Frazgo Feasting

What I have been reading lately...

2012-01-23T11:33:00.000-08:00

I mentioned this book a few weeks ago. As promised here is my quick take on the book. "French Classics Made Easy" is the title.

Loved it.

From the idea for the Poached Chicken and Tarragon I blogged a couple of weeks ago to actual recipes such as the 10 minute souffle that I intend to make it was a very useful book. I even learned a few new bits of trivia from this book. Things such as Potatoes Dauphinoise is named after the Dauphine region of France (think their Alps) where it originated.

It is very well written in simple easy to follow numerated steps. Each recipe has notes on variations or unusual ingredients or why a step was taken. Too easy to not screw it up which makes his simplified, lower in calorie recipes so much easier to do than the originals.

Although I can't reprint recipes from the book direct, if I get an inspiration for a flavor profile or a new technique I'll certainly point you back to this book. I'm funny that way...I get robbed enough of copyrighted material I certainly won't do it to someone else...so buy the book already.

The book also has a useful chart for converting metric to our English measurements. Included on that chart page is conversion from F to C to "gas mark" that the brits use. He even implores you to take the time and actually just buy a scale to help you with more accurate measurements for the "science of baking".

This book is well worth the $20 I paid for it at Surfas. I wish they had the book available for purchase online, but they don't so use it as an excuse to pop in on them at their store in Culver City. Their street addy is: 8777 Washington Boulevard, Culver City, CA

A Costco find that brings the taste of summer grilling

2012-01-22T11:11:00.000-08:00

I bought this a while back at Costco and absolutely love the stuff. It is their house label "Sweet Mesquite Seasoning". It does just what it says it does. It brings a marvelous sweet mesquite flavor to whatever you use it on. It is a blend of salt, pepper, dried chiles, onion, garlic and a few other spices that you simply sprinkle on as a dry rub and let it marinate a few minutes before you grill pan it, bake it or whatever.

This stuff is seriously good and completely justifies one cost of Costco membership.

I've used this often on Salmon steaks as it brings out a pretty terrific flavor to them. I either use the grill pan with them or micro-roast depending on how much time I have to fuss with dinner on a given day. Either way you wind up with a nicely "grilled tasting" mesquite flavor without the hassle of breaking out the barbecue, especially nice to have around in winter when raining makes real grilling not an option. Unless of course you are some sort of masochist that loves standing in a cold rain with an umbrella hoping for the authentic taste.

Another great use is with thick cut pork chops that you start on the grill pan and finish up in the oven to make sure the center is cooked to a lovely medium. (I'm old school pork here and just can't quite stomach it at rare or even med-rare). You start with thick cut pork chops, I prefer boneless. Sprinkle on the "Sweet Mesquite Seasoning" on both sides and let set for 30 minutes. To do it on the grill pan all you have to do is cook one side on med-high for 4-5 minutes, turn over then toss in a 350F oven for 20 minutes to finish them off. You get perfectly cooked and still moist pork chops with no worry about it being too rare.

I also have a great cocktail party appetizer I make with this seasoning that I call a Salmon Mousse. Take 1 salmon steak cooked with the "Sweet Mesquite Seasoning" and using a fork flake it until it is all nice and fluffy. Take 2 8oz packages of room temp Cream Cheese and 1/2 cup sour cream. Whip until fluffy, fold in the flaked salmon and 2 teaspoons of the "Sweet Mesquite Seasoning". Serve with crackers or french bread rounds.

Poached Chicken and Tarragon

2012-01-07T09:11:00.000-08:00

I'm reading the most interesting cook book right now and it was the inspiration for this recipe. Inspiration in that I took the basics and changed it up to make it my own. (When done with it will do a quick review here and scan the cover etc., so you can track it down for your own use).

For starters, and I've said it before, I'm not the biggest fan of this domesticated bird, mostly because it lacks any real flavor of its own and bad experiences with it while at KFC back in High School. The fam however loves the stuff. I've figured how how to keep the breasts moist while cooking it up, I've even figured out that it really is just a flavor delivery device that loves to be sauced.

A couple of things with this recipe. At the end its really important that you cook the residual poaching liquid down to a few tablespoons before adding the heavy cream. Not doing so will leave you with a runny sauce. And yes, this is calling for heavy cream to finish up the sauce as this is a French inspired recipe. Sometimes its fun to be indulgent and sauce up with the heavy cream. Not something one should do every day, but once a month or so its good for the soul to do it with little harm to ones overall diet.

For the wine in the poaching liquid I used a dry white we had left over from the night before. It was a Chardonnay. I've heard and learned over the years one should use a wine you'd drink instead of the "cooking" wines you buy at the grocery stores. The flavor really is so much better and its not sullied with extra salt etc.,.

Poached Chicken and Tarragon

4 large chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 C dry white wine
1 T dried tarragon
2 t onion salt
1 t fresh ground pepper
1 c heavy cream

In large covered skillet add the chicken breasts. Sprinkle on onion salt, pepper and tarragon. Pour in wine. Add cover. Bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Turn chicken once during the poaching. Don't worry that the poaching liquid doesn't completely immerse the chicken.

Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Increase heat and boil down the poaching liquid until reduced to a few tablespoons. Add heavy cream and whisk in. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes uncovered to thicken. Return breasts to the sauce and heat through.

Serve over rice with some sauce spooned over the chicken.

Walnut Butter Cut-outs

2011-12-19T09:30:00.000-08:00

This cookie recipe goes back to my childhood. Where my Mom got the recipe I don't know, but I can remember decorating them as a little kid back when we lived in the UP of Michigan.

They are buttery and nutty at the same time due to the finely ground walnuts. The walnut flavors intensify during the baking making them even tastier.

A couple of caveats with this one. First the walnuts really do need to be finely ground or you will have difficulty getting clean cuts with the cookie cutters. Secondly, don't try to skip the chilling process...if you do you will have too loose a dough and it won't roll out thinly...it will just stick to everything in a gloppy mess. Learned that one the hard way.

A few drops of food coloring can be added after you have the butter and sugar creamed together. Its a fun way to have green trees and wreaths or red hearts etc.,.

Walnut Butter Cut-outs

1 C Butter
1 t vanilla
3/4 c sugar
1/4 t salt
1 egg
2 1/4 C flour
2 t baking powder
1 c fine ground walnuts

Cream together butter, sugar, vanilla and salt. When fluffy beat in egg.
Sift together flour and baking powder. Work into butter mixture in small batches.
Fold in ground walnuts.
Divide dough and pat into rounds. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour.
On floured board roll to about 1/8 inch thickness.
Cut with cutters and decorate. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 400F until cookies edges just start to brown, about 8 minutes.

Banana Nut Bread

2011-12-17T10:08:00.000-08:00

I'm sure if you do a google search for banana bread or banana nut bread you'll get a bajillion hits. Now this one will be among the bajillion. Its my version of the classic and quite tasty as I use butter instead of oil for the lipid in the batter. That buttery flavor plays well with the bananas and vanilla.

Banana Nut Bread
Yield 2 - 9x5 inch loaves
Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup butter at room temp
2 cups white sugar
2 cups mashed overripe bananas
1 t vanilla
1 t cinnamon
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans.
Sift the flour, salt and baking soda into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the butter,salt and sugar until smooth. Stir in the bananas, eggs, and vanilla until well blended. Carefully fold in dry ingredients into the wet in small batches.
Bake for 60 to 70 minutes in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted into the crown of the loaf comes out clean. Let the loaves cool in the pans for at least 5 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack, and cool completely. Wrap in aluminum foil to keep in the moisture.

Power restored...finally and a little EQ Kit raiding

2011-12-04T10:40:00.001-08:00

By now most everyone has seen the news where the L.A. area was bludgeoned to within an inch of our life with one of the worst wind storms in recent memory. My little corner of L.A. took the brunt of the wind storm and has something like 86,000 homes without power as I write this.

Day 1 of the power outage we didn't know how long power would be out so we resorted to canned goods and the EQ kit (earthquake) ready to eat meals that were coming up on their expiration date.

Among the items we dug into was the "Heater Meals" and it was our first time using them. The principal behind it is pretty easy. One simply takes out the heater package, adds water that is included in the packaging to activate the chemical reaction that creates the heat. Once that is done you quickly fold the top over and place the heater on top of the food package. 10 minutes later it is done and you have a meal ready to eat.

Well sort of, in spite of all the steam your food is just warm. The food is fine for an emergency but it is lacking seasoning. The included "saltless seasoning pack" is mostly pepper which is to say the food is still a little bland even with it being used.

I doubt I will buy them again as they are a bit pricey even if found on sale.

As a side bar at the end of Day 1 when it was apparent it was going to be a few days without power we opted to open up the fridge and start cleaning it out. The neighborhood then proceeded to round up candles, cook up our perishables, break out the wine and have a giant "potluck by candlelight" party. Hah, can't keep a good neighborhood down long.

By Saturday power was restored and I had a nice and clean fridge already for restocking.

Pumpkin Curry Soup

2011-11-30T18:10:00.001-08:00

Remember when I did the lobotomy to the jack-o-lanterns a few weeks ago? Well I put up all the pumpkin in canning jars and have had it refrigerated waiting for just the perfect night for soup. Yes, soup.

It is stupid easy to work with your own or store bought pumpkin. I prefer my own as I can control the salt better, but its still all good.

Adding in the ginger and cayenne build in a different layer of flavor and heat than just plain curry powder alone. Worth the extra kick as far as I am concerned.

Pumpkin Curry Soup

4 cups (32 oz) pumpkin puree
1 large onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 can chicken or vegetable broth
1 T curry powder
1 t ground ginger
1/2 t ground black pepper
1/8 t cayenne pepper
Salt to taste
olive oil

In large sauce pot add enough oil to lightly coat bottom of pot. Over medium heat add carrot and onion until the onion is translucent. Add garlic and stir one minute to cook out the raw taste. Pour mixture into blender with the broth and puree. Return to pan, add pumpkin and heat through. Simmer about 15 minutes to let flavors blend. Test for seasoning and add salt as needed.

Thanksgiving: its about sharing more than food

2011-11-24T15:04:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving this year was a first for me. I didn't actually cook it all, but it was all my usual dishes for the day. Why not cook you may ask? Its because this year I coached my newly married daughter on how to cook up the Thanksgiving Feast and she did alright. She's ready to solo next year.

Best darn Bread Pudding I ever made...

2011-11-18T09:20:00.001-08:00

The recipe isn't mine. Its in this months Bon Appetit magazine. It is Pecan, Bourbon and Butterscotch Bread Pudding. Allow me to hurl a few superlatives...it is the absolute best tasting, richest bread pudding I have ever had in my ENTIRE life.

My version I omitted the nuts and added them to those that like nuts when I served as a garnish. Pesky people that are so picky make me batty. Next time around this will be a made with pecan version for a dinner party.

Braciole, or Beef and Cheese Pinwheels...it sounds better in Italian

2011-11-13T07:27:00.001-08:00

I've seen it done a dozen times over the years and never got around to trying it myself until last night. Why? I thought was a bit fussy for dinner on the fast and I was only partially correct. It is a bit labor intensive with the prep of ingredients but once done it goes pretty fast. The braise to completely tenderize the meat takes about an hour, but that is all hands free so its really not an issue...unless you need dinner on the table in 30 minutes.

This recipe is a blend of many from several sources. I took meticulous notes of what I used to save you the guess work. The end result is quite tasty with all but one in my house actually enjoying the final product which makes it a win in my book. The lone dissenter is one who isn't a fan of cheese to start with.

Braciole

1 lb, about 4 thin cut round steaks
1/2 lb Fontina cheese - shredded.
1/2 c Parmesan, grated
1/2 c panko bread crumbs
1 small bunch parsley - chopped
4 cloves garlic- minced
salt
pepper
1 can beef broth
1 can tomato puree
1 can tomato sauce
1 T parsley - chopped
1 T basil -chopped

Combine Parmesan, panko, parsley and garlic, toss to combine. Take a piece of meat and season with salt and pepper. Add 1/4 of the bread crumb parsley mixture and spread evenly over the meat. Top with 1/4 of the shredded Fontina. Roll up from widest end jelly roll style, Secure with toothpicks. Repeat with remaining slices of meat.

In large skillet add some olive oil and over medium high heat sear all sides of the beef rolls. When seared remove meat from pan and set aside. Stir in your beef broth to deglaze pan, then add in tomato puree and tomato sauce. Return meat to pan. Cover and put in a 325F oven for 1 hour.

10 second garlic peel works!

2011-11-12T19:17:00.001-08:00

Ok,a similar video went pretty viral on facebook with my friends and I decided to test it. Yes, it works and it saves you from stinky hands. File this under noisy kitchen tricks and use it as it is really a fast way to cleanly peel garlic.

A little jack-o-lantern lobotomy fun

2011-11-01T09:17:00.000-07:00

I have this silly tradition of each year using up the pumpkin from the jack-o-lanterns in the kitchen. Some I'll steam and puree up for soup, pies and such later on. Others get used fresh grated in Pumpkin Bread. This version is from an old stand by for zucchini bread adapted to fit the needs of pumpkin. Not much adaptation was needed as both are similar in texture and water content that its a pretty easy swap out.

Pumpkin Cranberry Nut Bread

3 eggs
1 3/4 c sugar
1 c oil
2 1/2 c grated pumpkin
2 t vanilla
3 C all purpose flower
1 t baking soda
1/4 t baking powder
1 t salt
3 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1 c chopped walnuts
1/2 c dried cranberry (I use craisin brand)

Heat oven to 350F. Grease 2 loaf pans.

Beat eggs 3-4 minutes until light. Add sugar and cream well. Beat in oil. Reduce speed and fold in grated pumpkin. Sift together flower, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices. Fold into egg mixture until well blended. Fold in nuts and cranberry. Divide batter between the two loaf pans and bake 1 hour until tester comes out clean.

Stupid Easy Potato Gratin

2011-10-29T08:09:00.000-07:00

Some things seem way more daunting than they really are. Some things like Potato ~~Gratin~~ Dauphinoise are much easier than one thinks they are to complete. Its the complicated name that gets to people. They also make a great stupid easy side dish for things like Coq Au Vin or similar to get your starch portion of the dinner complete.

This recipe is microwave friendly...and couldn't begin to tell you with certainty how long to do it in a traditional oven or at what temp. It was created years ago when I was an apartment dweller and had an oven so small that even a turkey couldn't fit so I HAD to come up with ways to move stuff to the micro. Timing in the recipe is based on a 1200 watt microwave.

I have to admit I'm a gadget freak and love them all. A while back I picked up small hand held mandolin at Surfas in Culver City. Its great for perfectly thin slices that don't deviate in size...much better than I can accomplish with my knife skills. It is the tool I go to for making gratins such as this.

Another tool that I use a lot in the kitchen is the microplane. It is perfect for adding a dusting of nutmeg, chocolate, zesting a lemon or what have you. Much better at the job than a box grater or similar tool.

Potato Gratin

1 1/2 lbs baking potato
heavy cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/8 t nutmeg, divided
salt
pepper

Butter your a 1.5 quart casserole dish. Slice potatoes with the mandolin. Put in layer of potatoes about 2-3 slices thick. Salt, Pepper, dusting of nutmeg, and 1/4 of the Parmesan. Repeat until all the potatoes are used and you are within an inch of the top. Pour in heavy cream until it just reaches the top layer. Put dish in microwave oven. Microwave on HIGH for 10 minutes, then 20 Minutes at half power.

Butterscotch Pie

2011-10-27T17:26:00.000-07:00

I have been a fan of butterscotch pudding, the cooked kind not that dreadful instant stuff, for as long as I can remember. Making your own from scratch is stupid easy and certainly worth the few minutes time it takes to cook the filling.

A couple of things to remember when making puddin' pies with meringue topping. First and foremost make sure the eggs are at room temperature before you separate and try to whip the eggs. They froth better if you have them warm as opposed to cold from the fridge. Another thing to help them whip their best is invest a few bucks in a copper bowl. The copper acts with the egg white to gain more volume. Lastly, a bakers sugar also called caster sugar will dissolve easier in the egg white making a better final product.

Butterscotch Pie
9 inch baked pie shell - cooled to room temperature
Filling
1 1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c flour
1 12 oz can condensed milk (not sweetened)*
1/8 t salt
3 egg yolks beaten
1 t vanilla
2T butter
Meringue
3 egg whites
1/4 t flour
6 T sugar

Bake 9" pie shell according to your recipe instructions for blind baking. Cool

Mix sugar, flour, condensed milk, salt and egg yolks in a heavy sauce pan. Whisk until dissolved. Heat and whisk constantly over medium heat until it thickens and starts to bubble. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla and butter. Add to your baked pie shell.

For the meringue add egg whites and cream of tartar to bowl. Beat until soft peaks form. Increase speed and beat in sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until stiff peaks form. (About 4 minutes total). Spread over the hot filling pushing to edges to seal. Bake in 350F oven until browned. Cool completely before serving. Refrigerate left overs.

*sometimes sold as evaporated milk.

Asian Spiced Pork Tenderloin

2011-10-22T10:56:00.000-07:00

I am a fan of spicy food. Living in the San Gabriel Valley of L.A. I am exposed to a lot of great Asian restaurants and more than a few dishes are uber spicy.

Yesterday I opted to go Asian flavors with the Pork Tenderloin and the results were pretty awesome if you like heat in your Asian food. Garlic/Ginger/Soy round out the flavor profile. Of course I cheated a bit and used "Chinese Chicken Salad" dressing for the base and got the heat from what we call "Korean Ketchup"...Sriracha. (Yes, I know its Thai in origin but Korean Ketchup as that whole alliteration thingy going for it).

Asian Spiced Pork Tenderloin

2lbs pork tenderloin
1/2 c Chinese chicken salad dressing
2 T Sriracha Sauce
1 T minced garlic
1 T grated ginger
3T soy sauce

Combine salad dressing, Sriracha, garlic, ginger and soy sauce. In large leak proof zip-lock bag add the pork and then the marinade. Allow to sit in refrigerator for 3 hours. Rotate the bag occasionally to ensure even distribution of the marinade.

Heat oven to 350F. Put pork in roasting pan and roast about 35-45 minutes until it is 170F on an instant read thermometer. Reserve marinade.

Take the reserved marinade, should measure about 1 cup. Put in small sauce pan and simmer over medium heat until reduced about 1/2. Use the resulting sauce to pour over the sliced tenderloin when serving.

Best cocoa powder ever...Black Onyx in a Devil's Food Cake

2011-10-14T07:57:00.000-07:00

I can't take the credit for the recipe for this is purely a Martha Stewart creation. You can get the recipe for her "Moist Devil's Food Cake" HERE. It is a pretty easy from scratch recipe to make. The cocoa I used is what takes the recipe over the top.

I know I've blogged it before here, but Black Onyx Cocoa Powder from Surfas in Culver City or online at Culinary District.com is what really rocks. Its a super rich and dark chocolate powder. Because it has least cocoa fats than the lighter stuff you get at a groc you do need to compensate some with it. They recommend mixing it 50/50 with the lighter stuff. I suggest you experiment with it. In the case of this cake recipe and in cookies that have a lot of butter in them to start with it really doesn't make a difference. I've experimented with it in bread and found that I did need to add a bit more fat...butter or oil to compensate for the dryness factor.

Chive n Cheddar Biscuits

2011-10-02T09:53:00.000-07:00

Its Sunday and time for the big country style breakfast we like to do around here. You know the kind...everyone sits together and shares everything that's going on good, bad or indifferent. Its about bounding over food and not always so easy to do.

These biscuits are a fave and can be served at any meal....warm from the oven to melt the butter after you split them is the best. But I digress...simple to make with more energy expended carrying out the Kitchen Aid and ingredients from the pantry than in the actual assembly.

Chive n Cheddar Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 C (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
3/4 C whole milk
1/4 C chopped fresh chives
1/4 C fresh parsley leaves
1/2 C shredded Cheddar Cheese

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas. Add cheese, chopped chives and parsley and give it a quick whirl to incorporate. With the mixer on low, add the half-and-half and beat until just mixed. Add the chives and mix until just combined.

Dump the dough out on a well-floured board and knead lightly into a rectangle 3/4-inch thick. Cut out rounds with a 2 1/2-inch round cutter and place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until the tops are browned and the insides are firm. Serve warm.

Mushroom Lasagna...tastes way better than it looks

2011-10-01T19:45:00.000-07:00

So today was one of those days where I tore through recipe books trying to figure out what to do for dinner. I was in the mood for cooking so I wasn't too worried about it being fast nor easy.

This recipe is a combo of a few different recipes. I included the thyme, as well, thyme plays so well with mushrooms and the inspiration recipe didn't include it for reasons I don't understand. I'm glad I did include as that subtle grassy flavor of thyme plays well through out the dish.

I used cremini mushrooms also called "baby bella" or "baby portobello" mushrooms. It really is just a tiny version of the huginormous portobella's out there. Same 'shroom just a different size. And if you can find the already sliced variety like I do at the market your work is even shortened a bit.

Mushroom Lasagna
12 lasagna noodle cooked according to package directions
1 c grated Parmesan
White Sauce
1 stick butter
4C whole milk
1/2 c all purpose flour
1T sea salt
1 t black pepper
1 t fresh grated nutmeg
Mushroom Filling
1 lb sliced cremini mushroom
1 t salt
1 t black pepper
2 T loose packed fresh thyme leaves (or 1 T dry)

Preheat oven to 375F
Cook noodles according to package directions. Set aside.

To make white sauce heat milk over medium heat. Melt butter in large sauce pan until melted. Add flour and cook until dissolved. Add hot milk all at once and whisk until smooth. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg and stir constantly over medium high heat until thick and starting to bubble, about 3-5 minutes. Set aside off flame.

In large skillet add olive oil and 1T butter over medium high heat. Add half the mushrooms, salt, pepper and thyme. Stir often until mushrooms have lost most of their moisture and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Pour out into bowl. Repeat with remaining mushrooms.

Constructing the Lasagna. Lightly spray with Pam a 9X13 baking dish. Place about 1 cup of white sauce in the bottom of the pan. Add 3 noodles to the bottom of the pan. Spread on 1/4 the white sauce on top of the noodles. Add 1/3 mushrooms, 1/4 C Parmesan. Repeat with next two layers. The final layer will be noodles with white sauce and Parmesan. Bake in oven until golden brown on top and bubbly at the edges about 30-45 minutes.

Chicken Garam Masala

2011-09-12T19:00:00.000-07:00

Wow two posts in one day, but this is tonight's dinner and tasty it was.

I've seen a few of the TV Chefs cook with a spice called "Garam Masala" when making Indian cuisine and decided I had to give it a try myself since I am a fan of Indian food of late. I tested the waters with Garam Masala by making simple rice dishes from the side of the bottle to get an understanding of the flavor profile it would bring to dishes. Warm and slightly spicy with the key flavors being cinnamon and coriander with some others I can't quite identify. (I read somewhere that there are probably as many versions of Garam Masala as there are grandmothers in northern India...go find a blend you like and stick with it).

Cost Plus Imports is a great source for finding hard to find or unusual spices. Such is the place I found the Garam Masala I used for this recipe.

Garam Masala Chicken

4 large chicken breasts, skin removed
1 T + 1t Garam Masala
1 t salt
1 onion coarse chopped
1 red bell pepper coarsely chopped
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

Sprinkle 1 T Garam Masala over the chicken breasts. Set aside in glass dish and cover with plastic wrap to marinate for 30 minutes.

Heat large oven proof skillet over med-high heat. Add some vegetable oil to lightly coat bottom of pan. add chicken breasts. Sear for about 5 minutes then turn over to other side. Add veggies and canned tomatoes. Sprinkle remaining 1t Garam Masala over the veggies. Cover and put in a 375F oven for 30 minutes. Serve the veggies over steamed rice on the side of your plated chicken breast.

Smokey Chili Mac...its all from the smoked spices

2011-09-12T09:13:00.000-07:00

I'm a huge fan of smoked spices and salts. Why? Its easy to add smokiness to the final product without having to resort to using "liquid smoke" which does leave a funky aftertaste at times. The obsession started with simple smoked paprika for salmon a few years ago and has since grown to include other smoked spices in the pantry. This recipe uses a few to bring about a complete change in a family standby.

In my pantry I have recently added ground dried chipotle. That is a potent smoked and dried jalapeno that instead of being packed in a liquid adobo sauce it is simply ground to a powder. Use it sparingly and you can always add a bit more if the final dish doesn't pack enough heat...its a lot easier than trying and failing to remove some if you add to much.

Another trick I use to punch up the flavor and give it an all day simmering taste is to use beef bouillon to the Chili Mac. I do use the "Better than Bouillon" brand as it is much lower in salt than the cubes are. If you use the cubes wait to season with salt until after you have dissolved in the cube to prevent over salting your dish.

Smokey Chili Mac

1 lb ground beef
1 onion chopped
1 14.5 oz can chopped tomatoes
1 14.5 oz can tomato sauce
1 14.5 oz can beans (I used basic kidney beans)
1/4 t chipotle chili powder
1 t smoked paprika
2 t chili powder
2 t Better than Bouillon beef flavor
2 C water
1 1/2 C macaroni
salt
pepper
Monterrey Jack/Cheddar shredded cheese blend.

Brown beef in large stock pot. Add onion and cook until translucent. Salt and pepper to taste. Add spices and cook an additional minute stirring the whole time until they are toasty. Add tomatoes, water and bouillon. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Add macaroni, increase heat and cook 12-15 minutes until tender. Serve in large bowl with a sprinkle of the shredded cheese.

Lemon Ginger Mousse made stupid easy

2011-09-03T17:06:00.001-07:00

Yup...I can't take credit for the flavor profile or the invention of the original. It belongs to a chef Joann Chang who appeared on food network TV's new show "Sugar High" with Duff Goldman. The original recipe HERE.

It sounded so good and when we were invited over to some friends for wine and cheese tonight and challenged to come up with something for dessert I thought of this.

There were a couple of problems to this that prevented me from doing the actual recipe. First is that the REAL cream in the recipe needs to be heated and then cooled overnight with the ginger and I just don't have the time. The second issue is that one of our hosts for tonight is dieting so the use of REAL cream is kinda outta the question.

My solution was to use fresh ground ginger, fat free cool whip and ready made lemon curd. Yup...I cheated and came up with a stupid easy dessert that is cool, refreshing and quite tasty too with a drastic reduction in calories.

Lemon Ginger Mousse

1 8 0z container Fat Free Cool Whip

1 14.5 oz jar Dundee Lemon Curd

1/4 t ground ginger

2 ginger snap cookies crushed.

Thaw the Cool Whip. Fold in ground ginger and lemon curd. Spoon into serving dishes (I used a ramekin but any dessert dish would work). Garnish with crushed ginger snap cookies. Chill 1 hour before serving.

I can't claim credit for this Limoncello but it does rock the house down.

2011-08-20T14:58:00.000-07:00

I can't claim this recipe as my own. What I do with it however is my own more or less. The recipe comes from celebrity chef Mario Batali and it can be found HERE.

So what have I done with it other than serve it straight up over ice as an apertif? A few things actually.

A trick or two...don't use plastic in the process of making the recipe. The lemon oils with the help of the vodka will permeate the plastic and ruin it for anything else. Learned this the hard way so pay heed to this little warning. Storing the final product I found that using the Efferve stoppered bottles makes for a tight seal as well nice presentation. (I'm totally fond of the Efferve lemonade and blood orangeade so having empty bottles around is not an issue...rather than recycle I reuse this time around).

Limoncello marinated fruit is awesome over icecream or pound cake. Take strawberries, peaches and whatever other fruit you like that is in season and cut up into bite sized pieces in a bowl. I use a ratio of about 1 part limoncello to 4 parts cut fruit. Let it marinate overnight or at least 6 hours for all of that boozy lemony goodness to soak into the fruit before serving.

Limoncello cocktails...light and refreshing. Use equal parts club soda and limoncello over ice and a sprig of mint.

Limoncello cake....make your basic yellow cake. When done baking and cooled to room temp remove the cake from the pan. On a wire rack place cake, poke it with a cake tester (toothpick will work too) all over the top. Carefully and slowly pour 1/4c limoncello over each layer of cake.

Take the cake layers and frost as usual. (I haven't made a limoncello glaze yet but imagine it can be done and its on my test agenda to take the lemon taste up one more level).

Mocha Cheesecake - or mini cheesecakes of you like

2011-08-06T10:18:00.000-07:00

Cheesecake is really not that hard to make, this version falls into the stupid easy category. Why? I use eagle brand sweetened condensed milk rather than sugar as it yields a creamier texture without as much work trying to cream it all. All the sweetness without the risk of a grainy cheesecake.

A secret to keep the large cakes from cracking too much is to add 1 tablespoon of corn starch to the batter. The starch blends nicely with the fats in the cream cheese and creates just enough stabilization to keep the cake from cracking too badly in the center.

Melting the chocolate can be as easy as using a double boiler or if in a hurry a microwave. If using microwave heat on high for only 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each micro-blast. This will keep the chocolate for scorching. Total microwave time in a 1200 watt unit worked out to be about 30 seconds.

Mocha Cheesecake

1 pkg graham crackers (8 crackers)
1/4 c sugar
1/3 c melted butter
Filling
1 can sweetened condensed milk
3 8 oz pkgs cream cheese
2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips melted
4 eggs
1 t vanilla
1 T instant coffee
1 T corn starch
Ganache
9 oz semi-sweet chocolate
1 C heavy whipping cream

Combine crackers and sugar in food processor and pulse until fine crumbs. Pulse in melted butter until evenly blended. Press into 9 inch spring form pan.

Combine cream cheese, coffee, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Let sit about an hour until it comes to room temperature. In mixer beat until creamy and fluffy. Beat in corn starch. Beat in eggs one at a time until well blended.

Add the filling to the spring form pan. Put in preheated 300F oven and bake for about 65 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature and then chill in fridge for at least 4 hours.

Make ganache by mixing chocolate chips and whipping cream. In microwave heat 1 minute on high then stir. Give it 1 more minute on high then stir until chocolate is completely melted and incorporated into the cream. Cool to room temp then drizzle over the chilled cheesecake. (There will be leftover ganache that you can save to make truffles or even use as a frosting for cupcakes).

Mini Cheesecake variation. Line 24 cupcake pans with paper liners. Divide the graham cracker crumb mixture between all of the tins. Press lightly to compact. Divide the filling between the paper liners filling just until the top of the liner. Bake in 300F oven 25-30 minutes until the centers test clean with a toothpick. Chill and garnish with the ganache.

Yikes..Donut Summit

2011-08-01T07:11:00.000-07:00

The usual stuff has kept me from this blog the last few weeks. Don't worry we've been eating, just not blogging a whole lot as I've not been experimenting much in the kitchen.

This weekend was the blogging.la Donut Summit in Elysian Park here in Los Angeles. It was a meet up of donut fans bringing their favorite dozen with them to share and vote to determine who makes the best in all of LA. Donut Man in Glendora won for best filled for its "Peach filled" donut, yes big chunks of fresh peaches inside a donut. Stan's in West LA Won Judges favorite with their Peanut butter filled, chocolate glazed. Newcomer to town, Babycakes won Best Overall.

More pics of the silliness in my flickr set.

Curry along sweetie the heat will get you...

2011-06-13T11:25:00.000-07:00

Yup turns out am a fan of curry after all these years. If you like spicy Mexican of Szechuan you'll love the deep rich spicy flavor of curry. Got hooked on the stuff when I tried a recipe a few months back, since then its been experimenting with curry.

This recipe has a jumble of flavors some Thai, some classic Indian but tasty none the less. It is spicy, but I suppose you could dial it back if you want by reducing the amount of chili peppers in it.

Thai chilis are so hard to find at my local grocery but I learned on the food channel you can swap out a couple of red jalapenos for them with great success. Which is what I do, can't justify spending a ton in gas tracking down just one chili and no need since red jalapeno are so easy to find at my local groc.

I have learned the hard way that it is best to crush your cardamom seed pods and just extract the seeds for your cooking. The pod itself is way too harsh a spice and if you bite into it you've ruined your mouth for the next few bites. Seriously take the couple of seconds required to bust open the pods and extract the seeds. A little of them go a long way but at least you don't have a big nasty mouthful of pod when you toss them after a seed extraction.

Thai Chicken Curry

1 1/2 lbs chicken - 1" dice
1 bell pepper coarse diced
2 red minced
1 onion coarse diced
1 bunch spring onion, diced, green tops reserved.
1 T garlic
1T olive oil
1 T sesame oil
4 cardamom seed pod crushed and seeds removed
2 T curry powder
1 T cumin
2 T soy sauce
1 T fish sauce
1 can coconut milk
1 c water
2 T peanut butter
Chopped cilantro
green onion tops
salt to taste.

Heat oil over medium high flame until shimmering. Add the diced vegetables and stir fry until onion is translucent. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Remove from pan. Add chicken, curry powder, cumin and cardamom seeds and stir fry until well browned.

Return veggies to pan. Add coconut milk, water, soy sauce, fish sauce and peanut butter, stir until smooth. Test for salt and add some if needed. Bring to boil then reduce heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes. Serve over rice with a sprinkle of green onion tops and cilantro.

Cherry Preserves

2011-06-09T09:35:00.000-07:00

Its that time of year. Fresh fruit galore is in season and I have once again bought more than we can eat...but who can resist all of the goodies rolling in? I bought cherries the other day and haven't touched them as there were other things too good to pass up for snacking. Fortunately they didn't "go bad" so I decided to turn them into preserves this morning.

Thank gawd I paid attention to my Mom and grandmothers making preserves over the years. I tend to go with the high sugar and no pectin way whenever I can. Not that pectin is bad for you, its just that its just not a pantry item I stock and don't feel like running out to the store for just that one item...so its pectic free for me when I impulsively decide to make some preserves. Yes, you do cook a bit longer to get a gel but its still just as flavorful with the right consistency in the end.

Of course it means I got to use a new toy today. I picked up, on sale no less, a cherry pitter at Sur La Table the other day and this was the perfect excuse to break it out. Love cooking with cherries, just hated the old knife pitting method. This little "gun" makes it so easy just load, squeeze the trigger and out comes the pit! Worth the few bucks it cost.

Cherry Preserves

2 lbs pitted fresh cherries
2 cups sugar
1/2 c water
juice of 1 lemon

In large, heavy (Thick bottom and side) pot add sugar and water. Bring to boil and stir until sugar has dissolved. Add cherries. With potato masher carefully mash down the fruit to release juice and break up fruit. Be careful not to over mash the fruit as you still want big chunks. Bring back to boil then reduce heat to low boil. Simmer at low boil 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in lemon juice. Put into hot sterile canning jar(s). Makes about 2 cups preserves.

What a low boil looks like...more than a simmer but not much.

day old baguette=croutons!

2011-06-07T08:08:00.000-07:00

Its been a very hectic few weeks around here. So much so that I have little time for anything much less all my blogging. This morning however I have a few minutes freed up so here goes...

What does one do with a day old baguette that is starting to get just a little too hard? Make croutons off course. Using the microwave takes something that is easy into the fast and stupid easy. Plus you get that half eaten bread off your counter and use it for something other than feeding the black trash can instead of becoming a biology experiment.

Easy Croutons

day old baguette (or any bread)
dried parsley
garlic powder
cooking oil spray (I use olive oil kind for this)

Cut bread into 1/2" cubes. Spritz cubes and toss several times until all are lightly coated. Sprinkle on parsley and garlic to taste. Toss to evenly distribute. Microwave 5-7 minutes tossing at 2 minute intervals to evenly brown them up.

Quinoa and veggies

2011-05-31T06:42:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not sometimes the ancient grains and food stuff are the best for us. Take Quinoa (pronounced Kin-wa) that originated in South America eons ago and has been adopted by us 21st century folks. Its very high in proteins and essential amino acids yet is easy to prepare and is a great flavor transporter.

Quinoa cooks up fast. Use a 2 part liquid to 1 part quinoa and simmer for 15 minutes and voila it is ready.

I like it mixed with a huge veggie saute as a side with my main protein to help get my diet better balanced and live in a healthier way.

Quinoa Vegetable Saute

2 C chicken broth
1 C quinoa
1 bell pepper coarsely chopped
1 onion coarsely chopped
8 oz mushrooms sliced
1 zucchini halved and sliced
olive oil
salt
pepper

Combine your chicken broth and quinoa to sauce pan and bring to simmer. Simmer covered 15 minutes. Turn off heat and keep it covered until needed.

Coat a large skillet with olive oil. Add mushrooms and pepper to taste. Saute over medium high heat until mushrooms start to brown. Add bell pepper, zucchini, onion and salt to taste. Saute until onion is translucent and the pepper and zucchini have begun to brown...about 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir into cooked quinoa. Serve warm as side to meat, chicken or fish.

It was just chicken for crying out loud...

2011-05-20T09:57:00.001-07:00

...and I didn't even bother to take a pic of it
Go figure, am not a fan of chicken and when I made this recipe the other day I didn't even bother to take a picture of it on the plate. Why? Because its chicken, not a fan of the stuff, I tend to think of it as just a flavor delivery mechanism. The Fam however loves the stuff but this particular recipe brought huge reviews. Actually they acted like they never had chicken before and just raved about how moist and good it was. So I'll add it to the repertoire of things to do with chicken as they liked it so much.

I use chicken breasts from Costco...you know the kind, the multi-pack that sells for $2.99 lb and gives one enough to make many meals. Breasts do want to dry out faster than the dark meat does. This recipe however yielded a very moist breast and I think its because of the marinade I used more than anything else.

Ranch Marinated Chicken

1/4 c ranch dressing (I use Hidden Valley)
1 lemon juiced
2 lbs chicken breasts
1 1/2 c flour
1 .7oz Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix

Put chicken breast in a bowl. Add ranch dressing and lemon juice. Toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for 30 minutes.

In another bowl add flour and dry salad dressing mix. Toss to combine well. In skillet heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Dredge the chicken breasts in flour and add to hot skillet. Cook a couple of minutes per side until browned and crispy. Put chicken pieces on a baking sheet and bake in a 400F oven for 20 minutes to cook through.

Stupid Easy Peach Cobbler...the Video

2011-05-13T11:01:00.000-07:00

Its my first official video...appeared on the Snacky Shack, a youtube channel that takes artists, their food and shares it with their audience. It is run by two really cool guys here in Monrovia (suburban LA), artist Joseph R Davis and musician Tommy "Mac" MacCarthy.

The recipe that I did for the show was my Stupid Easy Peach Cobbler which I have blogged here in the past. To save you the look up here it is again.

The homemade vanilla extract in the video is stupid easy to do as well. Take a small jar and fill it with 1 c brandy or bourbon. Take two vanilla pods and split them lengthwise then cut in half to fit into the jar. Let it sit a couple of weeks and voila...your own homemade vanilla.

Stupid Easy Peach Cobbler

1 c flour
1 c sugar
1/4 t salt
1/4 t baking powder
1 egg
2 15 oz cans sliced peaches
1 t vanilla extract
cinnamon
1/2 c butter (1 stick I use unsalted)

In mixer with whisk attachment add the flour, sugar, salt and . Crack egg into a small dish and beat lightly to break yolk. Add egg to dry ingredients and whiz in the mixer at medium speed until it resembles sand.

Drain 1 can of peaches and add to 8X8 baking dish. Add the contents of the entire can of remaining peaches. Stir in vanilla. Sprinkle with cinnamon to taste. Sprinkle the flour mixture evenly over the top of the peaches. Do not stir to blend.

Melt butter and drizzle over the topping mixture. Bake in 375 oven until topping is browned and starting to crisp up...approx 55-65 minutes.

Salsa Fresca (Fresh Salsa in case you need some help)

2011-05-05T16:20:00.000-07:00

OK there are prolly as many recipes for salsa as there are Mexican grandmothers, but my base recipe didn't come from one of them, rather the basic idea came from the LA Times somewhere around 1989. Their recipe included a secret ingredient...a splash of acidity from citrus to brighten it up a bit without really changing up the idea of it being simple salsa. It reportedly came from the kitchens of El Torito (A big chain here in the SW) according to my now brown tinged recipe.

It does include cilantro. I use the full amount, 1 cup as my household loves the stuff. If your family isn't a big fan of the green herbage feel free to cut back on it, but don't eliminate as it really is there for flavor.

The other thing that it needs you attention is the use of a jalapeno. I use the red kind, even though they are a bit more expensive, as they have a fuller sweeter flavor than the green kind. By all means swap out the green if that is all you can find, the red is purely my flavor choice.

The other flavor choice comes with the tomatoes. Again you pay a bit more than the usual grocery store stuff, but its worth it. I use the small cherry tomatoes as they are so much more flavorful compared to the regular 'maters in the grocery store. By all means use the large ones if you are growing your own this summer.

This could take FOREVER to do if you don't have a food processor. I can only imagine how long it would take to fine dice all the tomatoes, onions etc.,. By all means break out the machine as you have salsa literally in a few pulses with it.

Salsa Fresca

12 oz cherry tomatoes
1 large onion
1 red jalapeno
1 c cilantro - loosely packed
1/4 t salt
juice of one lemon or lime (I use alternate depending upon if I have a huge crop or not)

Place ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse several times until you have a fine dice.

Serve with chips, in tacos, or where ever, how ever you use salsa.

Chinese Style Chicken Stir Fry

2011-05-05T08:17:00.000-07:00

Its all about presentation too sometimes.
Its all about the veggies around here and getting more into our diet without really going out of our way to do so. Chinese, actually Asian food in general use a lot of veggies and sparse on the meat so its an easy way to get more of them into your diet.

This is one of those dishes that is labor intensive in the prep, but the actual cooking takes just minutes. Seriously, you will have mush veggies if you try to cut and add them as you go. Just do the mis en place and get it over with. Chop them roughly the same size and you won't have any issues with them not cooking at the same pace. The exception is the jalapeno which you really want a fine dice on as there is nothing worse than biting into a big chunk of it...a little goes a long way.

Salt is purposely omitted from the seasonings on this as there is ample in the soy sauce. Seriously if you try to salt the chicken of veggie to taste as you are cooking them you will wind up with way over salted dinner when the soy is added. Been there done that and bloated for a good day after that mistake.

Another tip I'd add is to mix the chicken broth and corn starch together before adding to the pan. Reduces the effort needed to make a smooth sauce.

Chicken Stir Fry

2 large chicken breasts - 1/2" dice
2 stalks celery
1 onion
1 red bell pepper
1 jalapeno finely diced
ground black pepper to taste
2 T soy sauce
1 can chicken broth
2 T corn starch
1 T vegetable oil
1 T sesame oil
crispy chow mien noodles.

Heat oils in large skillet over medium high heat. When oil begins to shimmer add chicken and black pepper. Stir fry the chicken until well browned 5-7 minutes. Move chicken to sides of pan and add veggies. Stir fry until tender crisp about 5 minutes longer.

Add soy sauce. Mix the corn starch and chicken broth until well blended. Add to skillet and stir until bubbly, thick and translucent about 1-2 minutes.

Serve hot over rice and garnish with crispy chow mien noodles

Pork Tenderloin Thai Curry

2011-05-03T09:13:00.000-07:00

Curry is slowly becoming a favorite around here. Makes sense in a way since we are a big fan of Thai and other Asian cuisine that we drift towards curry and the food of India. Why may you ask? A lot of reasons, part of our eating in a healthier way mode it gives us another avenue of flavor and way to introduce some more veggies into our diet.

I think next time around I'll kick this up a notch in the veggie department by adding in some chopped red bell pepper...will help with the color aspect as well. Might even add a diced jalapeno or Thai red chili to kick the heat up a notch more...maybe. Stay tuned for a V2..this was plenty tasty, just see room for some improvement.

Pork Tenderloin Thai Curry

1 - 1to 1 1/4 lb pork tenderloin
1 t red pepper flakes
1 t ground cumin
2 t yellow curry powder
3 cardamom seeds crushed
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1 13.5 oz can coconut milk
2 T peanut butter
1 c water
1 t chicken flavor better than bouillon
1 T honey
1 large onion chopped
1 T vegetable oil
1 T sesame oil
1/4 c finely chopped fresh cilantro
salt
pepper

Heat oils in large lidded saute pan over medium high heat. Season pork tenderloin with salt and pepper. Add to the saute pan and sear all sides. Add onion and cook until tender and edges starting to brown.

Add spices, coconut milk, peanut butter, honey, water, bouillon and half of the fresh cilantro. Stir to blend. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 115-20 minutes until pork is cooked through.

Serve of rice or rice noodles and garnish with remaining cilantro.

Salmon en Croute...special stuff for special people

2011-03-20T12:24:00.000-07:00

My neighbors are going through a major remodel and have been without a kitchen for nearly a month. We decided to treat them to a home cooked meal last night. Of course, as always I want to give my guests the best I can produce. A little wow factor is nice too.

Salmon en Croute..literally salmon in crust was the option I went for tonight. Its really simple, a little laborious but worth the results. Its actually pretty easy to do...wrap a par-cooked salmon portion in puff pastry much like one would wrap a Christmas gift using a little egg wash as glue to hold the seams together.

Presentation is everything and its the little things that elevate the wow factor of the final product. In this case not only did I glaze it with an egg wash, but I cut out little fish from the pastry scraps to make decorations for the top of the package to give a little visual interest as well as hint of what is inside.

When working with puff pastry dough one does need to keep it cool so you don't melt the butter separating the layers within the pastry. Working with one sheet at a time does help you keep from getting your dough to soft and ruining the layers. Simply put the sheet you don't need at the moment in the fridge to keep it cool while working with the other. Also, its very important that the dough be cool when put in the oven for maximum puff during baking so the resting period in the refrigerator is really important, but that's a good thing as it means you can have assembled in the afternoon before you even have to worry about your guests arriving. Do aheads are a good thing.

The puff pastry though loaded with butter can stick to a baking sheet. I use a silpat to prevent sticking and tearing of the salmon en Croute when removing it from the pan. If you don't have a silpat then do get yourself some parchment paper to put down on your baking sheet to prevent sticking. Nothing is worse than working hard to make a pretty looking dish only to have it ruined because of sticking. Easy fix.

Salmon en Croute

1 pkg Pepperidge Farms Puff Pastry
4 4-6oz salmon fillets
onion salt
pepper
whole grain mustard
dill weed
Sea salt
1 egg beaten

Trim salmon fillets into neat squared off edge pieces. Season both sides with onion salt and pepper. Add to microwave safe baking dish. Microwave on high for 4minutes. Let cool to room temp. Very important to cool to room temp as if its too warm it will melt the pastry and you will have a mess on your hands.

Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry. Cut in half. Take 1 salmon fillet. Sprinkle both sides with the dill weed to taste. On one side spread 1 t grainy mustard (I use grey poupon whole grain mustard) on one side of the salmon. Brush edges of puff pastry with egg wash. Place the fillet on a piece of puff pastry. Bring up one side and then the other, trimming off extra for making a surface decoration...like a fish maybe? Take the open ends of the puff pastry and fold as if gift wrapping on a package, pressing lightly to seal. Make decoration with scrap and attach with egg wash to top of bundle. Repeat with remaining dough portions and fillets.

Place bundles in fridge and let rest a minimum of 1 hour.

Place salmon packages on a silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Brush egg wash all over the bundles and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake 425F for 20-25 minutes until puffed and golden brown all over.

Cherry Almond Crumble

2011-03-19T16:23:00.000-07:00

What does one do when one has guests and they don't eat chocolate? Out goes most of my recipes and I find out what they do like, in tonights case Bill really likes fruit cobblers and crumbles so off to the test kitchen I went for this recipe.

ITs not a complete test as the topping is pretty generic and all I had to do was get some backs of fresh frozen fruit from the grocery. I knew going into this that cherry and almond play together really well so it wasn't a giant leap into the unknown with this one. Turned out quite tasty.

Cherry Almond Crumble

2 lbs frozen pitted dark cherries
1/4 c sugar
1 T corn starch
1 t almond extract.
Topping:
1 1/2 old fashioned rolled oats
3/4 c slivered almonds
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c flour
1/2 c butter melted

Lightly spray 13X9 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Combine cherries, sugar, corn starch and almond extract. Toss lightly until evenly coated. Pour into a single layer into the baking dish.

In stand mixer add oats, flour, brown sugar and almonds. Turn mixer onto low speed and slowly drizzle in the melted butter. Mix until butter is well distributed and the mix resembles coarse sand. Sprinkle topping mixture over the fruit.

Bake 350F for 45-50 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.

Swampberry Pie - not as bad as you think

2011-03-14T08:48:00.000-07:00

Blueberry's and cranberry's love the swamp, grow in swamps, hence the name swampberry pie.

In this lovely little pie I use frozen wild blueberries from Trader Joe's. Well worth the extra buck over the domestic kind. You get a much more intense blueberry flavor with none of that gritty seed action when you opt for the wild blueberry. Of course I got spoiled on the real wild blueberry as a kid traipsing about the swamps around Ely, MN picking them for pies, muffins and pancakes with my grandmother.

Unlike my grandmother, I don't have a decent pie hand. But I do quite well with building the guts of a pie. Marie Calender's pie shells are the best by far that I have seen, and guess what...no dough to have to get mad at and toss in the trash in a fit of anger when it starts shredding and falling apart. A total win for me. If you can make the pie dough from scratch and have it not fall apart when trying to get into the pie plate more power to you!

Swampberry Pie

1 deep dish pie shell
12 oz bag frozen wild blueberries
2/3 C dried sweetened cranberries (I use craisans brand)
zest and juice of one lemon
1 T corn starch
1 C flour
1 C brown sugar
1/4 C butter - cubed
1/2 t cinnamon

In bowl gently toss blueberry, cranberry, lemon juice, lemon zest and corn starch until blended. Pour into the prepared pie shell.

Pour flour, brown sugar and cinnamon in a blow and stir to blend up evenly. Add cubed butter and with a pastry cutter or stand mixer with a whisk attachment blend in the butter to the flour mixture until it resembles coarse sand. Pour over fruit mixture in pie pan.

Bake 400F for 50-60 minutes until topping is golden brown.

Shell all nicely loaded waiting for topping

Asian Pepper Steak

2011-03-10T10:15:00.001-08:00

Wow...sorry for the delay in posting here, but I've been so busy with life and other blogs that I haven't had much time to devote to this one. Bad me.

During this hiatus I didn't stop cooking nor did I stop eating and living in a healthy way hasn't stopped.

Last night I made a favorite of mine that hits all the right Asian style cooking notes to make it a hit with a few around here. I love Asian for a lot of reasons, mostly because of all the stir fried crispy-ish veggies that go into it. I've made variations of this one dish over the years. Satisfies the urge for Asian as well as being nutritious.

It is really important for the flavor that you include the sesame oil. It imparts a lot of flavor to your stir fry and is one of the usual secret ingredients that make Asian taste so good. Its worth the splurge.

Asian Pepper Steak

1 lb thin sliced sirloin or top round
1/4 c + 2T low sodium soy sauce
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 T minced garlic
1 T minced fresh ginger
1 onion
2 T vegetable oil - divided
2 T sesame oil - divided
1 cup water
1 t better than beef bullion (or a cube if you can't find this stuff)
2 T corn starch.
Crispy Chow Mein Noodles (optional)

A couple of hours prior to making cut your beef into bite sized pieces, add to bowl. Add in 2T soy sauce, garlic and ginger. Marinate in fridge at least 2 hours.

Coarse chop onion and peppers. In large skillet over medium high heat add 1T each of vegetable and sesame oil. Heat until shimmering, add veggies. Stir fry until tender crisp, 4-5 minutes. Remove veggies from pan and put aside.

Add 1T each of the vegetable oil and sesame oil. Heat until shimmering and add beef mixture. Stir fry 5-6 minutes until browned and done. Add 1/3 cup soy sauce and reduce heat to simmer. Dissolve bullion and corn starch in the water. Add vegies back into the pan with the meat. Add the corn starch mixture and bring to boil. When thickened and clear remove from heat. Serve over rice with crispy chow mein noodles as garnish.

Veggies getting stir fried all on the own...

Smashed outta the park...Spanish Rice and Noodles

2011-02-09T12:31:00.001-08:00

Geez, if I knew it was going to be this good I'd have done it a while back. Seriously, rarely do you get a new recipe that everyone raves over on the first try. But this is one.

I used a spanish noodle called "fiedo" and it is similar to 1 inch long pieces of angel hair pasta. Stuff is good and I had bought it to make chicken noodle soup, but still have half a package left. What to do, what to do...experimenting came to mind. If you can't find fideo on your supermarket shelf you could just bust up some angel hair pasta into 1 inch long pieces and move forward with the recipe.

The end result is something not unlike that boxed rice-a-roni (contrary to the ad jingle you can't get it in San Francisco) Spanish Rice. Only better, much moister and tastier.

Finally to make it even easier I used a microwave oven to cook the stuff.

Spanish Rice and Noodles

3/4 c rice
1/4 cup fideo noodles
1/4 c diced onion
1 14 oz can chicken broth
1/2 c salsa (I used pace picante)
1 T olive oil
1 T butter

In a saute pan heat olive oil and butter over medium high heat. Add rice, fideo and onion. Cook until the fideo is deep golden brown and onion is translucent. Stir often so you don't burn the fideo and onion. Add to microwave safe baking dish, stir in salsa. Cover with a microwave safe lid or plastic wrap. Microwave 5 minutes on high, reduce power to 50% and cook 15 minutes longer.

Best Brownie I ever ate...

2011-01-29T11:07:00.000-08:00

I can't take credit for this recipe at all, but will gladly share it. It showed up in this months Bon Appetite magazine in an article all about cocoa and cocoa recipes. This brownie is unusual in that it uses cocoa powder and browned butter. A little bit of work extra in making, but well worth the effort. Link HERE.

My only caution is to make sure you use a good heavy pan to brown the butter as too thin a pan you run the risk of scorching the butter before it is beautifully browned.

The recipe calls for a "natural unsweetened cocoa" but doesn't make a specific brand request. I used a dark chocolate cocoa from Surfas' Culinary District weg site. The brand I used is their "Black Onyx" cocoa which is an extra rich cocoa which I use in all recipes calling for "cocoa powder". The link to buy it yourself is HERE.

Thai Noodles and Chicken

2011-01-25T19:10:00.000-08:00

So my friend Janie sent me this recipe that looked good but would have served an army, calling for nearly double the ingredients this cut down version made. Even this version will serve a small platoon, and man is it good. Hat tip to Janie for the start of a wonderful recipe.

I will warn you in advance that the prep work is a bit tedious but well worth the results. Best to get it all prepped mis en place style as it stir fries up very quickly. If you try to just dice or julienne as you go you will wind up with something over cooked instead of tender crisp. Take the time to prep and have it ready to go all at once will make your life a lot stressful.

Thai Noodles and Chicken

10 oz rice noodle cooked according to package directions.
1 T light cooking oil
2 T sesame oil
1 cloves fresh garlic minced
1 red chili pepper minced & seeded
1 carrot - julienned
1 red bell pepper diced
zucchini julienned
1 bunches scallions - sliced on the diagonal into 1/2" pieces, green tops reserved
1 small red onion diced
1 lb cooked chicken breast diced

Spices

1/2 t ground ginger
1 T chili powder
1/2 t. yellow curry powder
1 T lemon pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 t lemon zest

Dressing

3/4 c chunky or creamy peanut butter
1/4 c low sodium soy sauce
1 c hot water
1/8 cup seasoned rice vinegar

Garnish

1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1/2 c chopped cilantro
reserved sliced green onion tops

Cook rice noodles and drain. Add oils to a 3 qt sauce pan and heat over medium high heat add vegetables, chicken and spices to hot oil and stir fry 3-4 minutes. Mix peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar and hot water, add to vegetable mixture. Add noodles, bring bring to a simmer. Add more water if it gets thick (I had to add about 1/4 c). Remove from heat and add garnish. Serve in bowls with crunchy chow mien noodles sprinkled on top for a little extra crunch.

Drunken Pulled Pork...the Crock Pot edition

2011-01-17T09:53:00.000-08:00

My kids love pulled pork sammies, my wife will eat it without the bun...a carb counter amongst us. Regardless its stupid easy to do as all it needs is a long braise. Its a hit any day of the week, but on Sundays when its my day for basketball tournaments I need to rely on the Crock Pot to get Sunday dinner on the table.

This version isn't all that different from the oven braised version I blogged a while back. It simply takes the pork butt roast from being cut to fit into a braising pan to being whole to slow cook all day in a crock pot. Mine is older than I care to admit but still is a very handy tool to have in the kitchen for those busy days you either don't have the time to cook dinner or you don't want to heat up the entire house with an oven. Either way its a long slow braise and the results are fork tender ready to pull apart pork roast.

One thing I've discovered is that it is true that cooking bone in yields more flavor. When cooked until fork tender there is no butchering required to get around the bone...it simply pulls right out and you can go about using a pair of forks to pull your pork.

Even though I am using a bottled BBQ sauce for the sandwiches, I still pull a lot of spices into the mix to pick up the same flavor profile basted deep into the pork. Its just a more flavorful end result. Prolly why its a hit with the fam.

Crock Pot BBQ Pulled Pork

7 lb bone in pork roast
1 onion chopped
1 carrot chopped
1 celery stalk chopped
2 t Steak seasoning (I use Lawry's brand Montreal Seasoning Salt)
2 bay leaf
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T Liquid Smoke
1 Bottle beer (I use a light amber wheat beer)
1 15oz can tomato sauce

Add ingredients in order listed to crock pot. Set on low and cook 8 hours. Remove pork roast from the braising liquid. Using a fork peal off pieces of meat. Using two forks, one to hold down the meat and another to shred pull your pork into bite sized shards. Add your favorite BBQ sauce to the shredded meat, heat and serve on hamburger buns.

Lentil and Sausage Soup

2010-12-23T13:20:00.000-08:00

This isn't about perfect health, its about moderation and living healthier, or at least I tell myself so as I slice up a kielbasa into the stock to put the "sausage" in the title of the soup. Seriously, if you don't watch what you do in that Holiday period starting with Thanksgiving and ending with your New Years feast you'll have a hard time maintaining your weight. I don't advocated giving up the feasting on the Holidays, quite contrary I advocate celebrating them and then eat healthier and lower cal/fat/carbs on the days between each of the Holidays.

This soup makes it possible to celebrate the Holidays and not feel guilty for your feasting. Its full of good whole legumes and vegies with just enough sausage to add some protein to the soup.

I have learned the hard way that lentils need to soak prior to cooking if you don''t want a bowl of gravel in broth as the end result. Hardy little buggers that they are if you skip the soaking in boiling water part you will end up with exactly that. Not appetizing at all.

I took the Barefoot Contessa's TV lessons to heart regarding cleaning leeks. They add flavor and if not cleaned properly you will have sand in your soup. Cleaning is easy. Slice lengthwise then dice them. Put them all in a bowl of water and agitate gently. The leeks will float and the sand will fall to the bottom. Carefully scoop out the leeks and put into a colander to drain off the excess water before sauteing. Look at the water remaining in the bowl, it will be full of sandy bits.

Lentil and Sausage Soup

12 oz lentils
4 cups boiling water
1/4 c olive oil
1 leek
1 onion
1 c diced celery
1 c diced carrot
1 T thyme
1/2 t fresh ground black pepper
2 bay leaf
2 qrts chicken broth
1 lb smoke sausage such as kielbasa
salt

Pour the lentils into the boiling water. Remove from heat and cover for 30 minutes.

Slice leek lengthwise. Cut each piece into 1/2 inch slices. Clean and drain well. Give onion a coarse dice. Heat olive oil over medium high heat and add leeks,onion, celery and carrot. Saute about 15-20 minutes until onion is translucent.

Add spices and broth. Drain lentils and add to soup. Simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Slice sausage into 1/4-1/2" thick slices. Add to soup and simmer additional 15 minutes. Test seasoning and add salt as needed. (I found that saltiness of broth and sausage vary greatly and its best to test salt after the sausage has cooked into the soup rather than try to add it at the beginning of the cooking process).

Spritz cookies

2010-12-14T11:17:00.000-08:00

This is one of those standby recipes that is part of our Christmas traditions. Spritz have been enjoyed since I was a kid and this is the same recipe has used for more years than I'll ever admit too. Figured as long as I was experimenting with an orange version I might as well share the original that I have used all the years I've been continuing the tradition.

My one word of caution is not to skrimp on buying a cheap "imitation flavor"or "almond flavor" as you get a bitter aftertaste. Splurge on the real almond extract and reward yourself with a depth and purity of flavor as a reward for your efforts.

Spritz Cookies

2 c flour

1/2 t salt

1/2 t baking powder

1 cup butter

1/2 c sugar

1 egg

1/2 t almond extract

1/2 t vanilla extract

1-5 drops food color (optional)

decorating sprinkles or sugars

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and extracts beating until well blended. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and slowly add to the creamed mixture.

Load your cookie press per the manufacturers directions.

Bake 350F 8-10 minutes until set but not browning.

Orange Spritz Cookies

2010-12-11T09:59:00.000-08:00

I knew I had a hit with the Orange Spritz cookie when my wife confessed that she really liked them better than the regular version. I tested it out last night on some additional family members who all opined as well that they thought I had gotten the right balance of orange in. Not bad for a first try, certainly not often I get it the first time. Of course it helps that the bottle suggested you use 1/2 t per cup of dry ingredients.

Part of the testing last night included 3 versions. Absolutely plain, chocolate sprinkles (as we know how well chocolate plays with citrus) and the last with simple sugar sprinkles. There really was no difference on the palate between the three, I had thought possibly the plain version would need something, but I was wrong as those were the first to disappear off the plate. I may yet take the plain version and dip them in chocolate, semi or bitter sweet just to dress them up a bit for the holidays, not that they don't stand alone quite well as it is.

I thought briefly about coloring them orange since they were orange flavored, but opted not too as those with chocolate sprinkles would look more like they were ready for Halloween not Christmas. Something to consider still? DK for sure.

Orange Spritz

1 c butter
1/2 c sugar
1 egg
2 c flour
1/2 t vanilla
1 t orange oil (I use Boyajian)
1/2 t salt
1 t baking powder

Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Cream butter, sugar, vanilla and orange oil. Add egg and beat until smooth. Sift in the dry ingredients and stir in until just mixed.

Load your cookie press per the manufacturers directions. Bake at 350F, 9-10 minutes until just set but not browning.

Orange Fudge

2010-12-07T11:47:00.000-08:00

Plain and simple I love fudge, but given the calories involved I make it once a year and give most of it away as gifts.

Earlier this year I discovered at Surfas an interesting product, orange oil. Not an extract or "flavoring" but oil obtained by squeezing oranges. Its called Boyajian Orange Oil and can be found HERE. The stuff has a warning label "use sparingly" and that I did, as one taste obtained from the tip of my finger was extremely orangey.

Rather than re-invent the wheel I opted to start with my favorite fudge recipe, "Stupid Easy Fudge" and added flavor from there. I've known for some time that citrus and chocolate play together well in ones mouth (ever have a chocolate dipped orange slice?) so the idea to make an Orange Fudge wasn't completely out of the blue, but had as basis in real world flavors. I used zest as well as the oil so I would have texture, visual clues and of course a true orange taste.

It worked really, really well in my not so humble opinion.

Orange Fudge

6 oz semi-sweet chocolate
6 oz bittersweet chocolate (I used a Valrhona 66% cacao)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
zest of one orange divided
1/4 t orange oil

Chop the bittersweet and semi-sweet chocolate and add to mixing bowl. Add 1/2 of the orange zest and the orange oil. Add sweetened condensed milk. Heat in microwave 1 minute and stir, if not enough to melt all of the chocolate zap again in 30 second increments.

When smooth transfer to a plastic wrap (cling film?) lined dish. Smooth over and sprinkle remaining zest over the top of the fudge. Carefully pull the plastic wrap over the top of the fudge and lightly press to seal the orange zest into the fudge. Chill overnight before cutting.

Happy Thanksgiving and a recipe for dressing too!

2010-11-25T18:46:00.001-08:00

So when it comes to Thanksgiving and the other holidays I stay pretty true to tradition and include the usual turkey, stuffing and the rest of the goodies.

I got hooked on Ina Garten's "Herb Roasted Turkey" Breast a few years ago and its a staple. Why? Well its is absolutely phenomenal to start and there is no carcass left to deal with the day after (no one in my house 'cept me is a dark meat eater). For cranberry sauce I absolutely love Nigella's "Redder than Red" cranberry sauce...who knew a shot of cherry brandy could do so much for a simple sauce.

Years ago, 21 to be precise as a wedding gift my dear friend in Minnesota sent me a wild rice cook book and there I got hooked on the stuff. Cranberry, wild rice are a perfect combo fresh from the northern swamps and quite tasty together. I got the wild idea I don't know how many years ago to include cooked wild rice in my stuffing. It with cranberry give the stuffing a nice nutty and tart taste all at the same time.

Wild rice is an aquatic grass native to the Northern US and has a nice nutty flavor and slightly chewy texture when cooked right. You do have to cook it longer than regular rice to get through the thick hull. Under cook it and its like chewing on gravel, something you really don't want in stuffing. The age of the rice and how long it was roasted affects cooking time and how much water it needs to cook properly. Pay close attention to the directions on this one.

Wild Rice and Cranberry Stuffing

1 12 oz box seasoned stuffing mix

1 can chicken broth

1/2 c wild rice

1/2 c dried cranberry

1 c chopped celery

1 c chopped onion

1 t sage, divided

1 T garlic - minced

1/2 c butter (1 stick)

1 egg

Salt

Pepper

Place broth, wild rice and 1/2 t sage in sauce pot. Bring to boil then reduce heat to barely a simmer. Simmer 1 hour covered, stirring occasionally. Add additional water if the rice absorbs too much and starts to look dry. At the end of the hour, turn off the heat and allow the rice to steep another hour until cool. (I usually make the rice the day before the stuffing). Strain out the rice reserving what cooking liquid is left.

Dice the celery and onion. Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until butter starts to sizzle. Add the onion, celery and 1/2 sage. Salt and pepper to taste. Saute until onion is translucent, add garlic and cook one minute longer.

In large mixing bowl add dry stuffing mix. Add cooled drained wild rice and cranberry and toss lightly. Add onion mixture and toss lightly again. Take reserved cooking liquid and enough water to measure 2 cups. Stir egg into the cooking mixture then pour evenly over stuffing mixture. Toss lightly until evenly moistened.

Use as stuffing or pour into large casserole dish and bake 1 hour at 325F

Arroz Caldo

2010-10-30T14:46:00.000-07:00

Every nation and culture has its version of chicken soup. In the Philippines it is called "Arroz Caldo" and I got the base recipe from my friend Caroline Paras who made it one day earlier this week to help her get over a cold. (See every nation uses chicken soup to get over the common cold too...or its just great comfort food).

In her recipe it called for less liquid with the notation to add more liquid if it got too thick. Well it got too thick very quickly so I monitored how much extra stock I needed for the soup and it was substantial. The stock listed in my recipe is what I actually used and it probably could have used a bit more liquid at the end as that rice sure absorbs it all fast!

In the area of garnish I deviated and instead of using lemon as a "garnish" I added it too the soup direct to give it an extra zip of flavor. That little bit of acid and lemon really played well with the ginger in the soup and will continue to incorporate it in the base soup instead of using as just a garnish. Its that good with it.

In terms of garnish I used simple chopped green onion as was listed in the recipe from Caroline. I think the next time I make this soup, which will be very soon, I'll include chopped cilantro with the green onion. Probably straying a bit from what the Philippine version would call for as a garnish, but it would be quite tasty with the ginger and lemon.

Arroz Caldo

approx 1 ½ lbs chicken thigh, cut into 1"cubes
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 knobs of ginger peeled, chopped 1/4" inches (about 2 tablespoons)
4 cloves of garlic (chopped roughly)
1 onion (chopped)
2 cups of sweet or jasmine rice (uncooked)
1 quart of chicken stock (fat free, sodium free)
2 tablespoons patis (fish sauce)
salt and pepper to taste
zest and juice of 1 lemon
optional:
green onions, chopped
roasted or fried garlic pieces
boiled eggs
calamansi juice

In a dutch oven, heat oil. Add chicken pieces. Brown on one side. When pieces are ready to flip, add garlic, onions and ginger and sauteed until chicken pieces are browned.

Add rice. Give a quick toss. Add chicken stock and patis. Bring to a boil, stirring the rice and chicken mixture. Lower heat to simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover. Every so often, stir the pot so rice does not stick to the bottom and to check for the tenderness of rice. If the mixture becomes too thick, add more chicken stock or water.

When rice is very tender, serve. Garnish with green onions, roasted garlic pieces, boiled eggs. Add calamansi juice as an option to add more flavor.

Spicy Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

2010-10-21T19:22:00.000-07:00

Love, love, love me some butternut squash soup. Its such a versatile gourd you can't help but come up with a hundred iterations of the basic soup.

This time around I took a cue from Ina Garten and roasted the squash. I found that it concentrated the flavor nicely plus took on a nice roasted flavor as some of the flesh caramelized.

To continue with the smokey roasted theme I used chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. They brought on some nice heat as well as a hint of smoke that played nice nice with the butternut squash.

Finally, I have finally gotten it through my head to season at each step of the process as its so much easier to "get it right" when you do it that way rather than try to do an entire batch at the end. Funny how that works, but there is little left to do salt wise at the end if you do it as you go along and you don't have to worry about over salting either.

Spice Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

approx 4 lb butternut squash
1 c chopped onion
1 c chopped carrot
1T chopped garlic
2 chipotle peppers packed in adobo
1 t adobo sauce
3 14 oz cans chicken broth
salt
pepper
olive oil

Split the butternut squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds. Lightly drizzle with olive oil and add 1t salt to each half. Add 1/4 t fresh ground black pepper to each half. Place on baking sheet and bake in 325F oven for one hour and test for doneness. (It took 1hour 20 minutes to test done for me tonight). It will pierce with a fork with no resistance when done. Cool and scoop out flesh into a bowl.

Add 1T olive oil to sauce pot. Add carrots and onion. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat until onion is translucent. Stirring occasionally to cook evenly. Add chipotle peppers and adobo sauce. Add garlic and stir in cooking for 1 minute longer.

Put onion mixture in blender with 1 can broth. Run on puree until smooth and return to sauce pan. Add 1/2 of squash to blender with 1 can broth, puree and add to onion mixture in sauce pan. Repeat with remaining squash and can of broth. Over low heat bring to simmer.

Serve hot with a garnish of thinly sliced hot peppers and cilantro. (If you are one of those who can't deal with cilantro you can use flat leaf parsley).

Honey Mustard Salmon over couscous

2010-10-13T18:17:00.000-07:00

Salmon. A go to food source rich in omega 3's and something 4/5 in my house will eat for dinner without a snivel or grumble. I keep bags of the Costco frozen fillets in my freezer for those last minute dinners where the day got away from me and I needed to get something on the table fast.

Couscous is one of those stupid easy food stuffs that makes a perfect side with no effort. If you can bring water to a boil you can make couscous. I use chicken stock for a bit more flavor, but you can use water if you don't have a can of stock handy. Add some herbage or other green matter to the couscous before you put the lid on to let it steep and you are set with an easy side.

The salmon does take a little bit of prep, not much and a few minutes to marinade in the dry rub. Even then you have it ready in no time as the fillets don't need that much time in the marinade, say 10-15 minutes at most.

Honey Mustard Salmon

4 Salmon fillets

onion salt

pepper

2 t dill weed

4 T honey mustard

olive oil

butter

Pat salmon fillets dry. Add Onion salt and pepper to own taste preference. Use 1/4 teaspoon dill weed per salmon side. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinade for 10-15 minutes.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon each of olive oil and butter. When butter sizzles add the salmon fillets. Cook on first side about 4-5 minutes. Turn over and spread 1 tablespoon honey mustard on each fillet. Cook another 4-5 minutes or until the salmon flakes easily.

Serve over bed of couscous or herbed rice.

Black Bean Chipotle Chili

2010-09-10T08:52:00.000-07:00

I've had this can of chipotle chili's in adobo sauce hanging around for a bit as I picked it up for making this kick butt shrimp dish.

With cooler than normal, outright Novemberish weather the last few days I decided I wanted to make chili and experiment a bit with the chipotle.

Chipotle is a smoked dried ripe jalapeno. When packed in adobo sauce it becomes soft again. As it is a ripe jalapeno to start with it is higher in natural sugars, slightly sweeter than the green variety. As it was smoke dried it imparts this wonderful smokey flavor to the dish. Not a bad combo to work with in the kitchen when it comes to chili makin'.

The amount of chipotle you add to the chili determines the heat. If you want a mild tang go with fewer, if you want full on burn where your ears burn and you break into a cold sweat add more. I strongly recommend you sample a bit of the chipotle BEFORE you get all crazy and add it to your other ingredients as there is no going back once in. Seriously...the burn sneaks up on you once you get past the smokey sweetness of the chipotle.

Black Bean Chipotle Chili

1.5 lbs ground beef (I use coarse ground chuck)
olive oil
1 onion - chopped
1 T garlic - minced
2-6 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 T chili powder
1 can diced tomato
1 can tomato sauce
1 can beef broth
1/2 t black pepper
bay leaf
1 T oregano
1 T cilantro
salt

In large sauce pot add enough olive oil to coat bottom of pan. Over medium high heat crumble in the ground beef. Cook until well browned. Add onion, cook about 5 minutes longer until onion is translucent. Add garlic and stir in cooking 1 minute.

Add remaining ingredients. Check for salt and season to taste.

Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour with cover ajar to allow some steam to escape and the chili to cook down concentrating flavors.

Serve with sour cream and shredded cheese as garnish.

Beer Braised Short Ribs version 2

2010-09-06T18:46:00.001-07:00

Quite a while back I posted a recipe for beer braised short ribs that was quite tasty, this version is even tastier.

The crock pot is a life saver when it comes to braising low and slow. Especially on a hot day as it emits very little heat compared to stove top or oven braising. It may take longer but that's fine when you are in no hurry or have stuff to do at the normal time one needs to be preparing dinner.

This version I cheated to move the depth of flavor. I suppose I could have made my own stock and onion soup for the base, but why bother when you sometimes can use "store bought" to make it easier on yourself. I mean, surely Martha Stewart takes short cuts when no one is looking AND there are plenty of others out there who do and aren't ashamed of them. Count me in with the latter group.

Beer Braised Short Ribs

3 1/2-4 lbs beef boneless beef short ribs
1 onion - diced
2 T minced garlic
3 bay leaf
1 12 oz bottle beer
1 can beef broth
1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1 14 oz can diced tomato
1 t pepper
1 t salt
4T corn starch
1/2 c water

Cut short ribs into serving piece size. Season with salt and pepper. Heat heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and brown ribs in batches searing all sides well...about 3-4 minutes per side. Put each seared beef into crock pot as you finish each batch.

When you are done searing the ribs add onion to skillet and brown off scraping up the browned bits from the pan bottom. When onions are translucent, about 5-7 minutes add garlic and cook 1 minute longer, stirring constantly so as not to burn garlic. Add bottle of beer and scrape up all remaining brown bits from bottom of pan. Stir in onion soup mix until dissolved and pour over the seared ribs in the crock pot. Toss gently until all is well distributed.

Add can of undrained tomatoes and beef broth to the crock pot. Cover and simmer on low 6-8 hours. Just before serving test seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed. Mix corn starch and water and pour into the crock pot stirring constantly until it begins to thicken and create a "gravy".

Tomato and Black Bean Salad

2010-08-24T18:48:00.001-07:00

Its super seasonal, and I'm lucky enough to have a neighbor who over planted heirloom tomatoes so I've been reaping the bounty the last few days. Tonight's side dish was stupid easy for prep and quite tasty too.

Tomato and Black Bean Salad

3 tomatoes - diced

1 can black beans - drained

1/2 red onion - small dice

3 T red wine vinegar

6 T olive oil

1 T chopped parsley

1 T chopped cilantro

salt

pepper

Add all the ingredients to serving bowl. Toss lightly until evenly distributed. Add Salt and Pepper to taste. Cover and marinate in refrigerator at least 2 hours before serving. Serve chilled or at room temp.

Individual Peach Crisps

2010-08-14T19:53:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I know instinctively what to do when someone says "bring dessert for brunch" other times I agonize not knowing what to bring. Its fresh fruit season so it made sense to do something seasonal and simple since it is summer. I thought about it for a few days and then inspiration wishes from a friend told me what to do. Take the bounty of fresh peaches at the farmers market and turn them into "Individual Peach Crisps". Hence this recipe idea was born.

You'll note I have the individual crisps on a baking sheet to catch any potential boil over and spare myself some oven cleaning. I highly recommend you do the same.

Individual Peach Crisp

Ingredients:

3 pounds fresh peaches, peeled, pitted

2 T corn starch

1/2 c sugar

2/3 cup sifted all-purpose flour

1/3 c old fashioned oats

1 cup brown sugar lightly packed

1/2 teaspoon salt - divided

1 teaspoon cinnamon - divided

1/2 cup soft unsalted butter

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375°.

Place slice peeled, pitted peaches into mixing bowl. Add sugar, corn starch, 1/4 t salt, 1/2 t cinnamon. Toss until well coated. Put aside while mixing topping.

Mix together the flour, oat meal, brown sugar, 1/4 t salt and and 1/2 t cinnamon into a medium bowl. Cut butter into flour mixture with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Divide peaches among 8 ramekins. Divide topping and sprinkle crumbs evenly over peaches. Place ramekins on a baking sheet to catch boil over.Bake at 375° for 40-45 minutes, until topping is golden brown and peaches are tender. Serve peach crisp warm with cream or whipped topping.

Seriously, try to divide your peaches evenly as possible. You certainly don't want your guests to suffer dessert envy now do we?

Low Fat Blueberry Muffins

2010-07-03T09:43:00.000-07:00

As one with a genetic predisposition to cholesterol problems I do what I can with diet to help keep it under control. I'm no monk and have been known to splurge on the full fat stuff every now and then to satiate the hedonist within, but not always, certainly not for daily living.

The problem with most low and no fat cookery is that it has a definite lack of texture coupled with a certain blandness. It should be no secret that fat is a flavor (and vitamin) transporter so when you reduce fat you need to up the flavor quotient to still get the desired effect in the mouth.

This muffin recipe is an adaptation of one of those cardboard varieties I was passed along as being good. Meh. They were pretty bland and lacked a lot of moisture and taste. To up the taste factor I added a hint of nutmeg, some cinnamon and vanilla which is a blueberries favorite playmate in the kitchen. To combat the moisture loss from all the fat normally found in a recipe I increased the amount of blueberries from 1 cup to 1 pint. (Besides...who picks or purchases blueberries by the cup anyway?)

So here you go. A low fat Blueberry Muffin recipe that still is moist and flavorful with just the tiniest smidge of fat in them.

Low Fat Blueberry Muffins

2 c all purpose flour
1/3 c sugar
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/4 t nutmeg
2 t cinnamon
1 cup non-fat milk
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 T oil (I use vegetable oil, but canola oil would work fine)
1 large egg
1 pint blueberries
turbinado sugar (optional for sprinkling on tops)

Preheat oven to 400F. Line muffin tin with 12 paper liners.

Combine all the dry ingredients in mixing bowl and stir to disperse evenly.

In a small bowl combine the liquid ingredients and beat in the egg. Stir into the dry ingredients until just moistened. Fold in Blueberries. Distribute batter evenly between paper cup lined muffin tins. Sprinkle tops with the turbinado sugar. Bake 20-22 minutes until lightly browned and they test clean with a tooth pick.

A couple of things to note. Metal foil cup liners work better than paper variety. The lack of fat in the recipe makes for a wetter batter that soaks into the paper variety and makes them just a bit harder to remove.

Don't over beat your muffin mix either. A spoon and doing it by hand until just moistened yields a muffin that will rise correctly yet have a nice crumb texture. Over beating can cause them to not rise and forms the gluten in the flour so you have a tough texture.

Salty Sweet Pretzel Dessert

2010-06-23T13:32:00.000-07:00

I can't lay claim to this and I've seen several variations to it. My version is not that dissimilar from the others, just has a few minor tweaks to make it my own. This dessert has that whole luscious sweet and salty thing going for it on top of the tartness of the berry's and the sweet cream layer in the middle. This is perfect for parties as it needs to be made a day ahead so it all sets up right.

Salty Sweet Pretzel Dessert

1 1/2 c. crushed pretzels
1/2 c. melted butter
1/2 c. sugar
8 oz. cream cheese
1 c. sugar
1 t vanilla
8 oz. Cool Whip
1 (6 oz.) pkg. raspberry Jello
2 c. boiling water
2 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen raspberries

Mix pretzels, butter and sugar together. Press into 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake 3 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool to room temp.

Beat cream cheese, vanilla and sugar together. Fold in Cool Whip. Spread onto pretzel mix. Chill 30 minutes.

Dissolve Jello in boiling water. Add frozen raspberries and stir until thawed. Pour over other layers. Refrigerate over night.

The texture of this is a bit coarse compared to your usual crumb crust so be sure to press in tightly so it doesn't fall apart when serving. Learned this the hard way.
Chilling the second layer makes it easier to put and even out the Jello/berry layer. Take the 30 minutes off to do something else and let it chill.

Variations...and there can be many. Jello matching fruit is the easiest thing you can do, or mix/match flavors. Use the same size Jello box and fruit weight and you are good to go. Here are a few I've used over the years.

Raspberry Jello and frozen peaches.

Pineapple Jello and pineapple chunks.

White Grape Jello and canned pear chunks.

Strawberry Jello and frozen strawberries.

Drowned Shrimp

2010-05-08T18:31:00.000-07:00

Mmmm...butter. Not for those of us who diet regularly or watch our cholesterol, but every once in a while its nice to fall off the wagon. Leaving the tails on leaves you with a nifty handle and it becomes finger food in the process! How fun is that...playing with your food at the dinner table and not getting in trouble.

If you are using frozen shrimp instead of fresh here's a tip for easy thawing and keeping them from smelling fishy in the process. Pour your shrimp into a bowl with cold water and one sliced lemon. The shrimp will defrost in no time and the acid from the lemon will keep them smelling fresh like the sea instead of getting a chance to oxidize and smell "fishy".

Drowned Shrimp

3 lbs peeled and de-veined raw shrimp
juice of one lemon
2 t chopped garlic
1 lb unsalted butter
1 t black pepper
1/8 t cayenne pepper
1/4 C white wine (optional)
Salt to taste.

Melt butter and add garlic, peppers, wine and lemon juice. Place shrimp in a 9X13 inch baking dish. Pour butter mixture over the shrimp. Bake in 400F oven 15-20 minutes until bubbly and shrimp are no longer pink. Serve with a loaf of sourdough or french bread for dunking in the broth!

Beef Tamale Casserole

2010-05-03T18:22:00.000-07:00

It was Iron Chef night in my neighborhood this past weekend. Rather than pick a secret ingredient we opted for a theme. We chose "Mexican" in honor of the coming cinqo de mayo celebrations. I came up with this casserole and took 3rd place out of 20 entries. Not bad, eh!?

Beef Tamale Casserole

1 lb lean ground beef
1 c onion chopped
1 4 0z can diced green chiles-drained
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 2.25 oz can sliced olives
2 cups frozen corn - thawed
3 T taco seasoning
1 1/2 c milk
1 c cornmeal
2 eggs - beaten
2 c shredded cheese (I use a cheddar/jack blend)

Heat oven to 350F. Spray a 9 X 13 pan with nonstick cooking oil spray.

In large skillet brown ground beef and onion. Cook until beef is well browned and onion is translucent. Off the heat add chiles, tomatoes, olives, corn and taco seasoning. Stir well to blend.

In bowl add milk, corn meal and eggs stirring well to combine. Pour over meat mixture and fold in.

Pour into prepared baking dish and even out. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle on the cheese. Return to oven and bake another 5 minutes until cheese is melted. Let set on wire rack 10 minutes to set when done baking.

Cut and serve with a dollop of salsa fresca on top and some refried beans on the side.

Limoncello Marinated Fruit....pic in action to follow

2010-05-01T10:43:00.000-07:00

My twist on the California dream includes citrus trees in the back yard. Had to do it and now I have a bounty of fruit.

Lemons, Meyer Lemons to be exact is among my many plantings. What to do with the bounty? Aside from the obvious "make lemonade" I make limoncello. Hands down the best Limoncello recipe belongs to Mario Batali of "Molto Mario" fame from FoodTV. The link to the recipe is HERE. The lemons left after the zesting of the lemons is ample for making Plus Perfect Lemonade...nothing wasted here!

The stuff is amazing. Straight up it will knock your socks off and get you twisted toot suite as it involves nearly 50% vodka. Good stuff. Cut it 50/50 with Ginger Ale or Sparkling Water and you have quite the refreshing cocktail for the patio on a warm summers day. After that you still will have plenty left over for other uses.

My favorite other use is to take seasonal fresh fruit and cover it with the limoncello and let it marinate for a few hours before serving. The fruit juices macerate (how's that for a $5 buck word) in with the limoncello and you have a dessert topping perfect for ice cream or pound cake. The former is my entry in the dessert category for tonight's Iron Chef night in my 'hood.

Buster Bars

2010-04-29T18:47:00.001-07:00

Lordy be I can't claim this one, its my Mom's recipe but it is pretty terrific. It has the whole salty/sweet thing going with the rich caramel and Spanish peanuts.

Buster Bars

1 lb. Oreos or Hydrox cookies-crushed

1/2 cup melted butter. Add to oreos, mix well and pat into bottom of a 9x13 pan.
Soften 1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream and spread over oreo mixture. Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups Spanish peanuts over ice cream. Put in freezer.

Topping
2cups powder sugar
1 large can evaporated milk
2/3 cups chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter.
Combine and bring to a boil in heavy bottom pan. Boil for 8 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat add 1 tsp. vanilla. Let this mixture cool over night before pouring over the ice cream. Freeze. Serve

Plus perfect Lemonade

2010-04-18T12:52:00.001-07:00

The secret which I'm about to give up is elementary my dear Watson. Everyone knows the zest contains oils that are so flavorful only a tiny bit will flavor an entire cake. I got to thinking and figured that since I make a simple syrup for lemonade I could take it over the top in terms of lemony flavor by adding zest to the syrup and let it steep. I was right, more perfect than perfect lemonade, PLUPERFECT to be precise.

Several years ago I planted a lemon tree and after debating and discussing with the local garden center I settled on the Myer Lemon as it is lemonier and sweeter than say the standard supermarket variety, usually a Eureka. I'm glad that I opted for the Myer as it has lived up to its reputation in the garden centers as the lemoniest of the lemons.

Plus perfect Lemonade

1 c sugar
2 c water
10 lemons
2 c ice cubes
additional cold water

Using vegetable peeler peel the zest off of 2 lemons. Place in heavy sauce pan with sugar and 2 cups water. Bring to a simmer stirring until sugar is dissolved. Turn off and cover. Let steep 10 minutes.

Juice the lemons, including the 2 you zested (should yield about 1 1/4-1 1/2c juice). Take a 2 quart pitcher and add the ice and juice. Strain the lemon zest from the syrup and add to pitcher. Add enough water to make 2 quarts of lemonade. Stir and chill until ready to serve.

Mexican Rice Soup

2010-03-01T18:41:00.000-08:00

I cheated. I admit it, I buy industrial sized taco seasoning as its cheaper and easier to grab it at Costco than concoct my own from scratch. It is definitely way cheaper than buying those little packets of taco seasoning from the grocery store. Prolly wouldn't be that difficult, but what the heck sometimes it has to be about convenience.

The soup itself is inspired by a chicken and rice soup I had years ago as a starter at a Mexican joint in old Tuscon AZ. The addition of the corn was my idea to add some sweetness to calm the otherwise spicy-ish soup. Worked quite well if I say so myself.

Mexican Rice Soup

1 yellow onion finely diced
1 green bell pepper diced
1 T garlic minced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 C mixed rice (white, brown, wild or substitute all white)
2 14 oz cans chicken broth
3 T taco seasoning
1/4 t salt
1/2 t fresh ground black pepper
12 oz cooked chicken diced
8 oz frozen corn

Add olive oil to coat the bottom of a stock pot over medium-low heat. Cook onion and bell pepper and 1/4 t salt, saute until onions are caramelized. Add rice and garlic, cook 1 minute stirring constantly so as to not burn the garlic.

Add chicken, broth, taco seasoning and black pepper to the pot. Increase heat and bring to boil. Test seasoning and add more salt if needed. Reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour covered until rice is cooked through. Add corn at end and stir in until thawed and heated through, should take only a minute or two. (You don't want to over cook the corn so it looses its tender crisp texture).

Butternut and Red Pepper Soup

2010-03-01T09:24:00.000-08:00

In continuance of my living in a healthier way goal for the New Year here is another version of my tried and true Butternut Squash soup. Just enough zing and extra sweetness to make this variation stand on its own as its own recipe. This is one that tastes as good if not a bit better on the second day.

After a whiz in the blender there isn't much left to do with this soup except bring to a simmer and let it cook away for another 10-15 minutes or so to let the flavors really blend together. Swapping out vegetable stock for the chicken broth would also turn this into a "vegan delight". You would never know from its creamy texture that it is in fact lacking cream which makes this a very heart healthy soup and great for any reduced calorie dieting. Adding in a salad and some garlic bread rounds out the soup to be a complete meal.

The secret if there is one is allowing the onions and red pepper to caramelize together so you get the full sweetness off of both to stand out in the soup without the raw onion or pepper bite. It takes a good 10-15 minutes over med-low heat to achieve the caramelization but it is worth it in the final product.

Butternut and Red Pepper Soup

1 medium butternut squash - large dice
1 yellow onion coarse diced
1 red bell pepper coarse diced
Extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 t ground ginger
1/4 t cayenne pepper
2 14oz cans chicken broth

In microwave safe dish with a lid add the butternut squash and micro cook 15 minutes or until the squash is soft. (I use a 1200 watt nuker so you will need to adjust time to match your machine).

Place onions and bell pepper in large stock pot with just enough evoo to coat the bottom of the pan. Add about 1/4 t salt and cook slowly, stirring often until caramelized about 10-15 minutes.

Add the onion and bell pepper with about 1/3 of the cooked squash with 1 can chicken broth and blend until pureed. Add to stock pot. Repeat with remaining squash and can of broth. Add ginger and cayenne pepper. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes to warm soup through and meld the flavors. Serve hot as an appetizer or with bread and salad for a full meal.

Thanks for all the visits...

2010-02-19T09:37:00.000-08:00

The stats only tell me that what I cook, and sometimes invent are a hit with a few people as time progresses. The most common search is "Potica" which was the subject of a single post. A labor intensive process in making a traditional slovene treat. I think I'll twist it up a bit and add in a recipe for an easier "Apple Potica" and "Blueberry Potica" if I can decipher down the photocopy of my grandmothers recipe.

Thai Corn Chowder

2010-02-18T18:58:00.000-08:00

This recipe is a great one for something fast with minimal steps. Not quite stupid easy and does make a bit of a mess as you need the blender and its just one more thing that needs to be washed. Not a pain in the backside kind of mess, just extra clean up but well worth it.

I use the already minced lemon grass, but the dried stuff can be used just as well. I think the minced in the tube just has a bit more of a lemon back note that is easier to detect and adds a fresher grassiness to the dish that is absent in the dried. Not everyone can easily find the already minced, including me, so the dried is a good enough substitute.

Thai Corn Chowder

2 16 oz bags frozen corn - thawed
2 cans chicken broth
1 onion diced
1 red jalapeno pepper thinly sliced
1 T minced garlic
2 T lemon grass puree (or equal dried)
2 T cilantro finely chopped
1/8 t cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste

Lightly coat bottom of pan with olive oil and sweat the onions until translucent. Add onion to blender with 1 can broth, 1 bag of corn and cilantro. Process until nearly smooth.

Add a little more oil to the bottom of the pan, add lemon grass, jalapeno slices and garlic. Cook over low heat 30 seconds until the garlic is just starting to turn clear. Stir constantly so as to not burn the garlic. Add the corn puree, cayenne and remaining bag of corn to the pan. Increase heat and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Add remaining broth to thin to consistency you like in a chowder. (Starch content of the corn varies so you may need the entire can to get it to the right consistency). Test for salt and pepper. Simmer 5-10 minutes until heated through.

Vegetable Beef and Noodle Soup

2010-01-30T14:14:00.001-08:00

Soups are the indicated food option for a chilly winter night. I know, whining here but to us in So Cal the 50's are a chilly day its just how we are wired. Regardless of your definition of "Chilly" this soup hits the right spot when you want a light but fulfilling comfort food dinner. Add in a salad or bread and its complete.

Also, this soup is a great way to sneak in some of the less used vegetables, like rutabaga into the family diet. Sneak as in its got a mild but distinctive flavor that adds that little something extra to the soup but you don't have to tell them you did it. Do a nice small dice and no one is the wiser that it isn't a bit of some other veg that they actually do it. Its a Machiavellian approach to cooking, tell them only what they need to know and let the rest just happen. Works for me as I rarely get busted for sneaking something new in on them while getting to eat a veg I happen to like like the oft maligned rutabaga.

Vegetable Beef and Noodle Soup

1 lb sirloin or top round - sliced into small bite sized strips
1 large white onion - diced
2 carrots - sliced
2 stalks celery-sliced
1 rutabaga - fine diced
8 oz button mushroom, sliced
1 t oregano
1 t thyme
1 bay leaf
2 28 oz cans beef broth
3 c wide egg noodles
Salt and Pepper to taste

Prep all the meat and vegetables. Add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a large stock pot. Heat over medium high heat and add beef. Stir fry until well browned. Add vegetables and cook until onion is translucent. Add dried herbs and broth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil then reduce heat to simmer. Simmer 15-20 minutes until carrots and rutabaga are tender crisp. Add egg noodles and cook 8-10 minutes until soft. Serve hot with fresh cracked pepper or a dash of hot sauce.

Spicy Sausage and Kale Soup

2010-01-25T10:13:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I just have to cook and come up with something that his healthy and comforting that suit my tastes at the moment. Kids can fend for themselves if they can't get into what I was yearning for. That's what left overs are for.

I picked up a trick from Ina Garten on a show she did last week using lentils. Pour boiling water on them and just let them soak for a half hour to soften them up. Doing that you don't have to simmer your soup that long and turn the veggies and stuff into mush along with softening the lentils.

This soup is similar to one I did a week ago except I stepped up the heat and spices a bit by using spicy Italian sausage along with red pepper flakes. Just enough to make it a different soup, of course adding in Kale gets you tons of beta carotene, vitamin K and some powerful antioxidants into your system making a basic soup extra healthy. That's a good thing and a postive step towards living healthy.

Spicy Sausage and Kale Soup

1 lb hot Italian sausage
1 bunch kale -coarse chopped (about 8 cups)
2 28 oz cans chicken broth
1 cup lentils -pre-soaked 30 min in boiling water.
1 onion -coarse chopped
2 carrots -sliced
1 T oregano
1 T parsley
2 bay leaf
1/4 t red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste.

Remove sausage from casing and fry until well browned. Add onion and carrot. Reduce heat and saute until onion are clear. Scrape up browned bits from bottom of pan.

Add spices, lentils and canned broth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes until carrots are tender crisp. Add kale, cook 5 minutes until wilted with the ribs still tender crisp. Serve with a generous grating of Parmesan cheese.

Happy New Year Foodies and Followers

2010-01-01T11:43:00.000-08:00

You can't start the New Year off without wishing everyone the joy, prosperity and peace for the New Year, and in this Decade, so there you go my wish for you.

My house it includes a nice brunch and watching the Rose Parade, often going down to check out the floats after it is all done and over with (parade end is about 5 miles from where I sit at the moment). This year isn't much different, 'cept I've been lazy and instead of float viewing up close and personal it will be about taking down Christmas.

For those of you who haven't tried mimosa's yet, I'd strongly suggest you do so. Its a 50/50 mix of orange juice and champagne. Forget the champagne and go for Proseco the Italian version. A much better sparkling wine in my book than traditional champagne. Not as dry and mixes better with the orange juice or peach nectar than the champagne does. Something to do with the soil and climate makes it a bit sweeter and blendable with the juices. Just a little fyi...and it is cheaper than traditional champagne by a lot.

Happy New Year all!

Sausage and Lentil Soup

2009-12-31T18:38:00.000-08:00

I can say that I have ever cooked with lentils up until now. I've known they were healthy and good for you, the hippies back in the day said so. The first time I ever had them was in stew form as a side dish to some braised short ribs in Paris and absolutely fell in love with them. Quite tasty, but be warned as they can be a little gassy to those of you with problems with the legume family. Then again, if you have kids it could be a plus as nothing elicits giggles better than gas.

This soup is based on one that appeared in this months Bon Appetit, loosely based as the quantity it made was twice what this one does, plus I didn't have everything needed so I improvised, a lot. Also note that I used all dried spices and herbs with this soup which is a bit of a departure for me, but hey even So Cali has its months where herb gardens go dormant. So inspired by one and improvised based on own taste scores again here at casa fraz.

Sausage and Lentil Soup

1 lb Italian sausage-cut to1/2 inch slices
1 red bell pepper
1 onion
1 c chopped celery, tops included
1 1/2 cups lentils
1 t oregano
1 t basil
1/2 t marjoram
1/2 t thyme
1 T fennel, crushed lightly
2 T parsley
2 quarts chicken broth
1 5 oz package fresh spinach
salt and pepper to taste
Olive Oil
Parmesan cheese

In large stock pot add enough olive oil to just coat the bottom. Over medium high heat add sausage. Stir often until well browned and no pink spots remain. Add onion, pepper and celery, stirring often cook until onion is translucent - about 5-8 minutes.

Add spices, chicken broth and lentils. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer. Simmer 30 minutes until lentils are tender. Stir in spinach and cook until just wilted. Serve hot with Parmesan grated over the top of the soup.

Dr. Pepper Devils Food Cake

2009-12-31T14:03:00.001-08:00

I can't lay claim to the recipe or idea for this cake. I got the idea from the "Chocolate Crazy" cookbook I bought some 20 years ago. It was for a from scratch cake using Dr. Pepper as the liquid base for the cake. (Even though out of print it is copyrighted work so I can't reprint here). The cake worked for me and was a hit at numerous parties I brought it too. Then came children and the need for stupid easy shortcuts which brought about the "invention" of this version.

One thing that does take a bit of time is tracing out and cutting paper liners for the cake pans. Hardly worth skipping as it guarantees you an easy release from the pan every time. Really.

Dr. Pepper Devil's Food Cake

1 18oz Cake Mix - Devil's Food Chocolate
Regular Dr. Pepper - not diet
Pre-packaged Chocolate, or Fudge type Frosting

Follow directions on cake box for the amount of eggs and oil, substitute the water with the Dr. Pepper. Follow mixing and baking directions. (I used 3 8" pans which weren't on the box directions and they were done in 18-20 minutes). Cool cakes and frost with your favorite chocolate type frosting.

Now, just how much more stupid easy can one get?

Easy Beef Stroganoff (cream o'mushroom to the rescue)

2009-12-30T18:41:00.000-08:00

Living with picky eaters means calling things something other than what it is and avoiding discussions on the specific ingredients. In the case of stroganoff sour cream is the indicated thickener and it is something 2/3 of the children won't touch, even if we are at a Mexican restaurant. So I called this "steak and gravy with mushrooms" and I got 2/3 to eat it.

The savior is canned soup, specifically cream of mushroom for the thick creamy texture to the gravy, the rest is simply getting some familiar other things into it and voila...easy stroganoff that can pass as "steak and gravy". The nice thing about using mushroom soup instead of sour cream is you don't have to worry about the sour cream curdling and separating on you, the soup stays nicely creamy even on a simmer.

Easy Beef Stroganoff

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lbs sirloin, sliced into small strips

1 medium yellow onion, sliced

1 T minced garlic

6 oz mushrooms, sliced

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 can beef broth

1/4 c Worcestershire sauce

1/4 t salt (less if the broth is high sodium)

1/2 t black pepper, fresh ground if you have it

In large skillet heat 2 T olive oil over medium high heat. Add sirloin strips and stir fry until edges start to brown. Move meat to side of pan and add onion, stir fry until translucent. Add mushrooms to pan and stir all until evenly distributed.

When mushrooms are starting to brown add soups, broth, salt (to taste) pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Stir until soup is dissolved into the liquids. Simmer 15 minutes until meat is tender. Check the salt and adjust if needed. Serve over cooked egg noodles or mash potatoes.

Peppermint Layered Fudge

2009-12-21T09:38:00.000-08:00

Woot...now that I have perfected stupid easy white fudge its time to start mixing it up and coming up with variations other than "vanilla" and into the realm of more adventurous. This layered fudge idea comes from the "Peppermint Bark" candy sold by Willam- Sonoma this time of year. Good stuff made better ala the fraz.

Of course it falls into the stupid easy category, I mean what good is fudge and candy making if you can't do it fast and easy? Though this has two steps, they are essentially the same you just need to allow time for the first layer to set before adding the second layer. Trust me on this, let the first layer set up in the fridge because trying to put the second layer on the first while it is still soft will yield a marbled mess rather than layered fudge.

Don't freak on the addition of the coffee extract to the 1st layer, coffee for reasons I'm not quite certain of will make chocolate taste even chocolatier!

The easiest way to crush the peppermint candies in the peppermint layer is to give them a whack with a meat mallet while they are still in their wrappers. It neatly contains the crushed candy and makes it easy to unwrap into the measuring cup. If you take it out of the wrapper you wind up with peppermint candy shrapnel all over you and the kitchen, not a good thing.

Peppermint Layered Fudge

1st layer

1 can sweetened condensed milk
12 oz semi-sweet or dark (70%) chocolate - chopped
1 t vanilla
1 t coffee extract
1/8 t sea salt

2nd layer

1 can sweetened condensed milk
24 oz good quality white chocolate chips
1 t vanilla
1 t peppermint extract
1/8 t sea salt
1/3 c crushed peppermint candies (about 15 starlight mints)

Line 13X9 inch pan with plastic wrap.

For the first layer pour chopped chocolate into microwave safe mixing bowl. Add extracts and salt, cover with sweetened condensed milk. Microwave on high for 1 minute 30 seconds. Stir until smooth, pour into prepared pan evening out to cover bottom of the pan. Chill in refrigerator at until set (about 2 hours).

For the second layer pour the white chocolate chips into microwave safe mixing bowl. Add extracts and salt, cover with sweetened condensed milk. Microwave on high for 1 minute 30 seconds. Stir until smooth, fold in chopped candies. Pour over first layer and even out until smooth. Chill at least 2 hours to set firmly.

This should be the last of the fudge recipes for this year. Who knows what next year will yield, in the mean time I have some 20 pounds of fudge to divvy out as gifts for the neighbors and use as hostess gifts this year!

Spinach and Rice Soup

2009-12-17T11:25:00.001-08:00

After all of the mousse cake and fudge of the last few weeks its time to remind myself that healthy eating is a must. Nothing like a good hearty soup to sustain you while being healthy at the same time.

I used a prepackaged blend of brown, white, basmati and wild rice from Fresh and Easy market, any raw rice blend you find would easily be substituted in. If you are desperate and understocked in the old pantry just plain white rice could be used, you'd just miss out on some of the flavor and texture the other rices bring to the soup.

Spinach is there for several reasons, primary is that it is a mild green and full of folic acid and other goodies that make this soup extra healthy without clouding the good rice flavors and textures.

Spinach and Rice Soup

1 yellow onion chopped
4 medium carrots sliced
2 cups diced cooked chicken
salt
pepper
1 cup torn fresh basil leaves
1 cup rice blend
12 oz package fresh spinach leaves
46 oz can low sodium chicken broth

Coat the bottom of a large stock pot with olive oil and add onion and carrot. lightly salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium-high heat until the onion is starting to turn translucent. Add rice and saute another 3 minutes or so, stirring often until the onion is clear and the rice is lightly toasted.

Add chicken, basil and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover at low simmer 30 minutes until carrots are tender and rice is fully cooked. Stir in the raw spinach and cook another 2-3minutes until wilted and well integrated into soup. Serve hot with a salad and fresh baked bread.

Chocolate Mousse Cake

2009-12-12T09:41:00.001-08:00

This has been a stand by for years. The original recipe came from a Betty Crocker cookbook I bought when I first went out on my own and didn't know how to cook. As always I can't leave well enough alone and have modified it a bit over the years to get to this final result.

It is always a "wow" at a party, thoroughly rich, decadent and a delight in your mouth as you savor. IT is not, and I repeat NOT an every day dessert nor one for the cholesterol challenged among us. But oh is it worth every calorie at a special function or occasion.

Chocolate Mouse Cake

1 cup freshly brewed strong coffee
2 cups sugar
1 lb unsalted butter (2 cups or 4 sticks)
1/2 t sea salt
2 t vanilla extract
1 lb semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
8 eggs lightly beaten.

Line a 9 inch spring form with aluminum foil.

In heavy sauce pan add coffee, sugar, salt, vanilla and butter. Heat over medium heat and stir occasionally until butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved. Allow it to come to a simmer, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

In large mixing bowl add the chopped chocolate. Pour hot sugar mixture over the chocolate and stir until smooth. Slowly beat in the eggs until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake 50-60 minutes at 350F until set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Chill before serving at least 2 hours in the refrigerator. When chilled carefully remove foil from the cake and place on serving plate. Garnish each slice with a dollop of whipped cream and chopped nuts.

The cake will come out cracked and dried at the edges and lower in the center. This is normal for the cake, or at least it has been for me in the 20+ years I have made it.

Make sure the sides of the pan are lined to the top with the foil. This is an extremely liquid batter and will leak out of even the tightest sealed spring form pan.
A simmer is just that...a couple of bubbles and not a hard rolling boil. A hard boil will scorch the coffee and sugar.

The money shot...root beer float fudge!

2009-12-12T09:03:00.001-08:00

Stupid Easy Fudge Take Two...
I found a bottle of root beer extract over a year ago at Surfas in Culver City. (They now are have split out the store from their mail order but the link will get you to the goodies I found). With that little purchase I set out to make a root beer float fudge and this is the final recipe that worked, completely. Where I failed in years past was to not have enough white chocolate chips in the mix for it to adequately set so it would hold its shape at room temperature instead of oozing and sticking all over the place.

The Holidays are my signal to set about making batches of fudge, not just ordinary fudge but different fun stuff. I found out that my friend Mike aka Cosmo loves peanut butter fudge. I found a recipe or two on online that I could modify to fit my "Stupid Easy" formulation, prep and results. That lead believe it or not to determining the key to making the Root Beer Float version that really rocks.

All of my recipes are done in a 1200 watt commercial grade microwave oven so please increase your time if you are using a smaller wattage unit in small increments of 15-30 seconds to get the same results.

Root Beer Float Fudge

24 ounces good white baking chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli brand)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 t root beer extract
1 t vanilla extract

Line an 8X8 inch pan with plastic wrap, allowing enough hanging over the sides to be able to fold it back over the fudge.

Pour chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl. Add extracts and toss lightly. Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the chips. Microwave on high for 1 minute 30 seconds. Stir until smooth, if the mixture starts to stiffen before completely mixed zap it in the microwave for another 15-30 seconds.

Pour the homogeneous mixture into the prepared pan, carefully folding the flaps over the top of the fudge. Chill in refrigerator until set, about 2 hours.

The peanut butter is equally easy, the recipe is a blend of a couple. The common thread in most I found was to use white baking chocolate bars rather than chips. I suspect those don't have emulsifiers like the chips and has a different hardener in place that better offsets the fatty peanut butter that is soft at room temp as it is. Regardless, I went with the majority and the results were really good. You can make it with or without nuts, I opted for without as the picky eaters in my house don't like nuts in fudge or cookies.

Peanut Butter Fudge

1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/2 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
12 ounces white chocolate squares or white baking bars, chopped
3/4 cup chopped peanuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Line an 8X8 inch pan with plastic wrap, allowing enough hanging over the sides to be able to fold it back over the fudge.

Break up and coarsely chop the white baking chocolate. Add to microwave safe mixing bowl. Add peanut butter. Pour sweetened condensed milk over all of the white chocolate and peanut butter. Microwave on high for 1 minute 30 seconds. Stir until smooth, if the mixture starts to stiffen before completely mixed zap it in the microwave for another 15-30 seconds.

Pour the homogeneous mixture into the prepared pan, carefully folding the flaps over the top of the fudge. Chill in refrigerator until set, about 2 hours.

White Bean and Greens Soup

2009-12-08T09:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday it was the perfect day for baking, and cooking here in LA. Cold, wet and rainy so I needed to come up with something to warm the cockles of my heart. Soup was on the agenda. A simple soup was the option, one that would be healthy as well as tasty. This simple soup fit the bill and was rounded off with fresh baked bread. (Yesterday I was a regular Julian Child in the kitchen).

In this soup you can use any green you want that is in season and looks good in the produce section. This soup I used mustard greens for their peppery bite, but kale or even beet greens would have worked just as well.

This soup could easily be made vegetarian by substituting a vegetable broth for the chicken broth. It would remain healthy as you are getting your protein from the beans not the broth, and the fiber rich greens are still there to clean out your pipes as my Uncle Al would have said.

White Bean and Greens soup

2 cups small white beans
2 T olive oil
1 medium onion diced
3 small carrots sliced
1/2 green pepper diced
1 T garlic - minced
Salt to taste
1 t ground black pepper
1 bunch mustard greens - trimmed and coarse chopped
bay leaf
1 t rosemary
1 can (49oz) chicken broth

Cover beans with water and soak over night. Drain and refill stock pot with 8 cups water. Add bay leaf and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 1.5-2 hours until beans are tender. Drain well and put aside.

Saute onion, carrots and green pepper in olive oil until onions are translucent. Add garlic and cook one more minute. Add rosemary and a new bay leaf. Add chicken broth and simmer 30- minutes until carrots are soft. Add greens and cook until wilted but still tender crisp, about 5 minutes.

Without Okra is it still Gumbo? I say yes.

2009-12-07T13:47:00.000-08:00

Traditional recipes for gumbo all include "Okra" but if I use it I effectively alienate 3/5 of my household to the point they won't touch it. What's a cook to do but omit something that offends a majority where possible.

My gumbo style is more of the "Creole" Gumbo in that it has a lighter roux and includes tomatoes. By omitting the okra everyone eats it. Celery is another bit that shouldn't be omitted as it is part of the trinity of onion/pepper/celery, but since it falls in the category of "okra" with my picky eaters I substitute in celery seed for the pop of flavor needed and there is no loss to those of us who really like gumbo with all the goodies.

Traditionally it is served over rice and eaten with a bowl. Please do so as you won't want to miss a bit of the wonderful sauce or "gravy" that comes with it.

Creole Gumbo

1 lb smoked sausage - sliced
1 lb chicken (I use de-boned thighs) in large dice
2 lb raw shrimp
1 T bacon grease or oil
1 onion diced
1 green pepper diced
1 large carrot diced
2 t celery seed
1/4 t cayenne pepper
Salt
Pepper
3 T butter
3 T flour
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 can chicken broth
1 T File' powder
2 cups rice, cooked according to directions.

In large stock pot add bacon fat and sausage. Cook until browned. Remove with slotted spoon and cook the chicken in the remaining fat. Remove with slotted spoon.

Add the onion, green pepper, carrots, cayenne pepper and celery seed. Cook in remaining fat over medium-high heat. Stir often and scrape up browned bits from bottom of pan. Cook until onions are translucent and beginning to brown, about 10-15 minutes. Add butter and flour. Stir constantly until the flour is dissolved and takes on a light brown color, about 3-5 minutes.

Add diced tomatoes, chicken broth and tomato sauce, stir until the flour mixture (roux) is completely incorporated and lump free. Return sausage and chicken to the pan. Bring to boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer covered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.

Increase heat and add shrimp and file' powder. Stir constantly until shrimp are cooked and the gumbo is thickened about 5 minutes. Serve over hot cooked rice.

Sweet Potato Praline

2009-11-28T11:07:00.000-08:00

Gawd I wish I had taken an pic of this one so you could see it in all its glory...but feasting was more important on Thanksgiving rather than documenting what we were eating.

The basic recipe came from my cousin Andrea and I updated it with a few twists. Subtle spicing was added with just a little heat coming from the fresh ginger as well. A home run with even the "I hate sweet potato" crowd. I love the crunchy nutty topping contrasting against the soft custardy sweet potato in each bite.

And, I do know there is a difference between "Yams" and "Sweet Potato". The two really aren't interchangeable and you need to make certain you are getting Sweet Potatoes for this one as a yam just won't cut it. The only added sweetness to this is the praline topping which totally rocks.

Sweet Potato Praline

2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled, cooked and mashed (about 4 cups).
1/4 c cream
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 t salt
pepper to taste
1/8 t nutmeg
2 t fresh grated ginger
Praline topping:
1/2 c brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup butter
1/4 c dark corn syrup
Heaping 1/2 c chopped pecans

Beat together sweet potatoes, cream, egg, salt, pepper and spices. Spoon into well buttered shallow baking dish (2-3 quart size). Spread out mixture until even with back of spoon.

In small sauce pan over low heat add corn syrup, brown sugar and butter. Stir constantly until butter has melted and brown sugar has dissolved. Do not boil. Pour evenly over sweet potato mixture. Sprinkle nuts over the praline topping.

Bake in 350F oven until set, about 40-50 minutes. Topping will be soft when taken out of oven but will harden as it cools.

Pumpkin Harvest Bread

2009-11-24T18:35:00.000-08:00

Jack-o-cide: the annihilation of ones jack-o-lantern for the sake of baking and cooking. Every year I commit that heinous crime and love the end results for months afterwards by pureeing then canning the resulting glorious orange pulp. No fava bean jokes...please.

This recipe came about as I love pumpkin bread, but have tired over the basic stuff. The addition of cranberry's add a tart tang. The dried blueberry add a nice sweet chew and added texture contrast to the walnuts. Its all the best of fall in one pumpkin bread, how can anyone go wrong with that I ask.

This recipe makes 3 healthy sized loaves. You can either give one as a gift to a deserving neighbor, pass along as holiday gifts or even freeze ahead for the days you crave a little pumpkin bread. No matter what you do with the extra its all good.

Pumpkin Harvest Bread

3 cups flour
1 t salt
2 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
2 c pumpkin puree
2 c sugar
1 c vegetable oil
4 eggs beaten
1/2 c milk
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 t allspice
2 c fresh or frozen cranberry
1 c dried blueberry
1 c chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F

Sift together flour, soda and powder. Set aside.

In large mixing bowl add pumpkin, oil, milk, eggs, sugar and spices and mix well. Slowly incorporate flour until just mixed. (Over mixing causes the bread to night rise as well and have a tough texture). Fold in cranberry, dried blueberry and walnuts.

Spray bread pans with cooking spray. Divide mixture evenly between the bread pans. Bake 50-60 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

The one thing I can't stress enough is from trial and error and it involves filling the pans. Over filling you run the risk of the batter rising out of the pan and into the oven. If it doesn't run over by the time you get the center cooked your edges are starting to burn. No more than 2/3 full on a pan if you want good consistent results.

A chill in the air means its Chili Season

2009-11-19T18:12:00.001-08:00

This is more of a Midwestern style chili in that it is rich with tomatoes and a tomato sauce. Definitely not Texas style or even Southwestern style. Tasty none the less and perfect for those chili fall evenings when jackets are needed after sunset.

I use both beef broth and bullion paste to really amp up the flavor in this. As such hold of adding salt and pepper into the final product until you've tasted your chili. Nothing worse than over salting so pay heed, commercial broths and bullion could be very salty and any extra could ruin the dish. I used low sodium beef broth from Wolfgang Puck, but any low sodium brand can be used if you can find it.

Coarse ground beef is hard to find. I often resort to grinding my own from the stew meat if I can con the butcher into making some from me.

Black Bean and Chile Chili

2 lbs coarse ground beef

1 large yellow onion

2 T minced garlic

3T Chili powder

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce1 29 oz can black beans-drained

1 7 oz can ortega fire roasted chile

2 t bullion paste (or two bullion cubes)

2-3 cups water or beef broth

Brown ground beef in batches over high heat to ensure good browning. Add onion to hot pan and saute over medium heat until transparent. Add garlic and stir 1 minute.

Return browned beef to the pan. Add next 6 ingredients and stir well. Add 2 cups of the beef broth (water), add additional water if needed to get a good consistency.

Bring to boil. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Cranberry Upside Down Cake

2009-11-18T18:31:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe for "Cranberry Upside-Down Cake" in Nov 09 Cooking light magazine. It looked good but needed some tweaking as its recipe ingredients were light on flavor too. I added in Cinnamon for that proper Holiday taste and smell. I also added some coarse chopped walnuts to finish off the cake, I mean those two play so well together why not add a little to the cake and make it more festive.

To make up for the added fat calories from the nuts I swapped out nonfat milk for the 1%. Not much of a savings, but every little bit helps. I also noted that this was a cake made with whipped egg whites for part of the fluff so I subbed in cake flour for a softer crumb than the all purpose.

I didn't reinvent the wheel, I just rounded it out. My version....

Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

Topping

1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
2 scant cups fresh cranberry
1 T cinnamon
1/3 c coarse chopped walnuts

Cake

1/2 c unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 c cake flour
2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 cup bakers sugar (also labeled super fine or ultra fine)
2 large egg yolks
2 large egg whites
pinch cream of tartar
1/2 c nonfat milk
1 t vanilla.
1 t cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F

Put butter and brown sugar in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave 1 minute and stir until sugar dissolved. Microwave additional 30-45 seconds until mixture starts to boil. Spray sides of 9 inch cake pan with baking spray. Pour in hot brown sugar mixture, roll pan to coat bottom well. Toss cranberries with 1 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over the hot sugar, pat softly until in one even layer. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

For the cake cream the butter, sugar and vanilla. Add egg yolks one at a time beating well with each addition. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add a third of the flour mixture to the batter and fold in slowly, adding 1/2 of the milk. Add another third of the flour and fold in slowly, adding remaining milk. Add remaining flour and stir until well mixed.

Mix egg whites with a pinch of cream of tartar (in copper bowl if you have one for maximum volume). Beat on high until stiff peaks form. Add half of the egg whites to the batter and fold in briskly to incorporate all of the egg white and lighten the batter. Take remaining egg whites and gently fold in by hand until just incorporated.

Spoon batter over the cranberry mixture. Bake on middle rack about 55 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Cranberry Raspberry Conserve

2009-11-18T15:11:00.000-08:00

This recipe is inspired by Ina Garten from one she does called Cranberry Fruit conserve. I liked it but saw room to add my own touches. First I like my cranberry to be tart when served with rich foods such as Thanksgiving which is about a week away. That tartness cuts right through the rich sauces and stuff keeping the palette alive. That's a good thing while stuffing your face.

There are a couple of changes among them is the dried fruit used in the conserve. She uses raisins for cripes sakes. Raisins. Those things kindergartners stuff in their noses and who knows what else they do with the creepy little buggers. The only thing worse than a raisin in my book is a cooked one. Everyone knows that grapes are meant to be juiced and turned into wine, right!? Hence the change to dried raspberry.

A secret to jelly making, (jams and conserves too) is a good heavy pan to to avoid hot spots that might scorch your sugary goodness. Using a heavy copper pan pretty much guarantees you will have even and rapid heating. When buying copper get a stainless steel lined one so you don't have to worry about getting it "re-tinned" when a tin lining wears off.

Cranberry Raspberry Conserve

• 1 (12 ounce) bag fresh cranberries

• 1 3/4 cups sugar

• 1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored and chopped

• 1 orange, juice and grated zest

• 1 large lemon, juice and grated zest

• 3/4 cup dried Raspberry

• 3/4 cup walnuts coarse chopped

Directions

Cook the cranberries, sugar and 1 cup of water in a saucepan over low heat for about 5 minutes, or until the skins pop open. Add the apple, zests and juices and let cook for 15 more minutes. Remove from heat and add the raspberries and nuts. Pour off into jars and seal. Let cool, and serve chilled. It will store safely in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Microwave Apple Crisp

2009-11-07T09:30:00.000-08:00

First off, sorry for the craptastic photo, the oven mitt is really deep red and the crisp had a rich dark brown topping. When all is said and done with two colors of light in the room it through off the trusty old cell cam and gave me this image. Bummer, as the cobbler was sooooo freakin' good it was devoured before I could do a reshoot with a better camera.

This dessert goes back to the days as an early apt dweller in The Valley when our apt had marginal air conditioning, with none in the kitchen. There is a always a sweet tooth to be satiated and there are times where good old comfort foods like a fruit crisp are the only thing that will do the trick. When its 100+ one does not turn on an oven in an already uncomfortable kitchen. What to do...turn old oven based recipes into one that works in a microwave. This recipe did just the trick. Very simple and it is based on a 1200 watt microwave so you will need adjust times to suit your machine.

With apple crisps (pies and cobbles too) I like to use a couple of different apples. Its all about the textural differences and the juice for the sauce. Some apples hold their shape well with a nice crunch but yield little juice. Others release a lot of juice but wither down to mush. A mix of apples gets you the best of both worlds. For this reason I used a mix of Red Delicious and Gala apples.

Microwave Apple Crisp

6 cups (approximately 6 medium apples) sliced
2 t lemon juice
2 t cinnamon, divided
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c uncooked oatmeal
1/4 c flour
1/4 c butter - room temp
1/2 t salt

Place apples in an 8" X 8" microwave safe baking dish. Add lemon juice and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Toss. Microwave 4 minutes until tender crisp.

Combine remaining ingredients. Mix well. Sprinkle evenly over warm fruit mixture. Microwave on high 9-12 minutes until apples and topping are bubbly. Let set for 10 minutes, serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream topping.

Ham and Cheese Roll Ups

2009-11-01T10:19:00.001-08:00

Last night an hour before a Halloween Party the better half gave me a "by the way I told Shane you'd bring a hot appetizer". An HOUR before the party and they were counting on me to whip up something out of thin air.

Clock ticking I figured out quick what I'd need for these Ham and Cheese Roll Ups. Stupid easy to do and tasty too. What I didn't have on hand was the pastry dough and resorted to my favorite old stand by....crescent rolls in a can to get things done fast.

Ham and Cheese Roll Ups

Good Dijon Mustard
2 cans Crescent Rolls
4 slices smoked ham, Black Forest if you have it
4 slices Swiss cheese.

Open the cans and unroll the crescent rolls. Cut each in half. Brush with Dijon mustard. Quarter each slice of ham and Swiss cheese. Place a piece of ham on top of the pastry dough, add a slice of cheese. Starting with the fat end of the pastry roll up croissant style and place on a a parchment paper lined baking sheet. (Will make a total of 32 appetizers).

Bake in 375 oven 11-13 minutes until golden brown and the cheese is all melted. Serve warm.
All prepped up and ready for the rolling.

Butternut Squash Soup - slightly spiced

2009-10-16T09:37:00.000-07:00

It rained this week and it was perfect soup weather. I love Butternut Squash soup and Jax in Glendale makes the best, but they won't give up the recipe no way, no how. I've been working on duplicating. This is pretty close, very tasty and very close.

The secret to making this soup is the long caramelization, 15-20 minutes over medium-low heat so the onion's develop their maximum sweetness while taking out the raw onion sharpness. Low and slow, stirring often and not allowing the onion to char is the secret to good caramelization. (Redundant I know, but I can't drill it into my head enough on this one).

Subtly Spiced Butternut Squash Soup.

1 large yellow onion.
1 butter nut squash
1/2 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
2 T butter
1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 inch thick piece of ginger
1/4 T cayenne pepper
2 14 oz cans chicken broth
1/2 c half and half

Slice, clean out seeds and quarter the butternut squash. Place in microwave safe dish, cover with plastic wrap (cling film to you all in the UK who follow me). Microwave on high 12 minutes. Let cool to room temp covered, it will steam and soften while standing.

Slice onion into thick slices. Slice the ginger thinly. Heat butter and olive oil over medium low heat in large stock pot and add ginger and onion. Cook over slow flame 15-20 minutes until onion is caramelized and a very light golden brown.

With food processor or blender, add the onion and liquid from the squash pan. Pulse until liquefied. Pour back into the stock pot. Take 1/2 of squash and add to processor/blender along with about 1/2 can broth. Process until liquefied and add to stock pot. Repeat with remaining squash. Add enough remaining broth to get the mixture to soup consistency.

Return stock pot to a low flame. Heat until just starting to simmer, stirring occasionally. Once at simmer remove pot from flame and add the half-and-half and stir to mix it in. Do not add half-and-half while pot is on the flame as you might curdle your soup.

Beer Braised Beef Short Ribs

2009-09-22T16:36:00.001-07:00

Meat eaters have their place in the food chain too. I love my red meat in moderation. The other morning when asked what to make for dinner that night the overwhelming response was meat. So I grabbed a pack of boneless short ribs I had in the freezer and proceeded to thaw for use that night.

Beer Braised Short Ribs is stupid easy with barely a hand full of ingredients and a couple of easy steps to get dinner going. Braising is the secret to getting an inexpensive and tough cut of beef "fork tender"by cooking it long, low and slow. The added bonus is when you braise is that there is enough liquid that stirring and scorching isn't much of a concern so its low maintenance once its in the oven.

Beer Braised Beef Short Ribs

4-5 lbs boneless beef short ribs

1 bottle beer

1 can beef broth

3 bay leaves.

1 c flour

4T Montreal Steak Seasoning blend

4 strips bacon.

1 large onion

2 medium carrots sliced

2 T garlic minced (or less to taste)

EVOO

In large dutch oven of similar cooking pot add just enough EVOO to cover the bottom of the pan and add the bacon strips. Cook until crispy. Remove bacon and set aside.

Mix flour and steak seasoning blend. Increase heat in dutch oven to medium-high. Dredge short ribs in flour and add to hot pan. Sear all sides, 3-5 minutes per side. Cook in batches so you do not crowd pan.

When short ribs are all browned let them rest on a platter and add onions and carrots to the pan. Stir constantly and scrape up browned bits from the bottom of the pan. When onions are translucent and starting to caramelize add garlic and cook 1 minute longer, stir constantly so as to not burn the garlic. Add bottle of beer and scrape up all remaining bits from bottom of pan.

Arrange short ribs over the browned vegies. Wedge bay leaves in between the short ribs. Add enough beef broth to bring the liquid to just below the top of the meat. (See photo).

Cover and bake in 325F oven for 2 hours. Serve hot with mashed potato or similar on the side using the braising liquid as a "gravy".

The liquid in a braise should just come to the top of the meat. Covering the meat with the liquid would be stewing and yields a similar but not the same result as a braise.
Cooking the short ribs in batches ensures a good sear to the meat. Overcrowding a pan winds up "steaming" the meat in its own juices and does not yield good color. To quote Tyler Florence, "color is flavor and you don't want to lose it".

BBQ Baby Back Ribs

2009-09-13T12:07:00.000-07:00

The basic recipe here feeds 4 nicely with a few left overs. The glory of this recipe and process is that it can easily be doubled, quadrupled or deca-drupled for parties and large crowds. (In my insanity I once did ribs for 30 so I can attest it is an easy recipe for crowds). The "secret" to this recipe is pre-cooking the ribs low and slow in the oven so they are cooked through and fall off the bone tender. All the grill does is provide smoke flavor and allows your BBQ Sauce to thicken and caramelize on the racks without fear of having undercooked ribs.

BBQ Baby Back Ribs

2 racks pork baby back ribs
Dry rub (recipe follows)
Favorite BBQ Sauce. (I use my own super secret recipe)

Split the racks in half. Remove the silver membrane on the underside of the racks. To each side of the half-racks apply 1 tablespoon dry rub. Massage into the meat. In a large square of aluminium foil place an ice cube (or 1 table spoon apple juice). Fold foil to form a sealed packet. Place on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining half-racks.

Bake at 32F for 1 1/2 hours. At this point you can cool them down and refrigerate for use the next day to finish them off on a grill or do it right away. To finish on grill, add smoke chips if you have them. Remove the ribs from foil and place on grill bone side down first. Grill on low heat over and allow fat to drip and "smoke" the ribs. After about 5 minutes turn ribs over and baste with BBQ Sauce. Cover and cook 5 minutes then turn over, basting with BBQ Sauce. Cover and cook for 5 minutes over the slow smokey heat until the sauce begins to caramelize. Turn ribs over last time and rebaste the top with additional bbq sauce if you like them "sloppy wet" or remove to platter and split into portion size pieces. Serve with additional BBQ Sauce on the side.

Dry Rub Mix

1 C Paprika
1 C Brown Sugar
1 T sea salt (or kosher)
2 T dried Onion Flakes
2 T dried garlic
1T black pepper
1 T dry mustard
¼ t cayenne pepper
½ t red pepper flakes
¼ t nutmeg
½ t allspice

Put mix in blender or food processor and pulse until well blended. For large bulk spices I like to use “It’s Delish” brand as its huge quantities very cheap. Sea Salt or Kosher work better than regular table salt as they are sweeter with no metallic aftertaste. Store in cool dark place.

Baked Chicken Chop Suey

2009-09-10T06:43:00.001-07:00

Some days I just don't want to deal with slicing, dicing and sauteing. Some days, especially one with a migraine involved, I want something I can toss together with minimal effort, preferably in one dish. This is such a dish. Simple, honest to the point grub that feeds the masses.

Baked Chicken Chop Suey

2 cups rice

2 cans chop suey vegetables-drained

1 can cream of chicken and mushroom soup

1 can water

1/4 c soy sauce

1 lb cooked chicken breast - diced

fresh ground pepper

crispy chow mein noodles.

Cook rice according to package directions (usually 2-1 ratio water to rice).

Put hot rice in baking dish and fold in remaining ingredients. Bake in 350F oven about 20-30 minutes until hot and bubbly. Serve with crispy chow mein noodles on top.

Oh yeah, this is one of those "hot dishes" or casseroles that clue you in I am less than 6 degrees of separation from being a FOTP (fresh outta the Trailer Park) kinda guy.

Drunken Pulled Pork Sandwiches

2009-09-07T18:49:00.000-07:00

I got the idea for this one from, you guessed, a few different sources. One was some new cooking show on FoodTV and the other from the Top Chef series. Pulled Pork was a big deal back in MO growing up and the appearance of it on TV made me suddenly crave the stuff. So when the boys said it looked good and wanted me to make them some I was all over that project.

The key is a long braise to make a cheap cut of meat fork tender to pull apart. The pork barely cost me 8 bucks and I only used about half of it for the 4 of us for dinner tonight. A pretty frugal meal too it turns out.

Drunken Pulled Pork

3.5 lbs pork shoulder
1 T smoked paprika
Salt and pepper
evoo
1 onion, sliced
1 large carrot sliced
1/2 c chopped celery
2 T dry BBQ Rub
1/4 c Worcestershire
1 bottle beer
1 can tomato sauce
1 can beef broth

Cut pork shoulder into 3 inch cubes. Season well with salt and pepper. Coat well with smoked paprika. Brown over medium high heat until all sides have a good sear. Remove from pan and reserve.

Add onion, carrot and celery. Cook until onion becomes translucent and begins to brown. Add BBQ Rub and stir well. Add liquids. Return meat to the pan, include any drippings that accumulated while resting. Bring to boil then cover.

Simmer in 325F oven for 2 hours or until fork tender. When done remove pieces of pork from the braising liquid and shred with a fork for making sandwiches or eating as is.

The difference between braising and stewing is pretty nominal. A braise doesn't have the meat covered completely, rather it goes up about 3/4 to the top of your meat. In this case you add enough of the beef broth to get yourself to the right depth without submerging the meat!

Corn and Basil Salad with a little apology

2009-09-07T10:33:00.001-07:00

No, I haven't forgotten about this blog, I just have been so busy I've hardly had the time to work on new recipes let alone blog them.

This little recipe is a combination of a few I've seen on TV and in cooking light magazine in recent weeks. The better half wanted me to come up with a "corn salad" to put with grilled Salmon or similar. Since I smoked some salmon on a bed of red onion and basil I figured taking those elements and bringing them to the salad would sort of "marry" the two items flavor wise. It worked and as the better half says "This must be one of your go to recipes". High praise indeed.

Corn and Basil Salad

2 1 lb bags frozen corn thawed and drained
cooking spray
1 T butter
1/2 C loosely packed, chopped fresh basil
1 small red onion, diced
3 T red wine vinegar
3T evoo
1/2 t fresh ground pepper
1/2 t coarse ground sea salt

Pre-heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray and add butter. Add corn and saute for about 5 minutes or until a few kernels begin to brown. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

In mixing bowl add corn and remaining ingredients. Toss lightly until all combined. Serve at room temp or cold.

I cooked my way through Julia Childs "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" one year

2009-08-20T09:50:00.000-07:00

I remembered reading it as a kid (strange child that I was) when I was learning to cook at my Mom's side. Flash forward many years later and I got for Christmas my own copy of the book from my Mom and I cooked my way through it in one year. I didn't blog it.

Be thankful I didn't do it in drag like this video. The 99 Cent Chef cracks me up, this is one of his funniest in a while. Loved him in drag doing Julia teaching crepes.

Candied Lemon Cake

2009-08-15T09:45:00.000-07:00

So what do you do when you lack an ingredient for one recipe you really want to do? Short of running to the store for something I won't have much use for with the excess I improvise. Not entirely by the seat of my pants, but with a little research for similar recipes with ingredients I have on hand.

Such is what happened with the Candied Lemon Cake. The idea came from a recipe Martha Stewart's everyday food. I lacked buttermilk and wasn't about to run off to the store for a quart when all I needed was a cup. I had sour cream, but how much to substitute and how was the question. I found a few other recipes with sour cream based cakes and subbed in the amount of sour cream and juice I needed. Voila problem solved and I could use the rest of the recipe as guidance for assembly for the final product.

The cake itself has a nice crumb and a density more like a pound cake than your usual boxed cake. A good thing in my book as it packs more flavor in each bite. The frosting is actually more of a Swiss Meringue as it starts over warm water to dissolved the sugar into the egg whites. That too is a good thing as it is a very light and fluffy frosting and the perfect counterpoint to the dense richly flavored cake. Of course the candied lemons on top are just the perfect pissy touch to make it all edible with your eyes. Presentation is everything.

The one trick I have for you applies to the application of the syrup to the warm cakes. Put the cakes on their cooling rack over a baking sheet to catch the drips and prevent the cakes from sticking to the counter. On the rack lets the syrup run all over as you brush it on without fear of making a bigger mess on the counters, or worse the cake sticking to the counter.

Candied Lemon Cake

1 C (2 sticks) room temperature butter plus more for pans
2 ½ C flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for pans
½ t baking powder
½ t baking soda
1 ½ c sugar
2 large eggs plus 3 egg yolks (reserve whites for frosting)
1 T Lemon Zest
3/4 C sour cream
1/4 C lemon juice
Whipped Frosting

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour 2 8X2 inch cake pans, tapping out excess flour. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper round.

In a medium bowl whisk flour, baking powder, soda and salt.

In a large mixing bowl using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. With mixer on low, beat in eggs and yolks one at a time. Mix together lemon juice and sour cream. Alternately beat in flour mixture and sour cream , beginning and ending with flour mixture, mix just until combined.

Divide batter between pans; smooth tops. Bake until cakes pull away from sides of pans, 32-25 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of pans and invert cakes onto a wire rack. Cool completely.

While cake bakes bring ½ c sugar and ½ water to boil in a sauce pan. Add one thinly sliced lemon and simmer 25 minutes. Using a slotted spoon transfer lemon slices to a wax paper lined plate. Stir in ¼ c fresh lemon juice into the syrup. Using a toothpick, poke holes in warm cakes on rack. Brush with lemon syrup.

Place cake, bottom side up on a cake stand. Tuck strips of parchment paper underneath. Using offset spatula spread top with whipped frosting. Top with remaining cake. Frost top, then sides. Add candied lemon slices to the top of the cake as edible garnish.

Whipped Frosting:

In heat proof bowl over simmering water (not touching) combine 3 large egg whites, ¾ c sugar, pinch of salt and 1/3 c water. Cover over medium, stirring constantly, until sugar has dissolved and mixture registers 150F on instant read thermometer. Using an electric mixer, beat on medium high until glossy, stiff peaks form. Do not over beat, about 3 minutes: reduce speed to low and add 2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice and beat until just combined.

Parchement Paper: who'da thunk it was a miracle product

2009-08-14T11:31:00.000-07:00

Being the frugal type (cheap) I always figured why bother with parchment paper when it was called for in a recipe. I used non-stick bake ware and thought that would be enough. I was usually wrong.

Then one afternoon of baking shows on FoodTV I saw them repeatedly using parchment paper on cookie sheets when making cookies, lining cake pans for cakes, loaf pans for loafy things. You get the picture, it went everywhere.

I broke down and gave it a try. First with cookies. It helped them bake more completely and added boner in the process is there was no burned bits to scour off the cookie sheet. Win. Then I started cutting rounds, a pain in the butt, and line the bottom of my non-stick pans. Guess what. Another win. The bottom came off clean AND no burned bits on the bottom.

I swear by the stuff. I buy large rolls to keep cost down and voila half my clean up is solved not to mention better baking results.

Peach Pie means summer

2009-07-28T15:28:00.000-07:00

Growing up for a time in MO I learned that super sweet southern peaches were the best ever for making pies. I still miss those pies and break down once a year and make a peach pie with those supermarket peaches. It isn't quite the same as a fresh from your own tree peach pie but it will do quite nicely.

I don't have a pasty hand. I just don't. More dough has been tossed than used over the years. When Pillsbury came out with the already pie crust you just unroll I was in pie making heaven. Though not exactly cheap it is about as good a crust as I could make from scratch. (When you factor in the flop ratio its probably as cheap as trying to make my own).

To allow for juices I've learned not to overpack a pie with the fruit going not much more than an inch over the top of the pie plate. And notice how perfectly shaped that pastry is, nothing says lovin' from the oven like Pillsbury baby!

Cutting a shallow "X" in the bottom of each peach prior to the blanching makes it easier for the skin to slip off. Blanch 2-3 minutes in simmering water then toss into an ice bath to cool them enough to handle and help the skins loosen.

Peach Pie

Pastry for 2 crust 9" pie

5-6 cups sliced peaches (about 9 medium)

1/2 c sugar

2 T corn starch

juice of one lemon

1/8 t almond extract

cinnamon to taste

half and half

Raw sugar (turbinado)

Preheat oven to 425F. In large mixing bowl put in peaches and sprinkle with the juice of one lemon. Add almond extract. Sprinkle on corn starch and toss lightly to combine so as to not bruise the peaches.

Line bottom of pie plate with one pastry round. Add fruit. Add top pastry, fold edges under to seal. Brush top with half-and-half and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake 60-65 minutes until bubbly and golden brown on top. Cover edges of pie with aluminum foil last 20 minutes if need to prevent over-browning.

Not KFC but quite tasty still

2009-07-27T18:22:00.000-07:00

Last week in the news was a guy, a fellow food blogger no less, from back east who claimed to have "broken the secret recipe for KFC's 11 spices and herbs". My eyebrows were raised when the 11th item listed was "Accent" or a brand name for MSG...like I really like allergic reactions to my food. I'm here to tell you he didn't break the code. He did come up with a "bomb a@@ chicken" according to my boys so I suppose this recipe will stay in the box.

I worked in a KFC when I was in high school. The marinade was premixed, all we added was water. The "flour" was preseasoned and it was simply a matter of dipping in the marinade then into the flour. Then the floured chicken was put into a contraption that was part deep fat fryer and part pressure cooker. We'd deep fry the chicken with the lid up until golden, then put the basket into the fryer, seal the lid and let 'er rip until the pressure release valve went off some 10-15 minutes later.

I don't have a pressure cooker and would be reticent to try that sort of cooking in a home use pressure cooker. I think you need industrial strength cookers to pull off the type of cooking actually done at KFC.

Regardless, having been at a KFC I can tell you we never knew what was in the 11 spices and herbs. I did pick up a few things as noted that I could bring to the show when it came time to test his spice blend.

Not KFC Fried Chicken

6 chicken breasts.
1 t oregano
1 t chili powder
1 t sage
1 t basil
1 t marjoram
1 t pepper
2 t salt
2 T Paprika
1 t onion salt
1 t garlic powder
1 ½ c flour
4 cups peanut oil.

Marinade:

1 c buttermilk
1/4 t oregano
1/4 t chili powder
1/4 t sage
1/4 t basil
1/4 t marjoram
1/4 t pepper
1 t salt
2 t Paprika
1/4 t onion salt
1/4 t garlic powder

Combine marinade ingredients. Pour over chicken in a glass bowl and cover for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350F. Heat oil to 375F in large heavy bottom frying pan. Combine spices, herbs and flour in a shallow bowl. Pull a piece of chicken from the marinade and loosely shake off excess marinade. Dredge through flour mixture and put into the hot oil. Repeat with other breasts. Do not crowd pan. Cook 5-7 minutes until golden brown, turn over and cook 5 minutes longer. Place chicken onto parchment or silicone baking sheet lined baking dish.

Bake 20 minutes or until largest breast will have clear juices when poked with a fork.