Supermarket Serenade

#FranksRedHot Pigskins

2011-02-04T16:43:00.007-05:00

I have never really been a huge football fan but I can certainly bandwagon with the best of them. Truthfully for non-fans such as myself, the Super Bowl is all about the commercials (here’s hoping there are some good ones) and of course about the food (Here’s hoping that is good too).

This year without any obvious team for me to root for at my Super Bowl Party, such as a New York team or a New England team, I have decided to use food as my guide in choosing my bandwagon designee. I am going with the team that has fans that wear cheese on their heads (you may know them as cheeseheads): The Packers. (Go Pack Go!)

So the team is selected and now the decision turns to what food to bring to the party. That decision is actually easier-I am bringing Frank’s RedHot to my Super bowl party. Frank’s RedHot is searching for the ultimate Game Day Party recipe using Frank’s RedHot sauces. And for your efforts, they are generously offering a fine selection of prizes:

Grand Prize Winner: $500 gift card and assorted Frank’s RedHot products.
First Prize Winner: $250 gift card and assorted Frank’s RedHot products.
Second Prize Winner: $125 gift card and assorted Frank’s RedHot products.

My entry: Frank’s RedHot “Pigskins” is a spicy twist on an appetizer favorite: potato skins. (Did you get the football reference I snuck in?) Baked potato skins are smothered with RedHot spiced ground pork and topped with a cheesy nod to Wisconsin. (Go Pack Go).

Even if my last minute adopted team doesn’t come through with the big pigskin win, I’m hoping to score big at my Super Bowl party with a tasty Frank’s RedHot Pigskin(s) win.

Frank’s RedHot “Pigskins”

6 medium Russet potatoes

1 pound ground pork (ground beef or chicken may be substituted)

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 cup Frank’s Original RedHot

1 cup shredded Wisconsin sharp white cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons chopped chives

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a sharp knife, “stab” each potato 1 or 2 times.

Place the potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and bake 45-50 minutes or until tender to touch.

Allow the potatoes to cool slightly. Slice each potato in half and scoop out the filling leaving a shell with about 1/4 inch of potato in each. (Reserve the filling for another use).

While the potatoes are cooking, heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Crumble the ground pork into the pan and cook until browned. Drain the pork and return to the pan. Whisk together the melted butter and the Franks RedHot then stir mixture into the pork.

Preheat broiler. Divide the pork between the potato shells. Sprinkle each with the cheese, evenly dividing. Arrange shells on a baking sheet and place under the broiler for 2-3 minutes until brown and bubbly. Remove from the oven and garnish with the chives.

Makes 12 skins

Post Script: The more observant among you may notice in my photos that instead of chives, as called for in the recipe, the skins are garnished with chopped parsley. I realized when getting ready to garnish that I had forgotten to buy chives at the supermarket. So like a good quarterback I had to think on my feet and I substituted something on hand…I still would recommend the chives though.

Roasted Chicken and Brie Panini with Hot Raspberry Jam

2010-01-05T21:59:00.005-05:00

I cannot stop making panini.

Without question my favorite thing in the new year is my shiny new panini grill. Oh I know...panini are so last decade. I don't care-I'm late for the party and now I'm hooked.

My first panini were basically "clean out the fridge panini". I used supermarket deli sliced chicken breast and brie. While I chose to use deli sliced because it was what I had on hand, feel free to substitute leftover roasted chicken or store bought rotisserie.

The spinach was really an afterthought. One of my New Year's resolutions is to each some sort of fruit or vegetable with every meal (OK I know I should have been doing that last decade too, but what can I say?). As it turns out the spinach worked perfectly. The jam was a holiday leftover. Purchased at my local Homegoods, the hot pepper raspberry jam was delicious. I may run out tomorrow and see if I can find a few more jars...it was really good-not too hot, in fact barely warm...but really wonderful tasting.

The most important part of making good panini is your bread selection. A soft regular bread just won't hold up with too many fillings. I chose a sprouted whole grain bread from the bakery section at Whole Foods that was both sturdy and flavorful. Firm rolls also work incredibly well.

5 Tips for Perfect Panini:

1. Choose a firm, sturdy bread

2. Divide the cheese between both slices of bread for best "melting together"

3. Preheat your panini grill

4. Experiment with different flavored oils brushed on the outside of the bread.

5. For best melting without leaking, do not over stuff with cheese and/or other fillings.

Roasted Chicken and Brie Panini with Hot Raspberry Jam

4 slices sturdy whole grain bread cut 1/4-1/2 inch thick

4 teaspoons hot pepper raspberry jam

2 ounces sliced brie, rind removed

1/4 lb. deli roasted chicken breast

1/2 cup (packed)baby spinach leaves

2 teaspoons crushed raw almonds

2 teaspoons red pepper flavored olive oil

Preheat your panini grill according to manufacturers directions.

Arrange your bread on a work surface. Spread 1 teaspoon of the jam over each slice of bread.

Divide the brie between the bread slices spreading gently over the jam. Stack the chicken, spinach and almonds on 2 of the bread slices then top with the remaining bread slices. Brush the sandwiches with the oil and place on the grill; close the grill and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes.

Quick Sour Cream Cupcakes

2009-12-09T09:57:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago I spent a rainy afternoon in New York City on a shopping trip. Albeit very wet, the shopping trip was a lot of fun, I found some wonderful deals at Century 21 (cool, cool store), scouted out some future purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue (i.e. stuff I hope will one day soon appear on the racks of Marshalls or TJ Maxx given that their SFA prices were a little too steep for my budget). But without question the highlight of my my trip was a little detour into the Magnolia bakery for cupcakes.

I love cupcakes. Cupcakes are usually smaller than a slice of cake so I don't feel too guilty indulging (at least that's my rationalization). This particular day, rainy as it was, I waited on the relatively short line for a (famous) Magnolia cupcake. I ordered two. I know I should only have had one but the pressure of the line behind me made it impossible for me to make a quick decision and choose between a snickerdoodle cupcake and a red velvet one. Once outside I huddled with my friends under an umbrella and ate the snickerdoodle one; not quite satisfied I greedily ate the red velvet one. The red velvet one wins...both were fabulous, but boy that red velvet one..mmmmm.

Since the trip I have been obsessed with all things cupcakes. I will admit that I am really not much of a baker and I seem to have difficulty finding a home made cake/cupcake recipe that produces a light, fluffy cake/cupcake as opposed to a heavy dense one. Any suggestions?? As a result of my baking deficiencies I have turned to box mixes with a few alterations to make them more homemade tasting.

One of my favorite boxed mixes is the Ghiardelli chocolate cupcake mix. The mix which I purchased at a big warehouse store included two bags of mix, two bags of frosting mix and cupcake wrappers. The first time I made the cupcakes I made it just as directed, but found it to be just too chocolaty and the frosting to be way too thick. So second time around I decided to make some slight changes. I replaced the oil called for in the recipe with 3/4 cup of sour cream and instead of using the frosting mix (I'll save it for something else...maybe sandwich cookie filling?)I made a quick sour cream butter cream. The results were fabulous! The cupcakes were tender and fluffy and the creamy vanilla frosting was just the contrast the chocolaty cupcakes needed.

Quick Sour Cream Cupcakes

1 pouch of Ghiardelli cupcake mix

2 eggs

3/4 cup water

3/4 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir ingredients in a large mixing bowl until well combined. Line 12 muffin cups with the foil liners. Divide the batter between the liners and bake for 18 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

Sour Cream Butter Cream Frosting

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup sour cream

Beat the butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add the sugar, beating to combine. Add the vanilla and sour cream, beat for 3-4 minutes.

Tasty Buttermilk Tilapia Toes

2009-11-09T13:44:00.006-05:00

You read it right. I said Tilapia toes. Why is it that it is perfectly acceptable to say chicken fingers...fish fingers...lady fingers? What about toes? Is the word toes that unappealing? Perhaps.

Call them what you would like, but today I've prepared some tasty morsels of the trendiest fish in supermarkets these days: Tilapia. Tilapia are fish from the Cichlidae family found typically in fresh water ponds, lakes and streams and in the supermarket can usually be found fresh in the fish market area or frozen in the freezer section.

Tilapia's flavor is quite mild making it an appealing choice to families with children. I dare say even the staunchest fish stick hater (I happen to be one of them) will not mind the almost poultry-like flavor of Tilapia. I suppose it is very cliche to say "it tastes like chicken", but it almost does taste like a very tender chicken. The mild flavor makes Tilapia a perfect ingredient for so many dinner recipes...tacos, sandwiches, stews or one of my favorites-"Tilapi-joes".

Today I've marinated the fish in a mixture of buttermilk and hot sauce, cut them into bite-sized pieces and coated with fresh bread crumbs. The bites or "toes" are then fried in a bit of butter and oil and served with your favorite ranch dressing. They're Toe-riffic...sorry I couldn't resist!

Tasty Buttermilk Tilapia Toes

4 Tilapia fillets, thawed if frozen, cut into bite sized pieces

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoons hot sauce

2-3 small whole grain rolls (I used Pepperidge Farms Hearth Baked 7 Grain Rolls)

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Place thawed Tilapia fillets in a shallow dish. Whisk together the buttermilk and the hot sauce; pour over the fillets. Let Tilapia marinate for 15-20 minutes.

In a small food processor, combine the rolls, red pepper flakes and salt; process until fine crumbs. Transfer crumbs to a plate. Take one piece of the Tilapia from the marinade and coat with the bread crumbs. Repeat with remaining pieces.

Heat the butter and oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add Tilapia pieces and cook 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown outside and flaky tender inside. Drain Tilapia pieces on paper towels. Serve immediately with your favorite ranch dressing to dip.

Island Style Banana Cream Pie

2009-10-21T13:49:00.002-04:00

For me the Pillsbury Bake off has always been elusive...I just can't seem to figure out what they're looking for. Sadly I did not make the cut for the 2010 bakeoff however, they are running an alternate contest on their web site called the "Monthly challange" where each month they have a recipe "theme" and consumers can enter recipes for the chance to win $2500. This month's theme was homemade pies.

Well...they picked my pie as a finalist!! I need your votes...I need your friends' votes...I need any kind strangers' votes!! My recipe is for Island Style Banana Cream Pie!

Vote here!

The pie is a luscious banana cream pie laced with toasted coconut and topped with a creamy mango whipped cream....it is divine!

Island Style Banana Cream Pie

Filling

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups cold milk

2 boxes (4-serving size each) vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix

4 medium bananas, cut into 1/4-inch slices

1/2 cup shredded coconut, toasted
Topping:

1 ripe mango, seed removed, peeled and cut up

1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 450°F. Make pie crust as directed on box for One-Crust Baked Shell using 9-inch glass pie plate. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
2. In large bowl with electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sour cream until smooth and fluffy. Gradually add milk, 1/2 cup at a time, beating until smooth. Add pudding mixes and beat until well blended.
3. Spread 1/3 of the pudding mixture into bottom of cooled pie crust. Top with half of the banana slices. Spread another 1/3 of the pudding mixture over the bananas covering completely. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the toasted coconut. Top with the remaining banana slices. Spread remaining pudding mixture over bananas. Sprinkle with another 1/3 of the toasted coconut.
4. Using the food processor, puree mango. In small bowl, fold together the mango and whipped topping. Spread mango topping over top of pie. Sprinkle with remaining coconut. Refrigerate at least 2 hours to chill. Cover and refrigerate any remaining pie.

Avocado Party!

2009-10-19T09:49:00.005-04:00

I have previously established that I think that avocados are quite possibly the world’s most perfect food. Compact, nutrient packed, avocados are a portable nutrient powerhouse and I love them. So it should come as no surprise that I decided to host an avocado party.

I decided to go with an Avocado Luncheon where each course included avocados. I had nine guests and it was a lot of fun!

First up was (of course) guacamole. Served with multigrain corn chips, my guacamole is laced with diced tomatoes, jalapeno and cilantro. Instead of the typical garlic-which I often find harsh-mine includes finely minced shallot. For an impressive presentation I highly recommend purchasing a molcajete (mohl-ka-hey-te) which is basically a giant mortar and pestle. Ingredients are combined and served right in the molcajete…it looks so rustic.
Quick Guacamole

2 ripe avocados, peeled, seeds removed, diced
1/4 cup finely diced grape or plum tomatoes
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
1 teaspoon finely chopped jalapeno pepper, seeds removed
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in molcajete or medium sized bowl; mash to combine.

Lunch was an avocado and citrus salad with a jalapeno vinaigrette. On the side were Avocado, Bacon and Sprout Sandwiches with Lemon-Pepper Crème Fraiche. Sandwiches were served on small Ciabatta rolls.

Avocado Citrus Salads with Jalapeno Avocado Oil Vinaigrette

8 cups mixed greens
2 seedless oranges, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 large red grapefruit, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 ripe avocados, peeled, seed and coarsely chopped
Jalapeno Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup Avocado oil
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
2 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
1 teaspoon finely chopped jalapeno
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Arrange greens on a large serving platter. Scatter the oranges, grapefruit and avocado over the greens.

In a small food processor combine the avocado oil, vinegar, lime juice, shallot, jalapeno, salt and pepper; process until smooth.

Drizzle vinaigrette over the salad.

Avocado, Bacon and Sprout Ciabatta Sandwiches with Lemon Pepper Crème Fraiche

Lemon Pepper Crème Fraiche:
1 cup crème fraiche
1 tablespoon finely chopped lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Sandwiches:
1 lb. thick sliced maple flavored bacon
2 cups sprouts, rinsed and patted dry
3-4 avocados, peeled, seeds removed, mashed
10 Ciabatta rolls, split

In a small bowl stir together the crème fraiche, lemon zest, lemon juice, pepper and salt; set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Arrange the bacon in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake until crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon on paper towels.

Spread the crème fraiche on the bottom half of each roll, top with the sprouts, followed by the bacon. Spread the mashed avocado on the top half of each roll and arrange on top of sandwiches.

Makes 10 sandwiches

Dessert was my favorite part of the party! I debated on how to serve the avocado for dessert-I had read online that in some countries avocados are mashed and sprinkled with sugar to be eaten as dessert. That was not particularly appealing to me. I love the combination of avocado and mango so I decided to go with those flavors in a sundae. Edy’s (Dreyers in some parts of the country) makes a Tart Mango Frozen Yogurt that is absolutely amazing!

Tart Mango Frozen Yogurt with Avocado-Coconut Sauce and Toasted Coconut

1/2 avocado
1/4 cup Crème de Coconut (such as Coco Lopez)
1/2 cup heavy cream
5 cups Edy’s Tart Mango Frozen Yogurt
1 cup flaked coconut, lightly toasted

In a blender (Magic Bullet works great here) combine the avocado, Crème de Coconut and heavy cream and blend until smooth.

Place 1/2 cup of frozen yogurt into each 10 serving bowls. Drizzle the Avocado-Coconut cream over frozen yogurt and sprinkle with the toasted coconut.

Makes 10 servings

Peanut Butter Lover's Cookie

2009-10-06T07:43:00.007-04:00

I wish that I was one of those people that could eat anything. I wish also that when I baked cookies or cakes or even purchased them from the supermarket that I had that innate something that allowed you to perfectly portion treats without over indulging. What I am trying to say is that I have no self control...no ability to stop. An open package of Oreos (my true cookie love) can without much thought become an empty package. A plate of neatly stacked, homemade brownies, still warm from the oven, can become a plate of crumbs without as much as a second thought. It is for that reason that I seldom bake.

While creating irresistible treats is one of the pitfalls of baking for me, I do still enjoy baking. I love the feeling of success felt when a batch of cookies comes out just how it is supposed to. It is a great feeling when a pie recipe, once only made perfectly by my mother, comes out just how she would have made it (well, almost).

This past weekend I felt what I like to refer to as “the pull of the oven”. Not unlike the gravitational pull of the moon, the pull of the oven is the season, time of day or time of year, when for the taste of, the accomplishment of, or simply the smell of sweet “somethings” you are compelled to bake.

Given my temptation shortfall, I decided that I would bake something but it would be something that I probably would not eat. Consulting my (short) list of less-preferred baked goods, I fell upon peanut butter cookies. Not that I have anything against peanut butter-nothing tastes better on a Ritz cracker-I just for whatever reason, have never enjoyed peanut butter in baked goods. My other reason for choosing peanut butter-less self deprecating-is that I have a humongous jar of “natural” peanut butter that I purchased for my daughter to make peanut butter sandwiches for school which she has since decided is too “liquidy” and she would not use it (apparently she’s a Jif or Skippy only girl-who knew?).

Spatula in hand, I googled for peanut butter cookies looking for one that would use the most peanut butter. I found cookies that ranged from using as little as a 1/4 cup to as much as an entire jar of peanut butter. I ultimately settled on a recipe using an entire jar from AllRecipes.com. This cookie-not for the peanut butter faint of heart-packs a real peanutty flavor. Knowing that my kids would not like the crunch of added peanuts, I left out the listed 1 cup replacing it with milk chocolate chips for a “Reese’s-peanut-butter-cup-like” flavor. They came out so beautifully that yes… even I could not resist trying them. I really liked the texture; they were fluffy in the centers but slightly crisp at the edges. The taste was too peanut buttery for a non-peanut butter person such as me, but my kids really enjoyed them and recommend them highly.

My only critique of the preparation of these cookies is that when I went to make the cross marks using a fork, the fork kept sticking. Not being a regular peanut cookie baker I don't know if that's normal or not...anyway, just watch out for that! Also I followed the suggestion of one commenter on the Allrecipes site to chill the dough in a log that way you can slice and bake. It's a lot of dough though so you might want to make a few logs.

The Whole Jar of Peanut Butter Cookies

from Allrecipes.com Submitted by Kevin Ryan

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1(18 ounce) jar Peanut Butter*

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped peanuts (which I replaced with milk chocolate chips)

*Since I was using the "natural" kind of peanut butter which is very liquidy, I only used about 16-17 ounces of peanut butter.

In a large bowl cream butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Add the eggs, yolk and vanilla; mix until fluffy. Stir in the peanut butter. Sift together the flour baking powder and salt; stir into the peanut butter mixture. Finally stir in the peanuts (or chocolate chips). Refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet. (I chose to line baking sheets with parchment paper-much easier!)

Roll dough into walnut sized balls.

Place on prepared baking sheet and flatten slightly with a fork.

Bake for 12-15 minutes in the preheated oven. Cookies should look dry on top. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

Grilled Steak and Plum Pizzettes (and How I Lost The National Beef Cook Off)

2009-09-28T20:48:00.006-04:00

A few days have passed since the 2009 National Beef Cook Off in Sonoma, California. I was very fortunate enough to have been selected to participate. A few days have gone by...and I think I may be finally finished with beating myself up over my dish. Well, almost.

The theme this year was "Sonoma Style" - meaning healthful beef dishes paired with fresh ingredients typical of Sonoma, CA. The categories were Living Well with Grilled Beef, Lean Beef in Nutrient Rich One Dish Meals, and Teens Cooking With Beef. You can see all the finalists here.

My dish was Grilled Steak and Plum Pizzettes. It is a grilled pizza with a whole grain crust topped with grilled, sliced N.Y. Strip Steak, grilled plums, Point Reyes Blue Cheese, a drizzle of honey and topped with coarsely chopped pistachio nuts. I have eaten this pizza more times than I care to share (my family has eaten this pizza more times than they care to remember) and truthfully every time I made the pizza it came out just right; the plums had beautiful grill marks, the steak was a fabulous shade of pink, the crust tender-crisp. So why when it counted did I crumble like a dried out shortcake biscuit??

It was all going very well. I was confident. It was my third time at the National Beef Cook off. I knew the drill. I was even cooking on the very same grill I have at home. There was no excuse. My crust grilled better than I had anticipated given that it was not the same brand I had been practicing with. The plums? Not a problem, grilled up fine. I put my steak on the grill and watched the grill smoke up while arranging the plums and honey on the crust. I flipped the steaks, closed the grill and watched it smoke up and heard the grill flare. I panicked. It was too smoky. My meat would be overcooked. "These people have good palates..." I thought to myself, "they don't want to be eating overcooked meat." Then I made the fatal mistake. I took the steaks off the grill to rest knowing full well my carefully set timer had not gone off. I had practiced. I knew exactly how long those steaks had to grill. But I panicked.

The steaks were rested for about 5 minutes (they continue cooking, right??) I carved. They sliced well, smooth, probably more an indication of a good cut as opposed to good cooking. The cook off timer announced I had 5 minutes remaining. I looked at the meat as I nervously continued to cut. I knew it was undercooked, but I had to slice it and arrange it on the pizza then grill again to melt the cheese-surely it would brown up then. I fanned the steak, crumbled the cheese and added the nuts. I slid the pizzas back onto the grill. The cook off timer announced that I had 1 minute remaining. I peeked in...still raw. I had no more time. I transferred the (mooing) pizzas to my elegant white serving platter.

The emcee for the afternoon, chef Richard Chamberlain of Addison Steakhouse, one of Dallas' top restaurants, came over to see my entry. Our eyes met. I saw his horror. I hope he saw mine-I hope he knew that I knew my steak wasn't cooked. He kindly commented on the beauty of the rustic crust, the delicious smell of the plums. But guess what? It was not a dough or plum cook off. As I watched with horrified regret and visions of judges spitting pizza into their napkins, my entry went to the judges. My husband and my assigned cattlewoman hostess, Lisa, tried to reassure me. But I knew. I only hope for the judges' sakes my dish was quietly disqualified so they did not have to eat my raw entry. I am so sorry judges.

I hope you will try making my recipe-it actually is tasty when properly cooked.

I really don't mind losing. The other entries looked delicious and I could very well have not won with a perfectly cooked entry. But it would be so much easier to lose if I felt that I sent to the judges the best possible Grilled Steak and Plum Pizzettes that I could have.

(My compliments to the professional food stylists at the Cook Off-you made it almost look edible)

Grilled Steak and Plum Pizzettes

1 pound whole wheat pizza dough
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus additional to brush the grill
2 boneless beef loin strip steaks (about 1 1/4 pounds)
2 red plums, each cut into 12 slices
2 tablespoons Wildflower Honey
1 cup crumbled Pt. Reyes blue cheese
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped pistachio nuts
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon pepper

1. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and flatten each into a 6-8 inch disc; brush both sides of each disc lightly with the olive oil and grill on a medium-hot grill just until grill marks appear, about 2 minutes per side and then set aside. Grill steaks 9-11 minutes over medium-hot grill (turning occasionally), remove to cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes.

2. Lightly (and carefully) grill plums on both sides on a well oiled grill then fan 6 slices over each grilled crust; drizzle the plums with the honey. Carve the steaks into 1/4 inch thick slices and fan over and/or between the plums, season with the salt and the pepper, evenly dividing.

3. Crumble the blue cheese over the sliced steak and sprinkle with the pistachio nuts, evenly dividing. Return pizzettes to the grill, close the cover and cook until the cheese is melted about 2 minutes.

Grilled Guajillo Chicken

2009-09-15T07:23:00.004-04:00

Guajillo. Don't you just love saying it? Gwah-Hee-yo.

I have never actually worked with dried peppers before. I've worked with dried mushrooms (which I love), but I have always been rather intimidated by dried peppers. But on a recent trip to the supermarket I threw caution to the wind and decided to buy a package of guajillo peppers and a package of ancho peppers.

First up are the guajillos. Easier to use than I had thought, they are an inexpensive way to provide some great flavor to your dishes. They are a mild pepper rating about 2 or 3 on the hot scale-with 10 being super hot, so if super hot is what you're looking for these are not the peppers you want. But if you're looking for a nice smoky flavor, a hint of spice, and some nice color, these peppers deliver on all counts.

The peppers have a leathery skin and need a bit of soaking to reconstitute. Be sure to wash before using and trim the stems before placing in boiling water to reconstitute.

I had an abundance of thin sliced chicken cutlets in my freezer and decided to make use of them, so I thawed and marinated them in a guajillo based marinade then grilled them. Paired with yellow rice and sauteed peppers they made a quick tasty dinner. I also shredded one and added cheese and green onion placed between two whole wheat tortillas for a tasty quesadilla for one of my picky eaters...yummy.

Guajillo Grilled Chicken

4 dried guajillo peppers, washed
1 cup boiling water
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
6 boneless, skinless thin sliced chicken cutlets

Place the guajillo peppers in a small bowl and cover with the boiling water. Cover the bowl and let peppers sit for 15-20 minutes, until tender.

Transfer the peppers and 1/4 cup of the water to a food processor (reserve the remaining water). Add the oil, tomato paste, honey, vinegar, cumin and salt; process until smooth. Place the paste and the remaining water into a zipper top plastic bag along with the chicken; shake well to combine. Let the chicken marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat a grill to medium high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place on the hot grill, discard marinade. Grill chicken 2-3 minutes per side.

Lunchboxes Filled with Love

2009-09-02T17:11:00.007-04:00

I know the Staples commercial with the Dad dancing gleefully down the aisle of a Staple’s store tossing back to school supplies into a shopping cart would lead one to believe that most parents cannot wait for their kids to go back to school, but you know what? I’m not all that gleeful about it.

I really miss my kids when they go back. And now as they are getting older they are often seldom home because of assorted activities, friend gatherings and now my oldest has a job. So truthfully I really kind of like summer when they are around just a little bit more. But like it or not it is time to send them back to school. Two of my kids have already started and one starts next week.

When I was a kid my mother made bologna and American cheese sandwiches on soft white bread on Sunday nights. Helping her, I would usually slice the bologna into quarters so it could be arranged on the bread in a square (I hated cold cut overhang-is that obsessive compulsive?) She tucked the sandwiches in plastic bags and tossed them in the freezer and each morning, assembly line style, we would grab our sandwich, an apple and a small package of pretzels (sometimes we got cookies) then toss it all in a brown paper bag (I tossed it in my Brady Bunch Lunchbox in the early years).

I don’t quite have the assembly line system my mom had and truthfully my kids do not always like to take their lunch…and certainly only my youngest has a lunchbox (albeit a Vera Bradley one which really looks more like a purse). But lunch usually is not too much different than what I got: a sandwich-but now it is turkey and American cheese on wheat, an apple, pretzels and the occasional treat. Today I have made two treats which I will likely slip into plastic bags and freeze for lunches. Whether I toss these treats into a lunchbox or simply serve them up after school, hopefully my kids will get the message that in school or out of school I love them.

Maple Almond Cinnamon Chip Banana Bars

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, light, firmly packed
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 medium bananas, peeled and mashed
1 egg
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup Cinnamon chips

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed 15 ½ x10 ½ inch baking pan with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour baking powder and salt. In another large mixing bowl beat together the butter and sugars with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the maple syrup, bananas and the egg, beating until combined. Add the flour mixture a little bit at a time, beating after each addition until combined. Stir in the almonds and cinnamon chips.

Spread the batter evenly over the prepared pan, don’t worry if it’s not perfect just spread it as evenly as possible.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely before frosting or cutting into squares. Store bars in a covered container.

Note: bars are very thin...if you would prefer slightly thicker bars, bake them in a 13x9 inch pan.

Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting (optional)

1(8 ounce) package of reduced fat cream cheese
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon maple syrup

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth.

Crispy Peanut Butter Lunchbox Bars

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup marshmallow topping

4 tablespoons butter

3 cups puffed rice cereal

4 ounces dark chocolate

Lightly spray an 8x8 square dish with cooking spray.

In a large saucepan melt the butter, marshmallow topping and butter, stirring to combine.

Stir in the puffed rice cereal. Press the mixture into the prepared dish. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.

Melt the chocolate in a glass bowl placed over a pot of simmering water. Using a knife, drizzle the chocolate over the squares. Let the chocolate firm before eating (unless you really can't wait).

Barefoot Contessa White Pizza

2009-08-27T20:39:00.005-04:00

It's Barefoot Thursday! Barefoot Thursday is the day when a group of food bloggers (known as "Barefoot Bloggers") with deep admiration for the Barefoot Contessa-Ina Garten, all prepare a delicious recipe from one of her many cookbooks. This week's recipe was chosen by Andrea of Nummy Kitchen.

We are a pizza family. Some of my best memories involve pizza. The very first "meal" I ever purchased with my very own money was a slice of cheese pizza and an icy cold coke from Salvatore's pizza in East Northport, New York; I was eight and I remember feeling incredibly proud when I dropped the crumpled bills on the counter to pay. My favorite college meal was a (huge) slice of Rocco's pizza and 1/2 chicken Parmesan hero that I would split with my roommate Ginger in the Bronx, New York. After getting engaged my now husband and I grabbed two slices of Sicilian from Umberto's on Long Island before heading to a friend's baby shower (that remains my favorite slice of pizza to this day).

Last summer when I was getting my new kitchen put in I experimented a lot with cooking my own pizzas on the grill. I burned quite a few, but all in all they came out great. (In fact one of the pizzas I came up with then was a steak pizza which I will be preparing at The National Beef Cook off in Sonoma in a few weeks...so I was happy to make this barefoot blogger pizza in order to have a little bit of practice with dough stretching!)

I was actually a little skeptical about this recipe which is essentially salad on a pizza but I must say it was fabulous! I made a few changes...I did not have arugula so I substituted fresh baby spinach and I just cannot stomach goat cheese so I substituted Manchego cheese-not really the same texture as the goat cheese, but I was happy with the results. The lemon vinaigrette was an absolutely wonderful complement to the cheeses on the pizza. I added some thin slices of plum tomatoes from the local farm stand to one of the pizzas and that was delicious too. Making pizza at home has really never been easier...while making a homemade crust is wonderful, I am grateful that most well stocked supermarkets carry ready to stretch doughs to make pizza creation at home a snap!

Barefoot Contessa's White Pizza

Ingredients
For the dough:
1 1/4 cups warm (100 to 110) water
2 packages dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey
Good olive oil
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
Kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, sliced
5 sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
For the topping:
3 cups grated Italian fontina cheese (8 ounces)
1 1/2 cups grated fresh mozzarella cheese (7 ounces)
11 ounces creamy goat cheese, such as Montrachet, crumbled
For the vinaigrette:
1/2 cup good olive oil
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces baby arugula
1 lemon, sliced

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

Knead by hand.

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

Let it rise.

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

Make garlic oil.

Place 1/2 cup of olive oil, the garlic, thyme and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook for 10 minutes, making sure the garlic doesn't burn. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. (Be sure your oven is clean!)
Portion the dough.

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

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

Top the dough.

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

Make the vinaigrette.

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

Add the greens.

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

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

TIP Salt inhibits the growth of yeast; add half the flour, then the salt, and then the rest of the flour.
TIP To make sure yeast is still "alive," or active, put it in water and allow it to sit for a few minutes. If it becomes creamy or foamy, it's active.

Quick Beach Tortellini Salad

2009-08-25T23:02:00.004-04:00

As summer eases to its inevitable end, I find myself rushing to squeeze in the forgotten fun things I had placed on the summer bucket list. This past weekend my daughter danced at a Celtic festival in Mystic, CT which I'm thrilled to report allowed us to sneak over to my very favorite summer eating place: Abbott's Lobster in the Rough.

Nestled on Connecticut's shoreline in cozy Noank, CT, Abbott's is a true summer treat...they serve assorted seafood including my "dream about it all winter long" favorite meal: Hot lobster rolls on toasted buns with melted butter...mmmmm. Maybe we can squeeze one more trip in before they close in the fall...

We made one last trip to the beach before school starts...just the sound beach-I was too afraid of hurricane waves to go to the ocean beach...I know, wimpy. I tossed together a tortellini salad to use up some tasty summer plum tomatoes and some Avocado oil from the supermarket. I think you'll love the rich flavor the avocado oil gives the salad-but if you can't find it in your supermarket olive oil would make a good substitute.

Cracked Pepper Avocado Lime Tortellini

4 plum tomatoes

2 cups coarsely chopped baby spinach leaves, packed

1 lime

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

9 ounces cheese filled tortellini

1/2 cup small diced cooked chicken

1/4 cup avocado oil

1 avocado, diced

Dice the tomatoes and place in a large bowl with the spinach.

Remove the zest from the lime and finely chop; add to the bowl with the tomatoes. Squeeze in the juice from 1/2 the lime. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and the 3/4 teaspoon of pepper.

Cook the tortellini according to package directions just until tender, drain and stir into the bowl with the tomatoes and spinach. Stir in the chicken, avocado oil and the remaining salt. Gently stir in the avocado and squeeze in the juice from the remaining lime half. Serve at room temperature.

Yield: 6 servings

Barefoot Bloggers...Mango Banana Daiquiris

2009-08-13T07:36:00.000-04:00

Today is Barefoot Thursday! That day when food bloggers near and far all prepare a delicious recipe created by the beloved Barefoot Contessa herself, Ina Garten. Why don't you join us?

Not sure if anyone noticed but in bit of overzealous excitement (it was my turn to choose) I posted this last Thursday. Then I surfed around fellow barefoot bloggers blogs and noticed not a single one posted. Why? Because I was a week early!! Ooops! This week's recipe is for Mango Banana Daiquiris and they were just the island treat I needed. I am a mango freak...I love them! I could eat them breakfast lunch and dinner and now I can drink them in between.

When I selected this week's recipe (yes! it was my turn to choose) I knew that I would just be getting back from our Caribbean cruise and I just knew I would need a little something to bring me back to the islands if only for just a few moments! It was unfortunate that my drink was not served to me as I lounged on my deck chair by the pool or that I didn't have fabulous Daiquiri glasses to serve them in, but they were nevertheless delicious. I prepared one batch with the rum for the adults and one batch sans liquor for the kiddies. I have to say I would love to drink one of these every morning (without the rum of course!).

Here's a few super tips on selecting mangoes from your supermarket:

Look for mangoes with multiple colors-reds, yellows and a touch of green on
them.
Mangoes should give slightly when you press on them...not too much
though as you don't want them to be mushy.
Avoid mangoes with blemished skin, try to find smooth, undented fruit.

Mango Banana Daiquiris

By Ina Garten

2 cups chopped ripe mango (1-2 mangos, peeled and seeded)
1 ripe banana, chopped
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (4 limes)
1/4 cup sugar syrup*
1 1/4 cups dark rum
Mango slices for serving

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

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

Here's a little St. Thomas shot...ahhhhh...I need to go back...

Chicken and Potatoes from The Next Food Network Star

2009-08-06T22:43:00.006-04:00

Sadly I am back from vacation and I am seriously resenting not being waited on hand and foot. What I would give right now for a friendly fellow to walk by and offer me a drink in a coconut shell...ah well...I guess my cup of green tea will have to suffice.

I spent the morning at the supermarket restocking and I spent last night catching up on my Tivo. I was excited to see that the contestant I was rooting for on The Next Food Network Star, Melissa, took home the title. Aside from being impressed with the fact that she has 4 children under 4 and she still has the energy to want to be the Next Food Network Star I just really like her-she has a very friendly personality.

For her pilot show on the finale she created a "four step chicken" with some rather tasty looking potatoes that I just had to try. The chicken is really just your basic sauteed chicken with a pan sauce so that wasn't what attracted me to her dishes it was the potatoes. She made some delicious looking mini gratins in a muffin tin that I just had to taste.

I only made two slight changes to the chicken recipe: shallots instead of red onion and rosemary instead of thyme. For the potatoes I followed exactly except I did not peel the potatoes...I'm a skin girl. Melissa served the chicken on a bed of spinach-which I love, but I happened to have some beautiful summer squash from the farmer's market so I made that instead.

I could not believe how simple and how delicious the potatoes were.(The chicken was good too, but I sure did love those potatoes). I know that I will be making these potatoes a lot...there are just so many ways that you could change them up: cheddar and a little Southwest seasoning for a Tex-Mex version, perhaps some blue cheese and walnuts to pair with a nice steak.

Delicious!

Rustic Lemon Onion Chicken

by Melissa D'Arabian

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, sliced in half crossways (butterflied, cut all the way through)
1 teaspoon dried thyme, plus 1 small bunch fresh thyme, leaves chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup white wine, optional
1 cup chicken broth
3 lemons, juiced
1 to 2 tablespoons butter
Spinach "bed", recipe follows
Directions
Season chicken with dried thyme and salt and pepper. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat and add the oil. Dredge the chicken in flour, add to the hot oil and saute until cooked through. Set chicken aside to rest on plate tented with foil.
In same saute pan, over low heat, add onions and fresh thyme and cook until aromatic.
In a measuring cup, measure out wine, if using, and broth, and add the lemon juice. Turn the heat up to high, and deglaze the pan with the broth mixture until starting to reduce.
Remove the pan from the heat and finish the sauce by whisking in butter. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Arrange the chicken on serving plates; Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve.

5-Minute Individual Potato Gratins

by Melissa D'Arabian

Vegetable spray
2 large russet potatoes, roughly peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese
2 green onions, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup heavy cream
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Spray 8 muffin tins with vegetable spray. Layer potato slices, cheese, and onions into each muffin cup. Season with salt and pepper and top each gratin with 1 or 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Cover with foil and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, removing the foil halfway through cooking time. Invert gratins onto plate and serve.

Quick and Easy Sauteed Summer Squash

by me!

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons butter

1 teaspoon minced shallot

1 small yellow summer squash, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices

1 small zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil and the butter in a 12 inch non-stick skillet over medium high heat until sizzling; add the shallot and cook until tender.

Stir in the squash, zucchini and rosemary and cook for 2 minutes, using a spatula turn squash over and cook for an additional minute or two, making sure to not let the squash get soft.

Season squash with the salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Peach & Blueberry (or Raspberry) Crumbles

2009-07-23T19:40:00.004-04:00

Do you ever have one of those days when you just get something in your head and that's just it-it's stuck there? I had one of those days today.

Before I left for the supermarket I looked over the recipe for today's Barefoot Blogger recipe not once but twice just to be sure. But for some reason once I got to the store I just had it in my head that we were making Peach and Raspberry Crumbles. It didn't matter that my list said blueberries...I knew it was raspberries...I knew I simply wrote blueberries by mistake. Guess what? The list was right.

As I am sure you may have surmised today is Barefoot Thursday, the day when countless food bloggers across the blogosphere prepare a delicious recipe created by the infamous Ina Garten-a.k.a. The Barefoot Contessa. Today's recipe was selected by Aggie of Aggie's Kitchen-she selected (as you already know) Peach and Blueberry Crumbles. Why don't you join us next month preparing a Barefoot Blogger recipe?

I made only one change and that obviously would be that I used raspberries instead of the called for blueberries. But I have to say...raspberries worked out just grand. Not to sound like sour grapes (or blueberries as the case may be) but I like raspberries better anyway.

The recipe was delicious...peaches are so tasty right now so it could not have been a more timely selection-Thanks, Aggie.

Peach & Blueberry Crumbles

Ina Garten from The Barefoot Contessa at Home

For the fruit:

2 pounds firm, ripe peaches (6-8 peaches)

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup fresh blueberries (1/2 pint)...or you may use raspberries!

For the crumble:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup granulated sugar, lightly packed

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 pound (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Immerse the peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until their skins peel off easily. Place them immediately in cold water. Peel the peaches, slice them into thick wedges and place them in a large bowl. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, granulated sugar, and flour. Toss well. Gently mix in the blueberries. allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes. spoon the mixture into ramekins or custard cups.

or the topping, combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt cinnamon, and the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas. Rub the mixture with your fingertips until it's in big crumbles, then sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Place the ramekins on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 40-45 minutes, until the tops are browned and crisp and the juices are bubbly. serve warm or at room temperature.

If you want to make these early, store the unbaked crumbles in the refrigerator and bake before dinner.

What can I bake with surplus M&M's?

2009-07-20T15:01:00.007-04:00

I love it when a new movie comes out and candy companies like M&M/Mars roll out collector edition versions of their candies. While I am a big movie goer (and proud to say a charter member of Netflix) I am not what you would call a collector of movie paraphernalia so it’s not for that reason that I get excited; but rather it is because 9 times out of 10 a few weeks down the road when the movie is but a distant memory and the American consumer has moved on to the next big thing the collector packages go on clearance.

Such is the case with my recent purchase of M&M’s Transformer’s Revenge of the Fallen (was that really a movie? No one in my house cared) I was able to nab a few bargain bags of half priced Transformer M&M’s!

While I easily could have inhaled each bag, (I am in fact an M&M addict-plain not peanut…sometimes almond…never dark and certainly never those over-priced M&M premium flavors.) I showed constraint and decided to look for some recipes that used M&M’s. (Yeah that’s it"…kids don’t eat them, Mom bought them to bake with.")

As luck would have it my cooking contest/blogger friend Anna from Cookie Madness had a yummy (easy) recipe on her blog for Chocolate Chip Pretzel Bars so I gave them a go. I made one slight alteration-I replaced half of the semi-sweet chocolate chips with butterscotch chips (I sure do love those butterscotch chips). Not surprisingly the bars were loved by all. My daughter thought that they would make a delicious base for an ice cream sundae while they were still warm…unfortunately we only had mango sorbet in the fridge…ahhh..next time. OK so that takes up about 1/2 cup of M&M’s any suggestions on things to make with remaining? (I bought 3 bags...c'mon...they were on sale!!)

Chocolate Chip Pretzel Bars

by Anna at Cookie Madness (from Food & Wine)

1 cup all purpose unbleached flour (135 grams)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda (2 ml)

1/4 teaspoon salt (1 ml)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter (85 grams)

1/2 cup light brown sugar (110 grams)

1/4 cup granulated sugar (48 grams)

1 teaspoon vanilla (5 ml)

1 large egg

3/4 cups pretzels, broken

1 cup semi- sweet chocolate chips

1/3 cup M&Ms (plain) – more if you want

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 inch metal pan with foil and spray with cooking spray (or use parchment).

Mix together the flour, soda and salt; set aside.

Beat the butter and both sugars in a mixing bowl. When light, beat in the vanilla. Add the egg and beat until it’s mixed, then gradually stir in the flour mixture, followed by the pretzel pieces, chocolate and M&Ms.

(I don't normally like to eat cookie dough because my mom warned me about the raw eggs and all, but this m&m studded dough was pretty darn tempting)

Spread mixture evenly in pan and bake on center rack for about 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool completely. Lift from pan and cut into bars.

Roasted Two Pepper Orzo and My Very Favorite (easy) Grilled Steak

2009-07-13T17:00:00.005-04:00

Just about every woman I know has a go-to little black dress hanging in her closet. I have a fabulous black satin trimmed sheath dress that I like to think of as my dress-up, dress-down, never let me down stand by.

Well, I like to think of skirt steak as the little black dress of beef. Always tasty, always easy to cook with it never lets me down; it's the one meat I always keep in the freezer for that "just in case" moment. You can dress it up with a fancy blue cheese sauce or dress it down and serve it in a casual fajita, but tender skirt steak, fancy or casual, completes a menu much like your little black dress completes your wardrobe.

I've gone casual in my steak prep today, using a tasty marinade found in your supermarket: Durkee Grill Creations Black Peppercorn Marinade. Quick and easy, this ready to mix marinade gives your steak a nice, peppery kick; it's my very favorite supermarket marinade mix.

Keeping the pepper theme going, I paired the steak with a spicy Roasted Two Pepper Orzo that's equally easy to make and a perfect complement to the peppery steak. Don't be intimidated by roasting the peppers yourself-it could not be easier and the fresh roasted flavor is worth the effort. Use extra care when removing the skins from the jalapeno peppers-they're very hot and if you're not wearing gloves, be sure to wash your hands before touching your eyes...I can tell you from experience...it will burn!

Roasted Two Pepper Orzo with Charred Lime

1 red pepper

2 jalapeno peppers

1 lime, thinly sliced

32 ounces chicken broth

4 cups water

1 1/2 cups orzo

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

1 teaspoon kosher salt

4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into small dice

Preheat a grill to medium high heat.

Place the peppers directly on the grill rack and cook, turning occasionally, until charred on all sides. Place the charred peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap; let peppers sit for 10 minutes to allow the skin to loosen slightly.

Carefully grill the lime slices 1-2 minutes per side until grill marks appear.

Bring the chicken broth and water to a boil in a large pot; add the orzo and cook for 7 minutes or until tender. Drain the orzo and transfer to a large bowl; toss with the oil, cilantro and salt.

Carefully remove the skins, seeds and membranes from the peppers. Finely chop the peppers and stir into the orzo along with the mozzarella and the limes.

My Very Favorite (easy) Grilled Steak

1 1/2 pounds skirt steak

1 packet Durkee Grill Creations Black Peppercorn Marinade

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Place the skirt steak in a marinating bowl or large zipper top plastic bag. Whisk together the Durkee marinade, oil, water and vingear; pour over the steak. Allow steak to marinate for at least 15 minutes.

Preheat a gas grill to medium high heat. Remove steak from the marinade and place on the grill rack; grill steak 3 minutes per side for medium rare or continue grilling until desired doneness. Transfer steak to a cutting board, season with the kosher salt then allow the steak to rest for 5-8 minutes. Carve the steak diagonally into 1/4 inch thick slices.

Barefoot Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

2009-07-09T22:47:00.004-04:00

Oh boy...this one is a keeper.

Today is Barefoot Thursday (barely...I'm squeaking it in at the last possible moment-I can't even use Pacific time as a cover-I'm east coast and it's pushing 11:00 p.m.) and as with all Barefoot Thursdays, (Barefoot) food bloggers near and far prepare a delicious Ina Garten (aka: The Barefoot Contessa) recipe.

Today's recipe selection was made by Cat of Delta Whiskey. Cat, whose birthday just happens to be today (Happy Birthday!!); she selected Pasta with Sun-dried Tomatoes. This recipe was divinely easy and divinely tasty.

I prepared this recipe for the Women's shelter that I cook for so I had to do a little doubling and tripling here and there. Ina Garten's original recipe is here. I'm sharing the recipe as I adapted it for 20. (Oh and I forgot to buy the olives...so it's sans black olives...sorry!)

Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes for 20
adapted from Ina Garten from Barefoot Contessa Family Style

1 1/2 pounds pasta (I used mini-penne)
kosher salt
Olive oil
3 pints grape tomatoes, quartered
2 pounds fresh mozzarella, medium diced
18 sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
for the dressing:
10 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 cup good olive oil
2 garlic cloves, diced
2 teaspoons capers
3 teaspoons kosher salt (I know, I know that's a lot...but it really tastes good)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 1/2 cups packed basil leaves, julienned

Directions:
Cook the pasta in two batches 3/4 lb. at a time in a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil for 12 minutes or according to the directions on the package. Drain well, toss with a bit of olive oil to keep it from sticking and allow to cool. Place the pasta in a large bowl and add the tomatoes, mozzarella, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

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

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

Gazpacho and Avocado-lime Chicken Pitas

2009-07-06T12:55:00.004-04:00

Well I had every good intention of posting my Barefoot Blogger's Gazpacho before I left to go away, but you know how it goes...I mean I had to pack for everyone! So here it is now and as an added bonus I've included the recipe for a tasty little pita sandwich that I served with it.

The Gazpacho, the second of the June recipes for the Barefoot Bloggers was selected byMeryl of My Bit of Earth. Barefoot Bloggers are a group of bloggers that prepare two Ina Garten (aka: The Barefoot Contessa) recipes each month (unless you go away and then have to prepare 3 Ina Garten recipes in one month!).

So yeah, Gazpacho...cold tomato soup...hmmm. Well, because it was an Ina Garten recipe the flavors were really delicious, but I've got to tell you I'm not much for the cold soup thing. Hot, steamy July day withstanding, I'd still rather have my soup hot (which truthfully I did! I warmed up my little bowl in the microwave and served it just warm...and you know what...it was great!) The recipe for Ina's Gazpacho is here.

On the side I served a tasty little pita stuffed with chicken, broccoli slaw, avocado and tomato...it was the perfect accompaniment. Broccoli slaw is a delicious (and healthful) convenience I found in the produce aisle of the supermarket. It is a combination of shredded broccoli, cabbage and carrots all conveniently packaged and ready to eat.

I have long been a broccoli hater that has really wanted to be a broccoli at least liker, but I just haven't been able to stomach it. I know how good broccoli is for you and I really, really want to like it and this has made it almost possible! I love this stuff...it is fabulous tucked in a sandwich for a delicious, healthful crunch. I also love to quickly blanch it, season lightly with salt and pepper then serve it with grilled meats...simple and delicious!

Avocado-lime Chicken Pitas

1 avocado, seed removed, diced

8 grape tomatoes, very thinly sliced

1 cup broccoli slaw

1 cup small diced cooked chicken (such as leftover grilled or store-bought rotisserie)

4 basil leaves, very finely chopped

1 teaspoon lime juice

2 teaspoons red pepper flavored olive oil

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 small whole wheat pitas, split open

In a large bowl, combine the diced avocado, tomatoes, broccoli slaw, chicken, basil, lime juice, oil, kosher salt and pepper; stir gently to combine well.

Using a small spoon, stuff the pitas with the filling, evenly dividing.

Yield: 4 pita sandwiches

Ribeyes, Couscous and Carrots

2009-06-22T21:20:00.005-04:00

One of the most economical ways to put a steak dinner on your table is to purchase the whole "roast" and have the butcher at your supermarket or meat market cut it into individual steaks. Typically rib eye steaks can cost anywhere from 7-9 dollars a pound and buying the roast will save you a few bucks-I have a supermarket nearby that periodically offers whole rib roasts for about $4.99/lb...nice deal!

I recently purchased a whole rib eye roast, had the butcher cut it into 1 1/2 inch steaks, and today grilled them and served them with a tasty Caramelized Shallot Couscous and quick sauteed Rosemary Carrots.

The creamy pungent flavor of blue cheese makes it a natural to pair with beef. I prepared the grilled rib eyes nice and pink and served it sliced with a creamy blue cheese sauce. No surprise here, but, the Barefoot Contessa has a recipe for a delicious blue cheese sauce that I often make for grilled steak. A word of caution here though...while this is an incredibly simple recipe-DO NOT LEAVE YOUR POT UNATTENDED!! Today I put the cream on the stove as directed and brought it to a boil forgetting about it while I was prepping the steaks until...I heard a "pst..sizzle" sound and saw a ton of steam. I ran to the stove and I watched in horror as a milk white waterfall of cream boiled over coating my glass cook top with a bubbling mess. Oh it will be a few weeks before that burns off or I can scrub it off and get it shiny again(any tips for cleaning glass cook tops would be greatly appreciated!)

Couscous makes a quick simple side and is especially great when you are making other dishes for your meal that may need a bit more of your attention. Tasty all by itself, this couscous can be a meal by itself and is great to use up any leftover steak you may have from a barbecue (just stir in the steak with the beef broth).

There are some days when you need to let your supermarket be your sous chef. A handy product I found recently in the supermarket fits that bill-premium Matchstix carrots. Being a home cook with limited knife skills, cutting carrots this small (and this uniform) would probably take the better part of an afternoon. These carrots saved time and actually had great flavor.

Grilled Ribeyes with Blue Cheese Sauce

Steaks:

4 boneless ribeye steaks

2 tablespoons salt

Blue Cheese Sauce (adapted from Ina Garten's Gorgonzola Sauce from The Barefoot Contessa Parties):

2 cups heavy cream

2 ounces blue cheese (I used a Danish blue cheese)

2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

Arrange the steaks on a work surface and season both sides with the salt and let rest for 15 minutes.

Bring the heavy cream to a boil in a medium sized sauce pan over medium high heat; let boil (watching!) for about 30 minutes. Stir in the blue cheese Parmesan cheese and the pepper.

Preheat a gas grill to medium high heat. Gently rinse the salt from the steaks and pat dry. Lightly oil the grill rack and grill the steaks for 9-11 minutes for medium rare, turning halfway through cooking. Remove steaks from the grill and let rest on a cutting board for 8-10 minutes. Carve steak into 1/4 inch thick slices and season to tastse with additional salt and pepper.

Caramelized Shallot Couscous

1 tablespoon butter

2 large shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 cup whole wheat couscous

1 cup beef broth

salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a 10 inch skillet over medium heat; stir in the shallots, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Let the shallots cook, stirring occasionally, until tender. Stir in the couscous and toast lightly. Add the beef broth, bring just to a boil then remove from the heat, cover and let sit for 5 minutes. To serve, stir to combine the shallots and season lightly to taste with the salt and pepper.

Quick Sauteed Rosemary Carrots

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

8 ounces Matchstix Carrots

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon crumbled dried rosemary

Heat the oil in a 10 inch skillet over medium heat; stir in the carrots, salt and rosemary and cook for 3-4 minutes just until tender-crisp.

Curried Couscous

2009-06-11T06:38:00.005-04:00

It's Barefoot Thursday!

Barefoot Bloggers are a group of bloggers that twice a month prepare a (almost always) delicious recipe from the Barefoot Contessa Ina Garten. This weeks recipe was selected by Ellyn of Recipe Collector and Tester . She chose Curried Couscous from the Barefoot Contessa cookbook.

Well I'm going to be totally up front with you...I did not want to like this recipe. I have long turned my nose up at all things "curried"-and honestly only because of the smell; I just can't stand the smell of curry. But I made the recipe thinking Ina has never steered me wrong and why would I let my aberrant fear of curry stand in the way of a potentially delicious dinner?

Well..she did it again-it was a fabulous recipe. I made one omission and one addition (and one little tweak-for personal taste). The omission was the raisins/currants. I only like raisins if they are covered in chocolate and since I did not think that chocolate would be a good addition omission seemed the only option-my kids were grateful for that. (And speaking of my kids, they don't really care for nuts so while I did add the almonds to the final dish I photographed the dish before stirring them in!)

The addition was to take an entire rotisserie chicken, dice and toss in...it was delicious and made it a meal.

And now for the tweak...I am almost embarrassed about the tweak. In my heart I knew that Ina would know just the right amount of each ingredient, but when it came to adding in the curry my olfactory receptors seemed to take over and make me decrease the curry to 1/2 teaspoon...it was curried enough.

Curried Couscous

Copyright, 1999, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

1 1/2 cups couscous

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1/4 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup good olive oil

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup small-diced carrots

1/2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/2 cup dried currants or raisins

1/4 cup blanched sliced almonds

2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)

1/4 cup small-diced red onion

Directions:

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

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

(Sorry about this photo...it's been dark and rainy around here the last few days and so hard to get a bright shot!:))

Avocado Oil and a Seductive Tomato

2009-06-09T15:36:00.005-04:00

I have made evident in the past my love of the avocado; so it should come as no surprise that the other day while I was perusing my supermarket for something interesting I was drawn to a bottle of avocado oil.

Hmmm oil of an avocado...I knew it was "fatty" fruit (albeit the "good" kind of fat), but it honestly never occurred to me that there was such a thing as avocado oil; into the cart it went and off I went to find something to use it with.

During the "non-local-tomato-months" I am generally a purchaser only of those mini plastic containers of grape or cherry tomatoes since I often find the supermarket tomatoes to be gritty and flavorless. Well here we are June in Connecticut and obviously no one is harvesting tomatoes at any of the farms around here, but for whatever reason the Heirloom tomato selection at our local Whole Foods was looking rather seductive and quite honestly I could not resist a shapely and bright, yellow tomato. It was settled I would use my avocado oil for a salad using the yellow tomato, herb salad mix, and fresh mozzarella cheese.

This past weekend my H and I enjoyed a few glasses of a tasty Argentinian Malbec, but (shockingly) did not finish the bottle. Not being one to let tasty wine go to waste I decided to make a reduction to add to my salad. I had about 2/3 of a cup left and reduced it down to a tangy little tablespoon and swirled in a touch of honey-it was a perfect accent.

The avocado oil gave a lovely essence of avocado flavor to the salad. I am certain that a diced avocado added to the salad would be over the top delicious so in the future that is the only change I will make. But for today I'm cutting a few calories at lunch so that I can enjoy the tasty Carvel Ice Cream Cake I bought for my DH for his birthday today!

Heirloom Tomato and Mozzarella Salad with Avocado Oil and a Honeyed Malbec Reduction

2/3 cup Malbec

1/4 teaspoon wildflower honey

8 cups mixed salad greens

1 small shallot, very thinly sliced

3 large yellow Heirloom tomato, each cut into 6 slices

4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese cut into 8 slices

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 teaspoons Avocado oil

2 tablespoons finely sliced fresh basil

In small skillet over medium high heat reduce the Malbec to 1 tablespoon; stir in the honey, pour into a small bowl and set aside to cool.

Divide the greens between 4 serving plates. Scatter the shallots over the greens. Alternate the tomato and the cheese and fan over the greens on each plate. Season each salad with the salt and pepper.

Drizzle each salad with a teaspoon of the Malbec reduction and two teaspoons of the oil. Garnish each with the fresh basil.

Yield: 4 salads

Really Outrageous Brownies

2009-05-28T08:46:00.006-04:00

Never has a recipe, IMHO, had a more fitting title...this week's Barefoot Blogger recipe is Ina Garten's "Outrageous Brownies". And friends let me tell you...outrageous they indeed are.

In my busy little corner of the world I am frequently able to convince myself that a boxed brownie mix delivers a "homemade", melt in your mouth chocolaty treat. That is until I make the effort to prepare a "from scratch" version and then I know I'm simply fooling myself...a boxed mix just can't compare to the results that a recipe like this gives you...fudgy, rich and really melt in your mouth chocolaty-ness.

I made only one slight alteration to the recipe and that was to use half semi-sweet chocolate chips and half bittersweet (60% Cacao) chips. The bittersweet chips give an extra richness. The hardest part about this recipe, which the Food Network classified as difficult, is melting the chocolate. Chocolate can be very temperamental...I have tossed many a bowlful of seized chocolate and let me tell you as delicious as correctly melting chocolate smells, burnt chocolate is a horrendous smell! In my opinion it's not worth the risk to melt (often expensive) chocolate in the microwave-make the extra effort and melt it over a double boiler or as I do in a bowl over a pot of simmering water.

Stonewall Kitchen sells the boxed version of this recipe I would love to hear if anyone has ever tried both the boxed version and the homemade version...do they compare? Ina's recipe below says that it makes 20 large brownies, I usually cut them a great deal smaller for about 48 brownies.

FYI the Barefoot Bloggers are a group of bloggers devoted to preparing 2 of Ina Garten's (aka The Barefoot Contessa) recipes each month.

Outrageous Brownies
Copyright (c) 1999 by Ina Garten
Makes 20 Large Brownies “Inspiration for this recipe came from the Chocolate Glob in the SoHo Charcuterie Cookbook published by William Morrow in 1982. In its heyday, the SoHo Charcuterie was the cutting edge of New York restaurants. The giant confection was a blob of chocolate dough filled with chocolate chips and nuts. I though I could make a brownie with almost the same formula. They’ve been flying out the door for fifteen years!”
-Ina Garten

1 pound unsalted butter
1 pound plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
6 extra-large eggs
3 tablespoons instant coffee granules
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 12 x 18 x 1-inch baking sheet.

Melt together the butter, 1 pound of the chocolate chips, and the unsweetened chocolate in a medium bowl over simmering water. Allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl, stir (do not beat) together the eggs, coffee granules, vanilla, and sugar. Stir the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature.

In a medium bowl, sift together 1 cup of flour, the baking powder, and salt. Add to the cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the walnuts and 12 ounces of chocolate chips in a medium bowl with 1/4 cup flour, then add them to the chocolate batter. Pour onto the baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes, then rap the baking sheet against the oven self to force the air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Bake for about 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not over bake! Allow to cool thoroughly, refrigerate, and cut into 20 large squares.

Notes: Flouring the chips and walnuts keeps them for sinking to the bottom. It is very important to allow the batter to cool well before adding the chocolate chips, or the chips will melt and ruin the brownies. This recipe can be baked up to a week in advance, wrapped in plastic, and refrigerated.

Steak Tostadas

2009-05-26T20:23:00.005-04:00

I am a steak girl. Steak is one of the few meats that everyone in my family will agree on. This past weekend we grilled just about every meal...today's recipe is one of those meals-it's quick and easy and you probably have most of the ingredients right in your fridge. Starting this past weekend (Memorial Day) I'm also a lobster roll girl...my very favorite restaurant opened for the season: Abbott's Lobster in the Rough in Noank, CT. (I'm going to make you very jealous right now) they have the ultimate lobster rolls: steamed fresh lobster piled high on a toasted roll drenched in hot melted butter! No globby mayo for the Connecticut style lobster roll-just lobster and butter.

Attention all of you Food Network Star wannabes!! World Harbors, makers of delicious sauces and marinades, is running a contest right now that some of you may be interested in entering. It's called The World Harbors Look Local Video Contest. The way it works is you make a short (2 minutes) video of a locally themed recipe that you created and you post it at the World Harbors facebook page (there is a sample on their facebook page). If you are a little camera shy you may also enter a "print" recipe with a photo. World Harbors will be giving prizes for the best video and for the best print recipe.

I have long been a fan of World Harbors sauces -I won a contest a few years ago using their Chimichurri sauce and marinade-why don't you give it a go and try to win a great prize for yourself! For a little inspiration I've made some steak tostadas (not very local for Connecticut this time of year...we can't grow avocados here ever and this time of year it's too early for tomatoes...I probably should have made something with asparagus since that's about the only local food right now, but I felt like making tostadas and I really didn't think asparagus tostadas would work.) Not to worry if there isn't too much coming out of your garden or Farmer's market right now because you have until July 15 to enter.

Quick Steak Tostadas

2 boneless strip steaks (cut 1 1/4 inches thick)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup World Harbors Steak Sauce

1 avocado, peeled and diced

1 cup diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno pepper

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

4 (6 inch) corn tortillas

2 cups shredded romaine lettuce

(you can add some shredded cheese if you would like...I decided to go cheeseless this time)

Preheat grill to medium high heat.

Grill steaks on preheated grill for 9-11 minutes, turning once. Transfer to a cutting board, season with the salt and pepper then let rest for 10 minutes.

In a small bowl combine the avocado, tomatoes, jalapeno and lime juice.

Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, add two of the tortillas and cook until lightly browned on both sides; repeat with remaining teaspoon of oil and remaining tortillas.

Spread the avocado mixture over the tortillas, evenly dividing. Carve the steak into 1/4 inch thick slices and fan over the avocado mixture on each tortilla. Drizzle the steak sauce over the steak. Top with the shredded lettuce.

Yield: 4 servings

Barefoot Bloggers Wild Card

2009-05-14T13:02:00.007-04:00

Please if you haven't yet (and are so inclined) click on the Crisco link and vote for my Caribbean Chicken with Roasted Jalapeno Mango Sauce!! $25,000 is on the line!

This week for Barefoot Bloggers an interesting feature has been introduced. (BTW for anyone who does not know, Barefoot Bloggers are a group of food bloggers that prepare a delicious recipe created by Ina Garten-The Barefoot Contessa-on two Thursdays of each month). The new feature is a wild card of sorts or as the Barefoot blogger hosts call it backtracking...we're allowed to choose an alternate Barefoot Blogger) recipe as a substitute for one of this month's selections.

I am sooooo relieved! This weeks selection was to have been Tuna Salad (selected by Kate of Warm Olives and Cool Cocktails). There are only two thing I can absolutely not eat and they are Tuna and mayonnaise. This tuna salad does not call for mayonnaise but nevertheless I am using the wild card. I decided to select a recipe that was prepared before I joined the Barefoot Bloggers group-in fact, it was the very first recipe that the group prepared: Herbed Baked Eggs from Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris Cookbook.

The results were positively divine! What an absolutely elegant and delicious way to serve eggs. I was out of parsley so I substituted fresh sage for the parsley; I'm certain that any herb combination would be wonderful. I would love to try substituting different cheeses-I was thinking of perhaps a Cotija cheese with bits of jalapeno tossed in for a Tex-Mex version.

Herbed Baked Eggs

1/4 teaspoon minced fresh garlic

1/4 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

1/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon fresh parsley

1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese

6 extra large eggs

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Toasted French bread or Brioche for serving

Preheat the broiler for 5 minutes and place the oven rack 6 inches below the heat.

Combine the garlic, thyme, rosemary, parsley and Parmesan cheese and set aside. Carefully crack three eggs into each of two bowls without breaking the yolks. (It's important to have all the eggs ready to go before cooking).

Place 2 individual gratin dishes on a baking sheet. Place 1 tablespoon cream and 1/2 tablespoon of butter in each dish and place under the broiler for about 3 minutes until hot and bubbly. Quickly but carefully pour 3 eggs into each gratin dish and sprinkle with the herb mixture then sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place under the broiler for 5-6 minutes until the whites of the egg are almost cooked. (Rotate the baking sheet once if they aren't cooking evenly). The eggs will continue to cook once you take them out of the oven. Allow to set for 60 seconds and serve hot with toasted bread.

Caribbean Chicken with Roasted Jalapeno Mango Sauce

2009-05-13T08:02:00.005-04:00

When I hear the expression "food of the Gods" the first thing that pops into my mind is mango. Mangoes with their luscious flavor and bright orange color are among my very favorite foods.

A spicy mango sauce made with a roasted jalapeno, citrus and Crisco-Puritan canola oil with Omega-3 DHA is the highlight of my Caribbean chicken dish that is a finalist in the Crisco Live Smart Cook Smarter contest! Please follow this link to see all the finalist recipes and if you would be so kind...cast a vote for my recipe (Caribbean Chicken with Roasted Jalapeno Mango Sauce-Veronica, Connecticut). Voting ends this Sunday.

My recipe, one of five finalists in the contest, is a family favorite...not too spicy and not too sweet. Don't let the jalapeno in there fool you-while it adds wonderful flavor it does not necessarily have to add a lot of heat. After roasting the pepper and carefully removing the skin, use a sharp knife and remove all the seeds and all the membranes. Of course if you like a lot of heat just go ahead and leave some seeds and membranes in there.

Here is the recipe...the photo below is the one taken by the Crisco folks-what a difference a food stylist makes!!

Caribbean Chicken with Roasted Jalapeno Mango Sauce
1 jalapeno pepper
1 cup diced mango
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 shallot, peeled
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons Crisco Puritan Canola oil
1 lb. boneless chicken tenders
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup coconut
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 egg whites

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Place the jalapeño pepper on a small baking sheet and roast in the oven for 15 minutes. Place the roasted pepper in a small plastic bag for at least 5 minutes to loosen the skin. Carefully remove the skin from the pepper and remove seeds and stem. In a food processor or blender combine the pepper, diced mango, orange juice, 2 tablespoons of lime juice, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, shallot and 1 tablespoon of cilantro; process or blend until smooth. Add 1/4 cup of the Crisco Puritan Canola oil and process or blend until well combined; set aside

3. Place the chicken in a shallow dish add the remaining lime juice and stir to coat; let sit for 15 minutes. In the bowl of a food processor combine the remaining salt, oats, coconut, cayenne pepper and black pepper; pulse 5 or 6 times until combined. Spread oat mixture onto a small plate or a sheet of waxed paper. Whisk the egg whites in a shallow dish until foamy.

4. Remove the chicken from the lime juice and pat dry. Dip each chicken tender first in egg whites and then roll in the oat mixture to completely coat. Place the tenders on a baking sheet and drizzle the 2 teaspoons of Canola oil over each tender. Bake chicken tenders in the oven for 20 minutes. Let the chicken cool for 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a serving platter.
5. To serve, spoon a few tablespoons of sauce onto a serving plate, top with two chicken tenders and garnish with the remaining cilantro.

Yield: 4-6 servings
Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes

Butterscotch Glazed Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

2009-05-07T21:11:00.004-04:00

I have this bad habit of every few weeks deciding that I am going to commit to eating cereal and a banana every day for breakfast. I stock up on Total, bananas and good intentions. Sadly the good intentions only last about two days and then I go back to eating my usual combination of granola bars and fruit smoothies.

This "habit" doesn't seem so bad on the surface, but what ends up happening is I'm left with a slowly blackening bunch of bananas which more often than not ends up in the trash. My kids are not the biggest fans of bananas so they don't usually eat them...but I really, really hate to throw away food so the solution became obvious: banana bread. Now every few weeks I have a bowl or two of cereal with a sliced banana followed up later in the week with a tasty banana bread-maybe it's a pretty good habit after all.

It's teacher appreciation week and I volunteered to bake something for our high school teacher breakfast--so this week they are the recipients of my blackened bananas (that doesn't sound like a very nice gift). I feel very fortunate to live in a town with some incredible teachers and my little banana bread is just a small thank you for their big job that they do so well...thank you teachers (everywhere).

So I finished typing this post and grab my camera to upload my photos and guess what?? I never put the memory card in!! There should be a bell that goes off or a warning screen that comes up for careless photographers such as myself. Well trust me when I tell you it looked really pretty!

Butterscotch Glazed Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
5 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 medium very ripe bananas
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides an 8x4x2 1/2 inch loaf pan.

In a medium sized bowl sift together the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder.

In a large mixing bowl beat the butter and sugars, using an electric mixer, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time beating just until incorporated. Add the bananas and beat until combined; stir in the chocolate chips. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake bread in the 350 degree oven for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Gently remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack. When completely cooled top with the butterscotch glaze (recipe follows).

Butterscotch Glaze:

2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 cup sifted confectioner's sugar
1 tablespoon heavy cream

Bring the butter, sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat; boil for 1 minute. Whisk in the confectioner's sugar and the heavy cream. Spoon the glaze over the cooled bread.

The Comfort of Camembert

2009-05-01T15:57:00.008-04:00

Everyone has that one food that when they are sad or just not feeling themselves they crave; for some it is chocolate-it's rich creaminess offering a sweet, soothing feeling. Others crave fried foods-with their greasy saltiness providing a warm comfort. Well for me that go-to food is cheese-melted, layered or just plain, cheese provides nourishing solace for me not matched by any other food (except maybe Twinkies).

The lovely folks at Ile de France were kind enough to send me a free sample of one of their delicious cheeses-and given my adoration of cheese I was thrilled. Long a fan of their Brie cheese, I had not previously tried any of their other varieties so I was pleased to see Camembert in the package. Camembert, while similar in texture to Brie, has a much stronger almost nutty flavor. It was the perfect addition to my Grilled Steak Sandwiches with Chive Sauce.

Grilled Steak and Camembert Sandwiches with Peppered Chive Sauce

2 New York Strip Steaks (about 6 ounces each and 1 1/2 inches thick)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 (6-inch) Ciabatta rolls

4 ounces Camembert cheese, rind removed

2 cups baby spinach leaves, stems removed

1 cup sliced grape tomatoes

1/2 cup Peppered Chive Sauce (recipe follows)

Preheat a gas grill to medium high flame.

Pat the steaks dry and season both sides with half of the kosher salt and half of the pepper. Lightly spray the grill rack with cooking spray. Cook the steaks in a closed grill for 8 minutes, turning occasionally, for medium rare doneness. Remove from the grill and transfer to a cutting board to rest.

Split open the Ciabatta rolls and spread the cheese onto the top half of each roll. Place rolls cheese side up on the grill rack and cook with the cover closed for 2 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the rolls are lightly toasted.

Layer the spinach and tomatoes on top of the cheese. Spread the Peppered Chive Sauce on the bottom half of each roll. Carve the steak into 1/2 inch thick slices, season with the remaining salt and pepper then fan over the sauce on each roll, evenly dividing. Close the rolls to serve.

Yield: 4 sandwiches

Peppered Chive Sauce

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon finely chopped chives

Stir all ingredients together in a small bowl; cover and chill until ready to use.

Extreme Bacon Cheese Pizza

2009-04-24T17:24:00.006-04:00

I am not so old that I cannot remember fun and fabulous times on Spring Break in college. I can actually map out my life to date in a sort of "Spring Break" timeline:

Let's start with college...fun times in Ft. Lauderdale (yeah I know, I'm old- Ft. Lauderdale for Spring Break is so 80's)
Post graduation years...Spring Break morphed into summer weekends in the Hampton's in a house shared with 20 of my "closest friends".
Early married life...Spring Break was romantic weeks or weekends just for two-enjoying Robert Cray at Jazz Fest in New Orleans comes to mind.
The kids were young years...Spring breaks were spent usually in a place with costumed characters and eating at anyplace that served chicken nuggets.
The kids are getting older years...I've come almost full circle, we just returned from Spring Break and it was spent going on college visits for my oldest son who is a Junior this year.

I am pretty sure that I am a college marketers dream come true; I sat at every power point presentation mesmerized...drawn in...wishing I could choose college all over again. Don't get me wrong I love my alma mater (Fordham) and would probably choose it again given the choice (and would be thrilled if my son got in and chose it), but man...the presentations we saw this week...each one out did the next. I had to keep reminding my son (and myself) that they were in fact sales presentations. Oh and it didn't hurt that at one campus it was "Spring Fling" and the campus was bustling with activity-of course my 17 year old liked that school the best.

Our return from "Spring Break" has given me a real hankering for college foods so the kids and I made Extreme Bacon Cheese Pizzas which got an A+ from everyone.

Extreme Bacon Cheese Pizzas

5 slices bacon

1 prepared pizza crust divided into 4 equal pieces

1 cup prepared sauce

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Arrange the bacon in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake the bacon in the preheated oven for 10 minutes; remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate to drain.

Stretch the dough pieces into 6x4 inch ovals and place on a baking pan lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Divide the sauce between each crust, spreading in an even layer.

Sprinkle each with the cheeses, evenly dividing. Crumble the bacon and divide between the pizzas arranging on top of the cheeses.

Raise the oven temperature to 425 degrees. Bake pizzas in the oven for 12 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and crusts are golden brown.

Barefoot Bloggers and a Night at the Diner

2009-04-09T07:25:00.006-04:00

I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan of Chinese food; I very rarely make anything remotely Asian in flavor. My husband on the other hand loves Chinese food so he was thrilled when he saw the plate of Chinese Chicken Salad that I placed before him.

Today is Barefoot Thursday, and for those not in the know it is a day which occurs two Thursdays a month and is a day when various food bloggers prepare a recipe from one of the Barefoot Contessa’s (a.k.a. Ina Garten) cookbooks. Today's recipe for Chinese Chicken Salad was selected by McKenzie of Kenzie's Kitchen.

This recipe could not have been easier and according to my husband, it couldn't have been more delicious. My kids unfortunately share my dislike of Chinese food would not touch it so last night became one of those nights I fondly refer to as "Diner Night"...a night when I am transformed into short order cook. I think I would do well working at a diner-I was able to get every one's dinners on the table (hot) at the same time-yeah, I know...amazing. For the kids it was Roasted Chicken Subs with Spinach and Jack cheese and for me it was a poached egg over roasted potatoes and asparagus (you'll notice I did incorporate ingredients from the salad into the other meals so that made it easier). Thanks in part to Jitterbuz.com here's how I think the whole dinner would sound in diner talk:

Three birds on bread-bring in Popeye and Jack it...One dead eye on a green raft...one chopstick bird salad with spears (OK that one's a reach...but they don't usually serve Chinese food at a diner). Moo juice all around.

Chinese Chicken Salad

Recipe by Ina Garten from Barefoot Contessa Parties!

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

Good olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

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

1 red bell pepper, cored and seeded

2 scallions (white and green parts), sliced diagonally

1 tablespoon white sesame seeds, toasted

For the dressing:

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup good apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons dark sesame oil

1/2 tablespoon honey

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon peeled, grated fresh ginger

1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

1/4 cup smooth peanut butter

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

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

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

Whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing and pour over the chicken and vegetables. Add the scallions and sesame seeds and season to taste. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Mediterranean Pearls

2009-04-03T17:30:00.007-04:00

Pasta is a dinner staple in most homes and ours is no exception-but don't you get tired of the same old penne and spaghetti? My favorite find this week is in fact a pasta but not your typical Italian variety...this one originated in of all places Israel.

Favorite Food Find Friday's find is...Mediterranean (a.k.a. Israeli) couscous!

These little pearl shaped grains are similar looking to barley, but they are actually made from a wheat based dough which is shaped into little balls and toasted-as opposed to dried as pastas usually are.

The large grains make an impressive presentation as the base for chicken or seafood or tossed with caramelized onions and blue cheese for a tasty beef side dish. Today I've made a Mediterranean style salad that couldn't be easier...you need "1" of everything in it. You'll notice there's no added oil-I found it just doesn't need it, but if you're planning on chilling it before you serve it you may want to add a tablespoon or two of extra virgin olive just so the couscous doesn't clump together. Also I used a fresh mozzarella because one of my favorite supermarkets makes it fresh in the store and it's just fabulous, but you can substitute a feta or goat cheese if you prefer.

"One" Mediterranean Couscous Salad

1 (32 ounce) container chicken stock

1 cup Mediterranean (a.k.a. Israeli) Couscous

1 cup diced roasted red pepper

1 cup coarsely chopped arugula

1 cup diced fresh mozzarella cheese

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon pine nuts

1 lemon, thinly sliced then halved

Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a medium sized saucepan. Stir in the couscous, reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes. Drain couscous and transfer to a large bowl.

Stir the red pepper, arugula, mozzarella cheese, salt, pepper, garlic, pine nuts and lemon slices into the bowl with the couscous. Serve warm or chilled.

Yield: 4 servings

Barefoot Favorite Food Find

2009-03-27T12:26:00.006-04:00

You could call me lazy, but I'm really just multitasking...this week I've combined Favorite Food Find Friday with the Barefoot Blogger challenge.

Barefoot Bloggers are a group of bloggers that twice a month prepare a (almost always) delicious recipe from the Barefoot Contessa Ina Garten. This weeks recipe was selected by Anne of Anne Strawberry. She chose Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts from the Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics cookbook.

I had a few glitches with this week's recipe...
1. I forgot to take a picture of the completed recipe.
2. It didn't really matter because I forgot to put the memory card into the camera so I actually have NO pictures of my version! So my apologies in advance for the lack of visuals.

I would make the recipe again but I have to leave in a couple of hours...my daughter and I are going to NYC to see Billy Elliot and she is competing in an Irish Dancing competition (feis) there tomorrow...so no time.

Today's favorite food find is...

(I was able to just take a picture of the cheese because I had some leftover!) It's Andes Panquehue Cheese Chilean Pepper. Now why would this be the choice when clearly the recipe called for goat cheese? Well, I honestly do not like goat cheese and could not bear to use it so I made a substitution. Since last night was my night to host Bunco at my house I prepared the recipe as individual appetizers. I used a round cookie cutter and cut small circle in the dough and transformed the recipe into bite sized tarts with a spicy chili pepper flavor.

You can find the original recipe here. The following is my adaptation...

Spicy Tomato Cheese Tarts adapted from The Barefoot Contessa's Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts

1 package puff pastry, defrosted

Red pepper flavored olive oil

1 cup minced shallots

1 garlic clove, minced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons dry white wine

4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

4 ounces Andes Panquehue Chilean Pepper Cheese (or you may substitute Pepper Jack cheese), coarsely chopped

10-15 grape tomatoes, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

Unfold the puff pastry sheets on a lightly floured surface and roll it lightly to an 11x14 inch rectangle. Using a 3 inch biscuit cutter cut the dough into circles (you should be able to get about 24 circles from each sheet) Place the circles on two parchment paper lined baking sheets and chill until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Heat 3 tablespoon of red pepper flavored olive oil in a large skillet over medium to low heat and add the shallots and garlic. Saute for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the shallots are translucent and the skillet is almost dry. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper along with the 3 tablespoons of white wine; cook for an additional 10 minutes or just until the onions are lightly browned.

Using a small round biscuit cutter, gently score a circle onto each pastry circle. Prick the pastry inside the smaller circle with the tines of a fork and sprinkle a bit of Parmesan on each round staying inside the scored border.

Divide the shallot mixture on each circle, again staying within the scored edge. Divide the cheese between the tarts arranging on top of the shallots. Place one or two grape tomato slices on top of the cheese in each tart. Drizzle with additional red pepper oil and sprinkle with cilantro, salt and pepper. Sprinkle additional Parmesan cheese over each.

Bake for 10-12 minutes in the preheated oven.

Makes about 48 appetizer sized tarts.

Jumbo Triple Chippers

2009-03-20T00:01:00.000-04:00

It seems that almost every time I go to bake something that uses chocolate chips I open the cabinet only to find that someone has eaten half the bag of chocolate chips; it's just annoying. I have a sweet tooth myself but for whatever reason when it comes to eating chips for baking I can resist...except for one kind: the butterscotch chips.

Today is Favorite Food Find Friday and today's find is none other than the irresistible Nestle Butterscotch chips. The chips are golden brown with a unique caramel flavor.

They're not always easy to find so when I do I buy a few bags and hide them so when I need them they'll be there. I love the traditional Oatmeal Scotchies and I really love creamy butterscotch fudge.

Jumbo Triple Chippers

This recipe is one a good friend of mine cut out years ago from a newspaper. But after a minor bit of research it turns out it's basically the Toll House Cookie recipe with a tablespoon of sour cream added, a little extra vanilla and margarine and shortening instead of the butter. (Not sure what the sour cream is all about...and with so little added, if you don't have it in the house just leave it out.) My friend is a wonderful baker and for our last book group meeting she decided to serve all desserts and she made these wonderful jumbo cookies. The only change I made was to replace milk chocolate and butterscotch chips for the semi sweet chips called for in the recipe...and let me tell you just that little change sends these cookies from great to superb...but then I can't resist a butterscotch chip.

2 1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup margarine

1/2 cup butter flavored shortening

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon sour cream

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup milk chocolate chips

3/4 cup butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium sized bowl sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.

In a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer beat the margarine, shortening and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the sour cream, vanilla and eggs and beat until combined. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beating just until combined. Stir in the chips.

Scoop the cookie dough by 1/4 cupfuls 3 inches apart onto a baking sheet; press down slightly to flatten. Bake the cookies 12-14 minutes.

Makes 14 jumbo cookies

Barefoot Bloggers: Chicken Picatta

2009-03-13T07:28:00.004-04:00

Busy week nights have left very little time for cooking anything of interest lately which is why I am ever so glad that it is once again Barefoot Thursday(and just to illustrate my disorganization of late this is posted a day late). Barefoot Thursday, for those of you who don’t know, occurs two Thursdays a month and is a day when various food bloggers prepare a recipe from one of the Barefoot Contessa’s (a.k.a. Ina Garten) cookbooks.

This week’s recipe is the perfect quick weeknight supper: Chicken Piccata selected by Lindsay of Noodle Nights and Muffin Mornings.

I actually make this recipe all the time with just one slight change...to cut a bit of the tang of the lemon I add a tablespoon of heavy cream. I served it with steamed brown rice and a salad-just perfect. The recipe I had been using in the past did not call for finishing in the oven so I tried that variation and I must say, I thought that the chicken came out a bit more juicy this way. My cutlets were thin (I bought the thin sliced ones so I didn't have to pound) so I cut the oven time to 5 minutes.

Barefoot Contessa’s Chicken Piccata · 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
· kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
· 1 cup flour
· 2 extra large eggs
· 1 1/2 cups seasoned dry bread crumbs
· olive oil
· 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
· 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice, reserve the lemon halves
· 1/2 cup dry white wine
· fresh parsley, chopped
Preheat oven to 275 and line sheet pan with parchment paper.
Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of parchment paper and pound to 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.
Mix the flour, 1 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoons pepper in shallow plate. In a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 Tbls. water. Place the breadcrumbs on a third plate.
Dip each breast first in the flour, shake off the excess and then dip in egg and then bread crumb mixture.

Heat 2 Tbls. olive oil in large saute pan over medium heat. Add 2 chicken breasts and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until browned. Place them on lined pan and place in oven while you cook the rest of the chicken. Heat more olive oil in saute pan and cook the second 2 chicken breasts. Place them on the same lined pan and place in oven for 5-10 minutes while you make the sauce.
For the sauce, wipe out the saute pan with a dry paper towel. On medium heat, melt 1 Tbls. of the butter and then add the lemon juice, white wine, the reserved lemon halves, 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoons pepper.

Boil sauce over high heat until reduced by half which will be about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add remaining 2 Tbls. butter and swirl to combine. Discard the lemon halves. Serve one chicken breast on each plate and spoon on the sauce with a sprinkling of fresh parsley.

I Just Want to Quiche You...

2009-02-27T16:52:00.009-05:00

Favorite Food Find Friday is here and to be perfectly honest the find for today falls under the "not so exciting" heading; not because it's not delicious (it is) and not because it's not convenient (it is) but just because unless you've been living under a rock your whole life you've probably used it a hundred times or more. Of course if you are a pastry purist and think refrigerator crusts are...well...baking blasphemy then take this as gentle encouragement to come with me over to the dark side. As you may have guessed already today's favorite food find is:
Pillsbury Refrigerator Pie Crust!

While I will admit I often do make pie crust from scratch, there is just no getting around the fact that in a pinch the doughboy is my main man. I will further admit that I am knee high right now in Pillsbury products as I am trying ever so hard to create "the" million dollar Pillsbury Bake off Recipe. Wish me luck because so far I've come up with nothing that screams "million dollar recipe". (In Who Wants To Be A Millionaire terms I'm about at the $16,000 level...maybe.)

The recipe I'm sharing with you today is my go-to quiche; it's delicately fluffy, and painlessly simple. My family prefers quiche without unnecessary accoutrements...no spinach, no ham, definitely no onions...just cheese. But feel free to throw in whatever you would like at the same time as the cheese and please accept my apologies for being so boring.

Two Cheese Sour Cream Quiche

1 refrigerator pie crust (or your favorite homemade single pie crust)
6 eggs
1 cup 1% or skim milk
1 cup sour cream
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup diced Swiss cheese
1/2 shredded Cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Unroll pie crust and arrange in a 10-inch ceramic quiche dish or glass pie plate. Crimp the edges of the crust as desired. Place a sheet of foil over the crust then top with pie weights or uncooked rice. Arrange dish in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove foil and weights and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until bottom is lightly browned. Remove crust from the oven and set aside.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, sour cream, cayenne pepper and kosher salt until well combined. Scatter the cheeses evenly over the crust. Slowly pour the egg mixture over the cheeses. Carefully transfer dish to the oven (for easy carrying you may want to put the quiche pan on a baking pan). Bake the quiche for 25-30 minutes or until slightly puffed and golden brown.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Doesn't that look incredibly fluffy? The texture is so delicate!

A Heavenly Treat

2009-02-25T09:05:00.013-05:00

I have always had a sweet tooth. In fact, I am hard pressed to think of a sweet I don't like. And guess what? This week's Barefoot Blogger recipe is no exception. I loved it!!! I can't wait to make it again.

First and foremost I would like to extend a thank you to BMK of Reservations Not Required for selecting this week's recipe: Meringues Chantilly from Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris (page 176). Twice a month food bloggers across the blog-o-sphere prepare a tasty delight created by the Barefoot Contessa herself Ina Garten...why don't you join us?

February was my month to host my book group (lovingly called The Women Not In Need of Botox Book Group). We are a group of 10 ladies who have been reading, discussing (and eating) together for 11 years now. This month's selection was 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper-a book based on the true story of a man who after a horrible car accident spends 90 minutes in heaven before coming back to life. Now tell me that this was not the perfect dessert to pair with that book?? Heavenly cloud metaphors aside...eating this treat was truly 5 minutes in heaven.

I only made a few small changes to my version of Ina's recipe: I changed some of the fruit...replacing the raspberries with a combination of blackberries and strawberries which were on sale at Whole Foods...the raspberries were just astronomical so I thought a substitution was necessary. I suppose I could have used frozen berries, but I really wanted to use fresh. I also substituted Chambord for the Framboise because I had that in the house.

The group gave ten thumbs up for the dessert...and the book? Well, it was definitely met with mixed reviews. From a personal standpoint I wanted to love it. I lost my (very young) mother last year after a brief battle with cancer and I wanted to feel some sort of comfort from the book. While in some ways I did feel that comfort, I suppose that greedily I wanted more heaven in the book...I wanted to hear more about heaven and to be reassured that she is safely surrounded by those who love her. While briefly that reassurance is there in the book...I just wish there had been more. I am left to simply return to my faith and belief that she is in a blessed peaceful place. Come to think of it, perhaps that's just what Don Piper intended.

Meringues Chantilly

6 extra - large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Kosher salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Whipped Cream with Orange Liqueur, recipe follows
Stewed berries, recipe follows

Directions
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a small glass and a pencil, draw 6 (3 1/2-inch) circles on each piece of paper. Turn the paper face-down on the baking sheets.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and a large pinch of salt on medium speed until frothy. Add 1 cup of the sugar and raise the speed to high until the egg whites form very stiff peaks. Whisk in the vanilla. Carefully fold the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar into the meringue. With a large star - shaped pastry tip, pipe a disc of meringue inside each circle. Pipe another layer around the edge to form the sides of the shells.

Bake for 2 hours, or until the meringues are dry and crisp but not browned. Turn off the heat and allow the meringues to sit in the oven for 4 hours or overnight.

Spread some of the sauce from the stewed berries on each plate. Place a meringue on top and fill with whipped cream. Top with berries and serve.

Whipped Cream with Orange Liqueur:
2 cups (1 pint) cold heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon orange liqueur

Whip the cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. When it starts to thicken, add the sugar, vanilla and orange liqueur and continue to whip until the cream forms stiff peaks. Don't overbeat, or you'll end up with butter!
Yield: 4 cups

Stewed berries:
1 half-pint fresh blueberries
3 half-pints fresh raspberries, divided
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon orange zest
2 teaspoons framboise (raspberry brandy)

Combine the blueberries, one-half pint of raspberries, 1/3 cup water, the sugar and zest in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook uncovered over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes. The juice will become a syrup and the berries will be slightly cooked. Off the heat, stir in the remaining raspberries and the framboise. Set aside.
Yield: 8 servings

My Cherry Amore

2009-02-13T08:33:00.012-05:00

Favorite Food Find Friday on the day before Valentine's Day of course must include a sweet treat and I promise you that this find will not disappoint.

Today's favorite food find is....

Hershey's Cherry Cordial Kisses!

I would like to plant a wet one on the food scientist at Hershey's who came up with the idea of soft-centered, filled kisses...they are confectionery genius in a foil wrapper. By far my favorite of these creamy filled delights is the Cherry Cordial variety; they are rich milk chocolate with a pink, creamy cherry flavored center.

I love putting these kisses in the freezer...it slows down my eating pace and provides a mini, cool ice cream-like treat. Frozen or right out of the bag, the caramel variety comes in a close second to the cherry flavored and today I saw a cheesecake variety but I exhibited a rare moment of self control and did not purchase them (can you hear the regret?).

While these treats are wonderful on their own, I've used them today to create rich, cherry flavored fudge truffles sure to please all your little sweethearts and your special someone.

Cherry Cordial Fudge Truffles

1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 tablespoons butter
1 (10 ounce) package Hershey's Cherry Cordial Kisses (wrappers removed!)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

(Try to resist stealing kisses as you unwrap them...just remember you can lick the pan!)

Line a 9 inch square baking dish with aluminum foil.

Pour the sweetened condensed milk into a large pan, add the butter and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the butter is melted.

Stir in the Kisses and the chocolate chips, cooking and stirring just until melted.

Pour the chocolate mixture into the square pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Pour the cocoa powder into a shallow dish. Using a spoon, scoop the fudge into rounded teaspoons and drop into the cocoa powder.

Roll the fudge into cocoa covered balls using your hands. Place into mini baking cups.

Yield: about 48 truffles

I was lucky enough to stumble upon these Reynolds heart shaped foil pans at the dollar store (I'm pretty sure they're discontinued). Three truffles fit perfectly into the hearts and I was able to package them up for the ladies at the shelter I cook for...don't they look cute?!!

Real Meatballs and Spaghetti

2009-02-12T00:01:00.002-05:00

Valentine's Day is just around the corner so I'm sure many of you are trying to think of the perfect romantic meal to prepare for your special someone. Look no further. Spaghetti and meatballs is the perfect dish for lovers everywhere.

Spaghetti and meatballs immediately brings to mind for me the most romantic scene from an animated feature film...you know, "The Spaghetti Scene" from Lady and the Tramp. Lady and Tramp sharing that single strand of spaghetti eating, slurping gently, just until their lips meet...ah Bella Notte.

It's Barefoot Thursday-that day twice a month when bloggers everywhere prepare a recipe created by the Barefoot Contessa herself, Ina Garten. Today's romantic selection was the choice of Rebecca from Ezra Poundcake.

While I love spaghetti (probably too much), I have never been a fan of meatballs-I don't like my beef mixed with eggs and bread...I suppose it's a texture thing. That being said, I still made the meatballs because my family have long been meatball lovers and sadly (because I don't like meatballs) they rarely have the homemade ones so this was a true treat. The meatballs were a hit-flavorful and moist. I made them smaller so I had about 30 meatballs-not to worry I froze some of them so my family will not have to wait so long for homemade meatballs again. The sauce however was a different story. While flavorful, the sauce came out too chunky and watery...probably because I mistakenly bought whole canned tomatoes instead of crushed.

Overall you can't really go wrong with spaghetti and meatballs...I ended up stirring in a little bit of jarred sauce to thicken up the sauce and that helped. This recipe like most of Ina Garten's recipes was solid and genuine...a keeper.

Real Meatballs and Spaghetti

Recipe by Ina Garten from The Barefoot Contessa Family Style

1/2 pound ground veal

1/2 pound ground pork

1 pound ground beef

1 cup fresh white bread crumbs (4 slices, crusts removed)

1/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs

2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 extra large egg, beaten

Vegetable oil

Olive oil

For the sauce:

1 tablespoon good olive oil

1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)

1 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 cup good red wine, such as Chianti

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes, or plum tomatoes in puree, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For serving:

1 1/2 pounds spaghetti, cooked according to package directions

Freshly grated Parmesan

Directions:

Place the ground meats, both bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg and 3/4 cup warm water in a bowl. Combine very lightly with a fork. Using your hands, lightly form the mixture into 2-inch meatballs. You will have 14 to 16 meatballs.

Pour equal amounts of vegetable oil and olive oil into a large skillet to a depth of 1/4 inch. Heat the oil. Very carefully, in batches, place the meatballs in the oil and brown them well on all sides over medium-low heat, turning carefully with a spatula or a fork. This should take about 10 minutes for each batch. Don't crowd the meatballs. Remove the meatballs to a plate covered with paper towels. Discard the oil but don't clean the pan.

For the sauce, heat the olive oil in the same pan. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the wine and cook on high heat scraping up all the brown bite in the pan, until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper.

Return he meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through.

Serve hot on cooked spaghetti and pass the grated Parmesan.

Twinkie-like Cupcake Sweetheart Treats

2009-02-09T21:42:00.008-05:00

I am pretty sure I've mentioned this before...but...I have an embarrassing weakness for Twinkies. I'm not proud of this-I am well aware of the nutritional shortcomings of my secret love (I know, I know "shortcomings" is probably an understatement-I probably should say that I am well aware of the fact that my secret love contains absolutely no nutritional value). But deficits and all I love them.

When I saw this bargain in the supermarket: Duncan Hines Cupcake Mixes 2 for $1.00 I couldn't resist tossing a few boxes into my cart.

After baking, I immediately thought of filling them with Twinkie-like filling to create a little Valentine's Day treat. I love these cupcake mixes; they are the perfect size for a family dessert. Making cupcakes with an ordinary cake mix yields way too many cupcakes for a weeknight family dessert but using the cupcake mix will leave you with 12 full size cupcakes or 24 minis-plenty for dessert and plenty for some lunchbox leftovers. I went with the minis.

I found a recipe at Cooks.com for Twinkie-like filling and adapted it for this recipe...it was a delicious, beater licking treat. For frosting I improvised a frosting with butter and sour cream.

Twinkie-like Cupcake Sweetheart Treats

Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Cupcake Mix prepared according to package directions

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

1/4 cup Crisco

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup evaporated milk

Frosting:

1/4 cup butter

1 cup confectioner's sugar

1/4 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon milk

pink food coloring (I used Wilton Rose Petal)

Cinnamon flavored sprinkles

Prepare the cupcakes according to package directions baking them at 350 degrees in a mini muffin tin lined with paper liners for 10-12 minutes. Cool completely.

For the filling, in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer combine the butter, Crisco, sugar, vanilla and evaporated milk; beat on high for 20 minutes. (It will initially look like a nasty scrambled egg in a mixing bowl, but don't worry it will come together!)

Transfer the filling to a pastry bag fitted with a small tip; pipe the filling into the centers of each of the cupcakes. (I left the cupcakes in the muffin tin to make it easier to keep them still while filling.)

At this point you can either leave the cupcakes as is or you can frost them. Beat together the butter, sugar, sour cream, milk and food coloring; mix together until smooth and well combined. Spread or pipe frosting onto cupcakes then top with the cinnamon sprinkles.

Good Things Come In Small Packages

2009-02-06T00:08:00.007-05:00

I know you've heard the proverb: "Good things come in small packages."

Favorite Food Find Friday brings you two such packages:

1. Purdue Chicken's Perfect Portions boneless chicken breasts

2. Emeril's 1 cup sized chicken stock

I have to be honest with you, I hate handling raw chicken. I don't like how it feels in my hand. When I do handle raw chicken, I always have visions of my entire kitchen being shown under that special black light like they use on Dateline NBC or 20/20 when they do those "Germs are all around you" shows-where they show how your entire kitchen has been contaminated with germs from raw chicken. In fact that was probably part of their marketing plan...I can just see them now sitting around the conference table laughing:

"...yeah this would be great for those germaphobic housewives who get freaked out by germ exposure news magazine shows...".
Thanks, I appreciate it.

So why do I love Purdue's Perfect Portions? They are neatly packaged and nicely trimmed. They are just right when I only need 1 or 2 chicken breasts for a recipe-I don't have to cook more than I need and/or I don't have to wrap and package any slippery raw chicken I'm not using right away. You can freeze and thaw only what you need. What's not to love?

Now on to my friend Emeril...I love his stock-it has wonderful flavor He's not actually my friend, but I would like to compliment him (or his food company). I think it was complete genius to create 1-cup sized containers for his stock. It's still available in the larger containers, but when you are making a recipe that only uses a small amount of stock these containers (to steal Purdue's tag) are perfect portions.

Using my two favorite food finds for this week I've made a tasty pasta dish I think your whole family will love...mine does. Have a great weekend!

Pasta with Chicken, Sun-dried Tomatoes and Herbs

1 lemon
2 boneless chicken breast halves
1 pound pasta
2/3 cup of the water used to cook the pasta
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup coarsely chopped sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil, drained)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary (1 teaspoon dried)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil (1 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cut the lemon in half and set one half aside. Place the chicken in a small bowl and squeeze the remaining lemon half over the chicken; let sit for 20 minutes.

Cook the pasta al dente according to package directions; drain, reserving 2/3 cup of the pasta water.

Melt the butter in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 4 minutes, turn and cook chicken an additional 4 minutes. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, rosemary, basil, salt and pepper to the pan, cover and cook an additional 3-4 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and cut into strips.

Stir 1/2 cup of the chicken broth into the pan with the sun-dried tomatoes and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add the cooked pasta to the pan along with the remaining chicken broth and the pasta water; stir to combine well. Stir in the Parmesan cheese. Carve the remaining lemon half into thin slices and stir into the pasta.

Mini Brownie Bites

2009-01-30T19:35:00.007-05:00

The Superbowl isn't just about appetizers your party needs a sweet ending. Today-Favorite Food Find Friday-is not really about a food exactly it's about something that you use to cook food. Today's favorite find is.....

Wilton's new Bite-Sized Brownie Squares-an awesome silicone baking pan that creates perfectly uniform bite sized brownies!

Embarrassingly this is my first time using a silicone baking pan; I was for some reason immediately drawn to it in the store and It was pretty good. I baked the brownies, cooled them and then easily popped out my bites! No messy brownie slicing required and a perfectly uniform result.

I followed a recipe that I found on All Recipes by Eagle Condensed Milk and while the result is tasty it was a bit labor intensive. The original recipe was for brownie bites-made by using a melon baller to shape bite-sized brownies (which I also made). The instructions called for "dipping" the brownies into the melted chocolate, but I really found it difficult to "dip" the chocolate-it was rather thick-so I just spread it on with a small spatula. I then decorated the bites with a butter cream frosting. While they look OK, I have learned that cake decorating is not my thing.

I'm hoping to score a field goal at least with these tasty hand held treats!

Mini Elegant Brownie Bars

adapted from All Recipes

1 (19.8 ounce) package brownie mix

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

1 teaspoon butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Butter cream:

1/4 cup shortening

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray brownie square pan and an additional small baking pan with cooking spray. Prepare the brownie mix as directed on the box. Spoon a tablespoonful into each brownie square section in the pan. Pour any additional batter into the additional small pan. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center of each brownie square comes out clean. Allow brownies to cool before popping out of brownie square pan.

For the brownies cooked in the extra small pan, use a melon baller and scoop the brownies into small rounds.

In a medium saucepan heat the sweetened condensed milk over medium heat. Add the chocolate and stir until melted. Stir in the butter and vanilla. Keeping the chocolate warm, dip the brownies into the chocolate to coat or spread the chocolate on with a small spatula.

Place brownies on a wire rack to dry. When chocolate is set, decorate with the butter cream.

In a mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat together the shortening and the butter until smooth and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and the milk. Transfer butter cream to a decorating bag with desired decorating tip and pipe frosting onto brownies.

Oven Quesadillas

2009-01-28T14:43:00.005-05:00

If you are invited to a Super Bowl party this year and you want to bring a quick and easy appetizer this is the recipe for you. Quesadillas are great appetizers-there are countless filling combinations, countless topping combinations and they are ridiculously easy to make.

Traditionally quesadillas are fried in a skillet, but if you are trying to make enough for a crowd you will end up spending half your evening at the stove cooking quesadilla after quesadilla. Or you can be smart and take this easy shortcut that still gives you delicious results: baking the quesadillas in the oven.

If you're planning on bringing these to a party at someone house, cook the quesadillas as directed; allow the quesadillas to cool, then stack and wrap in foil. At the party place the quesadillas in a 350 degree oven to warm for 5 minutes then cut into wedges to serve.

Pepper Jack, Corn, and Bacon Quesadillas

8 tortillas (burrito sized)

1 cup grated pepper jack cheese

1 cup frozen corn, thawed

4 slices bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled

Lightly spray one side of each tortilla with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place 4 of the tortillas on a baking sheet cooking spray side down. Layer the tortillas with the the pepper jack cheese, corn and the crumbled bacon. Put some additional cheese on top to ensure the tortillas stick together. Top with the remaining tortillas sprayed side up.

Bake in the oven for four minutes and using a spatula carefully turn them over; cook for an additional 4 minutes. Remove from the oven and cut into wedges to serve. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

Touchdown Treat Week

2009-01-25T19:51:00.006-05:00

I'll be honest, I'm not much of a football fan.

Oh don't get me wrong I can bandwagon with the best of them. In fact I'm a total sports chameleon-you know that "I don't watch football all season but I'm wearing the team colors and sporting a #1 foam finger for my team of the moment come Super Bowl Sunday" kind of gal. I'm from NY originally so I can easily jump on the blue Giants bandwagon when called to (or the green Jets bandwagon for that matter). The Buffalo Bills would be great to root for too...I always love an underdog. I live in New England now, so if the Patriots are fortunate enough to get in, well...Tom Brady's awfully cute, so it wouldn't take much to get me to root for them...you get the idea.

With this year's Superbowl though, it will be very hard for me to choose a team to root for. I'm not feeling a hometown vibe for Arizona or Pennsylvania. I don't even feel an "I drove through there once and it was really nice" vibe...the best I can do is my cousin Joe who lives in Maryland has a daughter that goes to Carnegie Mellon which is in Pittsburgh so I guess this year I'll be donning black and gold and morphing into a Steelers fan. Or maybe I could just be really honest and say I only watch the Superbowl for the commercials (oh, and to eat the food).

This recipe is for my favorite party dip: Buffalo Chicken Dip. My version uses supermarket purchased rotisserie chicken, but if you prefer you can poach your own chicken or use leftover. I don't really like the canned chicken, so I would not recommend using that; it's too "tuna-fishy". You can leave out the crumbled blue cheese if you would like or you can replace it with shredded cheddar, but I think the fresh blue cheese gives it a little extra zip. Make it extra spicy by increasing the hot sauce-this version is mildly spicy.

I would love to hear about your favorite game day dip...who are you rooting for next Sunday and what dip are you serving?

I Wish The Buffalo Bills Were In The Super Bowl Chicken Dip (aka Buffalo Chicken Dip)

2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken

3/4 cup hot sauce (such as Frank's)

8 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup blue cheese dressing

1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

1 packet ranch dressing mix

1 cup mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9x9 inch or similar baking dish with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl combine the chicken and the hot sauce, stirring to completely coat the chicken. Spread the chicken in an even layer in the bottom of the baking dish.

Using the same bowl, stir together the cream cheese, sour cream, blue cheese dressing, blue cheese crumbles and ranch dressing mix; spread in an even layer over the chicken. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over all.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving as it will be very hot. Serve with corn chips, celery sticks or carrot sticks.

TLC and a Smoothie

2009-01-23T17:11:00.007-05:00

Favorite Food Finds Friday is all about rushing today.

Your mother told you that breakfast was the most important meal of the day and you know she was right. But sometimes mornings can be so chaotic that you just don't have time to eat a balanced meal. That's where my favorite food find comes in...it's a grab and go breakfast that when paired with a yummy yogurt smoothie becomes a tasty quick breakfast.

Today's favorite food find is...

Kashi's Tasty Little Chewies (TLC) all natural chewy granola bars.

When our local Whole Foods opened last year, the week before the grand opening was a fundraiser tour week. Where for $5.00 you were given an inside peek at the new Whole Foods and the money raised would be donated to assorted local charities (isn't that a brilliant idea?). Each person who toured was given a cloth shopping bag filled with various samples and coupons. One of the samples in my bag was a Kashi TLC bar. Not being someone who can turn down a free food sample I tasted my Kashi Honey Almond Flax bar that very day.

Loved it. It was sweet and chewy (with 4 grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein). The bars have become my breakfast in a rush go-to. The bars come in several varieties: Cherry Dark Chocolate, Honey Almond Flax (my favorite), Peanut Peanut Butter and Trail Mix. There are no partially hydrogenated oils and no high fructose corn syrup.

What's the perfect way to "wash" one of these babies down? A yogurt smoothie. Made quick and easy in my (favorite mini-appliance) The Magic Bullet, this smoothie and TLC bar breakfast is ready in 5 minutes. (Oh I've been known to eat this for lunch too).

Yummy Yogurt Smoothie

1 (6 ounce) container raspberry yogurt
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 ripe banana
1/4 cup skim milk
3 ice cubes

Combine all the ingredients in a blender (or Magic Bullet) and blend until smooth.

Barefoot Bloggers-Easy Sticky Buns

2009-01-21T22:00:00.010-05:00

One of my favorite things about delicious sticky buns has always been that they are difficult and time consuming to make. Yes, you read that right. I like that they are difficult. If there is one thing I don't need it is an easy way to make something as delicious as sticky buns. For all these years my laziness has kept me safe from the high calories and fat of this decadent treat...until now.It's Barefoot Blogger Thursday-that day when bloggers across the blogosphere prepare another delicious recipe created by the talented Ina Garten (aka: The Barefoot Contessa). Why don't you join in? (It's fun!) Thank you to Melissa of Made by Melissa for her selection of this week's recipe.

Here's the concept: Instead of the normal dough needed for sticky buns which needs to rise overnight, Ina very cleverly took frozen puff pastry and transformed it into a ready in 45 minutes "sticky-bun-like" treat. I made only one change to the recipe-I did not have raisins so I substituted dried cranberries. The cranberries were a tasty substitution and next time I would add some orange zest and make them cranberry-orange sticky buns.

Here's the result: While not as tender as traditional sticky buns the buns were however sweet and delicious. A word of caution-remove the buns from the pan while they are still warm! I let some of them cool in the pan while I was taking pictures and this is what happened:

While the warm ones came out quickly and the sugary, buttery topping came out wonderful the ones that I let cool in the pan were difficult to remove and the topping hardened. Eaten warm the buns are tender, but once cooled they have the texture of almost a cookie...delicious, but not really tender and cake-like. I loved the ease of this recipe and unfortunately I know I will be making them again.

The Barefoot Contessa's Easy Sticky Buns
From Back to Basics

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup pecans, chopped in very large pieces
1 package (17.3 ounces/2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
for the filling:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place a 12-cup standard muffin tin on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the 12 tablespoons butter and 1/3 cup brown sugar. Place 1 rounded tablespoon of the mixture in each of the 12 muffin cups. Distribute the pecans evenly among the 12 muffin cups on top of the butter and sugar mixture. Lightly flour a wooden board or stone surface. Unfold one sheet of puff pastry with the folds going left to right. Brush the whole sheet with half of the melted butter. Leaving a 1-inch border on the puff pastry, sprinkle each sheet with 1/3 cup of the brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, and 1/2 cup of the raisins. Starting with the end nearest you, roll the pastry up snugly like a jelly roll around the filling, finishing the roll with the seam side down.

Trim the ends of the roll about 1/2 inch and discard. Slice the roll in 6 equal pieces, each about 1 1/2 inches wide. Place each piece, spiral side up, in 6 of the muffin cups. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry to make 12 sticky buns.

Bake for 30 minutes, until the sticky buns are golden to dark brown on top and firm to the touch. Allow to cool for 5 minutes only, invert the buns onto the parchment paper (ease the filling and pecans out onto the buns with a spoon), and cool completely.

Frozen Herbs and Hot Soup

2009-01-16T16:41:00.013-05:00

I can't believe with sub zero wind chills around here I've decided to write about something frozen...but, it is Favorite Food Finds Friday and chilled to the bone or not what I found is something frozen.

My favorite food find this week is....
Dorot frozen herbs!

I was so excited when I found these in the supermarket. As I have mentioned in the past, I do not have much of a green thumb so the idea of a darling row of fresh herb pots on my window sill while in theory seems simple, is really out of the question. I know that the horticulturally blessed among you spent the better part of August and September processing your fresh herbs and freezing them in ice cube trays in your freezer and for that I am envious. And while I frequently buy fresh herbs during the summer at the local farm stands and in the winter at the local supermarket, sometimes a particular herb (usually cilantro) isn't always available. So for me the idea of having little mini trays of herbs at the ready is...well, nothing short of fantastic.

Dorot is an Israeli based company selling not only packaged herbs but chopped garlic and chopped ginger as well. I didn't see the ginger at the supermarket where I purchased the herbs (Stew Leonard's) but they are also available at Trader Joe's stores so next time I am there I will have to keep an eye out.

The small cubes are easy to use, just pop them out what you need then return the small trays to the freezer. In this bone chilling weather we're having I can think of nothing better to make than soup. The recipe I'm sharing with you is for my absolute favorite winter soup. The recipe is from the Southern Living Christmas Cookbook from 2001 and while it's not low cal or low fat there are some minor adjustments you can make to make it a bit more healthful: for starters you can try exchanging evaporated skim milk for the heavy cream and leaving out the cheese. I'll confess though, since it is my very favorite I usually just make the recipe full tilt. The recipe calls for garlic (3 cubes equals 3 cloves) and parsley to be stirred in at the end and the Dorot cubes work perfectly.

Steak and Two Potato Soup
from Christmas with Southern Living 2001

1 1/2 pounds lean boneless round steak, cut into 1" cubes
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil (I usually leave this out)
2 celery ribs, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups beef broth
2 cups water
3 Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled and cut into 3/4" cubes (about 1 1/4 pounds)
1 medium sized sweet potato, peeled and cut into 3/4" cubes (about 8 ounces)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper; brown beef in batches in hot oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Remove beef from pan; set aside.

Add celery add onion to pan; saute 5 minutes. Add garlic; saute 30 seconds.

Return beef to pan; add broth and 1 3/4 cup water. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour.

Add Yukon Gold potato to pan; cook, covered, 10 minutes. Add sweet potato; cook 20 minutes or until beef and potatoes are tender.

Combine flour and remaining 1/4 cup of water, stirring until smooth. Gradually stir into meat mixture; cook, uncovered, 5 minutes. Stir in cream; cook 5 more minutes. Stir in cheese and, if desired, herbs; cook 1 minute or until cheese melts. Sprinkle each serving with freshly ground pepper just before serving.

Yield: 10 cups

Super tips: I find that it is really not necessary to cook the meat in the oil, just use a well seasoned pan, non-stick pan or cooking spray. For an even richer tasting soup I will often use beef broth in place of any of the water called for in the recipe. For best results have the cheese at room temperature it makes it much easier to melt in.

Banana Sour Cream Pancakes with Spiced Walnut Butter

2009-01-14T10:45:00.004-05:00

Is it better to be late than never?

For a few months now I have been a member of food blogging group known as the Barefoot Bloggers. The Barefoot Bloggers prepare two of Ina Garten’s (a.k.a. The Barefoot Contessa)recipes each month. And, well, I’m late. I am a week late to be exact. I suppose I could have just skipped this recipe, but quite honestly I was particularly drawn to the idea of banana pancakes and I was very curious to see how Ina’s addition of sour cream would affect the texture. So I didn’t just skip, I just came late to the party.

First a thank you to Karen of Something Sweet by Karen for selecting this recipe it was a really nice choice. It came as no surprise to me that Ina could improve upon something as tasty and simple as pancakes-her version did not disappoint

In this supermarket world of ready-to-eat pancakes and boxed complete mixes that you only need to add water to, it is so easy to get lazy and choose to not make homemade pancakes. But let’s get real- what could be easier than making pancakes? By adding a few extra steps to the simple “just add water” you can achieve “International House of Pancakes” breakfast greatness (or for the more refined among you “Elegant Bed and Breakfast” breakfast greatness). There honestly are no boxed mixes or microwavable pancakes that come out as tasty, light and fluffy as homemade pancakes and we’re only talking an extra maybe five minutes worth of effort.

I used low fat sour cream and skim milk and I still felt the texture was superb (I can only imagine how delicious full fat would be…but alas the resolution). The bananas almost melted right into the batter while cooking. For the butter, I decided to make a quick spiced walnut butter which gave a little bit of a crunch to contrast the velvety texture of these positively divine pancakes. Try, try, try if you can to use pure maple syrup, it truly makes a big difference.

Banana Sour Cream Pancakes by Ina Garten

1 1/2 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
2 extra-large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Unsalted butter
2 ripe bananas, diced plus extra for serving
Pure maple syrup

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones mixing only until combined.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat until it bubbles. Ladle the pancake batter into the pan to make 3 or 4 pancakes. Distribute a rounded tablespoon of bananas on each pancake. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until bubbles appear on top and the underside is nicely browned. Flip the pancakes and then cook for another minute until browned. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, add more butter to the pan, and continue cooking pancakes until all the batter is used. Serve with sliced bananas, butter and maple syrup.

Spiced Walnut Butter (my recipe)

2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon finely chopped toasted walnuts
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

In a small bowl combine all the ingredients and stir until well combined.

Holy Edamole!

2009-01-11T22:07:00.007-05:00

For many, the arrival of a new year means a sometimes short, often times lengthy list of resolutions. Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how you look at it) my list was easy to make this year-I just used last year's list. Sadly I never followed through with any of my well intentioned resolutions in 2008.

1. Giving up soda-OK that was a tough one. No one loves Diet Dr. Pepper like I do. What is a soda addict to do when Pepsi rolls out Diet Pepsi Max (looove it)? How can I resist when there is Coke Zero-a diet soda lover's carbonated sugar substitute dream come true? And don't get me started on Jones Cream Soda.

2. Trying to eat a more healthful diet-My eating life and food thought have long been a contradiction. One of the best books I read in 2008 was In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan; his words "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants" haunted me constantly over the last year as this confessed Twinkie addict (yes, my name is Veronica and I am a Twinkie addict) downed countless sugary treats, fat laden and processed foods. I will say that over the past year I did try to be a "conscious eater" -I just wasn't always successful in making conscientious choices.

So here I am today faced with the same lofty goals (for me anyway) I set last year. I will humbly try yet again to give up soda (I'm doing pretty well right now with that one-it's only a real struggle when I'm at the checkout at Target) and I will attempt yet again to eat a more healthful diet in general.

First up I'm adding a new veggie to the menu in our house: edamame.

"Edamame?" you shout, incredulously.

"Where have you been??" you ask, snickering.

For those of you like me who have seen the edamame in the freezer or produce aisle in the supermarket and have chosen to either ignore its presence (weird name, can't pronounce it, it looks like peas) or simply feared it (weird name, can't pronounce it, it looks like peas) Edamame are simply soybeans. They are sold in the supermarket in either the whole pod variety or the loose peeled variety and according to the American Academy of Family Physicians they "...contain all the essential amino acids necessary for human nutrition and have been grown and harvested for thousands of years" (I know, where have I been??) Well I'm using them now.

Super tips: I used my favorite Christmas present a molcajete (mole-ka-hay-te) to make this soy twist on guacamole, but you can use any medium sized bowl. Also be careful with the edamame that you use, some of the packaged varieties (like this one that I found in the produce department at Whole Foods) are already salted so there will be no need to add any extra salt.

Edamole

1/2 cup edamame (thawed if frozen), mashed (or given a quick whirl in a Magic Bullet-like device which I did along with the shallot)

1/2 ripe avocado, peeled and seeded

1/4 cup diced tomatoes

1 small shallot, minced

1 teaspoon jalapeno pepper, minced, seeds and membranes removed*

2 teaspoons lime juice

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

Place all the ingredients in a medium sized bowl or mocajete; mash together to combine. Serve with freshly sliced veggies or baked chips or use as a spread for sandwiches.

*Use more or less depending on your personal preference and you can leave some of the seeds in if you would like to give it an extra kick.

New Year's Toast

2009-01-09T16:47:00.005-05:00

First a few loose ends to tie up:

1. Happy New Year!!

2. Loved the Barefoot Bloggers Pappa al Pomodoro...took lots of pictures and just never got around to posting. A thousand apologies!

And...

3. Ah...the cheesecake...here is the picture of the Chai-ginger cheesecake with the white chocolate topping (that I should have posted ages ago...but, well...)here it is:

Now onto the toast. Yes, that's right toast.

I can hear the scoffing right through cyberspace...

"..she doesn't post a thing in weeks and this is what I get: toast!?"

But let me assure you this is not just ordinary toast. This is the ultimate toast. Today of course is Favorite Food Find Friday

and today's find is....

Thomas' Breakfast Bread!!!

Think English muffin in bread form-and it truly does make the very best toast. I've also seen it in stores called "Thomas' Toasting Bread". The flavors are original (English muffin flavor) and corn. Thicker than regular bread, Thomas' Breakfast Bread makes fabulous French Toast and is perfect for stratas and casseroles.

Today I have made a favorite toast treat...Egg in the Hole-a delicious breakfast (or quick supper) where an egg is cooked right in a hole in the center of a slice of bread.

Because of its thickness, the breakfast bread makes the perfect bread for Egg in the Hole. I used the original flavor bread, but I'm sure the corn flavor would be fabulous as well.

Egg in the Hole

2 tablespoons butter

2 slices of thick sliced bread (such as Thomas' Breakfast Bread)

2 eggs

salt and pepper

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

Using a circle shaped cutter (or just using a knife) cut a circle in the center of each slice of bread. Place the bread and the cut out circle into the hot pan.

Crack an egg into a small dish or measuring cup (I like to do this so you can slowly pour the egg into the hole). Slowly pour the egg into the hole in the bread. Repeat with the other egg. Cook the eggs and bread four minutes.

Using a spatula, carefully lift the egg and toast, add the remaining tablespoon of butter then flip the toast and egg over and cook for an additional minute or two depending on how you like your eggs; I happen to like my yolks to have a little give so I cooked it just for another minute. Remember to flip the bread circles as well.

Transfer toasts to a serving plate and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Yield: 2 eggs and toasts

Ginger-Chai Cheesecake with White Chocolate Cream

2008-12-20T08:30:00.004-05:00

Chai is again an inspiration for a holiday treat that can be made ahead of time (I'm cooking enough on Christmas Eve so making dessert in advance is always something I love).

I have always been a tea drinker. When I was a small child I would sit excitedly with my cousin Lynn and wait for my grandmother Molly to pour my next cup in her fine Irish teacups. Already brewed in her Belleek teapot, she would pour the tea into each cup filling 1/4 of the way and we would fill the rest of the cup with milk and sugar. Over the years I've reduced the milk and sugar to none, but every so often if I'm craving a sweet cup of something I'll have a cup of chai tea with milk and sugar.

This cheesecake was inspired by my love of chai. While the Chai Latte Fudge I previously shared with you was made with a chai spice blend found in the spice aisle of the supermarket, this recipe actually uses chai teabags to infuse the batter with chai flavor.

Super tip:This recipe was a runner up in the Hood Holiday Recipe contest last year. The Hood contest is taking place this year as well, so if you have a favorite recipe that incorporates sour cream or heavy cream that you have created you should send it in...but hurry the contest ends January 16th!

I've topped the cheesecake with a white chocolate cream and the crust is made from crushed ginger cookies and crystallized ginger...it couldn't be easier and it's a delicious, impressive holiday dessert.

I have prepared just the cheesecake part for a luncheon on Tuesday and I'm going to wrap it and store it in the freezer until Monday. On Monday I will prepare the white chocolate cream, chill overnight and it will be ready to serve at my luncheon on Tuesday. This is how it looks so far:

I'll post the finished picture on Tuesday!

Ginger-Chai Cheesecake with White Chocolate Cream

CRUST:
2 cups finely ground ginger flavored cookies
1/4 cup finely diced crystallized ginger
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

FILLING:
6 chai teabags
1/2 cup boiling water
4 packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup Hood Sour Cream
4 eggs, room temperature

WHITE CHOCOLATE CREAM:
4 oz. good quality white chocolate
1 cup Hood Sour Cream

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Total Cooking Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Chilling Time: at least 3-4 hours or overnight

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cover the outside of a 9-inch spring form pan with aluminum foil and place pan on a 9" x 16" or similar baking sheet.

To make the crust, in a medium-sized bowl, stir together the ground cookies, crystallized ginger and the melted butter. Press the mixture in the bottom and 1-inch up the sides of the spring form pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes and let cool for 10 minutes.

To make the filling, steep the teabags in the 1/2 cup boiling water in a small bowl for 10 minutes. In a food processor or large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, sugar and 1 cup of Hood Sour Cream until well blended. Add the eggs one at a time, pulse or blend after each addition just until eggs are incorporated. Press the teabags against the side of the small bowl to completely drain; discard teabags.

Add the steeped tea to the cheesecake batter and process or blend just until combined. Pour the batter over the cooled crust. Place the cheesecake on the baking sheet on the center rack of the oven. On the bottom rack, place a 13" x 9" pan filled with hot water. Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour and 25 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned and center is set. Turn off the oven, open door slightly and let cake stay in the oven for 1 hour. Cool on wire rack. Run a sharp knife around the outside edges of the cheesecake, but do not release the sides.

To make the white chocolate cream, melt the white chocolate in a medium-sized bowl over a pot of simmering water, stirring until smooth. Fold the melted chocolate into the sour cream. Spread the white chocolate cream over the cheesecake. Chill the cheesecake in the pan for at least 3 hours until firm. Release the sides of the pan and transfer to a serving platter; cut into wedges to serve.

Favorite Food Finds Friday

2008-12-19T19:43:00.007-05:00

All week long I have been baking and shopping, baking and shopping. (Did you notice I didn't say posting?) One day was even devoted to a group bake where a few friends and I got together and made multiple batches of three different cookies: Pecan Tassies, those "pretzel/kiss/mm things and a favorite of mine...The Barefoot Contessa's JamThumbprints. When I came home I was still in a baking mood so I baked my very favorite holiday cookie which I will share with you soon: Cherry Macaroon Puffs-they are very special cookies to me...

Baking with friends really made it less like work and more like an event. My friend Sue made everyone delicious paninis with her griddler and we enjoyed an afternoon of baking together and since it was at her house I didn't have a messy kitchen to clean up!! (Thanks, Susie!).

Ok I'll get to my favorite food find....it has to do with baking-sort of. I love to make fudge for gifts around the holidays and this year I used a favorite food find to create a tasty variation of the fudge recipe from the side of the Fluff tub. (Fluff isn't the Friday favorite but it does count as a favorite food find though...who doesn't love that sticky, sweet, velvety white treat??)

This week I love.....McCormick Gourmet Collection Chai Spice Blend! I replaced the semi-sweet chocolate chips with white chips and stirred in a teaspoon of the spice mixture to create what I am calling Chai Latte Fudge. Once the fudge is firm and you've cut it into squares, you can either serve it as is or for an extra pretty touch you can sift unsweetened cocoa powder over the squares. It's a melt in your mouth treat-perfect for teachers gifts or for your neighbors.

Chai Latte Fudge

5 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups evaporated milk
1/4 pound butter (1 stick), cut into tablespoons
1 (16 ounce) container Marshmallow Fluff
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 (12 ounce) packages white baking chips
1 teaspoon Chai Spice Blend
Line a 13x9 inch pan with aluminum foil leaving the edges of the foil hanging out of the pan. Lightly spray the foil with cooking spray.

Combine the sugar, evaporated milk, butter, Fluff, salt and salt in a large sauce pan. Stir over low heat until blended.

Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring. Being careful not to mistake escaping air bubbles for boiling. Then boil slowly, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat. Stir in the vanilla, baking chips an the Chai Spice Blend. Pour into the prepared pan. Allow to cool at room temperature.

Yields: about 5 pounds of fudge

Store the fudge covered at room temperature. I don't like my fudge chilled...but hey, that's just me.

Snow-Capped Coconut Fudge Bites

2008-12-10T06:38:00.000-05:00

Cookie number two!!

Next up is a rich chocolaty coconut treat! These bite-sized brownie like treats couldn't be any simpler to make and they are a favorite of mine-I love anything chocolate and coconut.

There are a few things you need to keep in mind during cookie week:

These are cookies, not diet food...so yes they're full of sugar and butter! (Everything in moderation, right?)

When you are storing your cookies, wrap each cookie separately otherwise they all start to taste the same.

If you are planning on freezing cookies that are coated with powdered sugar, plan on sprinkling a little extra after thawing.

Snow-Capped Coconut Fudge Bites

1 cup butter, softened

1 (11.5 ounce) package Bittersweet (not unsweetened) chocolate

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon coconut extract (you may substitute vanilla extract)

3 large eggs

1 cup flour

1 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cup powdered sugar

Melt the butter and chocolate in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently; cool completely.

Using a large spoon, stir in the sugar, heavy cream and coconut extract; stir until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring after each until incorporated. Gradually stir in the flour and the coconut.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a mini muffin pan lightly with cooking spray. Spoon the batter into the cups filling each 2/3 full. Bake in the oven 14-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Gently remove bites from the pan and transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes about 48 bites.

Note: Let the cakes cool for 5 minutes in the pan before gently removing bites and transferring to the wire rack to cool completely. Use a small spatula or knife to remove the bites being careful to not not break them. The "cookies" will be slightly crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.

Leftover Turkey!

2008-11-26T16:23:00.007-05:00

OK, I know it's the day before Thanksgiving and you haven't even cooked the turkey yet, but it's not too early to plan for what to do with your turkey leftovers.

This month I have a recipe appearing in Cook's Country that won the grand prize for their leftover turkey recipe contest. I actually look forward to leftover turkey more than turkey on Thanksgiving Day because there are just so many delicious things you can make with the leftovers. This recipe combines pecans, blue cheese, cranberries and pears in a rustic tart.

Super tips: make this tart any time of the year using leftover roasted chicken or store bought rotisserie chicken. For an extra rich flavor substitute creme fraiche for the sour cream and heavy cream. Add a few dried cranberries and crushed pecans to the top just before baking for a splash of color on top.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Rustic Turkey Tart

1 (9-inch) round prepared pie dough

1 1/2 cups leftover turkey meat, cut into bite-sized pieces

3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

2 firm pears, peeled, cored and diced

1/4 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons heavy cream

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme

salt and pepper

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Gently press pie crust into 9 inch tart pan and trim excess dough with a knife. Prick bottom of dough all over with tines of fork. Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes; cool on wire rack.

2. Combine turkey, 1/2 cup cheese, pears, pecans, cranberries, sour cream, heavy cream and thyme in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper. Transfer turkey mixture to cooled pie crust, then sprinkle with remaining cheese.

3. Bake until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted, about 20 minutes. Let cool 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Tart can be refrigerated for 24 hours. Bring to room temperature before serving.

***************************************************************************

We have a winner!!! Some of you have a lot of my favorite appetizers as yours!!

Thank you to all those who participated in my 100th post giveaway....and the winner is....Andi!! That green bean appetizer that you wrote about sounds very interesting...I would love to try it-could you send me the recipe for that too?!!

Andi please email me at vcallag61@aol.com with your mailing address and I will get your package out right away!! Congratulations.

Thanksgiving Appetizers-Blue Cheese Cranberry Pear Toasts

2008-11-19T14:05:00.005-05:00

Pssst...shhh...this is a secret.

I can't believe I am doing this, but I am about to share with you a top secret recipe. This is an appetizer recipe so secret that I have never shared it with another soul, until now.

Ok I'm being overly dramatic it's really not that unique, but let me tell you it's good...I hope you will agree. I love the blue cheese/pear/cranberry combination; it's great for a salad, it's great for a filling and it makes great appetizers. In this version the cheese is melted on toasts, but the spread is equally delicious served cold.

Super Tips:

Choose your blue cheese carefully. Pick one that you know you love and one that isn't too bitter-it's all about the cheese here.

Toast your bread ahead of time if you need to. Place toasts in a plastic bag until ready to use. Don't refrigerate the toasted bread or it will get soft.

For a low carb version, skip the bread completely and just serve the cheese spread cold on pear slices.

Serve the cheese spread on crackers or celery.

Walnuts make a fine substitution for the pecans or if you prefer leave the nuts out completely.

Blue Cheese Cranberry Pear Toasts

24-1/2 inch thick slices French bread

cooking spray

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

4 ounces blue cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup pecans (be generous)

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 Bosc pear, very thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Spray both sides of the bread slices with the cooking spray. Arrange bread slices on a large baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted, about 7 minutes.

In a small food processor combine the cream cheese, blue cheese, pecans, cranberries and cayenne pepper; process until just combined, but not smooth. Spread the cheese mixture onto one side of the toasts. Arrange a thin slice of pear on each toast.

Bake in the oven for 5-6 minutes or until lightly browned.

Yield: 24 toasts

Sweet!! Guess what's coming next??? My first giveaway!! Stay tuned!

Thanksgiving Appetizers-Rosemary Ham and Cheddar Spirals

2008-11-18T22:07:00.009-05:00

Coming up with a Thanksgiving main course menu is pretty simple: Turkey, stuffing, potatoes, some vegetables and some pies for dessert. The hard part I think often lies in choosing some appetizers that are satisfying (while not being too heavy) and don't take too much time to prepare (you have enough to do that day!). So for the next few days I'll share with you some of my favorite simple Thanksgiving appetizers most of which can be prepared ahead of time.

First up is an old standby: puff pastry pinwheels. These pinwheels are made using Rosemary flavored ham (I used Boar's Head brand) and mild cheddar cheese. Try if you can to find the Rosemary Ham-the flavor is wonderful. But if you are unable to find it, just use your favorite ham and perhaps add some chopped fresh rosemary sprinkled over the ham and cheese.

To prepare the pinwheels ahead of time, roll the pastry around the ham and cheese, then wrap in plastic wrap; slice just before cooking.

While I like the simplicity of just the salt and pepper, some other ideas to coat the pastry would be poppy seeds, sesame seeds or fresh herbs.

If salt is an issue-replace the Rosemary Ham with low sodium ham and add chopped Rosemary in place of the salt.

Rosemary Ham and Cheddar Spirals

2 sheets of Pepperidge Farm puff pastry, thawed

2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

10 thin slices of Rosemary Ham
8 thin slices cheddar cheese (from the deli)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Roll pastry out on a lightly floured surface to smooth any seams from folding. Sprinkle the pepper and salt over the pastry and using a rolling pin, press the salt and pepper into one side of the pastry.

Arrange the ham and cheese in an even layer on the unsalted/peppered side of the pastry.

Roll the pastry around the filling. Using a sharp knife slice the roll into 1/2 inch thick slices.

Arrange the slices on the lined baking sheets.

Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned.

Yield: about 48 spirals

Favorite Food Finds Friday!

2008-11-14T06:00:00.004-05:00

Today's favorite find is a special fruit that is plentiful in the produce aisle only from early November to early February....Clementines!

Clementines, usually found near the regular oranges and packed in small crates, are a small (usually seedless) easy to peel variety of mandarin oranges.

Because of their compact size, Clementines make the perfect lunchbox treat or snack. And while they are perfect to eat on their own, I decided to use them to in a "lemon bar" variation with great results. I adapted a recipe from Gourmet Magazine using the clementines instead of lemons.

Today is my day to cook for a local woman's shelter and I'm bringing these bars for dessert, I have to keep them chilled so I don't want to sprinkle the powdered sugar until the last minute...which is a tip: don't add the powdered sugar until shortly before you are planning on serving them. Now don't freak when you see that the recipe calls for 3 sticks of butter (OK you can freak a little)...you have to keep in mind that this recipe makes about 48 bars.

Super tips: look for crates of Clementines with colorful orangish-red fruit clear of blemishes. Store them at room temperature for up to a week or refrigerate them for up to about 2 weeks.

Darling Clementine Bars (adapted from Gourmet Magazine)

Crust:

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 sticks of cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

For Filling:

6 large eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon finely grated clementine zest

1/2 cup freshly squeezed clementine juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

Confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pulse together the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor just until combined. Add butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press the dough into the bottom of an ungreased 13x9 inch baking pan. (I used the measuring cup to help press it down).

Bake until lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

For the filling whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, flour heavy cream, zest, juice and salt in a bowl until well combined.

Remove the crust from the oven, whisk the filling again, then pour filling over the hot crust. Bake until the filling is just set, about 16 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack to cool.

Refrigerate bars, covered, until cold, at least 4 hours. Just before serving cut the bars into small squares then sift the confectioner's sugar in a thick layer over bars.

Yield: 48 bars

Barefoot Thursday Herb Roasted Onions

2008-11-13T03:09:00.010-05:00

Barefoot Thursday! Barefoot Thursday is the day when barefoot bloggers across the blogosphere whip up a recipe created by Ina Garten the Barefoot Contessa. Why don’t you find out more about it by visiting the Barefoot Bloggers…maybe you would even like to join in (I’ll bet you would like it).

This week's recipe was selected by Kelly from Baking with The Boys. The recipe was a simple, elegant roasted onion recipe. I only made a few minor alterations to the original recipe-I replaced the mustard with red pepper sauce (Tabasco) and added some fresh rosemary and dried thyme (I forgot to buy fresh Thyme). I served the onions with grilled sliced skirt steak and drizzled Worcestershire sauce over the steak and the onions just before serving. It was delicious!

Now a critical reader might say: "...eh, it looks like you burned the onions"

And to that I might quickly respond: "...yeah, well, I meant to do that-a crispy onion is a tasty onion thank you very much."

After finishing, I found myself wishing I had tossed the warm onions in a mixed field greens salad with a bit of goat cheese and some walnuts...I guess I'll have to make them again! The original recipe is here.

Lightly Spiced Herb Roasted Onions (adapted from Ina Garten's recipe)

2 red onions

1 yellow onion

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon red pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)

1/2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

pinch dried thyme

1 teaspoon minced garlic

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup good olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Remove the stem end of each onion and carefully slice off the brown part of the root end, leaving the root in tact. Peel the onions and slice into wedges. Place the wedges in a large ovenproof skillet.

Whisk together the lemon juice, Tabasco, rosemary, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper. Gradually add the oil, whisking to combine. Pour the dressing over the onions in the skillet and gently toss to coat. Place the onions in the oven and roast for 30-40 minutes. Stir the onions once during roasting.

Brown Sugar Cranberry-Orange Oatmeal Scones

2008-11-11T08:42:00.006-05:00

As I sat sipping my green tea and eating scones early this morning I had a bit of a scare.

I was watching out the window at my fluffy little dog Duffy sniffing around the side yard when from across the cul-de-sac comes a big red fox...my heart stopped. All I could think of was my little dog was going to be breakfast for this big red fox.

I tapped on the window to distract the dog, ran to the refrigerator for the bag of Boar's Head Ham (the ultimate retrieval device for small fluffy dogs f.y.i.) and dangled a pink slice out the front door. The approaching red fox went completely unnoticed as fluffy little Duffy came running for a piece of ham (pathetic, I know). We have so many foxes in the woods next to our house-it really does make me nervous. This fox was particularly healthy looking for this time of year-often they'll look a little mangy about now which makes me even more nervous.

My scone unfortunately got cold while tending to all this animal drama but a quick reheat in the microwave solved that problem.

One of the things I love about this time of year is that fresh cranberries are once again plentiful in the produce aisle of the supermarket.

While I love the dried variety like Craisins...I really enjoy the unsweetened tartness of fresh cranberries. For this recipe you can use the dried variety if fresh are not available or if you prefer a sweeter scone.

The texture of these scones is a tender almost muffin like texture as opposed to the flaky, drier texture of many scones. A nice addition might be pecans or walnuts if you would like a little crunch.

Brown Sugar Cranberry-Orange Oatmeal Scones

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup brown sugar (plus additional for sprinkling)

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 cups Old Fashioned Oatmeal

12 tablespoons cold butter, sliced into tablespoons

zest of 1 orange, finely chopped

1 cup fresh cranberries

2/3 cup half and half

2 tablespoons orange juice

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly butter 2 baking sheets or line with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a food processor combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and oatmeal; pulse until combined and the oatmeal is somewhat ground. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Transfer mixture to a large bowl.

Using a wooden spoon stir in the zest and the cranberries. Gradually add the half and half and the orange juice, stir just until combined. Spoon the dough onto a floured work surface. Pat the dough into a 1-inch thick disc.

Using a floured cutter (I used an oval shaped cutter, but round is fine), cut the dough into discs and arrange on the prepared baking sheets.

Brush the tops lightly with a bit of half and half then sprinkle each with about 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar. Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer to wire racks to cool or eat them warm from the oven.

Yield: about 1 dozen scones

What is the secret to loving Brussels sprouts?

2008-11-10T07:26:00.017-05:00

I wanted to love Brussels sprouts.

As my container of Brussels sprouts rolled up the conveyor belt at the supermarket the cashier excitedly shared how much she loves Brussels sprouts; she loves them so much that she has them growing up the walkway to her house since that's the only area that gets sun. She continued by sharing her favorite recipe for a Brussels sprouts casserole complete with cream and multiple cheeses. I was excited.

I had never tried Brussels sprouts and I really didn't want my kids to grow up and say they've never tried Brussels sprouts either. While I'm a big fan of pretty much anything with cream and multiple cheeses, I wanted to prepare my Brussels sprouts in a less fussy (less fattening) way-they're supposed to be good for you, right? So I turned to a simple recipe from The Barefoot Contessa herself-Ina Garten, for roasted Brussels sprouts. OK so she's not necessarily known for her low fat foods, but she always has reliable recipes for sure.

I prepared them two ways-first true to the recipe and second with the addition of fresh cranberries and pepitas. So?

Yeah, no. The cartoons of my youth were right; Brussels sprouts are not yummy. I did like them a little bit raw. My 12 year old daughter and I chopped up one of the sprouts just after tossing with the oil, salt and pepper and both thought...this is good. But once out of the oven-not so much. I did however love the roasted cranberries and pepitas.

What did I do wrong? Come on Brussels sprouts lovers...what's the secret to loving them? Is it that they must be slathered with cream and cheese or is it that people just force them down like a big, bad pill knowing that they're eating something good for them? Share your secrets. I need to know.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Recipe by Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa)

1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts

3 tablespoons good olive oil

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow leaves. Mix them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35-40 minutes until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly. Sprinkle with more kosher salt and serve immediately.

My variation: Mix in 1 cup fresh cranberries and 1/4 cup roasted, salted pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds) and roast as directed.

The cranberry variation...well at least the cranberries and pepitas were yummy:

Favorite Food Finds Friday!

2008-11-07T00:01:00.002-05:00

It's Friday and that dear readers is the day when I share with you something fabulous that I have discovered while wheeling my cart around the supermarket. Rest assured that whatever I share with you is truly a favorite of mine and perhaps one day will be a favorite for you!

If you haven't seen this find before I think you're really going to like it...

Apple, Cranberry & Cinnamon Boursin!

Boursin cheese has long been one of my very favorites-especially the pepper flavor-but let me tell you the Apple, Cranberry Cinnamon variety...fabulous.

Boursin was created in 1957 by Francois Boursin a cheese maker from Normandy, France. Francois classified it as Gournay cheese naming it after the town in France where he grew up. The first variety was herb and garlic.

With Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner this sweet and savory treat makes the perfect appetizer. Today I've paired it with a favorite recipe for Sweet and Spicy Pecans from Bon Appetit magazine. While I'm sure you'll agree that the cheese and the nuts are each fabulous in their own right, the flavors and spice of each really pop when you put them together. Here are some of my favorite ways to serve the nuts with the Boursin:

1. Serve the nuts in place of crackers and have your guests spread the cheese right onto the spicy nuts.

2. Toast sliced baguettes, spread each cooled slice with the Boursin then top with the nuts.

3. After the nuts are completely cooled, crush them then completely cover the Boursin with the nuts; serve with crackers.

4. Make a salad of spinach, apples, dried cranberries and very thinly sliced red onion. Add the Boursin Apple Cranberry and Cinnamon and the sweet and spicy nuts-then serve with a balsamic vinaigrette

Oh and one more thing-it's only around for the Holidays so be sure to try it while you can. Enjoy!!

Sweet and Spicy Candied Pecans
Bon Appétit September 1999

Yield: Makes 1 1/2 cups

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon (generous) freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups pecan pieces

Preheat oven to 325;°F. Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray. Combine corn syrup and next 4 ingredients in large bowl. Stir to blend. Add pecans; stir gently to coat.

Transfer to baking sheet. Place large piece of foil on work surface. Bake pecans 5 minutes. Using fork, stir pecans to coat with melted spice mixture. Continue baking until pecans are golden and coating bubbles, about 10 minutes. Transfer to foil. Working quickly, separate nuts with fork. Cool. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)

Snickerdoodle Days

2008-11-05T21:13:00.006-05:00

Some days are just baking days. Today was gray with skies threatening a sputter of rain all day and that my friends is what I would classify as a baking day.

I baked something I haven't made in years: Snickerdoodles.

Snickerdoodles are cinnamon flavored sugar cookies with slightly crackled tops, tender crisp edges and slightly soft and chewy centers. Oh and they're delicious. I've never met a Snickerdoodle hater...I just don't think it's possible to be a Snickerdoodle hater. It's classic spicy sweet flavors appeal to everyone young and old. I wish I could remember whose blog I saw it on but I remember seeing something about Snickerdoodle Ice Cream somewhere...oh I would love to have that. Does anyone remember seeing that?

This Snickerdoodle recipe calls for Cream of Tartar which I was amazed to find out comes from wine! No wonder I love Snickerdoodles(!) It's actually a crystalline acid that forms on the side of wine barrels. According to Gourmet Slueth the barrels are scraped and the sediment is purified and ground into cream of tartar...who thought to themselves let's put wine barrel scrapings into food?

For this version I decided to use pumpkin pie spice to roll the cookie balls in...but feel free to stick to the traditional cinnamon if you prefer or try other spices like chai or garam masala. I also decided to use a food processor instead of a mixer.

Snickerdoodles

3/4 cup butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a food processor; pulse until light and fluffy.

Add the egg and vanilla and pulse until incorporated.

In a medium sized bowl whisk together the flour, cream of tartar and baking soda.

Add the dry ingredients to the food processor and pulse until combined.

Stir together the sugar and the pumpkin pie spice on a small plate or waxed paper. Roll the dough into 1-2 inch sized balls then roll in the sugar and spice mixture.

Arrange dough balls on the baking sheets

and bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool.

Thank yous and such...

2008-11-04T20:35:00.004-05:00

I have a few thank yous for some of my blogging friends who were kind enough to pass along a few awards. First up the chocoholic award given by Duckie from A Duck in Her Pond which is a wonderful blog filled with creative stories-be sure to check out her very entertaining blog.

Thanks also to Barbara from Barbara Bakes for the chocoholic award as well (how did these clever bloggers know I love chocolate so much...although in these days after Halloween I start to gradually hate all things sugary due to my inability to keep my hands out of the children's candy bags!) Be sure to visit Barbara's blogs for delicious baking ideas.

And finally thank you to Katherine from Smoky Mountain Cafe for passing on the Kreative Blogger award. Katherine has a tasty blog filled with fabulous recipes and lots of great photos so be sure to stop in.

And now to pass along the honors....

Allie from Finding Inspiration in food has a fabulous looking fudge recipe posted right now so I'm guessing she's indeed a chocoholic. Her creative blog is filled with delicous recipes!

Also Dawn from Vanilla Sugar has a tasty looking fudge recipe that she posted a short time ago that I have on my Christmas cookie swap list now-I can tell she's a chocolate lover too! I enjoy her blog not just for sweets but for a variety of fabulous ideas.

For the Kreative Blogger award I would like to recognize Anne from Anne Strawberry. Her beautiful photos and creative recipes are certainly an inspiration to all who stop her blog.

Baked Brown Rice Risotto

2008-11-04T09:19:00.005-05:00

When Barefoot Bloggers made Butternut Squash Risotto a few weeks ago I told Aggie from Aggie's Kitchen that I had remembered seeing a baked risotto in a cookbook years ago-well I found it only it wasn't brown rice as I had remembered. Wanting to use brown rice I decided to adapt the recipe for brown rice. I had an acorn squash laying around and thought I would roast it and add it in as well.

The original recipe, Risotto alla Milanese is from The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook. Regular long grain rice is called for in the recipe and the original cooking time called for 30 minutes of baking time. Changing the recipe to brown rice significantly adds to the cooking time, but I think the value of using brown rice over white rice makes the extra time worth it.

The Good Housekeeping cookbook offered this nice chart outlining the differences in types of rice: (I've edited it a bit for space)

Regular white rice: Milled to remove outer coating of bran and sometimes polished; available as long, medium or short grain. Long grain rice is best in curries, stews, salads and main dishes. Medium and short grains are preferred for puddings and rice rings. One cup uncooked regular rice yields about 3 cups cooked.

Brown Rice: Unmilled so grains retain most of their food value. Brown absorbs more liquid and takes longer to cook than white rice. Nutty in flavor. One cup uncooked brown rice yields about 4 cups cooked.

Wild Rice: Not a true rice but served as an accompaniment like rice. Cook as label directs. One cup uncooked wild rice yields about 3 cups cooked.

Baked Brown Rice Risotto with Roasted Acorn Squash (adapted from Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook)

Squash:

1 acorn squash, peeled and diced

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Risotto:

4 tablespoons butter

1 shallot minced

1 1/4 cup long grain brown rice

32 ounces chicken broth, warmed

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon saffron threads

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Spread the squash in an even layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle the squash with the oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper; toss to coat.

Place the butter in a 3-quart oven safe baking dish. Melt the butter in the oven. Stir in the shallot and return to the oven for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the rice and cook for an additional 4 minutes in the oven. Stir in the broth, salt, saffron and pepper. Cover the dish and return to the oven. Bake for 1 hour. Remove the cover and continue baking until most of the broth is absorbed, about 30 minutes.

During the last 30 minutes of cooking place the squash in the oven to roast. To serve, stir the roasted squash and the Parmesan cheese into the rice. Serve immediately.

Yield: 6 servings

Surplus Candy Bars

2008-11-03T10:48:00.005-05:00

Halloween has come and gone, the jack-o-lanterns have been tossed and the Halloween decorations packed up for next year. What's left? Bags and bags of candy.

Not only are you left with extra bags that you over-eagerly purchased from anticipating hordes of trick or treaters that in my case didn't come, but if you have kids who went trick or treating, your left with giant bags of assorted candies haunting you with visions of children's stomach aches and hefty dental bills (why exactly to I love Halloween so much?).

I heard on the radio today that there is a dentist in New York City that is offering to take the candy off of your children's hands by paying them per pound of candy turned in-our family Orthodontist has a similar plan but you get tokens for gift cards. But aside from a few thoughtful dental care providers what's a mother to do??

1. Let them eat as much as they want on Halloween night then take the bag and just toss it.

2. Keep the bag for them in the kitchen and dole out candy in a miser like fashion on a daily basis.

3. Let them choose a few of their favorites then donate it to a teacher to use as rewards at school.

4. Let them choose a few of their favorites then donate it to a shelter.

The first option seems rather cruel not to mention wasteful, they did after all work (sometimes for hours) "begging" for this candy which was in fact purchased by some neighbor's hard earned money. The second option while on the surface seems like the logical choice, I know I've read in countless magazines that it would not be a dentist's first choice-think about it-a daily, steady flow of sugar-yeah, maybe not such a good idea.

Myself, I like the last two, but perhaps with a few variations. I like to pull out some of each kids' favorites put them in a Ziploc bag and save them for when we go to the movies. (Yeah, I know, I know, no outside food-but that's the (only) beauty of fun size: they fit inconspicuously into your purse and at $13.00 a movie ticket, I'm bringing snacks in my purse!)

I also like to use a bunch for baking. Sunday night we had a church function to attend and I needed a quick dessert so I came up with a trick-or-treat bag riff on the ubiquitous potluck dessert 7-Layer bars. The bars came out super tasty and reduced my daughter's trick or treat bag quite nicely.

What ideas do you have for surplus candy bars? (And don't say eat them yourself!)

Trick-or-Treat Bag Bars

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1 1/4 cup finely crushed pretzels

1 cup grated coconut

3 cups assorted chopped candy (I used Butterfingers, Snickers, Special Dark, Hershey Bars, Crunch, Twix and Kit Kat)

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the butter in a 13 x 9 inch glass baking dish and melt the butter in the preheating oven.

Add the pretzels, coconut and candies in even layers-without stirring. Pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the layers. Bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.

Trick or Treat!

2008-10-31T15:52:00.011-04:00

Happy Halloween!! (Favorite Food Find Friday will return next week-I'm just too excited about Halloween.)

Well it couldn't be a more beautiful day! A tad warmer would be nice-but it's a beautiful crisp day. I'm busy getting everything ready for trick or treat tonight.

Last night we carved our jack-o-lanterns. We found HUGE pumpkins to carve this year so it took a lot of elbow grease to get all the inards out and to get a knife through to cut off the top. Pampered Chef makes this great little paring knife that is perfect for carving the faces. I think they cost a dollar. I'm pretty sure I've only used them for pumpkin carving!

Now please tell me that you did not throw away the pumpkin seeds when you carved your jack-o-lanterns? You didn't did you? They make the most wonderful Halloween treat.

Salt and Pepper Pumpkin Seeds

2 cups pumpkin seeds

2-3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Remove pumpkin seeds from pumpkin and disconnect any pumpkin or "strings" from seeds. Rinse gently under water then pat dry with towels.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread dry seeds in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle the oil over the seeds then sprinkle with the pepper and salt; toss to coat.

Bake in the oven for 13-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Now that was my successful Halloween treat...here is my unsuccessful Halloween treat: Candy Corn Caramel Corn. I was pretty excited when I first put it together, but it just didn't quite get to the right texture; it was a bit soft for caramel corn-almost like a rice crispy treat, but not.

Look at it...it looks like something my jack-o-lantern threw up.

Oh well maybe when candy corn is 75 percent off at the supermarket next week I can experiment and come up with something better.

Enjoy your spooking night!! Don't eat too much candy. BOO!!

YUMMY!! It's our Halloween candy....I'm going to try hard not to eat any before the trick or treaters come...oops, too late I just ate a 100 Grand bar!

After-Halloween Breakfast

2008-10-29T11:06:00.006-04:00

I love that Halloween falls on a Friday this year. It means there will probably be a lot more trick or treaters. I just love seeing the costumes kids (usually moms) come up with each year. But even better (and my kids will agree) is that they don't have to worry about getting any homework done before rushing out the door and they can have their friends sleepover after a long hard night of trick or treating.

When the candy has all been counted and traded hopefully your ghosts and goblins (with a bit of nudging) will fade off to sleep. But the treats don't have to end when the porch light is shut off. Why not make a breakfast treat to greet them in the morning?

I'll be making Warm French Toast with Caramel Apple Topping. French toast is one of my favorite breakfast treats and it's one that my kids love too-in fact when they were little we would often make it together in the evenings for dinner if my H was going to be late. I would fill small bowls with milk, add food coloring to each then give the kids paintbrushes so they could "paint" their bread before dipping into the batter and frying.

They are not interested in painting the bread anymore but that doesn't mean they don't love French Toast. I have a few favorite breads to use for making the toast either Pepperidge Farm Italian Bread (try to buy it at the Pepperidge Farm outlet if you have one nearby as that tends to be a bit stale-perfect for French toast).I also like buying Texas Toast bread. In my supermarket the Texas Toast bread is located (oddly) in the deli section right under the deli case; it's a thick yellowish bread that makes fabulous French toast. If whole wheat bread is your preference I really like Arnold's Healthy Multigrain. But feel free to substitute your family's favorite bread.

Warm French Toast with Caramel Apple Topping

Caramel Apples:

1/2 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons half and half

2 medium apples, peeled and thinly sliced

French Toast:

1 cup skim milk

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 teaspoons cinnamon

pinch of salt

2 tablespoons butter

12 slices bread (your choice...I used the Pepperidge Farm Italian)

First make the caramel apple topping. In a large skillet melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar and cook, stirring, until melted. Add the half and half, stirring until combined. Stir in the apples and completely coat with caramel. Keep warm while preparing the French Toast.

In a large bowl whisk together the milk, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon and salt; whisk until well combined and frothy.

In a large skill melt 1/2 tablespoon of the butter over medium high heat. Dip a bread slice into the milk mixture coating both sides of the bread. Add to the hot pan. Cook the bread several slices at a time until golden brown on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side. Keep the toasts warm on a baking sheet in a 200 degree oven until all the toasts are prepared.

Serve the French Toast with the Caramel Apple Topping.

Yield: 12 toasts

Rigatoni with Butternut Squash, Spinach and Ricotta

2008-10-28T19:44:00.005-04:00

Did you know that an entire box of Rigatoni is actually 8 servings? You probably did. Sadly in our house a box of Rigatoni often provides only 4 servings. Is this why Americans are fat? When I look at the box it doesn't look like that much. Even when the pasta is cooked, drained and covered with sauce it doesn't really look to me like it could feed 8. My 16 year old could easily polish off a half a box so that leaves just enough for my 14 year old forget about my 12 year old, my husband and me.

I am making an effort to be more serving size conscious (at least for me-I'm not going to worry too much about my 6 foot tall, skinny sons). That 1 serving with no additional ingredients added represents 210 calories, so if my serving is typically twice that, my starting point with just pasta would be 420 calories. Add to that oil or butter, cheeses or meats and I'm putting myself in dangerous calorie territory. So to be safe for this pasta dish I'm only cooking 1/2 of the box and I'll let everyone else fill up on salad and veggies and maybe bread.

The highlight of this dish I think is the ricotta cheese. Ricotta cheese is a grainy cheese made from whey that is drained off during the process of making other cheeses such as mozzarella and provolone. Frequently used in Italian cooking-most notably lasagna-it has a texture similar to cottage cheese. It can be found in the cheese section of the supermarket usually near the sour cream and cream cheese. I usually buy the part skim ricotta-if you buy a good quality brand the part skim version can taste just as good as the whole milk version so be picky.

Rigatoni with Butternut Squash, Spinach and Ricotta

3 cups diced butternut squash

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

8 ounces Rigatoni pasta

1 clove garlic, minced

3 cups fresh spinach, packed

1/2 cup part skim ricotta cheese, room temperature

freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Arrange the butternut squash in an even layer on a baking sheet, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the extra virgin olive oil and season with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/2 teaspoon of the ground pepper. Roast in the oven until tender, about 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water just until tender; drain.

Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium heat; stir in the garlic and the spinach.

Cook until the spinach wilts slightly. Stir in the cooked pasta and the butternut squash. Season with the remaining salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and add the ricotta cheese a spoonful at a time and stir gently. Serve immediately with the grated Parmesan cheese.