Gastronomy Girl

Salsa Chicken Enchiladas

2010-06-08T13:09:00.000-07:00

These enchiladas are great! And oh so easy to make. For the chicken you can cook up a boneless, skinless, chicken breast or two, or de-bone some rotisserie chicken, or even buy some of those pre-grilled chicken pieces from the deli. Pretty much anything works as long as it's cooked and shredded.

2 cups shredded chicken
1/2 cup sliced green onions
2 teaspoons crushed garlic
3 cups diced Roma tomatoes, divided*
1 cup frozen corn
3 cups shredded medium cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup of your favorite salsa
1 can (at least 10 oz) enchilada sauce (mild or hot)
1/2 cup cilantro chopped
12+ corn tortillas

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Spray a 9 x 13 glass or ceramic (don't use metal) baking dish with cooking spray.

In a skillet over medium high heat, combine chicken, salsa, green onions, and garlic. Stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add 2 cups of the tomatoes, the corn and 1 cup of cheese. Stir to combine, then cook over low heat while you prepare the tortillas. Prepare the tortillas according to these directions. After tortillas are cooked, remove chicken filling to a flattened dish to cool.

Spread a large spoonful of enchilada sauce into the 9 x 13 pan. Spoon a large spoonful of enchilada filling down the center of a tortilla and roll tightly. Place seam side down in the center of the 9 x 13 pan at one end. Repeat with remaining tortillas until either the filling is used up or you run out of pan. Spoon enchilada sauce over the rolled tortillas coating them well.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, remove foil and sprinkle remaining 2 cups of cheese over top. Bake for 5 more minutes then remove from oven. Sprinkle chopped cilantro down the center of the pan of enchiladas and then sprinkle remaining tomatoes down center of pan on top of the cilantro. Serve with sour cream and re-fried beans on the side.

Servings: at least 6 which is about 2 enchiladas per person

* You don't have to use Roma tomatoes. You can use whatever you like. I prefer Roma's because they are less juicy than beefsteak or slicing tomatoes.

MMmmmm! Brisket!

2010-06-01T09:23:00.000-07:00

I did the rub, a modification of a Southern Living recipe. After I threw it on the smoker, somebody else babysat the beef. I'm cool with that.

Brisket Rub

1/4 cup Kosher salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 black pepper
3/4 cup paprika
2 tablespoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons Tony Cacherie's

Mix together and rub on brisket. You can let it marinate for no time or 8 hours. It's up to you.

*This rub is SPICY

Elotes: How to Make Them

2010-05-25T14:28:00.001-07:00

Elotes are a popular snack in Mexico. Why nobody in the states knows about them is a mystery to me. The combination of ingredients although delicious, makes most Americans cringe. Why? You would think after the movie Nacho Libre that people would be lining up outside taco carts across the country demanding them. If your local Mexican eatery doesn't offer them, no problema. With this recipe, you can make them. Si se puede!

sweet corn
mayonnaise
cotija cheese
chili powder
lime slices

Break cotija cheese into chunks and pulse in food processor until crumbly. Shuck the corn and grill over medium heat until lightly browned. It doesn't need to grill long, somewhere between 5 and 10 minutes. Be sure to not char it too much. Once the corn is cooked keep it warm. Push a wooden skewer through the stem end to make a handle, or put on corn handles. Spread a thick layer of mayonnaise over the warm corn and then roll the corn in the cotija cheese, spooning more over if necessary. Squeeze lime over corn and sprinkle with chili powder. Eat and try to not be overwhelmed by the awesomeness.

Amy's Hummus

2010-05-22T19:41:00.000-07:00

1 can (14.5 oz) garbanzo beans
3 rounded tablespoons creamy peanut butter*
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons cumin
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil + extra for blending
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons water
large pinch paprika, to garnish
extra virgin olive oil, to garnish
chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, to garnish**

Drain garbanzo beans and rinse. Combine garbanzo beans, peanut butter, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and cayenne pepper in food processor. Process until creamy. While processor is going drizzle in water, you don't have to use all of it, and then 1 to 2 tablespoons additional olive oil until creamy consistency is achieved. Spread hummus into a flat dish such as a ceramic pie plate, sweeping the top with a spoon to create wavy appearance. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle paprika on half of dish, and sprinkle parsley over the top. Serve with grilled or toasted Greek flat bread or pita chips.

*I use peanut butter instead of tahini. I can't justify buying a whole big bottle of the stuff and I always have peanut butter on hand. It tastes just as good, and pretty similar to tahini.

**I didn't have parsley so I used chopped cilantro. It was fine and delicious too.

Almond-Apricot Galette

2010-05-21T20:46:00.000-07:00

A pillsbury Bake-Off recipe. Right here.

Crawfish Creole

2010-03-24T21:34:00.001-07:00

This stuff is good ya'll. Viva La Louisiane!

Crawfish Creole

3 tablespoons bacon grease
2 rounded tablespoons all purpose flour
1 large onion, finely chopped (about 1 lb.)
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
1 medium bell pepper, finely chopped
grated rind and juice from 1/2 lemon
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3-4 dashes Tabasco sauce
1 pinch thyme
1 tsp Tony Cachere's (add more if you like it hotter)
1 bay leaf
1 can tomato paste
salt to taste
2 cups water
2 lbs peeled cooked crawfish*
3 green onions (scallions) sliced white parts and green

In a large, deep heavy bottom pot, heat bacon grease over medium high heat. Whisk in flour, stirring constantly. Switch to a large metal spoon and keep stirring, being sure to scrape up the bottom edges of the pan where the roux can collect and stick. The roux should slowly darken as you stir. If dark brown flecks appear, throw it out and start over. You've burned it. (Be careful to keep the roux off of your skin. It is sticky and will burn a hole right through you. Cajun napalm. You've been warned.)

When the roux reaches a nice caramel brown color add the chopped white onions. Cook stirring constantly over medium low heat until onions are essentially caramelized. This takes about 15 minutes.

Add celery, pepper, and garlic to the onion mixture. Saute until vegetables are softened. Add everything else except for the crawfish and the green onions, incorporating each ingredient before adding the next. Cook at a slow simmer for 30 - 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not let it stick to the bottom of the pan. Twenty minutes before serving add the crawfish and the green onions. Stir well and cook for 15- 20 minutes until heated through. Serve over rice.

*Buy Louisiana Crawfish, not that junk from China. There's a world of difference in the taste.

Serves: 6 hungry people

Habichuelas Con Perdiz

2010-02-17T06:06:00.000-08:00

I tried out one of my newer cookbooks last night, La Cocina de Mamà by Penelope Casas. It is a very well written book, with gorgeous photography that will of course make you hungry. Some of the ingredients will be more difficult to obtain in the US, but there are some substitution suggestions throughout the book. The recipe I tried, Habichuelas con Perdiz is a little difficult for the average American to cook, so I made some substitutions to create my own version modeled after Casas'. The recipe calls for partridges (what???) or quail, and having neither at my disposal, I will be using a good old cut up chicken. I also substituted an Ancho pepper as suggested by Casas for the noras (dried Spanish sweet peppers), and Anaheim peppers for the Italian green frying peppers.

This recipe is absolutely delicious and all the peppers make it mildly spicy and the perfect thing for a cold day! Serve it with a salad and crusty french bread to sop up the juice.

1 lb dried white beans, such as Navy Beans or great northern beans
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 anaheim chilies, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic
1 ancho pepper (large dried red one)
1 medium ripe tomato, finely chopped
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 cut up chicken
1/2 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 large bay leaf
1/2 pound very small new potatoes, not more than 1 1/2 inches in diameter, (or larger ones quartered)

Soak the beans overnight in cold water. Drain. With kitchen shears, cut open ancho pepper, and remove stem and seeds. The pepper will be added whole.

In a stew pot heat two tablespoons olive oil and saute onion, Anaheim peppers, Ancho pepper and garlic until onions and Anaheim peppers are softened. Add tomato and cook for a couple more minutes. Add beans, 6 cups of water, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover and simmer for two hours.

While the beans cook, season chicken with salt and pepper and lightly brown in olive oil. Stir in wine, chicken broth, bay leaf, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove chicken cool slightly and debone, reserving the broth the chicken cooked in.

Fish out the Anaheim chile from the bean pot and scrape flesh from skin. Discard skin and chop pepper flesh then add to the pot of beans. Add the potatoes, chicken meat and the broth from cooking the chicken to the bean pot. Cover and simmer until potatoes and beans are tender.

Photos I shot but never blogged.

2010-01-06T23:45:00.000-08:00

Pão de mel

2009-11-10T08:16:00.000-08:00

Have you heard of foodzie.com? It's a website where people sell handcrafted food goods. There is some pretty delicious looking stuff on there. I came across one that had me dying to try it: A little cake that combined my two all time favorite sweets, chocolate and honey, Brazilian Honey Cakes. The price isn't bad at all, but it got me thinking. Why can't I make these babies myself? After googling around a bit, I came up with my own recipe using ideas from several I found. The result? Yummy spice cake, somewhere between the texture and taste of Lebkuchen and gingerbread, minus the ginger, and with tons of golden honey taste.

You'll have to forgive the air bubbles in my honey cakes. This is the first time I've made them and next time, I'm going to work on air bubble reduction. For less mess when you are glazing them set your individual cakes on a cooling rack over waxed paper. Getting the chocolate on evenly was not easy, in part due to the air pockets. When I try these again, so I won't spend most of my time painting chocolate on them like Miracle Max in the Princess Bride, I will be inserting a pick into the bottom of each cake and dipping them into the chocolate.

Pão de mel

1/3 cup milk
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. cloves
1/2 cup honey
2 eggs beaten
1/3 cup vegetable oil
chocolate glaze

Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat a 9 x 13 or 12 x 8 pan with cooking spray.

In a medium saucepan, combine milk and brown sugar. Stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved.

In a bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

In a separate bowl, combine milk mixture, honey, eggs, and vegetable oil. Stir milk mixture into flour mixture until combined. Try to incorporate as little air as possible.

Turn into pan.

Bake for 25 minutes for 9 x 13 pan or 35 for 12 x 8 pan or until a pick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cool until room temperature, then cut with a sharp knife into squares. Dip or spoon chocolate over squares until coated. Chill in refrigerator until chocolate glaze is set.

Chocolate Glaze

7 oz 70% cocoa chocolate bar such as Lindt 70% Dark
1/2 cup butter
1 tbsp. light corn syrup

In a microwave safe bowl combine all ingredients. Microwave at 20 second intervals, whisking in between until chocolate mixture is satiny.

No Liz, It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This...

2009-06-02T21:52:00.000-07:00

This is chocolate cheesecake with strawberries and whipping cream. Here's how I did it.

The cheesecake recipe.

Strawberry filling:

1 container of strawberry glaze

1 pound of sliced strawberries.

Combine and put on top of cake once it's completely cooled. (I mean completely cooled as in chilled for a few hours in the refrigerator.)

Pizelle Filling on top:

4 ounces cream cheese softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1 pint heavy whipping cream

In a mixer with whisk attachment, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar together. Scrape down sides and beat again to make sure it is well mixed. Beat in whipping cream until stiff. Pile on top of strawberries and glaze. Keep refrigerated, pizelle filling starts to deflate after a couple of hours.

Bittersweet Chocolate Almond Orange Pound Cake

2009-05-12T19:10:00.000-07:00

I based this cake on my favorite chocolate bar of all time the Lindt Excellence Intense Orange Dark Chocolate Bar which you can find everywhere. It is orgasmic chocolate if you ask me...anyhoo, put that in a cake and WOW. So very good.

Bittersweet Chocolate Almond Orange Pound Cake

1 package Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Devil's Food Cake Mix

1 package (4-serving size) chocolate instant pudding and pie filling mix

1/4 cup Hershey's cocoa (use Special Dark if you really like dark chocolate)

4 large eggs

1 1/2 Lindt Excellence Intense Orange Dark Chocolate bars broken into pieces

1 1/4 cups water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon orange extract

2/3 cup sliced almonds

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 10" Bundt pan or tube pan.

Combine cake mix, pudding mix, and cocoa in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Place chocolate bar pieces in microwave safe bowl, use high power for 30 seconds, stir, then continue at 15 second increments stirring after each until chocolate is melted. Pour oil into chocolate, stir to combine. Add oil chocolate mix, eggs, water and orange extract to cake mix mixture in large bowl.

Beat at medium speed with electric mixer for 2 minutes carefully scraping down sides after the first minute. Fold in almonds. Pour into pan.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool in pan 25 minutes. Invert onto heat resistant serving plate and cool completely.

Don't starve while I'm gone

2008-09-25T21:34:00.000-07:00

I'll be offline for a bit. I'm moving in a couple of days. I don't know how long it'll take to get me up and running. It's been fun, and I'll be back.

My Sweet Lovely

2008-09-18T22:18:00.000-07:00

Yes. It's that good. Roll your eyes back, lick your fingers, scream for joy good. Especially once you put on the frosting. Here's the link.

Sorry I won't be posting much. We're moving in less than two weeks.

Rib City

2008-08-15T19:50:00.001-07:00

We went to the fair. The fair had some food. Some of that food was pretty darn good barbecue. That barbecue was made by they guys and gals at Rib City. For being a chain restaurant, it had a surprisingly non-restaurant taste to it. They've got locations in Colorado and Utah. We chose pulled pork sandwiches and some smoked chicken legs for the kids. As you can see, the chicken was well received. It had good smokey flavor, and was moist. The pulled pork was very soft, almost too soft, it had a good light sweet barbecue sauce and came in a huge mound on the bun. Their baked beans had a thin flavorful sauce that was very smokey and sweet. They've got some good barbecue, and I can't wait to go back so I can order from the full menu.

Mochi

2008-08-12T22:48:00.000-07:00

Clockwise from bottom: Chestnut mochi, black sesame seed mochi with an filling, pink (?) mochi with an filling, toasted sesame seed mochi with an filling, and grass mochi

My father in law just arrived from Japan. He brought me a gift. A box of mochi filled with an. What exactly is mochi and what on earth is an, you might ask? I'm going to tell you. Mochi and an although common to other cultures such as that of the Chinese, are hallmarks of Japanese snackiness. Mochi is pounded glutinous rice. They pound it and process it until it becomes very much like glue. Then it is shaped into little patties. Mochi doesn't have much flavor besides sweet, with a texture like a very soft gooey gummi bear. These patties are sometimes filled with an. An is sweet red bean paste. To westerners, it might sound gross, but seriously, don't judge it until you try it. It is smooth and sweet, with a slight beany taste in the background. An is put into all sorts of things. One of my favorites is an pan, a small sweetish roll that is stuffed with the bean paste. My favorite kind you can buy fresh in Little Tokyo in LA. If you ever go look for the an pan shop and watch the wizened old lady pour the pancake type batter into little molds. It's the only place in the US I know of where you can get steaming hot pancake type an pan. Then go visit Rafu Bussan, you will come away with beautiful Japanese dishes. Oh and I also recommend the sushi at the Frying Fish. Very delicious, and served true to Japanese style on a little conveyor belt.

Mochi with an is pretty tasty. It's sweet and sticky, and will give you a bit of a sugar high. I definitely recommend you try it if you find it. And don't worry, the grass mochi does not taste like grass. It's just colored like grass and sprinkled with super fine brown sweet stuff.

Apricot Rice Pilaf

2008-08-07T21:16:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law gave me some fresh apricots from her tree. I decided that they would be great in a rice pilaf. And they were. You can use a cube of chicken bouillon instead of the chicken soup base. I like to use it instead of salt in this recipe.

2 tablespoons butter
1 stalk celery chopped
2 green onions thinly sliced, green and white parts
1/4 cup sliced almonds
4 fresh apricots peeled and diced
3 cups cooked rice
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon chicken soup base
salt and pepper if needed

Melt butter in non-stick pan, and saute celery and onions over medium heat until they begin to soften. Add almonds and cook until almonds are toasted. Dissolve chicken soup base into water. Add rice and soup mixture to pan and stir to combine. Gently fold in apricots and cook until heated through. Salt and pepper to taste.

White Enchiladas

2008-08-02T12:28:00.000-07:00

These enchiladas are very yummy. And I came up with the recipe all by myself. I don't think that they're very authentically Mexican, but the flavors of the zucchini and corn are so good together. If you like them spicy get spicy enchilada sauce, if not, get the mild.

2 chicken breasts cooked and chopped (about 3-4 cups)
4 ears of corn, cut off cob, and milked
1 zucchini cut up and sautéed until cooked through and soft
2 tbsp minced dried onion rehydrated
1 lb Monterey jack cheese grated, divided
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 ounces sour cream
1/4 cup half and half
28 oz can green chili enchilada sauce
10 large burrito sized flour tortillas

Combine chicken, corn and corn milk, zucchini, rehydrated onion, and ½ grated cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.
Combine enchilada sauce, half and half, sour cream and cream of chicken soup.
Spray large baking dish (11x17) with cooking spray.
Place small amount of sauce mix in bottom.
Fill tortillas very full, roll and place in row in pan.
Top with all enchilada sauce mix.
Use a spatula to let the sauce run between tortilla rolls.
Sprinkle cheese on top.
Cover with foil.
Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour removing foil for last 15 minutes.

Beet, Pear, and Goat Cheese Salad

2008-08-01T18:21:00.000-07:00

I'm not a huge fan of beets. In fact I wouldn't eat them as a kid. My husband on the other hand, likes beets a lot. So being the dutiful wife that I am, I have tried to find recipes that would enable me to eat them without the constant thought of oh these taste like dirt. This recipe, courtesy of Martha Stewart Everyday Food Magazine is just that. It actually makes beets taste good. Confirmed beet lovers across the world will love you for making it.

1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 recipe Basic Roasted Beets
2 firm, ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, halved lengthwise, cored, and sliced 1/4 inch thick lengthwise
4 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup toasted pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped

In a medium bowl, whisk together juice, vinegar, oil, and mustard; season with salt and pepper.
Arrange beets and pears on four serving plates. Drizzle with dressing. Scatter cheese and nuts over, and season with more pepper, if desired. Serve immediately.

Basic Roasted Beets

1 pound small beets, well-scrubbed (about 5)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wrap 1 pound (about 5) small, well-scrubbed beets in 2 or 3 packets of foil. Place on a baking sheet; bake until beets are slightly soft to the touch, 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on their size. Cool beets in packets, then rub off skins (use a paring knife for tough spots) and cut into wedges

Some Things Should Be Illegal

2008-07-29T21:52:00.000-07:00

These things are lethal. So delicious. A moist chocolaty brownie, cut with a ribbon of caramel, and dangerously loaded with pecans. What more could you want? The recipe comes to us from our dear friends at Kraft. They have a product that I recently discovered: Caramel Bits. Unwrapping caramels is now a thing of the past. An added bonus, they melt really quickly for you impatient types. Please make and eat with caution. They are addictive.

Caramel-Pecan Brownies

1 pkg. (19 to 21 oz.) brownie mix (13x9-inch pan size)
1 pkg. (11 oz.) Kraft Caramel Bits
1/3 cup whipping cream
2 cups pecan pieces

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 13x9-inch baking pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Generously grease foil. Prepare brownie batter as directed on package; spread half of the batter into prepared pan. Cover remaining batter; set aside.

Bake 20 minutes or until top is firm to the touch. Meanwhile, microwave caramel bits and whipping cream in medium microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds or until caramel bits begin to melt; stir until completely melted. Add 1 cup of pecans; mix well. Spread over partially baked brownie; top with remaining brownie batter. (Some caramel may peek through batter.) Sprinkle with remaining pecans. Bake an additional 25 minutes or until top is firm to the touch. Cool completely. Use foil handles to lift dessert from pan before cutting to serve. Store in covered container at room temperature.

Makes 32 servings.

Corsican Beef

2008-07-11T15:06:00.000-07:00

I swear I haven't died. Yes, it's been a long long time since I last posted. Truly, I'm sorry. Life has been moving at warp speed, and still hasn't slowed down yet. We had a family emergency, so I didn't get to take a picture. This picture is from the DK books website, and will have to suffice. It doesn't really do this dish justice, but it's all I've got. When I cook it, It's way more beautiful. My chunks of beef are bigger, the noodles are bigger and there's a freshly grated mountain of parmesan cheese on top. I do recommend using bigger pieces of beef than 2 in x 2 in. Mine are more like 3x3's and I try to stuff in as much garlic as I can into the slit first then plug it with the bacon. You can also use red wine instead of the white if that's all you've got. Please don't be put off by the less than appetizing picture. This dish will truly change your world, and impress the pants off of anyone that you feed it to, if that's what you're aiming to do.

CORSICAN BEEF STEW WITH MACARONI

1 oz dried mushrooms
6 cloves garlic
2lbs chuck roast, cut into 2 inch cubes
4 oz thick streaky bacon cut into 1x1/4 inch pieces
3 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions, sliced
1 ¼ cups dry white wine
2 tbsp tomato paste
pinch of ground cinnamon
sprig of rosemary
1 bay leaf
2 cups rigatoni (or other large tube pasta)
2/3 cups grated Parmesan cheese
salt and ground black pepper

Soak the dried mushrooms in warm water for 30 minutes. Drain, set the mushrooms aside and reserve the liquid. Cut three of the garlic cloves into thin strips and insert into the pieces of beef by making little slits with a sharp knife. Push the bacon pieces into the beef with the garlic. Season the meat with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan, add half the beef and brown well on all sides. Repeat with the remaining beef. Transfer to a plate. Add the sliced onions to the pan and cook until lightly browned. Crush the remaining garlic and add to the onions with the meat.

Stir in the white wine, tomato paste, mushrooms, cinnamon, rosemary and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Cook gently for 30 minute, stirring often. Strain the mushroom liquid and add to the stew with enough water to cover. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer very gently for 3 hours, until the meat is very tender.

Cook the macaroni according to package directions for al dente. Lift the pieces of meat out of the gravy and transfer to a warmed serving platter. Drain the pasta and layer in a serving bowl with the gravy and cheese. Serve with the meat.

Recipe From: Mediterranean: over 300 sun-drenched recipes p. 290

Smokey Apple Onion Pizza

2008-04-04T21:22:00.001-07:00

So how exactly does one name a pizza? This pizza needs a name. Besides delicious. I could have given it one of those long gourmet names that includes every ingredient, but where's the fun in that? Make and eat this pizza. You'll thank me later.

1 pizza crust of your choice (dough, pre-baked, flat bread, whatever!)
smoked Gouda, grated (8 ounces for a 14 inch pizza)
cooked bacon crumbled
1 apple cored, diced, and steamed for a couple minutes to soften
caramelized onions

Pre-heat oven to 450 F. Spread 3/4 grated cheese on bottom crust. Sprinkle caramelized onions, apples, and bacon over the cheese. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake for 15 minutes or so for an uncooked crust.

Caramelized Onions

1 large onion, peeled and sliced
4 tablespoons butter

Melt butter in a non-stick skillet over low heat. Add onions and cook over low heat for 20-30 minutes stirring occasionally until onions are golden and very soft.

How 'bout Some Pizza Ya'll?

2008-03-26T21:14:00.000-07:00

This pizza was exceptionally delicious! I love the fresh veggies. I'm not giving exact measurements here. The wonderful thing about pizza is you can make as much or as little as you want. I have not yet found a pizza crust recipe that I love, so you're gonna have to come up with that on your own if you want it homemade. But on to better things! I'll give you the ingredients and then you slap them together in whatever fashion makes your heart sing. Ok!

No Dearth Veggie Pizza

You will need:
1 pizza crust or your favorite pizza dough, ready to go (for crust feel free to use tortillas, french bread slices, flat bread, a legitimate pizza crust, or make your own.)
pizza sauce (yes, I bought it)
lightly steamed broccoli (try those microwave steam bags)
oven roasted veggies (if you don't know how to make them, see the roasted carrots recipe and sub in your favorites. I used onions, eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, and red bell pepper)
low moisture mozzarella cheese
about 2 ounces goat cheese for a big pizza
sliced fresh mushrooms
chopped, seeded roma tomatoes

Steps:
Pre-heat oven to 450 F. Spread ready-to-go crust with sauce. Sprinkle on mozzarella cheese. Then sprinkle on other vegetables, being sure to not overload the pizza. You want all of the veggies to get a tiny bit caramelized and toasty. Sprinkle on goat cheese. Bake for 8-20 minutes depending on how big your pizza is. The one in the picture was a 14" pizza and took about 18 minutes to bake at 450 F.

Enjoy and be happy.

Mild Chicken Curry with Lentils

2008-03-23T19:52:00.000-07:00

This curry is truly mild. I chose the recipe from the Best Ever Indian Cookbook that I found at Costco. At my house I need to make dinners that aren't too spicy. My little ones haven't quite accepted spicy food just yet. But no worries, I'm still working on them. It was very mild, and the spinach paired very nicely with the lentils. My 4 year old even ate the lentils AND the green stuff. She liked it! I substituted regular old plain boring brown lentils for the red ones called for in the recipe. A small cut-up chicken was perfect in the place of the chicken thighs, which I generally don't like to eat. We ate it with naan purchased from SuperTarget. This was very yummy, and perfect for individuals who can't handle the spice of most Indian dishes.

(Do you see that fancy blue fish dish? I got it for my birthday from my sister-in-law and her family. Isn't it the most beautiful thing?)

1/2 cup red lentils
2 tablespoons mild curry powder
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
8 chicken thighs, skinned
8 ounces fresh spinach, shredded, or frozen chopped, spinach, thawed and well drained
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, plus extra to garnish
salt and black pepper
white or brown basmati rice and grilled poppadums, to serve

Put the lentils in a large heavy pan and add the curry powder, ground coriander, cumin seeds and vegetable stock. Bring the mixture to the boil, then lower the heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the chicken and spinach. Replace the cover and simmer gently for a further 40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the chopped coriander and season to taste. Serve garnished with fresh coriander sprigs and accompanied by white or brown basmati rice and poppadums.

This recipe has been adapted from the Best Ever Indian Cookbook. I didn't have all of the things that it required, so I did my own thing. It was a hit with the family! According to the cookbook, Corn is widely grown in the Punjab area of India. If use of an ingredient is directly proportional to the location in which it's grown, I would hazard a guess that onions are also widely grown in the Punjab region of India. If you don't care for onions, this recipe isn't for you.

Indian Corn Curry

1 (16 ounce) bag frozen corn

3 tablespoons butter, divided

1 large onion

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tablespoon crushed ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

2 teaspoons sugar

1 cup plain yogurt

Saute corn in butter over medium-high heat until slightly browned. Remove corn and set aside leaving butter in pan. In a food processor process together, onion, garlic and ginger until very finely minced. Stir in spices and sugar. Add remaining butter and onion mixture to pan and cook for 8-10 minutes over medium-low heat. Stir in the corn, and cool mixture so that yogurt won't curdle. Stir in the yogurt and serve.

Pisagetti

2008-03-15T21:11:00.000-07:00

Spaghetti, or pisagetti, as my 2 year old says, is a family favorite. It's so simple and easy to make your own sauce. If you use canned sauce you'll never go back. Umm....well sort of. This recipe is actually one of those "almost-home-made" recipes." Guess what else? It's really tasty too! All of the ingredients in here are estimations. I never measure when I make spaghetti. Put in close to what I call for, and vary the spices as you like them. Another hint. When I say ground beef in any recipe, I most certainly do not mean hamburger. I use ground sirloin, or chuck if I have to. At my house, we prefer to not eat the extra goodies that are put into hamburger meat. This recipe is very flexible. You could use cooked, shredded chicken instead of the beef, just add it to the sauce at the end instead of the beginning. You could pop open a few links of Italian sausage and use that instead of the beef. Green and black olives are also heavenly stirred into the sauce. If you need to, add in some diced veggies like mushrooms, zucchini, and carrots. It's really up to you!

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb ground beef
1 large onion, diced
2-4 cloves garlic minced
1 (26 ounce, or so) jar spaghetti sauce, use whatever kind strikes your fancy
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, DO NOT DRAIN
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
2 bay leaves
1-3 teaspoons sugar
salt
pepper

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil, over medium high heat, until softened. Add ground beef and brown thoroughly. Stir in remaining ingredients, and any extra veggies or add-ins that you might want and cook over low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Serve over spaghetti noodles.

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

2008-03-10T09:30:00.000-07:00

Oh my oh my! This has got to be one of my all time favorite foods. As I may have previously mentioned, a time or two, I grew up in Louisiana. I'm not sure why I haven't blogged more Louisiana food. Gumbo is probably my most favorite Louisiana food. Then again, there are some seafood things that might top it.

Here are a few rules for those who didn't grow up eating gumbo and don't know how to do it properly. Gumbo should still look like a soup when you eat it. I think Campbell's soup company is to blame for a large portion of Americans thinking that gumbo should have rice stirred into it. Start with a scoop of rice in a large bowl. Then ladle the gumbo over the rice. Do NOT add a lot of rice and then stir the rice and gumbo together so that it looks like a casserole. It took me a long time to convince my husband that if you have equal rice to gumbo, you are missing out on a whole lot of the flavor.

Feel free to add more spice to your own individual bowl. Some people like it fiery!

If you don't have a large cast iron skillet, use a very heavy bottomed pan to make the roux (oil-flour mixture.) If you don't use a heavy bottomed pan, you wont' be able to get the pan heated high enough at an even heat to brown the roux without burning it. Be very careful while stirring the roux. They don't call it cajun napalm for nothing. It is probably the hottest temperature food you will ever encounter while cooking, and it's sticky. Wear long sleeves if possible while making the roux. You won't regret it.

If you're pressed for time but still want gumbo, take these short cuts. Debone a couple of rotissere chickens for the meat, or quickly boil up some boneless skinless chicken breasts. Buy your roux pre-made, and follow the directions on the package. Cut up your veggies the night before.

(Inspiration for my gumbo comes from a Chicken and Sausage gumbo recipe from Chef John Folse.)

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

1 cup vegetable oil (I used a mix of 1/4 cup bacon grease and 3/4 cup vegetable oil.)
1 1/2 cups flour
1 large onion, diced small
2 cups diced celery
1 bell pepper diced small
1/4 cup minced garlic
1 bunch green onions sliced thinly
cooked chicken meat from 1 whole chicken
1 pound smoked sausage, or andouille if you can get your hands on it.
chicken broth from cooking the chicken
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (16 ounce) bag sliced frozen okra (if you like okra, use 2 bags.)
1 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1-2 tablespoons chicken soup base (use instead of salt)
1 tablespoon Tony Cachere's cajun seasoning

Before you start the roux, combine the onion (NOT green onions), celery, bell pepper, and garlic in a bowl for easy access and place near your stove. Also locate the chicken broth you made earlier in close proximity to the pan in which you will make the roux. Slice the sausage 3/4 inch thick and brown over medium heat. Once lightly browned, set sausage aside for later.

In a large, deep cast iron skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Whisk in flour, stirring constantly. Switch to a large metal spoon and keep stirring, being sure to scrape up the bottom edges of the pan where the roux can collect and stick. The roux should slowly darken as you stir. If dark brown flecks appear, throw it out and start over. You've burned it. Once the roux reaches a nice caramel brown color. We're talking a dark caramel people, dump in all of your diced onions (NOT the green onions), the celery, the garlic, and the bell pepper. Savor the intoxicating smell as you stir and cook for about 5-8 minutes while they soften.

Transfer the roux-veggie mix to a large soup pot (one that can hold at least 2 gallons). Heat over medium-high heat, still stirring constantly. Use a 1 cup measuring cup to ladle in chicken broth while you stir constantly. Ladle in all of the broth that you made. Once the broth is all in, you can stop stirring. Add the green onions, can of tomatoes, okra and herbs, and Cajun seasoning. Bring to a boil. Cook for 30 minutes. Taste and add 1-2 tablespoons chicken soup base to salt the gumbo and add incredible chicken flavor. Add chicken meat and sausage. Cook for 30 more minutes. Serve over a scoop of rice, and eat with saltine crackers. Enjoy and thank the Cajuns of Louisiana.

Chicken Broth and Meat

1 whole chicken, about 3-4 lbs, (I prefer natural, they are less fatty.)
2 stalks celery
1 large onion quartered
2 large carrots or a handful of baby carrots
dried herbs to flavor broth (you can strain them out later. OR use fresh herbs.)
10 peppercorns

Rinse chicken, reserving neck and gizzard. Put chicken, neck and gizzard in a large soup pot. Add celery, onion, carrots, herbs (about 1 teaspoon parsley, 1 or 2 bay leaves, some thyme if you want.) Don't overdo it on the herbs though. Add water to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil, turn down heat to low, and cook for about 45 minutes or until chicken is done. While it cooks, skim off any fat that rises to the surface. Remove chicken and cool. Strain and reserve broth for gumbo. Once chicken is cooled debone and reserve meat for gumbo. Discard gizzard and neck.

Field Greens Salad and Photoshop

2008-03-06T21:33:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been to California Pizza Kitchen? They have this very yummy salad called the Field Greens Salad.

I have a secret. Sssshhhhh! Don't' tell. I know how to make it. (And...it's not hard.)

But first! We must talk business. If you look back at the recipes in the beginning of my blog, you will notice two very important things.

Number one: I didn't know how to use my camera.

Number two: I didn't know how to use photoshop.

Slowly, I am learning, and getting better. I still have lighting issues, but I'm not yet ready to invest in mercury vapor lights or any other lighting contraptions to light my kitchen. So I make do with what I have.

I need your opinions, oh dear wise, reader. You may be few in number, but your opinion is so very, very important. Please tell me which photo you like and why. I'll be forever grateful.

This first photo was taken with our 1:1 ratio lens. To me, it looks as if you could pick it right up off of the screen and eat it. Look at the veins in the leaves. You can almost see photosynthesis happening right there. Almost. Although it looks very real, it isn't as appetizing as it could be. The flash was also involved. I know it's horrible but true. I just don't know enough to stop that darn camera when it wants to use the flash.

This second picture was taken sans flash. *Insert applause here* It was also taken with our regular lens that came with the camera. It's got vibration reduction! I think it looks so appetizing and yummy. So much more than the first very realistic picture.

So please tell me. Why is the first picture, although very anatomically fantastic, not as appealing? Or is it more appealing to you? Just so you know, I photoshopped the daylights out of both of them.

And for those salivating and waiting for that *top secret* recipe. TA DA!

Field Greens Salad

1 bag spring mix salad greens
candied or praline pecans (walnuts work great too)
mild blue cheese (try Gorgonzola)
2 pears halved, cored and thinly sliced (remove peels if you don't need fiber)
Dijon and Orange Vinaigrette

Salad assembly is pretty straight forward. Divide the salad between 4 plates. Arrange 1/2 of one pear on top of salad greens on each plate. Stick a fork in your blue cheese, twist and create crumbles. Sprinkle crumbles on top of salad. Sprinkle a few candied pecans on top of each salad. Drizzle with vinaigrette. There may be some vinaigrette left over. You don't have to use it all.

Dijon and Balsamic Vinaigrette

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey (you can do more but it's too sweet for me)
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh ground pepper

Combine all ingredients in a mason jar, put on the lid, and shake violently. You have my permission to use another type of container if and only if it has a tight fitting lid.

Herb and Lemon Roasted Chicken Breasts

2008-03-05T08:37:00.001-08:00

How about some roasted chicken breasts? I've always wondered why there aren't more recipes for roasted chicken breasts, instead of the whole bird. Here's one if you want it. And I must add that it turned out so moist and delicious! My inspiration for the recipe came from the April Family Circle magazine. They had a roast chicken recipe, but I didn't have a whole chicken, nor did I have any tarragon, so I kind of did my own thing.

5-6 bone-in, skin-on, chicken breast halves
1 lemon
4 inch sprigs of fresh rosemary, 1 for each chicken breast
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
5 tablespoons softened butter

Preheat your oven to 400 F. Spray a large roasting pan with cooking spray. Zest the lemon, reserving rest of lemon for juice later. Combine butter with lemon zest, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. I kneaded the butter and stuff together. Rinse your chicken breast halves and pat dry. Place in roasting pan. Gently open a pocket under the skin of each chicken breast but do not remove the skin. Stuff approximately a tablespoon of butter mixture under the skin of each chicken breast half. Slide 1 sprig of rosemary under the skin and into the butter mixture. Sprinkle extra salt and pepper over the chicken. Squeeze lemon juice over the top of the chicken breast halves. The lemon juice makes the skin crispy. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until tender and juices run clear. Remove rosemary stem before serving.

Springtime Means Asparagus

2008-03-04T20:25:00.003-08:00

Remember my summer squash entry? Well it's the darndest thing! Asparagus makes a great replacement for the zucchini. Just cook it the same!

When you are choosing asparagus at the grocery store, you want spears that are firm and not wilty. They shouldn't be spotted either. The tips should look like fresh tight flower buds, but not dried out or shrivelled. Once you get it home, place it in a glass of water in your fridge like you would a bunch of flowers. That's all asparagus really is anyway, a bunch of flowers on stems. Tasty flowers on stems. To prepare them, snap off the bottom couple of inches or so to get off the tough part. And remember, with asparagus, girth is not important. Fat ones can be just as tender as the slim ones and vice versa. You've just got to find the freshest ones.

Squash Saute

2008-02-28T20:39:00.001-08:00

I call this dish Squash Saute. Why? Because I wasn't sure how to spell sauteed, as in sauteed squash. It's just not the same without the accent mark over the "e." Something else about me, I hate to put anything inside quotation marks that isn't what I'm trying to talk about, such as a period (.) or a comma (,). It just looks so unnatural. It feels bad. But it looks worse if you put them outside the quotation marks.

Sorry, was I wandering?

One of my absolute favorite vegetables to grow and eat are summer squash. It's a toss up as to which variety I like the best. It used to be zucchini all the way, but then I started to really enjoy the yellow squash. And then, I discovered patty pan squash. Wow, are those good! Once I tried to give a friend some zucchini from my garden after they ran amok in the monsoon rains. She told me she didn't *like* zucchini. And I was like, well how do you cook them? And she said "I steam them." It's no wonder she didn't like them. Who wants to eat rubbery zucchini?

Anyway, moving on... You can tell a fresh summer squash at the grocery store by looking at the skin. It should be smooth, thin, and as blemish free as possible. The darker yellow a crookneck squash, the older and thicker the skin is. Don't even bother with those, they're just not worth it.

This recipe will leave your zucchini, slightly crunchy and caramelized on the outside and al dente on the inside! The taste is so heavenly. You've got to run out and try it!

4 summer squash sliced 3/4 inch thick
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
large flake sea salt

Melt butter in pan with olive oil. Saute squash over medium high heat in a non-stick skillet if you've got one. You want a pretty good sizzle, and high heat to quickly caramelize the outside but leave the inside with a bit of firmness and bite. Cook them for about 3 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with salt, and eat warm. (I turn mine with bamboo tongs so I don't scratch my Teflon pan.)

Corn Tortillas and How to Cook Them

2008-02-24T19:12:00.000-08:00

You might ask why someone would need a lesson on how to cook corn tortillas. Well, most people cook them in oil of some sort. Be it a lot of oil or a little, they very often come out a bit greasy. I have come up with a method that reduces the oil to a minuscule amount. I use an 8 inch cast iron skillet.

Heat your skillet over medium high heat.

When the pan is very hot, add 3 drops of olive oil. Yes, only 3 drops.

Immediately place one corn tortilla on top of the oil.

With your hand lightly touching the tortilla, quickly spin it in the oil so that the pan is evenly coated. I don't pre-oil the pan, because it will smoke as it heats and nobody wants a smoky kitchen.

Cook the tortilla for 3-4 seconds and then...

Flip to the other side and cook for another 3-4 seconds. Repeat with remaining tortillas. I stack my cooked tortillas in between layers of napkins and cover the whole stack with foil to keep them warm. Add more oil every 4 tortillas or so, or if they begin to stick.

Once you have cooked your tortillas, be sure to enjoy them with the full complement of taco toppings. We ate ours with brisket, re-fried beans, sour cream, cotija cheese, Mexi-corn saute, salsa, cilantro, and lime juice. So delicious!

Apple Crisp

2008-02-18T20:33:00.001-08:00

Ooooohhhhh! Apple crisp! Don't ya' just love it? I can't totally claim this recipe as my own. It's an adaptation of my friend Melissa's recipe. I just changed a few things up a bit. She deserves total credit for the addition of orange juice though. That's what sets this apple crisp apart.

4 large granny smith apples, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup orange juice
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 cup uncooked oatmeal
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

Pre-heat oven to 375 F. Place apple slices in an 8 x 8 baking dish, add orange juice, and stir gently to combine. Mix together dry ingredients. Sprinkle topping evenly over apples. Bake for 45 minutes. If you like your apples crunchier, bake for 30 minutes.

Pink Salad

2008-02-16T13:38:00.001-08:00

Would you look at that. It's a pink fluffy pile of goodness. A blast from the past. It's that salad that your grandma probably made for you. But wait! Do not run away just yet. This stuff is tasty. If you aren't lucky like me, and can't get fresh strawberries right now without selling your birthright, go ahead and use a 1 pound bag of frozen whole strawberries with no sauce. Thaw them a bit and cut them into quarters. Feel free to experiment with different fruits and jello flavors. They're all good, but this strawberry version is the best.

1 lb fresh strawberries, quartered
1 (8 ounce) container cool whip, softened
1 (16 ounce) container small curd cottage cheese
1 (3 ounce) package strawberry jello
1 banana, sliced

Stir the jello and cottage cheese together. Add cool whip and stir gently to combine. Fold in strawberries and banana. You can let it sit for 15 minutes, so the jello dissolves completely.

Roasted Carrots and a Bonus Recipe!

2008-02-15T19:44:00.000-08:00

I love roasted vegetables, especially in the winter. In the winter, you don't mind heating up your kitchen by boosting the oven up to 450 F. It's so easy, healthy, and the caramelization is just delicious. Especially on carrots. If you don't have time, use a 1 pound bag of baby carrots. If you've got time buy a bunch of regular carrots, peel them, and cut them into baby corrot sized pieces. The effort you put into using the big carrots, is totally and completely worth it. They just taste better. Thank you Diana for teaching me this.

1 lb baby carrots
2 tablespoons olive oil
Nature's seasons

Preheat oven to 450 F. On a large cookie sheet, place carrots. Drizzle with olive oil. Use more or less as you find necessary. Toss the carrots with your hands and spread them out. You don't want them to touch very much. Sprinkle with ample Nature's seasons. You won't need extra salt. Bake for 30 minutes, shaking pan at 15 minutes to roll the carrots around. If you want you can stir them, but I'm too lazy.

I served these carrots with a delicious crock pot recipe from the folks at Pillsbury called French Onion Beef. It looked fabulously delicious in the picture and I must admit that it was pretty darn tasty. You're not going to get a picture of it though. It was one of the ugliest looking things I've ever made. You 'd better believe the picture in the magazine was totally set up, and not cooked according to the directions. I cooked mine for 4 hours on high, and if you cook yours on high be sure to add at least 1 extra cup of water because it can get a bit dry during cooking. I used turkey stuffing mix instead of herb flavor, and it was a good substitution.

French Onion Beef

1 1/4 pound boneless beef round steak
1 package (8 ounces) slice fresh mushrooms (3 cups)
1 large onion, sliced and separated into rings
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed French onion soup
1 package (6 oz) 10 -minute herb stuffing mix
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Cut beef into 6 serving-sized pieces. Layer half each of beef, musrhooms, and onion in a 3 1/2 to 4-quart slow cooker; repeat layers. Pour soup over ingredients in slow cooker.

Cover; cook on Low heat setting 8 to 10 hours or until beef is tender and no longer pink.

Before serving, in medium bowl, mix stuffing mix, melted butter and 1/2 cup liquid from slow cooker; toss to mix. Place stuffing on top of contents in slow cooker.

Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook 10 minutes longer or until stuffing is fluffy. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover; cook until cheese is melted before serving.

Crab Rangoon

2008-02-12T14:03:00.001-08:00

You know those little crunchy wonton appetizers that they sell at Chinese restaurants for way more than they're worth? They've got cream cheese and crab, and come with that strange nuclear red sweet and sour sauce for dipping. Don't you just love them? I'm sure they have never heard of them in China, but that's not the important part. The important part is that you, yes YOU, can create them in your very own kitchen en masse for a fraction of the cost.

Note to self: Don't ever use Melissa's wonton wrappers, they're coated with so much flour that they don't stick closed, no matter how much water used. Oh wait...sorry...I was talking to myself. What about you ask? Just another almost cooking disaster. I painted and pasted and painted and pasted those darn wrappers with water, and they still popped open when I fried them. The comapny said that they recommend that the extra flour be dusted off. Who has time to dust off 60 wonton wrappers? I recommend any other brand of wrapper, except for Melissa's.

2 (8 ounce) packages 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1 (8 ounce) package imitation crab, chopped into small pieces
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 (60 count) square package wonton wrappers
water
sweet and sour sauce for dipping

Soften the cream cheese for 1 hour or so. Or, if you do things at the last minute like me, put the cream cheese into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds then stir, and repeat microwaving and stirring for about 3 times. Please remove the cream cheese from the wrapper before microwaving unless you like fireworks and fire in your microwave. Stir in crab and green onions.

Working with a few wrappers at a time, lay them out on your work surface. Don't do more than 6 or so at a time because they are prone to drying out. Place a small amount, approximately the size of an hard-boiled egg yolk, of the crab-cheese mixture into the center of each wrapper. Then using your finger and the water, paint two edges of the wrapper making a right ange. Please see the above picture if you are confused. Press wrapper shut sealing edges, and place completed rangoons into a container and shut the lid for Pete's sake so they don't dry out! Repeat with remaining filling and wrappers.

Heat oil over medium-high heat. I know the oil is ready if it sizzles when I dip in the corner of a wonton. Whatever you do, do NOT walk away from your hot/heating oil unless you want to burn down your house. If you don't have your oil hot enough, they will be greasy! Cook each wonton for about 20-30 seconds on each side. Drain on paper towels and eat while still warm.

To reheat: Crab rangoons can be easily reheated in a 350 F oven for 8-10 minutes. Place them so they dont' touch on a cookie sheet.

Funk, Photos, and Biscuits

2008-02-10T20:25:00.000-08:00

I've been in kind of a cooking funk lately. Ok, it's not just my cooking. You know how it is. Nothing sounds good. I've been wondering what I'm going to blog about, because nothing's really working out. I made Japanese curry, but the pics aren't great. I made some raspberry cheesecake brownies, but they didn't taste spactacular. I made the biscuit above, and it wasn't made with my usual recipe, and it just tasted ok. I can't find my regular recipe, it's packed up in a box somewhere.

Do you ever have those times when you just can't get anything you cook to come out? I went to a restaurant of Friday, and even they couldn't get anything to turn out right. Maybe there's hope and it's not just me. At least I know I'll pull out of it. I'm not so sure about that restaurant.

My photos haven't been that great either. I do really like this one of the biscuit,it makes me think of the '50s, although I don't like the photoshopped edge that is clearly visible at the top of the biscuit. It does need some more work. I'm going to get really smart like Hannah at Bittersweet Blog and invest in some poster board. Then I won't need to try to photoshop out all of the junk my children have left all over my kitchen.

Barbecue Chicken Tortilla Wraps

2008-02-07T18:58:00.000-08:00

This recipe is probably one of the easiest dinners you could make and still impress friends and family. It comes from that book I've mentioned before, here, called Southwest Slow Cooking. Barbecue flavors match surprisingly well with Mexican ones. You can use plain old Monterey Jack cheese like the recipe calls for if you want, or you can get all crazy and wild and use Pepper Jack cheese. It's really up to you and how brave/daring you feel. I also liked lime squeezed over the tacos, but again, your acoutremants are up to you.

4 bonless chicken breasts
2 cups of your favorite barbecue sauce
Flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 avocados, peeled, seeded, and sliced
Fresh Cilantro

Place the chicken breasts in the slow cooker and cover with barbecue sauce. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Remove chicken and shred with a fork. In the center of a warm tortilla, layer shredded chicken, cheese, avocado, and a pinch of cilantro. Roll up and enjoy!

Makes 6+ Servings

Marshmallow Krispie Bars

2008-02-04T19:30:00.000-08:00

Kind of an unassuming name isn't it. Diabolical doesn't even begin to describe these bars. You have a combination of fudgy brownies, rice krispie treats, and peanut butter, all rolled up into a dessert the likes of which you cannot comprehend until you actually try to combat it's substantial powers. Resistance is futile. Make this dessert and see what I mean. The recipe is from the Favorite Brand Name Bake Sale Cookbook. I doubled the amount of rice krispies but you certainly don't have to.

1 package (19.8 ounces) Chewy Fudge Brownie Mix
1 package (10.5 ounces) miniature marshmallows
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups crisp rice cereal

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 9x13 inch pan.

Prepare and bake brownies following package directions for fudgy recipe. (Not the cake-like.) Remove from oven. Sprinkle marshmallows on hot brownies. Return to oven. Bake for 3 minutes longer.

Place chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter in medium saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until chips are melted. Add rice cereal; mix well. Spread mixture over marshmallow layer. Refrigerate until chilled. Cut into bars.

Makes about 2 dozen bars

Cheese Pear Toasts

2008-01-31T19:35:00.000-08:00

Don't you just love simple food? This recipe came from a Martha Stewart Everyday Food magazine, which just so happens to be my all time favorite cooking magazine EVER! It was written up as an after school snack. How about an I-don't-want-to-cook snack, or an I-have-no-more-ideas-for-dinner meal? It is nutritious, and delicious, and oh so quick to make. Please please please be sure you use real cheddar cheese and not cheese food product or velveeta.

english muffins split in half
grated cheddar cheese
ripe pears, sliced 1/4 inch thick or so

On each english muffin half place about 1/4 of a pear. Top with a mound of grated cheese. Broil with the door open, peering in anxiously as you wait. Do not walk away from the oven, you will burn them. They are done when the cheese is sizzly and ever so slightly browned on top.

It's not just email baby.

2008-01-30T14:04:00.000-08:00

Somebody call CPS cause I've done something very wrong. And bad. That no loving parent should ever do to their children if they love them. Yes, I tried to feed my children Spam. I had a coupon for a free single serving. It sounded like such an easy option for dinner when I didn't really want to cook. Ok, ok, I'm sorry. I'm sorry *sob*...I'll never do it again.

Seriously though, lets talk Spam. Not only is the texture rather odd, but the fat content is out of control. I cooked it a little bit in a skillet, like my Korean friend does, to brown it up a bit, and get off some of the grease. The response I got: "Mommy this is yucky meat. I don't like it." At least my children's natural instinct is to stay away from artery clogging fat laden food. That is, except for donuts, and ice cream, and candy bars, and chips, and the list goes on and on.

I actually don't mind the taste of Spam. It's not bad. It is especially greasy though. You look at the information on the back, and 22 grams of total fat seems huge, but that is a pretty big piece of Spam. You'd have to be really dedicated to eat the whole thing by yourself. And the sat fat is pretty darn high too. What the truly discerning consumer really needs to know is what kinds of fat contribute to the 22 grams of Total Fat in the Spam. Lets do some fat arithmetic shall we? 22 grams of Total Fat minus the 8 grams of sat fat leaves 14 grams of mystery fat. I need to know what these fats are. I'm curious after all. Do you think they'd tell me if I called them and asked?

If I were the Spam people, I'd be playing up any monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats that might be in there. Then they could promote Spam as an artery cleaning food. Well maybe not. But, they could do some fuzzy fat arithmetic and extrapolate how the good fats cancel out the bad fats and then Spam is therefore a fat neutral food. But, what if those mystery fats are BAD, SCARY fats. Worse than the 0 transfats that are listed on the back. Until recently we didn't even know that some of the mystery fats we were eating were transfats *shudder*. Perish the thought! How could we have been ingesting those terrible little boogers and not know it? Mystery fat....I need to know. How about you?

Salami Pasta Salad

2008-01-27T18:35:00.000-08:00

My husband loves this pasta salad. It is again, another lovely salad for those longing for spring. If you have a Costco in your area, look for the Nature's Sweet grape tomatoes. Not only are they cheaper than those you'll buy in your regular grocery store, they are the sweetest most incredible tasting tomato I've ever tried. And I've grown a lot of tomatoes in my garden. I always wonder if they inject them with MSG and sugar or something. You could add marinated artichokes to this and it would be lovely also.

12 ounces Tri-color rotini pasta cooked according to package directions, rinsed, and cooled
1 can medium olives, drained (I like medium because they are more bite sized for a salad.)
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, fresh or brick cubed, or feta cheese crumbled
4 ounces salami, sliced into ribbons or cubed (cubed looks better)
2-3 cups grape tomatoes halved
1/3 cup sliced green onions
fresh basil
5 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4-1/2 teaspoon pepper

Layer basil leaves in a smallish line, roll up, and slice on the diagonal. Combine pasta, mozzarella, salami, tomatoes, and green onions in a large bowl. Sprinkle basil over top of pasta mixture and combine gently. In a small bowl, whisk to combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour over other ingredients in large bowl and toss gently. Refrigerate and serve when chilled.

Pork Tacos

2008-01-25T20:26:00.000-08:00

These are my favorite tacos. The recipe came about in an interesting way. I used to buy those huge packages of pork tenderloin chops at Costco. I don't know why for sure, because I would always struggle in the end to use it all up. I'm just not that good at cooking pork chops. Finally out of desperation, I think I was out of ground beef, I tossed some in the food processor and pulsed them until they were slightly chopped. Oh...my...gosh! The flavor of pork tenderloin is fabulous in a taco with all the fixings. You've just got to try it!

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/4 pounds pork tenderloin chops
1 (20 ounce)package salsa corn (Please see picture below.)
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt

Cut the pork chops into roughly 1 inch chunks. Toss into your food processor and pulse for a few seconds until the meat is roughly chopped up. It will be in much bigger pieces than hamburger. Be careful to not over process the meat, or it gets gummy. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook the pork until it begins to brown. Sprinkle with chili powder, cumin, and salt. Stir and cook, toasting the spices until they become fragrant. Turn down the heat to medium low, add the salsa corn, stir, and cook for 10-15 minutes or so until the pork and vegetables are cooked through. Serve with corn tortillas, sour cream, fruit Salsa, cilantro, lime wedges, and grated cheddar cheese.

*I don't serve this with cotija cheese, my usual taco cheese, because it does not pair well with fruit salsa. If you do use tomato salsa, feel free to use the cotija, it's great!

Amy's Fruit Salsa

2008-01-21T11:55:00.000-08:00

Here's one of those recipes that is summery, fruity, and totally do-able in the winter. Everything comes out of a jar except for the kiwis, which are a winter fruit anyway. The mango can be found in the refrigerated produce section. If you want, use fresh mango, but I don't like using them so much because you never know quite how much pit vs. fruit that you actually have in there. This salsa is delicious. Let me warn you. You will not be able to resist it's gravitational pull. But don't worry, it's a fruit! We all need more servings of fruits and veggies in our diets! This salsa tastes wonderful over pork in tacos. (Pork taco recipe coming soon.)

1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 jar Del Monte Sunfresh Mango, drained
3 kiwis peeled
1 cup diced roasted red bell peppers
4 tablespoons minced cilantro
3 tablespoons white sugar
5 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Dice the mango into smallish pieces, but not as small as you would if mincing it. Dice the kiwis into similar sized pieces. In a bowl combine pineapple, kiwi, mango, red bell pepper, and cilantro. In a small bowl combine sugar, vinegar, and crushed red pepper. Mix thoroughly and pour over fruit mixture. Mix gently and let sit at room temperature for approximately 30 minutes if you can wait that long. Serve.

Chicken Poppy Seed Salad

2008-01-19T21:42:00.000-08:00

I'm one of those ridiculous people who crave winter food in the summer and vice versa. So for the next little bit, I'll be sharing some foods to fulfill that need. Fortunately for me, and all of the deranged passengers in the same boat, there are salads that you can cook in the winter that won't cost an arm or leg, and also use produce that is fresh in the winter. Thanks to that country shaped like a Chile pepper, we have delicious fresh grapes in the winter. Let us make use of them and be thankful.

12 oz. cellentani pasta, cooked al dente
2 cooked chicken breasts chopped into bite-sized pieces
4 oz. cheddar cheese cut into cubes
1/2 cup celery diced
1-2 cups red grapes (how many do you want in your salad?)
1 bottle of Brianna's Poppy seed Dressing

If at any time a quantity does not meet with your satisfaction, please change the amounts to suit yourself. Combine all ingredients and mix gently. Eat. Enjoy. Feed to your toddlers.

I have included this post in a blogging event called the "Wholesome Lunchbox" It's healthy, and you can make it organic if you want. Add a piece of fruit, a bit of something sweet, and a healthy drink such as juice or milk and you've got a lunch that anyone would love.

Jin Hee's Fried Tofu in Soy Sauce

2008-01-17T20:22:00.000-08:00

I'm sure there's an appropriate Korean name for this. I don't know what that name is, so I named this dish after my friend who taught me how to make it. Korean food is something that we Americans don't eat very much. We should! It is so darn delicious. That is, unless you don't like garlic. Koreans are very into their garlic from my personal experience. If you haven't ever tried Korean food, go out and find a restaurant today. Or go to your favorite sushi place and ask them to make you some authentic Korean food. Most of them are run by Koreans these days and they are always very happy when someone shows interest in their cuisine. Why don't we Americans eat more Korean food? (I may not have the proportions exactly as she taught me, but this is kind of how we like it.)

olive oil
1 brick of extra firm tofu
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
3-4 green onions sliced
2-4 cloves of garlic, depending on your garlic love, finely minced
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Drain tofu. Wrap in a clean kitchen towel, set on a plate, put another plate on top and then put something heavyish on top of that plate to remove excess water from tofu. Let the tofu drain for 10-15 minutes. While the tofu drains, combine soy sauce, water, green onions, garlic, sesame seeds, and sesame oil in a small bowl. Slice drained tofu into 1/4 inch thick slices. Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a non stick skillet on medium high heat. It is essential to use a non-stick skillet or your tofu will stick miserably. Beware of spatters of hot oil as you carefully slide slices of tofu into the oil. Cook for 3-4 minutes until golden brown, turn over slices and then repeat. Drain hot tofu on paper towels. Place tofu in a serving bowl, and pour soy sauce mixture over tofu. Serve with Calrose rice.

Do you like to use the store brand?

2008-01-15T19:01:00.000-08:00

I am all about saving money at the grocery store. I like to use the store brands, but I'm usually afraid. What if it's not any good? Then you've wasted all that money. Well I am all about going to great lengths for my readers. After using my sister in law's Western Family cooking spray, I knew what I had to do. My mission was clear. There *ARE* differences between the various store brands and generics. I had to tell the world.

In a side-by-side comparison, you can clearly see a difference in the two products. On the left we have the Western Family cooking spray, and on the right we have the Great Value (Wal-mart) cooking spray. I think the picture speaks for itself. When you spray that Western Family spray, it just runs everywhere. My husband being the scientist that he is, had to know why. Well here's our hypothesis. If you do a side by side comparison of the ingredients on the back, you will see that the Western Family brand includes water. Why on earth would you put water in a cooking spray? I have my guesses as to why. I mean seriously is soybean oil that expensive? All of the other ingredients are virtually identical except for the addition of water. Mystery solved, case closed. And there you have it.

PS. The butter smell of the Great Value spray is a bit funky.

Darren's Italian Chicken

2008-01-13T19:51:00.000-08:00

This is an easy recipe. You only really need four ingredients. Five if you count the side order of pasta. Try to get past the odd photo I have here and imagine. You're tired, and worn out. Suddenly your relatives appear right at dinnertime. What to do? Have I got a solution for you. And it is just as delicious as it is easy. It's another of my husband's all time favorite dinners. Again the amounts will be approximations because it depends on how much you want to make. I found this recipe in Parents magazine way back in 2004.

Frozen breaded chicken breasts or tenderloins

pre-made pesto

sliced mozzarella cheese

bottled marinara sauce

Heat the marinara sauce over low heat so it won't spatter all over the place. Heat your oven to whatever temperature the chicken package recommends. Cook the chicken on a baking sheet for 1/2 of the recommended cooking time. Remove from the oven. Spread pesto over each chicken piece and top with mozzarella. Return to the oven and bake for the remaining 1/2 of the recommended cooking time plus 2 extra minutes or so. Serve chicken piece on top of a pool of marinara sauce and pasta on the side.

The Great Debate

2008-01-12T09:21:00.000-08:00

A couple of nights ago I had a conversation with my husband about this blog. It went something like this"

"I'm going to blog the Frito Pie we had."

"Why would you want to do that?"

"Why are you telling me that I shouldn't put Frito Pie on my blog?"

"It's too low brow."

Now come on. I am all about food. That would include things that you only find on the table of a busy mom without a lot of time to cook, or even food found at a football game. How can I not blog the Frito Pie? There might be some person out in cyberdom, although they probably don't read my blog, who might not know how to make Frito Pie. It's a kid-friendly, kid-favorite dinner. You can sneak camouflaged vegetables into the chili. And what about all of that corn in the Fritos? Corn is so good for you.

So for all of those moms out there among my 5 faithful readers, who have run out of ideas and are desperate to shake things up a bit, and who have forgotten this dish from their childhood. Make Frito Pie! You don't need a pie plate! You don't need a recipe! The picture is the recipe! Make some chili, or use leftovers. If you absolutely must use canned, but it makes me gag. If you are in a hurry, use the McCormick packet to make some chili. Put in canned diced tomatoes instead of tomato sauce to get in some good veggies. For the best appearance assemble each persons individually in their bowl. Throw in some Fritos, top with chili, and then cheese, and then if you're not lactose intolerant, crown it with a heap of sour cream.

Ta da!!! Dinner is served!

Caramelized Onion, Mushroom, and Chicken Quesadilla

2008-01-10T20:07:00.000-08:00

Do you like quesadillas? I absolutely love them, but I've never been that good at making them. That is until I recently discovered a secret to making them crispy, but not greasy. Make your quesadilla in a non-stick skillet and spray the tortilla with cooking spray prior to cooking. Who would have thunk it? Your chicken that you use can be left over chicken. Just whatever you have handy, rotisserie, grilled, boiled, fried. It's all tasty in a quesadilla. You could even sub in pork or steak. Just don't use hamburger, your quesadilla deserves better.

2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 small onion, sliced thinly
5 medium mushrooms, sliced thickly
1 chicken breast thinly sliced
6-8 slices of pepper jack cheese broken up into pieces,
(or 2 cups or so of pepper jack cheese)
4 medium sized tortillas

Melt margarine in a small skillet. Add onions and mushrooms and cook over medium low heat for 10 minutes or so. Add chicken slices in the last 2 minutes or so of cooking to the onion mushroom mix to heat them. The quesadilla will heat through more evenly if you heat the chicken first. Spray one side of of a tortilla and place sprayed side down in a large skillet over medium heat. Place 1/4 of the cheese on the tortilla in the pan, add 1/2 the onion mixture, and top with another 1/4 cheese. Add tortilla to top ,and spray with cooking spray. After it has cooked for about 3 minutes, press down with a spatula to adhere toppings inside, slide a spatula underneath it, place your hand on top and gently flip over. Cook for another 3 minutes or so. Serve it with salsa, pico de gallo, sour cream, guacamole, whatever makes you happy. Repeat with remaining ingredients to make a quesadilla for your friend.

Bea's Chicken Casserole

2008-01-08T20:42:00.000-08:00

My grandmother was a great Louisiana cook. She made the best fried chicken. I have the fondest memories of eating dinner at her house. During the summer was the best. This casserole was one of her recipes. Again, it must be said, that I don't know what is so wrong with casseroles in photos. They just don't photograph well. Don't let let the picture deter you. I promise you will find it delicious.

1 pound spaghetti, cooked

3-4 chicken breasts cooked, and chopped into bite sized pieces

2 tablespoons margarine or butter

1/2 cup celery, diced

1/2 cup onion, diced

1 small can mushrooms, diced

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1-2 cans Rotel tomatoes, undrained

16 ounces Velveeta, cut into cubes

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 F. Saute celery and onion in margarine until soft. Stir in cream soups and Rotel tomatoes and their juice. (If you want it spicy, put in two cans, it won't affect the consistency of the casserole.) Add Velveeta and stir until melted. Combine all ingredients except for grated cheese. Put in greased 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle grated cheese over top. Bake for 30 minutes.

Home Fries

2008-01-05T09:54:00.000-08:00

How about some home fries? You know those crunchy yet soft potatoes you can eat at any meal. They're so tasty. And probably not very good for you. But who cares. And guess what! They're easy to make too. Use left over baked potatoes, or steamed potatoes, peels on or off. Go crazy.

This recipe is only approximations because you should do it to your own tastes. If you use already cooked potatoes, just cut them into chunks, and skip the cooking in broth step.

Home Fries

4-6 potatoes cut into 1x1 1/2 inch chunks or slightly bigger if you want

3 tablespoons of olive oil, or butter or any combination

1-1 1/2 cups chicken broth

seasoning salt

Heat butter/oil in large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. (You could do this in cast iron, but it may still stick unless you've got a really well seasoned pan. And you'll have to use more oil.) When hot add potatoes and cook for about 1 minute. Pour in broth turn down to medium-low, cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender but not falling apart. The broth should be pretty much cooked out at this point. If it's not you could pour some out. All you should have left is a bit of the butter/oil and potatoes. Cook the potatoes until browned turning them over gently with a spatula. Don't stir them or you'll break them into pieces. When they are brown enough for you, sprinkle with season salt and serve.

Toasted Pecan-and-Broccoli Salad

2008-01-03T18:35:00.000-08:00

This salad is very good and fresh tasting. Never in my life would I have thought that this combination would be as incredible as it is. The toastiness of the pecans with the tartness of the cranberries, and sweet acidity of the salad dressing are perfect partners to the broccoli. You can make it all low fat if you absolutely must. Use low fat mayo, and turkey bacon if you can stand it. Or you can do just blow it all to pieces and use the full fat versions. You only live once you know.

1/3 cup chopped pecans
1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons white vinegar
1 1/2 pounds fresh broccoli florets, broken into bite sized pieces
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup sweetened dried cranberries or raisins
4 cooked bacon slices, crumbled

Stir together mayonnaise, vinegar, and sugar and let it sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes so the sugar dissolves. In a small skillet, toast pecans over medium head until fragrant and barely browned. In a large bowl combine broccoli, onion, cranberries, pecans and mayonnaise mixture.

Lamb Meatballs with Citrus Sauce

2008-01-02T20:26:00.000-08:00

These meatballs are very tasty. If you've never tried lamb, you should. It has a slightly stronger taste than beef, but it is especially yummy with Indian inspired seasonings. I got the meatball recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens 2006 holiday publication "Appetizers."

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 1/4 teaspoons grated ginger

3 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 pound ground lamb

1 pound lean ground beef

1 cup barbecue sauce

1 cup orange marmalade

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine all ingredients except for barbecue sauce and orange marmalade, mixing well. Shape into meatballs 1 1/2 inch in diameter and place on rimmed cookie sheet. Bake for 25 minutes or until cooked through. Mix together barbecue sauce and marmalade. Pour sauce over meatballs and serve warm.

Caramelized Onion Chevre Crostini with Balsamic Reduction

2007-12-29T21:35:00.000-08:00

I don't know if the name I gave this appetizer is gastronomically accurate, but that's what I'm going to call it. What ever you want to call it, you'll like it. I served it on Christmas Eve at my little party. My sister-in-law asked for the recipe, so here you have it.

1 large onion thinly sliced
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1/4-1/2 teaspoon thyme
salt to taste
chevre
crostini toasts

Melt butter in saute pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 15 minutes, stirring often. When onions are very soft and golden brown throughout, stir in balsamic vinegar, water, raisins, and thyme. Cook until sauce is reduced a bit. Salt to taste.

On each crostini toast, place approximately 1 teaspoon of chevre, and top with onion mixture. Serve at room temperature.

Crostini Toasts

1 French baugette
olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 F. Slice baugette into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place on cookie sheet and brush with olive oil. Bake for 10-15 minutes until lightly golden and pleasantly crunchy. Over baking will make them tough.

Raspberry Truffles Anyone?

2007-12-22T18:03:00.000-08:00

I'm having a little get-together on Christmas Eve so I'm making some tasty things. Today I made some Raspberry Truffles. The recipe is unbelievably simple. The ingredients aren't very expensive. There is nothing to stop you from making your very own truffles for Christmas. The recipe says to scoop out the chocolate once it has cooled. Don't scoop it my friends. You will just end up with hard chunks of chocolate that will not roll into nice smooth balls. You should scrape the top of the chocolate with a spoon until you get enough to make a truffle ball. And if the cocoa powder is a bit lumpy like my picture. Let them sit or a minute or two. Then coat your hands in cocoa again, and then roll them in your palms quickly again and it smooths out beautifully and covers all of the bare spots. I substituted 1 teaspoon of raspberry extract for the raspberry liqueur.

Here's the link to the recipe.
Raspberry Truffles

Pioneer Woman's Favorite Cookies from Childhood and Beyond!!!

2007-12-16T19:56:00.000-08:00

Ok people for anyone who doesn't know. This is pioneer woman and her cooking blog. I have tried a few of her recipes, and they've been great! A couple of nights ago we tried her sugar cookies. They were easy and delicious. I really like how the cookies are soft and not too crunchy. They also are very delish. The addition of citrus makes them a little different from the average sugar cookie. I only changed the recipe by making my icing way to runny oops! and adding 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. I really like the almond flavor. I'm not a big maker of sugar cookies. My kids enthusiasm gets too overwhelming. They eat the flour, and usually end up wearing more than we use in the whole recipe. The contest to see who can smash the most cookie cutters into the dough. And this time, I really lost my marbles and let them paint with egg yolk paints too. Wow, I'm losing it. In the end though, it is always pretty darn fun. That is until somebody has to clean the kitchen.

Hey mom, can we paint yet???

We love painting these cookies.

Oh no something is amiss. Perhaps someone painted her cookie.

The finished painted product. No, my kids did not paint these.
With the runny, gooey, almondy, icing, that went everywhere.

The carnage at the end. Does anybody want to help clean my kitchen?

Zucchini Rice Casserole

2007-12-15T16:57:00.000-08:00

I know it's not zucchini season. But I couldn't help myself. This casserole is just too good and warming, and delicious. It tastes like you should eat it on a cold day. It comes from my mother-in-law's family. They've been making it for years. It doesn't look like much. Especially when you take a photo of it, but it is so comforting to eat. I'm not a big casserole fan, as I've said before, but this one, is awesome. You could even substitute pink banana squash or acorn squash, or any more appropriate winter squash for the zucchini if you prefer. You might just need to extend the cooking time a tiny bit. Be sure to use the cream of celery soup, even if you've never tried it and you find creams of green vegetables scary. The taste is essential.

Zucchini Rice Casserole

1 lb ground beef
1 medium chopped onion
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 cup uncooked rice
zucchini (The amount is so subjective. Be sure to get enough to cover the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan as deep as you want your squash. I prefer to have a thick squash layer.)

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 F. Brown beef and onion. Drain off fat and salt and pepper to taste. Add creamed soups, rice and ¾ cup of water. Stir to combine. Spray 9 x 13 rectangular baking dish with cooking spray. Peel zucchini if skin is tough or squash large. Slice in half lengthwise to make long pieces. Scoop out seeds if large. Line baking dish with layer of zucchini and salt and pepper them to taste. Spread beef rice mixture over squash. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour removing foil in last 15 minutes to brown. Casserole can also be baked at 350 for 1 ½ hours.

Chocolate Roast Beef

2007-12-10T20:50:00.000-08:00

Did I say chocolate and beef together? Why yes I did! This recipe came about as I was trying to find a new crock pot recipe for roast beef besides my standard onion soup mix and condensed mushroom soup recipe. I found an interesting enough recipe in my Southern Living Slow-Cooker book. One of the main ingredients was coffee, and I don't do coffee. So I decided that unsweetened cocoa powder would probably be a good substitute. And wouldn't you know it, it was delicious! The sauce is very rich and dark. You can't taste the chocolate though, but it adds depth to the flavor that is just delicious. Please please try this. You will amaze and impress your family, just like I did mine! Be careful with the salt in this recipe, it can get pretty salty. I use Nature's seasons for my season-all for meats and my cottage cheese sprinkle.

Chocolate Roast Beef

3 lb sirloin tip roast cut in half
Morton's Nature's Seasons (or your favorite season salt)
olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
1 cube beef bouillon
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dried basil
all purpose flour

Sprinkle the roast pieces with Nature's Seasons. Brown in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Remove roast and place in slow cooker. Saute onion and garlic in skillet until soft. Stir cocoa powder into water and stir into onion mixture in skillet. Add bouillon, salt, and basil. When bouillon is dissolved, pour mixture into slow cooker, over the roast. Cook on high for 6 hours. Remember, don't lift the lid, or your slow-cooker will have to reheat, and your cooking time will be extended. When roast is done remove to a platter. To make gravy measure drippings. For each cup of drippings add 1 tablespoon of flour to 1/4 cup of water. (You only need 1/4 cup of water total.) Strain drippings into a sauce pan, stir in flour-water mixture and heat to boiling. When gravy is thickened, serve with the roast.

Zucchini Goat Cheese Pizza

2007-12-08T20:46:00.000-08:00

This recipe comes from a book called "The Little Guides Pizzas" It's a great pizza. I like to make my crust homemade, but lately I've been having technical difficulties with my baking. Maybe it's the weather?

Zucchini Goat Cheese Pizza

1 pizza crust

julienned zucchini

thinly sliced white or yellow onion

chevre

1/2 lemon

oregano

olive oil

salt and pepper

Preheat your oven, preferably with a pizza stone to 500 F. Rub or brush a small amount of olive oil on your pizza crust. Sprinkle with oregano. Add zucchini strips in a random but tasty pattern. Add a layer of thinly sliced onion. Put a fork in the chevre and twist over the top of the pizza allowing the delicious goat-cheesiness to rain down, again being as random as possible. Salt and pepper to taste. Place pizza on the pizza stone and bake for 10-12 minutes. Squeeze lemon half over pizza and enjoy.

Don't Be Afraid of Wal-mart store brand

2007-12-04T22:40:00.001-08:00

I think people can be put off by store brands. When I feel adventurous, and the picture looks oh so yummy, I get sucked in, and I try it. Sometimes I am frightened and the other times I rejoice at the inexpensive deliciousness that I have discovered. This lasagna was delicious! The chicken really was white meat chicken. And it didn't have any gross parts attached either. The sauce was luscious and creamy. I would serve this to company. I really would.

There were a few things I didn't like. The sun-dried tomato pieces were virtually non-existent. There were a few. A very few. The sauce was really runny. I think if I had not been so completely ravenous and let it sit for a about 10 minutes before serving, it would have sliced more nicely. The pan is extraordinarily deep and it makes extracting a piece very difficult. Actually, I don't think it is possible to get the lasagna pieces to look like the picture.

But the flavor, delicious! Try it try it! You will like it. I promise.

Did Somebody Say Sushi?

2007-12-02T20:24:00.000-08:00

I love sushi! Who wants to make sushi with me? You do? Great! This recipe makes a ton of sushi rice. If I'm gonna make sushi, I'm going to make lots for everyone. The chopping and rice prep take some time, so I want to make it worth it.

Lets start with the sushi rice. This recipe will make sufficient rice for about 6 California rolls and a whole lot of inari sushi. Please use Japanese rice such as Calrose, to make your sushi. Rinse the rice several times before cooking it. You will lose some nutrients doing this, but it is necessary for the proper texture.
.
Sushi Rice
.
5 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Mirin
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
8 cups hot cooked Japanese rice
.
Combine first 4 ingredients and stir until sugar and salt are dissolved. Place the hot rice in a large plastic tub or flat bottomed bowl. Don't use metal as the acid in the vinegar will cause an off taste. Sprinkle some of the vinegar mixture over the rice and slash through the rice lifting it, with a rice paddle. Continue sprinkling and slashing, tasting occasionally, until you are satisfied with the taste. It is not necessary to use all of the vinegar mixture. The rice should be cooled once you are finished.
.
Inari Sushi
.
Inari sushi is so sweet and delicious. I don't know how many Westerners eat them, but you can be sure that Japanese people do. I was introduced to them by my husband who grew up in Japan. When I visited his parents there, I would plead with him to go down to the sushi shop on the corner of their apartment building to buy them for me for breakfast. I would have gotten them myself if it weren't for that darn language barrier. Now I just make them myself. Yum!

You need a can of these.
These are inari wrappers made of fried slices of tofu. Remove them from the can and carefully open each one with your fingers. Be careful to not rip through the sides as they are a bit fragile. Stuff them gently with sushi rice, and sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds on top of the rice. Fold over the top and place them seam side down on the serving dish.

California Roll

nori sushi wraps
prepared sushi rice
julienned strips of cucumber
sliced avocado
imitation crab (preferably in sticks, not chunks like the photo)
.
Spread a large sheet of cling wrap over your work surface. Place one sheet of nori on the cling wrap. Wet your hands and get a handful of sushi rice and carefully spread in a very thin layer over the nori leaving a 1/2 inch border at one end. Place the remaining ingredients in a stack on one end of the nori as illustrated in the picture, on the opposite end of the 1/2 inch border.

Grab the edge of the cling wrap, press your fingers against the filling and roll the sushi towards yourself. Use the cling wrap to press the roll tightly together and your fingers to push the edge in tightly and then lift up the cling wrap and continue to roll up the sushi. Be sure to not roll the cling wrap up in the roll. Slice and serve with wasabi and lite soy sauce.

Slow Cooker Tex-Mex Chicken

2007-11-30T18:53:00.000-08:00

How about a warm comforting slow-cooker recipe from the people at Kraft? I made it. It was good. My brother in law really liked it. You should try it. Your brother in law will like it too.

The only changes I made were to add 1 can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed, and I didn't put in the green pepper, only the red. I also served it over brown rice. My picture isn't anything as lovely and appetizing as Kraft's. I could pirate theirs but then that wouldn't be right would it? Check out how beautiful this recipe can be right here.

Slow-Cooker Tex-Mex Chicken

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch-wide strips

2 tablespoons (1/2 package) taco seasoning mix

2 tablespoons flour

1 each green and red pepper, cut into 1-inch wide strips

1 cup frozen corn

1 1/2 cups thick and chunky salsa

1 cup Mexican style shredded cheese

Toss chicken with seasoning mix and flour in slow cooker. Stir in all remaining ingredients except the cheese; cover with lid.

Cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours (or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.)

Stir just before serving. Top with cheese.

Makes 4 servings, 1 1/2 cups each.

Jazz it up: Serve spooned over hot cooked rice. Garnish with sliced green onions and chopped cilantro.

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BONUS RECIPE:

(Sorry no photo)

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This recipe was good, and also very homey. Like something you might eat in Idaho, or Utah. It doesn't have complex flavors, but they are good flavors. And importantly it is oh so easy. I substituted celery salt for celery seeds because I hate them. This recipe comes from the Taste of Home Slow-cooker magazine.

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Spaghetti Pork Chops

~~~

3 cans tomato sauce

1 can condensed tomato soup, undiluted

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon celery salt

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

6 bone-in pork chops (1 inch thick)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Hot cooked spaghetti

In a 5-quart slow cooker, combine the tomato sauce, soup, onion, bay leaf, celery seed, and Italian seasoning. In a large skillet, brown pork chops in oil. Add to the slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until meat is tender. Discard bay leaf. Serve chops and sauce over spaghetti.

Yield: 6 servings

Chicken Soup for your Soul

2007-11-26T21:58:00.000-08:00

With all of the cold weather we've been having, and a sick husband, I decided it was time to make some chicken soup. I love chicken soup. I love the versatility. Mix it together and there you have it! Warm, satisfying, healing chicken soup. This recipe is nice because you can put in whatever you want. An unending array of vegetables awaits you. Serve it with noodles, rice, crackers, with dumplings, or as my mother in law does, over mashed potatoes. No matter how you do it, this recipe will always be successful. Now I'm giving you just approximations. You have to decide how much soup you want. I like to make tons for leftovers, and some to freeze. If you need less, make less. And wonder of wonders, this recipe is all mine.

If you don't want to do the whole boil the chicken and debone it, then use boneless skinless chicken breasts and use some canned chicken broth to add flavor. Be sure to have the chicken meat cooked before you start the soup recipe. It also helps to prepare all of the veggies you are planning to use i.e. peel and chop them. The approximations are for a small pot of soup.

Healing Chicken Soup

Step 1: the aromatic veggies

1 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup finely chopped carrots
1 cup finely chopped onions
2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Heat olive oil in your soup pot and saute veggies until soft. Be sure to not let them brown.

Step 2: add your broth and herbs

chicken broth (homemade or store bought, boullion, or chicken soup base)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Add enough chicken broth to make the amount of soup that you want. This could be anywhere from 4-6 cans of chicken broth. Then add some dried thyme. Start with 1/2 teaspoon for a small pot of soup.

Step 3: The big veggies

You could leave these out if you want but I really like to have more veggies in my soup than chicken meat. Use whatever you have handy. Carrots, potatoes, cabbage, mushrooms, zucchini, summer squash, butternut squash, beans. My personal favorite is chunks of sweet potatoes. Add your pieces of vegetables to the broth.

*At this point if you haven't put in any potatoes you could add in some uncooked rice or noodles or dumplings and cook them with the veggies until they are done.

Step 4: Add the cooked chicken

Start with 1 to 2 cups of chicken meat for a small pot of soup.

Step 5: Finishing the soup

Heat through, taste, and then season with salt and pepper.

Eat and enjoy!

Have you ever heard of Bamboo rice?

2007-11-24T09:02:00.000-08:00

The bottle, fresh from Target.

The dry product. (Gee it looks like it's been covered in a green powder dosen't it?)In the rice cooker. I'm thinking sewage treatment pond. They really are that color you know.
And the lovely finished product. It tastes ok. Not bad, not great.

Green rice I tell you. No, Dr. Seuss did not invent it. Green rice is regular short grain rice that has been coated in powdered bamboo. Now I did not know when I purchased the bamboo rice that it was a misleading and fako kind of rice. I looked at the package and thought it looks like it has been coated. I read the ingredients and it said "Bamboo rice" as the only ingredient. You would think that the feds would be cracking down on Target and the Chinese and require them to tell you that the ingredients are actually short grain rice and bamboo powder.

Now on to the better question. Why would anyone in their right mind want to coat rice in bamboo powder? The color is lovely, even when cooked. The aroma is pleasant and slightly reminiscent of grass clippings. It tastes ok. My 4 year old thought I was trying to poison her. "Not green rice," she wailed. But, dear you have green eyes. Why not try green rice? Yes I made her eat it anyway.

Altogether, it didn't rock my world, or anyone elses for that matter. I prefer to get my greens from naturally green vegetables.

Warm Chocolate Cupcakes with Molten Centers

2007-11-13T17:49:00.001-08:00

How about a dark delicious way to end a meal? Can I hear a YUMMMMM chocolate! Hot molten chocolate! Please thank the Cake Mix Doctor for this recipe. It wasn't that difficult to make.

These delightful cupcakes were definitely hard to get out of the cupcake pan, dusting of cocoa and all. I finally popped them into the refrigerator for a bit and then pried them out with a butter knife. The Doc says to use 1/3 cup of batter per cupcake, but I'd really go for 1/4 cup. If you overfill them, then they need to bake longer and the ganache sinks to the bottom making them stick to the pan. Hmmmmm it's all starting to make sense. Also when you are adding the vanilla to the Creme Anglaise, be very careful to let the cream cool a bit first. My first attempt brought back memories of college chemistry which I'd rather forget. Except for that time my professor caught the carpet on fire. That memory I have etched in my brain.

I added the vanilla to the non-boiling eggy creme mix and suddenly it SEIZED, it was boiling and eggy clumps were forming everywhere. It was a heartbreaking moment. I pieced together the problem and here I am to share the secret of velvety smooth creme anglaise. Vanilla extract is just loaded with alcohol. Alcohol boils at a much lower temperature than water. You add the alcohol to the mixture and suddenly the boiling point of your solution is much lower and scrambled eggs appear. Please don't make the mistake that I did. Let your egg solution cool before you add any extract! You must. If you don't, you'll have to just make that sauce again, or do without!

Warm Chocolate Cupcakes with Molten Centers

Makes: 22 to 24 cupcakes (2 1/2 inches each)
Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Baking Time: 10 to 11 minutes

Basic Chocolate Ganache, chilled at least 1 hour
Cinnamon Creme Anglaise
Vegetable oil cooking spray, for misting the pans
Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting the pans
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain devil's food cake mix
1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup confectioner's' sugar, for dusting cupcakes

Prepare the Basic Chocolate Ganache, cover it with plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator to chill. Prepare the Cinnamon Creme Anglaise, cover it with plastic wrap placed right on the surface, and place it int eh refrigerator to chill.

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 F. Lightly mist 24 cupcake cups with vegetable oil cooking spray and dust them with cocoa. Shake out the excess cocoa. Set the pans aside.

Place the cake mix, water, oil, eggs, vanilla, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 3o seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and blend 1 1/2 to 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look well combined and thickened. Spoon or scoop 1/3 cup batter into each prepared cup, filling, it two-thirds full. Drop a heaping teaspoonful of ganache onto the top of the batter in each cup. Place the pans in the oven.

Bake the cupcakes until the cake bakes up around the ganache, the tops are domed, and the cupcakes spring back when lightly pressed with your finger 10 to 11 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks for 1 minute. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake cups, lift the cupcakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips. Place them on dessert plates, sift confectioners' sugar over the top, spoon the Cinnamon Creme Anglaise in a pool around each cupcake, and serve warm.

Note: Store these cupcakes, in a cake saver or under a glass dome, at room temperature for up to 1 day. To reheat so the centers are molten once again, place the cupcakes on a microwave safe plate and cover with paper towels. Heat on high power for 10 seconds, carefully remove, and serve.

Basic Chocolate Ganache

Makes: 2 cups
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Chill Time: 1 hour

3/4 cup heavy (whipping) cream
1 1/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon liqueur of your choice or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)

Place the cream in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat. Bring it to a boil, stirring. Meanwhile, place the chocolate chips in a large stainless steel mixing bowl. Remove the cream from the heat and pour it over the chocolate. Stir with a wooden spoon until the chocolate has melted. Stir in the liqueur if desired. Let chill for 1 hour so ti thickens into a spreadable consistency.

Cinnamon Creme Anglaise

Makes: 2 cups
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 to 17 minutes

2 cups milk
5 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
4 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Place the milk, sugar, and salt in a heavy-bottomed medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the sugar dissolves, 2 to 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the egg yolks in a medium-size mixing bowl and beat with a fork until lemon-colored. Remove the saucepan from the heat and ladle a large spoonful of the hot milk mixture over the egg yolks, stirring the yolks gently. Transfer the yolks to the milk mixture and stir to combine. Place the pan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens, 13 to 14 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla and cinnamon.

Spoon a generous tablespoonful of the warm sauce onto plates and place cupcakes on it. Or chill the sauce and serve cold alongside the cupcakes.

Thai Food

2007-11-13T17:47:00.000-08:00

Yum yum! I made Thai food tonight. The recipes come from a book called Thai the essence of Asian cooking by Judy Bastyra. I can't say enough good things about this cookbook. The recipes are easy and so delicious. When I make Thai food, I often substitute more easily obtained ingredients for some items called for. Whether this makes my cooking not truly Thai, I don't know. I've been to Thailand and eaten lots of food there, and I think these recipes come pretty close, substitutions and all.

I made the curry with very different vegetables than called for. You can really sub in whatever you think would be tasty. If you are using potatoes or carrots be sure to cut them a bit smaller, and give them plenty of time to cook. I added the mushrooms and zucchini after the carrots and potatoes had softened because I really don't care for them crunchy. I usually substitute a bit of grated lime peel for the kaffir lime leaves, they are so expensive. You should really use a microplane grater so you avoid the white pith which is bitter, plus it makes grating peel a breeze. I also doubled the curry paste for this recipe. Good Thai curry paste cannot be found at a regular grocery store. You really need to get this kind, it is the best. Try an Asian grocery store, they usually carry it. Thai curry should be served with jasmine rice.

Tofu and Green Bean Red Curry

2 1/2 cups canned coconut milk

1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste

3 tablespoons Thai fish sauce

2 teaspoons light brown sugar

3 1/4 cups white mushrooms

1 cup green beans trimmed

6 oz firm tofu, rinsed, drained and cut into 3/4 inch cubes

4 kaffir lime leaves, torn

2 fresh red chilies, seeded and sliced

fresh cilantro leaves, to garnish

Pour about 1/3 of the coconut milk into a wok or pan. Cook until it starts to separate and an oily sheen appears on the surface.

Add the red curry paste, fish sauce, and sugar to the coconut milk. Mix thoroughly, then add the mushrooms. Stir and cook for 1 minute.

Stir in the remaining coconut milk. Bring back to the boil, then add the green beans and tofu cubes. Simmer gently for 4-5 minutes more.

Stir in the kaffir lime leaves and sliced red chilies. Spoon the curry into a serving dish, garnish with the cilantro leaves and serve immediately.

Cashew Chicken is restaurant quality food. My husband says it is his absolute most favorite chicken dish in the whole world. It doesn't really taste that Thai to me, more Chinese, but it's in the Thai cookbook, so we'll call it Thai. Feel free to substitute peanuts for the cashew nuts. They are both delicious, although I wouldn't put in the whole amount if you are using peanuts because you can fit way more peanuts into 1 1/2 cups than you can cashews. They might overwhelm the recipe a bit. I also used jarred minced garlic instead of the garlic slices. When I make this recipe, I don't use whole dried red chilies. I just use crushed red pepper from the spice aisle. I would not recommend using ground red pepper. Put in what you think is appropriate. The heat of the red pepper is really mellowed when you fry it with the garlic. I also cut my red bell pepper in slices instead of dicing it.

Cashew Chicken

1 lb boneless chicken breast portions

1 red bell pepper

2 garlic cloves

4 dried red chilies

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

pinch of granulated sugar

1 bunch of green onions, cut into 2 inch lengths

1 1/2 cups cashews, roasted

cilantro leaves, to garnish

Remove and discard the skin from the chicken breasts and trim off any excess fat. With a sharp knife, cut the chicken into bite size pieces and set aside.

Halve the red pepper, scrape out the seeds and membranes and discard, then cut the flesh into 3/4 inch dice. Peel and thinly slice the garlic and chop the dried red chilies.

Preheat a wok and then heat the oil. The best way to do this is to drizzle a "necklace" of oil around the inner rim of the wok, so that it drips down to coat the entire inner surface. Make sure the coating is even by swirling the wok.

Add the garlic and dried chilies to the wok and stir-fry over a medium heat until golden. Do not let the garlic burn, otherwise it will taste bitter.

Add the chicken to the wok and stir fry until it is cooked through, then add the red pepper. If the mixture is very dry, add a little water.

Stir in the oyster sauce, soy sauce, and sugar. Add the green onions and cashew nuts. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes more, until heated through. Spoon into a warm dish and serve immediately, garnished with the cilantro leaves.

Sweet Potatoes with Brown Butter and Parmesan Cheese

2007-11-11T19:46:00.001-08:00

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I used to only like sweet potatoes, you know...sweet. Well no longer. This recipe is the be all and end all of savory sweet potatoes. It was easy, and my nieces liked it too, so yes it is kid friendly! The recipe comes from the Williams Sonoma kitchen library Thanksgiving. I didn't have fresh sage handy, so I used 1 tablespoon ground sage. I wish I had crumbled, but ground was all I had. I thought there was way too much butter, so you could reduce the butter if you want. Please, please don't use the powdery Parmesan cheese. Buy a hunk and grate it yourself, you will thank me later, I promise.

Sweet Potatoes with Brown Butter and Parmesan Cheese

4 lb tan-skinned sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup chopped fresh sage or 1 1/2 tablespoons dried sage
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
fresh sage sprigs, optional

Place potatoes on a steamer rack and set over a steamer pan of boiling water. Do not allow the rack to touch the water. Cover and steam until just tender when pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes. Remove from the steamer and let cool.

Preheat an oven to 400 F. Butter a 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking dish. Transfer the sweet potatoes to the dish.

In a heavy frying pan over medium-low heat, melt the butter and cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped or dried sage and salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook until the butter is a deep golden brown, about 2 minutes longer. Pour the browned butter over the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle evenly with 3/4 cup of the cheese. Stir to coat. Taste and add more salt, and pepper, if desired. Cover the dish with aluminum foil.

Bake the sweet potatoes until heated through, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a warmed serving platter and sprinkle evenly with the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan. Garnish with sage sprigs, if desired, and serve at once.

Serves 8-10

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

2007-11-11T19:44:00.000-08:00

I never ate Brussels sprouts as a kid. When I got married, my husband told me that he liked them, and I remember thinking who likes Brussels sprouts? Then I realized that I had NEVER tried them. So I set about trying them. One of my favorite ways to serve them is so easy. You can use frozen or fresh sprouts, and cut the big ones in half. Fry a few strips of bacon, and then set the bacon aside once done. Saute frozen or fresh Brussels sprouts in the bacon drippings, on about medium temperature so that they caramelize a bit while they cook. After about 10 minutes, when they look tender crumble the reserved bacon over the top, salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Savory Stuffing with Fruit and Pecans

2007-11-11T19:42:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't like stuffing? Well at least at this time of year, right? How about stuffing made in the slow cooker? Yes it is possible. Just think of all the space you can free up in your oven. The recipe comes from Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book 14th edition. I didn't have the mixed dried fruit, but I did have golden raisins and craisins, which substituted nicely. The recipe also called for them to be boiled in apple juice first, but I didn't bother. I just dumped in the fruit and the juice. They got plenty plump while cooking in the slow cooker.

I will say that the newer slow cookers that are on the market cook much more quickly than the older versions. This cooked an hour faster than they said it would, and I strongly recommend stirring 1/2 way through so the stuffing doesn't get crusty and burnt to the sides of the cooker. Despite all that, it was still pretty tasty. I also had to add more broth than they called for, but I think I put in a couple of cups too many of dry bread cubes. If you don't feel like making dry bread cubes yourself, check your grocery store bakery. I found a huge bag of bread cubes, perfectly dry and toasty at Target for a great price. It was all different types of breads, probably let over from the bakery. Feel free to substitute dried herbs for the fresh. Just remember that 1 tablespoon of fresh equals one teaspoon of dried leafy herbs, or 1/2 teaspoon ground herb. The recipe calls for crushing the dried herbs, and I just rolled them a bit between my thumb and fingers and tossed in the cooker.

EXAMPLE: 1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage = 1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage = 1/2 teaspoon ground sage

Savory Stuffing with Fruit and Pecans

1/2 cup apple juice
1 6-oz package mixed dried fruit bits (1 1/2 cups)
1 cup finely chopped celery (2 stalks)
1/2 cup sliced green onions (4)
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried sage, crushed
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
10 cups dry bread cubes*
1/2 cup broken pecans, toasted
1 to 1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1. In a small saucepan heat apple juice until boiling. Stir in dried fruit bits. Remove from heat; cover and let stand until needed.

2. In a medium saucepan cook celery and green onion in hot butter over medium heat until tender but not brown; remove from heat. Stir in parsley, sage, thyme, marjoram, salt, and pepper.

3. Place dry bread cubes in a large bowl. Add undrained fruit, the vegetable mixture, and pecans. Drizzle with enough of the broth to moisten, tossing lightly. Transfer stuffing mixture to a 3 1/2 - 4-quart slow cooker.

4. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 4 1/2 to 5 hours or on high-heat setting for 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 hours.

*Note: To prepare the 10 cups dry bread cubes, cut 14-16 slices of bread into 1/2-inch cubes and spread in a large roasting pan. Bake, uncovered, in a 300 F oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until dry, stirring twice. Or let bread stand, loosely covered, at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours.

Roast Pork Tenderloin wiht Fig and Chipotle Jam

2007-11-10T20:55:00.000-08:00

The Cake Mix Doctor, Anne Byrn, put out a soft-covered Christmas cookbook last year. It has some fabulous looking recipes in it that I am only now trying. I really enjoy her style of writing because she is very descriptive in the recipes which tell you exactly what you are looking for. This recipe was very easy. I don't think my husband liked it as much as I did. The figs give it a unique sweetness, and the chipotles are of course smokey, and hot! I reduced the amount of chipotle to 1 and it was still very spicy, although the leftovers had toned down significantly the next day. I served it with corn pudding which is completely delicious, and creamed turnips with kale. The turnips and kale were ok, but I prefer turnips and greens with pot liquor, southern style.

Roast Pork Tenderloin with Fig and Chipotle Jam

1 cup fig jam or preserves
2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
2 pork tenderloins (1 lb each)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 lime, cut into quarters.

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 425 F.

Place the fig preserves and the chipotle peppers in a food processor or blender and pulse until the mixture is smooth, 30 seconds. Set aside.

Place the pork tenderloins in a 13x9 inch (3-quart) glass or ceramic baking dish. Season the pork with salt and pepper. Spoon half of the jam mixture evenly over the top.

Roast the pork until it browns, the juices run clear when pierced with a knife, and the meat is still barely pink, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the baking dish from the oven, cover the meat with aluminum foil, and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Slice the tenderloins and serve with the lime quarters and remaining half of the jam mixture.

Simmered Japanese Pumpkin

2007-11-02T13:05:00.000-07:00

I have decided that I love all winter squash. Since we had some pumpkins left over after Halloween, I thought I might put one to good use. Don't worry, it was an uncarved pumpkin. This dish is quite tasty, and a unique way to cook squash. The sauce gives a distinct sweet and saltiness to the squash. It is also very very easy to make. Because I was pressed for time, I left the skin on. When you eat it, you just scoop out the pumpkin. I would have preferred it peeled, but peeling a pumpkin is not an easy job. You really need to use a knife to do it well. You can use whatever size pieces of pumpkin or any other winter squash, that you want. I cut it into pieces about 2 inches by 2 inches. Dashi stock can be made from Dashi granules which can be found at your local Asian market and some grocery stores.

The recipe comes from a book a book called Quick & Easy Japanese Cuisine for Everyone. I haven't really changed it at all, but I did make a few changes for clarity. Because I had about 2 lbs of pumpkin, I doubled the sauce. Bear in mind that a Japanese pumpkin is NOT the same as an American pumpkin, but a kabocha squash. The skin is much more tender, and American pumpkin takes much longer to cook, so be sure to increase the initial cooking time.

Simmered Japanese Pumpkin

1 1/4 lb Japanese pumpkin or winter squash

Simmering Sauce
2/3 cup dashi stock
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

toasted white sesame seeds for garnish

1. Cut pumpkin in half; remove seeds. Cut pumpkin into wedges, 1-1/8 in (2 1/2-3 cm). Cook pumpkin in a large saucepan covered with water until tender over medium high heat, about 25-30 minutes.
*For microwave oven, cut pumpkin in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Turn power level to high and cook 8-10 minutes. For oven method, bake bake whole pumpkin in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until done.

2. Mix simmering sauce ingredients in a saucepan; bring to a boil; add pumpkin wedges. Reduce heat to low and simmer until most of sauce is absorbed into pumpkin. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Sunday Fall Dinner

2007-10-21T18:17:00.001-07:00

I love fall food! The latest Better Homes and Gardens check stand food magazine has some super yummy looking recipes. Today I tried a pork loin recipe, which I served with a 5 rice blend risotto, and Balsamic Glazed Squash. Nothing says fall like cranberries and squash!

Cranberry-and-Citrus-Glazed Pork Roast

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground sage

1 (2 1/2 to 3 pound) boneless pork top loin roast (single-loin)

1 (16 oz can) whole or jellied cranberry sauce

1/2 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel

1/3 cup orange juice

1/4 teaspoon ground sage

...

Preheat oven to 325 F. For rub, in a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon sage. Sprinkle rub evenly all over pork roast; rub in mixture with your fingers. Place roast on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Insert an oven-going meat thermometer into center of roast. Roast uncovered, for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, for sauce, in a medium saucepan, combine cranberry sauce, orange peel, orange juice, and 1/4 teaspoon sage. Bring to boiling, reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, about 10 minutes or until mixture has thickened slightly.

Spoon about 1/4 cup of the sauce over pork. Roast pork, uncovered, for 30 to 45 minutes more or until a meat thermometer registers 150 F. Remove roast from oven. Cover pork loosely with foil and let stand for 15 minutes before slicing. (The temperature of the pork after standing should be 160 F.) Serve the remaining sauce with pork.

The risotto wasn't intended to be a risotto. I tried a sort of pilaf but I made it in the slow-cooker to keep from having to hover over the stove while we had company over. It came out very creamy like a nice risotto, so that's what we're calling it! The amounts are only approximations because I didn't intend on blogging it. The rice blend was an interesting combo of regular brown rice, a thin long grain dark brown rice, wild rice, wahini rice, and one other very tiny rice.

5 Rice Risotto with Aromatic Vegetables and Cranberries

2.5 cups of 5 rice blend (from Wal-mart)

1/2 cup diced bacon

butter

2 onions chopped

1 celery heart chopped

2 carrots sliced

2 cups of sliced mushrooms

5 cups chicken broth

1 cup Craisins

salt and pepper to taste

Brown bacon in large nonstick skillet, and place in slow cooker when crisp. Add some butter drippings in skillet and saute veggies until softened. While vegetables cook, add rice to chicken broth and bring to a boil; add to bacon in slow cooker. Once veggies are softened, add them and craisins to slow cooker with rice mixture and stir to combine. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook of high for 2 hours.

I'm not including a recipe for the squash in the picture. It was good, but not nearly as good as a recipe that I recently came up with a couple of weeks ago. Our neighbor has kindly given us several giant pink banana squash which we have greatly appreciated. This type of squash is rather strange looking and can be quite huge. They peel easily with a vegetable peeler. They take some time to prepare, but are totally worth the effort. Here's a rough work-up of my current favorite way of preparing winter squash. You could probably use any kind except for spaghetti squash.

Maple-roasted Winter Squash

1 large winter squash

real maple syrup

olive oil

salt and pepper

Heat oven to 450 F. Peel the squash. Cut open squash and scrape out seeds. This might be easier if you cut it into sections and then cut the sections in half. Cut into long pieces or sticks or horizontally into half-moons. Pieces should be 1 inch wide. Place on a cookie sheet but don't let the pieces touch. Brush pieces with maple syrup, then drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes and then brush with maple syrup. Repeat 2 more times for a total cooking time of approximately 45 minutes. Test with a fork for doneness. When squash is very soft and lightly browned it is done.

Red Posole

2007-10-16T20:02:00.000-07:00

I suppose I am really missing Tucson now. Lately, I have been craving Mexican food, and cooking quite a bit of it. Right before left, I found a great cookbook, Southwest Slow Cooking by Tammy Biber and Theresa Howell. I cannot imagine a more wonderful idea than combining Mexican food and slow-cooking. Tonight I made Red Posole. It was fabulous, warm, spicy, and the pork cooked perfectly. In the book, the authors suggest that you must use all of the garnishes, which I totally agree with. It wouldn't be the same without them. I recommend that you not use pork loin or tenderloin; it isn't suited to stewing. Be careful with how much lime you squeeze in each bowl, you can easily get too much. I'd start at 1/8 of a lime and see what you think.

Red Posole

Nonstick cooking spray
2 pounds, boneless pork shoulder roast, cut into bite sized pieces
1 30 oz. can hominy, drained and rinsed
2 New Mexico chilies, stemmed, seeded and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin
5 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups red chile sauce
2 teaspoons salt
quartered limes
sliced radishes
shredded cabbage
sour cream
cilantro

Coat the skillet with cooking spray and lightly brown the pork on all sides. Combine the pork, hominy, chiles, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, and chicken stock in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Add red chile sauce, and salt. Continue cooking on low for 30 minutes or until soup is heated through. Spoon soup into serving bowls and garnish each with the lime juice, radishes, cabbage, sour cream, and cilantro.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Swiss and Stuffing Chicken Casserole

2007-09-10T17:24:00.000-07:00

Here's an easy chicken casserole. I'm not a huge casserole fan, but this one's pretty tasty, very quick, and helped use up some stuff that I had floating around in my soon to be packed kitchen. For the frozen veggies, I used the classic carrots, corn, green beans, and peas.

Swiss and Stuffing Chicken Casserole

2 (6 oz.) pkg. stovetop cornbread stuffing mix

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cooked and cut into chunks

1 can condensed cream of chicken and mushroom soup (2 flavors, 1 can)

1/3 cup sour cream

1 (16 oz.) bag frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

8 oz Swiss cheese shredded

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare stuffing mix with water and butter in amounts for only 1 package of stuffing, so it is a bit dry. Spray a 9x13 dish with cooking spray. Combine chicken, cheese, sour cream, and veggies. Salt and pepper to taste going easy on the salt because the stuffing and soup mix are salty. Spread in dish. Top with stuffing and bake for 30 minutes.

Ode to Trader Joe's

2007-09-07T23:02:00.000-07:00

My dear Trader Joes
So very soon we part
I'm moving to the mountains
And you will be so far
Thus I must forgo the foods
You so readily provide,
My bagel chips, and olive spread,
the chevre, and gnochetti divine,
The joe-joes, and your fresh baked breads
No longer will be mine.

Portered Vintage Cheddar from Trader Joe's. It was much milder than I expected, and an altogether unremarkable cheese, although I must say that it is lovely to look at. I absolutely recommend the Carmelized Onion Cheddar. You can make the most amazing macaroni and cheese with just a bit of it, some cheddar, and some fontina.