches.
In a large pan, heat around 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, place cakes in the hot oil to brown on one side. Flip to brown the other side.
Remove from pan and spread a small amount of the remaining pesto on top of the cake. Serve warm.

Pesto Sauce

1 C. Fresh Basil
2-3 Cloves of Garlic
3 Tbsp. (about) Walnuts (or pine nuts)
1/4 C. Grated Parmesan
1/4 C. (about) Olive Oil

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor.
Blend until smooth, occasionally scraping the sides of the bowl.
I prefer to start with a little oil and then add more as it needs to be moistened.

Chicken Mole

2008-10-13T21:04:00.003-04:00

Mmmmmm, Mole! That spicy, Mexican flavoring that combines the heat of peppers and the bite of chocolate into one savory meal sure to please the senses. I've made moles before, the most notable was back in like 6th grade when I was supposed to make a Mexican dish for some school potluck which turned out just terrible. I think I got a little overexcited by the chocolate and I hadn't quite mastered the whole cooking thing just yet. I've also used it as inspiration in a past Platinum Chef entry.

As I stated back then, this is not a dish made by grounding up small ground-dwelling mammals. This is a Moe-LAY- much different. And this time it was fairly traditional and oh so tasty! It had a great low heat that built up and was unexpected. I'm sure if I were going full traditional, I would have been roasting all sorts of peppers all day and pulled out about 20 spices, but this was something a little easier. I mean, c'mon, how many exotic peppers can I get my hands on here in Maine anyway!

I served this over white rice with some sweet potatoes that I roasted with a little brown sugar and olive oil. It would have also been great in corn tortillas or just on its own!

Chicken Mole
Based off various recipes at AllRecipes.com

1.5 Lbs. Chicken (I used breasts, but thighs or other parts would be fine!)
1 Onion, chopped
1 Tomato, chopped
1 tsp. + 1 tsp. Cumin
1/2 Tbsp. Cider Vinegar
1/2+ tsp. Cinnamon
1/2+ tsp. Paprika
1/2 Tbsp. Chili Powder
1/2 tsp. Cilantro
1/4 tsp. Dried Oregano
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
1+ Tbsp. Chipotle Powder
1 Tbsp. Cocoa Powder
1 Bay Leaf
1/2+ C. Chicken Broth
1/2 tsp. Sesame Seeds, plus more for garnish

Cut the chicken up into large chunks, the kinds that would take 2-3 bites to eat. Season with 1 tsp. of cumin. (I actually did this once the meat was in the pan.) In a large pan, brown the chicken over medium heat, flipping occasionally to get all sides.
Add in the onion, garlic, and tomato. Continue to cook over medium heat so the onions and garlic gets delicious and aromatic, and the tomato starts to break down.
In a small bowl, mix together all the remaining ingredients to make the sauce. Add it in to the pan and bring to a low simmer.
Cover and let it cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 10-15 minutes.
Remove the lid, stir, and let the mixture simmer for another 5 minutes to let the sauce thicken up.
Remove the bay leaf, sprinkle with some sesame seeds, and serve warm!

Sweet & Sour Tofu

2008-10-13T19:17:00.004-04:00

In a continuing effort to make more vegetarian dishes, I'm trying to incorporate more tofu into our diet. Adam just loves tofu. I'm not sure why... I mean it is very versatile and the texture is ok, but I don't see why it is so great. That's ok though- I am happy to prepare and eat it even I have no passion for it!

So not to continue on the "Negative Nellie" trend, but I have up until now avoided any sweet and sour recipes for the sole reason that I'm not a huge fan of bell peppers when they are so forward in a recipe. For example, never will I make stuffed bell peppers or get a pizza with mostly pepper topping. So the idea of sweet and sour anything with those big chunks of pepper just lightly sauteed really had no appeal. But, in the spirit of trying something again with an open mind and palette, I went for it.

I have to say, it was really good and the peppers were not "too much" for me. The flavors all mixed beautifully and I dare say it was a lot like the take-out version, but much healthier! Go tofu!

Sweet and Sour Tofu
Based from AllRecipes.com

1 Package Extra Firm Tofu
1 Onion, chopped
1 Clove of Garlic, minced
1 Bell Pepper, chopped
1 Carrot, sliced
1 8 oz. Can of Chunk Pineapple
1/4 C. Cider Vinegar
1/4 C. White Wine
1 1/2 Tbsp. Ketchup
2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
1 tsp. Sesame Oil
1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp. Cornstarch plus 1-2 Tbsp. Water
Pinch Red Pepper Flakes

Press the tofu between 2 towels or thick layers of papertowels to drain. Once the tofu has been drained, slice it into large 1.5" chunks.
In a large saute pan, heat some olive oil over medium-high heat and add in the tofu. Cook the tofu until it is browned on all sides.
Add in the onion, garlic, pepper and carrots and saute until the onions start to become translucent.
Add in the pineapple with juice, all the liquids & brown sugar and stir to mix. Let it simmer gently for a minute or two.
Mix the cornstarch in the small amount of water and then add into the pan. Stir in the red pepper flakes and any salt and pepper you may want. Let it simmer so that the sauce thickens up.
Serve hot over rice or noodles.

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

2008-09-29T23:02:00.005-04:00

AUTUMN IS HERE!!!!!!

Oh, pardon, I got a little excited there! Fall is my favorite season and nothing heralds in the season better than pumpkin foods. After my disastrous jell-o mold, I thought I'd get back up on the horse with the new silicone bundt pan.

After a quick hunt on the 'net, I found a great, moist pumpkin cake. The cranberries and orange really added something special to the cake, although I still have not mastered the whole bundt pan thing. My impatience and the heavenly smell got the better of me and I didn't wait for my silly cake to cool all the way. One quick flip of the pan and I got 7/8ths of my cake, with the top happily stuck up in the curves of the mold and steam rising from the remains!

It didn't matter though- it was delicious! We've been munching it for both breakfast and for dessert. Sorry coworkers- I was going to bring it in to share, but I think we're going to gobble it down ourselves!

Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Orange Glaze
From Allrecipes.com

2 cups granulated sugar
1 C. Shortening
4 Eggs
1 16 oz. can Pumpkin
2 C. Flour
1 Tbsp. Cinnamon
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Ground Ginger
1/2 tsp. Ground Cloves
1/2 Salt
1/2 C. Whole Cranberries (I used Mariani brand.)
1 C. Powdered Sugar
Grated Orange Peel from 1/2 orange
1/2 C. Orange Juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If necessary, grease and flour your bundt pan.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the sugar, shortening, eggs, and pumpkin until smooth, 3-5 minutes.
Slowly add in the dry ingredients, mixing as you go. I added in 1 cup of flour, then mixed, then a little flour plus the baking powder, baking soda, and spices (Not the powdered sugar, peel, or OJ), then mixed, then the remaining flour, and then one last mix.
Make sure you batter is well blended. Fold in the cranberries.
Pour the batter into you pan. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Remove cake from oven and leave on a cooling rack in the pan for a good long time. This is where I got a little overexcited. Once it is relatively cool, flip out onto a serving plate. Then let it cool some more!
While the cake cools, mix together the powdered sugar, orange peel and orange juice until you have a thick glaze.
When the cake is just slightly warm to the touch, drizzle the orange glaze over the top. Serve warm or at room temperature morning, noon, or night!

Spanish Skillet Chicken

2008-09-29T22:40:00.000-04:00

Have you visited my friend Thatgirl's blog? You really should. She is smart, witty, and an excellent cook. She also puts my blog to shame with the sheer quantity of blogging she does- I mean, I was lucky to get what I did in this month, and she's posting like every day! Show off... I kid, I KID!

One of the best things about a number of her recipes is that they are simple. She uses good ingredients and lets them shine, and the meals are quick to prepare. And when this one popped up in my blog reader, I knew it was a keeper. In fact, I made it only about a week or two later to rave reviews. (Did I mention she's a lot better at posting than I am?)

This was perfect- my only tweaks were eliminating the parsley (that I didn't have on hand) and the addition of avocado. Which I can't believe she didn't add- she LOVES that green creamy fruit! It is so totally making a comeback to our kitchen, maybe in the dead of winter when we need a little of that Spanish sun feel!

Spanish Skillet Chicken
From Paved with Good Intentions

1 Chicken Breast
2 Tbsp. Butter, divided
1 Shallot, chopped
1 Clove Garlic, chopped
2-3 Tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
3/4 C. Chicken Broth
2-3 Tbsp Green Olives, chopped
1 Avocado, cubed

Melt 1 Tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium high heat and cook chicken, flipping once, until it is browned on each side. Remove from skillet and keep warm with foil on top.
Add shallot, garlic, and vinegar to skillet and bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes.
Add broth and return to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until broth is reduced to 1/2 cup.
Remove from heat and stir in remaining butter.
Serve chicken over couscous. Drizzle sauce on top and generously sprinkle olives and avocado for a delicious complete meal!

Eat to the Beat: Retro Coca-Cola Jello Mold

2008-09-29T20:42:00.000-04:00

A.K.A. Not So Attractive Flesh Gelatin
A.K.A. Ballistics Jell-O
A.K.A. Very tasty, but very ugly dessert in my fridge we just can't get excited enough about to actually eat

Ok, so I really had such a great idea for this latest round of Elly's Eat to the Beat event. It's inspired by a song called "Jackie Will Save Me" by Shiny Toy Guns. It is about Jackie Onassis Kennedy and has a great angry techno electronica style. It's very good for blasting at the top of your car speakers with the windows down.

There is a verse that spoke to me for this event:

I think you're slipping
American Coca-Cola
Sugar Sweetness
1963

Cooking with Coke, now that was something different. And what about the retro aspect of diving into old school dishes? I did a little hunting for recipes and found a totally kitschy dessert I thought would be perfect- Cherry Coca-Cola Salad!

First point of note: turns out jell-o molds were really more of a 50's thing and not a 60's thing. Oh well, close enough. Second point of note: who in their right mind considers gelatin, cream cheese, fruit, and soda a "salad" of any sort!? I loved that some of the recipes were described as "congealed salad." Mmmmm... congealed, appealing, huh?

All of that aside, this seemed like it would be fun. I went out and bought a silicone bundt mold and picked up a single Coke since we don't really drink soda in our house. I prepped this according to the directions and gave it a taste- yummy and saccharine as expected! Into the fridge it went overnight to set.

Well my friends, the first issue in this minor disaster was removing said dessert from said silicone pan. I've never used this type of pan before and it was frankly a little weird. It also wasn't so effective- maybe I should have greased it after all since the poor mold had its top ripped off on about 2/3 of the ring. D'oh! I had to oh so gently pry out the rest and place it top of the base.

Sadly, once "assembled" the dish was, well, hideous. Red gelatin + white cream cheese = pink gelatinous mess that looks just like a slightly sunburned arm! For those of you that enjoy the show Mythbusters, you'll note this looks a lot like Buster the Ballistics Gel Crash Test Dummy.

So that's my entry. A very tasty, creative, and repulsive-looking dessert. Better luck next time, eh?

Cherry Coca-Cola Jello "Salad"
Based from Allrecipes.com

1 16 oz. Can Cherry Pie Filling
1 8 oz. Can Chunk Pineapple
2 3 oz. Packages Cherry Jell-o
3-4 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
6 oz. Coke (or Diet Coke or Coke Zero)

Drain all of the pineapple juice from the can into a glass measuring cup. Drain the liquid from the pie filling can into the same measuring cup until you have 1 Cup of total liquid. I probably had 2/3 cup of pineapple and 1/3 cup of pie goo. Dispose of the remaining liquid pie filling, leaving the cherries.
In a small saucepan, pour in the liquid and bring it to a boil.
Stir in the gelatin and whisk it together until everything is dissolved.
Remove the pan from the heat. Mix in the cream cheese until the mixture is smooth.
Add in the Coke and beat for 2-3 minutes. The original recipe says to mix until it is "fluffy" but I don't know what that means.
Pour the warm mix into your mold. You may want to try greasing the mold or using a non-stick spray given the results I got. Then again, I'm no Jell-O expert, so maybe the fault is mine?
Fold in the drained cherries and pineapple. Chill in the fridge for 6-8 hours or until the mold is set. Once ready to serve, cross your fingers and don't follow my example to turn out the mold onto a serving dish. Serve to blind or far-sighted guests!

Sun-Dried Tomato Risotto

2008-09-29T20:41:00.000-04:00

Here in our house, we love the warm, creamy comfort that risotto brings to a meal. I think I've said it before, but I don't understand the idea that risotto is a difficult dish to prepare. Folks site the length of time involved or the amount of effort involved in "babysitting" the dish. For me, I am going to be in the kitchen prepping dinner for a good 30 minutes anyway, so what's a little stirring and pouring on the stovetop when I’m already involved in cooking!

So not only do I love that risotto fits into my dinner prep schedule, it is also so versatile! You can have your plain Parmesan version or you can kick it up with artisan cheeses, specialty mushrooms, savory vegetables, smoky meats, or fresh seafood. This chameleon dish is happy to be the star of the meal, or morph into a perfect complimentary side.

With all this adoration, I was pleasantly surprised to find a recipe for sun dried tomato risotto attached to the cap of my Bella Sun Luci bottle! We made it and devoured it- the flavors were fantastic together. It was the perfect addition to the stuffed chicken entree and will definitely be on the menu again soon.

Sun Dried Tomato Risotto
From Mooney Farms, Bella Sun Luci Sun Dried Tomatoes

1 Onion, chopped
2 Cloves of Garlic, minced
1 C. Risotto (Arborio) Rice
4-6 C. Chicken Broth, warmed
1/2 C. Sun Dried Tomatoes (packed in oil), chopped
1/4 C. Fresh Basil, chopped
1-2 tsp. Dried Parsley (I didn’t have fresh on hand.)
Salt & Black Pepper
1/4+ C. Parmesan Cheese, grated

In a large saucepan, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Saute the onion and garlic until the onion starts to become translucent.
Add in the dry risotto rice. Stir to coat the rice with oil and let it sit for a minute to brown.
Pour in about 3/4 cups of broth to the pan. Bring to a low boil and stir the risotto. As the liquid starts to absorb, add in the tomatoes, basil, parsley and salt & pepper to taste. Give a good stir.
Continue to pour in 1/2 to 1 cup of broth and stir until the rice is al dente and creamy. Personally, I pour the liquid in, give it a stir, and then let it sit for a few minutes while it simmers away. I only stir every few minutes, usually in between chopping something else that will go into dinner. When I give a stir and the bottom of the pan is dry, that's when I add in more broth.
You may not need all of the broth. Other liquids can be used as well such as water or white wine. The stirring will create the creaminess and the slow simmering will make the rice soft and chewable!
Just before serving, stir in the grated Parmesan until it melts and is thoroughly mixed in.

Fried Tofu with Peanut Sauce

2008-09-21T20:51:00.003-04:00

There's a fun game I like to play... it's called catch up! The premise of the game is you go back through your food pictures and see that you have great recipes from, um, July that you haven't posted yet and then you spend a Sunday evening finally putting them up for the "world" to enjoy!

It's a lot of fun. The best is trying to remember what the heck you changed from a recipe- d'oh!!!

This meal was really good, and I do legitimately remember that these 2.5 months later. But really, how can you go wrong with a peanut sauce, right?! I'm trying to incorporate more vegetarian meals and tofu is a great way to do it. It is cheaper and I really need to eat more greens! Now we'll just see if I can blog about these lovely recipes sooner so I can recreate them again!

Fried Tofu with Peanut Sauce
Loosely based from Food Network

1 Package Extra Firm Tofu
1 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
2 tsp. Sesame Oil
2 tsp. Cooking Sherry
1/2 can Coconut Milk
1/2 C. Smooth Peanut Butter
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Curry Powder
1 Tbsp. Lime Juice
1 tsp. Sesame Oil
2 tsp. Soy Sauce
Dash Cayenne and/ or Chili Powder

Remove the tofu from its container and drain it by gently but firmly pressing the block between a few layers of paper towels. Does that make sense- gently but firmly? I mean that it is easy to break up the tofu if you are too rough, but you do need to apply some pressure to get moisture out.
While the tofu drains, mix together the soy sauce, oil, and sherry from the start of the ingredient list.
Slice the tofu into large chunks. In a large skillet on medium-high heat, warm up a splash of oil. Place the tofu pieces in the pan and let them sit so that they brown. It takes some time- I want to say a good 10 minutes. Once lightly browned, gently flip the pieces to brown the opposite side.
I think at this point, I poured the sherry mix in the pan to season the tofu. But there is also a chance I either used it as a marinade as the recipe calls for, or I may have omitted that whole portion. (Sorry, the peanut sauce really was the star, so I didn't bother to remember these details!)
While the tofu cooks, mix the remaining ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat. The peanut butter will melt and the sauce will thin out.
Serve the tofu over while rice or Asian noodles and pour the peanut butter goodness generously over the top!

Philly Cheesesteak Night!

2008-09-21T17:09:00.004-04:00

My husband is a good man... he eats just about anything I put in front of him. Not only that, he usually loves it and thanks me profusely for it! I find a lot of joy in cooking with exciting ingredients like new produce, cheeses, and other wonderful items from different regions of the world. I will spend 2 hours over the stove happily if it means creating a real gourmet masterpiece.

Adam... well, he loves all that stuff, but he find just as much delight in pasta with sauce from a jar, chicken patties on a bun (who doesn't love those though?), and mac n cheese from the blue box. So as a special treat a couple of months ago, I made the man Philly cheesesteaks for us! Oh man, he was so freaking happy!

They were in fact delicious. Nothing fancy, nothing gourmet- just simple comfort food.

Philly Cheesesteaks
From Hannaford Grocery fresh Magazine

Vegetable Oil
1 Green Pepper
1 Large Onion
1 Package Premium Shaved Beef
Provolone Cheese Slices
4 Submarine Rolls

Slice the green pepper and onion into long thin strips.
Heat a little bit of oil (1-2 tsp) over medium heat in a large skillet. Add in the peppers and onions.
Cook veggies until they are soft, darker, and a little caramelized. This will take a little while- 10-20 minutes. You don't want them to burn; if things seem too hot, add a little water.
When the peppers and onions are cooked, remove to another dish and cover with foil, tenting it to let steam escape.
Increase the skillet's heat to high and add in a little more oil.
When hot and smoking a hair, add in the beef. Grind a little black pepper over it if you are inclined.
Allow the meat to cook on one wide for about 2 minutes, until it is nice and brown. Use a spatula or tongs to break up the beef into smaller pieces and to press it down against the pan to aid the browning.
Flip the meat over onto the other side to cook it. Cover the beef in the pan with slices of provolone. Don't be stingy- nobody wants a cheesesteak that goes easy on the cheesy!
When the cheese is melted, make the subs with the cooked steak and top with the pepper and onion mixture. Serve hot with a good cold beer!

Homegrown Gourmet 11: Game Day Dishes

2008-09-17T12:34:00.005-04:00

Welcome back, Homegrown Gourmet! My little blogging event dedicated to the joys of local cooking traditions has come back to me by way of a tasty margherita pizza. A big thanks to Elizabeth for a great round and the honor of hosting again!

The air is getting brisk here in New England and the days are getting shorter, which triggers some deep instincts in me- inadvertent smiling, a craving for soups and warm comfort food, and an undeniable desire to watch sports on lazy Sunday afternoons. Yes, I can't lie that September is one of my favorite months when it comes to sports. Football is back on the air with new season excitement and the Red Sox are usually making a sprint to the finish as baseball comes to a close. The only thing that could make it complete is if cycling moved the Tour de France a few months to round out my top 3 spectator sports.

With all these athletics making their way back into my yearly schedule, I can't help but choose GAME DAY DISHES as my theme for this round of Homegrown Gourmet!

I hope that this round brings out the creativity and international crowd- I'd really like to know what folks eat while watching cricket or sumo wrestling! Now first, let's face it- we don't want a round up that shows a collection of potato chips from a bag, Cheez Whiz dips, and plain ol' nachos. BORING! Let's get INNOVATIVE, my fellow chefs.

Do you have a special regional dish that you always serve to watch the Big Game? I want to see it!
If Doritos and Bud are you typical fare, why not take inspiration from your favorite team?

Minnesota Vikings fan? Why not make a Scandinavian entree!
Looking for the Chicago White Sox to take home the pennant? Make an all white dip!
Rooting for rugby stars the New Zealand All Blacks? A healthful fruit salad with Kiwi fruit is a fun play on words fit!

Not feeling that creative? Take those late harvest local fruits and veggies and twist that tailgating chili into something really special!
Maybe you have a spouse or roommate that insists on hogging the television all weekend, numbing their brain watching grown men or women be overpaid to play a game? Game Day for you might be all about a chance to have the kitchen to yourself for some fancy, not-suitable-for-a-stadium cuisine. Let's see that too!

Sound good? Great- here are the rules:

Anyone can play!
The theme will be picked by the host. Participants will make a dish that follows the theme (Game Day Dishes) and that somehow represents their home region- town, state, area. Representation can feature a local ingredient, be a traditional dish from your area, or be a creative twist.
Participants will have 3-4 weeks to complete their recipes and post them to their blog (or email the pics and text) and they notify the host via their preferred method as stated.
An explanation of your dish is required; it can be a story about the local custom or ingredient, how you came about eating/ making the recipe, or an explanation about how your creative dish fits the theme.
Please link back to this post in the host's blog.
Fresh and local foods are encouraged!
When the round is done, the host will announce their favorite dish by updating their blog. "Favorite" is completely subjective to the host- no one expects the host to make and taste test all the dishes, it is just something that strikes the host's fancy! The creator of the fave gets the honor of hosting the next round, if they so choose.

Deadline: Monday, October 13th

Please send the following to homegrown.gourmet@gmail.com:

Your name
Your location
Your blog- name and URL (If you do not have a blog and wish to participate, please just send along a description of your dish and a brief story about it!)
The permalink to your Game Day Dish
A photo of your completed item

I look forward to seeing what wonderful treats you all come up with!

Homegrown Gourmet 10- Local Margherita Pizza

2008-08-24T15:53:00.008-04:00

When the moon hits your eye, like a big pizza pie, that's... Homegrown Gourmet?! That's right- for the big 1-0 Homegrown Gourmet will be featuring local PIZZA recipes from all its participants!

Sound like fun, huh? I think so too! Elizabeth from Elizabeth's Cooking Experiments is hosting this round and came up with that delightful theme. Who doesn't love pizza? Warm, comforting, filling, versatile... it's so many great things at once!

So when I started to think about how to make pizza local to Maine or New England, well, I was a little shocked that I couldn't come up with a plethora of ideas! I considered a dessert pizza, but honestly I like my pies for dinner. A seafood pizza sounded gross (though I hope maybe another participant gave it a shot!) and there aren't really pizza traditions here in Maine beyond your standard fare.

I gave it some more thought and decided to look for inspiration at the Farmer's Market. Greater Portland has a number of farmers' market, including a large one that happens twice a week here in Portland proper. On Saturdays, the booths set up in a park downtown where cut flowers, fruits, veggies, herbs, cheeses, meats, potted plants, honey, and baked goods are for sale in the fresh air with musicians and artists providing the backdrop. Hubby and I have enjoyed this weekly feast for the senses for a few weeks now. On a recent trip I was rewarded with an idea for this HGG round based on the gorgeous produce available.

The inspiration came from a beautiful basket of multicolored cherry tomatoes. I remembered a pizza my husband used to love from a local southern New England chain called Bertuccis. (Man, I love Bertuccis- please come to Maine!) They had a traditional margherita pizza. It has no sauce, but rather fresh tomatoes, basil and mozzarella baked to perfection. After locating a bunch of beautiful basil and some amazing local goats' milk ricotta, I knew I had a twist on a Maine Margherita on my hands.

It aome out deliciously! The tomatoes and basil were so fresh and flavorful and the ricotta had a wonderful nuttiness to it that I'm not used to with commercial cows' milk ricotta. The lack of sauce was not a problem as we got plenty of moisture from the veggies. Super yum.

Thanks for hosting Elizabeth! Mangia!

Local Maine Margherita Pizza

1 Ball of Portland Pie Company Pizza Dough
1 1/2- 2 C. Multi-Colored Cherry Tomatoes
1 Regular Tomato
8-12 Long Slices of Mozzarella (I wish I had used local here too.)
8 oz. Tourmaline Hill Farm Fresh Goat Cheese Ricotta
1/2 C. Fresh Basil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees as dough instructions indicate. Place pizza stone in the stove from the start to allow it to heat slowly with the oven.
Slice the cherry and full tomatoes into slices. The large tomato I was able to cut thin, but in order to keep the shape of the cherries, I used between 1 and 3 cuts on each.
Slice the basil leaves into long strips.
Work the pizza dough into a large, flat circle- you know, pizza shaped!
When the oven and stone are warmed, remove the stone from the stove and sprinkle with cornmeal to prevent sticking. Place the dough on the stone.
Spread the large tomato slices on the dough in a single layer.
Cover with a single layer of the mozzarella. It does not matter if not everything gets covered yet as there are more layers to come.
Cover the mozzarella with the cherry tomato slices.
Sprinkle the fresh ricotta over the entire pizza.
Bake the pizza for 10-12 minutes until the crust just starts to brown.
Pull the pizza out of the oven and then sprinkle the fresh basil over the entire surface of the pizza. Continue baking for another 2-4 minutes until the crust is golden and the cheese is melty. You will not want the basil to get crunchy, so keep an eye on it if your oven cooks fast.
Remove, slice, and enjoy hot!

Spicy Black Bean Cakes

2008-08-17T14:48:00.003-04:00

I love reading other food blogs for a few reasons. One is that I'm nosey; I like to know what other people are doing and being voyeuristic. Another is that I get so many great recipes and inspiration from others. Sometimes I see something that reminds me of something I wanted to make or gets my mouth hungry for a certain culture's cuisine. Sometimes there is a recipe that looks delicious and interesting just the way it is.

These black bean cakes fall into that second category. Tara from Smells Like Home featured this Martha Stewart recipe and I was intrigued by the orange color (from sweet potatoes) and the healthy, vegetarian aspect.

I've made these twice now and the hubs and I just love them! I never would have thought that you can take raw, grated sweet potato and prepare them like this to end up with such a flavorful addition to dinner. These have always been the star of the show. And don't tell, but they are super simply and quick to make! Bonus!!!

Spicy Black Bean Cakes
From Martha Stewart by way of Smells Like Home

2 Green Onions, chopped
2 Tbsp. Sliced Jalapenos, chopped
2 Cloves of Garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp. Cumin
1 Can of Black Beans, drained
1 Sweet Potato, peeled and grated
1 Egg
1/2 C. Bread Crumbs

In a small saute pan, cook the onions, jalapenos, garlic, and cumin with a little olive oil on medium heat. The onions will be translucent when done.
In a large bowl, pour in the drained black beans. Add in the mixture from the pan and mash everything using a fork. You will want the beans to be smashed, but it's perfectly ok to have some that are still whole. Don't go nuts about it!
Fold in the rest of the ingredients until they are well mixed.
Form small cakes, about 3" across and around 1/2" to 1" high.
Place on a cookie sheet or flat pan. Broil on high for 10 minutes. Be sure they don't start to burn- if so, turn the broiler down to low.
Flip the cakes after the initial 10 minutes and then return to broil for another 2 minutes.
Serve warm. These are excellent with sour cream or a little lime juice.

Classic Potato Salad

2008-08-16T22:58:00.005-04:00

We had a low key 4th of July this year. Many years we'd go to my parents' place to hang by the pool and eat cookout food. Recently we've been doing casual neighborhood get togethers where we eat cookout food. This year we kept it a private day with just the two of us... eating cookout. Are you seeing a trend?

My neighbor Cathy makes a kick-ass potato salad, but I didn't want to call her for the recipe this year just out of the blue. The biggest thing I always love about her recipe is that it has tons of hard boiled eggs. Yum! This recipe that I used was based off a number of recipes and was really tasty. We kept picking at it for days afterwards and it will come back for the next cookout we have- with or without others!

Red Potato Salad
Based off recipes from AllRecipes.com

6 Red Potatoes, scrubbed and cubed
5 Eggs, hard-boiled
3/4 C. Low Fat Mayonnaise
1/4 C. Sour Cream
1 1/2 Tbsp. Chives, chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
1/4 tsp. Dried Dill
1/4 tsp. Paprika
1 Tbsp. White Vinegar
1 Tbsp. Pickle Juice

In a large pot, bring water to a boil and cook the cubed potatoes, with skins on, until they are just tender. It should be around 15 minutes, but do check them by piercing with a fork because mushy potatoes are no good.
Drain the cooked potatoes and cool. Add to a large bowl.
Slice the hard boiled eggs. Add to potatoes.
In a small bowl, mix the remaining ingredients to make the dressing.
Pour the dressing onto to the eggs and potatoes and stir to coat. Cover and let sit for an hour or two to let the flavor meld together. Serve chilled with a good burger and local microbrew.

Strawberry Ice Cream

2008-08-16T22:20:00.003-04:00

Summer is all about fresh berries and cool treats. And last time I checked, strawberry ice cream meets both of those requirements. I made this some time ago, but we really enjoyed it. It was creamy and fresh and perfect with the hot fudge I drizzled all over mine!

Strawberry Ice Cream
Based from Food Network

1+ C. Fresh Strawberries, washed and sliced
2 Tbsp. Sugar
1/2 C. Sugar
2 C. Heavy Cream
1/2 Vanilla Bean
3 Egg Yolks

In a small bowl, mash the fresh strawberries with the 2 Tbsp. of sugar. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, heat the cream and 2 C. of sugar over medium heat to a low simmer. Slice the vanilla bean in half and scrape out the seeds into the mixture. Let the bean pod boil with the cream and sugar for extra flavoring.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Add in a small amount of the cream mixture and whisk. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan.
Let the mixture simmer for about 10 minutes. stirring regularly, until it coats the back of a wooden spoon.
Remove from the heat. Pour in the fresh strawberries and allow the mixture to cool in a bowl for an hour or two in the fridge. You want the mixture cold when processing for the best creaminess.
When the custard is cooled, process in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Let the completed ice cream solidify in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before serving.

My Own Italian Rum Birthday Cake

2008-08-16T19:18:00.007-04:00

Yesterday was my birthday! I spent the morning at the doctors- a convenient way to justify a birthday sick day- then lunch with a former coworker and then the evening baking and being lazy. It was delightful!

The baking I was doing was for a birthday cake for me. Now, before you scold me or my husband for making my own celebratory pastry, have no fear- I wanted to do it! It is rare I can justify making an extravagant dessert that is both involved and fattening. So it was truly a joy to try my hand at a new dish.

I chose to make an Italian Rum Cake. My grandmother regularly would buy an Italian rum cake for my mother's birthday from La Cascia Bakery in Massachusetts. Their cake was always rich and fancy and as a kid I mostly wanted to eat the buttercream roses.

This was a 2-day process. Yesterday I made the sponge cake and the pasticciera custard. I let the rum soak in last night while the custard cooled in the fridge. Today was assembly and the frosting. In the criticism department, I didn't cook my custard long enough, so it was a little runny, and my buttercream frosting was a little soft since I used more butter than shortening. In the complement department, oooooh-weeee, it's good! So many great flavors all tied in together and it really did look quite fancy.

Happy 30th birthday to me!

Italian Rum Cake
Based from RecipeZaar.com
Sponge Cake

5 Egg Yolks
1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 C. White Sugar, divided
5 Egg Whites
1 1/4 C. Flour, sifted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, lemon juice, vanilla, and 1 C. of sugar until a light lemony color.
In a stand mixer (or another bowl using a hand mixer), whip the egg whites until soft peaks start to form.
Blend in the remaining sugar to the egg whites and whip again until stiff.
Gently fold about 1/2 cup of the egg white mixture into the egg yolks. Layer the remaining egg whites on top of the yolks. Sift the flour on top of everything else.
Fold in the flour until the batter is smooth and no veins of flour remain. During the mixing process you want to keep the eggs light and fluffy- this is what keeps the sponge cake airy.
Pour into 9" round cake pan. I greased and floured mine and it was a bear to remove, so I can't offer much in the way of advice in that regard!
Bake for 15-30 minutes until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Remove from oven and cool completely on a baking rack.

Pasticciera Cream (vanilla and chocolate)

3 Tbsp. Sugar
3 Tbsp. Flour
3 Egg Yolks
1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
2 C. Milk
1 Tbsp. Butter
2 Heaping Tbsp. Cocoa Powder

In a medium bowl, mix sugar, flour, eggs, and vanilla together until smooth.
In a small saucepan, scald the milk. I think this means to take the milk until almost boiling... that's what I did right or not!
Slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture, stirring constantly. When all combined, transfer back into the saucepan and cook over low-medium heat.
At this point, you need to cook the custard over the right heat so that it stays nice and hot and steamy, but not boiling. You will want to cook it until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon. Your custard will need to be fairly stiff, but it won't cook down all the way- it will do its final thickening while cooling. This is where I didn't cook my vanilla enough. I went for about 15-20 minutes and probably should have done 30.
When you are satisfied with the consistency, melt the butter into the mix and then remove half of the vanilla to a bowl. It will be about 1 1/2 - 2 C. worth. Cover this portion with plastic wrap right up against the surface (to prevent a skin from forming) and let cool on counter.
Back in the pot, whisk in the chocolate. When smooth, pour into a another medium bowl and cover with wrap and cool.
When the bowls are not too hot, finish cooling the custards in the fridge. They will need at least 3-4 hours, but I recommend just going overnight.

Assembly

Cooled Cake
1/4 C. Dark Rum
Vanilla Custard
Chocolate Custard
Light Buttercream or Whipped Cream Frosting (I used this reduced 4 servings with more cream and 2/3 butter, 1/3 shortening.)
Toasted Sliced Almonds
Strawberries or Cherries (optional)

Using a long, serrated blade, slice the sponge cake into 3 layers. (That's 2 cuts for those like me who have to think hard about simple math!)
On the cut sides of cake, brush on the rum, allowing it to soak in.
On the bottom layer, spread the chocolate custard evenly.
Place the middle layer on top of the chocolate custard.
On the middle layer, spread the vanilla custard evenly. If desired, layer on any berries if desired. I like the sliced strawberries from the frozen section in the grocery stores.
Put on the top layer of the cake.
Frost the edges of the cake. Press the toasted almond slices into the sides. I kind of lightly threw them on with a cupped hand because my custard was oozing out and I couldn't roll the edges on wax paper with almonds.
Frost the top of the cake. If you have extra frosting and are feeling ambitious, pipe on a border. This helped my rounded edges gain some height.
I then made a Nutella glaze (Nutella, cream, hot water) to drizzle on top with a few strawberries for punch. More almonds or pretty flowers would also be lovely.
Let sit for a little bit to let the rum soak in and the flavors meld. Be sure to keep refrigerated when not serving or else the frosting and custard will run.

Fresh Thai Shrimp Spring Rolls

2008-08-16T16:18:00.006-04:00

I am once again playing catch-up on my little blog! This dish was made- I'm sad to say- on June 29th. It's not that these dishes aren't good or that I'm not into telling you, lovely readers, about them. It's just, well, I'm busy and I get sleepy after making dinner, which is usually around 8 PM.

Ok, no more excuses- on to the food!

So these spring rolls are so filling and light and perfect for a summer evening. The ingredients are focused on good simple flavors and can be modified to your taste. I've made them vegetarian style or with chicken before as well with equally good results. The two challenges? First, finding the weird rice paper wrapper things. I always have to go to my local asian market to find them. Second issue is then using the wrappers. They are finicky- kind of slimy, kind of flimsy, kind of, well weird. But truly, they make the meal and hold the fillings quite well once you get the hang of it.

Whip up a nice spicy peanut dipping sauce and you're good to go!

Shrimp Spring Rolls

5-10 Raw Shrimp
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1-2 Tbsp. Lime Juice
Rice Paper Wrappers
1 Carrot, peeled and sliced in thin ribbons
1 C. Lettuce, sliced in ribbons
2 Green Onions, sliced in long ribbons
Wide Rice Noodles, cooked, drained and cooled
Mint Leaves

Remove any tails and shells from shrimp, and cut lengthwise/ butterfly if desired. I like to cut it down the length so that it leaves smaller pieces for the rolls.
In a small saute pan, heat some olive oil over medium heat. Cook the garlic until softened.
Add in the cut shrimp and lime juice. I always try to flatten the shrimp and attempt to keep them from curling. Cook through until pink.
Remove from pan and allow to cool. When cool, cut into small bite-sized pieces.
In a cookie sheet or other shallow large container, prepare the "water bath" for the stiff wrappers. This means filling with warm water until about 1/2 inch deep. The container must be large enough to fit the wrapper circle in so that it can be submerged.
With the wrapper submergerd, gently rub the surface until the wrapper softens and becomes pliable and rollable. Be sure to rub all the surfaces so that the edges get soft too. No one wants crunchy edges!
On a clean surface, spread the wrapper. In the center, being sure not to overfill as I usually do, layer the shrimp, carrots, lettuce, green onions, rice noodles, and mint leaves. Other fillings could be basil, cabbage, soy bean threads, or ginger.
Gently wrap up the edge, tucking in the ends for a tight roll.
Cut on the diagonal to showcase the lovely fillings. Serve with warm peanut sauce.

Rice Paper Wrappers

Peanut Dipping Sauce

1/2 C. Peanut Butter
3 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
1 tsp. Ginger Powder
1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/4-1/2 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
Water to taste for thinning

In a small saucepan, heat the peanut butter over low heat, melting.
Stir in the soy sauce, ginger, garlic powder, and pepper flakes. Mix until smooth.
Add in water as desired to thin the sauce.
Serve warm.

Sing Me a Song

2008-08-16T11:52:00.000-04:00

Twice in one month I was tagged! Am I lucky? Or is it a curse?! It's unfortunate that I'm so slow in posting that I haven't gotten around to finishing this post until now.

Truthfully, I like being tagged. As a Leo, one of my favorite subjects to discuss is myself. Call me blessed with ample self-confidence, call me egotistical- but either way I'm honest!

When my friend Elly from Elly Says Opa! tagged me, I was leery what the tag was. I mean, how many random factoids can I come up with before I start repeating myself. Much to my delight, her meme is a musical one. Hoorah! I love music! I love to sing, dance, and back in the day I played a pretty good piano. (Don't ask about my trumpet playing skills though....)

The rules:
List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now, shaping your world. Post these instructions in your blog along with your 7 songs. Then tag 7 other people to see what they’re listening to.

John Mayer, Belief - This is totally my favorite song of the moment- very poignant and relevant to the hysterics that seem to be affecting people and the media these days. Off of his Continuum album, the music has a great dark and catchy tune. The lyrics though are what stand out for me. Two lines that really sum is up: "Is there anyone who really recalls/ Ever braking rank at all/ For something someone yelled real loud one time?" and "What puts the folded flag inside his mother's hand?/ Belief can, belief can." Powerful stuff.
Lily Allen, Knock 'Em Out - Oh little Lily from the UK! She's a smart-mouthed teenager with a delightful, dark wit and upbeat hooks. This song is about any person's experience trying to dodge creeps out at a bar/ club. The song has a great little spoken bit over the catchy rhythm- "You're just doing your own thing and someone comes out of the blue and is like 'Alright, whatdya say, can I take your digits?' And you're like no, not in a million years, you're nasty, please leave me alone." Classic.
Bebel Gilberto, Simplesmente - Bebel is the daughter of Astrud and Joao Gilberto, both of Girl From Ipanema fame. Bebel keeps the bossa nova tradition going with lovely Brazilian music. I can't understand the Portuguese lyrics, but the relaxing songs keep me happy at work.
U2, Electrical Storm - I'm big U2 fan, particularly since I met my husband in high school 14 years ago. They have evolved so much over time but always have a fantastic musical ability no matter their current style. We danced to All I Want Is You at our wedding and left the wedding chapel to Beautiful Day and ended the reception to their rendition of Everlasting Love. But I love Electrical Storm for the dark sound, building emotion, and poetic lyrics. "Car alarm won't let you back to sleep/ You're kept awake dreaming someone elses dream./ Coffee is cold but it'll get you through/ Compromise that's nothing new to you."
Dropkick Murphy's, State of Massachusetts - Rock. Celtic music. Politics. What a great combo! The Dropkicks are a Boston staple and I love their weaving of good American guitars with classic Irish fiddles. It sounds best with the volume turned way up!
The Offspring, Hammerhead - Like the DM's above, The Offspring are all about hard rock and a political edge. Hammerhead sings out about a soldiers' mentality in battle. I think it's against the war in Iraq, or maybe the point is I as the listener can think it's about whatever I want. Either way, it rocks.
Madonna, 4 Minutes - And the cheeseball entry. The alternative rock station in my area plays a lot of loud, chauvinist, crap rock. So I listen to the top 40 station, which is only slightly better. But man, that Madonna and Justin song makes me want to get out on the dance floor! If you see a brunette in Portland car dancing with the radio blaring, it's probably me.

So now I'm supposed to tag a few folks to hear what they are listening to. Hm. This is often where I fail. And in the desire to actually get this posted, I'm going to accept failure and cheat by not passing this along!!!

Fiesta!

2008-07-24T21:24:00.005-04:00

Many years ago my mom hosted a Pampered Chef party after attending one herself. She purchased a few things, including my first chef's knife and a pizza stone. Over the course of time, she upgraded to a better stone and I inherited her old one, as well as a random PC cookbook. The only thing I've ever made out of that little 30 page booklet is the Fiesta Tortilla Stack, known more commonly at our house as just Tortilla Stack. (I mean really, how many different variations could I have that warrant different names?) I probably first made it 7 or 8 years ago when I first got the stone and it is in fairly regular rotation in my kitchen.

This thing feeds us for days, is gooey on the outside and crunchy on the inside, and is a nice change of pace for dinner. It is also heavy as a bag of bricks and a bit labor intensive to put together, but honestly it's worth it. My husband loves this meal and was so excited when I told him I was making it. We hadn't had it in ages and it totally hit the spot. With all the great ingredients though, how can you go wrong!

Fiesta Tortilla Stack
From Pampered Chef, 'Season's Best Recipe Collection 1999 Fall/ Winter'

5-6 Large Burrito Sized Tortillas (I always buy flour and don’t know if corn would be good.)
2/3 Can Refried Beans (I use fat-free or vegetarian style.)
1/2 C. to 3/4 C. Sour Cream (Again, I use fat free.)
1 Tbsp. Chili Powder
2 tsp. Cumin Powder
1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 C. Cooked Chicken, chopped
1 Medium Onion or 3-4 Stalks Green Onion, chopped
1 Red/ Orange / Yellow Pepper, chopped
1 Small Can Sliced Black Olives, drained
1/2 C. Fresh Cilantro, chopped
1-2 C. Shredded Cheddar or Mexican Blend Cheese
1 Large Tomato, chopped
Olive Oil

I always start by cooking the chicken. I will cut up 2 chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and then cook them in water in the microwave. About 3-5 minutes in the zapper and my chicken is ready.
Pre-heat oven to 375.
In a medium bowl, mix together the sour cream, refried beans, and spices and beat manually until smooth.
In a large bowl, mix together all the veggies and chicken and cilantro and cheese.
On a pizza stone or large baking sheet, place a single tortilla in the middle.
Here is where I can never decide which I like to do first- bean mixture or veggie mixture. It can go either way, so I'm just going to flip a coin... heads- bean spread!
Ok, so slather on a quarter of the bean dip and spread it all over the bottom tortilla, getting it very close to the edges.
Pile on a quarter of the veggie/ chicken mix on top of the bean spread. Again, try to push the goodies as close to the edges as possible. On the bottom layers it is most important to get everything out to the edges so the top layers don't slouch down.
Top bottom layer with a tortilla.
Repeat the process- bean spread, veggies, tortilla- for another 3 layers. On the very top layer, you may want to save a nice heaping tablespoon of bean dip stuff to use as "glue" underneath the top tortilla.
Drizzle a little olive oil (just a little!) and use your fingers to spread it out across the top and along the edges.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until the tortilla is golden brown and the mixture is lightly bubbling along the edges.
Remove and use a sharp, large knife to cut slices. Serve with sour cream and salsa if desired.

I'm It!

2008-07-17T22:44:00.004-04:00

I've been tagged by Joelen- yipes! I never was the athletic type- I guess I couldn't run away as fast as the other kids. Tee hee!

This is a fun little getting to know you tag- in fact I have been hit with a similar meme about 6 months ago! But that's no reason to not play again, right? No one likes the kid that pouts on the sidelines! And to spice it up, I am going to do my best to not repeat.

What was I Doing 10 Years Ago?
10 years, eh? Summer of 1998... I was in between my junior and senior year of college, working in the IT department at a local to my hometown semiconductor company where I had previously temped. I was designing them a web site, which looking back now was absolutely terrible as well as poorly thoughtout. But then again, lots of websites were poorly thought out and terrible back then- so I was doing well!

Five things on my To-Do List for Ttoday?
How about things I was supposed to do, but haven't, and still may not do before bed?
1. Fold cleaned laundry
2. Wash some dirty laundry
3. Review a best friends' wedding registry in preparation for buying
4. Finish my office work that must get done before 7 AM tomorrow
5. Run the dishwasher

Five Snacks I Enjoy:
1. Cheese
2. Guacamole
3. Pretzels
4. Nectarines
5. Yeah, and still Doritos, but I try to avoid that!

Five Things I Would Do If I Were a Billionaire:
1. Take the Orient Express, first class all the way
2. Buy all the CDs and DVDs I could ever want- I love music and movies!
3. Invest a significant amount to live off the interest and provide for my (future) children
4. These days I'd like liposuction, but maybe with that much cash I'd have the time and money to find good use for a personal trainer
5. Be totally frivolous and buy a Jaguar convertible and an Audi TT

(Really though, with that much money you can donate a ton while still living reasonably well.)

Five Places I've Lived:
1. Suburbia, Massachusetts
2. West of Boston, MA
3. South of Boston, MA
4. Tampa Bay, FL (blech)
5. Portland, Maine!

Five Jobs I've Had:
1. Babysitter
2. Accounting assistant
3. Web designer
4. Admin
5. Corporate Trainer

Now I'm supposed to tag other people... hmmm... these tags do get around quickly and I don't want to have repeat hits. I think I'll come back and edit that tomorrow when I'm bored at work!

A Meal for an Old Zinfandel

2008-07-17T22:12:00.004-04:00

In keeping with the Napa theme, I have to tell you about this absolutely fabulous meal we had that resolved specifically around a very special wine we picked up out on the "left coast."

We had the pleasure of sampling a number of wines by Jessup Cellars in Yountville, CA. (They are right down the street from the famous French Laundry.) After getting a small tasting at our hotel in Napa, we visited the winery with the intention of doing a "vertical" tasting- or so I think it is called. This is where you try the same varietals, in our case Zinfandel, from the same winery but from different years. It was fascinating! All of the wines were great- we tried (this was at the end of May, so forgive my spotty memory) an '04,'03, and a '99.

We ended up splurging on the 1999 Jessup Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel as it was so rich, and woody, and just plain wonderful. (We also got a fantastic zinfandel port which has yet to be opened and a light, fresh rose.) Our zin was something to be savored and to be the centerpiece of a meal- not just something to suck back with burritos as an afterthought. Doing some research on wine pairings, I decided to serve a rich entrée of grilled steak with an indulgent blue cheese sauce along sides rice pilaf and salad.

Oh my heavens, we thought our mouths were going to just melt off our faces it was so dang good. The wine opened up with the rich flavors to reveal it's complex headiness and we loved every sip. Sincere thanks to Patrick and Christina at Jessup for helping us with our tastings and purchase- not only were they knowledgeable, we enjoyed every minute of chatting with them!

Grilled Steak with Blue Cheese Sauce
Adapted from Epicurious.com

1 lb. Good Quality Beef Fillet (Sorry- I never buy beef and forget what the cut was. All I remember is it was about 1.5" thick and it was plenty for 2 of us.)
Kosher Salt & Black Pepper
Olive Oil
3 Tbsp. Butter
2-3 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Small Onion, chopped
1/2 C. Sliced Mushrooms
1/2 C. Beef Broth
1/4 C. Brandy or Port
Heavy Dash Dried Rosemary
1/2 - 1 C. Crumbled Blue Cheese (actual amount depends on your tastes- you can start with less and adjust it to add more)
Extra Blue Cheese for garnish

Heat your grill to medium heat.
Season the fillets with ample salt and pepper rubbed into the meat. Drizzle with a little olive oil and let rest for 20-30 minutes.
When grill is good and hot, cook the steak to desired doneness. Hubby took care of this part as steak is not my specialty. Due to the thickness, it probably took about 20 minutes to get it to medium/ medium-rare.
While the meat cooks, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Add in the onion and garlic, sautéing until it they are just soft, about 3-4 minutes.
Add in the mushrooms and continue to cook until they are soft and begin to loose their moisture, about 4 minutes.
Pour in the broth, booze, and rosemary. Increase heat to high to bring mixture to a boil. It should reduce by about half.
Stir in the blue cheese, adding in increments if desired, and stir until the cheese melts. Season with salt and pepper if desired.
When steak is cooked, let it rest for 5-10 minutes and then serve with sauce drizzled on top and a sprinkle of extra blue cheese. Enjoy with a full bodied red wine for a divine dinner!

Reliving Napa: Part II- Roasted Duck with Ginger Blueberry Chutney

2008-07-17T21:51:00.004-04:00

I recently posted a delicious creamy polenta dish that was from a fantastic dinner hubby and I had on our San Francisco vacation in May. We had gone to Restaurant Pearl in Napa, CA and I truly thought it was the best meal of the trip. Did I mention it wasn't the most expensive either? God I love that- good, uncomplicated food that doesn't cost an arm and a leg and had a friendly, down home feel.

The polenta was definitely the less daunting of the 2 dishes we had. The dinner I had ordered, Fragrant Roast Duck with Pear and Ginger Chutney, had 2 things that were new to me- duck and a chutney. I looked up chutneys- they seemed simple enough with some cooked fruit and spices. One intimidating item down!

I then set out to locate some duck. After seeing no duck at my regular grocery store, I figured the local Whole Foods would have the duck breasts that I needed since they have a fantastic meat selection. Wrong! I get there only to find the two options available are these breast slices that were like ham-steaks or a whole duck. The slices weren't going to be enough and were already cooked- no good. That left the whole duck. Figuring it couldn’t be that much different than a chicken, that's what I got.

Did you know that ducks are fatty little buggers? I mean, seriously! The roasting took far longer than I anticipated and I literally sucked off about 2 cups of fat from the roasting pan while it cooked away- and it was far from dry when served! Luckily I had purchased the whole duck as my silly husband informed me last minute that my father-in-law was joining us. There was plenty for all! And my father-in-law enjoyed snacking on the various loose organs that I pulled out of the cavity and he then sautéed up!

The end result was delicious. The duck was rich and moist, and the chutney- that I substituted blueberries for the original cranberries- was tangy, sweet, and spicy. Served with roasted potatoes, the dinner was a gourmet hit!

Roasted Duck

1 Whole Duck, organs removed, rinsed, and patted dry
Salt & Pepper
2-4 Cloves of Garlic, partially crushed
1/4 - 1/2 C. Blueberry-Pear Chutney (see recipe below)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Place the duck in a large roasting pan, preferably up off the bottom in a roasting rack. You will want to line your roasting pan well with foil as duck is VERY fatty and will dribble an excessive amount of oil while cooking. I’m sure there is a side that you should face up (the breasts?) but I seriously can never figure out which way is up, so I'm not going to try to tell you how to do it!
Gently pierce the skin all over. This will help drain the fat.
Insert the garlic cloves into the cavity. Drizzle the chutney over the skin and pour 2-3 Tbsp. into the cavity as well. Use your hand to rub the chutney around the skin evenly.
Roast uncovered in the oven until the internal temperature of the thigh is 180 degrees. This can take up to 2 hours for a 4-5 lbs. bird. (The juices are not supposed to be pink when it is cooked, however we cooked our 4 pounder for about 1.5-2 hours and I swear the juices were still almost red. We ate it anyway and seemed to have no problems.)
You will want to take a look every 30-45 minutes to see about removing the pools of melted fat. Having a good heat resistant baster and a warm glass bowl/ measurer handy make this an easy task. If your skin is starts to get too brown towards the end of cooking, cover it loosely with foil.
When the bird is cooked, remove it from the oven to rest. If you haven't already covered it with foil, now is a good time to do so to keep it warm. Let the meat rest for 15-20 minutes before carving.
Serve with a drizzle of chutney over it, or in a pool on the side for dipping.

Blueberry, Pear, and Gingered Chutney
Loosely adapted from Epicurious.com

1/4 C. Cider Vinegar
2/3 C. Onion, finely chopped
1 tsp. Ground Ginger
1 tsp. Ground Mustard
1/2 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
2 tsp. Lemon Juice
1/4 C. Raisins
1 C. Blueberries, frozen or fresh
2 Bosc Pears, peeled, cored, and diced
1/4 C. Brown Sugar
Salt & Pepper to taste

In a small saucepan, heat the vinegar over medium heat.
Add in the onion and spices. The mixture should boil and cook the onions until they are soft and the liquid has reduced some.
Stir in the lemon juice, berries, raisins, pear, and sugar while increasing the heat to medium-high. Boil the chutney while stirring often. The berries and pear will start to break down into a smoother (though not entirely smooth) consistency.
Continue to boil until it thickens up. Taste for heat and sweetness. Add black pepper, cayenne, or red pepper flakes for more heat. If it becomes too thick, either water or vinegar can be added.
Keep warm either on low heat or with a lid. Serve warm with poultry or even pork.

Reliving Napa: Creamy Polenta

2008-07-10T23:00:00.005-04:00

Adam and I took a week long trip to San Francisco and Napa at the end of May for a much needed vacation. When choosing any destination to visit, we must have two things- beautiful free things to see including nature and architecture AND delicious food! Italy had been our first choice- too pricey. San Francisco was a wonderful runner up. You just can't go wrong with so many cultures blending in one lovely progressive area!

The highlight of the culinary adventure (which is hard to identify with all the great things we ate) was in Napa at a place called The Restaurant Pearl. We both just had excellent meals- simple in their ingredients, excellent in their execution.

When I returned home, I wanted to relive a little piece of that California experience, so of course I went to the kitchen! I figured Adam's dish was the easier of the two to try- Soft Polenta with seasonal veggies and roasted tomato sauce.

This was my first time making polenta from scratch. Wow, so simple! With the addition of fresh vegetables and a spicy prepared tomato sauce, this dinner was healthy, flavorful, and hearty. Polenta is going to show up in the line up more often I thnk!

Creamy Polenta with Veg and Sauce
Inspired by The Restaurant Pearl

1 C. Cornmeal
3 C. Water
2-4 Tbsp. Heavy Cream
1-2 C. Spicy Tomato Sauce (homemade or jarred)
2 Carrots, sliced into long discs
1 Zucchini, sliced
Handful Asparagus, chopped into 3" pieces
1 Summer Squash, sliced

In a medium saucepan, heat water to boiling. Stir in the cornmeal and continue to let boil over medium heat. Stir the meal regularly to prevent sticking, burning, and uneven cooking.
The polenta should thicken up to a thick but not solid state. You want to be able to stir it, although the spoon should not just slide right through- it should resist a little. Add more water or cornmeal as you see fit.
When cooked, stir in the desired amount of cream until it is a consistant thickness and delicious! Add salt and pepper to taste if desired.
While the polenta cooks, steam the veggies until just tender. You will want them cooked through, but still with a little bite to them. I believe I started the carrots in first, then the asparagus, then the squashes. It only took a few minutes to cook them all.
Just before you are ready to serve, heat a couple of cups or so of sauce in a small saucepan.
To serve, place a large helping of polenta in the center of your bowl. Pour a small amount of sauce around the edges of the polenta and pile the veggies on top. Eat each bite with a nice mix of all the flavors together!

Lemon Meringue Pie to View- Not so much to Eat

2008-07-09T21:58:00.006-04:00

A few weeks ago I wanted to try something new- something sweet, something summery, something challenging. With a bunch of lemons in the house, I thought lemon meringue pie would be the perfect solution. The custard AND the meringue would be a new experience for me, and I had a graham cracker crust just waiting for a purpose in the fridge. Oh, but it was not to be such a perfect endeavor boys and girls...

I pulled out good ol' Betty Crocker- she seemed to have the right idea on how to make a classic pie. The best part of lemon meringue pie is how efficient it is with ingredients- 3 egg yolks for the custard, and 3 egg whites for the meringue- love it! I started off with the custard- it seemed perfect!

Then I started on the egg whites and sugar and tartar. In go the ingredients and the Kitchen Aid was on full whip... for 10 minutes... with no results. What the heck is going on here? {grumble grumble} After checking back with Betty, I read in the tips that "Make certain no yolk gets into the whites, as even a speck of yolk or grease will prevent whites from beating properly." Hm. So, the shell and yolk I accidentally dropped in there is screwing things up? Dammit. Unfortunately I needed to crack 3 more eggs, but the good news is this time it worked!

I assemble the pie. I bake the pie. I remove the pie. Oh, she is a beauty to behold- perfectly browned meringue, lovely lemon scent, and well toasted crust. So I chill the silly thing for a few hours in the fridge. I cut into it. Hm. Again. The meringue- gorgeous. The custard? Oozing EVERYWHERE! No setting up to be found. I figure it needs to chill longer.

Well, let me tell you, there was no setting to really be had. Although the custard got a little firmer over the next few days, unfortunately a great deal of liquid seeped out from somewhere and made the crust quite soggy. The flavor really was fantastic- but the texture was a disaster. I think I'd reduce the water and chill it way longer next time.

Hope you enjoy the visuals, if nothing else!

Lovely!

Hm.Not so lovely.

Lemon Meringue Pie
From Betty Crocker's New Cookbook (no modifications made)

Prepared Graham Cracker Crust
Meringue (see below)
3 Large Egg Yolks
1 1/2 C. Sugar
1/3 C. plus 1 Tbsp. Cornstarch
1 1/2 C. Water
3 Tbsp. Stick Butter
2 tsp. Grated Lemon Peel
1/2 C. Lemon Juice
Yellow Food Coloring

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a small bowl, beat the yolks.
In a small saucepan, mix together the sugar and cornstarch. Stir in the water slowly and cook over medium heat. Keep stirring until it thickens and boils. Allow to boil for a minute or so.
Immediately stir in at least half of the hot mixture into the eggs and then plop it all into saucepan again. Boil for a minute and then remove from the heat.
Stir in the rest of the ingredients (not the crust and meringue of course!) and mix it up.
Pour lemon filling in the crust. Then gently spoon the meringue on top, pushing it all the way to the edge of the crust. (Betty says this prevents shrinking or weeping- maybe this is where I went wrong!?)
Bake for 8 to 12 minutes until the meringue is light brown.
Cool, cover, and then refrigerate and cross your fingers that yours works better than mine!

Meringue

3 Large Egg Whites (NO YOLKS AT ALL!)
1/4 tsp. Cream of Tartar
6 Tbsp. White Sugar
1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in a stand mixer or with a hand held mixer on high until it is foamy.
Slowly add in the sugar in small amounts, beating heavily, until it is all added. Keep beating on high until it is "stiff and glossy." This means you need to keep going and keep going until you get a big, fluffy mess of whiteness!
Beat in the vanilla and you're done!

Happy birthday to blog!

2008-07-09T21:09:00.003-04:00

That's right readers, Bean's Bistro, my little corner of the web, is 1 years old!

Ok, so it was 1 year yesterday, but as you may have noticed, I'm a little lazy on the blogging lately. I called out in my very first post that there was a distinct possibility that I would get bored with blogging shortly after starting, and honestly I'm impressed I lasted this long! A big reason is you- my dear readers. I know in the world of blogging, my readership is low, but I'm so honored that anyone wants to track the treasures and trash that I cook, and I feel an obligation to keep pushing forward.

I promise, I've got a whole slew of delicious foods (and a few amusing stories) just waiting to hit the web- it's just so much work and it's so nice out this time of year! Yeah yeah, I know- excuses, excuses. I will put them up soon!

I'm going to try to push out an update or two tonight, but in case I lose enthusiasm and opt for eating my frozen yogurt, then doing my nightly work for the office, and then slacking off, I'm going to put this post out for you as a way for you to know I'm still out here and eager for your attention!

I thought a nice item for my 1 year anniversary might be the origin of my blog name. Bean's Bistro- ok, so bistro is clearly an indication this is a food related blog. Duh. But what about Bean? Was that chosen because I have a particular affinity to Mexican food or vanilla or something? Nope. Is it because I went to school outside of Boston? Not that either. In fact, it has very little to do with me, and more to do with my husband!

So I married my high school sweetheart, though I admit I broke up with him twice and we spent a few years separated in college and beyond, which was a good thing. Way back when I was still in high school and he was off to college in Boston, I would go and visit him in the city. We'd wander around the city in a poor college kid manner, looking for free things to do. Often we'd end up at the Prudential Mall, window shopping and making fun of people.

It was on one of these afternoon jaunts that I came to have the nickname Bean.

We were being our usual dork selves as we rode the escalator up into the main mall area. My darling boyfriend (now husband) looks over to see the Gourmet Bean Coffee Shop on our right. He lovingly looks at me and the coffee fiend that he is, says "Baby, I love you almost as much as coffee." Sweet, huh? He then says, "You're my little Gourmet Bean!"

Well, we had a good long laugh over that oh so romantic comparison to the caffeinated beverage of choice and it kind of stuck. Over the years it was shortened to G-Bean and then just Bean. Now I am told, again by my husband, that I am very "beanular"- as in my toes and nose and head and cheeks are round like beans, thus solidiying the nickname for all eternity.

And that's my story. And my blog- Bean's Bistro. Thanks for reading- it really means a lot to me.

Homegrown Gourmet 9 - Celtics Win!

2008-06-29T21:59:00.006-04:00

Homegrown Gourmet, my precious little blogging event, is celebrating round 9 with a delightful theme of PASTA! Fabulous!

My friend Megan at Joy Through Cooking is hosting this round. I was really excited at the idea of basing a recipe on pasta- we eat lots of spaghetti and ziti and all that great stuff.

But as I got thinking about it more, well, what the heck is a New England pasta recipe!? I mean, sure, my husband and I have our favorite restaurant in the North End of Boston, but that's just Italian. And my Italian grandmother makes stuffed shells for many holiday meals, but what's so special about that?

There was always lobster ravioli, but I am not fan of dealing with ravioli and lobster isn't on the top of my list. My mom always made American Chop Suey but I also always hated it. What to do, what to make?

Then it hit me... I wanted to celebrate the Boston Celtics recent NBA Championship win with a gorgeous green and white dish! Adam and I hadn't made fresh pasta in ages, so a lovely batch of spinach pasta was whipped up. Then to top it, I chose a very New England choice of a white clam sauce.

I've got to say, this was delicious. Adam thought the sauce was buttery (only 3 Tbsp!)and flavorful, and I thought it was tender and just the right amount of seafood. We devoured the entire batch in one night and I thought it was a great tribute and a fun Homegrown Gourmet entry!

Champion Celtics Spinach Pasta with White Clam Sauce
Spinach Pasta based on MangiaBenePasta.com

1+ C. Fresh Spinach
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 Eggs
2 C. Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 Tbsp. Warm Water

Bring a few cups of water to a boil in a small pot. While the water heats up, remove any stems from the spinach leaves, leaving just the smooth flesh.
Blanch the spinach in the boiling water for just 1-3 minutes, until it is bright green.
Quickly remove the spinach from the water with a slotted spoon or similar utensil and rinse it with cold water.
Squeeze the spinach in your hands, getting as much moisture out as possible. I also gave it a quick run through a paper towel. You should have about a 1/2 cup of cooked spinach in that mushy ball.
Put the spinach in a food processor with the olive oil and puree into a smooth consistency. Add in the two eggs and blend it up again.
Now here is where I wish I had gone with my gut instead of the instructions. The original recipe calls for you to add the salt and flour into the food processor to work the dough. I put in the salt and some flour and mostly ended up with a gooey mess. My processor wasn't big enough for all the flour, so I had to attempt to get the dough out and then work in the remaining flour- what a pain! When I do this again, I will mound up the flour on a clean surface and make a bowl in the center of the flour. I will pour in the egg mixture and slowly work it into the flour to make the dough. Or I'll just use my Kitchen Aid stand mixer.
Regardless, you need to work in the flour gradually to form a solid ball of dough. Knead the dough until it is firm, yet springs back to the touch. I let my dough rest for 30 minutes only to start extruding it from the machine to find it was way too soft. We added more flour (getting up to 2 cups total) and then went right into making the pasta. If your dough is too dry, use little splashes of the warm water until the dough softens up.
Use your Kitchen Aid pasta attachment or other pasta maker to form the fettuccine. Let it sit, separated, and dry for 10-15 minutes.
Get a large pot of water boiling. Cook the fresh pasta for 3-5 minutes until it is just al dente. Drain and serve topped liberally with clam sauce below.

White Clam Sauce based on AllRecipes.com

3 Tbsp. Butter
3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Small Onion, chopped
3 Large Garlic Cloves, minced
1/2+ C. White Wine
2 (6.5 ounce) Cans Chopped Clams, with Juice

In a small saucepan, heat the butter and oil over medium-high heat.
Saute the onions and garlic until translucent and delicious smelling!
Pour in the white wine and simmer until reduced by about half.
Pour in the clams with all the juice and continue to simmer, until slightly reduced. Serve hot over pasta.

Eat to the Beat II: Purple Rain

2008-06-26T21:00:00.005-04:00

Eat to the Beat is back!

You remember, right? The event that challenges food bloggers to make a recipe inspired by a song? I'm psyched it is back, but I had kind of hoped we'd have some constraints this time. However it is another open free for all, so I went with an idea I came up with after last round. Something 80's inspired...

I'm more of a 90's alternative or pop or jazz or classical or techno girl- 80's are not my style. Last round I went with the alternative angle with Hell cupcakes. They were fun to make and I loved that I had to challenge myself and got to be really creative.

So like I said, this time I went to the 80's for inspiration, specifically, Prince. I'm not a big fan of 80's music, and Prince is right up there in things I generally dislike. But thinking about his song "When Doves Cry" I found an idea.

Chorus:
How can you just leave me standing?
Alone in a world that's so cold?
Maybe I'm just too demanding;
Maybe I'm just like my father- too bold.

Maybe you're just like my mother,
She's never satisfied.
Why do we scream at each other?
This is what it sounds like
When doves cry.

The idea of doves with a bold flavor, or maybe salty like tears,- sounded good. I looked through a cookbook I have called Perfect Chicken Dishes and found something perfect! It called for Cornish hens- doves? It called for a unique stuffing- bold? And it had port and grapes- purple! Perfect!

My submission for Elly's Eat to the Beat Summer '08 is below! I hope I made that weird little rocker man proud!

When Doves Cry Cornish Hens with Port Sauce & Grapes
Modified from Perfect Chicken Dishes

2 Cornish Hens
1/2 C. Chicken Broth
1-2 Tbsp. Kosher Salt and Black Pepper
1/2+ C. Port
1 C. Purple Grapes
1-2 Tbsp. Butter
2/3 C. Chicken Broth
1 Tbsp. Cornstarch
2 Tbsp. Water
1/4 C. Heavy Cream
1 C. Couscous
Toasted Almond Slices
Chili Powder

Prepare the Cornish hens to be roasted in a slow cooker; remove innards, rinse and pat dry the skin, and rub in the salt and pepper on the skin and in the cavity.
Place Cornish hens in the crockpot with the 1/2 cup of broth. Cook on low heat for about 6-7 hours until tender and cooked through.
30 minutes before the chicken is ready to come out, heat the port on medium heat to a low simmer in a small pot. (That's a lot of size adjectives, huh?!) Simmer it down to a little more than half.
Place the grapes in the pot and stir them around to coat with the port reduction and to soften a little. After 2-3 minutes, remove the grapes with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Add the butter to the sauce and melt. Slowly add in the chicken broth, stirring continually. You will want the heat to remain on medium and the mixture to keep simmering. Boil until it is reduced by about half.
Mix together the cornstarch and water in a tiny bowl until smooth. While the sauce boils, slowly drizzle in the cornstarch mixture and stir. This will thicken the sauce up.
Turn the heat down to low and blend in the cream until the mixture is smooth and rich!
As you are finishing the sauce, boil 1 cup of water for the couscous. The couscous gets added to the boiling water, is covered and removed from the heat. It is cooked after about 5 minutes. You can then add the chili powder and almonds. Truthfully, my side dish was the weakest part of the meal, and you should make whatever you think is appropriate!
Serve the hens on a pool of sauce, with the grapes and couscous (or whatever) on the side. I also added some steamed broccoli to finish off the plate.

Keep on rockin' on in the kitchen all! And Eat to the Beat!

Tasty Little Salad

2008-06-10T19:58:00.003-04:00

The hot weather is here which means the grill is going to start racking up the miles and the salads are going to increase. This little ditty is nothing so exciting, but it sure was tasty! Paired with a mustard based marinade on the grilled chicken, it was a great side.

Apple and Cheddar Salad

Raw Spinach
Iceberg Lettuce
Sliced White Mushrooms
Granny Smith Apple, cored and cubed
Walnuts
Sharp Cheddar, cubed
Honey Mustard Dressing

Tear up the lettuce and place it and the spinach on a plate as a bed.
Mix in the mushrooms, apples, cheese, and walnuts to your liking.
Drizzle with dressing and enjoy on a hot day!

Leaning Towers of Eggplant

2008-06-03T21:47:00.004-04:00

As with the chicken recipe featured just before this, I found it on another blog that I subscribe to, Dori's The Foodie Fashionista. And like the previous entry, it was delish!

Now I recommend that you click on the link below in my recipe source to view the original blog entry. Her stacks are lovely and tall and certainly not melty and keeling over. Mine however, as exhibited in the photo below, were less that attractive. Ok, they were a mess! I think I maybe got a little too enthusiastic with the cheese filling. What can I say, I love cheese.

The eggplant had a wonderful flavor and I loved that this was vegetarian, but not your standard lasagna. The smell in the kitchen was so tempting too. But when I took a peek in the oven to check the progress of my completed, it was clear this was not going to be a smooth transfer from pan to plate. As soon as I touched the first stack in an attempt to serve it up, it slid apart. Eh, that's ok- we ate them as was and enjoyed every bite!

Baked Eggplant Stacks
From The Foodie Fashionista

1 Large Eggplant
Salt (I used Kosher salt, but I think any will do.)
Olive Oil or Other Non-Stick Cooking Spray (Seriously, you'll need this. I didn't bother and it was a mistake.)
1 C. Ricotta Cheese (I used part skim.)
1/2 tsp. Basil
1/2 tsp. Oregano
1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 C. Shredded Mozzarella
2 C. Pasta Sauce

Slice the eggplant into rounds about 1/4" thick.
Sprinkle both sides of the eggplant rounds with salt and place in a colander in the sink, allowing the moisture and bitterness pull out of the veggie. After about 30 minutes, rinse off the slices and pat dry with a paper towel.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a baking sheet with the olive oil or cooking spray. If you don't do this, your thin rounds will adhere to the surface and have a critical failure when you try to scrape them off later. Foil is not a good alternative to greasing- I promise.
Bake rounds for about 30 minutes, flipping once mid-way through roasting, until the eggplant is tender and aromatic.
While the eggplant bakes, mix together the ricotta, mozzarella, and herbs.
Remove baking sheet from oven after the 30 minutes to start assembling the stacks.
Place some of the ricotta mixture in the center of one eggplant round. Carefully stack a second round on top of that using a spatula. Continue repeating the cheese and eggplant layers until you are satisfied with the size of the portion. It is not a bad idea to build multiple towers at the same time to judge how many you will end up with.
Once you have built the tower up to the desired height (not too high- they'll topple!) place a dollop of the ricotta mixture on top and then smother with a nice spoonful of the pasta sauce. If you'd like, add some more mozzarella on the very top for melty goodness.
Return baking sheet to the oven and bake for about 10 minutes until everything is warmed through and melted.
To serve, every so carefully with a spatula attempt to remove a stack without it falling over. If it falls over, it's ok, serve it up anyway and eat all the pieces as they are delicious! I served this with a side of pasta and used the extra sauce for dipping the stacks in and for the ziti.

Chicken with Thyme Cream Sauce

2008-06-03T20:52:00.003-04:00

Yummmmmm! One of the best things about the food blogging craze is discovering new recipes that real people have made, documented, and reviewed. No more worrying about if those smarmy, know-it-all Food Network stars are lying to you about just how great their recipes are!

I went through a bunch of saved recipes last month and decided to make a delicious looking recipe from my friend Nicole's blog, Ginka's Goodies. Although she had a mishap with dried vs. fresh thyme, I learned from her slip-up and thoroughly enjoyed her Chicken with Thyme Cream Sauce. Yum, yum, yum!

It has been a while since I actually made this, but I seem to recall I followed the recipe pretty closely and that it was relatively quick to make and very very tasty. I served it with fluffy white rice and raw spinach- both of which were excellent with the sauce coating them.

Chicken with Thyme Cream Sauce
From Ginka's Goodies

2 Chicken Breasts
2 Green Onions, chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1/2 C. Chopped White Mushrooms
2/3 C. White Wine
1 1/4 C. Heavy Cream
1/4 C Fresh Thyme & Parsley (The thyme is so small compared to the parsley, but I was generous with my portion.)
Salt & Pepper

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat and add the chicken.
Cook for 10 minutes, turning the chicken once so that it is a golden brown color on both sides.
Reduce the heat some and cook the chicken for around 10 minutes more or until is it cooked through completely. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add the green onions and garlic to the pan and cook gently, stirring until the green onions are softened not browned.
Increase the heat back to medium high, add the mushrooms and saute for 2 minutes.
Add the chicken back into the pan and then pour in the wine. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until most of the wine is evaporated.
Add the cream and gently mix the ingredients together. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. Stir the herbs into the sauce and season to taste.

Gone Vacationing!

2008-06-03T20:30:00.009-04:00

2 blog posts for May. Isn't that sad? What on earth have I been doing... eating PB&J, getting take-out, fasting? No, no- it was just a busy month with the main use of time being 10 days on the west coast for a vacation to San Francisco and Napa!

Oh, it was lovely- much needed and very entertaining. Not only did we see wonderful sights, we ate well. (This is a food blog, right? Gotta' mention the food.)

We had Italian in North Beach, Chinese in Chinatown, hippie California infused meals in Haight-Ashbury, sushi as recommended by a Japantown employee, as well as great Mexican, French, California wine, and cafe food.

Below are some highlights- then it's back to the cooking!

Thug life at Alcatraz

Feasting in Chinatown (Fried calamari with an asparagus appetizer in the background)

Riding the cable cars- hanging off the front!

On the observation deck of the DeYoung Museum

The Bridge

Wine tasting in Napa

Healthy Fruity Smoothie

2008-05-11T22:25:00.005-04:00

Smoothies are so delicious and so easy to make. I always say I'm going to make them before work so that I start the day off right, but it never happens. Let's face it, I'm lucky if I show up before 9 with dry hair- breakfast is beyond hope!

Frozen dairy drinks are stuck as a special treat on the weekends. I wish I had weekend time everyday though, because this was so delicious. And it is so healthy! Calcium, antioxidants, vitamins, low sugar & fat! And it's such a pretty color on top of all that- what's not to love?

Banana Blueberry Smoothie

1 1/2- 2 C. Skim Milk
1 Banana, in pieces
1 8 oz. Container Fat Free Banana Yogurt
1/2- 1 C. Frozen Blueberries
1 Tbsp. Honey
3-4 Ice Cubes

Place all ingredients in a blender according to the manufacturer's instructions. I believe usually you put in liquid, then solids, then frozens- in that order.
Blend, pour, and enjoy!

Tortilla Crusted Catfish with Cheese Sauce

2008-05-11T21:22:00.003-04:00

This recipe was so very good... until I got to the catfish center. Blech! The crust was crunchy and flavorful. The cheese sauce was creamy and not too thick. The fish remained moist while the outside browned beautifully. But the fillet itself? Hubby claims my tastebuds were off, but I thought this particular catfish tasted like, well, like a fish that dwells on the bottom of rivers and eats muck.

I mean, I've had catfish before and enjoyed it thoroughly. But maybe I've only had it fried or something, rather than baked like this dish? Or maybe this fish kept a pretty gross diet. I dunno, but I had to do some serious drowning in cheese sauce to make it through this meal! I would try this dish again maybe with catfish, or more probably with tilapia. The crust and sauce were in fact fantastic!

Crusted Catfish
From AllRecipes.com

2 Large Catfish Fillets (or another fish like Tilapia)
1 Can Cheap Beer
Juice of 1/2 Lime
1/4 C. Cornmeal
1 C. Finely Crushed Tortillas
1 tsp. Chili Powder
1/2 tsp. Dried Cilantro
1/4 tsp. Salt
Dash Cayenne Powder
Juice 1/2 Lime
2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
Dash Chipotle Tabasco

In a shallow dish, mix together the beer and lime juice. Soak the fish fillets for about an hour in the liquids. (I'm not actually sure if this did much.)
While the fish soaks, mix together the cornmeal, tortilla pieces, and spices. Place in a large dish.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a small bowl, mix the oil, lime juice and tabasco.
Line a casserole dish with foil. Dip the fish fillets in the oil mixture, dredge in the tortilla crust and place in the lined dish.
Bake in the hot oven for about 20 minutes or until it is cooked through. The original recipe claimed to only need to cook for 8-10 minutes, but mine needed way longer. The fish will flake when you cut into it with a fork.
Serve hot with cheese sauce. (See below!)

Cheese Sauce
From me, based on a basic white sauce

2 Tbsp. Butter
1 1/2 Tbsp. Flour
1/2 C. Half & Half
1+ C. Milk
1 C. Shredded Cheddar
1 tsp. Chipotle Tabasco
1/4 tsp. Chili Powder
1/2 tsp. Cumin

In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
Add in flour and mix until smooth and bubbly.
Whisk in half & half and some of the milk, about 1/2 cup and heat over medium-high heat. Keep stirring until it boils and thickens.
Add in the cheese and seasonings and reduce heat to medium. Stir to melt cheese.
At this point, your sauce is technically ready. I kept adding milk until both the taste and thickness was right for me- creamy without being overpoweringly (is that a word?) cheesy, thick without being gluey.
Serve with anything that deserves a spicy, cheesy boost!

Chinese Take-Out Style Orange Chicken

2008-04-25T19:15:00.005-04:00

YUM!!!!!!!

Oh, sorry, I was just a little excited about this recipe! I love Chinese take out food. I know it's rarely an authentic recipe from China, nor is it usually healthy, but I love it. So to be able to recreate that flavor in my kitchen- while knowing what I'm putting into the meal- it fantastic!

Now I'm gonna tell you, this isn't exactly health food. I mean, there is a half cup of brown sugar in it! But I know there isn't a ton of salt, fat, or MSG, so I'm ok with it.

Adam also agreed this was delicious. We served it over white rice with some steamed broccoli- yummmmm! This could totally be modified to be a pineapple/ pepper recipe too by subbing in pineapple juice and chunks and sauteing up pieces of green pepper. But I don't like that dish, so I'll stick to the orange chicken with a dash of sesame seeds on top and a garnish of sliced oranges!

Chinese Take-Out Style Orange Chicken
Modified mostly from A Baker's Dozen

1.5 Lbs. Stir-Fry Cut Chicken (or breasts cut into very thin, long strips)
3 Tbsp. Flour
Salt & Pepper
1/4 tsp. Orange Zest
2-4 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
1 Large Garlic Clove, minced
2 Green Onion Stalks, chopped
Juice from 3/4 Orange
2-3 Tbsp. Rice Vinegar
2-3 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp. Sesame Oil
1/4 tsp. Grated Fresh Ginger
1/8 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 C. Brown Sugar (This is a nice amount. I halved the original amount, and if you want, you could bring it down to 1/3, maybe even 1/4.)
1/2-1 C. plus 1/3 C. Water
1 Tbsp. Cornstarch
Sesame Seeds

In a large ziplock bag, mix together flour, salt, pepper, and orange zest. Add in chicken and shake to coat all the meat.
In a large saute pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium-low heat. When it is hot, add in as much chicken as will comfortably fit and brown on all sides. I had to cook the chicken in 2 batches.
When the chicken is cooked, remove to a plate with a papertowel to drain. Keep warm. (I only did this with one batch as my sauce was ready when the second batch was finished.)
While the chicken pan is heating and the chicken is cooking, get a medium saucepan going over medium heat with a dash of olive/ veggie oil.
Saute the garlic and green onions for a minute or two until the garlic is soft, but not browned.
Add in the ginger, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, OJ, and red pepper, 1/2 C. water. Stir and bring to a gentle boil.
Stir in the brown sugar until it melts. Continue letting the sauce simmer, thickening up.
Mix together the remaining 1/3 C. of water and the cornstarch. Stir into the sauce to make it a nice thick consistency.
Taste the sauce and add more water as you see fit to get the flavor and texture you desire. I put in enough water so that the consistency was thick enough to coat, but thin enough that it flows and that it wasn't overly sweet.
With the sauce and chicken both done, put the chicken back in the large saute pan over low heat. Pour in the sauce and stir to coat the chicken.
Plate the chicken and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Devour!

Succulent Mussels with Green Salad

2008-04-23T21:27:00.008-04:00

There's a specialty food store near me called Browne Trading Company. It is a wonderful place for foodies- they have a wide selection of wines, fancy cheeses, chocolates, giant pints of heavy cream, gourmet sauces, and fresh fish. I mean really fresh- when I need sushi grade, they're my go-to source. (You can buy some of the products online too!)

I was there last week to get the chocolate for the disaster candies and picked up some fresh salmon as well as a bag of freshly harvested mussels. They lived in the fridge uncovered for a couple of days and then we enjoyed them last Friday. WOW- these were amazing mussels; fresh, flavorful, and huge! Adam thought these were hands down the meatiest mussels he'd ever eaten.
I used a recipe that I made once before and it was just as delicious as the first time. The meal felt very French to me- mussels cooked in wine and garlic, a simple green salad with goat cheese, and a loaf of fresh bread for soaking up the yummy broth. If you like mussels, you'll love this recipe!

French Inspired Mussels
From AllRecipes.com

3/4 Lbs.+ Fresh Mussels
3 Giant Cloves of Garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
3 Stalks Green Onion, chopped
3 Roma/ Plum Tomatoes, chopped
1 C. White Wine
1 C. Plain Parsley, chopped
1 Loaf of French Bread, for dipping!

Soak the live mussels in cool water for 10-15 minutes to wash off grit. Pull off the beards and give the shells a rub down to make sure they are clean.
In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Saute the garlic until just tender.
Add in the onions and tomatoes and continue to saute until the tomatoes are soft and start to reduce some.
Pour in the white wine, stir, and heat to boiling. Let the mixture boil for 5-10 minutes until the liquid reduces by a third/ half. Add in the parsley.
Gently place the clean mussels into the pan. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. The mussels will be done when the shells open. If there are mussels that don't open, don't eat them- throw them out.
Serve in a bowl with broth and a few slices of bread for sopping.

Simple Green Salad

Mixed Herbs and Greens
Cucumber, sliced
Herbed Soft Goat Cheese
Dijon Mustard Dressing

Toss the greens and cucumber together, or arrange on plate together.
Crumble/ mush pieces of goat cheese on top.
Drizzle with a hint of Dijon dressing on top. Yum!

Homegrown Gourmet 7 - Maine Potato Candy

2008-04-22T20:34:00.009-04:00

I am the originator of Homegrown Gourmet- I am proud of the event and love playing along with all the new rounds that each host comes up with. This round, hosted by Tempered Woman started off as no exception- POTATOES are such a universal food and I love that each region does it's own thing with them. Well, by the end- I hated this stupid round! HA!

I am not a native Mainer- also known as someone "from away." This was a big reason why I started Homegrown Gourmet- I wanted to learn more about the food from 2 states up from my childhood state. One of the first recipes I came across was something called "Needhams." And it was just a matter of time until I could whip this bad boy out.

In short, Needhams are a candy similar to Mounds- chocolate with sweet coconut goo inside. The difference you ask? Needhams also have Maine potatoes as a primary ingredient of the filling! Potato? Yup, potato. You actually don't taste the potato; it is used to make the filling smooth and thick. Don't worry, all the sugar and coconut drown out any veggie flavor! It is a totally original Maine recipe though.

SO... I searched for recipes without finding many variations. They all sounded so reasonable to make. Well boys and girls, was I sure wrong. Let's talk about what went wrong:

I couldn't find Maine potatoes- here in Maine.
I used shredded coconut instead of grated. This led to long strings of fibrous fruit in my candy. It was also impossible to cut.
The first batch of dipping chocolate loved to stick to EVERYTHING- oh yeah, except the candy filling.
The second batch of chocolate was a lighter shade and didn't harden right.
The big one- my filling goo never quite hardened which made it impossible to slice, handle, or dip.

I will say, they were tasty. But a royal pain in the butt. I don't know what went wrong, but at least I can now say that I have made this official Maine recipe! Maybe I should have submitted my potato-wrapped cod instead....

Maine Needhams

3/4 C. Plain Mashed Maine Potatoes
1 Stick Salted Butter
2 Lbs. Confectioners Sugar (I only used 1.25 lbs.- maybe that's where things went wrong.)
1 8 oz. Package of Grated Coconut (Don't use shredded like I did.)
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
12 oz. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
5 oz. Unsweetened Chocolate
1/2 Block Paraffin Wax (Yup, wax- like for candles. I used 1/2 block Gulf Wax.)

Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a large saucepan.
Stir in the potato, sugar, coconut, and vanilla.
Pour the mixture on a wax paper-lined or greased cookie sheet. Cool for a million hours in hopes that it will harden. Yeah right.
When the filling is cooled, heat a double boiler on medium heat or put a bowl on top of a saucepan, again on medium heat. Melt the wax in the bowl.
When the wax in mostly melted, add in the chocolate and stir to melt.
While the chocolate melts, this is where you are supposed to cut the now hardened filling into small squares. After 24 hours in the fridge, I had coconut mush. After multiple hours in the freezer, I had slightly harder coconut mush.
In theory, this is where you use a small fork or toothpick to pick up the filling square and dip it in the chocolate, coating it. Then you put it on wax paper to let it solidify.
Or, if you're me, you pour half of the chocolate on top of the slab, let it cool, flip the whole enchilada onto another piece of wax paper and then pour on the rest of the chocolate. Then you attempt to cut the whole mess apart 4 days later and pour chocolate in the middle. When that doesn't work, you dip the mangled hunks of candy in the new batch of melted chocolate, essentially double dipping the whole thing and then dry on a piece of waxed paper. You make 10 candies, curse at the whole operation, and then throw the rest out. The end.

Fast and Fancy Salad

2008-04-20T13:41:00.003-04:00

The star of dinner last Thursday was supposed to a cut of fresh, sushi grade salmon. Honest, it was! But this salad stole the show. Let me backtrack a little here...

So I spent last week fighting my next Homegrown Gourmet entry, which as you'll see in another upcoming post, did not go so well. I needed to get more high quality chocolate for the recipe as I had used up what I started with. I decided to stop in Browne Trading Company, a local gourmet food shop (maybe even a shoppe, it's so fancy) walking distance from my office to pick up the chocolate. Since I had no plans for dinner, I figured while I was there I'd get some fixin's for dinner that night too.

I got a beautiful fillet of salmon, as well as some mussels. Knowing I had strawberries and greens in the fridge, I picked up some blue cheese for a nice salad to accompany the fish.

Well, wouldn't you know, the way I cooked the fish was just ok, the brown rice I threw in there too was just an ordinary side, and the sweet strawberries, tangy balsamic, crunchy walnuts and shallots, and creamy cheese blew everything away. There were many a "Mmmmmm" coming from the couch as hubby and I chowed the healthiest part of dinner off our plates first! I wish the whole dinner was just this salad it was so good!

Upperclass Strawberry and Blue Cheese Salad

1 Shallot, sliced into thin pieces
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
4-5 Strawberries, sliced
1/4 C. Walnuts, toasted
2 Tbsp. Blue Cheese, crumbled
2 C. Iceberg Lettuce, torn into bite sized pieces
2-3 Tbsp. Strawberry Infused Balsamic Viniagrette

In a small saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add in the shallots and cook over low heat to caramelize, about 15 minutes. My oil was too hot so I mostly fried my shallot ribbons. This was still tasty, but not what I had in mind. If you fry yours by accident too, drain on a papertowel.
When cooked, remove shallots and set aside to cool. Turn off stovetop.
Toss together all of the salad ingredients, except the dressing. You may also choose to arrange on a plate to prevent the berries from getting smooshed.
Drizzle just a little viniagrette over the salad once plated.

Pork Dumplings with Cheater's Asian Veggies

2008-04-20T09:08:00.004-04:00

Adam mentions a couple weeks ago that we haven't had the pork dumplings I made once or twice a long time ago. Shoot, he was right- those were tasty and I had forgotten all about them!

So onto the weekly menu they went. I planned them for a midweek meal on a night I knew I'd have some time to put them together- they aren't the fastest meal to assemble after all.

Sadly, my memory of these was better than reality. The hubs thought they were tasty enough, but I thought they were just kind of bleh. The fact that they look like brains doesn't help either! We made a huge batch of these thing- around 4 or 5 dozen- and I froze half. I'm planning to pan fry the frozen ones and make a dipping sauce in hopes it will kick up the flavor.

There were two good parts of this dinner though... the first was a pretty side dish that I whipped up. Nothing fancy, but it looked really nice and I thought it was quite good. (Adam thought it was just ok.) The other highlight was that we both made the dumplings together, which not only made the preparation go twice as fast, we enjoyed spending the time together in the kitchen. With our small space and my dictator like style in the kitchen, we rarely get to make food together. Aw, cheesy happy moment!

Asian Pork Dumplings
Modified from AllRecipes.com

1 Lbs. Ground Pork
1 Package Wonton Wrappers, around 50-60 count
2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp. Sesame Oil
1 Egg
1 Clove Garlic, minced
2 Green Onion Stalks, chopped
1 tsp. Grated Fresh Ginger
1 1/2 C. Red Cabbage, finely chopped

In a large bowl, blend all of the ingredients except the wonton wrappers to make the dumpling filling.
Heat a large pot of water on the stovetop to boiling. This will be the water you boil the dumplings in. I flavored my water with fresh ginger, soy sauce, a few chopped pieces of green onion, and a little sesame oil. Next time I'd use less or no ginger and I will boil for half the time, moving dumplings to a saute pan to finish off the cooking.
Place one wonton wrapper on a cutting board or other clean surface. Lightly wet the edges on one side.
Take a small spoonful of the filling mixture and place it in the middle of the wrapper. You'll learn quickly two facts: 1. Too much filling doesn't work and oozes out the sides, making a huge mess. 2. If your cabbage isn't chopped enough, large knife-like pieces will slice through your wrapper, wrecking everything.
Fold the wonton wrapper over onto itself, making a triangle shape with the filling in the middle.
Press down on the moist sides, trying to push out as much air from the middle as possible.
Pick up the dumpling and take the two opposite triangle points and fold them on top of each other and press down to connect. This leaves the top point remaining and the filling well sealed up inside.
Repeat for as many wontons as you can fill, or until you run out of wrappers like we did. As you finish the dumplings, put them aside. If you place them on a cookie sheet with plastic wrap, you can put the whole sheet into the freezer to freeze dumplings. Once hard, move unused dumplings to a ziplock bag for long term storage.
With the water boiling, gently place as many dumplings as you want in the hot liquid. Be careful not to splash hot water on yourself!
Cook the dumplings for about 5-10 minutes. They will inflate like puffer fish if there is air inside! The pork does not take long to cook. Again, next time I will mostly cook through and then drain and finish in a pan.
Serve either with a little broth or dry with a soy sauce based dipping sauce.

Cheater's Asian Veggie Side Dish

Frozen Stir Fry Veggies (as much as desired)
Sliced Red Cabbage
Fresh Mushrooms
Soy Sauce
Sesame Oil
Sesame Seeds

Heat the frozen veggies in the microwave like any vegetable from the freezer.
Plate hot veggies in the center of a dish.
Add some cabbage and fresh mushrooms.
Lightly drizzle with soy sauce and sesame oil. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
Eat while hot!

Grilled Salmon Salad - Asian Style

2008-04-19T19:00:00.004-04:00

Left to my own devices, I would feed myself with Doritos, Pasta Roni side dishes, ice cream, and chicken nuggets. Don't get my wrong, I consider myself a foodie, but I'm perfectly content to eat processed crap.

Because I don't want to have to be removed from my house with a crane someday however, I don't eat that junk- at least not with any regularity. And in fact, I'm trying to maybe loose a little of the ol' junk my personal trunk- it is swimsuit season soon after all.

Generally speaking, I am no fan of salad. In the words of The Simpsons, "You don't make friends with salad!" However, this little creation was way delicious! First part of the equation- asian marinated salmon grilled. Second part- homemade pumpernickel croutons. Third element- fresh greens and a light asian dressing. What does it equal? Filling and tasty dinner we wolfed down!

Adam and I were both very surprised at just how perfect the pumpernickel bread went with asian fish- it was like they were made for each other! This one will be making a comeback this summer!

Grilled Salmon Salad
Marinade
From Allrecipes.com

3 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp. Rice Wine Vinegar
2 tsp. Sugar
1 Tbsp. Sesame Oil
Dash Mustard Powder
Dash Ground Ginger
Dash Black Pepper

Salad

1 Lbs. Salmon, skin on
1-2 C. Raw Spinach
2 Carrots, cut into bite-sized pieces
Pumpernickel Croutons

Dressing

1 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp. Sesame Oil
1 tsp. Rice Wine Vinegar
Dash Ground Ginger

Prepare the marinade by mixing all ingredients and place the salmon in it for about an hour.
Prepare the croutons and allow to cool.
Heat a grill to medium heat and lightly oil the grate. Cook the marinated salmon on the grill, skin side touching the grate. Allow to cook for about 10-15 minutes, until the fish flakes on top.
Carefully flip the fish once to grill on the exposed flesh for about 30 seconds and then remove from grill.
Prepare the dressing by whisking together all the ingredients.
On a cutting board (back inside of course!), remove the fish from the skin and cut into nice bite sized pieces.
Mix together the elements of the salad in a nice bowl.
Plate the salad and then lightly drizzle just a little dressing over everything. It does not take much to just add a nice depth and moisten the spinach. Enjoy!

Potato-Wrapped Cod

2008-04-19T17:50:00.004-04:00

Fish is a favorite for us- it is healthy, fast to cook, and versatile. There are so many fish to choose from and then so many ways to make it- and I'm always looking for more!

This recipe was WICKED good! (Wicked = very/ awesome/ totally, for those non-New Englanders out there.) I will say that it did not brown like I was hoping- even after doubling the cooking time! But the coating I put on the fish coupled with a tight little blanket of thin sliced potato kept the white fish moist and flavorful.

For anyone looking for something new and unique for fish, I highly recommend this. But if you do, be smarter than me and line your dish with foil- what a baked on mess!

Potato-Wrapped Cod
Modified from epicurious.com

3 Medium Fillets of Cod or other Firm White Fish
2 Potatoes (I used Yukon Gold, but another variety might brown better?)
1 Tbsp. Mayonnaise
1 1/2 tsp. Dijon Mustard
Salt & Pepper
1 Shallot, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1/2 - 1 C. White Wine
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
2 Tbsp. Heavy Cream

Peel and wash the potatoes. Using a mandolin, or the slicing side on a box grater, make very thin slices of potato- the thinner the better!
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Rinse and dry your fish fillets. Mix together the mayo and mustard and spread the mixture on one side of each fillet. Sprinkle with just a little salt and pepper.
Place a layer of potato slices down on a cutting board or a dish. Even better, put the potato slices in the baking dish to eliminate the need to shift the fish. Place the fish fillet mayo side down onto the potatoes.
Spread more mayo mixture on the bare fillet side, and add the salt and pepper again.
Gently fold slices over the edges of the fish, and then blanket the top of the fillet with more potato until the whole fillet is covered with overlapping paper-thin spud slices!
Rub a little olive oil on top of the potato and bake for about 15 minutes until (hopefully!) the potatoes brown. I tried flipping my fish and it was less than successful- I'd leave it to brown on just one side.
While the fish cooks, in a small saucepan, saute the shallots in olive oil until just tender, not too browned.
Add in the wine and lemon and bring to a gentle boil. When the mixture has reduced down some, splash in the cream. mix, and keep on medium heat.
When fish is cooked, serve with the sauce poured on top. We served this over a bed of spinach and it was delicious, especially with the sauce running over the greens.

Chicken Piccata

2008-04-19T16:52:00.004-04:00

Warm weather is on the way everybody! Which means my meals are going to take a lighter turn and are going to bring in all the fresh flavors of spring and summer. Delicious!

One of the flavors I associate with spring is lemon. That tart and bright flavor just exudes sunshine, don't ya think? Chicken piccata is a great classic recipe that is both hearty and lemony. Plus it has capers- and we do love our capers here at our house!

So this recipe was... ok. It was both too lemony and too bland. I made this a couple of weeks ago, but I'm also pretty sure it didn't make a ton of sauce, which wasn't a big deal since I thought it was too tart! That's not to say it was bad... it just needed something more. Maybe garlic- garlic makes everything tastier! We had this with some nice balsamic sauteed zucchini.

Chicken Piccata

2-3 Chicken Breasts, sliced in half lengthwise to make very thin
1/3 C. Flour
Salt & Pepper
3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1/3+ C. White Wine
Juice of 1/2 Large Lemon
2 Tbsp. Butter
1+ Tbsp. Capers

Be sure your chicken fillets are nice and thin, pounding them thinner if necessary. Rinse the breasts and pat dry with paper towels.
In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat.
In a bowl, mix together the flour and salt & pepper and then dredge the chicken lightly through the dry mixture.
Saute the chicken in the hot oil, flipping once to cook to a golden brown finish on both sides. It will not take long to cook as the fillets are thin- about 10 minutes or so!
Remove the chicken and place somewhere where they can stay warm, such as a toaster oven.
In the saute pan, add in the wine, lemon juice, and butter. Bring to a very gentle boil, reducing the liquid down. Add in the capers towards the end to heat through.
Serve chicken with a drizzle of the sauce and a nice veggie side dish and maybe a nice crusty bread or side of noodles.

Grilled Marinated Lamb

2008-04-06T19:19:00.005-04:00

I have found a new meat to love, and that meat is lamb. Wow- I never knew it had such a rich flavor until I made some for St. Paddy's day. Now I am wiser and am trying to find new ways to incorporate it into the rotation.

Granted, it is another red meat, and we generally try to steer clear of eating too many heavy meats, but the nice thing about lamb is it generally comes in small sizes. At least, the cuts I choose to pay for are small!

Last night I used Greek inspiration- at least I think it was Greek- to prep the meat. After an hour of marinating and then about 15-20 minutes on the grill, we had a really tasty, tender, medium-rare main course. Served up with lemon feta couscous and spinach salad with green olives and more feta, we ate and enjoyed every last bite!

Greek Inspired Marinated, Grilled Lamb

1 C. Plain Yogurt
1 Large Clove Garlic, minced
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
1 tsp. Dried Oregano
1 tsp. Black Pepper
2 Lamb Chops, bone in

In a medium to large bowl, combine all ingredients except the lamb. Blend until well mixed.
Coat the lamb chops with the yogurt mixture and place in the bowl with the marinade.
Let the chops sit, in the fridge, for at least an hour.
Heat your grill to medium-high heat- or like our grill which is either kind of hot or flames licking up super hot.
Cook the chops on one side for about 10 minutes, and then flip to cook for another 10 or so to cook through. Check it often towards to the to decide when it is done for you- rare all the way to well done.

Basic Chocolate Chip Cookies from Tollhouse

2008-04-06T18:07:00.004-04:00

I like to be fancy, make new and exciting recipes, wow friends, family, and coworkers with new and spectacular culinary masterpieces. I also like your everyday pleasures- like chocolate chip cookies. Not cake cookies, not white chocolate with fancy vanilla bean paste, not enhanced with caramel, macadamia nuts or frosting.

Just plain ol chocolate chip cookies with the recipe from Tollhouse. Pair it with a cold glass of milk and you have yourself a little slice of heaven right there!

Aaaaaah!

Chocolate Chip Cookies
From Tollhouse (Below is the recipe halved.)

2 C. Flour
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 C. (1 Stick) Butter, softened
1/3 C. White Sugar
1/3 C. Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 Egg
1+ C. Chocolate Chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Beat together the butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl or stand mixer on medium speed.
Add in the egg and blend until smooth.
Beat in the dry ingredients on low-medium speed, again until smooth.
Stir in the chocolate chips gently.
Drop the batter onto a non-stick cookie sheet by the spoonful. Leave a little space between the balls- or they will cook together into a giant cookies! (Mmmmmm, giant cookie...)
Bake for around 10 minutes until they are golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let sit on the sheet for a couple of minutes. Then remove to a cooling rack. Attempt to not eat them until at least slightly cooled!

Shrimp Jambalaya in the Crockpot

2008-04-06T17:44:00.006-04:00

Wednesdays are usually crockpot dinner days. I have handbell choir rehearsal and don't get home until around 8- far too late to just start thinking about dinner! Hubby Adam isn't big on cooking and is too busy with schoolwork, so he can't deal with dinner either. And so every since we got the slow cooker for Christmas, it's gotten a workout on Wednesdays.

This week I asked Adam to pick something out for us to have that wasn't too labor intensive and wasn't tomato based. I can't say he succeeded in either of those requests, but the dinner he chose was in fact really good. And he helped with it!

We ended up with shrimp jambalaya which had a nice amount of spice and was quite the hearty meal. This was good just as is, but would also be great to play with the flavors for something different. The sausage was really really good and tender, and all of the flavors and ingredients blended beautifully. But isn't that why folks love their slowcookers?!

Shrimp Jambalaya
Slightly modified from the Rival Cookbook that came with the crockpot

2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
6 Andouille Sausages, cut into bite sized sliced
1 Red Pepper (it was supposed to be green), chopped
1 Onion, chopped
2 Large Stalks of Celery, chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 14 oz. Can of Whole Tomatoes
1/3 C. Tomato Paste
1 C. Chicken Broth
1 T. Dried Parsley
1 1/2 tsp. Dried Basil
1 tsp. Dried Oregano
1 Tbsp. Tabasco Sauce
1 tsp. Cayenne Powder
1 tsp. Black Powder
Dash of Salt
1 lbs. Raw Shrimp, peeled with no tails
2-3 C. Cooked White Rice

Mix together the chicken, sausage, tomato products, veggies, and spices in a slow cooker.
Cook over low heat for 8-10 hours. (Cooking time can be cut in half by cooking on high, but we never do that.)
With about 30 minutes left on the clock, add in the shrimp to the crockpot.
When finished, serve over a big helping of rice.

Layered Mint Fudge

2008-04-06T17:22:00.004-04:00

Mmmmmmm! This fudge recipe is sinfully easy to make and even easier to eat. But you can only eat a little bit at a time as it is very filling. It is one of my go-to Christmas or bake sale recipes because it takes only about 30 minutes total to make and it is wonderfully rich and refreshing. Everyone loves it!

My neighbor across the street, Mrs. Hohmann, used to make this for Christmas. In a very tragic turn of events, my sweet neighbor was taken from us before her time through a common household accident, leaving her family behind. We were all struck by the sudden sadness, but I love making this recipe because I think of her and it keeps the memory alive.

So don't be sad- be happy that a delicious recipe has brought many smiles through the years. And that it is a snap to make and is so yummy!

Layered Mint Fudge

12 oz. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 14 oz. Can Sweetened Evaporated Milk
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 C. White Chocolate Candy Melts (I usually get mine at Michaels or a craft store in the candy section.)
1 Tbsp. Peppermint Extract
Green Food Coloring

In a medium saucepan, or a double boiler, melt the chocolate and 1 Cup of the evaporated milk over low heat, stirring often.
As the chocolate melts and the milk mixes in, pour in the vanilla and blend with a spoon or rubber spatula until smooth. I prefer to use a heat resistant, non stick spatula so that I can use it for double duty when spreading the mix.
Line an 8” or 9" square pan with wax paper or parchment paper. Spread half of the warm chocolate mixture evenly into the bottom of the lined pan. Place pan in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to chill/ harden slightly.
Leave the remaining chocolate in the pot but turn off the heat, leaving it at room temperature. (Leaving it on the heat will burn the mixture.)
While the chocolate cools, melt the white candy and the remaining sweetened evaporated milk in a small saucepan over low heat. Again, stir with a rubber spatula until it is mostly melted, and then add in the peppermint extract and the food coloring. Stir until smooth and melted.
Remove the pan from the fridge and spread the mint mixture evenly on top of the chocolate. Be sure to not wait too long before spreading as the heat from the mint will start to melt the other chocolate, making even spreading difficult.
Cool the pan in the fridge again for another 10-15 minutes until the mint is stiff.
Return the regular chocolate mixture to low heat to soften it again. When the mint is hardened some, spread on the remaining chocolate on top, trying to make some pretty swirls. (Keep in mind this will be cut up, so it doesn’t have to look perfect!)
Cool the entire layered pan for at least 2 hours, or even easier, overnight to harden.
When cooled completely, remove the block of fudge from the pan using the liner paper. For easy clean-up, keep the paper on the bottom until after slicing into pieces.
Using a large chef’s knife, or a similar long, heavy, sharp knife, cut the block of fudge into rows and then across into pieces. They can be as large or small as you’d like, but keep in mind it is very rich, so a little goes a long way.
Store any uneaten fudge in the fridge so it does not get too melty.

Cinnamon Rolls

2008-04-06T16:50:00.003-04:00

We had guests a few weekends ago- one vegetarian and one non-seafood eater- which made for some extra planning for most of my meals. Which meant that when it came to breakfast, I didn't want to have to worry about it, but of course I wanted it to be delicious!

I decided everyone was likely to enjoy cinnamon rolls- warm, sweet, and filling. And the best is that you can make most of the recipe ahead of time! I borrowed a recipe from a member of my online cooking board, Amber, as I have never made them before.

I made the dough, let it rise the first time, & rolled them up on Thursday night and put them in the fridge. On Saturday morning we pulled them out and let them warm up and rise again for a couple of hours. Unfortunately they just never got very fluffy. I don't know if it is the kind of yeast I used or what, but the end result was a very tasty, but too dense bread. I'm used to using yeast dissolved in liquid, not just putting in dry.

I also did not use the lemon zest and only made half of the glaze, which was MORE than enough!

The all important final results though- they were gone by Monday morning when our guests left! I would try these again with some modificiations. Thanks Amber!

To find the recipe, please visit Amber's blog!

A Rich Treat- Guinness Ice Cream

2008-03-17T22:06:00.006-04:00

Nothing says St. Paddy's Day like a pint of the black stuff, Guinness. Yessiree, I'll dance a little Irish jig for you to enjoy a nice cold black brew!

Of course we were going to have Guinness with our meal on March 17th- but I wanted to do something special to cap the evening off right. After some searching, I found an interesting recipe for Guinness ice cream at Boston.com. This, certainly, was what I had been looking for! Too bad I had no ice cream maker at my disposal... but as you may have seen a few posts down, a quick trip to Target elminiated that issue!

So on Sunday night I made the beer flavored custard, which was a little scary for me, since custard is kind of like cooked pudding, which I have a poor track record with. Happily, I came out beautifully. Tonight I got out the frozen canister and got it churning. Oh, it was gorgeous! Thick, creamy, icy- just like ice cream from the store! My only complaint was the molasses flavor- next time I'll reduce it from 2 T, 2 tsp, to just 2 T. of molasses.

Overall, a triumph! It had such a nice bite accompanied by a nice sweetness, and the shortbread I garnished it with added a perfect crunch. Mmmmm-mmmmm!

Guiness Ice Cream
From Boston.com

1/2 Madagascar Vanilla Bean, split lengthwise
1 C. Whole Milk
1 C. Heavy Whipping Cream
3/4 C. Guinness
2 Tbsp. and 2 tsp. Molasses
4 Egg Yolks
1/3 C. Sugar
1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

(As written by The Boston Globe- my edits are in italics and green.) In a medium saucepan, scrape in the vanilla bean seeds. Add the pod, milk, and cream. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn off the heat, cover the pan, and let the flavors infuse for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together the stout and molasses. Bring to a boil and turn off heat.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the yolks, sugar, and vanilla extract. Whisk in a few tablespoons of the hot cream mixture, then slowly whisk in another 1/4 cup of the cream. Add the remaining cream in a steady stream, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan.
Stir the beer mixture into the cream mixture. Cook the custard over medium heat, stirring often with a wooden spoon, for 6 to 8 minutes or until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. (It didn't really "coat" it, but when you are cooking, you'll notice the difference when it just pours right off, versus when it thickens up some.)
Pour the mixture into a bowl, removing the 2 vanilla bean pod halves and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Process the custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

A Touch of the Irish Stew

2008-03-17T20:09:00.006-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Today is the day where everyone is a little Irish and green is prevalent everywhere you go. My great grandmother's family came from Ireland to Nova Scotia and I have the fair skin of a wee bonny lass, though I'm not as wee as in years past! Tonight I wanted to have a good hearty Irish meal, and not corned beef either- blech.

On a blustery day like today, stew makes for a perfect meal to warm you up from the inside. And I had planned head and purchased some lamb meat to serve as the main inspiration for my Emerald Isle stew. Carrots, potatoes, and turnips rounded things out in the pot, although I hear for this to be truly traditional, I should have had some barley in there too, but I didn't have that on hand.

After letting this simmer on the stove for a nice hour and a half though, this was perfect, especially with the Bisquick biscuits hubby whipped up.

First though we started the meal with some Guinness, of course, and a delicious Dubliner cheese- yum!

Traditional Irish Stew

1/2+ lbs. Lamb, cut into small chunks
1 Tbsp. Butter
1-2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion, coarsely chopped
3 C. Light Beef Broth
3 Carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 Turnips, peeled and chopped
1 Celery Stalk, sliced
4 Medium Potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 Sprigs Fresh Thyme Leaves
1 tsp. Black Pepper
1/2 tsp. Dried Rosemary
1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 Bay Leaf
Dash Salt

In a large pot, heat the butter and oil over medium-high heat. Add in the onion and saute a few minutes until slightly softened.
Add in the lamb meat and brown on all sides. Reduce heat to medium.
Add in broth, vegetables, and spices. Cook on a low simmer for an hour to an hour and a half, stirring occasionally and keeping from boiling too hot.
The stew is ready when the potatoes are soft and the meat is tender.

Moroccan Fish

2008-03-16T14:15:00.003-04:00

Faithful readers, you may notice that I am never content to stick with the same flavors or recipes for very long. I like to flex my muscles a lot in the kitchen, traveling the globe through new spices and ingredients. That's a big reason why I do this blog- both to have a good reason to try out new things and to remember what the heck I've already tried!

This recipe was a nice change of pace; I wouldn't have thought to marinate fish in OJ and spices. I chose monkfish based on the recommendations of the fish guy because it didn't have a lot of oil, which apparently is good for marinating. We weren't so into it- it was a little rubbery. The flavor was cool though, I'd try it again with a lighter, thinner fillet like haddock.

Moroccan Fish
Modified from AllRecipes.com

1 Lb. White Fish
1/2 C. Orange Juice
Juice of 1 Lemon
2 Tbsp. Lime Juice
2 tsp. Chipotle Tabasco Sauce
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Cumin
1/2 tsp. Dried Cilantro
1/2 tsp. Garam Marsala
1/2 tsp. Ginger
1/4 tsp. Chili Powder
Dashes of Black Pepper, Turmeric, Cayenne Powder, and Red Chili Flakes

Mix together all of the ingredients except the fish in a large, shallow bowl.
Marinate the fish in the juice/ spice mixture for about 30-60 minutes. You will start to see the fish "cook" in the citrus juices like a ceviche, which was the original intent of the recipe.
Cut the marinated fish into large chunks and cook in a heated saute pan over medium heat.
As the fish starts to cook, add in the marinade and cover the pan to keep the moisture in. If things seem to be getting burny, add a half a cup of water to the mix to cook things off and keep some sauce.
The fish is done when it flakes easily. Serve over white rice.

Mint Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

2008-03-16T13:11:00.004-04:00

Generally speaking I'm not a kitchen gadget kind of gal. I don't see the point of owning a bread maker for example, since I have a Kitchen Aid mixer to handle the kneading and the rising and baking isn't any big deal. But last week I indulged an bought an ice cream maker! And after making this recipe, tee hee, it sure is fun!

I purchased this machine for tomorrow's holiday, St. Patty's Day. I have a Guinness recipe from the Boston Globe magazine that I'm dying to try, and from what I've read, you just can't get good quality freezing trying to make ice cream by hand. So a trip to Target and $30 later, we have a non-rock salt & ice ice cream maker. It has a big canister you keep in the freezer and then the frozen gel inside creates the ice crystals in the ice cream.

Adam LOVES mint chocolate chip ice cream- it's his favorite. And lo and behold that's just the recipe on the outside of the box! We christened our new toy with a minty batch- very tasty. It wasn't as dense as I would have liked, but it was very rich and delicious. I do love that I know exactly the raw ingredients going into what I eat- no preservatives or chemicals here. Just creamy, rich ice cream...

Mint Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream
From the Rival box, Makes 1 quart

1 C. Whole Milk
1/2 C. Sugar
Dash of Salt
1 C. Heavy Cream
1/2 tsp. Peppermint Extract
Green Food Coloring
2/3 C. Chocolate Chunks

In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, sugar, and salt until the sugar has completely dissolved.
Blend in the cream, extract, and coloring until smooth.
Add into the ice cream maker's canister and start churning. You'll see the freezing along the edges right away- it is so cool!
After about 15 minutes, when the ice cream is getting thick, add in the chocolate chunks.
Let the maker finish churning the ice cream and then enjoy straight out of the canister! Any leftovers should be put in an air tight container in the freezer. We found it was denser the second night.

Bland with Bacon?

2008-03-16T11:49:00.003-04:00

I had some uncooked, opened bacon in my fridge last week. Mmmmm, bacon... I wanted to make a dinner to use them, but I didn't want to just wrap the bacon around something and slap it in the oven. Sure, that's tasty, but not very creative.

We hadn't been eating much of one of my husband's favorite foods lately- pasta. Okay, so why not whip up something with bacon for some spaghetti- not a carbonara, but something delicious.

I had lots of great things to work with- bacon, sun dried tomatoes, regular tomatoes, and great spices. I combined all these lovely flavors together and ended up with... a decidedly dull meal. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad and we ate it all, but it was *nothing* to write home about. In other words, we won't be having this again.

What a waste of perfectly wonderful bacon. The picture at least came out lovely!

Sun-Dried Tomato & Bacon Pasta
Modified from AllRecipes.com

1 Box Long Pasta (spaghetti, angel hair, etc.)
4-5 Sliced Bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 Onion, chopped
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 14.5 Can Diced Cooked Tomatoes
1/2 C. Red Wine
1/2 C. Julienne-Cut Sun-Dried Tomato
2 tsp. Fresh Rosemary, chopped
1 tsp. Dried Basil
1 tsp. Dried Oregano

Cook the pasta according to the package.
Fry the bacon, allowing to cool on paper towels to drain. Will be used later in crumbled form.
In a large pan, cook the onion and garlic over medium heat, using 1 Tbsp. of olive oil.
When the onion is soft, add in the tomatoes, wine, bacon, and spices. Simmer over medium-high heat, allowing to simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Serve over the hot, drained pasta with grated Parmesan or Romano. Or don't serve it at all since it was only mediocre!!!

Shrimp Enchiladas

2008-03-15T18:27:00.004-04:00

I had a wonderful seafood enchilada dinner planned- I was going to make a whole batch with crab and shrimp and maybe regular fillet fish. Strike one- no canned crab in the pantry. Strike two- no regular fish in the freezer. Crap!

So I went on with plans, revamping to just use shrimp. I cooked up the shrimp filling, warmed up the creamy sauce, and got out the big dish. I look in the shrimp pan and realize that I hardly have any filling! Grrr, strike three!

Redirecting again... got a smaller oval dish, and filled up my 2 tortillas. There was a ton of sauce, but I poured it on anyway and baked it, figuring there wouldn't be enough for dinner. Boy was I wrong- delicious and SO filling! I mean, we're talking restaurant quality here. I suppose the butter and cream and cheese helps!

Next time I'm eager to add in the crab and fish and maybe make a few more enchiladas, but this was a super tasty dinner for a special treat now and again!

Shrimp Enchiladas
Modified from AllRecipes.com

1 Lb. Shrimp, raw and chopped
(For next time) 1 Can Crab meat and 1/2 Lbs. Cooked White Fish, flaked
2 Cloves Garlic, chopped
1 Medium Onion, chopped
2-3 Tbsp. Butter
2/3 C. Sour Cream (fat free is fine)
1/4 C. Skim Milk
1/4 C. Heavy Cream
1 Small can Chopped Green Chilis
1 tsp. Chili Powder
1 tsp. Onion Powder
1 tsp. Dried Cilantro
1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp. Dried Oregano
1/2 tsp. Dried Parsley
1 1/2 C. Monterrey Jack Cheese, shredded
Chopped Black Olives
Fresh Cilantro, chopped

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium saute pan, cook the onion and garlic over medium heat.
Add in shrimp and cook through until good and pink.
While onion and garlic are cooking, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low-medium heat.
Add in the sour cream, milk, and regular cream. Be sure to keep the heat fairly low so the sour cream doesn't get funky. As the mixture heats up, add in the green chilis and spices.
As the shrimp finishes cooking, add in about 1/4 C. of the enchilada sauce into the filling mixture. This keeps them good and moist while cooking.
In a tortilla, put in a small handful of cheese. On top of the cheese, put in a decent amount of shrimp filling. As I said above, I only got 2 tortillas out of this, so I put in half. Roll the tortilla and place it in the dish.
Repeat with as many tortillas as you can cram in!
Pour the sauce over the enchiladas, and then put cheese on top of everything. Last step, sprinkle on the black olives and cilantro.
Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes until bubbly. Serve warm while you're hungry!

Homegrown Gourmet 6 - Frittata

2008-03-09T12:02:00.010-04:00

It's Homegrown Gourmet time boys and girls!

They say that BREAKFAST is the most important meal of the day. I, um, generally don't get around to eating breakfast. Mornings are not my thing, and by the time I'm hungry at the office, it's around 10:30 or 11 AM- almost lunch. So this round of Homegrown Gourmet was a challenge.

Homegrown Gourmet challenges participants to make a dish that fits the chosen theme and incorporates local ingredients, recipes, or inspiration. Our host this round is Michelle at Culinography. When she announced we'd be working under the constraint of the first meal of the day, I was a little stumped.

I'm up here in New England, USA and honestly, breakfast 'round these parts is pretty utilitarian. We eat oatmeal, or toast, or yogurt, or cold cereal, or something equally dull. I mean, when you think of the Pilgrims, you aren't just waiting to get into the kitchen to cook up their gourmet meals. So interesting local recipes were out. So I moved on to ingredients... I've already used blueberries and lobster an didn't want to reuse them again so quickly. What to do, what to do...

Then it popped into my head, a little jingle that was prevalent in New England in the 80's from the local egg board... "Brown eggs are local eggs, and local eggs are fresh!" The color of an egg's shell is determined by the type of chicken that lays it- I've heard it's related to the color of the chicken, but I don't know if that's true. Either way, the chickens that are hearty enough to survive and produce eggs up north here create lovely brown eggs. I'll admit it, I always buy brown eggs because of that commercial, and New England is the only place in the States where brown eggs regularly out-sell white ones.

So what to do with eggs besides just scrambling them. I wanted something special, something worthy of a great blogging event. I rattled my brain, and came up with a frittata using local brown eggs and Maine potatoes, spiced up with smoked Gouda and bacon. It was quite tasty, and could be modified to add any type of delicious meat or veggie. I will say though, I think I found the recipe for glue- it's shredded Maine potatoes and chopped onion. Dang, that was sticky stuff! I could not for the life of me get the taters crisp, which is a shame, because it would have enhanced the meal. Maybe next time I'll use baked potato shreds rather than raw potatoes. To top the whole thing off, I decorated my plate with Cape Cod dried cranberries for presentation!

Maine Brown Egg Frittata

4 Slices Cooked Bacon
2-3 Maine Potatoes, shred (I recommend cooking whole, then shredding.)
1 Small Onion, chopped
6 Eggs
1/2 C. Sliced Fresh Mushrooms
1 tsp. Fresh Thyme Leaves
1 C. Smoked Gouda, shred
Black Pepper to taste

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees.
In a skillet, cook the potato and onion in a little bit of oil, or you can use the same pain you cooked the bacon in. This is what I did, although I poured out most of the grease, so just a thin layer was left.
Cook the potatoes and onions until the potatoes are crisp. Hopefully you won't end up with a ball of glue like I did!
Spread potato mixture over the bottom of a pie plate and set aside.
In a medium bowl, crack all the eggs and scramble. Stir in the mushrooms, thyme, Gouda, and pepper. Crumble in the bacon to the eggs, and stir in. Pour egg mixture over the potatoes in the pie plate.
Bake in the hot oven for about 20 minutes or until the eggs in the center is solid and set up.

Cornmeal Crusted "Catfish" & Dirty Rice

2008-03-06T23:27:00.004-05:00

Howdy y'all! Tonight I took a trip down the bayou for something to keep us warm on a raw, cold night in the Northeast. Now, I may be mixing my regions and cuisines here, as I am in fact a Yankee. And in the process, I could be offending any lovely loyal readers in the hot and steamy Southeast- if so, I'm sorry! I really did try to make you proud tonight!

I started off on the wrong foot though- I was planning on using the catfish I had in my freezer, but knowing how long it would take to defrost I stopped by the fish counter at Whole Foods to pick up a fresh catch since I was there to buy rice anyway. Well, wouldn't you know they of course had no catfish. So I had to sub in tilapia. Totally not the same flavor, but it was the right texture.

Second mistake, while at Whole Foods I forgot to pick up celery. I might be a northerner, but I know it pretty much ain't Cajun if it doesn't have celery. Shoot, strike 2!

However, I think I earn some points here because in my dirty rice, not only did I use a nice sausage with some heat, but I also bought honest-to-God chicken livers which I chopped and cooked. They were gross. And I still have half a pound in my fridge with no clue what to do with them. (Suggestions as welcomed- leave a comment with some inspiration! Hubby says we should feed them to Tyson the cat.)

Overall, the meal was a big hit! Both the rice and fish really should have been hotter. Some Tabasco would have been great on the fish, but by the time I sat I didn't want to get back up. The fillets cooked up really nice with the crust starting to come off and the rice made a ton and was delicious.

Inspired by Paula Deen and Emeril's recipes

Yankee Dirty Rice

2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
1/2 Lb. Chorico Sausage, chopped into small pieces (This is a mid-heat Spanish sausage- other sausage meat could be subbed)
1/2 Lb. Chicken Livers, chopped (ew!)
1 Onion, chopped
1 Green Pepper, chopped
1 Tbsp. Paprika
1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
2 tsp. Dry Mustard
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Black Pepper
1 tsp. Thyme
1 tsp. Oregano
1 tsp. Chili Powder
Dash Cayenne (Next time I'll use 1/2+ tsp.)
3 C. Cooked, Hot White Rice

Heat the oil in a large saute pan or medium pot over medium heat. Add in the sausage and liver, cooking until browned.
Add in onion, pepper and spices. Cook until the onion and pepper are tender.
Stir in cooked rice and stir to thoroughly coat.

Cornmeal Crusted "Catfish"
From AllRecipes.com

3 Firm White Fish Fillets- preferably Catfish, but Tilapia will do
1 Egg
1-2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
1/2 C. Flour
1/4 C. Cornmeal
2 tsp. Chili Powder
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Oregano
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
Vegetable Oil for light frying

In a shallow bowl or dish, beat the egg with the lemon juice until you have an even consistancy as best as possible.
In a separate shallow dish, blend the flour, cornmeal, and spices, again acheiving a consistant blend.
Heat about 3 Tbsp. oil over medium high heat in a large, flat skillet or pan.
Dredge each fillet in the cornmeal mix first, shaking off any excess. Then dip it lightly through the egg wash and coat it again in the cornmeal, making sure no fish is visible.
Place each fillet in the hot pan and allow it to cook until the cornmeal batter is crispy and brown. You may experience the batter pulling away from the fish- that's ok, just be careful not to pull it off.
Flip the fish once to cook and brown the other side. All the fish should be able to be cooked in one pan, but if you are working with a small dish, make sure you allow each fillet enough room, even if that means cooking in batches.
When fish is cooked through, remove the fillets to a plate with papertowels to drain. Serve hot!

Crockpot Beef Bourig... um, something French

2008-03-06T23:15:00.008-05:00

OK- I hate the French language! I admit it. Something about French really drives me up a wall. It really is a very pretty language to listen to- much better than Spanish, German, English. But it bugs me. What makes it worse is I can't pronounce anything French. Including the name of this recipe... Bourguignon.

As I've said time and time again, I generally don't make beef meals because I stink at cooking it. And my poor little husband is saddened because he really does like it, especially as a special treat now and again. So I decided to use the crockpot to see if I could make a tasty tender beef dish.

According to him, this was great. The meat was in fact very tender, it smelled wonderful, and the flavors all melded together nicely, but I didn't like it. I think I've come to the conclusion that I don't really like tomato-based flavors. I like pasta sauce, and I like raw tomatoes, but you can keep your tomato soup, your tomato chili and apparently your tomato infused beef bourguignon. Sorry hon, this one ain't comin' back. I will however use the same process to make you beef again soon.

French Beef Bourguignon
Slightly modified from Crock-Pot.com

1+ lbs Boneless Beef Chuck, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 C. Carrots, sliced
1 Small Onion, chopped
1 14.5 oz Can Diced Tomatoes, undrained
1 C. Mushrooms, sliced
1 C Cheap Red Wine
1 tsp. Salt
1 Tbsp. Fresh Thyme Leaves
1 Tbsp. Fresh Basil, chopped
2 tsp. Dry Mustard
1 tsp. Black Pepper
1/4 C. Red Wine
2 Tbsp. Flour

In a pan, brown the beef on all sides.
Pour cooked beef into slow cooker and add in all the remaining ingredients except the final 1/4 C. wine and flour. Give a stir to blend.
Cook over Low heat for 5-7 hours.
About 15 minutes before serving, blend together the remaining wine and flour to create a thick slurry. Gently stir in this mixture to the beef, raise the heat to High and allow the sauce to thicken up some. This will serve as a type of gravy.
Serve over egg noodles or rice.

Mom made, Cat approved. Yup, our cat Tyson coveted dinner while I photographed it on the only available surface in the house, the loveseat, thanks to my husband's architecture projects coating the dining room table and the rest of our tables being swamped in papers and junk. Ty Guy was good though- he gave it some big sniffs but stayed in his donut bed. Good boy.

Cranberry Apricot Chicken

2008-03-06T22:41:00.007-05:00

As many of us out there are trying to do, Adam and I make a point to eat healthy most of the time. And eating healthy means chicken shows up on the menu a lot. I mean, quite a bit. And we get sick of the same flavors over and over.

My boss, Leslie, has helped me combat boring chicken with a great and easy recipe. When you are sick of creamy, spicy, tangy, limey, smokey, and savory poultry, why not give sweet a try! Generally Adam isn't a big sweet for dinner kind of guy, whereas I was raised on applesauce, corn, and cranberry sauce. (I wouldn't eat my veggies and my parents would feed me anything if it was remotely produce related!) But happily, hubby really liked this, as did I.

It is supposed to be made with fresh, raw cranberries, but sadly, it is March in Maine and fresh local fruit is hard to come by. As in I couldn't find ANY raw or frozen berries in the 2 stores I looked. I had to sub in dried, but the issue with that is they coat them in sugar. But you make do with what you've got available, right?

I think the best part of this were the toasted almonds. They added a great crunch and complimented the fruits wonderfully. Don't leave them out or I think you'll lose some of the delight of this meal. I served this with a nice side of fresh spinach and Mom's Rice Pilaf.

Cranberry Apricot Chicken
From Manager Leslie

4-6 Thin Sliced Chicken Breasts
1/2 tsp. Dried Sage
1/2 tsp. Dried Thyme
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 14 oz. Can Apricot Halves, with syrup
1/2 C. Cranberries
1/2 C. Sliced Almonds, toasted

Rub both sides of the chicken breasts with the sage, thyme, and S&P.
Heat a few Tbsp. of olive oil in a large saute pan on the stovetop. Place the breasts in the pan and cook almost all the way through, flipping once to brown both sides. (I should have browned mine at a higher heat. They were a little pale, but I couldn't wait any longer to continue or my chicken would have been way over cooked.)
Pour in the can of apricot halves and the syrup. Stir in the cranberries as well, and simmer for about 10-15 minutes until the syrup thickens some.
Serve chicken and fruit warm with almonds sprinkled on top of the dish!

Seared Sea Scallops

2008-03-05T13:46:00.007-05:00

Mmmmm-mmmm! We love seafood, just about any of it! We'll take it sauteed, fried, steamed, slathered in butter, lightly herb seasoned or raw in sushi. One of Adam's favorites is sea scallops. I don't get them very often though as they are getting more and more expensive.

They can be a little tricky to prepare as if you cook them too long you end up with rubber door stoppers rather than delicate fish flesh. And since I dont' cook with them often, I struggle with ways to prepare them that are tasty, interesting, and not threatening to be overcooked!

I found this great recipe on AllRecipes.com last year while out searching for something I could prepare with scallops. It is so freaking good- and beautiful to serve too! I modified it a little, served it with bread to dip in my sauce and a nice fresh salad. Yummy.

Seared Sea Scallops with White Wine Sauce
Modified from AllRecipe.com

1/2 tsp. Oregano
1/2 tsp. Thyme
1 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Black Pepper
2 Tbsp. Flour
2 tsp. Grated Parmesan
12-18 Fresh Sea Scallops
2-3 Tsbp. Olive Oil
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
1/2 C. Dry White Wine
1 Tbsp. Butter
Lemon Juice

In a large ziplock bag, comgine the dry ingredients and shake to mix. Add in the scallops and shake to lightly coat them.
In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil and lemon juice over medium-high heat.
Place as many scallops as you can in a single layer into the hot pan. Cook the bottoms of the scallops until nicely browned and then manually flip to brown the top. Each side should only take about 3-4 minutes and the centers should be cooked through when completed both sides- slice a big one open to check.
When browned, move to a bowl to keep warm and cook any remaining scallops in the same manner. I covered my bowl with foil to keep the shellfish warm and moist.
After removing all cooked scallops, make a sauce to by adding wine, butter, and additional lemon juice to your taste. Stir over med-high heat to simmer and reduce, adding all the browned bits into the mix.

Eat to the Beat: Chocolate Chile Cupcakes

2008-03-02T15:43:00.007-05:00

New blogging event!

Elly at Elly Says Opa! has a new blogging event called Eat to the Beat that marries 2 creative arts- music and cooking. How fun! I initially wasn't going to participate due to Homegrown Gourmet 6 coming up and my complete lack of ideas. But then I realized I've got another week for HG6. And I was listening to some music at work and had a stroke of inspiration!

I baked a unique little recipe inspired by the Squirrel Nut Zipper's "Hell." It's a dark little ditty about Satan's neighborhood set to a calypso tune- very fun. You can find the video at good 'ol YouTube.com.

As I sat there working on a powerpoint presentation I heard these lyrics through my headphones:

This is a place where eternally
Fire is applied to the body
Teeth are extruded and bones are ground
And made into cakes that are passed around!

Cakes! Evil little hell cakes! Wouldn't that be fun! I kept listening...

Well the D and the A and the M and the N
And the A and the T and the I-O-N
Lose your face, lose your name
And get fitted for a suit of flame!

Of course, the cakes shall be cupcakes that spell out damnation- how delightful! The last thing to figure out was the flavor. I considered something with marshmallows to incorporate the extruded teeth, red velvet to harken the molten colors of hell, and of course Devil's Food cake. I settled on something a little different though, inspired by the continual reference to the fire and flames- a chocolate cake infused with the heat of chiles!!!

The cake turned out great- really moist and a great hint of heat! And the decorations were fun too. The cinnamon cream cheese frosting was disappointing though- it just didn't match. The cream cheese took away from the spicy flavor of the cake. I think I would have been better off just using a little bit of buttercream for the lettering and then just powdered sugar and cinnamon to top them.

It was such a fun event though! Thanks Elly!

Chocolate Chile Cupcakes
Modified from Epicurious.com

1 1/2 C. Sugar
3/4 C. Buttermilk
1/2 C. Water
1/3 C. Vegetable Oil
2 Eggs
1 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract
1 Poblano Pepper, seeded and pureed
1 1/2 C. Flour
3/4 C. Cocoa
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. +/- Cayenne Powder
3/4 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and prepare a cupcake pan either by putting in cupcake liners or greasing/ flouring.
In a stand mixer, cream the sugar, buttermilk, water, oil, eggs, vanilla, and pepper puree until smooth.
Technically you're supposed to mix the dry ingredients together first and then add it to the wet stuff, but I never do that- dump in all the dry ingredients and mix well until lumps are gone. I did it on medium/ medium-high speed for about 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape the sides of the bowl.
Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 to 3/4 full. These cupcakes do puff up quite a bit on the top, but I was ok with a solid 2/3 full. Makes 20 cupcakes.
Bake in the heated oven for about 20-24 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and allow to sit in the pan for a minute or so. Remove from the pan to a wire cooling rack. Decorate with a powdered sugar/ cinnamon blend or allow to cool before frosting. I used the cream cheese cinnamon frosting from below, but I would recommend either a plain vanilla buttercream, or maybe a cinnamon or chocolate flavor.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
From Betty Crocker

About 6 oz. Cream Cheese or Neufatchel Cheese, softened
3 Tbsp. Butter, softened
1 tsp. Milk
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 tsp. Cinnamon
2 C. Powdered/ Confectioners Sugar

In a mixer, whip together the cream cheese, butter, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon until light and fluffy.
Add in powdered sugar, starting with a cup and then adding more. Blend in on medium speed until smooth and thick.
This makes enough for at least 2 dozen cupcakes.

Successful Brownies- Hoorah!

2008-02-28T22:04:00.004-05:00

Faithful blog readers, you might be wondering why my subject is so excited about something as commonplace as brownies. Brownies- a classic dessert, simple in its existence and a basic for any cook/ baker.

Well, it was never basic for me, so leave me alone!! I have never made a successful brownie before. They've always been too hard, too bland, too thin- just not good. For the record, [I also suck at making Jell-o, cooked (not instant) pudding, and steak. I know, those aren't complicated either, but I've had bad results multiple times with each.]

My Adam loves brownies. He maintains if it isn't chocolate it isn’t a worthwhile dessert. I personally beg to differ, but that's a completely different topic. I felt bad that I have never made him brownies due to my terrible history with them.

This past weekend I looked that dessert horse in the eye again, got back in the saddle, and amazingly enough I made delicious brownies- hoorah indeed! Many thanks to the Hershey company- I now have an amazing chocolate cake and brownie recipe in my repertoire thanks to them.

Brownies
From Hersheys.com

1/2 C. (1 stick) Butter, melted
1 C. Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs
1/2 C. Flour
1/3 C. Cocoa Powder
1/4 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 C. Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8" or 9" square pan.
In a mixer, blend the butter, sugar, and vanilla. Add in the eggs and mix again until smooth, using a rubber spatula to clean the sides.
Add in the rest of the ingredients except the chocolate chips and mix thoroughly. Again, use the spatula to make sure the creamed mixture on the bottom gets integrated.
Gently stir in the chips and then pour batter evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and the brownies pull away from the side of the pan slightly. Remove from oven and cool in pan on a wire rack, or in my case, just on a gas stove burner.
When the pan is cooled, slice the brownies and enjoy!

I ate one warm, and it was delicious and gooey. I probably could have cooked mine another minute as even after they cooled completely, the brownies still were very crumbly. But c'mon, no one will fault a brownie for being a little too moist, right?! You could also add in nuts, more chocolate chips, or other goodies, and the original recipe says to frost these, but I hate frosted brownies- they are plenty good in their pure form to me!

Sun-Dried Tomato & Artichoke Chicken

2008-02-28T20:26:00.000-05:00

It’s been a while since I dug into my Google Reader for a dinner recipe and I was looking for something new and exciting to make this week. I perused my starred recipes and found something delicious looking from Lani. It has multiple foods that we love- artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, and chicken. How could we go wrong!?

We couldn’t- it was delightful! I modified her recipe just a bit- subbed in heavy cream for butter, reduced the amount of chicken, and didn’t bother with the flour. We served this over egg noodles and loved it. My husband kept saying how much he liked the tomato flavor!

Oh, there was one horrible thing about this meal, and it has nothing to do with the recipe. So I needed canned artichokes- great, I had 2 cans of Reese Artichoke Hearts in the pantry. These are good quality, large artichoke hearts that have a good flavor and seem pretty fresh. I opened up a can and pulled out 5 hearts to include in this recipe. I would slice each one in half, and then cut each half into a few pieces. La dee da, I get to the 4th one and slice it in half. Something catches my eye and I think it is a mini artichoke bud inside the middle- you know, like what green peppers start to grow along the stem when you let them sit too long?

I am so very very sad to say it was not a mini artichoke growing inside, though it was organic. It was a dead green caterpillar!!!!!! EW EW EW EW!!! Hubby was there when I was picking it out with my fingers to see what it was and we both proceeded to do the icky icky gross dance after I dropped the misplaced insect onto the cutting board. EW EW EW!!!!! Thank god I didn’t cut the thing in half- I might have barfed. This thing was folded/ curled in half and was at least an inch long if I had stretched it out. EW. Needless to say, we threw out the bug and the artichoke it came from. We went ahead and ate the other ones from that can, figuring (praying?) any grossness would be cooked off. Still, ew.

Don’t let that dissuade you from trying this recipe though- just check your ‘chokes!

Sun-Dried Tomato & Artichoke Chicken
Modified from Lani’s Pleasure Cooker

1 Large Chicken Breast, cut into bite sized pieces
Olive Oil for sautéing
1/2 C. White Cooking Wine
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
1 C. Artichoke Hearts, drained, sliced, and de-wormed (EW!)
1/3 C. Julienne-cut Sun-Dried Tomatoes
6-8 Fresh Thyme Sprigs
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/2 C. Heavy Cream
2 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese, finely grated

In a large sauté pan, heat some olive oil over medium heat and cook the chicken. Do not overcook it though, as it will continue to sit in the hot pan while the rest of the ingredients are incorporated.
Add in the white wine and cook over medium-high until it reduces, about 2-3 minutes.
Stir in the lemon juice, artichokes, and sun-dried tomatoes. Remove the leaves from the thyme sprigs and stir those in with the salt & pepper. To get the leaves off of fresh thyme, hold the leafy end of the sprig in one hand with your thumb and finger. Using the thumb and finger of your other hand, gently and quickly snap the leaves off, moving from the top of the sprig to the bottom. This reverse directional motion with your fingernails should pop off the leaves- and leave your hands smelling lovely!
Stir in the cream to the mixture and let it simmer for a couple of minutes, again to reduce the liquid.
Just before serving, stir in the grated cheese so that it all melts into the recipe. Serve over egg noodles, other pasta, or even rice or bread for a hearty meal!

Be excellent to each other. And party on, dudes!

2008-02-28T19:59:00.000-05:00

I've been bestowed quite an honor... Kate from Paved from Good Intentions thinks I'm excellent! Not only is it cool that someone really enjoys reading my blog and thinks it qualifies as excellent, it was Kate! I totally think she's excellent! I read her posts out loud to my husband so he can know how cool and funny she is. If I lived on the West Coast near her, I'd want to be her friend.

So I've made Bill S. Preston, Esquire and Ted "Theodore" Logan proud by being excellent. Now I get to let you folks in cyberspace know about some other folks that I think are equally great.

After some deep thought, here's who I pass this award on to and why:

Kendraspondence is a super fun blog. Kendra is a Boston gal who is nothing if not hilarious. She's a talented wordsmith and I just love her take on life. Not to mention she's got an adorable new baby girl, and who doesn't think a blog with new baby girl's are excellent!

Speaking of adorable baby girls, my next recipient has 2 of them, twins in fact! Nicole of Ginka's Goodies is someone I actually know in real life off the web, and she's a sweetheart. But that's not just why she's excellent, her blog is great. She has lots of great every day stuff, but I love her Indian foods. Some of her hubby's family is still in India, so I know her stuff is good. Now I just need to build up the courage to try some!!!

The last blog I want to recognize as Excellent is Oishii, a blog written by an American, Brianna, living in Japan. Just like Ginka's Goodies, Oishii is an ethnic smorgasbord. Her perspective on trying to cook standard American fare as well as highlighting some of the wonderful cuisines around her. And on top of enjoying all the food, I love hearing about her experiences overseas- very cool!

So that's it! Congrats from little 'ol me gals!

Corn & Sausage Chowder

2008-02-28T19:56:00.001-05:00

This week I have made a plethora of comfort foods that all seem to have a ton of leftovers. We had meatloaf & potatoes on Friday, this delicious chowder on Sunday, and lasagna on Monday, and crockpot BBQ pulled pork sandwiches Wednesday. It’s been doing a lot of snowing up here in Maine, so maybe my body is craving these warm, hearty meals. Can someone please tell my body bathing suit season is just around the corner and salads might be a better option?!

Anyways, I tried this soup last year after finding it on AllRecipes.com. I had purchased the Italian Seasoned ground turkey by accident and was looking for a way to use it up. This fit the bill perfectly! I increased the amount of corn from the original and should have cooked it a little longer this time to get it creamier from the potatoes. All in all, it was really tasty. I did make bread bowls to serve it in, but they came out significantly smaller than last time and fit only about 4 spoonfuls in each bowl! Oops! It was still an excellent meal.

Corn & Sausage Chowder
Modified from AllRecipes.com

1-1.5 lbs. Italian Seasoned Ground Turkey
1 Onion, chopped
5-6 Medium Potatoes, peeled & cubed (about 3 cups)
2 C. Water
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Dried Marjoram
Heavy Dash Black Pepper
2 15 oz. Cans Corn, drained
1 Can Creamed Corn
1 12 oz. Can Evaporated Milk

In a large soup pot, cook the turkey over medium/ med-high heat until it is browned and just about cooked through. You’ll want the meat crumbled into small pieces. My pictures show sausage that is a little too large! If there seems to be an excess of fat, you can drain it, but I find the little bit of grease the turkey produces enhances the soup.
Add in the potatoes, water, and spices. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
Stir in the corn, creamed corn, and evaporated milk. Heat through and serve hot.

Classic Cornbread

2008-02-28T18:55:00.000-05:00

I’ll admit it, I used to only ever make cornbread from the Jiffy mix box. In my defense, I thought it was hard to make so I never looked into it. Well geez was I wrong! I made my first cornbread from scratch last year and could not believe how simple it is. I’ve tried a couple of versions now, and I think this is my favorite. It is sweet, without being heavy or overwhelming. It is moist, but still has a good dry crumble to it. Not bland, not showy- just nice like a good cornbread should be! Good ol’ Betty Crocker, sometimes she just plain knows her stuff!

We enjoyed this with from scratch baked beans and a fake chicken BBQ I threw together. Yeah, fake BBQ as in I cooked the chicken in a pan and then threw prepared BBQ sauce on it. It was tasty, but the bread and the beans were the stars this evening!

Sorry for the crappy picture, I didn't realize I hadn't blogged about this before, so I didn't really take good pics of the cornbread!

Classic Cornbread
From Betty Crocker

1 C. Milk
1/4 C. Butter, softened
1 Egg
1 1/4 C. Cornmeal
1 C. Flour
1/2 C. Sugar
3 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease and flour a round 9 1/2” or square 8” pan.
In a mixing bowl, mix together the milk, butter, and egg until well beaten.
Add in remaining dry ingredients and mix until everything is just moist. It will be thick.
Pour into the prepared pan.
Bake in the oven 20-25 minutes until golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Mine only took about 20 minutes.
Remove from oven, allow to cool for just a minute or two, then carefully slice and serve!

Bean’s “Baked” Beans

2008-02-28T18:18:00.000-05:00

As someone who cooks dinner at home almost every night, my pantry is well stocked. I try to keep all the standards that we like on hand for whatever I decide to whip up on a given evening. And I usually make things from scratch, but some dishes- especially side dishes- I just can’t be bothered to do all that work. I mean, I do work full time and like to have some free time after work! So things like pasta sauce, Goya red beans & rice, salsa, refried beans, and soups live in the pantry for when I’m lazy or just don’t want to do it all.

Well, I made [link]cornbread and fake BBQ chicken the other night and knew that baked beans would be perfect to round out the meal. [Trit-trot, trit-trot, down to the basement pantry to get a can I go!] What the deuce, I somehow don’t have a can of baked beans waiting for me! Has the world gone wrong?!

Clearly I have forgotten to purchase a replacement can from the last time we ate beans. (Of course, I have 2 unopened jars of sun-dried tomatoes and another 2 giant jars of green olives. Sometimes I think I’m out and buy more of these random things only to find 10 on the shelves already.)

What’s a chef to do!? Nothing else would do for a side dish- certainly not with what I had on hand. I went back upstairs to look at recipes and decided to do it from scratch myself. Lo and behold- they were great! I didn’t bother baking them- a nice simmer on the stovetop did the trick perfectly. They smelled delicious, tasted authentic, and I had everything I needed in the house. Only thing I would have liked to improve the taste would be to add a piece of bacon or bacon fat for some extra depth.

Bean’s Last Minute, From Scratch “Baked” Beans

1 Can Cannelloni Beans, drained
1 Can Light Red Kidney Beans, drained
1/4 C. Chopped Onion
1/2 C. Molasses
1 Tbsp. Ketchup
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp. Ground Mustard

Combine everything in a medium saucepan.
Heat over medium heat, achieving a very low simmer.
Cook uncovered for 15-25 minutes until warmed through and liquid is reduced just a little.

Me Me Meme!!!

2008-02-28T16:56:00.001-05:00

I've been tagged! TWICE!!! I have to tell you, I really like being tagged. This may come from my extreme Leo personality- you know, the one that makes me think I'm great and makes me want to be the center of attention all the time. I also have no problem sharing all sorts of ridiculous things about myself, so I think I'm a pretty good tag candidate.

Don't take that too far, readers- I'm not doing a meme every week. It's just nice to feel included.

So I've been tagged twice with the same meme. One came from Jennyfer at Jennyfer's Culinary Creations and the other from Danielle at Make No Little Meals. Here's the view into my little world:

What were you doing 10 years ago?
I was finishing up my sophomore year at college. I served as a Resident Assistant that year and got involved in the community service group, Circle K- which is the collegiate Kiwanis/ Key Club group. I didn't like college that much but I met some amazing people through those 2 groups- so that's what I think about from those years!

What were you doing 1 year ago?
We celebrated 1 year in Maine, which was also 1 year in our first home.

Five snacks you enjoy
Ok, well I'll answer this, but it doesn't mean I eat all of these things!
- Doritos
- Nuts- smoked almonds and pistachios in particular
- Dried fruit, especially dried cherries
- Popcorn, popped on the stove and lightly salted
- Cookies

5 Things I would do if I was a millionaire
- Have 3 kids
- Travel Europe, preferably before the 3 kids!
- Invest $250,000 so that I don't have to worry about saving for retirement later
- Buy a wardrobe that maybe is actually fashionable- and maybe hire Stacy London to help me
- Um, I think that would be enough. I mean, if I were pulling in a million a year, then maybe I'd have my architect hubby build our dream house on a big plot of land, but if it's one lump sum, I'd be out after all this other stuff!

5 Bad Habits- Nagging my husband
- Not finishing projects I've started
- Not hanging up my coat when I get home or putting things in an out of the way designated spot
- Jack rabbit starts and slam on the brakes stops
- Oh, here's a weird one... in the shower, I take hair that comes out when I'm shampooing and put it on the wall. I usually wash it down at the end, but sometimes I forget- ick.

5 things you would never wear again
- Neon scrunchies
- A giant wall of bangs
- Stirrup pants
- Oversized lame concert T's
- Black vinyl pants- not because I don't want to, but because I've porked out and my husband doesn't take me clubbing

5 Favourite (kitchen) Toys
- My garlic smasher/ meat pounder (It's a big heavy metal circle with a handle in the middle.)
- Micro grater
- Lime juicer
- Rice cooker
- 9" Chef's knife

Now I tag Martha, Michelle, and Candace. Yeah, I know I'm supposed to tag 5 folks, but I don't want to innundate too many people!

Seriously, it can't be exciting every night

2008-02-19T21:18:00.004-05:00

I've received some very kind words about my blog and the high quality of the dishes I proudly display. I'm always so flattered when they arrive! And I've had folks look at the site and say things like, "Oh, I don't know how you make all those fancy things. How do you find the time and inspiration?"

I always tell folks that it helps that a) food is my #1 hobby and b) I have no children yet! But more importantly I tell them that not every night is something new and exciting and "fancy." And just to prove that I'm not just "being modest" or flat our lying, here's what my darling foodie husband and I ate this past Monday night on a day off. Keep in mind, I had all day to prepare this masterpiece...

Yup, it's mac n' cheese from the blue box, guppy shaped fish nuggets I heated in the toaster oven, and a random salad. And we ate and enjoyed every bite with no shame!

(Note that this post is labeled as both "Less than Gourmet" which is obvious, and also "Not Cooking Related" because cooking had nothing to do with this meal! Ha!)

Greek Inspired Orzo

2008-02-19T20:23:00.005-05:00

I bought a whole bunch of feta recently for a nice salad, and had a bunch left over. What to do, what to make? Stuffed chicken? Nah. A salad? Too wimpy for this night. Regular pasta with yummy toppings? Boring. Something with lamb or another red meat? I didn't have those things. Hmmmm....

I did a little poking around on the ol' Internet to see what I could find. I borrowed from a whole gaggle of recipes and came up with a Greek inspired smorsgabord that was tasty and filling. It was simple and easy and was a really good leftover dish. Yum!

Greek Inspired Orzo

1/2 Box Orzo pasta
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1/4 C. Chopped Onion
1 Large Tomato, chopped
1 Small Can Sliced Olive
4-5 Artichoke Hearts, quartered
2-3 Small Cooked Mild Italian Sausages, sliced
Olive Oil
1/2 to 1 C. Crumbled Feta Cheese

In a medium pot, cook the orzo according to the package.
In a separate medium saute pan, put in a little olive oil and saute the onions and garlic.
Add in the tomato and cook over medium to reduce it down.
Pour in some water if it is getting too dry in the pan. Add the olives, artichokes, and sausage and heat through.
At the end of cooking, pour in any desired olive oil to moisten the mixture. This is totally subjective to your tastes.
Crumble in the feta and give it a stir to get it a little melty.
At this point, your orzo should be drained and put back into its original sauce pot. Pour in the sausage mixture to the orzo pot and mix well. Serve warm with extra feta on top!

Valentine's Petit Fours

2008-02-18T18:18:00.005-05:00

My husband and I are not big Valentine's Day celebrators. There is no way we'll regularly go out to eat on the big day o' love- it's too expensive, too crowded, and not tasty enough. Plus I like to cook, and our schedules are hectic, so we just do our own thing. It's now the 18th and we have yet to have our "fancy" dinner of homemade pasta- it's just too much effort.

I got him a lovely card, and he got me an equally lovely card and the requested heart box of chocolates. It was delightful! Otherwise, it was just another day in our neighborhood. The previous evening however, my handbell choir rehearsal had been cancelled and I suddenly had time on my hands... why not try something new just in time to share with folks for Valentines!

And so I set about to trying my hands at petit fours, those delightful mini cakes with lots of layers and pretty decorations. I used my Betty Crocker cookbook to help me with the sponge cake, however I wish I had used the Paula Deen recipe I had used recently with the jelly roll. Paula's was moister than Betty's. I then used whatever I had around the house to fill and decorate, and made a mediocre looking, very tasty ganache to coat eat cake.

They were easier than I thought, though it still took me hours to complete the whole thing, especially since I had to interupt the works to make hubby dinner. Like I said, the cake could have been moister, and the ganache could have been thicker/ shinier, but all in all they were a success. And they're just so darn CUTE! I ended up with all chocolate (the ones with the mint leaves), peanut butter (the ones with the white chocolate swirls), and raspberry jams (the marachino cherry ones!)

Petit Fours

Sponge Cake
From Betty Crocker's Cookbook

3 Eggs
1 C. Sugar
1/3 C. Water
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
3/4 C. All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Salt
Fillings- Chocolate, Jams, Peanut Butter, Pudding, Fruit, Curd, etc
Flavored Syrups (optional)- Kahlua, Simply Syrup, Grenadine, Flavored Liquers, etc
Chocolate Ganache for coating (see below)
Garnishes- Candied fruit, Chocolate shavings, Melted white chocolate, Mint leaves, etc

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a medium sized jelly roll/ high sided cookie sheet pan.
Whip eggs in a mixer bowl until thick and lemon colored. Add in sugar, vanilla, and water and mix on medium until smooth.
Slowly add in flour, baking powder, and salt and blend until batter it is just moist and consistent.
Pour onto the greased sheet and spread to the corners.
Bake in hot oven for 12-15 minutes until it is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
When cake comes out of the oven, let it sit for just a minute or two. Then carefully remove the sheet of a cake to a cooling rack. When cool to the touch, transfer to a cutting board. Cut off hard edges and discard (or eat!)
Now the hard part... You have to decide if there are sections of your sheet cake that are thick enough to slice in half or more. The fancy part about petit fours are the many thin layer acheived by slicing and stacking cake. I had about a third that was too thin to slice, so I set it aside. I then cut the rest in half using a serrated knife, and a gentle but firm hand. I was even able to cut portions of this sliced section in half again- which made for pretty cakes.
Once you have your layers ready to go, decide how many type of cakes you are going to make (I made 3) and allocate your sheets into layers. For example, I lined up my sheets to decide which sections lined up best for neat little towers. Then I cut those "towers" into 3 sections that I then filled.
If using a syrup to moisten the sponge cake, use a pastry brush to coat the bottom layer with the liquid. Don't be afraid to be generous- everyone likes a moist, flavorful cake. I used Kahlua on the chocolate and PB ones, and Grenadine on the jam ones.
Spread on the first layer of filling. (I used chocolate on them all.) Press the middle/ next cake layer on top.
Repeat the liquid & filling then cake pressing until you have complete towers. I used all chocolate & Kahlua on one type; chocolate, PB, and a little Kahlua on another; and chocolate, black raspberry jam, red raspberry jam, and grenadine on the last.
Once your layers are assembled, use a sharp and serrated knife to cut each individual cake. They should be no more than 2" x 2" wide, regardless of height.
Each cake then needs to be coated with chocolate. I started by pouring the ganache on top, but it was going poorly. I decided to use my fingers and just dunk the entire cake into the bowl of ganache, turning to coat all sides including the bottom. I then placed them on a cooling rack with foil underneath to catch the drips.
Decorate are you see fit, using as much creativity as you'd like, and then let sit to set for at least a half hour. Enjoy with a glass of milk or with good company!

Ganache Frosting

1 C. Heavy Cream
1 C. Chocolate Chips
Any flavorings you may want- vanilla, almond, Kahlua, etc

In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil.
Place chocolate chips in a heat resistent bowl. When cream boils, pour it over the chocolate.
Let the hot cream sit for a moment to melt the chips, then gently whisk until the mixture is smooth. If you desire to add any flavorings, gently mix is in after the chocolate is whisked.
Let chocolate cool a little, but do not let it harden. Use to dip or pour on cakes.

Delicious Cheese Fondue

2008-02-10T18:01:00.000-05:00

The Superbowl calls for fun foods that are a little more extravagent than usual- usually involving things like meat, cheese, nachos, and beer! Our Patriots were going in to the big game with a crazy undefeated record and so hubby and I needed something extra special to nosh on.

Rather than pub food like fried mozzarella or greasy nachos, I opted for a great cheese fondue. Yeah, you can't go wrong with tasty foods dipped in molten cheese!

So the Pats played poorly- and lost. It was a major bummer. But you know, we didn't feel that bad because this fondue was especially delicious!

The dipping stars were broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, and pumpernickel rye bread. All the veggies were raw, so we upped the healthy factor since we were eating cheese for dinner! We also had cauliflower, granny smith apples, and french bread.

Cheese Fondue

1 Shallot, chopped
1/2 lbs. Gruyere cheese, grated
1/4 lbs. Fontina cheese, grated
1/2 C. Cheddar cheese, grated
1 1/2+/- White Cooking Wine
2 Tbsp. Cornstarch
2 tsp. Ground Mustard
Items for dipping

Mix together the cheeses, cornstarch and mustard.
In the fondue pot, saute the shallots over medium heat until soft. (I didn't bother with oil or butter, I just put them in the hot pot.)
Add in the cheese mixture and a little wine- maybe 2/3 C. Stir until the cheese melts.
Continue to add the wine until the cheese is the liquid consistancy you desire.
Keep fondue over low heat while eating to reduce the cheese burning to the bottom of the pan. Be careful when eating, as the cheese is quite hot and can burn your mouth; dip and blow on it a little before eating!

Giada's Whitefish with Lemon Vinaigrette

2008-02-10T17:21:00.000-05:00

I don't watch cooking shows. I find them boring. But for some reason I caught a Giada show a couple of years ago and one of the recipes really caught my eye, even though I spent most of the time making fun of her massive teeth and obnoxious way of saying everything with a stupid sounding Italian style. "Ree-COE-tah" "Mahr-skeh-POE-nay" I found the recipe online, made it, and loved it! It's now in my recipe box as a special treat to pull out.

I've made it without the radicchio and beans, but I prefer it with them- it adds a nice depth to the recipe. Do be careful though- I've burnt the greens before and they are not tasty that way. I've also added way too much broth- also not a good idea! I find that if you prep all the ingredients before starting to cook anything, you'll have a lot better success.

Giada's Whitefish with Lemon Vinaigrette
From the Food Network

2 Shallots, thinly sliced
1 Radicchio, chopped into strips
1 (15-ounce) Can Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 C. Fish Broth (I use clam juice.)
Salt & Pepper
3-4 Whitefish Fillets, such as tilapia
Flour for coating
Lemon Vinaigrette, see below

In a large skillet, heat a little olive oil over medium heat. Saute the shallots until tender.
Add in the radicchio and cook until wilted, about 3-5 minutes.
Add the beans and broth, and cook until the beans are heated through, stirring often, about 5 minutes.
At the same time, heat another large skillet with about 1/4 cup of olive oil over medium/ medium-high heat.
Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper to taste. Pour some flour into a shallow bowl and gently dip the fillets, coating either side. Shake any excess off.
Fry the fillets in a single layer until they are golden brown and just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Cook in multiple batches if necessary.
Spoon the finished radicchio mixture over the center of the plates. Top with the fillets. Drizzle the vinaigrette over and serve immediately.

Lemon Vinaigrette

1/4 C. Fresh Lemon Juice
1/4 C. Italian Parsley
2 Cloves Garlic
2 tsp. Lemon Zest
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 C. Olive Oil

Blend everything in a food processor until smooth.

Not-Potluck-Worthy Jelly Roll

2008-02-10T16:39:00.000-05:00

In honor of Superbowl Friday, my company let folks come in with jeans and sports jerseys, and they encouraged us to have potlucks if we wanted. I always enjoy an opportunity to share my love of cooking with others, so I was ready to volunteer food! My department already had plans to go to lunch, so I offered to make a dessert.

I hadn't made a jelly roll in a while and thought that would be a different and delicious dish for the potluck.

Well, on Thursday night late, I made the jelly roll. The cake came out good from what I could tell and rolled like a champ in the towel. I unrolled it and spread in the raspberry jelly. Then things went awry. First, the jelly made a huge mess. Then, when I rolled it up, the jelly spewed out the open end and it was not rolled up tight enough. I had rolled it on the long end in hopes of having more slices to offer coworkers- bad choice. I cut it in half to see if maybe it looked better once it was sliced- nope.

ARGH! What am I going to do for the potluck in under 12 hours now? I sprinkled it with powdered sugar and decided my poor dessert was not presentable. To me, it looked like a bloody stump. The cake was kind of dry. The roll was poor. And the next morning I saw fingerprints in my powdered sugar.

The taste the next day was in fact good- the jelly soaked in some and moistened it right up. I brought it in and my coworkers thought I was crazy for thinking it was ugly. Oh well- I had already gotten up Friday morning and made a variation on my cream puffs instead!!!

The Good Side

The Bad Side

Jelly Roll
From Paula Deen

4 Eggs, separated
3/4 C. Sugar
1 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract
3/4 C. Flour
3/4 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Salt
Confectioners Sugar
1 C. Jelly (any flavor)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a small bowl beat egg whites until stiff but not dry and set aside.
In a Kitchen Aid mixer bowl, beat the egg yolks until light.
Gradually add in the sugar and vanilla, and mix well. Add in the dry ingredients and blend.
Fold in the egg whites into the batter.
Pour the batter into a 15 by 10 by 1-inch jelly roll pan lined with waxed paper. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. The cake is done when it is golden or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Loosen edges of cake, invert cake onto a clean towel dusted with confectioners' sugar.
Gently peel wax paper off cake. Cut the hard edges off and either throw out or eat quickly before your husband sees you!
Gently roll the cake and towel up together. I recommend starting at the narrow end so you get more layers of rings. Cool cake on rack, seam side down, for 10 to 15 minutes.
In a small bowl, whip the jelly with a fork until it is smooth. This makes it easier for spreading.
Once cake has cooled, gently unroll and spread the jelly in a thin layer and re-roll. You will probably get some oozing out the side. Sprinkle the top with confectioners' sugar. It is tasty right away, but even better the next day!

Fondue for the Fun of It

2008-02-10T16:06:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago (that seems to be a common theme with me lately) I decided we should have fondue for dinner on a random Saturday night- just for fun! Adam got me a lovely cast iron fondue set for Christmas and after a successful chocolate run on New Years, I wanted to do a main course in it.

Now the notion of cooking food in plain ol' oil kind of grosses me out. And I've heard it's messy and smokey. Um, no thanks! Instead I opted for a wine and broth combo. It was tasty- the dipping sauces I whipped up might have been the best part! We had fun cooking all the meats and veggies and having a slow dinner together.

We had shrimp, scallops, chicken, marinated beef, mushrooms, broccoli, red potatoes, and yellow squash for cooking. I also made the following dipping sauces: imitation Green Goddess (sour cream, garlic, fresh herbs), BBQ, Mustard (Dijon mustard, mayo, hot sauce), and Spicy Asian (mayo, creamed horseradish, soy sauce, rice vinegar, wasabi).

Broth and Wine Fondue

2-3 C. White Wine
1-2 C. Chicken or Beef Broth
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon (next time I think I'll eliminate this.)
4 Whole Cloves
Black Pepper
2 Stalks of Green Onions, roughly chopped

In the fondue pot or in a sauce pot on the stove, bring all of the ingredients to a boil. Let simmer for 15 minutes.
Use a fine colander to strain the dipping sauce. You can also fish out the cloves and green onions.
Transfer to the fondue pot and keep over medium flame.
Use the fondue forks to stab the meat and cook it. When in doubt if it's cooked enough, leave it in a little longer! You also want to remove the cooked foods from the fondue fork before eating- if you eat off the fondue fork you could get sick!

Mediterranean Eggplant & Chicken

2008-02-09T18:01:00.000-05:00

Do you ever get sick of the same flavors over and over again in your meal rotation? I do. We eat a lot of italian, mexican, and american inspired foods. Out of the ordinary is asian or greek. But even those get old!

I bought an eggplant recently with no real plan for it. When it came to find a recipe for it that wasn't the boring ol' standards, I came across an interesting recipe at AllRecipes.com. It was mediterranean and had lots of great ingredients- so I gave it a whirl with some modifications.

Oh my, yes! This was the change I was looking for! The sauteed eggplant flavor was subtle and really really good. Then with the feta, olives, and chicken- very tasty! I highly recommend this one if you're looking for something to break the cycle.

Mediterranean Eggplant & Chicken
Inspired by AllRecipes.com

1 Eggplant, sliced lengthwise
1 Tomato & 2 Tbsp. Water, or 2 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
1 Small Onion, chipped
1 Clove of Garlic, minced
2 Chicken Breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1/4 C. Feta Cheese
1 Small Can of Whole Black Olives (or Kalmata olives would be great!)
1 tsp. Dried Oregano
1/2 C. Water
1 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar

Lightly salt both sides of the eggplant slices and place them in a colander in the sink. Let them stand for 25-30 minutes so the eggplant will "sweat" out the bitterness.
In the meantime, chop the tomato and saute in a large pan over medium heat with the 2 Tbsp. water until it is reduced. When reduced down, remove from the pan and set aside.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Rinse the eggplant slices when they are done sweating. Drizzle some oil in the saute pan and heat on medium. Cook the eggplant slices in a single layer until browned- flipping once to cook the other side. Cook in batches if necessary.
As eggplant finishes cooking, place the slices in a large casserole dish, layering on the bottom.
In the saute pan, cook the onion and garlic for 1-2 minutes. Add in the chicken pieces and continue to cook until the chicken is about half cooked.
Stir in the 1/2 cup of water, oregano, balsamic vinegar, and reduced tomato. If using tomato paste, add it in now. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes until chicken is cooked and sauce is thickened. Stir in drained black olives.
Sprinkly a generous amount of feta on top of the eggplant layer. Then pour on the chicken and sauce on the top.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Serve hot straight from the casserole dish. I served it with green beans and spiced cous cous, seasoned with middle eastern spices and OJ.

Homegrown Gourmet 5- Maple Blueberry Quick Bread

2008-02-07T22:57:00.001-05:00

Yippee for Homegrown Gourmet!

Canela Y Cameno, a great blog from Peru, is hosting round 5 with the theme Quick Breads, and I'm getting in just under the wire. In fact, I've only got one hour to spare as I start typing this! (Note to self- type faster!!!)

As soon as Gretchen Noelle announced Quick Breads as the recipe of choice, I knew exactly what to make- Maple Blueberry Bread. But I was lacking the time to actually do the baking. What can I say, I work well under pressure, and waited til the last day to bake.

I used my trusty Betty Crocker cookbook as the base for this bread, using the Zucchini Bread to get the measurements right. From there, I made this into a Maine recipe. So here in Maine, we have lots of wild blueberries. Did you know blueberries are one of only 4 fruit crops native to North America? And boy are they delicious! Good for you too with tons of antioxidants. My husband and I went blueberry picking this past summer and ended up with a ton of them. I froze a few cups and it was such a delight pulling them out to bake with today after we got 5" of fresh snow!

So I had blueberries. That would have been enough, but I wanted to make this something special. Why not add in another very northen New England food- maple syrup! I love maple- maple syrup, maple butter, maple fudge, maple candy... good stuff. With some local Maine maple syrup laying around not being used, I thought it would be a fantastic touch for my quick bread.

The local ingredients were picked, the recipe chosen, and I was off to the races. This recipe came out really moist and delicious in the loaf I made. Perfect crisp crust, tender moist insides with a nice hint of maple and berries bursting through. The batch was enough for 2 loafs, but I could only find one loaf pan. I used the rest of the batter to make mini muffins. Although these are also tasty, they kind of ended up as mostly crust. I miss the sweet soft interior. But gosh are they fun to pop in your mouth. And it's fun to say- Mini Muffin!

And so I submit my entry for this round. Thanks for hosting Gretchen!

Maple Blueberry Bread
Inspired by Betty Crocker

1 C. White Sugar
2/3 C. Brown Sugar
4 Eggs
1/2 C. Vegetable Oil
1/2 C. Dark Maple Syrup (I let the 1/2 cup overflow quite a bit!)
3 C. Flour
2 tsp. Baking Soda
3/4 tsp. Salt
1 C. Fresh Blueberries
Syrup to glaze, about 1-2 Tbsp.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom only of 2 loaf pans, or as I did, 1 loaf pan and 1 24 count mini muffin pan.
In a mixing bowl, combine the sugars, eggs, oil, and maple syrup and blend until smooth.
Stir in the dry ingredients just until it is evenly moist. You do not want to over beat the batter.
Gently stir in the berries.
Pour the batter into your baking pans.
Bake until the tops are browned and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. My mini muffins only took about 15 minutes, and I probably could have taken them out at 12. The loaf took just about an hour, maybe a few minutes more. I put foil on the top with 10 minutes to go as it was looking very brown, but the inside was very soggy. 10 minutes later it had set up beautifully and was ready to come out.
About halfway to 3/4 of the way through cooking, remove the breads from the oven and gently brush the tops with the remaining maple syrup. You can also do this at the end while they are hot, but it does not set up as well, and you get sticky surfaces. Return to oven to finish baking.
Remove pans from oven and let cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.
Gently loosen the bread from the sides of the pan and remove to the wire rack. Allow to cool before trying to slice; too hot and it will crumble apart.

Think Spring - Lemon Bars

2008-02-06T23:16:00.000-05:00

The girls on the Maine Nest board got together at my house a few weeks ago to have an indoor picnic in the dead of January. (*Side note- Is it bad I refer to us as girls when we are in fact a group of strong, educated, accomplished women? Maybe, but now you know the truth, so I can move on.)

My oh my, what a spread we had! Muffaletta, ice cream sandwich cake, watermelon, very fancy cut pineapple, brownies, soup, wonderfully bad for you munchies, crusted chicken tenders, mini pinwheel sandwiches, iced tea- the works! We camped out on the floor with some blooms surrounding us and had a fun afternoon.

Amongst a couple of other things, my big contribution (besides hosting) was lemon squares. They were just about perfect in my book. They were tangy, but not too sour or sweet. The lemon goo stuff set up perfectly- not too runny or hard. The crust was tender and flavorful. The only complaint was that there was not a distinction between the lemon topping and the crust- they kind of blended together. Maybe my crust needed to cool more.

By the end of the weekend though, with my parents up for a visit, they were pretty much wiped out. So I guess they tasted just fine!

Lemon Bars
From AllRecipes.com
Crust

1 C. Salted Butter, softened
1/2 C. White Sugar
2 C. Flour

Custard

1 1/2 C. White Sugar
4 Tbsp. Flour
3 Eggs
1/2 C. Fresh Lemon Juice
Zest of 1 Lemon
Confectioner Sugar for dusting (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl or stand mixer, blend together all the crust ingredients.
Press crust dough into a 9" x 13" oven safe pan. Bake for about 20 minutes until golden and firm.
Remove crust from oven and let it cool completely.
While the crust bakes, mix together the sugar and flour for the custard, again in a medium bowl or stand mixer.
Beat in the eggs, lemon juice, and lemon zest until smooth.
Pour the lemon custard mixture on top of the cooled crust. Bake in the (still hot) oven for 20 minutes.
Let the bars cool before cutting. When cooled off, cut the bars into small squares or rectangles. Using a sifter or a fine mesh strainer, tap a thin layer of confectioner sugar on the top of each bar for a nice presentation and extra sweetness.

Smoked Salmon Fettuccine

2008-02-06T22:55:00.000-05:00

Mmmmm, smoked salmon is such a delicious treat to eat now and again! It's something that we can't have in the house too often because it lasts about 2 minutes once opened. And it's not like it's bargain priced either!

But oh how tasty to enjoy! And when I'm going to splurge on smoked salmon, it has to star in the show. I searched around- yeah, my normal neighborhood of Allrecipes.com- and found something that had so many wonderful ingredients.

It was in fact wonderful! And the salmon did shine...

Creamy Smoked Salmon Fettuccine
Based from AllRecipes.com

Box of Fettuccine Pasta
2 Tbsp. Butter
2 Tbsp. Flour
2/3 C. Milk
1/3 C. Cream
1/2 C. Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2+ C. Smoked Salmon, roughly chopped
1/2 C. Fresh Spinach, chopped into strips
1 Tbsp. Capers
3+ Tbsp. Sun-dried Tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp. Dried Oregano
Heavy hand of pepper

Cook and drain the pasta according to package.
In a separate sauce pot, melt the butter.
Blend in the flour until a smooth paste forms. Whisk in milk to make a thick sauce.
Stir in cream and parmesan cheese until cheese is melted.
Add in the salmon, spinach, capers, tomatoes, and oregano.
Pour in delicious sauce onto the warm, drained pasta and mix until fettuccine is coated.
Serve in a nice big bowl with a solid grating of fresh black pepper on top- yum!

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich

2008-02-06T22:22:00.001-05:00

My father in law was in town a few weeks ago to help us install our dishwasher- yay! (We had no dishwasher prior to this and my parents gave us a very generous Christmas gift to help with that situation- thanks Mom & Dad!) He came up on a Saturday afternoon and I needed to make something delicious for me and the boys to watch one of the last Patriots games of the season.

Dad is a BBQ fan and I thought this was a great opportunity to try out the new slow cooker for some pulled pork. Wow, so simple and the boys adored it! Did I mention it was sinfully easy with the slow cooker?

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Pork Butt/ Shoulder
1/2 Onion, chopped
2/3 C. Beef Broth
1-2 C. BBQ Sauce
Pinch Brown Sugar
Salt & Pepper
Buns for serving

Season the pork cut with salt and pepper and place it in the slow cooker.
Pour in beef broth and about 1/4 C. BBQ sauce. Sprinkle onions and brown sugar over the top of the meat.
Cook on low for 8-10 hours. About 2-3 hours before it is cooked, quickly open the lid and pour in another 1/4 C. of BBQ sauce.
When the meat is ridiculously tender, it is ready for shredding.
Remove the meat and place in a large bowl. Using 2 forks facing, shred the pork. Grasp the forks in either hand and shred by dragging the utensils in opposite directions of each other.
Stir in as much additional BBQ sauce as suits your fancy- you can keep it dry or make it really messy! Serve warm on nice big buns with napkins!

Ultimate Comfort Food

2008-02-06T21:28:00.000-05:00

Who doesn't like Macaroni and Cheese? I mean really, it's like a slice of heaven! Warm, gooey, and filling with a crunchy crust. Aaaah...

Sorry, I just don't have anything more to say about Mac N Cheese- it's that good that it needs no commentary!

I will say that I served this comforting dish with a lovely salad of fresh spinach, sliced dried apricots, almond slices, and a dash of olive oil.

Homemade Mac N Cheese
With help from Boss Leslie

1 Box Elbow Macaroni, I think 8 oz, but maybe more
1/2 Stick Butter
2+/- Tbsp. Flour
1 1/2 C. Milk
1/4 C. Cream
1-2 tsp. Dry Mustard
Salt & Pepper to Taste
2 C. Shredded White Cheddar
1/2 C. Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 C. Grated Romano Cheese
Panko breadcrumbs, enough to coat top

Preheat over to 350 degrees.
Cook macaroni according to package and drain. Pour into a large casserole dish and set aside.
In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
Stir in the flour, adding slowly until mixture is smooth and a little thick.
Slowly whisk in the milk, bringing to a gentle boil, thickening the sauce. When it is smooth and creamy, mix in the cream.
Stir in the mustard and salt and pepper to your tastes.
Stir in the cheeses until melted.
Pour the cheese sauce over the cooked macaroni in the casserole pan. Sprinkle panko on the top of the mac n cheese until a you get a nice coating.
Bake in oven until hot and bubbly, about 20 minutes.

Mustard Glazed Salmon

2008-02-06T21:01:00.000-05:00

We love fish here in our household. There is pretty much no fish we won't eat, but you know, like all foods, it can get boring eating it all the time. I mean, shrimp is great with lime or garlic, lemon and butter. Salmon is lovely sauteed with oil and rosemary or glazed with soy sauce. But I need something more now and again!

We had a lovely fillet of salmon and I was on the hunt for something new and exciting to do with it. Off to Allrecipes.com I went! I found a great little recipe that is really something new and different. Oh, and tasty too! Who would have thought mustard and fish would be such a delightful combo!

Mustard Glazed Salmon
Based off Allrecipes.com

1 Large Boneless Salmon Fillet
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. White Wine
1 Tbsp. Honey
1/4 C. Balsamic Vinegar
3-4 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1 tsp. Dried Oregano

Put your oven's broiler on low.
Place salmon fillet in a foil lined, over safe dish. If it has skin, place it skin side down.
Blend together the remaining ingredients and allow to sit for a few minutes so the flavor can meld.
Pour marinade over the salmon. Place in oven a few inches from the boiler. Allow to cook until the fish flakes easily and is cooked through in the center. I'm not sure how long that took, but I imagine only around 10-15 minutes. Mine got a little burnt- maybe it was too close.
Serve warm. If the fillet had skin, removed flesh from skin when serving.

Breaking in the Crockpot - Lemon Chicken

2008-02-06T20:50:00.000-05:00

I exchanged a second fondue set I got for Christmas for a big ol' slow cooker this year. I was adament about not ever having a slow cooker- it just didn't seem like the thing for me. I'm a stove top cooker, I don't make roasts and chilis and stuff like that. Why do I need one of these things that everyone raves about? And where am I going to store it?!?

Ok, so I store it in the basement since it doesn't get used that often. But I'm impressed with what it's produced. I'll admit, my first attempt at chili- using my regular recipe with no changes- didn't go so well. But this, what I'm calling the real maiden voyage, was in fact quite delicious!

I love roast chicken, but it takes so long to cook and I don't have the energy at the end of my work days. But lo and behold, the crockpot takes all the work out of it. And it is even moister and tastier than from the oven.

I'm a convert!

Slow Cooker Whole Lemon Chicken

Whole Chicken, around 4 lbs.
Heavy Splash of White Wine/ Chicken Broth
2 Lemons
1-3 Garlic Cloves, partially smashed
1-2 Green Onion Stalks, chopped
1-2 Tbsp Butter, chopped
Dried Thyme
Salt & Pepper

Place chicken in slow cooker. I believe I placed mine breast down, but I can't even figure out which way is up, let alone remember what I did a month ago!
Pour wine/ broth in the bottom of the slow cooker.
Slice up one of the lemons and place the slices in the cavity. Add the crushed garlic to the cavity as well.
Carefully lift up the skin of the roaster chicken and place pieces of butter under the skin. Try to push it down and all around. Any excess that you don't want to put under the skin should be placed on top.
Zest some of the remaining lemon onto the chicken. Cut in half and squeeze the juice over the chicken and into the bottom of the pot.
Sprinkle chicken with green onion, thyme, salt and pepper.
Cook on low for 8-10 hours until good and moist. The chicken may dry out on top and split, but the meat will be tender and moist!

Seafood Paella

2008-01-27T20:35:00.000-05:00

To continue our Spanish feast for New Years Eve, we tried our hand at seafood paella. Wow, what a feast- we were SO stuffed! We spared no expense either- we had lots of meats and I bought the ever expensive saffron. It was a perfect team effort- lots of chopping and stirring and timing decisions to be made. Tons of fun!

Seafood Paella

2 Chicken Breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 Spanish Churizo Sausage, cut into slices
1 Onion, chopped
1 Green Pepper, chopped
1 Garlic Clove, minced
2 C. Arborio (Risotto) Rice
4 C. Chicken Broth
1/2 C. White Wine
1/2 tsp. Saffron Threads
1 Bay Leaf
Salt & Pepper
1/2 C. Frozen Peas
Shrimp, Clams, Scallops (large and/ or small), Tilapia (or other white fish- about 1/2 Lbs.)

In a large stock pot, saute the onions, peppers and garlic in a generous amount (3Tbsp or so) of olive oil until nice and aromatic.
Add in chicken and chorizo. Saute until almost cooked through.
Pour in the rice and stir to coat with oil. Pour in broth and white wine, bringing to a boil. As soon as it starts to boil, add in the saffron, bay leaf, salt and pepper.
Stir the rice occasionally to make it creamy.
As it the rice starts to get soft, add in the seafood. First add in the tilapia, then the shrimp and clams, and finally the scallops. You don't want to cook any of the seafood too long or it will get tough.
When the rice is tender, remove the bay leaf and any unopened clams. Stir in the peas. As soon as the peas are warmed through, serve hot.

Happy New Years- Spain Style!

2008-01-27T19:44:00.000-05:00

Happy New Years blog readers!

Ok, so yeah, New Years has long come and gone. It's a time for resolutions- should one of mine be to post my recipes in a timely manner? Probably- too bad I don't do resolutions!

We had a fantastic New Years Eve here in Maine. My co-blogger Dianna Lee and her new husband came up from Boston for a night of delicious food, fun games, and good company. The best is that they stayed over, so there was no curfew or restrictions. We opted for a Spanish feast theme. Sangria, ceviche, Spanish almonds, and paella... delicioso!

We started the evening with the almonds, ceviche and sangria.

Sangria
From all sorts of places- and I don't really remember the exact quantities now- but here goes nothing!

4 C. Red Wine- a big jug o' the cheap stuff!
1/2 C. Triple Sec
1/4 C. Plain Rum
1/2 C. Orange Juice
1/4 C. Maraschino Cherries, with liquid
1 Orange, Sliced
1 Lime, Sliced and Squeezed
Lemon flavored Seltzer

Mix together the wine, liquors, OJ, and fruits in a large pitcher. Chill for at least 8 hours.
Add ice before serving. Pour into goblets, leaving room to top off with seltzer to the top.

Ceviche

8 Large Scallops
10 Raw Shrimp
3+ Large Limes
1 Avocado, chopped
1 Tomato, chopped
1/4 Cilantro, chopped

Place the seafood in a small bowl. Juice the limes over the seafood. You'll need enough juice to cover he shellfish. Cover with saran wrap and leave in the fridge overnight. The acid in the lime juice will cook the scallops and shrimp.
The next day, remove the seafood and rinse in a colander.
Mix together the fish, avocado, tomato and cilantro. Serve in clear bowls with a nice red wine.

Homegrown Gourmet- Round 4 Lobster Casserole

2007-12-31T16:29:00.000-05:00

My little blogging event has jumped the Atlantic ocean over to the UK- isn't that exciting! Michelle from GreedyGourmet.com has chosen Stews & Casseroles for this round. Finding a stew or casserole that represents New England was a challenge for me... I'm not a big stew or casserole fan!

When you mention Maine to anyone, the first food that comes to mind is lobster. I actually don't really like lobster- I'd rather have crab. But I thought a nice lobster casserole would be both a new challenge for me and a yummy way to serve it.

So I bought a live lobster, which we named Mr. Pinchy just like Homer Simpson did, and I was horrified. First the thing looks like a gross huge bug, and I hate bugs. Second it's alive and in my fridge. Third, it's alive and I have to kill it to eat it. The whole experience was traumatic! With my husband's help though, we cooked poor Mr. Pinchy, I tore him apart, and served him up in a bubbly delicious casserole.
Mr. Pinchy, all torn up All the meat from Mr. Pinchy

It was so tasty I may just endure the torture of lobster again!

Maine Lobster Casserole
Inspired by AllRecipes.com

1 1.25 Lbs. Lobster (enough to make 1+ C. meat)
1-2 Tbsp. Butter
1 1/2 Tbsp. Flour
1 C. Milk
2/3 C. Heavy Cream
2 Tbsp. Onion, chopped
1 tsp. Dry Mustard
Dash of Salt & Pepper
1/2 tsp. Paprika
1/4 tsp. Chili Powder
1 1/2 C. Fresh Sliced Mushrooms
3 Tbsp. Swiss Cheese, grated
1-2 Slices White Bread, cubed/ torn into small pieces
1/2 C. Bread Crumbs
Dash Paprika

In a large pot, heat about 2 inches of salted water to a rolling boil. Add in a steamer basket and place poor helpless lobster in the steamer. Cover pot and cook for about 18 minutes.
When lobster is cooked, allow to cool to the touch. Remove meat from all the nooks and crevices including all the little legs!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a sauce pan, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and mix until smooth and bubbly.
Pour in milk and cream and whisk until creamy. Bring to a low boil and stir until until thickened.
Add in mustard, onion, salt, pepper, paprika, and chili powder. Allow to simmer for 2 minutes. Add in mushroom and continue to cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Grate in the cheese and stir until melty. Finally stir in the lobster and bread pieces.
Pour mixture into a small casserole dish. Sprinkle bread crumbs lightly over mixture and throw on a dash of paprika. Bake in oven for about 25 minutes until bubbly.
Serve using a large spoon and garnish with parsley.

Cherries and Cream Scones

2007-12-30T18:35:00.000-05:00

I wrote below about my in-laws family tradition of eating well on Christmas Eve. They are such a great family that they like to carry that sentiment in to Christmas Day too and have a brunch to beat all brunches. Eggs Benedict, mimosas, blood grapefruits, and scones were all on the menu. They had this luxury as they never went anywhere that day and usually stayed in pajamas from dawn til dusk.

Things are not like that in my family. We get up, do presents, throw something down and drive to whomever's house we're visiting or start cleaning up for guests. It's far more frantic. So with marriage blending two lives, the holiday traditions have to meld too.

I don't have the time to do such a nice meal all before I have to be in the shower by 10:30 to be on the road by 11:30 to be to Mom's by 1:30. Eggs Benedict is out. However, I was able to make scones for this year thanks to my lovely boss! She has a fantastic recipe that I think will stick around for many a Christmas morning to come. It is versatile and the cherries can be swapped for currents, raisins, orange zest or any other tasty treat you want to blend in. It is moist and very easy and makes plenty to keep you fed for the week!

Cherries & Cream Scones
From my boss, Leslie

2 C. Flour
1/3 C. Sugar
1 Tbsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
6 Tbsp. Butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 C. Dried, Pitted Cherries
1 C. Heavy Cream
2 Tbsp. Flour (for rolling out and coating at end)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.
Using a pastry cutter (or maybe a fork?) work in the butter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.
Mix in the cherries and cream using a fork to blend. Let the dough stand for 2 minutes.
Transfer the dough to a board floured with half of the 2 Tbsp. Flour. Press the dough down gently, working it into a flat, 1/2" thick sheet. Dust the remaining flour on the top.
Cut the scones into triangles or any other shape. Please on a baking sheet, leaving at least 1/2" between each scone.
Bake for 15 minutes until just golden brown. Remove to a baking rack to cool. Serve plain or with butter and jelly.

Ball of Heaven

2007-12-30T18:17:00.001-05:00

I love Christmas Eve. Wanna guess why? Nope, it's not the anticipation of Christmas day. Naw, not friends and family. The beautiful church service? Don't be silly.

No, I love it because I get to make and consume a cheeseball. It's the only time of the year I can get away with making a 6" diameter sphere of cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and other seasoning and then devour it with crackers. It's like a dream come true!

My husband's family has a wonderful tradition of feasting on all the wonderful finger food goodies that they like, and I have happily taken this tradition to heart. Most the items come back every year, and the reason is that they are so good. This year we ate:

Crab legs
Smoked salmon (excellent with cheeseball)
Finger deli sandwiches
Veggie crudite with ranch dip
Big purple grapes
Sliced Gouda, cheddar, and pepperjack with crackers
Cookies (which we didn't touch)
Sparkling Red Wine
And of course... cheeseball with crackers

Happy holidays indeed!

Cheeseball
From my Mom

11 oz. Cream Cheese
8 oz. Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated
1 Tbsp. Onions, Shallots, or Green Onions, chopped
2 Tbsp. Blue Cheese or Roquefort Dressing
1 tsp. Tabasco Sauce
1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
Crushed Walnuts

Mix together all ingredients except the walnuts in a large bowl. Blend well.
Remove mixture from bowl and form into a delicious large ball of joy with your hands. Or, you can make a log or multiple cheeseballs.
Roll/ press cheeseball into small ball of walnuts to coat completely.
Place on a plate and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for at least an hour before serving.

Italian Christmas Cookies

2007-12-30T17:21:00.000-05:00

My grandfather, Anthony, is very Italian. Holidays in our family often included meatballs or stuffed shells or other delicious Italian fare. And Christmas was no exception. My grandmother always made these cookies for my grandfather, but after 50 years of marriage, she is sick of it.

Luckily she has me for a granddaughter who is eager to use family recipes and keep them alive. I'm still improving my technique, but the family gave them overall approval. And they looked just as festive as ever with their multi colored candies on top!

These are anise, or licorice, flavored. I use anise extract, but Grammy says the way to go is anise oil. This is very hard to find and the last time she looked, she could only find it at the drug store. The recipe below gives how I made the recipe and then in parenthesis how it should be.

Buen Natale!

Italian Christmas Cookies
From my Grandmother

3 Eggs
3/4 C. Sugar
1 C. Butter, softened
1/2 1 oz. Bottle of Anise Extract (Should be 1 oz. of Anise Oil for more bite and flavor)
3 C. Flour
3 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix together eggs, sugar, butter, and anise flavoring either in a stand mixer or large bowl with hand mixer.
Blend in dry ingredients and mix well.
Roll dough into small balls, only about 1/2" wide as they will expand quite a bit.
Bake on ungreased baking sheet for about 10-15 minutes until they are just starting to get golden brown on top. These cookies to not get very brown on top, but if you lift one up, the bottom will be a lovely golden color. Be sure to cook enough as they should be just slightly cakey when done right. (I haven't mastered this yet!)
Allow to cool completely and then glaze and sprinkle with colored candy balls. Glaze recipe below.

Sugar Glaze

1/2 C. or more Confectioners Sugar
1 tsp. Milk
Colored Candy Sprinkles

Mix together sugar and milk until a thick liquid is achieved. You want the glaze to be thin enough to drip off the cookies, but thick enough to leave a nice off-white coating on the top.
Leave glaze in a small bowl. Hold each cookie upside down and dunk the top into the glaze, holding it out over the bowl to let the excess drip off. Flip over, place on parchment paper or wax paper (for easy clean up) and sprinkle with candies while wet. Allow to dry before serving.

100th Post- Penguins!

2007-12-30T17:03:00.000-05:00

We interrupt the Christmas '07 goodie train to announce my 100th post! Woo hoo! I started this blog back in July while hopping on the popularity wagon and have really enjoyed recording my endeavors in the kitchen. Most posts have 1 recipe, but I've had some that are more than 1 and just a couple that are non-cooking related.

So to celebrate, I'm going to pull something out from last year's holiday celebration. I was not in the habit of photographing food before my blogging days, but this little number was too cute.

Mom asked me to bring an appetizer to Christmas dinner last year and I found this one at my go-to site, Allrecipes.com. Are they not the cutest things? Large black olives stuffed with herbed cream cheese, topped with small black olives decorated with thin thin sliced carrot rounds and roasted red pepper strands make for adorable and pretty tasty treats.

Cream Cheese Penguins
Recipe and Instructions available at AllRecipes.com

Kim's Country Cookies

2007-12-30T16:45:00.000-05:00

Who the heck is Kim?

This recipe makes me giggle a little every time I or my mom make it. The reason is that there is no Kim in our family tree or circle of friends. Kim's Country Cookies are from a doll I had when I was a kid- apparently that was her name. For whatever reason the marketing folks decided, this doll came with a recipe for delicious molasses cookies that have become a Christmas staple in my household.

These cookies are chewy, sweet, and I love the raisins. At the holidays it's very easy to get chocolated out- I know, that sounds crazy, but it's true. These baked goods are a nice change of pace and are just as simple as any recipe you'd make the rest of the year. So we keep it around and occasionally it makes an appearance at the 4th of July.

Kim, however, we believe has gone the way of the Goodwill truck, though it's possible she's crammed in a box in my parents' attic- you just don't know. Thanks anyway doll!

Kim's Country Cookies
From a random toy from the 80's

3/4 C. Vegetable Oil
1/4 C. Molasses
1 C. Sugar
1 Egg
2 C. Flour
1 tsp. Cinnamon
2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Ground Cloves
1/2 tsp. Ginger
1/2 C. Raisins (or more)
Sugar (white granulated)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a Kitchen aid mixer, or large bowl with hand mixer, beat together the oil, molasses, sugar and egg on medium speed until smooth.
Add in dry ingredients and mix. Stir in raisins.
Roll dough into small 1" balls. Place dough onto ungreased cookie sheet and sprinkle with a little bit of white sugar.
Bake in hot oven for about 8 minutes until the cookies have flattened and set up. Cool on a baking rack and store in airtight container until ready to serve or give.

Note that my cookies were kind of crumbly and susceptible to breaking easily. This may just be because I was storing them in a loosey goosey freezer bag on the counter where they no doubt got shoved around by me and Adam. The fridge might have been a better place for them.

Chocolate Covered Moose Chips

2007-12-30T16:24:00.000-05:00

Appealing recipe title, eh? :-) Well, the name might not be great, and the caloric count for these is definitely not great, but the taste sure is fantastic. There is a reason these bad boys only come out around the holidays- I think I'd be long dead of clogged arteries if they were a year round treat!

But since the holidays are about taking pleasures all around, these chocolate and peanut butter bars are perfect. They've got a nice crunch with the graham cracker chunks and the crunchy PB, but the butter, chocolate, and sugar add an almost grainy smoothness to them. Mmmm. I will admit I usually partake of too much batter when making these and feel a little sick.

Thank goodness the holidays are also about sharing pleasures, so I was able to get most of these tempting treats out of the house and into friends' and neighbors' hands!

Chocolate Covered Moose Chips

2 Sticks of Butter (1 Cup)
1 1/3 C. Graham Cracker Crumbs/ Crumbles
2 1/3 C. Confectioners Sugar
1 C. Chunky Peanut Butter
1 12 oz. Bag Chocolate Chips

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. All that wonderful butter...
Stir in the graham cracker crumbs and confectioners sugar, getting everything moist and well mixed.
Stir in the peanut butter and mix until PB melts.
In a 9" x 13" pan, preferably lined with wax paper for easy handling and clean up, pour in the peanut batter, spreading it evenly across the bottom of the dish.
Put dish in fridge and let cool for about 15 minutes.
While cooling, melt the entire bag of chocolate chips in a small pot on the stove over low heat. This is probably a good use for a double boiler if you have one. I don't though, so I am sure to stir the chocolate often to prevent burning.
When peanut mixture is chilled, evenly spread the chocolate on top all the way to the edges.
Allow the goodies to chill for at least an hour. When cooled through, cut into small bars. They should be no more than 2" by 2" as they are very rich. Keep chilled when not serving as they can get melty.

Butternut Squash Risotto & Apple Scented Pork Chops

2007-12-30T15:41:00.000-05:00

Mmmmmm, risotto and baked pork chops make for such a nice warm and hearty meal. Risotto is one of my favorite things to make. Everyone talks about how labor intensive it is, and how difficult... I don't get it. Sure, you can't walk away from it like a crockpot or baked dish in the oven, but I do all my cooking actively standing in the kitchen for at least 30 minutes most nights. So risotto ain't no thing to me! And hubby loves it too, which is an added bonus!

Pork, on the other hand, hubby does not like. He's not totally against it, but it is low on his favorites list and complains about it whenever I make it. So I only make it about 6 times a year. That's about the same amount we eat beef steaks. (We eat lots and lots of chicken and fish and pasta!) But I am off topic... I was in the mood for pork, so I declared we were having it. I thought a nice sweet dish would go well with the risotto.

Goodness it was good...

Butternut Squash Risotto

2 Tbsp. Butter or Olive Oil
1 or 2 Cloves of Garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. Onion, finely chopped
1 C. Arborio (Risotto) Rice
1 C. White Wine
3+ C. Chicken Broth, warmed
1 C. Butternut Squash, cooked and cubed
2-3 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese, grated

In a medium pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add in the garlic and onion and saute until delicious smelling!
Stir in rice and coat with oil/ butter and let heat up, about 1 minute.
Pour in white wine and stir, continuing over medium heat. The wine should start to bubble and soak into the rice. If you do not want to use wine, you may just use the equivalent amount of chicken broth.
Add in 1/2 C. (or so) of chicken broth and stir. The broth should simmer and slowly soak into the rice. Stir every couple of minutes to make sure the rice is not burning and sticking on the bottom and to make sure there is enough liquid. Once most of the liquid is absorbed, add in another 1/2 C. and repeat the process.
With around 1 C. of broth remaining, stir in the squash. As the rice finishes cooking, the squash should cook further, getting softer and breaking into tiny pieces with the rice. You will get a lovely orange color and the rice will almost be coated with the squash.
Continue adding in the broth until the rice is thoroughly cooked through. If you need more broth to get a tender, al dente texture, add more in.
Just before serving, stir in Parmesan cheese until melted.

Apple Scented Pork Chops
From Allrecipes.com

2 Medium Pork Chops
1 Apple, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Cinnamon
2 Tbsp. Apple Jack Brandy
1 Tbsp Butter, cut into smaller pieces
Salt and Pepper to taste

Salt and pepper both sides of the pork chops. Brown both sides in a hot pan on the stove top.
Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a glass baking dish lined with foil, place apples slices along bottom of pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter.
Place browned chops on top of apple slices and pour Apple Jack on top of everything.
Bake uncovered in oven for about 45 minutes until pork reaches a temperature of 160 internally. Serve warm with cooked apple slices.

Chicken and Potato Croquettes

2007-12-30T15:07:00.000-05:00

My mom used to make croquettes from leftovers when I was a kid, but then they fell out of circulation. Was it the deep frying she was avoiding? All the messy effort? I don't know, but with a fridge full of leftover chicken and a desire for something a little bad to eat, I found a new recipe.

Now I had Mom's old version, but hers calls for deep frying and I didn't have enough ingredients for the whole recipe. Instead I went out on the web and found some recipes, eventually taking everything I liked and making it my own.

In the end I had small pan fried medallions of chicken and mashed potato that were quite tasty, especially with the roasted butternut squash and raw spinach to counteract the fried part!

Chicken & Potato Croquettes

1 C. Mashed Potatoes (don't hate me, but I used instant potatoes!)
1/4 C. Onion, chopped and sauteed
1/2 tsp. Dried Parsley
1/4 tsp. Dried Thyme
1/2 C. Panko Breadcrumbs
1 Egg
1 Tbsp. Prosciutto, cut into small pieces
1 C. Cooked Chicken, cut into small pieces
2 Tbsp. Grated Romano Cheese
Olive Oil

In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients.
In a skillet, heat about 2-3 Tbsp. Olive Oil over medium high heat.
While pan heats up, roll a 1 1/2 (or so) Tbsp. of the mixture into a ball with your hands, and then flatten slightly. Place medallion into the hot pan, being careful not get burned by hot oil, and let it cook on one side.
Repeat making medallions until the pan is full, leaving about 1/2" space between each croquette.
As each croquette cooks, flip gently when original side is well browned. Cook other side until similarly browned.
When croquettes are done, remove from pan and drain on paper towels. The medallions will stay relatively warm to cook the 2-3 batches on the stovetop. If you need more oil, pour it in 1 Tbsp. at a time and only allow it to heat briefly as you do not want the oil so hot that it burns the food without warming through first.
Serve warm. A dipping sauce would be excellent with these- anything from creamy to tangy to sweet would be appealing.

Lemon Caper Salmon

2007-12-30T13:33:00.000-05:00

My mom gave me this recipe with the promise that it is both easy and delicious... she was right on both accounts! Mom is not a big salmon lover, and she just loved this recipe. Adam and I are HUGE salmon lovers, and we too thought it was great.

The beauty of this recipe is that you really can use as much or as little of all of the ingredients to suit your personal taste. We went heavy on the capers and lemon juice- yummy!

Lemon Caper Salmon

1 Large Salmon fillet, with or without skin
2-3 Tbsp. Butter
1/4 C. Onion, chopped
1-3 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
Capers to Taste

Salt sides of the salmon fillet.
In a skillet pan, put in 1 tsp. of olive oil and heat over medium. Add in salmon fillet, skin side down if there is skin.
Cover and cook for about 7-10 minutes until the fish flakes easily.
In the meantime, in a small pan, melt the butter.
Add in the onions and saute until translucent.
Stir in the lemon juice and capers.
Serve salmon with sauce drizzled generously over it. (Do not serve with skin; the meat should come easily off the skin in the pan.) Crusty bread, noodles or rice are all great with it to soak up the sauce.

Hearty Wild Rice Soup & Rosemary Biscuits

2007-12-24T11:29:00.000-05:00

A while back the second round of Homegrown Gourmet was held with the theme being Soups. It was right at the start of autumn and there were some really great looking entries. One caught my eye and I had it saved for a while before I got around to making it. It was Carrie's Wild Rice Soup. (Apparently Northern Wild Rice is the national grain of Minnesota.)

Now, I should tell you that my darling Adam usually turns his nose up when I suggest soup for dinner. He doesn't think it is enough for a full meal. (He seems to have a hollow leg that he fills up every meal!) This recipe however has changed his mind. He LOVED it- I mean, he has brought it up a couple of times since I made it at the start of December saying that I should make it again. This is crazy and a huge compliment to Carrie and her mom, the originator of the recipe!

It helped that I accompanied the meal with rosemary biscuits. Anything with rosemary gets 2 thumbs up from my husband. And you can't say no to biscuits- even the Bisquick variety!

Carrie's Wild Rice Soup
Modified from Carrie's Cooking Adventures

3 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. Onion, minced
1/2 C. Flour
4 C. Chicken Broth
2 C. Cooked Wild Rice
1/2 C. Carrots, finely grated
1/2-1 C. cooked chicken
1 Small Can Sliced Mushrooms
1 1/2 Tbsp. Cashews (chopped)
1/2 C. Heavy Cream
1/2 C. Milk
Salt & Pepper to taste

In a large saucepan or medium stockpot, melt butter over medium-high and saute onions until translucent.
Mix in flour and stir until smooth. Add in 1 C. chicken broth and whisk over heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. As the mixture thickens, add in the remaining broth and stir. Allow to boil for about a minute.
Add in rice, carrots, chicken, mushrooms, and cashews. Heat through and let simmer for 5 minutes.
Stir in cream and milk and heat. If soup is too thick for your taste, add more water or chicken broth. Add salt and pepper to your tastes.

Rosemary Biscuits

Using a standard biscuit recipe or Bisquick, prepare biscuits as normal, but add in about 1-2 tsp. of dried Rosemary to the dough.
Cut with biscuit cutter and bake as usual. Serve hot with butter on the side.