Things I Cook and Bake

Red Velvet Cake

2009-10-08T15:44:00.000-07:00

For some reason my Mom made Red Velvet Cake for me and my twin brother every year on our birthday (even when he was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes she made two versions, one with sugar substitutes). It's still my favorite and I crave it every year around September. I finally got the recipe from her so I made a cake (a little belatedly) for my 35th birthday (Allen arranged the candy decorations). It didn't turn out quite as good as I remember but it was better than the Red Velvet cupcakes and cakes I've tried recently and I'll certainly make it again soon.

My Mom was a Home Ec teacher for a number of years and it turns out this recipe is from a '70s book titled "Favorite Recipes from Home Economic Teachers - Dessert Edition, including party beverages." Who wouldn't trust Home Ec teachers to come up with the best dessert recipes from the 70s! (I'll have to take a picture of the cookbook cover for a later post, it's vintage and classic.) I'd like to pull a Julie and Julia and make a butter laden recipe a day for the next year, though I'd skip the blogging in lieu of the eating. Anyway, enough with the reminiscing...here's the recipe:

Red Velvet Cake (Waldorf)
1/2 cup shortening (stick margarine or butter)
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 oz red food coloring
2 Tbs cocoa
2 1/4 cup plain flour
1 scant tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 tsp butter flavor (if desired)

Cream shortening, sugar and eggs. Make a paste with coloring and cocoa and add to mixture. Add salt and flour with buttermilk and vanilla. Alternately add soda and vinegar and don't beat hard, just blend. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Bake in two 8" pans greased and floured. Layers may be split to make 4.

Frosting:
3 Tbsp flour
1 cup butter, oleo or shortening
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup milk
1 cup granulated sugar

Cook flour and milk on low heat until thick. Cool. Cream sugar, butter and vanilla until fluffy. Add to flour and milk mixture. (Be sure flour and milk mixture is cool first!) Beat until mixture is like whipped cream. Spread on layers.

Apple Radish BBQ Ribs

2009-03-15T12:36:00.000-07:00

I don't know what to say except that I love this pork rib recipe. I stumbled across it on Allrecipes.com a few years ago. The meat is so tender and falls off the bone. They're exceptional especially considering you don't need a grill to make 'em.

4 pounds pork spareribs
2 quarts apple juice
3 cups barbecue sauce
1/2 cup prepared horseradish
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Place ribs in a stock pot, and cover with apple juice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 to 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, mix together barbecue sauce, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic salt. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the apple juice from the ribs.
Brush underside of ribs with 1/3 of the sauce. Turn them over, and place in roasting pan.* Brush tops with remaining sauce.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 35 minutes, brushing occasionally with sauce.

*I use a large pyrex casserole dish and it helps to cover the bottom with a layer of aluminum foil so you don't have to spend a week scrubbing off the baked-on sauce.

Coconut Pie

2009-03-15T12:17:00.001-07:00

I came home the other night thinking I wanted to make a red velvet cake and ended up making this coconut pie instead. I had the one sliver that's cut out in this picture and Allen ate the rest (to his credit he ate on it throughout the week). It's a super easy to make and it always reminds me of spring.

1/2 stick butter (melted)
2 cups sugar
2 tsps flour
2 eggs
3/4 cup whole evaporated milk
1 cup coconut
1 tsp vanilla
1 pinch salt

Combine all ingredients. Pour into an unbaked pie shell. Bake at 325 degrees for one hour.

Pie Crust

2009-03-15T12:05:00.000-07:00

I've been making the same pie crust for years. I guess I should branch out and try something new but this recipe is easy and good and it doesn't require a rolling pin.

Mix in pie pan:

1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 tbsp cold milk

Pat into shape.

Sunday Breakfast

2009-02-20T16:48:00.000-08:00

No recipe here. Just what I love to eat and drink on a Sunday morning.

Beef and Bacon Meatloaf

2009-02-18T18:42:00.000-08:00

Oh, wow. I've never really liked meatloaf but this stuff is awesome. To Allen's credit, he made it and he follows recipes to a T so I hope when I get around to whipping it up some Sunday that I don't screw it all up. This isn't greasy (despite what you might think from the picture below) and it's moist and flavorful.

1 12-ounce red onion, coarsely diced
3 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 1/4 pounds ground beef (10% fat)
1/2 cup ketchup, divided
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
7 slices thick-cut bacon, 5 coarsely chopped, 2 halved crosswise
4 slices white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 400°F. Blend onion and garlic in processor until onion is finely chopped. Transfer to large bowl; add beef, 1/4 cup ketchup, and next 3 ingredients.
Add chopped bacon and bread to processor. Using on/off turns, blend until bread is chopped. Scrape mixture into bowl with beef. Add parsley; stir gently to blend well. Transfer mixture to 9x5x3-inch metal loaf pan. Arrange bacon-slice halves crosswise atop meat, spacing apart and tucking edges down sides of loaf. Spoon remaining ketchup between bacon slices. Bake meatloaf until cooked through and meat comes away from sides of pan, about 1 hour. Let rest 10 to 15 minutes. Slide spatula under 1 end of meatloaf. Tilt pan; slide loaf out onto platter. Slice and serve.

(This is from Bon Appetite...I really need to re-subscribe because I got several great recipes out of last year's subscription!)

Bean and Swiss Chard Soup

2009-02-18T18:13:00.000-08:00

I've tried some real stinker recipes lately (Pasta with Chicken, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Gorgonzola and Pine Nuts comes to mind, as does Scampi Fra Diavolo...meh) so this was a pleasant suprise. I found it on Epicurious.com which sometimes trips me up when I try and incorporate user reviews but I found a nice blend with the suggested changes and I've incorporated them in the recipe below. This is perfect with a grilled cheese sandwich.

1/2 pound (225 g) Swiss chard or kale, trimmed (I used Kale)
1 teaspoon coarse salt, plus additional to taste
2 flat anchovy fillets
1/4 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves or dried
1/3 cup (80 ml) olive oil
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1can white beans or drained and rinsed canned beans (I used Navy Beans)
4 cups (1 liter) chicken stock
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup (60 g) small shell macaroni
freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Coarsely chop the chard. Very finely chop anchovies together with the rosemary.

In a medium saucepan, stir together the oil and garlic over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is pale gold, about 10 minutes. Stir in the anchovies, rosemary and chopped chard/kale and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring to thoroughly coat it with the oil. Stir in the beans. Cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the reserved cooking liquid and the stock. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and stir in the macaroni. Boil for 6 minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Adjust the seasoning, if necessary.

Pass Parmesan cheese at the table.

Pecan Pie

2009-01-26T18:00:00.000-08:00

Ever notice that there are a bazillion pecan pie recipes yet they all, mostly, have the same ingredients. Weird.

I always use the same pie crust recipe (that I need to post) but this pecan pie recipe isn't one I often use. It's good, super easy and I will be making it again (next Thanksgiving).

1 uncooked pie shell

4 large eggs

1 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups pecan halves

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with rack set in lowest position.

2. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, corn syrup, sugars, butter, vanilla and salt until smooth, mix in pecans. Poor mixture into pie crust. Bake until filling jiggles slightly in the center when gently shaken, 50 to 60 minutes.

"Healthy" Banana-Blueberry Muffins

2009-01-26T17:51:00.000-08:00

I've made these twice now and they are hard to resist any time of the day. Personally I think this is another good example of how a muffin can be better than a cupcake. The first time I made them I didn't have whole-wheat flour so I used all-purpose and, admittedly, they're better with the all-purpose and I think plenty "healthy" enough.

1 cup whole-wheat flour (spooned and leveled)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 ripe bananas (about 1 pound)
1/3 cup reduced-fat (2 percent) milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup frozen blueberries

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. In a bowl, whisk together flours, wheat germ, baking soda, and salt.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In another bowl, mash bananas with a fork (you should have 3/4 cup); stir in milk and vanilla.
3. With mixer on low, alternately add flour mixture and banana mixture to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined. Fold in frozen blueberries.
4. Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 28 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. Let cool in pan 10 minutes; transfer muffins to a rack to cool 10 minutes more.

From Everyday Foods

I heart Bran Muffins

2008-10-27T11:45:00.000-07:00

I'll admit it. I like bran muffins. A lot. My mom makes them all the time so in this time of need for extra fiber I called her for the recipe. Turns out she uses the recipe from the All-Bran cereal box and a recipe that my Grandmother gave her that uses Raisin Bran. Since I'm not a big fan of raisins in my bran muffin I went with the first recipe here this time around. Apparently the beauty of the Raisin Bran recipe is that you can keep the dough refrigerated for up to 6 weeks and use it when you want to bake some fresh mufins. Either way, they're great for breakfast or a snack (Allen was even eating them) and especially delicious with a little butter and honey and if left to my own devices I could eat two or three in one sitting.

"Our Best Bran Muffins"

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups Kellogg's All-Bran cereal

1 1/4 cups milk

1 egg

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1. Stir together flour, sugar, salt and baking powder; set aside.

2. In large mixing bowl, combine Kellogg's All-Bran cereal and milk. Let stand about 3 minutes or until cereal softens. Add egg and oil, mix well. Add flour mixture, stirring only until combined. Portion batter evenly into 12 lightly greased 2 1/2 - inch muffin- pan cups.

3. Bake in 400 degree F oven about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.
Yield: 12 muffins

From the Kitchen of ..........Irene Albracht

Bran Muffins

1 15 oz. box Raisin Bran

3 cups sugar

5 cups flour

2 tablespoons soda

2 teaspoons salt

4 eggs

1 cup oil

1 quart buttermilk

Mix all ingredients together. Put in a closed container. Never bake immediately after first mixing. Keep in refrigeraor up to six weeks. Bake at 400 degrees 15 to 10 minutes.

Banana Pudding

2008-10-24T15:58:00.000-07:00

Allen likes Banana Pudding for his birthday instead of cake. I've made a few different recipes over the years but I thought I'd try the Nilla Wafer Back of the Box traditional recipe, again, this year despite thinking it a royal pain in the a*#&$ last time I made it. It's a little laborious but the taste is well worth the extra effort of making the custard and whipped topping verses buying a package of vanilla pudding and Cool Whip.

Original Nilla Banana Pudding

Layers of Nilla wafers, creamy pudding and fresh banana slices are the stars of this American classic.

Prep: 30 mins - Cook: 15 mins - Cool: 15 mins

3/4 cup sugar, divided
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Dash salt
3 eggs, separated
2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
45 NILLA Wafers, divided
5 ripe bananas, sliced (about 3 1/2 cups), divided
Additional NILLA Wafers and banana slices, for garnish

1. Mix 1/2 cup sugar, flour and salt in top of double boiler. Blend in 3 egg yolks and milk. Cook, uncovered, over boiling water, stirring constantly for 10 to 12 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. (This step, for some reason, takes longer for me than 12 minutes...more like 25.)

2. Reserve 10 wafers for garnish. Spread small amount of custard on bottom of 1 1/2-quart casserole; cover with a layer of wafers and a layer of sliced bananas. Pour about 1/3 of custard over bananas. Continue to layer wafers, bananas and custard to make a total of 3 layers of each, ending with custard.

3. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form; gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff but not dry. Spoon on top of pudding, spreading evenly to cover entire surface and sealing well to edges.

4. Bake at 350°F in top half of oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until browned. Cool slightly or refrigerate. Garnish with additional wafers and banana slices just before serving.

Makes 8 servings

Nutritional Info Per Serving:
287 calories, 6 g protein, 50 g carbohydrate, 7 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 117 mg cholesterol, 134 mg sodium, 1 g dietary fiber

Wisconsin Bratwurst

2008-10-19T18:31:00.000-07:00

Allen got a gas grill for his birthday! Yay! So, we decided to break it in with an old recipe, one we use to make in Los Angeles on the old charcoal gril. Beer Brats.

I got three bratwursts from Whole Foods and halved the rest of the ingredients. It's an easy recipe and it's great to have grilled brats and spicy mustard and not as many pots an pans to clean after dinner.

Ingredients:
2 pounds fresh bratwurst sausages
2 onions, thinly sliced
1 cup butter
6 (12 fluid ounce) cans or bottles beer
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
10 hoagie rolls

Directions:

1. Prick bratwurst with fork to prevent them from exploding as they cook. Place in a large stock pot with the onions, butter, and beer. Place pot over medium heat, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Preheat grill for medium-high heat.
3. Lightly oil grate. Cook bratwurst on preheated grill for 10 to 14 minutes, turning occasionally to brown evenly. Serve hot off the grill with onions on hoagie rolls.

Oh, I got this recipe off allrecipes.com in '04. It's a keeper.

I'm baaack

2008-10-13T18:50:00.000-07:00

Between Ike, my new job and the traveling I've done since August I'm about two months behind in life. However, it doesn't mean I haven't been cooking and baking and using this blog. While staying with my good friends Megan and Travis I pulled up the old intransnets and put to use the Miso and Garlic Pork Chops recipe. M & T said they loved the meal and I think they've even made the chops once since. I can see how, without power, a hard copy recipe could always come in handy but, since I've learned, without power I also don't have a stove, microwave or refrigeration I'm going to continue to post my recipes and search for them online each week while I make out my grocery list instead of spend an hour thumbing through my giant binder. Huzzah for the intreaznets.

Elise's Sesame Noodles

2008-08-20T09:47:00.000-07:00

I don't know who Elise is but a few weeks ago Allen emailed me this recipe that he found on Yahoo. Since he rarely interjects ideas I thought I'd try it out with the caveat that I won't eat just noodles so I tried to make tofu for the first time as well. It's not a bad recipe but for the love of God do not make the whole recipe or you'll be eating it for a week.

Tofu: (some Yelpers helped me out with this one)

Take the block of tofu (they suggested straining in a colander with a heavy plate or something on top but the block I got was fairly drained) cut it into cubes, marinate in a mixture of your favorite ingredients (soy sauce, oyster sauce, hot sauce, onions, peanut sauce) and bake at 350 degrees for 30-plus minutes until it's nice and firm and has absorbed the sauce.

Noodles:
1 pound whole-wheat spaghetti
1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons rice-wine vinegar or lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
1 bunch scallions, sliced, divided
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided (optional)
4 cups snow peas, trimmed and sliced on the bias
1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook spaghetti until just tender, 9 to 11 minutes or according to package directions. Drain; rinse under cold water.

2. Meanwhile, whisk soy sauce, sesame oil, canola oil, vinegar (or lime juice), crushed red pepper, 1/4 cup scallions and 2 tablespoons cilantro (if using). Add noodles, snow peas and bell pepper; toss to coat.

3. To serve, mix in sesame seeds and garnish with the remaining scallions and cilantro.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

2008-08-20T09:30:00.000-07:00

I like dark meat and Allen likes white meat. It's a story that's been around as long as married couples have been squabbling over what to eat for dinner.

I was craving fried chicken and recently saw one of the Alton Brown's "Good Eats" fried chicken episodes so I when I had some leftover buttermilk sitting around I thought I'd give it a try. Turns out that I also had an "Everyday Foods" recipe for fried chicken and that's what Allen decided to use ("looks a little easier") when he ended up making the fried chicken because I was too busy.

It's a good recipe. It takes a while in the skillet and makes quite a bit of grease but I enjoyed my dark meat and the cold drumsticks turned out to be a great snack the next day.

Ingredients:
2 cups low-fat buttermilk
Coarse salt
3 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 whole chickens (2-½ to 3 pounds each), each cut into 10 serving pieces (wings, thighs, drumsticks, and 4 breast pieces)
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups vegetable oil

Marinating the chicken in buttermilk makes the meat moist and flavorful. Chicken breasts cook faster than other parts, so fry them separately in the last batch. For fried chicken with less fat and fewer calories, remove the skin before marinating.

In each of two 1-gallon resealable plastic bags, combine 1 cup buttermilk, 1/2 tablespoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, and half the chicken pieces. Shake to coat; refrigerate up to 2 days.

In a large, shallow bowl, whisk flour with 2 tablespoons salt and remaining 2 teaspoons cayenne. (This pungent spice is made from ground dried chiles. Used in small quantities, it adds heat to dishes without being overpowering.) Dredge chicken pieces, one at a time, in mixture, shaking off excess.

In a 12-inch cast-iron skillet (or other heavy-bottom skillet), heat oil to 350° on a deep-fry thermometer (or until a pinch of flour sizzles when dropped in the oil). Carefully add 1/3 of the chicken. Cook 10 minutes; turn chicken with tongs. Cook until golden brown, juices run clear, and internal temperature is 165°, about 10 minutes more. Transfer to a rack to drain. Season with salt, if desired.

Return oil temperature to 350°. Repeat with remaining chicken.

Key Lime Cupcakes

2008-08-02T08:29:00.000-07:00

Cupcakes are (maybe "were" now) the new black. The cupcake craze has gone a little overboard this year with cupcakeries cropping up all and selling the tiny cakes at $3.50 a pop. After spending $7 on two dry cupcakes at Sugarbaby's I decided maybe I don't need to eat cupcakes (I have, however, heard great things about Crave). But, when I saw this Key Lime Cupcake recipe in bon appetit, originally from Buttersweet Bakery in Altanta, I thought it sounded fun and it would give me a reason to buy neon-green food coloring. I also had some amazing Key Lime Cheesecake Cupcakes at a shower recently and so it's been on my mind.

Turns out this recipe is a keeper. The cupcakes are incredibly dense but the lime flavoring isn't too strong and the icing is just perfect. I have always heard that the secret to good Key Lime Cheesecake is using real key limes and I would suspect that would also help out this recipe.

After I had all the batter mixed I had a flashback to the Avocado Soup I made recently. It was almost the identical color and texture. We're taking these to a BBQ today and Allen has already decided we'll tell everyone they're spinach cupcakes. We'll see how that goes over.

Cupcake Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup self-rising flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon finely grated lime peel
1/4 teaspoon neon-green food coloring
3/4 cup buttermilk

Frosting Ingredients:
1 8-oz package cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon finely grated lime peel
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard cupcake pan with 12 paper liners. Whisk both flours in medium bowl until smooth. Add sugar, beat to blend. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then next 3 ingredients (batter may look curdled). Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with buttermilk in 2 additions.

Spoon scant 1/3 cup batter into each liner.

2. Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 10 minute. Remove from pan; cool.

Frosting:
Beat all ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth. Spread over cupcakes.

Stilton Pear Salad

2008-07-31T17:03:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. Salad? Boooring. But wait! This one's boring but tasty!

My sister started making this recipe about 10 years ago (I'm getting freak'n old!) and at the time I didn't like blue cheese or pears (still really don't love either but have come to respect what that they can do for a salad) and so I've made many versions of this recipe substituting with goat cheese and apple or other cheeses and fruits it is really malleable to your liking (though best with the original recipe). Also, if you don't have Stilton any of the blues will do, including Roquefort or Gorgonzola.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
6 cups red- or green- leaf lettuce (preferably young lettuce, available at specialty produce markets and some supermarkets), or a combination of both, rinsed and spun dry
1 large red Bartlett pear
1/4 pound Stilton, crumbled (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup candied pecans

In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, the mustard, and salt and pepper to taste, add the oil in a stream, whisking, and whisk the dressing until it is emulsified. In a bowl toss the lettuce with half the dressing and divide the salad among 4 plates. Halve and core the pear and cut it lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange one fourth of the pear slices decoratively on each plate, divide the Stilton and the pecans among the salads, and drizzle the remaining dressing on top.

Caramelized Pecans Ingredients:
1/2 tablespoon Butter
1/2 cup Pecan halves

Melt butter in small skillet over medium-high heat and add sugar and nuts. Stir constantly until sugar loses grainy appearance, about 5 minutes. Pour nuts onto sheet of aluminum foil and let cool about 15 minutes.

A few random notes:
1. Lately my candied pecans have turned into rock candy surrounding pecans. You really have to let the sugar melt at a pretty high heat and then stir constantly to get the pecans covered in the caramelized sugar. I can't find my original recipe for this salad but I'm not sure if that's the issue or if my caramelizing skills have gone down hill.
2. My mom has ingrained in my head to save up little glass jars for making vinaigrette and dressing. You can just pour all the ingredients in the jars and shake. Plus, if you have leftover you can put the lid on it and use it for your next salad.

Chicken Piccata

2008-07-25T07:36:00.000-07:00

The first episode of last season's Top Chef was a competition to reinvent a classic dish. Chicken Piccata was one of those dishes and while this recipe doesn't reinvent anything I still think it could have held up against over-salted shrimp scampi! We make this fairly frequently. It's really not too pasta heavy and it makes for great leftovers.

Ingredients:
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 pounds chicken cutlets
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces linguine
3 packed cups loose baby spinach (about 5 ounces), torn into pieces
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained

Instructions:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Place flour in a shallow bowl. Season cutlets with salt and pepper, then dip into flour, turning to coat; shake off excess.

2. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add half the chicken; cook until lightly browned and opaque throughout, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with remaining tablespoon oil and chicken (reserve skillet for sauce).

3. Meanwhile, cook linguine in boiling water until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water. Add spinach, and stir until submerged. Drain pasta mixture and return to pot. Toss with 1 tablespoon butter; season generously with salt and pepper. Add some reserved pasta water if necessary. Cover to keep warm.

4. Into skillet, pour wine and lemon juice. Cook over medium-high, stirring to loosen browned bits, until liquid has reduced to 1/3 cup, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat; swirl in 2 remaining tablespoons butter until melted. (For a smoother sauce, strain through a fine-mesh sieve, if desired.) Add capers, and season with salt and pepper. Divide chicken and linguine among four serving plates; top chicken with sauce.

Ultrafast Avocado Soup

2008-07-20T17:10:00.000-07:00

Yay! Another recipe to put in the "don't want to ever make again" file!

I've been reading/watching Mark Bittman's recipes and blogs from the New York Times now for almost a year and I think this is the first recipe I've actually tried. The recipe is so easy that in his video blog he didn't even need speak. I thought, "This recipe is for me!"

I sure wish I had actually read the recipe. Maybe that would have helped? Because when I made it it was way too thick and rich. Now that I see his written recipe I realize maybe I didn't add enough milk? Regardless, I won't be trying this again soon. BUT, the shrimp skewers were fine and on sale pre-prepared for $1.50/skewer at WF it was quite the bargain. Too bad a few shrimp don't make for a filling meal.

Recipe: Ultrafast Avocado Soup

Time: 10 minutes, plus chilling
About 2 cups chopped ripe avocado flesh (3 or 4 small avocados)
3 cups milk, preferably whole
Salt and cayenne pepper to taste
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, or to taste
A handful or more of small cooked shrimp
Chopped fresh cilantro or parsley leaves.

1. Put chopped avocado in a blender. Add half the milk, a large pinch of salt and a small pinch of cayenne; process to a purée. Add remaining milk and purée, then chill for up to 6 hours if you have time (press a piece of plastic wrap to surface of soup so it does not discolor).

2. Add lime juice, taste, then adjust seasoning, if necessary. Garnish with shrimp and parsley or cilantro, and serve.

Yield: 4 servings.

Shitake Mushrooms with Cheese Tortillini

2008-07-18T11:13:00.000-07:00

A mushroom walks into a bar. The bartenders says, "We don't allow your kind in here." The mushrooms says, "What do you have against me? I'm a fungi!"

I told that joke as an intro to a presentation on fungus in college. Yes, I have a biology degree and all I remember is that joke.

I saw this recipe on Everyday Foods. I stopped getting the magazine and pretty much stopped recording the show but I happened across one of the Everyday Food chefs making this and thought I'd give it a try. Turns out it's almost the exact same recipe that we make with green peas instead of mushrooms (a recipe from an old Everyday Foods magazine...imagine that) .

Ingredients:

1/2 lb shitake mushrooms (sliced)

2 cloves garlic (minced), this was pretty garlicy

flat leaf parsley (a lot, chopped)

3 tbsp grated parmesan (more for top)

1 tbsp butter

1 package cheese tortellini

Heat a bit of oil in a pan, add mushrooms and soften, add garlic, stir, add 3/4 cup water and season with salt and pepper. Let reduce for 5 minutes.

Make tortellini per package instructions.

Add cooked pasta, parsley, parmesan and butter. Toss and serve with parmesan sprinkled on top.

perugian-style chocolate hazelnut cheesecake (torta di cioccolata al forno con vaniglia e nocciola)

2008-07-14T12:27:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe out of the April issue of Gourmet. It was okay. Not great, just okay. My favorite thing about it was that I had an excuse to buy those Carr's whole wheat crackers. If you're looking for a Christmas present for me think Carr's whole wheat crackers...I love 'em that much. (I like them more than this torta.)

For crust:
1/4 pound wheatmeal crackers finely crushed (about 1 cup)
1 ounce fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (no more than 60% cacao if marked), grated
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted

For filling:
1/2 pound fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (no more than 60% cacao if marked), chopped
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 pound 2 ounce cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2/3 cup superfine granulated sugar

1 cup hazelnuts (4 1/2 ounces), toasted loose skins rubbed off in a kitchen towel while still warm, and nuts chopped (this is, sort of, a pain in the butt)

Make crust:Combine all ingredients, then press onto bottom of springform pan.

Make filling and bake cheesecake:Preheat oven to 325°F with rack in middle.

Melt chocolate with butter, then remove from heat and whisk in cream cheese until smooth. Whisk in sour cream and vanilla.

Whisk together eggs and sugar in a large bowl until mixture has a mousse-like consistency, then stir in chocolate mixture and nuts.

Pour filling into crust and bake 1 1/2 hours. (Top will be slightly cracked.)

Cool to room temperature in pan on a rack, about 1 hour, then chill at least 1 hour. (Cake will sink slightly.)

Cooks' notes:

•Wheatmeal biscuits are British-style whole-wheat crackers. Look for Carr's (labeled "Whole Wheat Crackers" and found at most supermarkets) or McVitie's brand (found at some specialty foods shops).

•Chocolate hazelnut cheesecake can be chilled up to 1 day. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Guest Chef: Lisa White

2008-07-14T08:25:00.000-07:00

Lisa White is my first guest Chef...I hope she doesn't mind.

We've had the great pleasure and honor of eating two lovely meals prepared (in part) by Lisa White. One in Galveston where despite the hazardous conditions and a power outage she fried up some wonderful shrimp, scallops, and oysters on a makeshift fryer on the gas grill...outside, in the rain, and with a smile...when others weren't so jolly.

The batter was a mixture of fish fry batter and crackers (I can't for the life of me think of what kind of crackers they were and it's Jen Gardner's family recipe!). Seriously, the best fried seafood I've ever had and the whole meal was wonderful (as was the night's before).

In Austin, over the 4th of July weekend, Lisa invited a bunch out to her house for dinner and again she hit the grill this time with burgers, drumsticks, Meyer's sausage, kabobs, and eggplant. She's got impeccable timing with the grill and everything was cooked perfectly. She also made homemade strawberry lemonade (with Vodka) and a delicious white bean salad that I'm planning on making at home this week.

White Bean Salad:

1 can of white beans

red onion chopped

salt

pepper

basil

cherry tomatoes, halved

a little olive oil

parmesan cheese

-----------

I found the grilled eggplant recipe online and I thought it was very good -- though mostly it was because Lisa grilled it so well.

-----------

Grilled eggplant:

1 large eggplant
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, very finely minced
1 pinch each thyme, basil, dill, and oregano
salt and freshly grated black pepper
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Three cheers for Lisa White!

Hash

2008-07-03T12:46:00.001-07:00

This stuff, when made properly, is really good. I don't know why but the three simple (really five if you include corn meal and oil) ingredients go perfectly together. Whenever okra was in season and we had some in the garden mom would make this hash as a side for dinner. If I remember correctly we use to call goulash but it's not really...it's just hash. There's no recipe that I know of and when I've tried to make it on my own it's never turned out quite right...until now.

This time. I cut up 1/2 onion (less), cubed three small new potatoes and cut 5-6 okra and tossed with corn meal (you could probably toss with egg or add a bit of water but the stickyness of the okra will help the corn meal to attach nicely).

The key is not to cook everything at once. Potatoes, okra, then onion. Since the potatoes take a lot longer start them in a large pan on medium heat with a little oil (I used olive oil) for 10 minutes or so until they start to brown and soften. Move them to the side of the pan, add a bit more olive oil and then cook the okra (try not to mix with the potatoes right away) until slightly fried and the breading adheres then add the onion similarly.

I was pretty happy with the turn out and the leftovers tasted just as good the next day. Allen didn't seem as enthusiastic about the whole thing so I'm guessing my nostalgia for the dish factors in a bit. I still think it's worth trying and it's a great use of okra!

Lamb Rib Chops with Quick Cherry Pan Sauce

2008-06-29T12:32:00.000-07:00

Wow. I never realized how expensive lamb rib chops are...and also how delicious. (On a side note: some people that work for my parents put a couple of sheep out at my parent's ranch and it's funny to hear my mom baa and meh over the phone when she's trying to tell me how they were keeping her up at night.) I've never made them before and subsequently never bought them at the store. I also never realized how small they are...this is beginning to sound like the game "I've never"...

This is an easy recipe even if you pit the cherries yourself. I like cherries and all but I also think the lamb would be tasty on it's own or with another topping.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 3/4- to 1-inch-thick lamb rib chops

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium red onion, halved, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)

1 cup unsweetened black cherry juice

1 cup halved pitted fresh Bing cherries or other dark sweet cherries (about 7 ounces whole unpitted cherries)

1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil, divided

Preheat oven to 250°F. Mix flour, 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper on large plate. Lightly coat lamb chops with flour mixture; shake off excess. Melt butter with oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add lamb chops and cook to desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer chops to baking sheet and keep warm in oven while preparing sauce (do not clean skillet).

Add onion to same skillet and sauté 2 minutes. Add cherry juice and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Boil until liquid is slightly reduced and onion is slightly softened, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes. Stir in cherries and half of basil and cook 1 minute. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Place 2 lamb chops on each of 4 plates. Spoon sauce over. Sprinkle remaining basil over and serve.

I made this with the mesculun and cherry salad with warm goat cheese and found both recipes in the June 2008 issue of bon appetit!

Brioche dough

2008-06-29T12:04:00.000-07:00

I took a Brioche baking class at Whole Foods Culinary Institute awhile back and it was a wonderful experience. The instructor, Amy Osborn, was a great teacher and within just a few hours we had made Brioche à tête, Nanterre, and cinnamon rolls. Through the class we received the recipe below for Brioche though I realize now there weren't written instructions for the different breads but hopefully my notes will suffice for when I try and make this at home. I'll also post more information that I received on rich doughs and the fermenting process.

Sponge:
4 oz milk
1 oz yeast, fresh
4 oz bread flour

Dough:

7 oz egg

1 lb bread flour

1 oz sugar

1/4 oz. salt

7 oz butter, softened

Sponge Method:

Warm milk to about 100 degrees F. Dissolve yeas in the milk. Add flour and mix by hand until it comes together to make a sponge. Let it rise until doubles in size.

Once the sponge has doubled in size, gradually mix in eggs and then dry ingredients to make a soft dough.

Beat in butter, a little at a time, until completely absorbed and dough is smooth. Dough will be very soft and tacky to the touch.

Fermentation: Place in a slightly sprayed bag or in covered bowl and place in retarder over night.

Proof (2nd stage of fermentation, allowing the dough to rise in a humid environment) loosely covered with a lightly moist thin town or saran wrap in a warm spot for 20 minutes to an hour depending on heat.

To make Brioche à tête (means "with a head" and they are rolls panned in fluted tins with a small spherical piece of dough placed on top) measure off dough in 1 1/4 oz sizes and shape. Brush with a light egg wash and bake 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

To make Brioche Nanterre (A loaf of brioche panned in a standard loaf pan. Instead of shaping one piece of dough and baking it, two rows of small pieces of dough are placed in the pan. Loaves are then proofed in the pan, fusing the pieces together.) roll the dough (18 0z) in long log. Cut into six even piece and place them going the width of a loaf pan. Take scissors and cut the top of bread in a pattern and bake at 375 degrees.

To make Brioche cinnamon rolls take 8 oz of dough, roll out to a thin dough in a wide rectangle (6" long) and cover with cinnamon, nuts, raisins (whatever you like), then roll up into a log. Cut the log into 5 - 6 even pieces. Place the rolls in a baking pan and proof 20 - 40 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees. To make icing combine powdered sugar and milk or cream to the correct constancy -- ad liquid to powdered sugar -- and any extra flavor such as orange zest, lemon juice or almond extract. Heat and drizzle over the top of cooked rolls.

Grits, Cheese, and Onion Souffle

2008-06-17T18:23:00.000-07:00

I made my first souffle and it was a savory one (if that gives you any indication of my food preferences) and it wasn't bad (if I do say so myself)!

This recipe is pretty straight forward. I used smaller (7 oz) ramekins and I actually think any more would have made for a heavy dish. Next time I make it I'll be sure I have enough eggs on hand in case I mess something up. And, I don't like recipes that tell you that ingredients will be divided but don't say how much until you read the directions but I do realize now that I'm too lazy to figure out how to better post it that this is the easiest explanation. Otherwise, I can't think of anything to suggest except you'd better start working out that upper body if you're going to whip those white by hand!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter

3/4 cup chopped onion

3/4 cup chopped leek

1 1/2 cups whole milk, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup quick-cooking grits

4 large eggs, separated
3 green onions, chopped

1 cup (packed) grated hot pepper Monterey Jack cheese (about 4 ounces), divided

Preheat oven to 425°F. Butter four 1 1/4-cup soufflé dishes. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and leek; sauté 3 minutes. Mix in 1 1/4 cups whole milk and 1/2 teaspoon salt, then grits; bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until thick, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk remaining 1/4 cup milk and yolks in small bowl to blend. Remove grits from heat. Stir in yolk mixture, then green onions and 3/4 cup cheese. Beat whites in medium bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold into grits in 3 additions. Divide mixture among prepared dishes (mixture will come all the way to top of dishes). Sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese.

Bake soufflés until puffed and brown on top, about 18 minutes. Serve immediately.

Garlic-Miso Pork Chops with Orange Bell Pepper and Arugula

2008-06-17T18:03:00.000-07:00

YUM! This is one of my favorite dishes I've made in awhile and it's so very easy. I was a bit worried when I sauteed the pork that I had burned it but it was the miso toasting and crisping and it flaked off very easily. (Next time I may wipe off all the excess marinade before I saute it but, then again, it may help with the flavor?) I didn't find the rib chop at Krogers so I just got a regular pork chop and it worked well. Apparently the only difference is that the rib chop doesn't have the tenderloin but I'm not sure because I've never been good with cuts of meat. Oh, and the salad is simple but really good.

Regardless, try this! You won't regret it. You can find miso at most stores and certainly at a Whole Foods and there are plenty of other great things you can make with the remaining miso.

Ingredients:
4 3/4-inch-thick pork rib chops
2 large garlic cloves, pressed
1/3 cup white miso (fermented soybean paste)
3 tablespoons dry Sherry
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
2 cups (packed) baby arugula
1 orange bell pepper, seeded, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar

Place pork in large shallow dish. Spread garlic thinly on all sides of chops, then spread miso generously over. Sprinkle with Sherry and let stand 5 minutes.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork. Sauté until just cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Meanwhile, combine arugula and bell pepper in medium bowl. Add 2 tablespoons oil and vinegar; toss to coat. Season salad with salt and pepper.

Place 1 pork chop on each of 4 plates. Serve with salad; drizzle with any pan juices and more oil, if desired.

From Bon Appétit June 2008
Per serving: 333 calories, 17g fat (4g saturated), 68mg cholesterol, 923mg sodium, 11g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 2g protein (nutritional analysis provided by Nutrition Data)

Six Can Tortilla Soup

2008-06-15T07:37:00.000-07:00

This is the lazy man's tortilla soup (or maybe, the working woman's). It's too easy but it's also tastes pretty good, it's healthy, and if you fix it up with some avocado, tortilla chips, shredded cheese or sour cream it adds a little authenticity for a six can recipe.

Ingredients:
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth (low fat and low sodium)
1 (10 ounce) can chunk chicken*
1 (15 ounce) can black beans (rinse beans)
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, drained

DIRECTIONS
Open the cans of corn, chicken broth, chunk chicken, black beans, and diced tomatoes with green chilies. Pour everything into a large saucepan or stock pot. Simmer over medium heat until chicken is heated through. THAT'S IT!!

Season in with some cumin, chili powder, pepper, garlic powder or jalapenos to your liking. (I highly recommend the cumin!)

*I do boil one or two chicken breasts and shred them instead of using canned chicken but it does add an extra step.

Mesculun and Cherry Salad with Warm Goat Cheese

2008-06-12T20:02:00.000-07:00

I love goat cheese so it was a no-brainer that I try this recipe. I've always wondered how restaurants made goat cheese rounds and now that I've learned it's a snap I'm sure to put on the pounds. Now that I think of it, I've got leftover goat cheese in the fridge from a pasta salad I just made -- maybe I'll go make some "dessert" goat cheese rounds.

Anyhoo, this was a great salad. Almost just as good as the lamb rib chops (also pictured). I hope to eat a lot of it, and often. I will say that mesculun is a fancy term for "whatever greens you want to use" and bigger isn't neccessarily better when it comes to the goat cheese rounds. More rounds is better but bigger, not so much.

2 tablespoons roasted almond oil or olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

3/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel

3/4 cup sliced almonds (about 3 ounces)

1 large egg

1 tablespoon water

1 11-ounce log soft fresh goat cheese, cut crosswise into 6 rounds

6 cups (packed) mixed baby greens or baby spinach

1 cup halved pitted fresh Bing cherries or other dark sweet cherries (about 7 ounces whole unpitted cherries)

1/2 cup 2x1/4-inch strips fresh fennel bulb

Preheat oven to 400°F. Whisk first 5 ingredients in small bowl. Season dressing generously with salt and pepper. Spread almonds on plate. Whisk egg and 1 tablespoon water in small bowl; sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Turn goat cheese rounds in egg mixture, then coat with sliced almonds, covering all sides. Place on rimmed baking sheet. DO AHEAD: Dressing and goat cheese rounds can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover separately and chill. Bring dressing to room temperature and whisk before using.

Bake goat cheese rounds until cheese is warm but not melted, about 10 minutes.
Combine greens, cherries, and fennel in large bowl. Add dressing and toss to coat. Divide salad among 6 plates. Place 1 cheese round on each plate and serve.

Pan-Seared Steak

2008-06-12T19:27:00.000-07:00

What You'll Need:

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 boneless rib-eye or New York strip (shell) steak, 1 1/2 to 2 pounds and 2 1/2 inches thick at room temperature

coarse salt and cracked pepper

steak butter (see below)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in a large cast-iron (or non-stick skillet) over medium-high until it begins to smoke. Pat steak dry with paper towels. Season each side with 1 tsp coarse salt and 1 tsp cracked pepper.

2. Cook steak in skillet over medium-high heat until a dark crust has formed, 5 - 7 minutes per side (reduce heat if meat is browning too quickly). Holding steak with tongs, quickly brown all edges, turning as necessary; lay steak flat in skillet.

3. Transfer skillet to oven. Roast until an instant thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the steak registers desired doneness, 5 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a plate; spread with 1 tablespoon steak butter. Cover loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest 5 to 10 minutes (temperature will then rise another 5 to 10 degrees). Slice across the grain; serve with remaining steak butter. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers (great for salads) up to 2 days.

Internal temperatures (before resting):

Rare: 115 degrees

Medium-rare: 125 degrees

Medium: 140 degrees

...I'm not giving you any more options because that's just blasphemy.

Steak butters:

In a small bowl, mix the ingredient combination of your choice (below) with 4 tablespoons room temperature butter. Season with course salt and ground pepper.

Blue cheese:

2 tbsp (1 ounce) crumbled blue cheese

1 scallion, minced

Garlic-herb:

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 garlic clove, minced

Horseradish-Mustard (this is the one I've now made twice)

2 tbsp prepared-white horseradish (squeezed of excess liquid)

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

Tuscan Soup

2008-06-09T13:39:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite in our soup rotation. The potatoes, spinach, and Italian sausage are a great combination. I've make this a dozen times now and I'm still not tired of making or eating it.

Ingredients:

6 cups chicken broth

1 onion, chopped

3 (3.5 ounce) links spicy Italian sausage

3 large potatoes, cubed

1 bunch fresh spinach, washed and chopped

1/4 cup evaporated milk

salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Remove skin from sausage and crumble into frying pan. Add chopped onion, and cook over medium heat until meat is no longer pink (I strain off any grease or fat but that's optional, sometimes I rinse the meat under cold water).
2. Place meat in a large pot, add stock an potatoes. Boil until potato is cooked (about 18 - 20 minutes, depending on the size of the cubes).

3. Add spinach. Continue boiling until spinach is lightly cooked.

4. Remove soup from heat, stir in evaporated milk, and season to taste. I don't add salt because even the low-sodium broth has enough to make it plenty salty.

Now I've gone and made myself hungry.

(I've also put a small picture at the bottom of the page this time because it's such a bad photo. U like my shady marketing techniques? Eh? Eh?)

Best Cookies on Earth

2008-06-09T13:21:00.000-07:00

The ladies of Athens don't lie. These are pretty damn good cookies. (Ooh, maybe the ladies of Athens wouldn't appreciate me saying the word "Damn"?) I got this recipe from a friend who stole it from "Under the Magnolia, A Tasteful Tour of Athens" cookbook. I mix 'em up and Allen bakes 'em -- we've got division of labor worked out in the cookie department. We've also finally learned our lesson and we freeze most of the dough and just pull it out when we need a sweet treat. (Otherwise, Allen eats them all and they're gone in just a couple of days.) We also like baking them when we have friends over for dinner. They're the best cookies on earth when they're pulled out of the oven and paired with some vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter (or margarine)

3/4 cup light brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour

1 1/2 cups oatmeal

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup dried cranberries

1 (7.5 oz) package of toffee bits

Directions:

Cream butter and sugars, add egg and vanilla mixing well. Blend in flour, oatmeal, chocolate chips, cranberries and toffee bits. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool slightly before transferring to cooling rack (or your mouth).

Unfortunately they're not as big as Allen's (unusually small) head.

Doong Goo, Mook Yee, Chow Ngau (Stir Fried Beef and Three Mushrooms)

2008-06-09T12:58:00.000-07:00

This is another recipe I found in "The Melting Pot "cookbook. The entree is from the Chinese Kitchen section. We liked the coconut curry shrimp a bit more and have made it several times now but I do think this one is worth trying and maybe working on to get a stronger flavor. I was thrown by the metric system on this one too so maybe that's partial to blame. Otherwise, if you like mushrooms and could have fun exploring new mushrooms and combinations this is a keeper.

Ingredients:

300g beef (sirloin or rump)...about 3/4 lb

A large handful of dried Chinese mushrooms (try the bulk aisle at CM or WF)

50g wood ear (or chestnut) mushrooms (these are thick, dried and really flavorful)...about 2 oz

2 cloves garlic

5 cm ginger....1/2 inch

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp light soy sauce

peanut oil (or other oil for frying)

2 spring onions

100ml oyster sauce...3 1/2 ounces

Prep:
1. Rinse the dried Chinese mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms and soak for 30 minutes in hot water.

2. Wash them quickly with cold water and remove any stick bits
3. Slice all the mushrooms

4. Peel and chop the garlic, ginger and the white part of the spring onion, setting aside the green part
5. Slice the beef and rub it with sesame oil and soy sauce

Cook:

1. Heat the peanut oil in a wok until very hot, add the garlic, the white part of the spring onion and ginger; fry off with the Chinese mushrooms.
2. Add beef and stir fry quickly then add the other mushrooms, saute, and toss in the oyster sauce. Keep turning the mushrooms and beef so they do not overcook but get coated in sauce. Served immediately garnished with a little chopped green spring onion.

I got a little confused on her mushroom instructions and I think I combined the mushrooms when I was suppose to let them soak separately. I also didn't do a great job of measuring the mushrooms (the more the better, right?) but it turned out fine. I would like to add a little heat or a stronger flavor but I'm not sure what/how yet.

BBQ Dry Rub

2008-05-28T13:29:00.000-07:00

We make tenderloin a bit too often. It's just so easy when you don't want to cook but you want something good an healthy to eat at home. I've got two recipes that I've been using lately and this is one of 'em (the other uses bread crumbs or Panko and I haven't taken a picture but I will next time I make it). I like to make a sweet potato* and roasted cauliflower with this tenderloin because you can pretty much prep everything and stick it all in the oven at the same time. And, it's delicious.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons of white sugar
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons of brown sugar
1 teaspoon and 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon paprika

Directions:
Mix everything together, rub onto pork 10 minutes prior to grilling (or baking). That's it!

I preheat the oven to 350 degrees and let it bake for 20 - 25 minutes then check it for pinkness. I finally got a kitchen thermometer but it doesn't work well for me. Usually I just look at the color and make sure it's not too pink and the juices run clear.

*For the sweet potato I just clean it, poke it with holes using a fork, microwave it wrapped in a damp paper towel for 8 - 10 minutes and then just put in the oven around the same time as the pork. I put it straight on the rack and hope to remember to put a pan below it in case it leaks.

Pasta Fagioli Soup

2008-05-27T15:59:00.000-07:00

I've never been been one to eat minestrone but I do like this recipe and with all the pasta, beans, and other stuff going on it's not too heavy on the tomato broth. Pasta e fagioli means "pasta and beans" and I believe most traditional fagioli recipes use cannelloni beans so I'm not sure Cooking Light got the name entirely right here. Regardless, it's pretty good and Allen now calls it his favorite of our soup recipes it that means anything to you. It's tasty, super easy to make and it does have a lot of fiber and it's a good way to get me to eat some zucchini (though I prefer zucchini bread).

12 ounces Santa Fe chicken sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced (such as Amy's) -- this is what the recipe says but I haven't found any Amy's in the store. I have bought sausage at CM that's worked and spicy Italian sausage too.
3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup uncooked pasta shells (I use the baby shells)
2 cups coarsely chopped zucchini (about 2 small zucchini) -- I had some extra yellow squash one night and threw it in and it also works.
1 (14.5-ounce) can stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano object
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) shredded Asiago cheese

Instructions: Heat a large saucepan over high heat. Add sausage; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add broth and pasta; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 4 minutes. Add zucchini and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 2 minutes. Stir in basil, oregano, and beans; cover and simmer for 3 minutes or until pasta and zucchini are tender. Sprinkle with cheese.

Yield
5 servings (serving size: about 1 1/3 cups soup and about 1 tablespoon asiago cheese)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 319(26% from fat); FAT 9.2g (sat 3.3g,mono 3.8g,poly 0.8g); PROTEIN 21.9g; CHOLESTEROL 56mg; CALCIUM 56mg; SODIUM 858mg; FIBER 9.6g; IRON 4.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 39.7g

Grilled Tuna Steak Burgers

2008-05-27T15:44:00.000-07:00

I've got to thank Fayza for this dish. When she moved to San Francisco she let me raid her freezer and I got these Whole Foods frozen Yellowfin tuna steaks. I decided to try out tuna burgers. I use to order 'em at Hyde Park Bar and Grill when I was a pescatarian but I never tried to recreate them at home. Turns out that Hyde Park's were better but this is a good do-it-yourself version. Basically you just get sandwich fix'ns and...

Ingredients
Burgers:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar
2 small bay leaves, broken
4 ounce ahi tuna steaks

Remoulade Sauce:
1/2 cup mayo
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 tsp minced fresh Italian Parsley
1 tsp grated onion
1 tsp anchovy paste
2 hard-boiled large egg yolks
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp capers (drained)

1. Thaw out the frozen tuna as instructed on the packaging.
2. Combine oil, vinegar, and bay leaves in a plastic bag, shake to blend, add tuna and chil for 1-2 hours turning the bag occasionally.
2. Grill them on each side in a sprayed pan or on the grill until it's no longer too pink inside. A few minutes on each side.

You can heat the bun and throw it together like a burger with mayo and all the fixins. Or, mix up the remoulade sauce.

For sauce: Wisk first 6 ingredients in bowl to blend. Useing fine grater, grade egg in yolks. Whisk in oil, then capers. Season with Salt and pepper.

This is an epicurious.com recipe!

Apple Radish BBQ Ribs

2008-05-21T18:56:00.000-07:00

Again, thank me later. Or maybe just start checking out allrecipes.com because this is another winner I got from that site. I never really ate baby back ribs before trying out this recipe and now I only eat them at home because I don't think they'll get any better. It's about $12 for a rack of ribs at the store and with some mashed potatoes and a salad or green on the side I can't think of a better dinner.

4 pounds pork spare ribs (I just get a rack)
2 pounds apple juice (I just get a large plastic jug.)
3 cups barbecue sauce (I just get the largest size...2 plus cups)
1/2 cup prepared horseradish
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Instructions:
1. Place ribs in a stock pot, and cover with apple juice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 to 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together barbecue sauce, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic salt. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the apple juice from the ribs.

3. Brush underside of ribs with 1/3 of the sauce. Turn them over, and place in roasting pan. Brush tops with remaining sauces.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 35 minutes, brushing occasionally with sauce.

P.s. It helps to put down a layer of aluminum foil in your roasting pan (I use a pyrex) so you don't have to work on cleaning out the baked-on sauce that inevitably pools in your pan.

Coconut Curried Prawns

2008-04-07T08:42:00.000-07:00

I got a new cookbook! The Melting Pot. The World in Your Kitchen Each chapter of the book highlights a different country and nationality (Malaysian, Chinese, Ethiopian) and gives you an introduction to the cuisine, flavors you'll find in the kitchen, and, of course, offers recipes. I like the aspects of learning the contents of an Estonian store cupboard and lessons learned along the way when discovering Perisan cooking but I'm not a fan converting measurements from metric to imperial (note to self: do not buy English cookbooks).

The Coconut Curried Prawns recipe came from the Caribbean Kitchen section. Allen loves curry and coconut so I figured it was a good one to try first. He loved it. The color turned out much more yellow than the red curry pictured in the book. Regardless, we'll make it again. It's easy, rich and a bit different Caribbean style, Mon!

Ingredients:
200 g prawns (you tell me how many!) Actually, we used about 20 (or more) frozen shrimp.
1 small red bell pepper
2 cloves of garlic
A small bunch of spring onions (green onions)
5cm of ginger (I don't know what this quantity is either so I used about 1 tsp
1 scotch bonnet chili (a small colorful chili that's got a thin skin and is hot!)
1 tsp curry powder
1 can coconut milk
A small bunch of coriander (cilantro)
Salt and Pepper

Prep:
1. Clean and de-vein the prawns
2. Finely chop the red pepper, garlic, green onion, ginger and chili
3. Do not shake the can of coconut milk, open and spoon off the heavier coconut cream from the top of the can and set aside the rest of the coconut milk
4. Roughly chop the cilantro

Cook:
1. Heat a little oil and fry the red pepper, garlic, green onion, ginger and chili with the curry powder and a pinch of salt and pepper until soft and glossy
2. Toss in the prawns and cook for one minute
3. Add the coconut cream and half the milk. Turn up the heat to cook the prawns and reduce the sauce. Add milk until you get the consistency you want
4. Cook for 10 minutes and serve with freshly chopped cilantro

Very easy and, again, fairly rich. Probably a recipe best to consume in small quantities but, instead, we ate the entire meal in one sitting.

Bacon Wrapped Shrimp with White Cheddar Cheese Grits

2008-04-01T11:26:00.000-07:00

I've been watching Top Chef from the get-go and just last season I decided to try out a recipe that a Chef named Tre prepared on the show. I love grits and bacon wrapped shrimp so I figured this was a win-win recipe. It turned out that the grilled corn and white cheddar grits recipe is a keeper (I made this again for a Bacon party and people liked it just fine), the bacon wrapped shrimp aren't much different than how I usually make them normally and the chipotle-tomato butter sauce isn't worth trying again. (I made it twice and it turned out the same both times. It's got a nice flavor with a bit of spice but it doesn't thicken as much as I'd like and it's not worth the effort.) From this, I figure that Top Chef recipes are probably not really tested in an actual kitchen. I mean, the grits made enough for a few dozen people!

Shrimp Prep: Season shrimp with a little Kosher salt. Using a hot grill, quickly mark each shrimp. Remove from grill and allow time to cool. Shrimp should still be uncooked. When cool enough to handle, wrap each shrimp with a half piece of bacon. Season with cracked black pepper. Sear each shrimp in grapeseed oil till crispy on both sides. Serve when rest of dish is ready.

Grits Prep:Using a deep saucepot combine chicken stock and milk. Bring to a simmer, add butter, and allow time for it to dissolve. Slowly whisk in grits a little at a time. When grits begin to thicken, lower heat. Switch to a spatula and fold in the rest of the ingredients. Adjust for addition seasonings if needed. If grits are too thick, add more chicken stock.

For the Chipotle-Tomato Butter Sauce: In a saucepot, sauté onions and garlic over medium heat. Next, add tomatoes, chipotle peppers and peppercorns. Continue to cook for another three minutes. Deglaze with chicken stock and lower heat. Cook for 5 minutes then place in a blender; blend till smooth. Place liquid back in saucepot and over low heat mount with butter, whisking in a little at a time. Add cilantro and season with lemon juice and salt. Turn off heat and allow 5 minutes to steep cilantro. Strain through fine mesh strainer and reserve warm till time to serve.

(Messy, messy, messy when your blinder lid doesn't stay on!)

To Plate:Place small amount of grits in the center of a large plate. Drizzle sauce around grits. Place three pieces of shrimp around grits. Serve. (THREE?!? Make that Nine!)

For the Shrimp:
18 pc black tiger shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2T Kosher salt
9 bacon slices
2t cracked black pepper
Grapeseed oil for searing

For the Grits:
2qt chicken stock
1qt milk
1/4 stick unsalted butter
1qt instant grits
2 cups grilled corn kernels
1 cup poblano peppers, small diced
2 cups aged white cheddar cheese
3T chopped cilantro
2T Kosher salt
2T cracked black pepper

For the Chipotle-Tomato Butter:
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2T chopped garlic
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
3T chipotle peppers (in Adobe)
1t black peppercorns
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/2 bunch cilantro1 lemon, juiced
2t Kosher salt

(Not the greatest of pictures.)

No-Knead Nutella and Roasted Hazelnut Challah

2008-03-30T15:43:00.000-07:00

I took this recipe from Steamy Kitchen who took it from the book Artisian Bread Five Minutes a Day. I've since bought the book because I enjoyed this recipe so much. It's a bit labor intensive (we didn't get to enjoy our bread until about noon on the Saturday morning that I made it despite starting on it around 9:30 a.m. -- but most of the time is waiting and baking), a bit messy, and with buying the honey, hazelnuts (I had some leftover from the Scallops with Hazelnut Brown Butter Recipe) and Nutella it's not necessarily an inexpensive bread. But I love challah (I wonder what would happen if you made french toast with this challah!?!) and it was fun to make.

On to the recipe (taken from Steamy Kitchen):

You start by mixing the master dough first, let that rest overnight in the refrigerator, then the next day, pinch off a grapefruit sized piece of dough (1lb) to use for a loaf of Challah. Return the rest to the refrigerator to use for another day.

1 3/4 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tbl instant yeast
1 1/2 tbl kosher salt (1 1/2 tsp table salt)
4 lg eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
7 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, water, honey, melted butter, yeast and salt. Stir well with a wooden spoon. Add in the flour. STIR, BABY STIR!!! Stir until you don't see any more dry bits of flour. Cover (not airtight) and stick it in the refrigerator overnight, or up to 4 days. The longer you let it fart around in the refrigerator (literally!), the better tasting the dough will be.
pssst....if you want, you can let it rise for 2 hours on the counter, pinch off the dough that you need to make your Challah. However, I've found that with only a 2-hour rise, the bread isn't very flavorful. Still good, but definitely not as good as if you had let it sit 1-4 days in the refrigerator.

Nutella and Roasted Hazelnut Challah adaptation of Challah recipe from from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

1 lb of Master Challah Dough (above) about a grapefruit sized chunk of dough
4 1/2 tbl Nutellasmall handful of hazelnuts
1 egg + 1 tbl water, whisked to make egg wash

The first thing you need to do is take that master dough out of the refrigerator, grab a grapefruit sized chunk of dough. Return the rest of it to the refrigerator to use another time. Generously flour your hands and the dough. Shape the dough into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough and tucking it to the bottom all around, rotating hte ball a quarter-turn as you go. This creates a taut, smooth surface. Let the dough hang out on counter, covered with a towel to take the chill off while you roast your hazelnuts.

Roast Hazelnuts: Grab a medium sized skillet. Turn heat to medium. When hot, add hazelnuts and roast, continually moving the nuts so that they don't burn. You may want to turn your heat to medium-low if the pan gets too hot. Roast until nuts are golden brown and fragrant. Roughly chop the nuts with a sharp chef's knife and cutting board.

Braid Dough: Now, back to the dough. Use palm of your hands and roll the dough into a thick, even log. Cut the dough into 3 equal pieces with knife or dough scraper. (It's easier to cut even pieces when the dough is not round). Roll each piece with your hands to stretch into a long 1 1/2" thick rope. Try not to just stretch it out by pulling, the dough will break. Easiest way is to place dough on counter and roll back and forth with palms of hands, starting in the middle and hands move out which stretching the dough a bit. Don't worry about getting it to look pretty, just try to get each piece even sized.

Time to add the Nutella. Take one piece of dough. Use side of your hand to press and create an indent in the middle of the strand. Spread about 1 1/2 tbl of Nutella in this indent.

Bring up the sides of the dough, encasing the Nutella and pinch dough closed. Repeat with other strands. It's a bit messy and next time I'll try and make deeper, wider holes so less Nutella squirts out the top.
Pinch it up!

Time to braid. Start in the middle and braid. Pinch ends, tuck under. Now braid the other side, pinch and tuck. Start braid from the middle (instead of top) so that it tapers evenly at both ends.

Cover with towel and let rest for 1-1/2 hours. 20 minutes prior to baking, preheat your oven to 350F. When dough is ready, brush top with egg wash and sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts. Bake for 25 minutes.

It's as good as it looks!

Scallops with Hazelnut Brown Butter

2008-03-25T16:05:00.000-07:00

A simple recipe that will sort of make you feel like your eating healthy. For some reason Allen wasn't a big fan of this recipe but I can't remember why (I think I just liked it so much I blocked out his criticisms)!

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup hazelnuts, skins removed coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons white-wine vinegar
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound large sea scallops (about 12), muscles removed, cut in half horizontally
1 to 2 bunches (about 1/2 pound total) arugula (preferably baby), washed well and dried

1. In a large skillet, stirring frequently, cook butter over medium heat until golden brown and most of the foam has subsided, about 4 minutes. Immediately transfer butter to a small bowl. Stir in hazelnuts and vinegar, and season with salt and pepper. Cover hazelnut butter to keep warm, and set aside. Wipe out pan with a paper towel.

2. Season scallops generously with salt and pepper. Place same skillet over medium-high heat. When skillet is hot, cook scallops, in two batches (to avoid steaming), until browned and opaque in center, turning over once with a thin-bladed metal spatula, about 2 minutes total.

3. Divide arugula among four serving plates; top with scallops. Spoon hazelnut butter over scallops.

Cod with Tomato, Olive and Caper Tapenade

2008-02-14T12:47:00.000-08:00

I was watching the Food Network HD a couple of weeks ago (seriously insane in HD and jumbo-tron) and caught a bit of Ellie Krieger's Healthy Appetite. She made this great looking cod dish. Unfortunately I wasn't paying too much attention to all the ingredients (thinking I could find it later online -- not the case). I made a pretty close knock-off but it still needs a little umph. I'll keep working on it and update if I come up with a better recipe.

In the meantime, Ingredients:
1 lb cod
1/4 cup kalmata olives, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, diced
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 small can chopped black olives
1 tablespoon capers
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes salt pepper

1. Sprinkle cod with salt and pepper. Saute in lightly oiled pan for a couple of minutes on both sided (until cooked through). Transfer and set aside (in a low heat oven -- do not let continue to cook)

2. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, saute onion, add garlic, black olives and kalmata olive and toss until heated, add the entire can of diced tomatoes. Let simmer until extra liquid evaporates. Add capers and serve on top of fish. Other things I'm considering next time I make it: only use one type olive, shallots instead of onion, add a bit of balsamic vinegar with the tomatoes, and take notes next time I'm watching the show!

Layered Eggplant and Polenta Casserole

2008-02-14T12:30:00.000-08:00

Man, I love the smell of basil. I killed the basil plant I bought last fall but I'm thinking of getting another so I'll think to cook with it more often (but I'll probably just kill it too). This recipe made me happy because it was a great excuse to use basil, plus it was a nice vegetarian alternative to the meat lasagna I usually make. Also, I got to use my polenta recipe and my grill pan! Yes, it's the little things...

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds fresh or canned plum tomatoes, peeled and chopped

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh oregano

3/4 cup loosely packed basil leaves, roughly chopped

Freshly ground pepper

1 1/4 pounds medium eggplant, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds

One 16-ounce log precooked polenta, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds (or, make your own polenta).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack in upper third. (I don't do this until 15 minutes out.)

1. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook, stirring, until soft and lightly golden, about 8 minutes.

2. Add tomatoes and salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened, about 30 minutes. Stir in vinegar, oregano, and basil; season with pepper. Remove sauce from heat.

3. Meanwhile, heat a large cast-iron skillet or grill pan over medium heat. Lightly brush eggplant slices with the remaining tablespoon oil. Working in batches, lay slices in skillet in a single layer; cook until browned and they begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. (Start step 3 while you're sauce is simmering.)

4. Spoon about A cup tomato sauce into a 9-inch square baking dish, spreading to coat evenly. Arrange eggplant slices snugly in a single layer. Spoon about 1 cup tomato sauce over eggplant, and arrange polenta rounds in slightly overlapping slices on top. Repeat with sauce and another layer of eggplant. Finish by dotting with remaining tomato sauce.

5. Cover with foil; bake until bubbling and juicy, about 30 minutes. Remove foil; continue baking until sauce is lightly caramelized and eggplant is tender, about 15 minutes more. Remove from oven; let cool slightly, and serve.

I made this in two pyrex dishes and froze the second. It's a lot of eggplant and polenta for two people and I'll look forward to reheating it one night that I don't have time to cook. Next time I make it I'll probably add some mozzarella on top.

White Christmas Chili (a.k.a White Chicken Chili)

2008-02-14T12:08:00.000-08:00

I make soup about once a week and throughout winter we'll throw chili in the mix. When we get tired of regular chili we'll make this version. Typically I'll half the recipe but only cut the seasoning by 1/4 so it still has a lot of flavor. It's great topped off with some sour cream and a few tortilla chips.

Ingredients:
8 skinned and boned chicken breast halves (you can also use boneless, skinless breasts)
2 medium onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans chicken broth
4 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and mashed
2 (4.5 ounce) cans chopped green chilies
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

1. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces
2. Saute chicken, onion, and garlic in hot oil in dutch oven over medium-heat for 10 minutes or until chicken is done.
3. Stir in broth and next 10 ingredients; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.

P.S. Sorry for the lame, blah, picture. My camera kinda sucks. I tastes a lot better than it looks!

Fish Tacos and Red-Cabbage Slaw

2008-02-12T17:10:00.000-08:00

I love a good fish taco. I've always been a fan of Guerro's and Z-Tejas' (though I haven't had either in awhile). Recently I tried the Fish Tacos at El Chile and was very unimpressed because they used a lot of red cabbage and it tasted pickled. I realize while making this recipe (and remembered from making sauerkraut my college biology lab) that if the cabbage sits too long in vinegar it will pickle and that must have been what happened at El Chile. That or they're serving an Irish Pickled Red Cabbage Fish Taco.

This recipe would be great for a dinner party. It's fresh, healthy and filling and really tasty. I recommend making the Red-Cabbage Slaw if you're making this for more than two people (or 1/2 the recipe for two) because it's also goooo-ooood.

Ingredients:

¼ cup reduced-fat sour cream

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

coarse salt and ground pepper

¼ small red cabbage, thinly shredded (about 2 ½ cups)

4 scallions, thinly sliced (about ½ cup)

1 jalapeno chile, halved lengthwise, one half minced

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound tilapia fillets (or other firm white fish), cut into 16 equal strips

8 flour tortillas (6-inch)

½ cup fresh cilantro leaves

In a large bowl, combine sour cream and lime juice; season with salt and pepper. Transfer half the mixture to another container; set aside for serving. Toss cabbage, scallions, and minced jalapeno with remaining sour-cream mixture. Season again with salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil and remaining jalapeno half over medium-high heat; swirl to coat bottom of pan. Season fish on both sides with salt and pepper. In two batches (starting with larger pieces), cook fish until golden brown on all sides, 5 to 6 minutes. Discard jalapeno. Meanwhile, warm tortillas according to package instructions (or over a burner; see below). To make tacos, fill tortillas with slaw, fish, and fresh cilantro leaves. Drizzle with reserved sour-cream mixture. Serve immediately.

(In case you were wondering, per serving: 399 calories; 11.5 grams fat; 30.7 grams protein; 42.5 grams carbohydrates; 3.7 grams fiber)

Note: For a toasted flavor, quickly heat tortilla over a gas burner until blistered in spots, holding it with tongs and waving it from side to side

Red-Cabbage Slaw (serves 8)

½ cup reduced-fat mayonnaise

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 small red cabbage (1 ½ pounds)

2 medium Granny Smith apples

coarse salt and ground pepper

In a large bowl, whisk together reduced-fat mayonnaise and cider vinegar. Mix in red cabbage, cored, cut into 8 wedges, and finely shredded, and apples, peeled and grated. Season with coarse salt and ground pepper; toss to coat. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.

(In case you were wondering, per serving: 76 calories; 5.2 grams fat; 0.9 gram protein; 9 grams carbohydrates; 1.8 grams fiber)

Soft (or Hard) Polenta

2008-02-11T17:34:00.000-08:00

Years ago, when I was a vegetarian, I bought the pre-made polenta logs and tried to grill and pan fry the slices but I never thought they tasted any good. Thankfully I ran into this soft polenta recipe and tried my luck again with the yellow substance because I love soft polenta.

It reminds me of malt-o-meal and it's a healthy alternative to pasta and rice. What? That's not enough? Hmmm...how about the fact that it's cheap and easy to make? No? That doesn't do it for you? Well, it's also a lovely shade of yellow.

Ingredients:
coarse salt and ground pepper
3/4 cup corn meal
3 tablespoons butter

In a large sauce pan over high heat bring 4 coups water with 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper to a boil. Very gradually, add cornmeal in a thin stream, whisking constantly until smooth. Reduce heat to medium-low, simmer, whisking often, until thickened 8 -10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in butter until smooth.

Now, at this point you can serve it with you Shrimp and Tomatoes or as a side dish for your favorite meats and vegetables. Or, pour it in a bread pan, cover it and put in the fridge to use for Broiled Polenta with Mushroom Ragout or Eggplant and Polenta Casserole.

Shrimp and Tomatoes Over Soft Polenta

2008-02-10T17:39:00.000-08:00

Q. What do you do if you're sitting around with some frozen shrimp, corn meal and a can of diced tomatoes?

A. This recipe.

This is another I found in Everyday Foods and I love it because it tastes good, it's healthy and it introduced me to soft polenta. The only suggestion I have is: don't make it for guests if they don't like tomatoes!

1 1/2 lbs frozen medium shrimp, thawed, peeled, and deveined (tails removed)
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoons red-pepper flaces
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice
1 recipe Soft Polenta
green beans

1. Season shrimp generously with salt and pepper. In a large skillet over medium-high, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add shrimp; cook until opaque throughout, turning occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to bowl; set aside.

If you buy frozen shrimp skip step #1. Simply put the shrimp in a collandar and rinse with cool water until no longer frozen (just a few minutes).

2. Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining tablespoon of oil to pan; cook garlic and red-pepper flakes until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and their juices along with 2 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes have broken down and become saucy, about 15 minutes. (I think this step actually takes 25 - 30 minutes but maybe it's just me.)

3. Meanwhile make Soft Polenta. Just before serving, stir reserved shrimp into tomatoes. Divide polenta among four bowls; spoon shrimp and tomatoes over polenta. Serve with green beans* if desired (and let me say, you desire).

*Green Beans:
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook 1 lb trimmed green beans until crisp-tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Drain; return to pot. Toss with 1 tablespoon butter, if desired (and let me say, you desire). Season with coarse salt and ground pepper.

Make this! You won't be disappointed.

Petite Cherry Cheesecake

2008-02-02T12:21:00.000-08:00

"Easy-to-make little cheesecakes are a real treat for party-givers as well as party-goers--"

At some point in high school my Dad bought a Xerox machine for his office. So, after taking pictures of my face and mailing it to friends I moved on to the next brilliant idea: I made copy of my Mom's recipes. Usually they were riped from the pages of Southern Living magazine and taped into her recipe book like the one above.

I'm not sure where my Mom originally got this recipe but she usually made it once a year -- sometimes around Valentine's Day. It's one of those recipes you'd see on that "Semi-Homemade" show on the cooking network -- easy and (sort-of) cheating by using with ingredients like vanilla wafers for the crust and canned cherry filling for the topping. (It's still good though!)

2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened
3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
24 vanilla wafers
1 21-ounce can cherry pie filling

1. Beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla until light and fluffy.

2. Line small muffin pans with paper bake cups, and place a vanilla wafer in bottom of each cup. Fill the cups 2/3 full with cream cheese mixture.

3. Bake in 375 degree oven for 15 to 20 munite or until set.
4. Top each with about 1 tablespoon filling; chill.

I wish I had an excuse to make these more often. Allen and I really don't need two dozen petite cherry cheesecakes sitting around the house. Besides, when you have a one-time cheesecake craving isn't that what Sonic's Cheesecake Bites are for?

Delicious Ham and Potato Soup

2008-01-31T08:04:00.000-08:00

First off, I didn't name this soup but it sure is delicious.

Second, why ham and potato soup you ask? Well, my parents are pushers. After the holidays (or any trip to their house for that matter), when you're ready to head back home, food is forced upon you (they'll even do this to any friends that may be traveling with you). You need a sandwich (and chips and a soda) for the plane ride. If you're within driving distance it's taken to a whole new level. You need Ziploc bags full of turkey, a half-dozen grapefruit, leftover salad and a jar of mustard. This year, amongst other things (a gold paintpen!), I ended up with quite a bit of ham. I froze one Ziploc bag (yes, there were two) and made sandwiches with the rest until my sodium level had exceed the allowable monthly intake.

I love potato soup so when I came across this recipe on allrecipes.com I though it was worth trying out...especially since it had an average five star rating after over one thousand reviews. Turns out it's easy, delicious and it goes wonderfully with the no-kneed bread. (Make them together, you won't be disappointed.)

This is suppose to make four servings but we only stretched it to three. I also substituted carrots for celery since that's what was in the fridge (and I don't like celery).

1-3/4 cups peeled and diced potatoes
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons diced celery
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons finely chopped onion
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons diced cooked ham
1-1/2 cups and 2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon granules
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
2 tablespoons and 1-1/2 teaspoons butter
2 tablespoons and 1-1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk

1. Combine the potatoes, carrot, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.
3. In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.

This isn't reeaally as bad for you as other creamy soups since there isn't any heavy cream or loads of butter. I not saying you'll lose weight eating either though so don't go suing me if you eat it all the time and it makes you fat!

No-Knead Bread!

2008-01-22T18:46:00.000-08:00

For years I've wanted a Kitchen Aid mixer with the idea that I'd finally start making bread, pastas, and many of the baked goodies that are hard or impossible to mix with your average hand mixer. Ironically after finally buying myself a mixer and researching bread recipes online the first recipe that I wanted to try was an recipe that Mark Bittman made popular over a year ago with a New York Times article, a recipe that you don't need any sort of mixer what so ever to make. Apparently everyone and their dog has tried it with much success so this weekend it was my turn, and now I'll add to the many bloggers who have posted pictures and the recipe for the No-Knead Bread.

First off I've got to say that this is an easy recipe, worth making and very delicious, but it's also a recipe that takes up to 15-16 hours to make. So, if you want to have it ready for dinner at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday evening you'll want to start it by at least 3:00 or 4:00 p.m. on Friday.

No-Knead Bread (Yields one 1 1/2 lb loaf)

3 cups all-purpose or bread flower, more for dusting
1/4 tsp instant yeast
1 1/4 tsp salt
cornmeal or wheat bran as needed

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle with a little more flour and fold it over once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on town and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes.

5. Remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a wire rack.

It is a delicious bread -- perfect for soups or buttered up for any meal.

Barbecue Shrimp

2008-01-20T10:57:00.000-08:00

I went to Hong Kong Market yesterday looking for black cod and ended up with a pound of head-on jumbo shrimp. Yep, I'm an impulse food shopper.

After a good half hour of looking for recipes online (especially trying to find a recipe where would not have to go out and buy a lot of other ingredients) I came across this Barbecue Shrimp recipe from Nolacusine.com.

I'm not sure why it's called Barbecue Shrimp since you do not use barbecue sauce or a grill to cook it but the recipe is still a keeper and quick and relatively easy.

New Orleans Style Barbecue Shrimp Recipe

2 Sticks of Unsalted Butter
2 Tbsp Garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Fresh Thyme, chopped
1/2 tsp Fresh Oregano, chopped
1 tsp Fresh Rosemary, chopped
1/2 Cup Abita Amber beer, or another good quality beer (Allen went to Fiesta and bought some Abita instead of using the Miller Lite in the fridge...considering it only takes 1/4 cup for 1lb of shrimp I think he had ulterior motives.)
1 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
2 Tbsp Crystal Hot Sauce
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp Black Pepper, freshly cracked
3 Tbsp Italian Parsley, minced
1 Tbsp Kosher Salt
Cayenne pepper to taste
2 lbs Head on/shell on shrimp

Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F.

Melt 2 Tbsp of the butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until slightly browned. Add the fresh herbs and cook for 2 minutes. Deglaze with the beer, reduce by half. Add the lemon juice, Worcestershire, hot sauce, black pepper, kosher salt, cayenne pepper and the shrimp, tossing to coat well. Transfer the shrimp and sauce to a baking dish where the shrimp can bake in the sauce in a single layer. Place into the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes. Do not over cook the shrimp!

Serve in a large bowl with the chopped parley, your favorite beer, and lots of fresh French Bread for dipping in the sauce.

I cut off the heads before serving so we didn't have to deal with antennae and eyeballs at the table. Allen struggled with getting the shell off (and struggled with his dislike of having stuff on his fingers) and eating was more labor intensive than cooking -- so I'm glad I only got 1lb of shrimp (6-7 large shrimp each).

I also made Vigo red beans and rice because we had one link of Ted's venison sausage to use up and because Allen loves the stuff. (I froze the leftovers so he'll have something to eat while I'm out of town next weekend.) Along side the bread and butter it was a filling meal and a nice New Orleans style treat.

Roasted Cauliflower

2008-01-18T17:39:00.001-08:00

Growing up we had a beautiful garden full of fresh, beautiful vegetables but around the house I was known for spitting squash out into my napkin and hiding it under the table and for my threats to mow over the exposed asparagus that were outside the garden railroad ties.

I've learned over the last few years that it's not vegetables that I hated but the way that my mom prepared them. Boiled, mushy, and over cooked. My mom is a wonderful cook and baker and considering she prepared three meals a day seven days a week for over 18 years she deserves some sort of award but her cooked veggies are not for me.

A couple of months ago Allen and I went to Mockingbird Bistro and I had the first cauliflower that I've ever loved. I've had some pretty good cauliflower in my adult years but none until now that I'd actually consider fixing at home as a staple. I finally got around to making roasted cauliflower and it's ever bit as good as how it was prepared at the fancy-smancy restaurant -- just without the butternut puree and scallops. If you google "roasted cauliflower" you'll find a handful of similar recipes. I used the most basic recipe (I did not add garlic, lemon or parmesan cheese).

1. Preheat the oven 425 degrees.
2. Break or cut the cauliflower into the medium size florets.
3. Toss in a bowl with olive oil, sea salt and black pepper and spread in a shallow baking pan. Or, if you have a misto (or cooking spray), coat with olive oil spray and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Using a metal bake pan is helpful because you can shake it and mix the ingredients easily.4. Place in oven, stir or shake occasionally, and cook until golden brown (25-30 minutes).

Yum. We made this for dinner with sweet potato and grilled chicken and it was a filling and healthy meal for two!

Blackberry Cobbler

2008-01-17T09:58:00.000-08:00

My mom has been making this for years. I'm not sure where she got the recipe but it's easy as pie and for some reason people (including Allen) love it. I prefer blackberry and when I've tried peaches I don't think it's turned out as tasty. It doesn't have the cakey topping that you sometimes find (The Salt Lick cobbler has a yellow cake topping) but to me this is the better, more traditional version.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together until it crumbly: 1 stick of margarine (at room temperature so it's easy to mix)
3/4 cup of sugar
1 and 1/2 cups of Bisquick

In a pyrex dish add a little bit more than one layer of berries (a bag of frozen berries will usually do it). Sprinkle the berries with 1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar and a bit of water. (If you're using frozen berries forgo the additional water.)

Cover the berries with the margarine/sugar/Bisquick mixture.

Place in the oven (uncovered) for 30 minutes or so, or until it boils and is "good and brown" on top.

Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Chicken Pot Pie

2008-01-16T09:50:00.000-08:00

This is an Everyday Foods recipe I found and it's suppose to be a lighter version Chicken Pot Pie. That means that it's not rich and doesn't taste like the pot pies that my parents use to make us eat when they went out on a date and we had a babysitter. I'm not going to share the recipe because I don't think it's worth making. Using phyllo dough as a crust sounds good in theory but it requires a little work getting the layers brushed with oil and assembled on the topping. Also, it doesn't taste great reheated.

Piroshky, Piroshky

2008-01-15T17:48:00.000-08:00

So, I didn't technically cook or bake these Piroshkies but I hope some day to find a recipe as worthy as these bundles of joy. If you're in Seattle do not leave until you've visited Piroshky, Piroshky (1908 Pike Place in the Pike Place Market). I prefer the savory but the sweet are also commendable.

Linguine with Shrimp, Tomatoes and Feta

2008-01-15T17:04:00.000-08:00

The only thing easier than blogging is making this dish.

I cut the recipe in half and used half a bag a non-name brand frozen shrimp from Fiesta ($5.00)that were actually the best frozen shrimp I've ever bought (read: not tough). I used the little bit of basil that has survived from the plant I bought last fall. Fresh basil made it that much better and I can still taste it and smell it on my fingers from dicing.

This recipe takes no time. 10 minutes for prep, 1 hour chiling in the fridge, and then another 20 outside to let the mixture reach room temperature while you heat up the linguine. The only thing I'd recommend is to make sure the tomato/shrimp/feta sauce is no longer cold when you add the noodles because the only heat you're adding is noodles and you want the dish to be warm.

1 pound medium shrimp (about 40)
2 pints vine-ripened cherry tomatoes
4 large garlic cloves
1 bunch scallions
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves
1 1/2 cups crumbled feta (about 6 ounces)
1 pound dried linguine

Shell shrimp and, if desired, devein. In a large saucepan of boiling salted water cook shrimp until cooked through, about 1 minute, and drain well. Halve tomatoes and mince garlic. Finely chop scallions. In a large bowl stir together all ingredients except linguine with salt and pepper to taste. Chill sauce, covered, 1 hour. Let sauce stand at room temperature, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes. In an 8-quart kettle bring 6 quarts salted water to a boil and cook linguine until al dente. Reserve 1/3 cup pasta water and drain pasta. Add pasta to sauce and toss well, adding enough pasta water to reach desired consistency. (This recipe is from Gourmet magazine.)

Things I Cook and Bake

2008-01-15T17:01:00.001-08:00

It's January 15, 2008 and I've finally been sucked into the world of blogging. I'm doubtful this is a good thing for the internet as I often wonder where have all the dead blogs gone?

Regardless, hopefully no one is reading or seeing this and it will be my own little food journal to inspire myself to cook and bake more and to grow my culinary skills.