Unsifted...

I am baaack! Pasta salad days...

2010-07-15T19:37:00.000-07:00

Hi all! It's been a looong while since I last posted. I've been going through some personal stuff and have been in a blogging funk....I think it is time that I snap out of it and get back to work :)

So.....pasta salad...Love it? Hate it or maybe you are one who can take it or leave it? I am one who can take it or leave it. I find pasta salads bland and flavorless, that is until I discovered this recipe. I am huge fan of antipasto and this salad pairs pasta and all the antipasto fixings. If you hate pasta salad or can do without it, you MUST try this one and I guarantee you will be a convert. It is a little time consuming to make but let me tell you, it is well worth the effort. The recipe was adapted from Americans Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook. I have added some marinated artichoke to it, because I love them you can also add olives if you'd like.

8 ounces sliced pepperoni , cut into 1/4-inch strips
8 ounces soppressata or salami, halved and cut into 1/4-inch strips
10 tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 jar pepperoncini (12-ounce), drained, (2 tablespoons juice reserved), stemmed, and chopped coarse
4 garlic cloves , minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper
1 pound spiral pasta
1 pound white mushrooms , quartered
1 cup shredded provolone cheese , aged
12 ounces roasted red peppers , drained, patted dry, and chopped coarse
1 cup chopped fresh basil

1. Place one paper towel on microwave-safe plate. Arrange pepperoni in single layer on paper towel. Cover with another paper towel and layer sopresatta on towel. Top with another paper towel and microwave on highest power until meat begins to render fat, about 1 minute. Set meat aside.

2. Whisk 5 tablespoons vinegar, olive oil, mayonnaise, pepperoncini juice, garlic, red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in medium bowl.

3. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta and cook until al dente. Drain pasta, return to pot, and toss with 1/2 cup dressing and remaining vinegar. Adjust seasonings, spread dressed pasta on rimmed baking sheet, and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, bring remaining dressing to simmer in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook until they release their juices and are lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and cool.

5. Add meat, provolone, roasted red peppers, chopped pepperoncini, basil, and cooled pasta to mushrooms and toss well. Season with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature. Salad can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Cold Sesame Noodles

2010-03-01T21:07:00.000-08:00

Every now and again I get a craving for cold sesame noodles.I remember the first time I had this dish, I didn't think I was going to like it at all, but with every bite I fell in love. The creamy sauce with all the crunchy veggies makes it for an amazing meal. These have a distinctive sesame flavor. I love these with bean sprouts. green onions, shredded carrots and cucumbers. I hope you'll give it a try. This recipe comes from Tyler Florence and like all the others I've tried from him, was spectacular!

* 12 ounces angel hair pasta ( I used udon noodles)
* 3 tablespoons dark sesame oil
* 2 tablespoons peanut oil
* 1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 teaspoon red chili paste, such as sambal
* 1 lime, juiced
* 2 tablespoons brown sugar
* 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
* 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
* 3 tablespoons soy sauce
* 6 tablespoons hot water
* 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
* 2 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
* Fresh chopped cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions

Cook the noodles in large pot of boiling unsalted water over medium heat until barely tender and still firm. Drain immediately and rinse with cold water until cold. Drain the noodles really well and transfer to a wide bowl; toss with the sesame oil so they don't stick together. Chill.

In a blender combine the peanut oil, ginger, garlic, chili paste, lime juice, brown sugar, peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce, and hot water. Blend. Toss the noodles with the peanut sauce until well coated. Serve at room temperature or chilled; garnish with the sesame seeds, green onions, and cilantro.

Daring Bakers Challenge-Tiramisu

2010-03-01T20:08:00.000-08:00

The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession. I love Tiramisu and I've always wanted to try making it. I was very excited about this challenge, as a matter of fact I've made it twice this month. Last week we had a potluck in the office and theme was Italian. What better dessert than Tiramisu. This one was a HUGE hit!!! I have to say, that there was no major issues for me with the recipe with the exception of the lady fingers, I could not get them to pipe the right size. I had a lot of variations in sizes, but I think it has to do with my piping skills than the recipe itself (the picture is of the best three) Since I've made the recipe twice, I've used the home baked lady fingers with one of the recipes and decided to use store bought for the other one. Thank you ladies for a GREAT challenge!!!

TIRAMISU
(Recipe source: Carminantonio's Tiramisu from The Washington Post, July 11 2007 )
This recipe makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
For the zabaglione:
2 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar/50gms
1/4 cup/60ml Marsala wine (or port or coffee)
1/4 teaspoon/ 1.25ml vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

For the vanilla pastry cream:
1/4 cup/55gms sugar
1 tablespoon/8gms all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5ml vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup/175ml whole milk

For the whipped cream:
1 cup/235ml chilled heavy cream (we used 25%)
1/4 cup/55gms sugar
1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5ml vanilla extract

MASCARPONE CHEESE
(Source: Vera’s Recipe for Homemade Mascarpone Cheese)
This recipe makes 12oz/ 340gm of mascarpone cheese
Ingredients:
474ml (approx. 500ml)/ 2 cups whipping (36 %) pasteurized (not ultra-pasteurized), preferably organic cream (between 25% to 36% cream will do)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

LADYFINGERS/ SAVOIARDI BISCUITS
(Source: Recipe from Cordon Bleu At Home)
This recipe makes approximately 24 big ladyfingers or 45 small (2 1/2" to 3" long) ladyfingers.

Ingredients:
3 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons /75gms granulated sugar
3/4 cup/95gms cake flour, sifted (or 3/4 cup all purpose flour + 2 tbsp corn starch)
6 tablespoons /50gms confectioner's sugar

Method:

For the zabaglione:

Heat water in a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, place a pot with about an inch of water in it on the stove. Place a heat-proof bowl in the pot making sure the bottom does not touch the water.
In a large mixing bowl (or stainless steel mixing bowl), mix together the egg yolks, sugar, the Marsala (or espresso/ coffee), vanilla extract and lemon zest. Whisk together until the yolks are fully blended and the mixture looks smooth.
Transfer the mixture to the top of a double boiler or place your bowl over the pan/ pot with simmering water. Cook the egg mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 8 minutes or until it resembles thick custard. It may bubble a bit as it reaches that consistency.
Let cool to room temperature and transfer the zabaglione to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

For the pastry cream:
Mix together the sugar, flour, lemon zest and vanilla extract in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. To this add the egg yolk and half the milk. Whisk until smooth.
Now place the saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly to prevent the mixture from curdling.
Add the remaining milk a little at a time, still stirring constantly. After about 12 minutes the mixture will be thick, free of lumps and beginning to bubble. (If you have a few lumps, don’t worry. You can push the cream through a fine-mesh strainer.)
Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

For the mascarpone cheese:
Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a wide skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low so the water is barely simmering. Pour the cream into a medium heat-resistant bowl, then place the bowl into the skillet. Heat the cream, stirring often, to 190 F. If you do not have a thermometer, wait until small bubbles keep trying to push up to the surface.
It will take about 15 minutes of delicate heating. Add the lemon juice and continue heating the mixture, stirring gently, until the cream curdles. Do not expect the same action as you see during ricotta cheese making. All that the whipping cream will do is become thicker, like a well-done crème anglaise. It will cover a back of your wooden spoon thickly. You will see just a few clear whey streaks when you stir. Remove the bowl from the water and let cool for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, line a sieve with four layers of dampened cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Transfer the mixture into the lined sieve. Do not squeeze the cheese in the cheesecloth or press on its surface (be patient, it will firm up after refrigeration time). Once cooled completely, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (in the sieve) overnight or up to 24 hours.
Vera’s notes: The first time I made mascarpone I had all doubts if it’d been cooked enough, because of its custard-like texture. Have no fear, it will firm up beautifully in the fridge, and will yet remain lusciously creamy.
Keep refrigerated and use within 3 to 4 days.

For the Ladyfingers:
Preheat your oven to 350 F (175 C) degrees, then lightly brush 2 baking sheets with oil or softened butter and line with parchment paper.
Beat the egg whites using a hand held electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gradually add granulate sugar and continue beating until the egg whites become stiff again, glossy and smooth.
In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly with a fork and fold them into the meringue, using a wooden spoon. Sift the flour over this mixture and fold gently until just mixed. It is important to fold very gently and not overdo the folding. Otherwise the batter would deflate and lose volume resulting in ladyfingers which are flat and not spongy.
Fit a pastry bag with a plain tip (or just snip the end off; you could also use a Ziploc bag) and fill with the batter. Pipe the batter into 5" long and 3/4" wide strips leaving about 1" space in between the strips.
Sprinkle half the confectioner's sugar over the ladyfingers and wait for 5 minutes. The sugar will pearl or look wet and glisten. Now sprinkle the remaining sugar. This helps to give the ladyfingers their characteristic crispness.
Hold the parchment paper in place with your thumb and lift one side of the baking sheet and gently tap it on the work surface to remove excess sprinkled sugar.
Bake the ladyfingers for 10 minutes, then rotate the sheets and bake for another 5 minutes or so until the puff up, turn lightly golden brown and are still soft.
Allow them to cool slightly on the sheets for about 5 minutes and then remove the ladyfingers from the baking sheet with a metal spatula while still hot, and cool on a rack.
Store them in an airtight container till required. They should keep for 2 to 3 weeks.

For the whipped cream:
Combine the cream, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer or immersion blender until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Set aside.

To assemble the tiramisu:
2 cups/470ml brewed espresso, warmed
1 teaspoon/5ml rum extract (optional)
1/2 cup/110gms sugar
1/3 cup/75gms mascarpone cheese
36 savoiardi/ ladyfinger biscuits (you may use less)
2 tablespoons/30gms unsweetened cocoa powder
Have ready a rectangular serving dish (about 8" by 8" should do) or one of your choice.
Mix together the warm espresso, rum extract and sugar in a shallow dish, whisking to mix well. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese with a spoon to break down the lumps and make it smooth. This will make it easier to fold. Add the prepared and chilled zabaglione and pastry cream, blending until just combined. Gently fold in the whipped cream. Set this cream mixture aside.

Now to start assembling the tiramisu.
Workings quickly, dip 12 of the ladyfingers in the sweetened espresso, about 1 second per side. They should be moist but not soggy. Immediately transfer each ladyfinger to the platter, placing them side by side in a single row. You may break a lady finger into two, if necessary, to ensure the base of your dish is completely covered.
Spoon one-third of the cream mixture on top of the ladyfingers, then use a rubber spatula or spreading knife to cover the top evenly, all the way to the edges.
Repeat to create 2 more layers, using 12 ladyfingers and the cream mixture for each layer. Clean any spilled cream mixture; cover carefully with plastic wrap and refrigerate the tiramisu overnight.
To serve, carefully remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle the tiramisu with cocoa powder using a fine-mesh strainer or decorate as you please. Cut into individual portions and serve.

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-02-27T09:20:00.000-08:00

I'm always on a hunt for great chocolate chip cookie recipe. My husband who does not have much of a sweet tooth, loves good Chocolate Chip Cookie. Since there is only a handful of sweet treats he enjoys, I always want to find a better way to make his favorites. Here is another recipe that got a raved reviews. We like crispy exterior and chewy interior, if you are after crispy cookie, this might not be a good recipe for you. I loved, loved, loved this one and I'm not even a chocolate Chip Cookie aficionado. The recipe comes from The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook.

The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

Before you get started, here are some tips, that might be helpful: Avoid using a nonstick skillet to brown the butter; the dark color of the nonstick coating makes it difficult to gauge when the butter is browned. Use fresh, moist brown sugar instead of hardened brown sugar, which will make the cookies dry. This recipe works with light brown sugar, but the cookies will be less full-flavored.

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (8 3/4 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
14 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks)
1/2 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
3/4 cups packed dark brown sugar (5 1/4 ounces)
1 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
3/4 cup chopped pecan or walnuts, toasted (optional)

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large (18- by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.

2. Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted.

3. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.

4. Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons (or use #24 cookie scoop). Arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet. (Smaller baking sheets can be used, but will require 3 batches.)

5. Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving.

Enjoy!

Slow Braised Honey and Cider Caramelized Pork Belly

2010-02-27T08:55:00.000-08:00

So many recipes to try, so little time to do it in... Life had just made a turn to crazy in the past few weeks and even though I was doing well with cooking and taking picture of my creations, posting has proven to be a challenge. I'm going to try and make up for a lost time and post some of the dishes I've made recently, starting with Slow Braised Honey and Cider Caramelized Pork Belly. So, pork belly is not necessarily on my diet plan these days, but I saw this recipe and couldn't resist. It's fairly hands off as the most of the time spent is braising in the oven. When selecting pork belly make sure there is as lean as you can possibly find it as the sauce will absorb most of the fat. If you feel that there is too much fat, refrigerate it overnight and remove the solidified fat from the top. The recipe calls for beer cider, not cider vinegar, so be sure that you use the right ingredient. I was able to find beer cider in liquor store fairly easily. The honey makes the sauce sweet on its own, but paired up with mashed potatoes balances the flavors very nicely.

Slow Braised Honey and Cider Caramelized Pork Belly

Ingredients:

* 3.5 lb (Organic) pork belly, with rind removed but the fat on
* 2 large white onions, peeled, halved and sliced
* Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Braising Liquor:

* 1 qt Beer cider
* 5 oz Clear honey
* 1 Beef stock cube
* 1 Star anise
* 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
* 4 Sprigs fresh thyme
* Sea salt

Directions:

1. In a frying pan, dry-fry the onions until caramelized.

2. Heat an ovenproof cast-iron pan. Season the pork belly and dry-fry on both sides, fat side first, until golden brown, ensuring that all sides of the meat are sealed. Remove from the pan and set aside to rest for 3-5 minutes. (Most of the fat should have been released during this stage.)

3. Preheat the oven to 350°c.

4. Lay the onions on the pork fat residue in the ovenproof pan and cover with the pork belly.

5. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients for the braising liquor. Pour over the pork belly and cook in the preheated oven for 2 hours.

6. Occasionally remove from the oven and baste the pork with the reducing sauce, this will help to build up a lustrous glaze when finished.

7. Remove from the oven, lift the meat out of the pan to rest for 10 minutes and set aside. Remove the onions with a slotted spoon.

8. Carefully reduce the remaining liquor to the consistency of a sauce.

9. Serve with olive oil mashed potatoes.

Chinese New Year-Dan Dan Noodle Soup & Gift

2010-02-15T20:27:00.000-08:00

Chinese New Year, Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is commonly called "Lunar New Year", because it is based on the lunisolar Chinese calendar. The festival traditionally begins on the first day of the first month in the Chinese calendar and ends on the 15th; this day is called Lantern Festival.

Chinese New Year is the longest and most important festivity in the Chinese Lunar Calendar. The origin of Chinese New Year is itself centuries old and gains significance because of several myths and traditions. Ancient Chinese New Year is a reflection on how the people behaved and what they believed in the most.

This year is specially important in our house because is the year of the TIGER. My husband was born the year of the Tiger. Tiger year is traditionally associated with massive changes and social upheaval. Therefore, 2010 is very likely to be a volatile one both on the world scene, as well as on a personal level. The horoscopes say (for those of you who believe in that sort of thing) that those compatible with the Tiger — the Dragon (ME) and the Horse in particular — may also find 2010's erratic circumstances inspiring them to ever bolder action, and ultimate success. With that I hope you have a GREAT TIGER YEAR!!!

I almost forgot...For a few months now I've been wanting to get new self scraping paddle attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer and couple of days ago my LOVELY HUSBAND surprised me with one. I was so excited I had to tell my friend about it...She listen and said that I act as if he's given me diamonds...LOL Is there anything better than a man who listens to his wife's needs and wants??? I'll take him over diamonds any day!!!

Dan-Dan Noodle Soup

* 1/2 cup sesame seeds, toasted
* 4 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, plus more for serving
* 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon sugar
* Kosher salt
* 2 half-sour dill pickles
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 1 tablespoon minced peeled ginger
* 4 scallions, finely chopped
* 3 tablespoons soy sauce
* 1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or stock
* 8 ounces ground pork
* 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 2 to 4 teaspoons Chinese chili oil, plus more for serving
* 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
* 9 ounces dried Chinese egg noodles
* 1 medium head bok choy, sliced crosswise

Directions

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Pulse the sesame seeds in a mini food processor with 2 tablespoons sesame oil, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt until powdery; set aside.

Prepare the stir-fry: Quarter, seed and finely dice the pickles and put in a bowl. In another bowl, mix the garlic, ginger, scallions, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon sugar. Mix 1 tablespoon soy sauce and the broth in a third bowl. Mix the pork with 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon salt in another bowl. Place the four bowls by the stove.

Place a large skillet over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, then the pork, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until cooked but not dry, 4 minutes. Transfer the meat to a bowl and toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to the skillet; stir-fry the pickles for 1 minute. Add the garlic mixture and fry 30 seconds. Add the broth and boil until reduced by half, 4 minutes. Divide the broth among bowls and drizzle with the chili oil and vinegar.

Meanwhile, add the noodles and bok choy to the boiling water and cook until just tender, 2 minutes. Drain and toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons sesame oil. Season with salt, then divide among the bowls. Top with pork and sprinkle with sesame powder. Serve with more sesame and chili oil.

Daring Cooks Challenge:Hummus, Pita, Grilled Chicken, Falafel, Tzatziki etc.

2010-02-15T19:45:00.000-08:00

The 2010 February Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Michele of Veggie Num Nums. Michele chose to challenge everyone to make mezze based on various recipes from Claudia Roden, Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Dugid.

The challenge is to prepare a Mezze table including, but not limited to, homemade Pita bread and Hummus. Mezze is a bunch of small dishes served all at once. It can be served as appetizers before a meal, or as the meal. I loved this challenge and enjoyed trying new recipes. Hummus is one of my very favorite things.

Pita Bread
Somehow, I am missing a picture of a pita bread...that's strange!

Recipe adapted from Flatbreads & Flavors by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid
- 2 teaspoons regular dry yeast
- 2 1/2 cups lukewarm water
- 5-6 cups all-purpose flour (may use a combination of 50% whole wheat and 50% all-purpose, or a combination of alternative flours for gluten free pita)
- 1 tablespoon table salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
In a large bread bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water. Stir to dissolve. Stir in 3 cups flour, a cup at a time, and then stir 100 times, about 1 minute, in the same direction to activate the gluten. Let this sponge rest for at least 10 minutes, or as long as 2 hours.
Sprinkle the salt over the sponge and stir in the olive oil. Mix well. Add more flour, a cup at a time, until the dough is too stiff to stir. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Rinse out the bowl, dry, and lightly oil. Return the dough to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until at least doubled in size, approximately 1 1/2 hours.
Place a pizza stone, or two small baking sheets, on the bottom rack of your oven, leaving a 1-inch gap all around between the stone or sheets and the oven walls to allow heat to circulate. Preheat the oven to 450F (230C). Gently punch down the dough. Divide the dough in half, and then set half aside, covered, while you work with the rest. Divide the other half into 8 equal pieces and flatten each piece with lightly floured hands. Roll out each piece to a circle 8 to 9 inches in diameter and less than 1/4 inch thick. Keep the rolled-out breads covered until ready to bake, but do not stack. Place 2 breads, or more if your oven is large enough, on the stone or baking sheets, and bake for 2 to 3 minutes, or until each bread has gone into a full balloon. If for some reason your bread doesn't puff up, don't worry it should still taste delicious. Wrap the baked breads together in a large kitchen towel to keep them warm and soft while you bake the remaining rolled-out breads. Then repeat with the rest of the dough.

Hummus

Recipe adapted from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden
Prep Time: Hummus can be made in about 15 minutes once the beans are cooked. If you’re using dried beans you need to soak them overnight and then cook them the next day which takes about 90 minutes.
- 1 1/2 cups dried chickpeas, soaked in cold water overnight (or substitute well drained canned chickpeas and omit the cooking) (10 ounces/301 grams)
- 2 lemons, juiced (3 ounces/89ml)
- 2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- a big pinch of salt
- 4 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste) OR use peanut butter or any other nut butter—feel free to experiment)

Drain and boil the soaked chickpeas in fresh water for about 1 ½ hours, or until tender. Drain, but reserve the cooking liquid.
Puree the beans in a food processor (or you can use a potato masher) adding the cooking water as needed until you have a smooth paste.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Adjust the seasonings to taste.

Middle Eastern Grilled Chicken

For the marinade

* 1 cup plain yogurt
* 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
* 1 garlic clove, minced and mashed to a paste with a pinch of salt
* 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled

* 8 skinless boneless chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds)

For the sauce

* 1/3 cup plain yogurt
* 1 garlic clove, minced and mashed to a paste with 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
* 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
* 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves, or to taste

* 1 small red onion, sliced thin
* 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 tomato, minced
* 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted lightly
* 6 whole-wheat pita loaves

Tzatziki

1 cup Greek-style (2% or nonfat) yogurt*
1 cup 1/4-inch cubes English hothouse cucumber
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice plus additional for drizzling
2 tablespoons chopped shallots

Mix Greek-style yogurt, cucumber, dill, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, shallots, and 3/4 teaspoon crushed aniseed in small bowl; season tzatziki generously with salt and pepper. Chill.

My Favorite Falafel

1 cup dried chickpeas
1/2 large onion, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon salt
1/2-1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper
4 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon baking powder
4-6 tablespoons flour
Soybean or vegetable oil for frying
Chopped tomato for garnish
Diced onion for garnish
Diced green bell pepper for garnish
Tahina sauce
Pita bread
preparation

1. Put the chickpeas in a large bowl and add enough cold water to cover them by at least 2 inches. Let soak overnight, then drain. Or use canned chickpeas, drained.

2. Place the drained, uncooked chickpeas and the onions in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the parsley, cilantro, salt, hot pepper, garlic, and cumin. Process until blended but not pureed.

3. Sprinkle in the baking powder and 4 tablespoons of the flour, and pulse. You want to add enough bulgur or flour so that the dough forms a small ball and no longer sticks to your hands. Turn into a bowl and refrigerate, covered, for several hours.

4. Form the chickpea mixture into balls about the size of walnuts, or use a falafel scoop, available in Middle-Eastern markets.

5. Heat 3 inches of oil to 375 degrees in a deep pot or wok and fry 1 ball to test. If it falls apart, add a little flour. Then fry about 6 balls at once for a few minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Stuff half a pita with falafel balls, chopped tomatoes, onion, green pepper, and pickled turnips. Drizzle with tahina thinned with water.

Beef Cinnamon Noodles

2010-02-07T10:11:00.000-08:00

Beef Cinnamon Noodles is something I've made for many years now. I found this recipe in Cooking Light in 2001 and loved it. I make this dish when I feel like I need something comforting. It is rich and flavorful and healthy at the same time. I serve mine with rice noodles, but you can use your favorite side dish to accompany it ( I thought that the thin noodles weren't as good as the wide but I did not have any other variety on hand) The meat is simmered in a soy sauce-based mixture for a long time until tender. Seasoned with ginger, garlic, and cinnamon for extra flavor. I know that cinnamon and beef combination is not necessarily the first thing that comes to mind but it is FABULOUS! Give it a try and let me know what you thought.... I think you'll be impressed, with how little effort yields such a great result!

Beef Cinnamon Noodles

* 5 cups water
* 1 1/2 cups rice wine or sake
* 3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
* 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
* 8 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
* 6 garlic cloves, crushed
* 2 cinnamon sticks
* 1 (1-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, thinly sliced
* 1 (10-ounce) package fresh spinach, chopped
* 4 cups hot cooked wide lo mein noodles or vermicelli (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta)

Preparation

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Set aside.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add half of the beef, browning on all sides. Remove from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining oil and beef. Return beef to pan; add water mixture, onions, garlic, cinnamon, and ginger. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 2 hours or until beef is tender. Discard ginger slices and cinnamon. Stir in spinach; cook 3 minutes or until wilted. Serve over noodles.

Curry Chicken Pot Pie

2010-02-07T09:50:00.000-08:00

Chicken pot pie is something I always have in a freezer for those night that I either don't feel like cooking or I don't have time to cook. It is generally the Marie Callenders variety, as it is one of my hubby's favorites. Last week, I had some leftover rotisserie chicken and decided to give chicken pot pie a try. I found the recipe of Alton Brown's for curry chicken pot pie... we love chicken pot pie and love curry, how bad can it be, right? I used some frozen mixed veggies as well as store bought pie crust and still the results were AMAZING! I've made 6 individual pot pies and was able to freeze some for the "emergency dinners" The original recipe called for puff pastry, but I did not have it on hand, so I decided to use pie crust. Needless to say, I'll not be buying frozen chicken pot pies again. The recipe was easy, quick and DELICIOUS! Must try!

CURRY CHICKEN POT PIE

* 4 cups frozen vegetable mix, peas, carrots
* 1 to 2 tablespoons canola oil
* 3 tablespoons butter
* 1 cup chopped onion
* 1 cup chopped celery
* 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
* 1/2 cup milk
* 3 tablespoons flour
* 1 teaspoon curry powder
* 2 tablespoons dried parsley
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
* 2 cups cubed cooked chicken
* 1 package puff pastry ( I used pie dough)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Toss frozen vegetables with canola oil and spread evenly onto a sheet pan. Place into oven and cook until golden brown.

In a saute pan heat 1 tablespoon of butter and sweat the onion and celery. In another saucepan, heat the broth and milk. Add 2 more tablespoons of butter to the celery mix and cook out the water. Add the flour and curry and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the hot milk mixture and cook until thickened. Add the parsley, salt and pepper. Toss the browned vegetables and the chicken. Pour into a shallow baking pan, or a large terra cotta pot base, lined with foil, and top with 6 to 8 circles of puff pastry. I used individual remakins and cut the dough to fit them. Place into the oven and cook until puff pastry has browned and the mixture is hot and bubbly, about 25 minutes.

Happy New Year!!!

2010-01-31T10:02:00.000-08:00

Hi everybody,

I've been in a blogging coma for what seems like an eternity. First it was the craze of the holidays, then our trip to Europe and now just simply not being able to get back to the swing of things. I hope all of you had a great holiday season and the New Year is treating you well so far. A BIG THANK YOU to those of you who were kind enough to email and check on me. I really appreciate it and hope to get back to doing some serious cooking and sharing of the recipes very soon. I have lots of pictures to share from our First Annual Cookie Exchange, our European Holidays and more. Thanks again for your patience and for sticking around even though I've been MIA.

See you all soon!!!

Sylwia

Award ....

2009-11-30T19:23:00.000-08:00

Few weeks ago Anula of Anula's Kitchen gave me this wonderful award. I love her blog and often look up to her for advice on Polish dishes and food scoop in general. She is an excellent source of information and has a lot of great recipes. Her blog has the ability to take me home to my childhood and often makes me home sick for good ol Polish meal. With this being said, better late than never: THANK YOU SO MUCH ANULA!!! I appreciate this more than you know.

I will be passing this award very soon.

Pierogi making...

2009-11-30T17:49:00.000-08:00

Few weeks ago my friend Debbie & I embarked on pierogi making...For those of you who do not know what Pierogi (plural) are, they are a dish consisting of boiled or baked dumplings of unleavened dough stuffed with varying ingredients. They are usually moon shaped. Pierogi are served in a variety of forms and tastes (ranging from sweet to salty to spicy) in Polish cuisine. Polish pierogi are often filled with fresh white cheese (farmers cheese), potatoes, and fried onions; in this form, they are called pierogi ruskie (russian) don't ask me why...Pierogi are usually served with melted butter or bacon bits. Traditionally serve two types of pierogi for Christmas Eve supper. One kind is filled with sauerkraut and dried mushrooms, another – small uszka (ears-very small pierogi) filled only with dried wild mushrooms – are served in clear borscht (beet soup)

I love pierogi but they are time consuming to make. If you attempt these, make sure that you have a buddy. Debbie and I had a great time making these, and even better time eating it.

Pierogi Dough
makes 24 pierogi

* 2 cups flour
* 1 egg
* 1/2 cup warm water
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 tablespoons oil

Mix all ingredients together lightly in bowl. Knead until smooth. Let rest, covered, 30 minutes. Using half of the dough at a time, roll out to 1/8 inch thickness.Cut circles with biscuit cutter or floured glass.

SaurKraut & Mushroom Filling:

* 1 lb sauerkraut, finely chopped
* 150 g butter, divided
* 1 onion, chopped
* 1/4 lb fresh mushrooms, diced
* pepper
* salt

Saute the sauerkraut in 1/3 of the butter. Fry the onion in 1/6 of the butter; fry the mushrooms in the remaining butter. Combine these ingredients, season with salt & pepper, and refrigerate until ready to assemble pierogi.

Potato & cheese filling:

* 2 large potatoes, cooked & mashed (1/2 cup instant or leftover mashed potatoes is fine too)
* 8 oz of cream cheese
* 1 onion, minced & sauteed in butter
* 1 tablespoon butter, melted
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* pepper, to taste

I use Vegeta seasoning in place of salt. You can find it in a supermarket in Ethnic section.

Combine all of the ingredients listed under filling and refrigerate until ready to assemble pierogi.

Enoy!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYBODY!!!

2009-11-26T08:49:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you have a safe, delicious holiday! Enjoy your turkey and fixings. I think the best part of the any holiday is desert. I'll post some recipes for my holiday feast but in the meantime, I wanted to share some laughs with all of you. My friend Debbie emailed this to me the other day... Hope you'll have a good laugh. Apparently this is the way the pumpkin pie is really made. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce and POM Wonderful

2009-11-18T17:55:00.000-08:00

I was recently approached by Molly at POM Wonderful. I was so excited to see Molly's email offering me some Pomegranate juice. POM Wonderful is a global brand committed to innovation and wellness. They grow and market pomegranates and pomegranate-based products that have amazing health benefits. A 2005 study published in the American Journal of Cardiology showed improved blood flow to the heart in patients drinking 8oz daily of POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice for 3 months.
Researchers studied a total of 45 patients with coronary heart disease who had reduced blood flow to the heart.Patients drinking POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice experienced a 17% improvement in blood flow, compared to an 18% worsening in patients drinking a placebo. THANK YOU SO MUCH MOLLY FOR YOUR DELICIOUS CONTRIBUTION TO OUR THANKSGIVING CELEBRATION.

I generally drink it or put it in my cocktail, but this time around wanted to make something different with POM. With Thanksgiving around the corner, what can be better than Pomegranate cranberry sauce.

Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce

1 1/2 pounds fresh or frozen cranberries (6 cups)
2 cups sugar
1 cup pomegranate juice
2 cups fresh pomegranate seeds
1 Granny Smith apple
1 cup of fresh pineapple
1 cinnamon stick

In a medium saucepan, combine the cranberries with the sugar, chopped apple, cinnamon stick and chopped pineapple and pomegranate juice. Bring to a simmer and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the cranberries have burst, about 10 minutes. Scrape the cranberry sauce into a medium bowl and let stand until cool, about 2 hours. Fold in the pomegranate seeds and serve the sauce chilled or at room temperature.

Fondue Night

2009-11-16T20:27:00.001-08:00

I've wanted to do this for a while. My sister lives in Switzerland and when we went to visit few years back I fell in love with fondue... Few days back we decided to get together for a fondue night in my house. I've made cheese and vegetable fondue as well as a chocolate version. It was so much fun!!! I will post some pictures and recipes for both fondues.

Veggie-Cheese Fondue:

* 1/4 cup milk
* 1/4 cup white wine
* 1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese
* 1 (8 ounce) package shredded Monterey Jack cheese
* 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
* 1/4 cup chopped green onions
* 1/4 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
* 1 teaspoon ground dry mustard
* 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, mix together milk, white wine, Cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese and cream cheese. Cook, stirring frequently, until melted, about 10 minutes.
2. Stir in green onions, spinach, dry mustard, cayenne pepper, garlic powder and black pepper. Continue cooking until all ingredients are well blended, about 10 minutes.
3. Transfer mixture to a double boiler or fondue pot to keep warm while serving.

Chocolate Fondue:

16 ounces semi sweet chocolate, grated
16 ounces bittersweet chocolate grated
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/3 cup hot water

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the chocolate with the heavy cream. Mix in the instant coffee, vanilla extract, sugar, and hot water. Continue to heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture is smooth.

Caponata and GREAT friends

2009-11-16T19:43:00.000-08:00

I can't seem to catch a breath these days...I've been trying to update my blog in the past few days and every time I seat down to do that, something else needs my attention...Ohhh, the joys of parenthood :) I'm sure those of you who have children can relate to that very well... I am fortunate enough to have a group of friends, who help elevate some of the pain that comes with working full time, raising children, balancing marriage and family. We get together as often as we can to catch up, enjoy glass or two of wine and just get away I often wonder how I've ever done it without them. They are such a GREAT support system!!!

This is one of the recipes I often make when we get together. It is very easy to make, delicious and healthy. This recipe comes from Gourmet, September 2006 issue.

* 2 lb small Italian eggplants (about 4)
* 1 tablespoon kosher salt or 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
* 1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
* 4 medium celery ribs, cut crosswise into very thin
* 1/3 cup large green Sicilian olives (1 3/4 oz), pitted and coarsely chopped
* 1 3/4 oz Italian capers packed in salt (1/3 cup), rinsed well
* 2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
* 1/3 cup white-wine vinegar
* 1 (14- to 15-oz) can whole tomatoes in juice, drained and chopped (1 cup)

Peel eggplants, leaving some strips of peel, then cut into 1-inch cubes and spread on half of a kitchen towel. Sprinkle eggplant with salt, then cover with other half of towel and weight with a baking sheet topped with 2 or 3 large cans for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 1/2 cup oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook onion, stirring, until pale golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Add celery and cook, stirring, until onion and celery are deep golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add olives, capers, and 2 tablespoons sugar and cook, stirring, 2 minutes, then stir in vinegar and tomatoes.

Reduce heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes. If sauce is very acidic, add 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar (to taste). Transfer to a bowl and keep warm, covered.

Rinse eggplant in a colander under running water, then squeeze dry in small handfuls.

Heat remaining cup oil in cleaned skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then fry eggplant in 2 batches, turning occasionally with tongs, until tender and browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes per batch. Transfer as cooked to paper towels to drain, then transfer to a large shallow serving dish in an even layer. Spoon sauce on top, spreading evenly, and let stand, covered with a kitchen towel, at room temperature, at least 8 hours (for flavors to develop). Stir before serving.

Pumpkin Pancakes

2009-11-07T08:18:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged or cooked as much as I wanted lately... Things have been crazy with family and school change... Normally this is a favorite time for me to cook and bake. I love the pumpkin season and you would never know that by looking at my blog. I did not explore pumpkin as much as I would have wanted this fall. I hope I can squeeze few more recipes using pumpkin in the next few weeks to satisfy my cravings.

These are a fabulous weekend breakfast! You can also get away with serving them for dessert if you want to. Theses taste great just with a dusting of powdered sugar or with your favorite syrup. I love black currant syrup, but my husband and daughter love the maple. Whatever your choice, they are supper delicious! I hope you'll enjoy them.

Pumpkin Pancakes

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar

In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar.

Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt, stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake.

Brown on both sides and serve hot.

BBQ Pulled Pork

2009-11-02T18:36:00.000-08:00

This is a great recipe that practically makes itself. I found pork loin on sale last weekend and was searching for a recipe to make something delicious that my 4 year old would like to eat. It is made in a crock pot and only has 4 ingredients. I have to admit, I was sceptical about it but the finished product exceeded my expectations. Olivia had a pulled pork sandwich for dinner tonight and she cleaned her plate, which almost never happens...She came to me after dinner and said:" Mommy, thank you for dinner! You really know how to make the yummiest food" This is a ringing endorsement from 4 year old if I've ever heard one. Give it a try if you're looking for hands off dinner.

* 1 (4-5 pound) pork loin
* 1 (12 fluid ounce) bottle root beer
* 1 bottle favorite barbecue sauce ( I used Bulls Eye Original)
* Hamburger buns, split and lightly toasted

Place the pork loin in a crock pot and pour the root beer over the meat. Cover and cook on low until well cooked and the pork shreds easily, 8 hours. Drain well. Stir in barbecue sauce. Serve over hamburger buns.

Great Weekend and an Award!

2009-11-01T17:48:00.000-08:00

Kitty of Fahrenheit350 gave me the: Honest Scrap Award! This award is gifted to blogs that are encouraging, inspiring, or brilliant. THANK YOU SO MUCH KITTY!!! When I first started blogging, I've never thought that I will be a part of such great community! In the past few months since I've started, I've made lots of friends and learn so much from all of you. This award means a lot to me especially coming from Kitty. I adore her blog and visit often for inspiration, baking advice and lots of laughs.

Now, lets move on to my favorite part, which is passing the award to my favorite bloggers... First and foremost, I'd like to give this to Bea,who is hands down my favorite Polish Blog. Bea's blog inspires me daily and every time I visit I want to run to my kitchen and start cooking.

I also would like to take this opportunity and give this award to few more of my favorite bloggers who teach and inspire me. Thank you all!

Heather is at home.

Cooking Gallery.

The English
Kitchen.

Sweet & Savory Somethings.

Food for a Hungry Soul.

Valerie's Attempt at Pondering.

Once again, a BIG THANK YOU to Kitty for this fantastic award. You've made my day!

Barefoot Bloggers- Blue Cheese Souffle

2009-10-31T15:22:00.000-07:00

The second October's recipe for Barefoot Bloggers was chosen by Summer of Sexy Appartment. She choose the Blue Cheese Souffle. My first attempt in souffle making was a success. It was a great hit! I will definitely try it again.

* 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the dish
* 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus extra for sprinkling
* 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 cup scalded milk
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* Pinch cayenne pepper
* Pinch nutmeg
* 4 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
* 3 ounces good Roquefort cheese, chopped
* 5 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
* 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Butter the inside of an 8-cup souffle dish (7 1/2 inches in diameter and 3 1/4 inches deep) and sprinkle evenly with Parmesan.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. With a wooden spoon, stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the hot milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, the cayenne, and nutmeg. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, for 1 minute, until smooth and thick.

Off the heat, while still hot, whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time. Stir in the Roquefort and the 1/4 cup of Parmesan and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Put the egg whites, cream of tartar, and a pinch of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on low speed for 1 minute, on medium speed for 1 minute, then finally on high speed until they form firm, glossy peaks.

Whisk 1/4 of the egg whites into the cheese sauce to lighten and then fold in the rest. Pour into the souffle dish, then smooth the top. Draw a large circle on top with the spatula to help the souffle rise evenly, and place in the middle of the oven. Turn the temperature down to 375 degrees F. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (don't peek!) until puffed and brown. Serve immediately.

Short Rib Chili

2009-10-31T14:55:00.000-07:00

George and I went to Chili Cook off recently and sampled great chili creations but there was a clear winner among them for us. Short Rib Chili. I've never heard of short rib chili before but knew I had to try to make it. I did not have a recipe for this but I've adapted several different recipes to make it come together. If you'd like beans in your chili you can certainly add it, but this chili does not need it in my opinion.

* 2 heads of garlic
* 4 1/2 pounds beef short ribs
* 3 quarts water
* 1 white onion, quartered

* 3 tomatoes (about 12 ounces), halved
* 1/2 large white onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
* 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

* 16 dried guajillo chilies* (about 2 ounces), stemmed, halved, seeded
* 3 large dried ancho chilies* (about 2 ounces), stemmed, halved, seeded

* 2 teaspoons ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
* Pinch of ground cloves
* 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar

Cut 1 head of garlic crosswise in half. Place in large pot with ribs, 3 quarts water, and quartered onion. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered until meat is cooked through, about 50 minutes. Strain, reserving 6 cups meat broth (discard onions and garlic). Reserve ribs. You can pull the meat of the bone into small pieces or cut it into small dice.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Wrap remaining head of garlic tightly in foil and place directly on oven rack. Place tomatoes and sliced onion on rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast garlic, tomatoes, and onion until tender, about 1 hour. Transfer tomatoes and onion to processor. Using fingers, squeeze garlic from papery skin into processor. Blend until smooth. Set tomato sauce aside.

Place guajillo and ancho chilies in medium bowl. Add 4 cups reserved meat broth. Let stand 30 minutes. Transfer mixture to processor and blend until smooth. Strain chili sauce into medium bowl, pressing on solids in strainer with rubber spatula to extract as much liquid as possible.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add chili sauce; simmer 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce, cumin, oregano, and cloves. Simmer 5 minutes. Add ribs, vinegar, and remaining 2 cups meat broth. Add meat. Bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until sauce is thick, about 50 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium-high heat until hot.)

Monkey Bread

2009-10-31T14:35:00.000-07:00

Next on the agenda is Monkey Bread! It is a crowd pleaser and children's favorite! This recipe is from SW Steakhouse @ Wynn Las Vegas Hotel & Casino. The recipe calls for bundt pan but I've decided to give it a shot and bake it in a loaf pan. It is semi-homemade recipe as it calls for refridgerator biscuits.

* Flour, for pan
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 30 buttermilk canned refrigerator biscuits
* 1 stick butter, plus more for pan
* 1/2 cup brown sugar
* 1 cup walnuts

Directions

Butter and flour a bundt pan and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine sugar and cinnamon. Cut refrigerator biscuits in half and toss in cinnamon and sugar mixture. Melt the 1 stick of butter in a saucepan and add brown sugar and bring to a boil; then add nuts. Line the bundt pan with biscuits and pour butter mixture over them.

Bake for about 30 minutes. Remove from the pan when it's still hot to avoid sticking. It might take longer to bake depending on your oven.

Banana Bread

2009-10-31T14:05:00.000-07:00

For the past few weeks I cooked, taken pictures and enjoyed all kinds of amazing dishes, but I did not have time to do any posting...So, here it is: few weeks back Kim of Stirring the Pot who has a great blog, posted a recipe for banana bread with cream cheese glaze I thought sounded delicious! Since I've had some bananas lying around I thought it would be a great opportunity to give it a try! I was not sorry. The bread was great and cream cheese glaze made it extra special! If you are a fan of banana bread definitely give this recipe a try. This recipe is from Flour Bakery & Cafe in Boston, MA.

* 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 4 large eggs at room temperature for 30 minutes
* 2 1/3 cups sugar
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 3 cups coarsely mashed very ripe bananas (6 large)
* 1/4 cup crème fraîche
* 2 teaspoons vanilla
* 1 1/3 cups walnuts (4 ounces), toasted and chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 2 (9- by 5- by 3-inch) metal loaf pans, then dust with flour, knocking out excess.

Sift together 3 1/4 cups flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into a bowl.

Beat together eggs and sugar in bowl of electric mixer at medium-high speed until very thick and pale and mixture forms a ribbon when beater is lifted, about 10 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add oil in a slow stream, mixing, then mix in bananas, crème fraîche, and vanilla. Remove bowl from mixer and fold in flour mixture and walnuts gently but thoroughly.

Divide batter between loaf pans, spreading evenly, and bake in middle of oven until golden brown and a wooden pick or skewer comes out clean, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

Cool loaves in pans on a rack 10 minutes, then turn out onto rack. Turn loaves right side up and cool completely.

Cream cheese glaze recipe you can find @ Stirring the Pot

Pumpkin Ribbon Bread with dried cranberries and walnuts

2009-10-18T15:40:00.000-07:00

I've been doing some fall baking lately and since it is a pumpkin season, I had to make a my very favorite Pumpkin Ribbon Bread with dried cranberries and walnuts. It is a very easy and quick recipe that produces amazing results. The bread is very moist and delicious. The cream cheese and cranberries provide a little tang to balance the sweetness of the pumpkin...very yummy.

Filling:

6 oz of softened cream cheese
1/3 cup of sugar
1 TBSP of flour
1 egg
2 tsp. of grated orange peel

Beat cream cheese, sugar and flour in a bowl. Add egg and orange peel and mix together. Set aside.

Bread:

1 cup of canned pumpkin
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup of sugar
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of cloves
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1 2/3 cup of flour
1 tsp of baking soda
1 cup of chopped walnuts
1 cup of dried cranberries

Prepare two medium loaf pans by spraying it with non stick spray. Combine pumpkin, oil and eggs in a bowl. Add sugar, spices, flour and baking soda. Mix till combine. Add walnuts and cranberries. Mix to blend. Pour 1/4 of the bread batter into each loaf pan. Carefully add cream cheese batter and follow it with the reminder of the bread batter. Bake @ 325'F for 1 1/2 hours or until the tooth pick comes out clean.

Enjoy!!!

Grilled Eggplant Parmigiana & Picky Eater

2009-10-18T15:22:00.000-07:00

Are your children picky eaters? If they are, you know what you have to go through every day to feed them. You learn to become creative with what you serve them and how you present it. I have to admit, it is exhausting to have to do it day in and day out. My lovely daughter Olivia is one of those kids who is very difficult to feed nutritious meals. She adores everything with tomato sauce on it, so I am trying to come up with all the things that I can add and disguise in the sauce. One of the things she really enjoys is eggplant Parmesan. I've been making it for a long time now and have several great recipes but this one is my favorite. It's healthy, easy to prepare and delicious. It does not require breading or frying, the eggplant is simply grilled and served with easy tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella. If you have a picky eater in your household, give it a try, you might want to cut grilled eggplant in smaller pieces to disguise it, if your child does not like it. I hope you'll give it a try and enjoy it as much as we do!

Here is the recipe:

* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
* 1/4 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes
* 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
* 1/2 ounce finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1/4 cup)
* 4 small Italian eggplants (1/2 pound each)
* 16 thin slices whole-milk mozzarella (from a 1-lb block; not fresh)

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook garlic and red-pepper flakes, stirring, 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and salt and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in basil and parmesan.

Prepare a gas grill for direct-heat cooking over moderate heat.

Trim 1/4 inch off 2 opposite long sides of each eggplant. Cut each eggplant lengthwise (in same direction as trimmed sides so each slice has skin just around edge) into 4 slices. Brush slices with remaining 2 tablespoons oil.

Grill eggplant, covered, turning over once, until tender, about 6 minutes total. Transfer to a work surface.

Spread top of each slice with about 1 tablespoon tomato sauce and top with a slice of mozzarella, then restack each eggplant. Transfer stacks to a shallow baking pan and grill, covered, just until cheese is melted, about 4 minutes.

Daring Cooks Challenge-Vietnamese Chicken Pho

2009-10-13T19:09:00.000-07:00

This month's DC challenge is hosted by Jaden from Steamy Kitchen. She choose the Vietnamese Chicken Pho and another additional recipe of Sweet Wontons. I didn't get a chance to make sweet wontons.

The soup is fabulous! There is something very comforting about it. My husband and daughter loved it and requested I make it again. It is a keeper in my kitchen!!!

For the Chicken Pho Broth:

- 2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
- 4 whole cloves
- 2 whole star anise
- 2 quarts (2 liters/8 cups/64 fluid ounces) store-bought or homemade chicken stock
- 1 whole chicken breast (bone in or boneless)
- 1/2 onion
- 7.5 cm chunk of ginger, sliced and smashed with side of knife
- 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 to 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 500 grams dried rice noodles (about 6 mm wide)

Accompaniments:

- 2 cups (200 grams) bean sprouts, washed and tails pinched off
- fresh cilantro (coriander) tops (leaves and tender stems)
- 1/2 cup (50 grams) shaved red onions
- 1/2 lime, cut into 4 wedges
- Sriracha chili sauce
- Hoisin sauce
- Sliced fresh chili peppers of your choice

To make the Chicken Pho Broth: heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the coriander seeds, cloves and star anise and toast until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Immediately spoon out the spices to avoid burning. In a large pot, add all the ingredients (including the toasted spices) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 20 minutes, skimming the surface frequently.
Use tongs to remove the chicken breasts and shred the meat with your fingers, discarding the bone if you have used bone-in breasts. Taste the broth and add more fish sauce or sugar, if needed. Strain the broth and discard the solids.
Prepare the noodles as per directions on the package.
Ladle the broth into bowls. Then divide the shredded chicken breast and the soft noodles evenly into each bowl. Have the accompaniments spread out on the table. Each person can customize their own bowl with these ingredients.

Note: Use same spices as listed in the chicken Pho recipe for pork, seafood and vegetarian/vegan variations. The beef variation lists it’s unique spices in the recipe.

As I did only part of this month's challenge I encourage you to check blogs of my fellow Daring Cooks and see what they've made. You can find them here.

Bon appétit!

Blue Cheese Dressing

2009-10-11T12:12:00.000-07:00

Do you buy salad dressing? I don't... I know what you're thinking, what??? She does not buy a salad dressing??? No, I don't...There is something about a bottle of dressing that has been seating in your fridge for weeks or months and still appears to be good... I often wonder what's in it that keeps it fresh for so long...it just can't be good for you. Instead, I prefer to make my own, if I feel like having a salad, I just whip up a batch of my favorite and voila! One of my all time favorite is Buttermilk-chive dressing ( I'll post recipe one day) and blue cheese is close second. If you are looking for healthy/low calorie recipe, this is not one of them, although it can be made healthier but substituting most of the mayo with Greek yogurt.

I was wondering what is your favorite homemade dressing/vinaigrette? If you prefer store bought one, is there one brand that you can't live without?

Here it the recipe:

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise ( used 1 cup of Greek Yogurt and 1/2 cup of mayo)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 cup coarsely crumbled blue cheese
Buttermilk (optional)

Mix first 4 ingredients in medium bowl. Add blue cheese and stir until well blended. If too thick, thin with buttermilk by tablespoonfuls to desired consistency. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)

Shrimp Scampi

2009-10-11T11:29:00.000-07:00

Few months ago, my foodie buddy Heather from Heather is at home had a garage sale and was selling whole bunch of her cookbooks...She was kind enough to send me some. This recipe is from one of the books, I've gotten from Heather. "Stirring the Pot" by Tyler Florence. We love shrimp scampi and addition of tomatoes to the classic recipe, was absolutely the right way to go. It is a keeper for us!

* 1 pound linguini
* 4 tablespoons butter
* 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
* 1 large shallot, finely diced
* 5 cloves garlic, sliced
* Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
* 20 large shrimp, about 1 pound, peeled and deveined, tail on
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1/2 cup dry white wine
* 1 28 oz can of San Marzano tomatoes
* 1 lemon, juiced
* 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley leaves

Directions

For the pasta, put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. When it has come to the boil, add a couple of tablespoons of salt and the linguini. Stir to make sure the pasta separates; cover. When the water returns to a boil, cook for about 6 to 8 minutes or until the pasta is not quite done. Drain the pasta reserving 1 cup of water.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes (if using) until the shallots are translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper; add them to the pan and cook until they have turned pink, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan; set aside and keep warm. Add wine,tomatoes and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons oil. When the butter has melted, return the shrimp to the pan along with the parsley and cooked pasta and reserved pasta water. Stir well and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over a bit more olive oil and serve immediately.

Barefoot Bloggers- Cheddar Corn Chowder

2009-10-08T19:45:00.000-07:00

This week's Barefoot Blogger selection is Cheddar Corn Chowder and was chosen by Jill Of My Next Life

Jill chose Ina's Corn Chowder recipe. I think it's a perfect Fall soup and I've made it often through the years. I love the combination of the corn, potatoes, sharp cheddar and bacon! It is one of my go to recipes on a cold fall or winter nights.

Here it is:

Cheddar Corn Chowder
Copyright, 1999, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, All rights reserved

Ingredients:

8 ounces bacon, chopped
1/4 cup good olive oil
6 cups chopped yellow onions (4 large onions)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
12 cups chicken stock
6 cups medium-diced white boiling potatoes, unpeeled (2 pounds)
10 cups corn kernels, fresh (10 ears) or frozen (3 pounds)
2 cups half-and-half
8 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:

In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, cook the bacon and olive oil until the bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and butter to the fat, and cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent.

Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, and turmeric and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and potatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. If using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cob and blanch them for 3 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain. (If using frozen corn you can skip this step.) Add the corn to the soup, then add the half-and-half and cheddar. Cook for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve hot with a garnish of bacon.

Griled Brie and Tomato on a crusty bread...

2009-10-04T13:58:00.000-07:00

I first saw this recipe on Heather's Blog and had to try it. Heather has a great way of describing food in a way that makes my mouth water.I was not dissapointed. I ended up making basil pesto instead of Arugula, but other than that pretty much followed the directions as posted. Original recipe was from Tyler Florence. You should check out Heather's Blog if you need some inspiration.

Pesto (Gourmet, September 1996)

* 4 cups packed fresh basil leaves, washed well
* 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted until golden, cooled, and chopped fine
* 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 1 1/2 ounces)
* 2 large garlic cloves, minced
* 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Have ready a bowl of ice and cold water. In a saucepan of boiling salted water blanch basil, a handful at a time, 2 seconds, transferring with a slotted spoon to bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Drain basil in a sieve and pat dry.

In a food processor purée basil with remaining ingredients until smooth and season with salt and pepper. Pesto may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, its surface covered with plastic wrap.

1 baguette, thick bias-cut slices
Extra-virgin olive oil
4 ripe tomatoes, sliced
1/2 pound Brie, sliced thin

Preheat grill to medium. Drizzle the bread slices with oil, then grill about 1 minute per side. Remove bread from grill. Spread each slice with some of the pesto. Add a layer of sliced tomato and a piece of Brie. Grill about 1 minute more, until cheese melts and the bread is nicely toasted.

Tres Leches Cupcakes

2009-10-04T13:35:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I embarked on a cupcake baking adventure...I decided to make Tres Leches Cupcakes. I really like the traditional tres leches cake and was excited to try the cupcake version. I used the recipe from Food Network and it sounded very good and the final product tasted fantastic, but didn't look great. I think it had something to do with my oven not heating properly because they did not rise much. They instead spread out all over. I ended up having to trim the tops before I ice them. All and all It was a very yummy cupcake but I wish it looked better.

# 1/4 cup shortening
# 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
# 1 cup sugar
# 3 eggs, separated
# 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
# 1 cup all-purpose flour
# 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
# 1/2 teaspoon salt
# 3/4 cup buttermilk
# 1/2 cup evaporated milk
# 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
# 1/2 cup coconut milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the shortening, butter, and sugar until light and fluffy on medium speed; add egg yolks 1 at a time, beating until all the yellow disappears. Add the vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add alternately with the buttermilk to the creamed mixture beginning and ending with the flour.

In a small bowl, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold into cake batter.

Fill standard paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to wire rack that has been placed over a baking sheet to cool.

While cupcakes are still warm, stir together the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and the coconut milk. Using a meat injector needle, inject each cupcake in several different spots with about 1/2 to 3/4-ounce of the mixture. Or, poke several holes in the top of each of the cupcakes with a 1/4-inch wooden skewer. Pour the milk mixture over each cupcake while they are still warm, filling each hole. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight before icing.

Whipped cream Frosting

2 cups of whipped cream
1/4 cup of powdered sugar

Beat the cream and sugar until the stiff peaks appear.

Moussaka

2009-10-04T13:09:00.000-07:00

I'm officially a blogging slacker! I can't believe that I didn't post anything for a week, it's not like I wasn't cooking! Well, enough procrastinating... As I mentioned in previous post, I love fall. I am so excited to be able to cook more soups and casseroles. One of my favorites is Greek Moussaka. Moussaka is a casserole of eggplant and ground lamb with onion and tomatoes bound with white sauce and beaten eggs. I've made some changes to the classic recipe, first I left out the white sauce and second I did not use lamb. Leaving out the white sauce made it much lighter and since we are not lamb eaters I've used ground beef. The base recipe is by Tyler Florence.

* 3 large eggplants
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* Extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1/2 lemon, sliced in thin circles
* 1 handful fresh oregano leaves, chopped
* 2 handfuls fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
* 2 pounds ground lamb (I used ground beef)
* 1 cinnamon stick
* 3 tablespoons tomato paste
* 1 (16-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and hand-crushed
* 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
* 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
* 1 cup fresh bread crumbs

Directions

To prepare the eggplants: Cut off the stems, remove the skin with a vegetable peeler, and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch thick slices. Season all the pieces of eggplant with salt and pepper on both sides. Coat a large skillet with oil and heat over medium flame. Fry the eggplant in a single layer, turning once, until brown on both sides- you will need to do this in batches, adding more oil, as necessary. Drain the eggplant as they cook on a paper towel-lined platter.

Add a little more oil to the pan and toss in the onion, garlic, lemon slices, oregano, and parsley. Cook and stir until soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the ground lamb, stirring to break up the meat; season with salt and pepper, and toss in the cinnamon stick. Stir in the tomato paste and hand-crushed tomatoes. Simmer until the liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with 1/3 of the eggplant slices; they should completely cover the bottom with no gaps. Spread 1/2 of the meat sauce over the eggplant, evening it out with a spatula. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the feta and Parmesan. Repeat the layers again, ending with a final layer of eggplant. Cover the top with a nice even layer of bread crumbs. Bake the moussaka for 30 to 40 minutes or until the top is golden. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Daring Bakers Challenge-Vols-au-Vent Puff Pastry

2009-09-27T09:57:00.000-07:00

The September 2009 Daring Bakers' Challenge has been chosen by Steph of a whisk and a spoon. Steph chose Vols-au-Vent. Puff pastry (aka pâte feuilletée) is something most of us usually buy at the grocery store, but in order to be really daring, we should make our own at least once in awhile, right? Kitchens should be getting cooler in the northern hemisphere, and are hopefully still cool-ish in the sourthern hempisphere, so I’m hoping you will all join me in making homemade puff pastry from Michel Richard’s recipe, as it appears in the book Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan. With our homemade puff we’ll be forming vols-au-vent cases to fill with anything we chose.

So, this one was a HUGE challenge for me! I've done it couple of times (two weekends ago) and neither was a great success. I had couple of issues in my kitchen that might have contributed to it not working out so well. First, my food processor bowl in broken so I had to make my dough by hand, second, temperatures in Nevada are still in the 100'F, so I had issues with the pastry staying cold. I love puff pastry and was glad to be able to try it, but I have to stick to making it in the winter time, when the temperatures are much cooler. I've made chocolate mousse to fill my puff pastry, and topped it with whipped cream.

Chocolate Mousse

* 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
* 1 tablespoon cornstarch
* 1/2 cup water
* 1 large egg
* 3 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
* 1 tablespoon eau-de-vie-de framboise or raspberry liqueur
* 1/4 cup well-chilled heavy cream

In a small saucepan whisk together granulated sugar and cornstarch and add water and egg, whisking until smooth. Bring mixture to a boil over moderate heat, whisking and simmer, whisking vigorously, 1 minute. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate and eau-de-vie or liqueur, stirring until chocolate is melted. Transfer mixture to a metal bowl set in a bowl of ice and cold water and beat until cold and lightened in color. In a bowl, beat cream until it just holds stiff peaks and fold into chocolate mixture gently, but thoroughly. Chill mousse, covered, at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days.

Puff pastry is in the ‘laminated dough” family, along with Danish dough and croissant dough. (In fact, if you participated in the Danish Braid challenge back in June 2008, then you already know the general procedure for working with laminated dough.) A laminated dough consists of a large block of butter (called the “beurrage”) that is enclosed in dough (called the “détrempe”). This dough/butter packet is called a “paton,” and is rolled and folded repeatedly (a process known as “turning”) to create the crisp, flaky, parallel layers you see when baked. Unlike Danish or croissant however, puff pastry dough contains no yeast in the détrempe, and relies solely aeration to achieve its high rise. The turning process creates hundreds of layers of butter and dough, with air trapped between each one. In the hot oven, water in the dough and the melting butter creates steam, which expands in the trapped air pockets, forcing the pastry to rise.

Once we have our puff pastry dough made and chilled, we are going to roll and form a portion of it into vols-au-vent, which are little puff pastry cases designed to hold a filling. I chose vols-au-vent specifically because I think they do a beautiful job of showing off the hundreds of flaky layers in the homemade puff. They can be made large enough for a full meal, or made small for little one-bite canapés, the choice is yours. Vols-au-vent are typically served hot and filled with a creamy savory filling (often poultry or seafood-based), but cold fillings, such as chicken or tuna salad, work, too. Whipped cream or pastry cream with fresh or stewed fruit often goes into sweet versions. If you are stumped for ideas for your filling(s), a quick on-line search or a glance at a traditional French cookbook will give you plenty of things to consider. I have photos of the ones I made near the bottom of this post.

Mandatory parts of the challenge: You must make Michel Richard’s recipe for puff pastry (as seen below), and form at least part of it into vols-au-vent (instructions below).

Optional parts of the challenge: You may make your vols-au-vent large or small, and may fill them with whatever you choose (savory or sweet).

Equipment:
-food processor (will make mixing dough easy, but I imagine this can be done by hand as well)
-rolling pin
-pastry brush
-metal bench scraper (optional, but recommended)
-plastic wrap
-baking sheet
-parchment paper
-silicone baking mat (optional, but recommended)
-set of round cutters (optional, but recommended)
-sharp chef’s knife
-fork
-oven
-cooling rack

Prep Times:
-about 4-5 hours to prepare the puff pastry dough (much of this time is inactive, while you wait for the dough to chill between turns…it can be stretched out over an even longer period of time if that better suits your schedule)
-about 1.5 hours to shape, chill and bake the vols-au-vent after your puff pastry dough is complete
Forming and Baking the Vols-au-Vent

Yield: 1/3 of the puff pastry recipe below will yield about 8-10 1.5” vols-au-vent or 4 4” vols-au-vent

In addition to the equipment listed above, you will need:
-well-chilled puff pastry dough (recipe below)
-egg wash (1 egg or yolk beaten with a small amount of water)
-your filling of choice

Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.

Using a knife or metal bench scraper, divided your chilled puff pastry dough into three equal pieces. Work with one piece of the dough, and leave the rest wrapped and chilled. (If you are looking to make more vols-au-vent than the yield stated above, you can roll and cut the remaining two pieces of dough as well…if not, then leave refrigerated for the time being or prepare it for longer-term freezer storage. See the “Tips” section below for more storage info.)

On a lightly floured surface, roll the piece of dough into a rectangle about 1/8 to 1/4-inch (3-6 mm) thick. Transfer it to the baking sheet and refrigerate for about 10 minutes before proceeding with the cutting.

(This assumes you will be using round cutters, but if you do not have them, it is possible to cut square vols-au-vents using a sharp chef’s knife.) For smaller, hors d'oeuvre sized vols-au-vent, use a 1.5” round cutter to cut out 8-10 circles. For larger sized vols-au-vent, fit for a main course or dessert, use a 4” cutter to cut out about 4 circles. Make clean, sharp cuts and try not to twist your cutters back and forth or drag your knife through the dough. Half of these rounds will be for the bases, and the other half will be for the sides. (Save any scrap by stacking—not wadding up—the pieces…they can be re-rolled and used if you need extra dough. If you do need to re-roll scrap to get enough disks, be sure to use any rounds cut from it for the bases, not the ring-shaped sides.)

Using a ¾-inch cutter for small vols-au-vent, or a 2- to 2.5-inch round cutter for large, cut centers from half of the rounds to make rings. These rings will become the sides of the vols-au-vent, while the solid disks will be the bottoms. You can either save the center cut-outs to bake off as little “caps” for you vols-au-vent, or put them in the scrap pile.

Dock the solid bottom rounds with a fork (prick them lightly, making sure not to go all the way through the pastry) and lightly brush them with egg wash. Place the rings directly on top of the bottom rounds and very lightly press them to adhere. Brush the top rings lightly with egg wash, trying not to drip any down the sides (which may inhibit rise). If you are using the little “caps,” dock and egg wash them as well.

Refrigerate the assembled vols-au-vent on the lined baking sheet while you pre-heat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). (You could also cover and refrigerate them for a few hours at this point.)

Once the oven is heated, remove the sheet from the refrigerator and place a silicon baking mat (preferred because of its weight) or another sheet of parchment over top of the shells. This will help them rise evenly. Bake the shells until they have risen and begin to brown, about 10-15 minutes depending on their size. Reduce the oven temperature to 350ºF (180ºC), and remove the silicon mat or parchment sheet from the top of the vols-au-vent. If the centers have risen up inside the vols-au-vent, you can gently press them down. Continue baking (with no sheet on top) until the layers are golden, about 15-20 minutes more. (If you are baking the center “caps” they will likely be finished well ahead of the shells, so keep an eye on them and remove them from the oven when browned.)

Remove to a rack to cool. Cool to room temperature for cold fillings or to warm for hot fillings.

Fill and serve.

*For additional rise on the larger-sized vols-au-vents, you can stack one or two additional ring layers on top of each other (using egg wash to "glue"). This will give higher sides to larger vols-au-vents, but is not advisable for the smaller ones, whose bases may not be large enough to support the extra weight.

*Although they are at their best filled and eaten soon after baking, baked vols-au-vent shells can be stored airtight for a day.

*Shaped, unbaked vols-au-vent can be wrapped and frozen for up to a month (bake from frozen, egg-washing them first).
Michel Richard’s Puff Pastry Dough

From: Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan
Yield: 2-1/2 pounds dough

Steph’s note: This recipe makes more than you will need for the quantity of vols-au-vent stated above. While I encourage you to make the full recipe of puff pastry, as extra dough freezes well, you can halve it successfully if you’d rather not have much leftover.

There is a wonderful on-line video from the PBS show “Baking with Julia” that accompanies the book. In it, Michel Richard and Julia Child demonstrate making puff pastry dough (although they go on to use it in other applications). They do seem to give slightly different ingredient measurements verbally than the ones in the book…I listed the recipe as it appears printed in the book. http://video.pbs.org/video/1174110297/search/Pastry

Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups (12.2 oz/ 354 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cups (5.0 oz/ 142 g) cake flour
1 tbsp. salt (you can cut this by half for a less salty dough or for sweet preparations)
1-1/4 cups (10 fl oz/ 300 ml) ice water
1 pound (16 oz/ 454 g) very cold unsalted butter

plus extra flour for dusting work surface

Mixing the Dough:

Check the capacity of your food processor before you start. If it cannot hold the full quantity of ingredients, make the dough into two batches and combine them.

Put the all-purpose flour, cake flour, and salt in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse a couple of times just to mix. Add the water all at once, pulsing until the dough forms a ball on the blade. The dough will be very moist and pliable and will hold together when squeezed between your fingers. (Actually, it will feel like Play-Doh.)

Remove the dough from the machine, form it into a ball, with a small sharp knife, slash the top in a tic-tac-toe pattern. Wrap the dough in a damp towel and refrigerate for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the butter between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and beat it with a rolling pin until it flattens into a square that's about 1" thick. Take care that the butter remains cool and firm: if it has softened or become oily, chill it before continuing.

Incorporating the Butter:

Unwrap the dough and place it on a work surface dusted with all-purpose flour (A cool piece of marble is the ideal surface for puff pastry) with your rolling pin (preferably a French rolling pin without handles), press on the dough to flatten it and then roll it into a 10" square. Keep the top and bottom of the dough well floured to prevent sticking and lift the dough and move it around frequently. Starting from the center of the square, roll out over each corner to create a thick center pad with "ears," or flaps.

Place the cold butter in the middle of the dough and fold the ears over the butter, stretching them as needed so that they overlap slightly and encase the butter completely. (If you have to stretch the dough, stretch it from all over; don't just pull the ends) you should now have a package that is 8" square.

To make great puff pastry, it is important to keep the dough cold at all times. There are specified times for chilling the dough, but if your room is warm, or you work slowly, or you find that for no particular reason the butter starts to ooze out of the pastry, cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate it . You can stop at any point in the process and continue at your convenience or when the dough is properly chilled.

Making the Turns:

Gently but firmly press the rolling pin against the top and bottom edges of the square (this will help keep it square). Then, keeping the work surface and the top of the dough well floured to prevent sticking, roll the dough into a rectangle that is three times as long as the square you started with, about 24" (don't worry about the width of the rectangle: if you get the 24", everything else will work itself out.) With this first roll, it is particularly important that the butter be rolled evenly along the length and width of the rectangle; check when you start rolling that the butter is moving along well, and roll a bit harder or more evenly, if necessary, to get a smooth, even dough-butter sandwich (use your arm-strength!).

With a pastry brush, brush off the excess flour from the top of the dough, and fold the rectangle up from the bottom and down from the top in thirds, like a business letter, brushing off the excess flour. You have completed one turn.

Rotate the dough so that the closed fold is to your left, like the spine of a book. Repeat the rolling and folding process, rolling the dough to a length of 24" and then folding it in thirds. This is the second turn.

Chilling the Dough:

If the dough is still cool and no butter is oozing out, you can give the dough another two turns now. If the condition of the dough is iffy, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes. Each time you refrigerate the dough, mark the number of turns you've completed by indenting the dough with your fingertips. It is best to refrigerate the dough for 30 to 60 minutes between each set of two turns.

The total number of turns needed is six. If you prefer, you can give the dough just four turns now, chill it overnight, and do the last two turns the next day. Puff pastry is extremely flexible in this regard. However, no matter how you arrange your schedule, you should plan to chill the dough for at least an hour before cutting or shaping it.
Steph’s extra tips:

-While this is not included in the original recipe we are using (and I did not do this in my own trials), many puff pastry recipes use a teaspoon or two of white vinegar or lemon juice, added to the ice water, in the détrempe dough. This adds acidity, which relaxes the gluten in the dough by breaking down the proteins, making rolling easier. You are welcome to try this if you wish.

-Keep things cool by using the refrigerator as your friend! If you see any butter starting to leak through the dough during the turning process, rub a little flour on the exposed dough and chill straight away. Although you should certainly chill the dough for 30 to 60 minutes between each set of two turns, if you feel the dough getting to soft or hard to work with at any point, pop in the fridge for a rest.

-Not to sound contradictory, but if you chill your paton longer than the recommended time between turns, the butter can firm up too much. If this seems to be the case, I advise letting it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to give it a chance to soften before proceeding to roll. You don't want the hard butter to separate into chuncks or break through the dough...you want it to roll evenly, in a continuous layer.

-Roll the puff pastry gently but firmly, and don’t roll your pin over the edges, which will prevent them from rising properly. Don't roll your puff thinner than about about 1/8 to 1/4-inch (3-6 mm) thick, or you will not get the rise you are looking for.

-Try to keep “neat” edges and corners during the rolling and turning process, so the layers are properly aligned. Give the edges of the paton a scooch with your rolling pin or a bench scraper to keep straight edges and 90-degree corners.

-Brush off excess flour before turning dough and after rolling.

-Make clean cuts. Don’t drag your knife through the puff or twist your cutters too much, which can inhibit rise.

-When egg washing puff pastry, try not to let extra egg wash drip down the cut edges, which can also inhibit rise.

-Extra puff pastry dough freezes beautifully. It’s best to roll it into a sheet about 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick (similar to store-bought puff) and freeze firm on a lined baking sheet. Then you can easily wrap the sheet in plastic, then foil (and if you have a sealable plastic bag big enough, place the wrapped dough inside) and return to the freezer for up to a few months. Defrost in the refrigerator when ready to use.

-You can also freeze well-wrapped, unbaked cut and shaped puff pastry (i.e., unbaked vols-au-vent shells). Bake from frozen, without thawing first.

-Homemade puff pastry is precious stuff, so save any clean scraps. Stack or overlap them, rather than balling them up, to help keep the integrity of the layers. Then give them a singe “turn” and gently re-roll. Scrap puff can be used for applications where a super-high rise is not necessary (such as palmiers, cheese straws, napoleons, or even the bottom bases for your vols-au-vent).

Greek Yogurt Obsession-Part 2

2009-09-25T20:49:00.000-07:00

Continuing with the Greek Yogurt recipes... I present to you a great snack recipe. It is not only delicious but good for you! I'm posting an original recipe, which I doctored up a bit. I used strawberries instead of apples, almonds instead of walnuts and dried cranberries instead of raisins and skipped the cinnamon...I guess I changed it completely...LOL I hope you enjoy it!

16 oz of Plain Greek Yogurt
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 tsp of honey
1 medium, diced apple
1/4 cup of chopped walnuts
1/4 cup of raisins

Mix all the ingredients and enjoy.

Greek Yogurt Obsession-Part 1

2009-09-25T20:37:00.000-07:00

I admit...I'm guilty!!! I am OBSESSED with Greek yogurt! I've been using it in most all recipes that call for sour cream, I baked with it, cooked with it, ate it plain, with fruit, honey etc. I've always liked yogurt and for many years have been a fan of Yoplait, that is until I found out how much sugar it contains. I was never into plain yogurt, especially the non fat variety, so when I saw a recipe for a dessert that was made entirely from Greek yogurt I was intrigued at first, but still sceptical... I ended up making Vanilla Cream Terrine with Raspberries and Blackcurrant Coulis and was amazed how great it tasted. I used Fage 0% Greek strained yogurt. I know, I know, I said that I was not a fan of non fat yogurt, but somehow, I don't mind the taste of this one. It still is very rich & smooth without the extra calories...which makes it a winner in my book!

I've gotten this recipe from Rona. We met in London couple of years ago... We were on vacation with friends and were invited to Rona & Malcolm's house for a fabulous dinner party. She served this for dessert and I fell in love... It was delicious, light and fresh- PERFECT for a summer evening! Needless to say, I left London not only with great memories but also with one of Rona's cookbooks and to this day it is one of my very favorite resources for baking and cooking in general.

For the terrine:

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
15 fl oz whipping cream
1½ x 0.4 oz sachets gelatin powder
3 oz caster sugar
15 fl oz Greek yogurt

For the blackcurrant coulis:

8 oz blackcurrants
3 oz caster sugar

To garnish:

6 oz raspberries
fresh mint leaves

You will also need a plastic box measuring 4 x 4 x 4 inches (10 x 10 x 10cm).

Begin by placing the gelatin in a cup, together with 3 tablespoons of the cream, and leave it to soak for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, place the rest of the cream in a saucepan with the sugar and heat gently till the sugar has dissolved (it's important not to overheat the cream). Next, add the soaked gelatin to the warm cream and whisk everything over the heat for a few seconds. Now remove the cream mixture from the heat.

In a mixing bowl, stir the yogurt and vanilla together, then pour in the gelatin cream mixture through a sieve. Mix very thoroughly and pour the whole lot into the plastic box, allow to cool, then cover and chill in the fridge for at least 4-6 hours or preferably overnight until it's set.

Meanwhile, make the blackcurrant coulis by sprinkling them with the sugar in a bowl. Leave to soak for 30 minutes, and then you can either sieve them directly back into the bowl or, to make the sieving easier, whiz them first in a food processor then sieve into the bowl. Taste to check that you have added enough sugar, then pour into a jug and chill until you're ready to serve the terrine.

To serve, turn the terrine out on to a board, first sliding a palette knife around the edges to loosen it, then giving it a hefty shake. Then cut into six slices. Arrange each slice on a serving plate, spoon a little blackcurrant coulis over opposite corners of each one and decorate with the fresh raspberries and mint leaves.

For the love of cheesecake

2009-09-23T20:47:00.000-07:00

We are big cheesecake lovers in our house...Every celebration is a great excuse to make a cheesecake. My husband loves all different variation of it, from original to chocolate to any other imaginable combination...that being said, we always end up with leftovers and most of the time we end up throwing it away or worse...I end up having a desert everyday for couple of weeks. Neither one of these options is great, so I decided to take matters in my own hands and find a way to still satisfy the cravings for cheesecake but not having tons of leftovers.

Few months ago, Williams-Sonoma had their semi-annual sale, and of course I went a little crazy. One thing that I was very excited to find was mini cheesecake pans. I thought if I can make a bite size pieces of cheesecake, I can freeze them, so we can have it whenever we feel like it. The pan by the way is a BRILLIANT invention! You can use it not only for cheesecakes, but tea cakes, even individual potato gratins.

So, after months of anticipation I decided to take a plunge and make a batch of those tasty little morsels. I've made an original recipe cheesecake but dressed it up by covering one is chocolate ganache, another by adding some strawberries and adding sugar topping to the next, my take on creme brulee cheesecake. The recipe is very simple and easy to prepare, they also bake very fast because of their size.

For the crust:

1 cup of cookie crumbs
2 TBSP of sugar
Pinch of salt
2 TBSP of butter, melted

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix till combined. Divided the crust mixture among the 12 cups and press it to the bottom of the mold. Bake @ 300'F for 10 minutes.

For the filling:

16 oz of cream cheese soften
2 Eggs
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1/2 of sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tsp of vanilla extract

In the bowl of electric mixer, beat together cream cheese and sugar and cream until smooth, add eggs one at the time, followed by heavy cream and salt and vanilla. Pour the batter into the crust, dividing it evenly among the cups. Bake until the cheesecakes are just set, about 20 minutes. Let it cool completely before un-molding and then cool in a fridge for 2 hours more.

Apple Cider Caramel Cake

2009-09-20T18:17:00.000-07:00

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE fall! Now, that weather is cooling off I can't wait to do some baking. Katy of Food for a Hungry Soul made this incredible German Apple cake recently that got me thinking about one of my favorite recipes. I've been making this cake for at least 10 years now and it is a HIT every time I serve it. It is a moist pound cake-like concoction filled with apples cooked in apple cider....just perfection. I can't wait for fall every year to be able to make this cake. I;m not sure why they call it caramel cake as there is really no caramel in it. This time it looks more pale than usual due to my oven acting up but still delicious! I hope you love it as much as I do and THANK YOU KATY for inspiration.

* 2 1/4 cups apple cider, divided
* 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
* 1 tablespoon stick margarine or butter
* 3 cups sliced peeled cooking apple (such as Braeburn, Rome, or McIntosh)
* Cooking spray
* 2 1/2 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
* 1/2 cup stick margarine or butter, softened
* 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
* 1 (8-ounce) block fat-free cream cheese
* 3 large eggs
* 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Bring 2 cups cider to a boil in a large, heavy saucepan over high heat. Cook until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 20 minutes). Reduce heat to medium-high; stir in 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Cook 5 minutes or until sugar dissolves and cider is thick and dark-colored, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cool 1 minute. Stir in 1 tablespoon margarine. Stir in apple; cook 15 minutes over medium-high heat or until the liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; cool. (If apple mixture hardens, place it over low heat until softened).

Preheat oven to 325°.

Coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray; dust with breadcrumbs.

Combine 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 1/2 cup margarine, lemon rind, and cream cheese in a large bowl; beat at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Fold in apple mixture. Pour into prepared pan; bake at 325° for 1 1/2 hours or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Combine 1/4 cup cider, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup lemon juice, and vanilla; let stand until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. Cool cake in pan 5 minutes, and pierce with a wooden skewer in several places. Pour cider mixture over cake in pan, and let stand 10 minutes. Remove from pan, and cool completely on a wire rack. Sift powdered sugar over top of cake.

Accident, TLC & Broccoli, Red Pepper, and Cheddar Chowder

2009-09-19T21:12:00.000-07:00

This soup is my week's contribution to Soup Sundays-- Deb at Kahaka Kitchen's weekly blog group where you can submit your posting for a soup, soup-like meal, salad and sandwiches. Click here for more information.

On Tuesday afternoon I got a call from my daughter's school and was told that she was hurt... She apparently was pushed by one of her classmates and fell on her face...For a moment my heart stopped because when she was 19 months old she fell in the same manner and knocked out her front tooth and the other 6 were loose. Thankfully we were able to save the loose teeth back then and not having to do a root canals on all of them. When I was told that she fell and hit her face I feared that she lost more teeth, but I was assured that only ONE of her teeth was loose and her lip was badly cut. I understand that they do not want me to panic but what's with: " She is OK now, she has a badly cut & bruised lip and one tooth is loose but you do not have to pick her up now" What the #$@@$$%? Let me tell you, when I went to get her (right after I got a call) she looked like she was in a head on collision with a wall, her tooth was the least of my worries...her lips looked so bad I thought she will need stitches for sure. I immediately took her to see a doctor, who couldn't tell if we will be able to save the tooth, her lip did not need stitches but she was put on antibiotic to prevent infection. I have to take her to see the dentist after her lip will heal enough so they can take x-rays and determine if the front tooth can be saved. The only cancellation is that she is 4 years old and those are baby teeth. Here is a picture of Olivia missing one tooth already.

Since this incident she of course can't eat all the things that she normally would, so I have to be creative with what I serve her...It seems that soup is a good solution. Olivia loves cheddar-broccoli soup so I decided to make a variation of it for her. This recipe comes from Gourmet Magazine, December 2001 issue. It was a nice variation of the classic flavors. I liked the addition of red pepper and potato. It was a truly delightful soup! You will really love it if you are a fan of cheddar-broccoli.

* 1 small head broccoli (1/2 pound)
* 1 large boiling potato (1/2 pound)
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
* l large garlic clove, finely chopped
* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 3/4 cup heavy cream
* 6 oz sharp Cheddar, coarsely grated (1 1/2 cups)

Discard tough lower third of broccoli stem. Peel remaining stem and finely chop. Cut remaining broccoli into very small (1-inch) florets. Cook florets in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking, then drain. Reserve 3 cups cooking water for chowder.

Peel potato and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Cook potato, onion, bell pepper, broccoli stems, and garlic in butter in a 3- to 4-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add cumin, salt, pepper, and mustard and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add flour and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add reserved cooking water and simmer (partially covered), stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in cream and cheese and cook, stirring, until cheese is melted, then season with salt and pepper.

Purée about 2 cups of chowder in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids) and return to pot. Add florets and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Artichoke Toast

2009-09-16T19:08:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to do a quick "drive by" post... I've been very busy in the past few days and didn't get a chance to do much cooking. I had this appetizer in a Spanish-Tapas restaurant called Firefly on Paradise and LOVED it. If you are ever in Las Vegas, you difinitely have to give it a try. The serve UNBELIEVABLE Sangria and hundreds of tapas, hot, cold,vegetarian, meat, seafood etc. You can check out Firefly Menu Here. You can imagine how excited I was when I found the recipe. It is a fabulous appetizer that you'll find yourself craving all the time. I hope you'll give it a try and fall in love with it as much as I did.

* 1 (12-ounce) can quartered artichokes
* 4 ounces lemon juice
* 4 ounces extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1 tablespoon kosher salt
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
* 1-ounce whole coriander seeds
* Dash hot sauce
* 1 loaf baguette, sliced 1/2-inch thick, brushed with a mixture of olive oil, garlic, salt, black pepper, rosemary, and thyme
* Garlic Aioli, recipe follows
* Quartered, marinated artichoke hearts, for garnish
* 1 roasted red pepper, peeled, seeded, and sliced
* 1-ounce fresh basil leaves, very thinly sliced

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the artichokes, lemon juice, olive oil, pepper, salt, parsley, coriander seeds, and hot sauce; mix well. Refrigerate and marinate overnight.

Preheat the oven broiler and spread the bread slices onto a baking sheet. Broil the bread slices until they are toasted. Spread the sliced bread generously with Garlic Aioli, top with a marinated artichoke, a strip of red pepper, and then sprinkle with basil. Serve immediately.

Garlic Aioli:

2 eggs*

1 tablespoon Thai chili-garlic sauce (recommended: Sriracha)

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt
In a blender or food processor, combine the eggs, chili-garlic sauce, lemon juice, and garlic. Pulse until well mixed, and then slowly pour in the olive oil and continue processing until the mixture is thick and creamy. Season, to taste, with salt.

Daring Cooks Challenge-Indian Dosas

2009-09-13T18:11:00.000-07:00

This month's Daring Cooks Challenge was hosted by Debyi from Healthy Vegan Kitcchen, she chose Indian Dosas. It was a great recipe and I enjoyed making it. I didn't make any changes with the exception of pureeing the sauce. I didn't like the texture of the original sauce. The flavors were excellent and I will be making it again. Thanks Debyi!!!

Here is the recipe:

Indian Dosas

This recipe comes in 3 parts, the dosas, the filling and the sauce. It does take awhile to make, but the filling and sauce can be made ahead and frozen if need be. You can serve them as a main course with rice and veggies, or as an appetizer. This does take a little planning ahead, so make sure you read the recipe through before starting (I forgot & didn't start making the rice until everything was ready, oops).

Serves 4

Equipment needed:
large bowl
whisk
griddle or skillet
ladle (or large spoon)
spatula
vegetable peeler &/or knife
large saucepan
food processor or bean masher

Dosa Pancakes

1 cup (120gm/8oz) spelt flour (or all-purpose, gluten free flour)
½ tsp (2½ gm) salt
½ tsp (2½ gm) baking powder
½ tsp (2½ gm) curry powder
½ cup (125ml/4oz) almond milk (or soy, or rice, etc.)
¾ cup (175ml/6oz) water
cooking spray, if needed

Dosa Filling
1 batch Curried Garbanzo Filling (see below), heated

Dosa Toppings
1 batch Coconut Curry Sauce (see below), heated
¼ cup (125gm) grated coconut
¼ cucumber, sliced

Dosa Pancakes

1.Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, slowly adding the almond milk and water, whisking until smooth.
2.Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray your pan with a thin layer of cooking spray, if needed.
3.Ladle 2 tablespoons of batter into the center of your pan in a circular motion until it is a thin, round pancake. When bubbles appear on the surface and it no longer looks wet, flip it over and cook for a few seconds. Remove from heat and repeat with remaining batter. Makes 8 pancakes.

Curried Garbanzo Filling

This filling works great as a rice bowl topping or as a wrap too, so don't be afraid to make a full batch.

5 cloves garlic
1 onion, peeled and finely diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 green pepper, finely diced (red, yellow or orange are fine too)
2 medium hot banana chilies, minced
2 TBSP (16gm) cumin, ground
1 TBSP (8gm) oregano
1 TBSP (8gm) sea salt (coarse)
1 TBSP (8gm) turmeric
4 cups (850gm/30oz) cooked or canned chick peas (about 2 cans)
½ cup (125gm/4oz) tomato paste

1.Heat a large saucepan over medium to low heat. Add the garlic, veggies, and spices, cooking until soft, stirring occasionally.
2.Mash the chickpeas by hand, or in a food processor. Add the chickpeas and tomato paste to the saucepan, stirring until heated through.

Coconut Curry Sauce

This makes a great sauce to just pour over rice as well. This does freeze well, but the texture will be a little different. The flavor is still the same though. My picture of this sauce is one that I had made, had to freeze, then thaw to use. It tastes great, but the texture is a little runnier, not quite as thick as it was before freezing.

1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic
½ (2½ gm) tsp cumin, ground
¾ (3¾ gm) tsp sea salt (coarse)
3 TBSP (30gm) curry powder
3 TBSP (30gm) spelt flour (or all-purpose GF flour)
3 cups (750ml/24oz) vegetable broth
2 cups (500ml/24oz) coconut milk
3 large tomatoes, diced

1.Heat a saucepan over medium heat, add the onion and garlic, cooking for 5 minutes, or until soft.
2.Add the spices, cooking for 1 minutes more. Add the flour and cook for 1 additional minute.
3.Gradually stir in the vegetable broth to prevent lumps. Once the flour has been incorporated, add the coconut milk and tomatoes, stirring occasionally.
4.Let it simmer for half an hour.
Happy eating!

Family influences...Goat cheese & tuna Crostini

2009-09-13T10:19:00.000-07:00

Life has a funny way of working out...when I moved to the states more than a decade ago I've never dreamed that I would make my permanent home here. I'm the oldest of 3 girls. Both of my sisters are significantly younger than I am and not shy about reminding me about it :) As many of you know I grew up in Poland. At the time of my move to USA, both my sisters were in elementary and getting ready to go to High School (we do not have junior high)They've since grown up and moved away from home...I mean AWAY, AWAY, one lives in Geneva, Switzerland and the other in London, England. We don't get a chance to see each other as often as we'd like but thanks to "Skype" we get to talk when we want and my daughter gets the chance to keep in touch with her favorite aunts and grandparents. It's been more than 10 years since we've spent holidays together (my parents and siblings) and I can't tell how ecstatic I am to be able to be with all of them this coming Christmas and New Years. We were laughing that we all have our own American-Swiss-British holiday traditions that we've picked up along the way and should celebrate international Christmas! I am so excited to see how this will turn out....I am looking forward to a fabulous celebration. It will be so good to see everybody again!!!

As with everything else, we've picked up new culinary traditions as well, and have regional favorite dishes. My sister Ala had shared with me her recipe for Goat cheese crostini. I have to say, I was a little sceptical about it at first, but I am a crostini junkie and had to try it before I made up my mind about it. The recipe calls for goat cheese and tuna, yes, I said tuna...I would never put the two together and did not expect to love this recipe...

Goat cheese crostini:

4 oz of soft goat cheese
1 3 oz can of tuna packed in oil ( you can use water packed tuna but will have to add 1 TBSP of olive oil)
1 green onion chopped
1 clove of garlic minced
salt and pepper to taste
Baguette bread or your favorite bread

Slice bread and toast it or grill it till crispy. In the meantime, mix all the other ingredients together and season to taste. Spread on the crostini and broil for couple of minutes.

I have to say that this recipe was a HUGE HIT! I love the tuna and goat cheese together! Ala, I'll be making it again for sure! Thanks sis!

Steak with mushrooms & pesto roasted potatoes...

2009-09-12T11:46:00.000-07:00

Let me start by saying that I would be a vegetarian if it wouldn't be for great juicy steak.. I LOVE a well cooked, flavorful piece of beef. We do not eat a lot of beef in general but every now and again we indulge! I try to change things around every time I cook steak, from different marinades to side dishes. This being said if you'll ask my husband, mushrooms are always a must, so I always try to incorporate it in some way. There is something in the beef-mushroom combination that he LOVES. I served steak with rice, couscous, bread, mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, baked potatoes etc. My favorite are roasted potatoes, but they can be a little boring, so I try different variations of roasted potatoes. Here is the menu: marinated rib eye steak with pesto roasted potatoes and roasted red wine mushrooms.

Steak:

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit, October 2002 issue.

* 2/3 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
* 1/3 cup coarse salt
* 1/4 cup chili powder
* 1/4 cup coarsely ground black pepper
* 1 tablespoon ground cumin
* 2 teaspoons ground coriander
* 1 teaspoon ground cloves
* 9 garlic cloves, pressed
* boneless rib-eye steaks
* 3/4 cup vegetable oil

There is enough spice mixture for 8 16 oz steaks, you can cut the recipe in half if you are making fewer steaks.

Mix first 7 ingredients in medium bowl. Using fork, mash in garlic. Using 3 tablespoons spice mixture for each steak, rub spices onto both sides of steaks. Whisk corn oil into remaining spice mixture; set oil rub aside. Place steaks in two 13x9x2-inch glass dishes. Cover; chill steaks and oil rub at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush steaks with some of oil rub. Grill steaks to desired doneness, brushing occasionally with oil rub, about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare; let stand 5 minutes.

Pesto-roasted potatoes:

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit, June of 2002 issue.

* 8 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
* 2 large shallots
* 4 garlic cloves

* Nonstick vegetable oil spray
* 2 lbs of your favorite potatoes
* 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Blend 4 tablespoons olive oil, basil, shallots, and garlic in processor until smooth. Season basil sauce to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray large baking sheet with nonstick spray. Toss all potatoes with 4 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and pepper in large bowl to coat. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Roast potatoes until almost tender, about 35 minutes. Pour basil sauce over potatoes and toss to coat. Continue roasting potatoes until golden brown and tender when pierced with skewer, about 20 minutes longer.

Transfer potatoes to serving bowl. Add cheese and toss to coat.

Roasted mushrooms:

# 3 lb fresh porcini mushrooms
# 6 garlic cloves, minced
# 3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
# 1/4 cup dry Marsala wine
# 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
# 1 teaspoon salt
# Handful of chopped parsley

Halve or quarter larger mushrooms, keeping smaller ones whole, and transfer all to a baking pan. Toss all mushrooms with, garlic, thyme, wine, 3 tablespoons oil, salt, and pepper to taste.

Roast mushroom mixture, covered with foil, in upper third of oven are tender and golden brown, about 45 minutes total. Season mushrooms to taste with salt and pepper. Add chopped parsley and serve.

Barefoot Bloggers- Sheet Cake

2009-09-11T19:10:00.000-07:00

I am a day late with my first Barefoot Bloggers. What a crazy week I had...it seems that every time we have a holiday weekend we pay for it by having to jam 5 days worth of work into 4 days. Thank God, the weekend is here!!! Going back to Barefoot Bloggers again...The first September recipe was chosen by Susy of Everyday Gourmet. She chose Birthday Sheet Cake. For the record, I LOVE Ina and every single recipe I've ever made of hers (and I made LOTS) I was very happy with...with this being said, I was somewhat disappointed with this one... The cake flavor was good but the ganache frosting was kind of runny and didn't quite set the way it should... I also thought that is was a boring recipe. There was nothing special about it. Essentially, it was a yellow cake with very blahhh chocolate frosting. I can't believe that I just wrote Ina and blahh in the same post but this cake didn't do anything for me. To be fair, I am not a huge cake fan, so it was a hard sale to begin with. The bottom line is that if you like yellow cake with chocolate frosting you probably will like this cake. I mentioned earlier that it was a sheet cake, but I do not like sheet cakes, so I decided to stack my cakes and make 3 layer cake covered in frosting. Here is what I've ended up with:

For the cake:

* 18 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 3 cups sugar
* 6 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
* 8 ounces (about 1 cup) sour cream, at room temperature
* 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
* 1 lemon, zested
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/3 cup cornstarch
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1 teaspoon baking soda

For the frosting:

* 24 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
* 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
* 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
* 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 12 by 18 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.

To make the cake, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. On medium speed, add the eggs, 2 at a time, then the sour cream, vanilla, and lemon zest, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix well. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir just until smooth. Finish mixing by hand to be sure the batter is well mixed. Pour evenly into the pan, smooth the top with a spatula, and bake in the center of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan to room temperature.

For the frosting, place the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a bowl set over a pot of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chips are completely melted. Off the heat, add the corn syrup and vanilla and allow the chocolate mixture to cool to room temperature. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the chocolate mixture and softened butter on medium speed for a few minutes, until it's thickened.

Spread the frosting evenly on the cake. Have the children decorate the cake with chocolate candies.

Biscuits and Gravy...

2009-09-09T19:17:00.000-07:00

Do you see the pattern here? I have been making breakfast dishes for the past few days. This morning while I was enjoying my first cup of coffee, I peeked through some of my favorite blogs... One that caught my eye was about great biscuit fraud Kate is HILARIOUS, she had me laughing out laud before I finished my coffee, which is pretty difficult to do given that I was only half awake at that time. I've never contemplated the biscuit greatness before, but thought that my recipe is pretty good, but again I am biased here. I decided to make biscuits and gravy for dinner tonight. I needed a quick recipe so I chose the cream biscuits. They are very quick and easy, and of course mighty tasty. Now, this is my variation on biscuits and gravy.

Biscuits:

2 cups of AP Flour
2 tsp. of baking powder
1/2 tsp. of salt
2 tsp of sugar
1 1/2 cup of heavy cream

Sift the dry ingredients together, add cream and stir till just combined. Turn it out on the floured surface and knead for 30 seconds. Pat it into 1 1/2 inch thick disc and cut the biscits out, making sure not to twist the cutter. Bake in 450'F for 15-17 minutes.

Gravy

1/2 medium onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 lb of sausage out of casings ( I used mild italian sausage)
2 TBSP of flour
2 cups of milk
saly & pepper to taste
couple of shakes of hot sauce

Brown sausage in the skillet, add onion and garlic and sautee till translucent. Sprinkle with flour and cook for couple of minutes, add milk and bring it to boil. Season to taste with salt, pepper and hot sauce. Gravy is ready when it thickens.

Corned Beef Hash

2009-09-07T08:09:00.000-07:00

Corn beef hash is a one of my husband's favorites, yet I rarely make it at home. I came across the recipe in Food Network Magazine from Crooked Creek Saloon & Eatery, Fraser, CO as I was searching for some breakfast inspiration yesterday. The dish was very easy to make and used ingredients that most of us have on hand. Anytime I don't have to make an emergency supermarket run to make something, works for me :) I served it with fried egg on top.

* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 8 ounces cooked corned beef, diced ( you can use canned corned beef)
* 1 white onion, finely chopped
* 1 bell pepper, finely chopped
* 2 medium baking potatoes, peeled and shredded (about 2 cups)
* 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 4 large eggs
* Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
* 4 slices cheddar cheese (about 2 ounces)

Directions

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over high heat. Add the corned beef and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until it releases some fat and browns slightly, about 3 minutes. Stir in the onion, bell pepper and potatoes and cook, undisturbed, until brown and crisp on the bottom, about 6 minutes. Continue cooking, turning the hash as it browns evenly, about 15 more minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the eggs sunny-side up or over easy; season with salt and pepper.

Place the cheese slices on top of the hash, reduce the heat and let sit until the cheese melts, about 1 minute. To serve, top each portion of hash with a fried egg.

Barefoot Contessa Coffee Cake

2009-09-05T19:10:00.000-07:00

There is nothing better than hot, steamy cup of coffee in the morning! If you are a coffee drinker you know what I mean...It does generally get the job done for me, but we had company this morning so I decided we need something to go with it! What would be better than coffee cake? Now, I love a good slice of coffee cake with my morning brew, but find that a lot of coffee cakes are bland and dry...that is not the case with this one. Ina has done it again! This cake is moist and delicious, nuts in the streusel topping add a little crunchiness which provides lovely contrast. I also added 1/2 cup of raisins to streusel.

Coffee Cake

* 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
* 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar ( I used 1 cup)
* 3 extra-large eggs at room temperature
* 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
* 1 1/4 cups sour cream ( I used Greek yogurt)
* 2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the streusel:

* 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
* 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
* 3/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional

For the glaze:

* 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
* 2 tablespoons real maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Finish stirring with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

For the streusel, place the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and butter in a bowl and pinch together with your fingers until it forms a crumble. Mix in the walnuts, if desired.

Spoon half the batter into the pan and spread it out with a knife. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup streusel. Spoon the rest of the batter in the pan, spread it out, and scatter the remaining streusel on top. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Carefully transfer the cake, streusel side up, onto a serving plate. Whisk the confectioners' sugar and maple syrup together, adding a few drops of water if necessary, to make the glaze runny. Drizzle as much as you like over the cake with a fork or spoon.

Breakfast Pasta-Take Two

2009-09-05T10:24:00.000-07:00

So, I mentioned in my previous post that you can bake the leftovers of my breakfast pasta and make a casserole. I happen to have some pasta left from last night and decided to make it for breakfast. I just added 1/4 of heavy cream, mixed it together, put in a dish and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Baked it in the oven till heated through and brown on top. All the ingredients are already cooked so you are only re-heating it. It took about 25 minutes in 375'F. Take two was even better than the original. I love the variety of different textures, with soft pasta in the middle and crispy top...sooo delicious!

Breakfast Pasta

2009-09-04T20:38:00.000-07:00

How about breakfast for dinner tonight? I decided to make a pasta dish with traditional breakfast flavors...eggs, bacon, cheese. It was a great meal and you can bake the leftovers in a casserole with some heavy cream or half and half for breakfast the next morning,so you can have two meals in one(that is, if you will have any leftovers) :) I hope you enjoy it!

1 lb spaghetti pasta
1/2 lb of bacon
2 TBSP of olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
1 cloves of garlic minced
4 eggs beaten
1 cup of Parmesan cheese (or more to taste)
Handful of chopped cilantro

Saute chopped onions and minced garlic in olive oil till translucent, remove from skillet. Cut bacon in thin strips, and render it in the skillet, transfer to paper towel to drain.

Boil and drain pasta, return to the pot it was cooked in and turn heat on high, add beaten eggs and stir till eggs are scrambled. Add onion mixture, bacon and Parmesan cheese, mix it together. Stir in cilantro leaves and serve immediately.

Electric Knife...

2009-09-03T17:46:00.000-07:00

Anncoo from Anncoo's Hobby asked about my electric knife. I had a couple in my lifetime and definitely have a preference. My first one was a budget choice-Hamilton Beach...it was a good knife and got the job done but I eventually broke it. I was carving something hard and the blade broke off the base. When the time came to replace it, I was not comfortable with getting the same knife because of safety issues.

My most recent purchase in the electric knife department was a deluxe Cuisinart model. I love that it comes with the stand and it has 2 interchangeable blades: carving blade and serrated bread blade. It is almost double the price of the Hamilton Beach one but in my book well worth the money.

I think they are both good knives, which one you'll choose for your kitchen, will depend on what you will use it for and how much money you want to invest in it.

Happy Shopping!

Quick Avocado and Tomato Salad

2009-09-02T20:01:00.000-07:00

I bought some avocado on sale last weekend and wanted to find a new way to use it. Generally my go to dish would be a guacamole, but I've been doing it time and time again...I found this recipe online and decided to try it, I've adjusted the seasoning a bit to our taste but it was a great combination of flavors and textures. I also added chopped cilantro, because I like the combination. Overall it was very nice weekday side dish, although the balsamic makes the avocado look "muddy".

2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 avocado, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preparation:
1. Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and toss together.
2. Let stand for about 5-10 minutes before serving.

Jack Daniels Beef Brisket

2009-09-02T19:46:00.000-07:00

I've had beef brisket a while ago at the BBQ and was inspired to make my own version. I've made this dish on Sunday and refrigerated it. When it was cold I used an electric knife to slice it. I ended up with much neater looking dish...You have an option here to serve it with pan drippings, or use your favorite BBQ sauce. If you are a BBQ fan, you will like this dish a lot!

1 (4 to 6 pound) beef brisket
1 medium onion, finely chopped
¼ cup Jack Daniel's Whiskey
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup ketchup
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon liquid smoke, optional
Black pepper, to taste

Heat the oven to 300°F. Put brisket fat-side up in a roasting pan and sprinkle with the onion. Combine all the remaining ingredients in a large measuring cup. Pour over the brisket. Cover tightly with heavy duty aluminum foil. Bake about 4 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 190°F and meat is tender. Let the meat rest at least 10 minutes before carving across the grain into thin slices with a sharp knife. Serve with pan drippings.
Even better, cook the brisket a day before serving. Remove the cooked brisket from the drippings. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate overnight. Refrigerate the drippings and skim off the hardened fat the next day. Before serving, slice the brisket while it's cold for a much neater cut. Combine the meat with the pan drippings in a baking dish. Cover and reheat at 325°F for about 30 minutes or until thoroughly warm. Makes 10 servings.

Eggplant and Zucchini Pie with Roasted Bell Pepper Sauce

2009-08-31T20:21:00.001-07:00

Ever since I found this recipe I wanted to try it... It looked so tasty and consisted of some of my favorite ingredients: eggplant, zucchini, goat cheese, tomatoes, hmmm...yum! I had all the veggies at home already and decided to give it a shot. I've use pre-made pie crust, blind baked it for 15 minutes than filled it with eggplant filling and baked it close to an hour, because when I checked it at 30 minute mark, the filling was still very giggly (is that even a word?)The roasted red pepper sauce is a must, I forgot to take a picture of it, but this pie is very mild in flavor and it needs an extra zip which the sauce provides. I have to admit, I was looking forward to eating this pie, but the end result was out of this world. It was soo delicious! My husband, who is generally not happy without meat in his dinner, had 2 helpings and asked if I could make it again...Now, that is what I call an endorsement. I hope you'll try this recipe and enjoy it as much as we did. It was adapted from Hubert Keller-I only used two of his recipes in the past and they were both a huge hit. I think I'll be back for more.

For this recipe you will need:
• 1 pre-baked pie shell (baked in a deep dish pie pan)
Eggplant Filling:
• 3 eggplants, ends cut off and cut in half lengthwise
• 5 tablespoons butter
• ½ cup flour
• 2 cup milk
• 4 oz goat cheese
• 4 large eggs
• Nutmeg, to taste
• Salt & Pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon garlic, finely minced
• Plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 4 small zucchini, thinly sliced (about 1 lb)
• ½ cup fresh bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sauce:

• ¼ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• Plum tomatoes, blanched, peeled, seeded, diced
• 1 large red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded and diced
• ½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon sugar or honey
• Salt & Pepper, to taste
• 6 fresh basil leaves, minced

Preheat oven to 350º F.
To prepare the filling, lightly brush a baking pan with olive oil. Place the eggplant halves skin side up
on the pan and roast in the oven for 40 – 45 minutes, or until completely tender. Remove from the
oven and set aside to cool. When cool, carefully scoop out the flesh and transfer to a strainer,
discarding the skin. Let drain for 20 minutes, and then chop coarsely.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until
blended. Gradually pour in the milk while stirring and continues to stir until the mixture thickens.
Remove from the heat. Fold in the goat cheese and the eggs one by one. Season to taste with salt,
pepper and a dash of nutmeg. Add the chopped eggplant and garlic into the mixture.
Spoon the eggplant mixture into the pie shell and spread it out evenly. Slice the tomatoes and
zucchinis into thin slices. Beginning on the outermost edge of the pie and working clockwise, arrange
alternating tomato and zucchini disks on top of the eggplant mixture, overlapping slightly. To fill the
center, arrange alternating tomato and zucchini disks counter clockwise, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle
with the breadcrumbs, thyme leaves and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Place the eggplant pie on a baking sheet in the center of the oven and bake about 30 minutes ( I baked it for 50-60 minutes)
To prepare the sauce, combine the olive oil and onion in a saucepan and sauté over medium heat for 3
minutes, or until translucent. Stir in the garlic, tomatoes, bell pepper, thyme, sugar, salt and pepper
and cook for 15 minutes, or until it thickens. Adjust the seasonings if necessary and stir in the basil.
Keep warm.

Pretzel Mania...

2009-08-30T18:30:00.000-07:00

I asked my 4 year old daughter Olivia what she wanted to eat and she said: " Mommy, can you please make Prenzels?" Whenever we go to the mall and she sees Wetzel's Pretzels place she goes wild. Since I've never made pretzels before, I decides that today is the day and went to work...I found the recipe for New York Pretzels from Gourmet Magazine, March 2004 issue. They are reminiscent of the warm soft pretzels you may have had at baseball games or on the street, but these are even better because they're fresh. You can serve them with yellow mustard. These turned out perfectly! Crunchy and golden on the outside and soft in the middle. We Loved it!!!

* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 1 (1/4-oz) package active dry yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons)
* 3 3/4 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 large egg, lightly beaten
* 2 teaspoons pretzel coarse salt

Stir together sugar, yeast, and 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water (105 to 110°F) in a glass measuring cup, then let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, discard and start over with new yeast.)

Whisk together 3 1/2 cups flour and 1 tablespoon table salt in a large bowl. Add yeast mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until it forms a dough. Dust work surface with 1 tablespoon flour, then turn out dough and knead, gradually dusting with just enough additional flour to make a smooth sticky dough, about 8 minutes. (Dough needs to be somewhat sticky to facilitate rolling and forming into pretzels).

Return dough to bowl and cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap, then let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. Turn out dough onto a clean work surface and cut into 8 equal pieces. Using your palms, roll 1 piece back and forth on a clean dry work surface into a rope about 24 inches long. If dough sticks to your hands, lightly dust them with flour. Twist dough into a pretzel shape. (Dough will retract as you form the pretzel.)

Transfer pretzel with your hands to an oiled baking sheet and form 7 more pretzels in same manner with remaining dough, spacing them 1 1/2 inches apart.

Let pretzels stand, uncovered, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 425°F. Bring a wide 6-quart pot of water to a boil.

Using both hands, carefully add 3 pretzels, 1 at a time, to boiling water and cook, turning over once with tongs, until pretzels are puffed and shape is set, about 3 minutes. Transfer parboiled pretzels to a rack to cool. Repeat with remaining 5 pretzels in 2 batches.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper and oil paper, then arrange pretzels on sheet. Brush pretzels lightly with some of egg and sprinkle with pretzel salt. Bake until golden brown and lightly crusted, about 35 minutes. Cool 15 minutes, then serve warm.

Crepes & Paris Memories...

2009-08-30T10:34:00.000-07:00

Few years ago when George & I traveled to Paris we fell in love with the rich history and great architecture this town has to offer. It was a fabulous trip and we enjoyed every moment of it from visiting Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame & Louvre for sampling of art and history to wondering the streets and sampling the most surprising mix of fantastic food. We all know that Paris is known for its cuisine & the most decadent pastries but what I remember most are the street food... Prior to going to Paris, I had no idea that there are so many different street vendors selling anything from sandwiches to crepes...and that is where we had the BEST Crepes in the world.

In Paris, crepes can be eaten any time,and any where. There are breakfast crepes and dinner crepes, snack crepes etc. The best thing about street crepes is that they’re made fresh to order with your filling of choice. Deliciously decadent favorite is the Nutella(chocolate and hazelnut spread) crepe. I have found the picture on the Internet of one of the crepe stands in Paris. I wish I had taken one of my own when I was there but I was too busy enjoying my Nutella crepe ;)

Yesterday, when I was shopping @ Costco, I came across Nutella and knowing how much my husband would love it, decided to buy it and make Nutella crepes for breakfast this morning. This recipe makes neutral crepes that you can fill with anything sweet or savory, if you'd like to make it a dessert, add 1/4 cup of sugar as apposed to 2 TBSP.

Crepes

2 eggs
2 tbsp of sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cups whole milk
1 cups water
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Preparation:

In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, sugar and salt. Add milk and water, stir.
Sift the flour with baking powder and add to the wet ingredients in the bowl. Whisk well, you don’t need any lumps in the batter. Add the oil, whisk again.

Heat a crêpe pan or medium size frying pan over medium heat. Very lightly brush it with oil and pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto the pan and swirl it around. Wait until the surface doesn’t appear wet and the crêpe is lightly browned on one side, about a minute, flip the crêpe onto the other side. Proceed with the other crepes till they are all made.

Sweet Potato and Zucchini Bread

2009-08-30T08:23:00.000-07:00

Yes, you guessed it- My oven finally works!!! After much aggravation and frustration trying get it up and running, it was finally fixed last week. I had huge baking extravaganza planned for the weekend but with temperatures over 115'F, I wasn't really into using my oven too much. I did manage to bake this lovely bread, with the leftover zucchini I had in a fridge and was somewhat surprised at how well it turned out. The recipe called for zucchini and sweet potato, which I would never thought of combining but what a delicious mix! This recipe was adapted from Bon Appetit magazine, November of 1992 issue. I did modify recipe a little... I used 1/2 cup brown sugar and 3/4 cup of granulated sugar instead of 2 cups of granulated sugar, recipe called for. I felt that it was plenty sweet but you can adjust it for your own taste. I also used 1/2 cup of vegetable oil and 1/4 cup of yogurt in lieu of 3/4 cup of oil asked for in the original recipe. I served it with homemade Apple Butter (recipe follows)

SWEET POTATO & ZUCCHINI BREAD

* 2 cups all purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 cups sugar( I used 1/2 cup brown & 3/4 cup of granulated sugar instead)
* 3/4 cup vegetable oil ( I used 1/2 cup vegetable oil and 1/4 of plain yogurt)
* 3 large eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 1/2 cups grated zucchini
* 1 1/2 cups grated peeled sweet potato
* 1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Sift first 5 ingredients into medium bowl. Beat sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla to blend in large bowl. Mix in zucchini and sweet potato. Add dry ingredients and walnuts and stir well.

Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Cool bread in pan on rack 15 minutes. Cut around bread to loosen. Turn out onto rack and cool completely. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Wrap in foil and let stand at room temperature.)

SPICED APPLE BUTTER

4 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
1 cup apple cider
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp each ground cloves and allspice

Combine apples and cider in a very large stainless steel or enamel saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and boil gently for 20 minutes or until mixture is reduced by half.
Stir in sugar, spices and lemon juice. Return to a boil, reduce heat, and boil gently for about 25 minutes or until mixture is very thick. There should still be some tender apple chunks remaining. Remove from heat. You can puree if you'd like a smooth butter

The Tag

2009-08-29T15:45:00.000-07:00

What a week... I finally have a moment to make up some postings that I should have had up few days ago. Last week, my foodie blog buddy Anncoo from Anncoo's Hobby tagged me. Thanks so much Ancoo you've made my day.

The Rules

1. Link the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share the ABCs of you.
4. Tag 4 people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
5. Let the 4 tagged people know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.
6. Do not tag the same person repeatedly but try to tag different people, so that there is a big network of bloggers doing this tag.

So...here it goes:

1. A – Available/Single? Married
2. B – Best friend? Alise
3. C – Cake or Pie? Cake
4. D – Drink of choice? Coffee
5. E – Essential item you use every day? Computer
6. F – Favorite color? Green
7. G – Gummy Bears Or Worms? Gummy Bear
8. H – Hometown? Henderson, NV
9. I – Indulgence? Desserts
10. J – January or February? January
11. K – Kids & their names? Olivia Grace
12. L – Life is incomplete without? Family
13. M – Marriage date? Hot summer evening
14. N – Number of siblings? 2 sisters
15. O – Oranges or Apples? Apples
16. P – Phobias/Fears? Locks- None
17. Q – Quote for today? Stay Positive
18. R – Reason to smile? Spending time with my husband and daughter
19. S – Season? Autumn
20. T – Tag 3 People? Cooking Practice,Kim,Cooking Gallery,Noelle
21. U – Unknown fact about me? I'm an open book
22. V – Vegetable you don't like? None
23. W – Worst habit? Procrastination
24. X – X-rays you've had? Dental x-rays in February
25. Y – Your favorite food? Too many to list
26. Z – Zodiac sign? Pisces

Belgian Waffles

2009-08-23T10:41:00.001-07:00

My father in law is a big fan of waffles. He generally gets them in a restaurant or uses purchased waffle mix at home. We do not get to see our parents often, so whenever they do come to visit we spoil them by making their favorite foods. This is my favorite waffle recipe. Adapted from Gourmet magazine, June of 2005 issue. They are moist and soft on the insider and crispy on the outside, hmmmm heavenly!

* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
* 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
* 2 large eggs
* Vegetable oil for waffle iron

Put oven rack in middle position and put a large metal cooling rack directly on it. Preheat oven to 250°F and preheat waffle iron.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

Whisk together buttermilk, melted butter, and eggs in another bowl, then whisk into flour mixture until just combined.

Brush hot waffle iron lightly with vegetable oil and pour a batter into the waffle mold. Cook waffles according to manufacturer's instructions until golden and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer as cooked to rack in oven to keep warm, keeping waffles in 1 layer to stay crisp. Make more waffles in same manner.

Enjoy!!!

Chicken Parmesan

2009-08-22T21:14:00.000-07:00

Since I can't use my oven, I've been cooking up a storm. I love having company to cook for and since my in laws are still visiting, it's a great excuse for me to experiment. I am not a big fan of chicken breast, but there are few dishes that I love to use it for...I always found that it is dry and flavorless (but then again, it might be me, not knowing how to cook it properly) One of the few dishes that I love to use chicken breast for is Chicken Parmesan. This recipe has always been a HUGE hit! It is very easy, flavorful and produces very crispy chicken that is moist on the inside. I've used Prego pasta sauce because it is my husband's favorite, but you can make your own or use your favorite brand.

* 1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
* 1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
* 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
* 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
* 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
* 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
* 1 pound chicken breast tenders
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 1 1/2 cups bottled of Prego Pasta Sauce or your favorite one.
* 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) shredded provolone cheese

Combine 2 tablespoons of Parmesan, breadcrumbs, parsley, basil, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a shallow dish. Place egg white in a shallow dish. Dip each chicken tender in egg white; dredge in the breadcrumb mixture. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Set aside.

Combine 1/8 teaspoon salt, pasta sauce, vinegar, and pepper in a skillet. Cook until heated through. Pour the sauce over chicken in pan. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining Parmesan and provolone cheese and fresh basil (if you like it). Put cover on and let the cheese melt.

Serve with spaghetti noodles.

Oven Drama... VENT

2009-08-22T19:26:00.001-07:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, my oven died one July afternoon when I least expected it...It's been 33 days, 792 hours and 47520 minutes since I baked anything :( The timing couldn't have been worse...My daughter's birthday, my in laws visiting...I could have used my oven in the worst way. The first time I had to purchase Olivia's Birthday cake, instead of making one :(

I'M ANGRY!!! I have had a repair technician came by on July 24th and diagnosed the problem. I was told that the main relay board needs to be replaced. I was quoted $530 and asked to pay 50% deposit before they can order a part. I did that on 7/27 and was told that it will take 5-10 days for the part to arrive. On 8/2 I called to see what was the status of the part and was advised that my order had been lost and they've just placed another order today (8/2) and it will take yet another 5-10 days for the part to arrive. Finally the part showed up on 8/19....Chris-the tech showed up with the part, took my oven apart and then realized that the part the came was not a relay board but display board?!!! ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME? Anyway, I calmly requested that since they seem to have made a mistake, they should re-order the part and ship it next day air...Chris said that he is sorry and of course he would order it the next day but the $65 shipping will be passed on to me! I don't have to tell you that I nearly lost it when he said that... I immediately called the manager and demanded that they not only order the part next day air and pay for shipping but also have it installed the very day, the part gets here! The manager was very nice and accommodating, and ultimately I've gotten my way. The part gotten here and was installed last Wednesday. I was working on a plum crumble yesterday for my friend's BBQ and was thrilled to be able to finally bake something, when my oven stopped working again... Not really stop working but have gone cold. It seems to preheat just fine but does not keep the heat. I called Sam (the manager) again and was told that David-senior tech and Bosh certified tech will be here first thing on Monday morning to remedy the situation... At this point I am SUPER PISSED OFF and worried that the very expensive part, I just paid for might not have been the problem to begin with... Well, I will keep you posted after I know more but for now, thanks for reading and letting me vent...

Orzo Pasta Salad

2009-08-18T20:27:00.000-07:00

I had some leftover vegetables in my fridge and wanted to make something that is light and refreshing. Few years back when we first moved to Vegas, I attended the luncheon where they served sandwiches... My favorite one was a veggie sandwich, it consisted of grilled eggplant and zucchini with goat cheese, served on sourdough bread. It was soooo delicious! I wanted to make a salad that is healthy and light but still delicious and use grilled vegetables. I love orzo and combined with grilled veggies, fresh tomatoes and refreshing lemon vinaigrette it is a winning combination.

Orzo Pasta Salad

* 1 pound orzo, cooked

Vinaigrette:

* 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
* 1 teaspoon of dry oregano
* 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
* 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
* 1/2 cup olive oil
* 1 teaspoon of salt
*1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

Mix lemon juice, oregano, dijon mustard and lemon peel. After it is all combined, add olive oil in small stream while whisking continuously to make a vinaigrette. Set aside.

* 1 small eggplant, sliced lengthwise into 1/4 slices
* 1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 1/4 slices
* 1 yellow squash, sliced lengthwise into 1/4 slices
* 1 medium red onion, sliced lengthwise into 1/4 slices
* 8 oz of steamed broccoli
* 8 oz of steamed cauliflower
* 1 pint of cherry tomatoes
* Handful of cilantro leaves

Steam broccoli and cauliflower till tender, set aside. Brush eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and red onion slices with olive oil and grill till tender. Chopped in bite size pieces. Cut cherry tomatoes in half, chop cilantro leaves.
In a large bowl combine cooked orzo, grilled veggies, tomatoes, cilantro, and steamed broccoli and cauliflower. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and mix well. add salt and pepper if needed.

Greek Panzanella Salad

2009-08-16T21:00:00.000-07:00

I saw a new episode of Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics yesterday... As you know Ina is one of my favorite if not THE Favorite chef. One of the recipes she made on the show was a Greek panzanella, a twist on a traditional Italian salad but with olives, feta cheese and Greek vinaigrette. It was a HUGE HIT!!! If you like traditional panzanella, you will love this one as well.

* Good olive oil
* 1 small French bread cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
* Kosher salt
* 1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/4-inch thick
* 1 red bell pepper, large diced
* 1 yellow bell pepper, large diced
* 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
* 1/2 red onion, sliced in half rounds
* 1/2 pound feta cheese, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
* 1/2 cup calamata olives, pitted

For the vinaigrette:

* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
* 1/4 cup good red wine vinegar
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1/2 cup good olive oil

Directions

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread cubes and sprinkle with salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, for 5 to 10 minutes, until nicely browned. Add more olive oil as needed.

Place the cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, tomatoes and red onion in a large bowl.

For the vinaigrette, whisk together the garlic, oregano, mustard, vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper in a small bowl. While still whisking, add the olive oil and make an emulsion. Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables. Add the feta, olives and bread cubes and mix together lightly. Set aside for 30 minutes for the flavors to blend. Serve at room temperature.

Blueberry Pancakes

2009-08-16T19:16:00.000-07:00

I wasn't sure what to make for breakfast today...Confronted with having to make breakfast for 6 and one that everybody likes, it was a challenge. I would normally make a fritata of some sort, but with no oven, that was not an option. "How about pancakes?" Olivia asked...not a bad idea. I had some fresh blueberries on hand, so blueberry pancakes it is. I love Martha Stewart's buttermilk pancake recipe with blueberries. Here is the recipe:

* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3 tablespoons sugar
* 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
* 3 cups buttermilk
* 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1. Heat griddle. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, and 4 tablespoons butter; whisk to combine. Batter should have small to medium lumps.
2. Heat oven to 175 degrees. Test griddle by sprinkling a few drops of water on it. If water bounces and spatters off griddle, it is hot enough. Using a pastry brush, brush remaining 1/2 teaspoon of butter or reserved bacon fat onto griddle. Wipe off excess.
3. Using a 4-ounce ladle, about 1/2 cup, pour pancake batter, in pools 2 inches away from one other. When pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around edges, about 2 1/2 minutes, flip over. Cook until golden on bottom, about 1 minute.
4. Repeat with remaining batter, keeping finished pancakes on a heatproof plate in oven. Serve warm.

Daring Cooks Challenge-Rice with mushrooms, cuttlefish and artichokes

2009-08-15T15:33:00.000-07:00

This month's Daring Cooks challenge hosted by Olga from Las Cosas de Olga and Olga’s Recipes is Rice with Mushrooms, Cuttlefish and Artichokes. I have to say I've been a little disappointed since I've joined Daring Cooks two months ago...Both my husband and daughter are allergic to fish and both recipes so far were centered around fish. I decided to skip last month's challenge due to fish allergies in my house, but this month I was lucky enough to have my mother in law, who is a fish enthusiast, visiting, so I decided to give this challenge a try... Overall it was a pretty straightforward process, but I did make some changes (see below) I also did not use saffron or tumeric, I did not have either in my spice cabinet... I don't know how this happend because I seem to have all spices known to men in my kitchen...LOL As a result, my paella was a bit pale. I've never had a paella before and did not expect to love it, but what a wonderful meal, so flavorful and delicious!!!

Rice with Mushrooms, Cuttlefish and Artichokes

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Equipment:
1 Chopping Board
1 knife
1 medium saucepan
1 Paella pan (30 cm/11” is enough for 4 people. If not available, you may use a simple pan that size)
1 Saucepan

Ingredients: (serves 4):

* 4 Artichokes- I used jarred
* 12 Mushrooms-Portobello
* 1 or 2 Bay leaves
* 1 glass of white wine
* 2 Cuttlefish
* 2 lb of shrimp
* “Sofregit” (see recipe below)
* 2 cups Short grain rice (Spanish types Calasparra or Montsant are preferred, but you can choose any other short grain. This kind of rice absorbs flavor very well) – ½ cup per person.
* Water or Fish Stock (use 1 ½ cup of liquid per ½ cup of rice)
* Saffron threads-skipped this step
* Allioli (olive oil and garlic sauce, similar to mayonnaise sauce) – optional

Directions:

1. Cut the cuttlefish in little strips.
2. Add 1 or 2 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan and put the cuttlefish in the pan.
3. If you use fresh artichokes, clean them as shown in the video in tip #7. Cut artichokes in eights. Clean the mushrooms and cut them in fourths.
4. Add a bay leaf to the cuttlefish and add also the artichokes and the mushrooms.
5. Sauté until we get a golden color in the artichokes.
6. Put a touch of white wine so all the solids in the bottom of the get mixed, getting a more flavorful dish.
7. Add a couple or three tablespoons of sofregit and mix to make sure everything gets impregnated with the sofregit.
8. Add all the liquid and bring it to boil.
9. Add all the rice. Let boil for about 5 minutes in heavy heat.
10. Add some saffron thread to enrich the dish with its flavor and color. Stir a little bit so the rice and the other ingredients get the entire flavor. If you’re using turmeric or yellow coloring, use only 1/4 teaspoon.
11. Turn to low heat and boil for another 8 minutes (or until rice is a little softer than “al dente”)
12. Put the pan away from heat and let the rice stand a couple of minutes. Add the shrimp and let it steam, so they do not overcook.

Sofregit (a well cooked and fragrant sauce made of olive oil, tomatoes, garlic and onions, and may at times different vegetables such as peppers or mushrooms)

Cooking time: approximately 1 hour

Ingredients:

* 2 tablespoons of olive oil
* 5 big red ripe tomatoes, chopped
* 2 small onions, chopped
* 1 green pepper, chopped (optional)
* 4 or 5 garlic cloves, chopped
* 1 cup of button or Portobello mushrooms, chopped (optional)
* 1 Bay leaf
* Salt
* Touch of ground cumin
* Touch of dried oregano

Directions:

1. Put all the ingredients together in a frying pan and sauté slowly until all vegetables are soft.
2. Taste and salt if necessary (maybe it’s not!)

Allioli is the optional part of the recipe. You must choose one of the two recipes given, even though I highly recommend you to try traditional one. Allioli is served together with the rice and it gives a very nice taste

Allioli (Traditional recipe)

Cooking time: approximately 20 min

Ingredients:

* 4 garlic cloves, peeled
* Pinch of salt
* Fresh lemon juice (some drops)
* Extra-virgin olive oil (Spanish preferred but not essential)

Directions:

1. Place the garlic in a mortar along with the salt.
2. Using a pestle, smash the garlic cloves to a smooth paste. (The salt stops the garlic from slipping at the bottom of the mortar as you pound it down.)
3. Add the lemon juice to the garlic.
4. Drop by drop; pour the olive oil into the mortar slowly as you continue to crush the paste with your pestle.
5. Keep turning your pestle in a slow, continuous circular motion in the mortar. The drip needs to be slow and steady. Make sure the paste soaks up the olive oil as you go.
6. Keep adding the oil, drop by drop, until you have the consistency of a very thick mayonnaise. If your allioli gets too dense, add water to thin it out. This takes time—around 20 minutes of slow motion around the mortar—to create a dense, rich sauce.

José's tips for traditional recipe: It's hard to think that, when you start crushing the garlic, it will ever turn into something as dense and smooth as allioli. But don't give up. It's worth the extra time and effort to see the oil and garlic come together before your eyes. Just make sure you're adding the olive oil slowly, drop by drop. Keep moving the pestle around the mortar in a circular motion and keep dreaming of the thick, creamy sauce at the end of it all.

Braised Eggplant in garlic sauce

2009-08-14T22:40:00.000-07:00

I was talking to my mother in law today about cooking eggplant...We went out to lunch and among all the goodies we ordered was a braised eggplant-sooo yummy!!! I've never eaten eggplant growing up but enjoy it great deal in the past few years. I generally serve it grilled, in a salad or in Moussaka (traditional eggplant-based dish that comes out of the Mediterranean, made with eggplant, ground meat and tomatoes, onions and some kind of pepper) but have never braised it. I feel a little intimidated when it comes to asian dishes, it just seems so complicated when you looking at the recipe. Those of you who know me, know that I do not shy away from the challenge and since there is no time like a present, I decided to make my own version of braised eggplant in garlic sauce... The outcome was delicious!! It was a bit spicy but I think it gives the eggplant a little zip, which is needed.

4 Asian eggplants or 1 large regular eggplant (about 1 1/4 lbs)
1 tsp salt

Sauce:
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp dry sherry or Chinese rice wine
2 tsp seasame oil
2 tsp hoisin sauce
2 tsp chili paste

2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbps minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
2 green onions (including tops) thinly sliced
2 tsp cornstarch disolved in water
4 tsp water
Slivered green onion for garnish

Directions

Peel the eggplant and cut it into 1/2 inch cubes. Place in a medium bowl, sprinkle with salt, and toss gently to mix. Set aside for 30 minutes.
Combine the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl. Drain and rinse the eggplant and squeeze it dry. Place a wok or wide frying pan over high heat until hot. Add the vegetable oil, swirling to coat the sides. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add the eggplant, green onions, mix well. Add the sauce. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan and braise until the eggplant is tender and the liquid is slightly reduced, about 10 minutes. Add the cornstarch solution and cook, stirring, until the sauce boils and thickens. Garnish with slivered green onions.

Southwest-Style Salisbury Steaks

2009-08-12T20:08:00.000-07:00

Continuing with the spirit of making something new everyday while my in laws are visiting...On today's menu, we have Southwest-Style Salisbury Steaks which I served with mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes and cucumber-dill salad. The cucumber salad is a twist on popular Polish dish called mizeria.

Salisbury Steaks

* 1 1/2 pounds ground chuck beef
* 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
* 1 4-ounce can chopped mild green chilies
* 2 tablespoons minced green onions
* 1 tablespoon tequila
* 2 teaspoons chili powder
* 1 teaspoon salt

Using hands, gently mix first 8 ingredients in large bowl just until blended. Form into four 3/4-inch-thick oval patties.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill patties until cooked to desired doneness.

Mushroom Gravy

1 lb of baby portabello mushrooms, sliced
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cups milk
2 cup of beef broth

Melt the butter in the same skillet, and add the mushrooms. Cook and stir for about 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over, and mix in until blended. Stir in the milk and beef broth. Cook and stir over medium heat until smooth and starting to thicken. Return the patties to the gravy and cook over low heat, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cucumber Salad-Mizeria

2 English Cucumbers
1 cup of greek yougurt
1/4 cup of chopped fresh dill
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a medium bowl mix greek yogurt, dill and season with salt and pepper, add cucumber slices and mix well.

Gail's Fresh Tomato Basil Soup & Grilled Cheese

2009-08-12T19:41:00.000-07:00

I love grilled cheese sandwiches...Whenever I do not know what to make for dinner I seem to gravitate toward some sort of grilled sandwich/panini. It generally is a glorified grilled cheese as I am a HUGE cheese lover. No grilled cheese would be complete without tomato soup. For many years I could not find a good and easy recipe for tomato soup, until my friend Ali given me her sister's recipe for a fresh tomato/basil soup. It is very easy and quick soup, rich in bright tomato and basil flavors. If you like tomato and basil combination this is a must try recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does. Thank you Ali & Gail for sharing!!!

Gail's Fresh Tomato & Basil Soup

3 TBS of butter
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 onion, chopped
28 oz can of crashed tomatoes
15 leaves of fresh basil (use more if you like the basil flavor)
1 can of chicken stock
1 tsp of sugar
cayenne pepper to taste
Salt to taste
1/2 cup of Heavy cream

Saute butter, garlic and onion till soft, put it in the blender, add basil and blend till smooth, add crashed tomatoes and blend till pureed. Return to pan and add chicken stock, season with cayenne pepper, salt and sugar. Heat just till boiling (do not boil)Add heavy cream, remove from heat and serve.

Serve alone or with your favorite grilled cheese sandwich.

Abundance of Broccoli

2009-08-10T19:46:00.000-07:00

Somehow I've ended up with 5 lbs bag of broccoli florets...Don't ask me why or how, I'm sure I bought it in one of my "let's eat healthier" Costco trips and after using the first pound I did not know what to do with the rest. As I mentioned in my previous post, my mother in law is visiting and she likes EVERYTHING, I kid you not, there isn't a thing that I've ever saw her complaining about when it comes to food. I don't know where she puts it either, she has a fabulous figure and can eat anything she'd like...My point is that since she is in town I can cook anything at all especially things I generally stay away from because my hubby does not like it. Cheddar and broccoli soup is one of those things I would not cook just for the 3 of us but with MIL in town and 4 lbs of broccoli left in the fridge it was a natural choice.

I've never made a Cheddar Broccoli Soup before and wanted a good recipe...I turn to my friend Vikki who has a lot of experience in the kitchen and is an expert on a lot of different dishes. She had great suggestions but I ultimately made a mish-mash of different recipes to create Sylwia's Original.

3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
3 pounds fresh broccoli
1 large onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 Celery chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups of water
1 cup of half and half
1 roasted red pepper (you can use more if you like roasted peppers)
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Melt butter over medium-high heat. Add broccoli, onion, carrot, celery and garlic salt and pepper and saute until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the roasted red pepper chopped and cook for 1 minute. Add stock and bring to boil.

Simmer uncovered until broccoli is tender, about 15 minutes. Pour in half and half. Puree the soup. Add cheddar cheese, salt and pepper, to taste, and ENJOY!

The end result was very YUMMY and a hit with everybody including my Hubby and Olivia.

Stuffed crepes-Krokiety

2009-08-09T18:41:00.000-07:00

I don't get the chance to cook much Polish food these days but every now and again I get a craving for tastes of my childhood...Krokiety are Polish crepes filled with cooked sourkraut, mushrooms and fried onion. They taste great served with red borsch (beet soup) These were a staple in our house and we all loved it. I know not a lot of people like sourkraut but these were a hit even with people who were adamant that they do not eat/will not try anything with sourkraut in it. I realize that I can't convert you into sourkraut lover but if you would give this recipe a try you will see how DELICIOUS it is. My husband (NO SOURKRAUT KIND OF GUY) and my daughter who is 4 years old are now huge fans of these tasty treats as well.

Crepes

2 eggs
2 tbsp of sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cups whole milk
1 cups water
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Preparation:

In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, sugar and salt. Add milk and water, stir.
Sift the flour with baking powder and add to the wet ingredients in the bowl. Whisk well, you don’t need any lumps in the batter. Add the oil, whisk again.

Heat a crêpe pan or medium size frying pan over medium heat. Very lightly brush it with oil and pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto the pan and swirl it around. Wait until the surface doesn’t appear wet and the crêpe is lightly browned on one side, about a minute, flip the crêpe onto the other side. Proceed with the other crepes till they are all made.

Filling:

2 1/4 cup of sauerkraut
8 oz mushrooms -( wild mushrooms would be perfect, but any other will do fine as well),chopped
1 big onion, chopped
chicken broth
salt, pepper to taste

Boil chicken broth, add sauerkraut and cook it for about 15 minutes until soft,drain it and put aside. In the skillet melt 1 tablespoon of butter, add chopped onion, fry until well cooked. Season with salt and pepper.

When our sauerkraut is drained and of room temperature chop it into small pieces.
Then mix it with mushrooms and onions, season with salt and pepper.

Next, take one crepe, place it on a smooth surface,place 2 tablespoons of mushroom filling in to the center of the crepe; spread it evenly leaving about 1/2 inch border along the edge.

Roll your crepe so that all the corners were inside. The best way to do it is to fold two opposite corners toward the middle of the crepe, then still pressing these corners roll two remaining corners .If you look at the shorter side of your crepe it will look like a snail :)with no filling visible.

Finally, place your crepes into beaten egg making sure that it is coated well, then into bread crumbs . Heat a skillet with 4 tablespoons of oil. cook each crepe so it was fried on each side.

Chicken sun dried tomato alfredo pasta

2009-08-08T16:03:00.000-07:00

So, it seems I have some blogging to do...It's been couple of weeks since I've posted anything and I'm a little...OK, very envious of all of your creations!
I am in mourning... On July 21st, 2009 tragedy striked in my kitchen... MY OVEN DIED :( I was going to roast some potatoes for dinner and it refused to heat up... Now, how often does that happen? This is the first oven EVER that had gone dead on me... I though Bosh appliances supposed to be good! I had a technician come to fix it and was told that my main rely board is fried and is going to cost $530 to get it working again!!! So, here I am two weeks later, with both ovens out of commission, miserable waiting for the new relay board to show up... there is no telling how long it will take Bosh to send the part so I can get some baking therapy. I've never thought that not having an oven will have that much of an impact on my day to day life, but it has been very challenging. I guess I did not realize how much I've used the oven till I no longer had it available.

Needless to say, I've been trying to keep myself out of trouble by cooking...My in-laws are visiting and my mother in law is a HUGE pasta fan... The pasta # 1 is adapted from Guy Fieri's recipe:

Chicken sun dried tomato alfredo pasta

* 4 chicken breasts cut into cubes
* 2 tabelspoons of Cajun spice
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 3 tablespoons minced garlic
* 1 cup marinated sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
* 1/4 cup white wine
* 3 cups heavy cream
* 3/4 cup grated Parmesan
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1 pound cooked fettuccine
* 1/2 cup sliced asparagus
* 1/4 cup of green onions

Generously sprinkle chicken with Cajun spice and brown it in the skillet. Remove the chicken and put it aside.

In a saute pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Add garlic and lightly caramelize. Then add the sun-dried tomatoes, asparagus and chicken. Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Add the heavy cream, increase the heat to a simmer, and reduce the cream sauce by half.

When the cream sauce is to desired consistency, stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan, salt, pepper, and pasta.

Nest the pasta on large rimmed plates, pour sauce over pasta, and garnish with scallions and the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.

Honey-Gingered Pork Tenderloin with caramelized mushrooms and mashed potatoes

2009-07-30T19:57:00.001-07:00

Here is a quick dinner idea...I like pork tenderloin because it is tender & lean and there are a lot of different ways I can prepare it. Today I grilled it and served it with caramelized mushrooms and mashed potatoes. This recipe comes from Gourmet magazine, August 1998 issue.

* two 3/4-pound pork tenderloins
* 1/4 cup honey
* 1/4 cup soy sauce
* 1/4 cup oyster sauce
* 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
* 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger root
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* 1 tablespoon ketchup
* 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
* 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
* 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Pat pork dry and arrange in a shallow dish. In a bowl whisk together all remaining ingredients and pour marinade over pork. Turn pork to coat well. Chill pork, covered, turning it once or twice, at least 8 hours and up to 1 day.
Remove pork from marinade, reserving marinade, and arrange on a lightly oiled rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals. Grill pork, basting with reserved marinade and turning it every 3 minutes, 10 minutes total. Discard marinade. Continue to cook pork, turning it every 3 minutes, until a thermometer diagonally inserted 2 inches into center of tenderloin registers 155°F., about 10 minutes more. Let pork stand 5 minutes before thinly slicing.

Daring Baker's Challenge # 1

2009-07-26T18:09:00.000-07:00

The July Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.

• 3 cups (375grams/13.23oz) all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (112.5grams/3.97oz) white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 12 tablespoons (170grams/ 6 oz) unsalted butter
• 3 eggs, whisked together
• Homemade marshmallows, recipe follows
• Chocolate glaze, recipe follows

1. In a mixer with the paddle attachment, blend the dry ingredients.
2. On low speed, add the butter and mix until sandy.
3. Add the eggs and mix until combine.
4. Form the dough into a disk, wrap with clingfilm or parchment and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
5. When ready to bake, grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
7. Roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness, on a lightly floured surface. Use a 1 to 1 1/2 inches cookie cutter to cut out small rounds of dough.
8. Transfer to the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Let cool to room temperature.
9. Pipe a “kiss” of marshmallow onto each cookie. Let set at room temperature for 2 hours.
10. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or silicon mat.
11. One at a time, gently drop the marshmallow-topped cookies into the hot chocolate glaze.
12. Lift out with a fork and let excess chocolate drip back into the bowl.
13. Place on the prepared pan and let set at room temperature until the coating is firm, about 1 to 2 hours.

Note: if you don’t want to make your own marshmallows, you can cut a large marshmallow in half and place on the cookie base. Heat in a preheated 350-degree oven to slump the marshmallow slightly, it will expand and brown a little. Let cool, then proceed with the chocolate dipping.

Homemade marshmallows:
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 3/4 cup (168.76 grams/5.95oz) sugar
• 1 tablespoon powdered gelatin
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 2 egg whites , room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. In a saucepan, combine the water, corn syrup, and sugar, bring to a boil until “soft-ball” stage, or 235 degrees on a candy thermometer.
2. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let dissolve.
3. Remove the syrup from the heat, add the gelatin, and mix.
4. Whip the whites until soft peaks form and pour the syrup into the whites.
5. Add the vanilla and continue whipping until stiff.
6. Transfer to a pastry bag.

Chocolate glaze:
• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 2 ounces cocoa butter or vegetable oil

1. Melt the 2 ingredients together in the top of a double boiler or a bowl set over barely simmering water.

Milan Cookies

• 12 tablespoons (170grams/ 6 oz) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 1/2 cups (312.5 grams/ 11.02 oz) powdered sugar
• 7/8 cup egg whites (from about 6 eggs)
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons lemon extract
• 1 1/2 cups (187.5grams/ 6.61 oz) all purpose flour
• Cookie filling, recipe follows

Cookie filling:
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 orange, zested

1. In a mixer with paddle attachment cream the butter and the sugar.
2. Add the egg whites gradually and then mix in the vanilla and lemon extracts.
3. Add the flour and mix until just well mixed.
4. With a small (1/4-inch) plain tip, pipe 1-inch sections of batter onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, spacing them 2 inches apart as they spread.
5. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Let cool on the pan.
6. While waiting for the cookies to cool, in a small saucepan over medium flame, scald cream.
7. Pour hot cream over chocolate in a bowl, whisk to melt chocolate, add zest and blend well.
8. Set aside to cool (the mixture will thicken as it cools).
9. Spread a thin amount of the filling onto the flat side of a cookie while the filling is still soft and press the flat side of a second cookie on top.
10. Repeat with the remainder of the cookies.

Vanilla Cupcakes

2009-07-20T19:27:00.000-07:00

My daughter Olivia who is almost 4 have been asking for cupcakes. She is a big fan of pink so naturally the cupcakes had to be pink as well. I've used vanilla cupcake recipe from Amy Sedaris's book " I like you: The hospitality under the influence" The book is hilarious and has great recipes. I'm quoting the recipe exactly because I think you will appreciate Amy's sense of humor.

Judging by the picture, cupcakes and PINK frosting were a huge hit!

# 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
# 1 1/2 cups sugar
# 2 eggs
# 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
# 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
# 1/4 teaspoon salt
# 2 1/2 cups flour
# 1 1/4 cups milk

Turn oven on to 375 degrees F.

Put butter in mixer and beat at medium speed until somewhat smooth. Pour in sugar and beat well. Add 2 eggs. I like to crack the eggs on the side of the bowl while it is moving, which can be really stupid. I like to take chances. Yes, I have had to throw away my batter because I lost eggshells in the mix. Yes, it was a waste of food and yes, I know how expensive butter is, but what can I say? I'm a daredevil. Mix well. Add: vanilla, baking powder, salt, flour, and milk. Beat until it looks like it is supposed to and pour into individual baking cups, until they are about 2/3 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Should produce 24 cupcakes; I get 18 because I'm doing something wrong, although my cupcakes were voted second best in the city by New York Magazine.

I've used the cream cheese frosting with some red food coloring as Olivia requested that frosting be pink.

Cream Cheese Frosting

* 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
* 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
* 4 cups powdered sugar
* 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Beat in lemon peel and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate until just firm enough to spread, about 30 minutes.

Indian Chicken Tikka Masala

2009-07-19T14:19:00.000-07:00

Those of you who know me, realize that I am a huge fan of international flavors... I love the variety and abundance of tastes that different cuisines have to offer and love to sample things I've never tried before. When I moved to the states, I had no idea the culinary adventure that I was embarking on. The access to the variety of different ingredients and recipes gives me the ability to make any dish I like with mixed results :)

Indian dishes are among my favorites and I try to make them as often as I can. Chicken Tikka Masala is one of the yummiest (is this a real word?) dishes I had...Broiled chicken breast with incredibly flavorful tomato-cream sauce-Uhmmm, heaven on the plate!!! You can serve it with white or brown rice. This recipe have been adapted from Cook's Illustrated magazine.I did not have yogurt on hand and used coconut milk instead. It worked very well in this dish. You can buy Garam Masala spice in a jar but if you do not have it on hand you can substitute 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper. Here is the recipe:

Chicken Tikka

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon table salt
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts , trimmed of fat
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (see note above)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

FOR THE CHICKEN: Combine cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with spice mixture, pressing gently so mixture adheres. Place chicken on plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes. In large bowl, whisk together yogurt, oil, garlic, and ginger; set aside.

Masala Sauce

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion , diced fine (about 1 1/4 cups)
2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 fresh serrano chile , ribs and seeds removed, flesh minced (see note above)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon garam masala (see note above)
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

FOR THE SAUCE: Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until light golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, chile, tomato paste, and garam masala; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar, and salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cream and return to simmer. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm.

While sauce simmers, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (about 6 inches from heating element) and heat broiler. Using tongs, dip chicken into yogurt mixture (chicken should be coated with thick layer of yogurt) and arrange on wire rack set in foil-lined rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan. Discard excess yogurt mixture. Broil chicken until thickest parts register 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer and exterior is lightly charred in spots, 10 to 18 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking.

Let chicken rest 5 minutes, then cut into 1-inch chunks and stir into warm sauce (do not simmer chicken in sauce). Stir in cilantro, adjust seasoning with salt, and serve.

Mommy night in...Strawberry Mascarpone Tart with Port Glaze

2009-07-18T07:36:00.000-07:00

When we moved to Nevada nearly 4 years ago, it was a difficult transition for us. We have lived in California for close to 9 years and had a close group of friends that we hung out with on regular basis...When my husband was offered a job in Nevada, we had to make a quick decision to make a transition...I've never dreamed that we will end up in Sin City especially after we had a child. Olivia was 3 months old when we moved and as a new mommy I was preoccupied with taking care of an infant, working full time and making new friends...All aspects of this move was proven difficult to say the least, but by far the most challenging part for me was finding new friends. I have been lucky enough to have a handful of close friends now whom I love and have a great time with! Couple of months ago my friend Grace had a fabulous idea to have Mommy Night...one night a month where we all get together and have a potluck dinner or go out on a town. Last month we hung out at Grace's (who is also my next door neighbor-I loved not having to drive :))and had a great time just chatting and watching a movie. This month was my turn... we had a great turn out and fabulous time with all the girls. Great company, yummy food, plenty of wine and box of dominos...what else can a girl want? As you can see we don't require much ;) I had a GREAT time, I don't remember when I last laughed so much. THANKS GIRLS!!! I can't wait to do it again!!

As you probably have guessed I made a dessert: Strawberry Mascarpone Tart with Port Glaze This recipe was adapted from Gourmet magazine, April 2009 issue.

For tart shell:

* 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
* Rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
* 1 large egg yolk
* 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
* 3 tablespoons cold water

For filling:

* 1 1/2 pounds strawberries (about 1 1/2 quarts), trimmed and halved lengthwise
* 1/3 cup granulated sugar
* 3/4 cup ruby Port
* 1 pound mascarpone (about 2 cups)
* 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
* 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
* 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
* 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Make tart shell:

Blend together flour, sugar, salt, and butter in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Beat together yolk, vanilla, lemon juice, and water with a fork, then drizzle over flour mixture and stir with fork (or pulse) until mixture comes together.

Gently knead with floured hands on a lightly floured surface until a dough forms, then gently knead 4 or 5 times. Press into a 5-inch disk. Place in center of tart pan and cover with plastic wrap. Using your fingers and bottom of a flat-bottomed measuring cup, spread and push dough to evenly cover bottom and side of pan. Prick bottom of tart shell all over with a fork and freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.

Line tart shell with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until side is set and edge is pale golden, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and continue to bake until shell is deep golden all over, about 20 minutes more. Cool in pan, about 45 minutes.

Make filling while tart shell cools:

Stir together strawberries and granulated sugar in a bowl and let stand, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Strain in a sieve set over a small saucepan, reserving berries. Add Port to liquid in saucepan and boil until reduced to about 1/4 cup, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, whisk together mascarpone, confectioners sugar, lemon juice, zest, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until stiff.

Assemble tart:
Spread the mascarpone mixture evenly in cooled tart shell, then top with strawberries. Drizzle Port glaze all over tart.

The tale of a cupcake...

2009-07-14T21:08:00.000-07:00

My husband is obsessed with Hostess Cupcakes... He is not into sweets at all but has few choice desserts he enjoys, supermarket cupcakes being one of them. As any self respected baker and a little bit of a cupcake snob I absolutely hate that he buys those every time he grocery shops. This was an experiment to see if any chocolate cupcake will do, or is his obsession Hostess Cupcake specific? I've decided to try Ina Garten's chocolate cupcake recipe, they are moist and delicious and most importantly covered in chocolate ganache that I spiked with Grand Marnier (orange) liquor. George LOVED IT!!!

Here is the recipe:

* 1/4 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 1 cup sugar
* 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
* 1 (16-ounce) can chocolate syrup (recommended: Hershey's)
* 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
* 1 cup all-purpose flour

For the ganache:

* 1/2 cup heavy cream
* 8 ounces good semisweet chocolate chips
* 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
* 1 Tabelspoon of Grand Marnier

Line muffin pans with 12 paper liners. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time. Mix in the chocolate syrup and vanilla. Add the flour and mix until just combined. Don't overbeat, or the cupcakes will be tough.

Scoop the batter into the muffin cups and bake for 30 minutes, or until just set in the middle. Don't overbake! Let the cupcakes cool thoroughly in the pan.

For the ganache, cook the heavy cream, chocolate chips, and instant coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally.

Dip the top of each cupcake in the ganache.

Grilled Shrimp with Fiery Lemongrass-Chile Sambal

2009-07-14T18:55:00.000-07:00

I have a stack mile high of cooking magazines and cookbooks, so I've decided that at least twice a week I'll try something new. Today's inspiration was Gourmet magazine, July 2009 issue. George & I love shrimp, so it was an easy decision to try this recipe. It was pretty easy to put together and the end result was very yummy!!! Word of caution to those of you who do not care for spicy food. This truly is fiery! I've served it with sauteed spinach with some garlic and fried shallots.

Sambal:

* 2 (or more) serrano chiles (preferably red), seeded, coarsely chopped
* 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped shallots (about 8 ounces)
* 1/4 cup chopped peeled fresh ginger
* 3 tablespoons chopped lemongrass (from bottom 4 inches of 2 large stalks)
* 6 macadamia nuts
* 4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
* 2 teaspoons (packed) golden brown sugar
* 2 teaspoons turmeric
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1 teaspoon ground coriander
* 1 teaspoon paprika
* 1 bay leaf, crumbled
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 2 tablespoons (or more) vegetable oil
* 1 cup water

Marinade and shrimp:

For sambal :
Combine 6 Thai bird chiles (or 2 serrano or jalapeño chiles) and next 12 ingredients in processor. Using on/off turns, blend until finely chopped and paste forms. If spicier sambal is desired, add more chopped chiles to taste and blend again until paste forms. Transfer sambal to small bowl. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sambal and cook until fragrant and lightly browned, stirring constantly and adding more oil by tablespoonfuls if mixture is dry, about 7 minutes. Add 1 cup water; reduce heat to medium and simmer until most of water is absorbed but mixture is still creamy, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Transfer to small bowl and cool. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover sambal and chill.

For marinade and shrimp:
Whisk lime juice, 3 tablespoons oil, and 2 tablespoons sambal in small bowl.

If using unpeeled shrimp, use kitchen scissors to cut shrimp shell along rounded back of tail; scrape out vein with tip of bamboo skewer or tip of small knife. Place peeled or unpeeled shrimp in large glass baking dish. Brush shrimp all over with marinade. Allow shrimp to marinate at room temperature at least 15 minutes and up to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush grill rack with oil. Grill shrimp until just opaque in center, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer shrimp to platter. Rewarm remaining sambal and serve alongside for dipping or for spooning atop shrimp.

* 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
* 3 tablespoons (or more) vegetable oil
* 3 pounds uncooked unpeeled large shrimp, or 2 1/2 pounds uncooked peeled large shrimp, deveined, tails left intact

Beef stir-fry

2009-07-12T11:40:00.000-07:00

I've been on an asian kick lately trying variety of different recipes. My hubby love stir fries and beef so that is what brings us to this one. This recipe was adapted from Gourmet magazine, October 1990 issue. The only changes I've made were to substitute the flank steak (one of my favorite cuts of beef) for siriloin and I've added variety of different veggies to it. Here is the recipe:

For the beef

* 2 teaspoons soy sauce
* 1/4 teaspoon sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 pound of flank steak cut across the grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices

For the sauce

* 1 tablespoon cornstarch
* 1 tablespoon soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon medium-dry Sherry or Scotch
* 1/4 cup chicken or beef broth or water
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 2 teaspoons Oriental sesame oil

* 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh gingerroot
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* a 4-inch fresh red chili, seeded and minced (wear rubber gloves) or 1/2 tablespoon dried hot red pepper flakes
* 1 pound broccoli, cut into flowerets and the stems peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick
* 2 bell peppers different colors

Prepare the beef:

In a small bowl stir together the soy sauce, the sugar, and the salt, add the beef, and let it marinate for 20 minutes.

Make the sauce while the beef is marinating:

In a small bowl dissolve the cornstarch in the soy sauce and stir in the Sherry, the broth, the sugar, and the sesame oil.

Heat a wok or large heavy skillet over high heat until it is hot, add 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil, and heat it until it just begins to smoke. Stir-fry the beef in the oil in batches for 1 minute, or until it is no longer pink, and transfer it as it is cooked with a slotted spoon to a plate. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to the wok, heat it until it is hot but not smoking, and in the oil stir-fry the gingerroot, the garlic, and the chili for 30 seconds, or until the mixture is fragrant. Add the broccoli and stir-fry the mixture for 1 minute. Add 1/3 cup water and steam the broccoli, covered, for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, or until it is crisp-tender. Add bell peppers and stir fry couple of minutes. Stir the sauce, add it to the wok with the beef and any juices that have accumulated on the plate, and cook the mixture, stirring, for 2 minutes, or until the sauce is thickened and the beef is heated through. Transfer the mixture to a heated platter and serve it with the rice.

Cranberry, macadamia nuts and white chocolate chip cookies

2009-07-05T14:55:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure where I've gotten this recipe from but whom ever came up with it is a genius...I've been making these cookies for a few years now and every time try to make a different variation utilizing variety of liquors, chips and nuts. Today I'm using whiskey, white chocolate chips, dried cranberries and macadamia nuts. It might be an overkill but I like my cookies loaded..LOL I've tried brandy, grand marnier & Baileys Irish cream and all of them worked well.

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 egg
2 tablespoon whiskey or other liquor of your choice.
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup of macadamia nuts.

Preheat oven to 375'F. Spray cookie sheets with non stick spray.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs and whiskey. Combine the flour and baking soda; stir into the sugar mixture. Mix in the white chocolate chips, cranberries & macadamia nuts . Using ice cream scoop drop the dough onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Slightly under bake. Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute before transferring to cooling racks to cool completely.

Chinese dumplings/potstickers

2009-06-28T19:50:00.000-07:00

I've always wanted to try to make potstickers but never had the courage to try...
When I joined Daring Kitchens earlier this month, their May challenge was Chinese dumplings but I was too late signing up to participate. I decided that I'll try to make them anyway... My husband is Chinese and he grew up on these. We always have a bag of them in our freezer but as somebody pointed out they are just not the same as the home made version. This recipe makes a lot of dumplings, so unless you have a large group of people over for dinner, you can freeze them for future use. Enjoy!

This recipe is from www.thedaringkitchens.com

Dough:
(double this for the amount of filling, but easier to make it in 2 batches - or just halve the filling recipe) 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour 1/2 cup (113g) warm water flour for work surface

Make the dough: Place the flour in the work bowl of a food processor with the dough blade. Run the processor and pour the warm water in until incorporated. Pour the contents into a sturdy bowl or onto a work surface and knead until uniform and smooth. The dough should be firm and silky to the touch and not sticky.[Note: it’s better to have a moist dough and have to incorporate more flour than to have a dry and pilling dough and have to incorporate more water).

Fillings:

pork filling:

1 lb (450g) ground pork 4 large napa cabbage leaves, minced 3 stalks green onions, minced 7 shitake mushrooms, minced (if dried - re hydrated and rinsed carefully) 1/2 cup (75g) bamboo shoots, minced 1/4 (55g) cup ginger root, minced 3 tbsp (40g) soy sauce 2 tbsp (28g) sesame oil 2 tbsp (16g) corn starch

Shrimp filling:

1/2 lb (225g) raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and coarsely chopped 1/2 lb (225g) ground pork 3 stalks green onions, minced 1/4 cup (55g) ginger root, minced 1 cup (142g) water chestnuts, minced 1 tsp (5g) salt 3 tbsp (40g) sesame oil 2 tbsp (16g) corn starch

Combine all filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly (I mix by clean hand). Cover and refrigerate until ready to use (up to a day, but preferably within an hour or two).

dipping sauce:

2 parts soy sauce 1 part vinegar (red wine or black) a few drops of sesame oil chili garlic paste (optional) minced ginger (optional) minced garlic (optional) minced green onion (optional) sugar (optional)

In the mood for Indian anyone? Chilli Tofu with Beans and Bok Choy

2009-06-28T11:51:00.000-07:00

I was browsing the web for some inspiration and boy, did I find it. I have a stack of recipes to try in the next few weeks. This one is from Meena (http://www.hookedonheat.com) I love Indian food but was always intimidated by it. Meena's recipes are super easy and quick, and the best part is that I had all the ingredients on hand.

1 block of firm tofu, cubed
2 large bunches of bok choy, chopped: green and white parts separated
a big handful of green beans, cut into 1-inch lengths
1 medium onion, finely sliced
1 small tomato, finely chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp tamarind concentrate
2-3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp light cooking oil
salt, to taste

Heat about 1 tsp of oil in a deep non-stick wok, and fry cubed tofu till slightly golden all over. Set aside.

Add in remaining oil in the pan and saute garlic and onions till soft and lightly browned. Add in spices and fry for a few seconds.

Throw in chopped tomatoes, season with salt and fry for a few minutes. Add in tomato paste and tamarind extract, and continue to fry, breaking up tomatoes till it starts to dry out and give out oil from the sides.

Add in beans and tofu, and stir fry till beans are cooked but still crisp. Add in bok choy, and stir fry till it starts to wilt. Serve warm.

Vegetarian Bao (Chinese Buns)

2009-06-14T16:08:00.000-07:00

These are one of my husband's favorites. You can only get them in Asian bakery or Asian supermarket, but they are not always available...So I've decided to give them a try myself, how hard could it be, right? Turned out not as hard as I thought... Here is the outcome of my BAO experiment...

Dough:

2 TBSP of sugar
1 Package of dry yeast
3/4 cup plus 2 TBSP of warm water (100-110'F)
1 tsp of sesame oil
2 3/4 cup of AP flour

Dissolve sugar and yest in 3/4 cup plus 2 TBSP of warm water, add 2 TBSP of sugar and let it stand for 5 minutes. Add 1 tsp of sesame oil and 2 1/2 cups of AP flour. Kneed the dough adding more flour as needed 1 TBSP at the time. Dough is going to be sticky. Knead for dough 10 minutes till smooth. Spray the surface of the dough with cooking spray, cover and let it rest for 10 minutes. After dough rests, cut it in 8 equal pieces and roll it out into circles. Dough should be thinner at the edges and slightly thicker in the center.

Filling:

2TBSP of vegetable oil
1/2 head of cabbage shredded
12 shittake mushrooms, cut in small pieces
1 squares of soy bean cake or bake tofu, you can find it in Asian market, cut in bite sized pieces
1 tsp on sesame oil
3 TBSP of soy sauce
1 tsp of Worchestershire Sauce
salt & pepper to taste

Note: These buns can be filled with many different savory fillings.

Head oil in a pan and add cabbage,mushrooms and baked tofu and saute till soft, add soy sauce & Worchestershire sauce, and cook till soft. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add sesame oil at the end of cooking. Cool the filling.

After the filling is cooled, assemble the buns. Take the dough rounds, fill them with 2 TBSP of filling, bring up the sides to cover the filling, twist and pinched to seal. Buns will be very full.

You can steam them immediately or put them in the fridge to rest for couple of hours, making sure that they are not sticking together (they will rise in the fridge so I put some wax paper in between them, so they do not stick and tear)

Steam for 10-18 minutes & ENJOY!!!

Tomato Feta Salad

2009-05-31T10:00:00.000-07:00

* 4 pints grape tomatoes, red or mixed colors
* 1 1/2 cups small-diced red onion (2 onions)
* 1/4 cup good white wine vinegar
* 6 tablespoons good olive oil
* 1 tablespoon kosher salt
* 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
* 1 1/2 pounds feta cheese

Directions

Cut the tomatoes in half and place them in a large bowl. Add the onion, vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, basil, and parsley and toss well. Dice the feta in 1/2 to 3/4-inch cubes, crumbling it as little as possible. Gently fold it into the salad and serve at room temperature.

Garlicky Shrimp with Bread Crumbs

2009-05-20T17:25:00.000-07:00

3 inch piece baguette , cut into small pieces
5 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 5 pieces
1 small shallot , minced (about 2 tablespoons)
Table salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
2 pounds extra-large shrimp (21-25), peeled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon sugar
4 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 4 teaspoons)
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup dry sherry
2/3 cup clam juice (bottled)
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 lemon , cut into wedges

1. Pulse bread in food processor until coarsely ground; you should have about 1 cup crumbs. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. When foaming subsides, add crumbs, shallot, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon parsley and transfer to plate to cool. Wipe out skillet with paper towels.

2. Thoroughly dry shrimp with paper towels; toss with sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in bowl. Return skillet to high heat, add 2 teaspoons oil, and heat until shimmering. Add half of shrimp in single layer and cook until spotty brown and edges turn pink, about 3 minutes (do not flip shrimp). Remove pan from heat and transfer shrimp to large plate. Wipe out skillet with paper towels. Repeat with remaining 2 teaspoons oil and shrimp; transfer shrimp to plate.

3. Return skillet to medium heat and add 1 tablespoon butter. When melted, add garlic and pepper flakes; cook, stirring frequently, until garlic just begins to color, about 1 minute. Add flour and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute. Increase heat to medium-high and slowly whisk in sherry and clam juice. Bring to simmer and cook until mixture reduces to 3/4 cup, 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk in remaining 3 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Stir in lemon juice and remaining tablespoon parsley.

4. Reduce heat to medium-low, return shrimp to pan, and toss to combine. Cook, covered, until shrimp are pink and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with toasted bread crumbs. Serve with lemon wedges.

Poppy Seed Roll-Makowiec

2009-04-12T12:54:00.000-07:00

Makes 2 rolls:

Crust
* 1 package active dry yeast
* 2 cups warm milk
* 8 cups all-purpose flour
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 5 eggs
* 4 ounces (1 stick) butter, melted
* 2 (11-ounce) cans poppyseed filling (or make your own, see below)

Filling
* 1 pound poppyseeds
* 1 cup sugar
* 6 ounces butter (1 1/2 sticks)
* 1 cup hot milk
* 1 lemon rind, grated

Preparation:

1. If making your own filling, combine all filling ingredients. Beat well and set aside.

2. In a small heatproof bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of the warm milk.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and eggs. Add remaining 1 1/2 cups warm milk, butter and yeast mixture. With the paddle attachment, or by hand, beat until smooth. Dough will be sticky at this point.

4. Scrape dough into a clean, greased bowl. Sprinkle the top with a little flour and cover. Let stand in a warm place for 1 hour or until double in size, or follow this Quick Tip to cut the rise time.

5. Punch down dough and turn out onto a floured surface. Divide dough in half and shape each half into a rectangle.

6. Spread 1 can or half of the filling you made on each rectangle of dough and roll up like a jelly roll. Turn ends under so filling will not leak out.

7. Place on a parchment-lined or greased pan, cover and let rise again until double in size.

8. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Brush tops of rolls with additional melted butter. Bake 45 to 60 minutes or until rolls are golden brown.

9. Remove from oven and cool. Dust rolls with confectioner's sugar, if desired.

Coconut Fudge Cheesecake

2009-04-12T12:44:00.000-07:00

Crust
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

Filling
4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup canned cream of coconut (such as Coco López)*
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
4 large eggs

Topping
5 tablespoons whipping cream
5 tablespoons light corn syrup
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (about 1 1/3 cups)
3/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted

Preheat oven to 350°F. Wrap foil around outside of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Blend all ingredients in processor until nuts are finely ground and crumbs stick together. Press crust mixture over bottom and 2 inches up sides of prepared pan. Bake until set, about 10 minutes. Cool. Maintain oven temperature.

For filling:

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar and extract in large bowl to blend. Beat in cream of coconut, shredded coconut and flour. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until just combined. Pour filling into crust. Bake until top is brown and center is almost set, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool. Cover and chill overnight.

For topping:

Bring cream and syrup to simmer in medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate chips; whisk until smooth. Cool to just lukewarm. Pour topping over cake. Sprinkle edge with almonds and coconut. Chill until topping is set, about 2 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead; cover and refrigerate.)

Almost No- Knead Bread

2009-03-22T09:54:00.000-07:00

3 cups (15 oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp rapid rise or instant yeast
1 tsp salt
3/4 water, at room temp
1/2 cup mild flavored beer (I used harpoon ale)
1 TBSP vinegar
vegtable spray

1) Whisk the flour, yeast and salt together in a large bowl. Fold in the water, beer and vinegar with a rubber spatula until the dough comes together. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temp for at least 8 hours, or up to 18 hours.

2) Lay an 18 by 12 inch sheet of parchment paper inside a 10 inch skillet and spray with vegtable oil. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface adn knead by hand to form a smooth ball, 10-15 times. Shape dough into a ball by pulling the edges into the middle with floured hands (there is a picture in the mag). Transfer dough, seam side down, to the prepared skillet.

3) Mist dough with vegtable oil,and loosely cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temp until doubled in size and the dough barely springs back when poked with a knuckle, about 2 hours. (It didn't seem doubled in size to me and I let it sit maybe 4 hours and it still came out great)

4) about 30 minutes before baking, adjust an oven rack to the lowest position,place a large covered dutch oven on the rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees (not all knobs on dutch ovens are heatproof to 500 degrees- there are inexpensive replacement knobs available from manufactures.)

5) lightly flour the top of the dough and score it with a knife or razor blade. Carefully remove the pot from the oven and remove the lid. Pick up the parchment paper and dough and carefully lower into the hot pot, letting any excess parchement hang over the edge. Cover the pot.

6) Place the pot in the oven, reduce the oven temp to 425 degrees, and bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to bake till the center of the loaf registers 210 degrees on an instant read thermometer and the crust is a deep golden brown, 20-30 minutes. Carefully remove the bread from the pot, transfer to a wire rack, and cook to room temp. About 2 hours, before serving.

Coconut Brigadeiros

2009-03-21T10:26:00.000-07:00

1 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 tsp. light corn syrup
1 cup finely shredded, unsweetened coconut (toasted, if desired)

Put the condensed milk, coconut milk, butter, corn syrup, and ½ cup of the coconut in a 3-quart heavy-duty saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn the heat to medium low and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and pulls together into a dense batter, about 8 minutes. When the mixture is ready, the whisk will leave trails in the batter, allowing you to briefly see the pan bottom, and when you tilt the pan, the mixture should slide to the side in a blob, leaving a thick residue on the bottom of the pan. (It’s OK if the residue is slightly brown.)

Slide the mixture into a bowl. (Don’t scrape the pan—you don’t want to use any of the batter stuck to the bottom.) Let the mixture cool to room temperature and then refrigerate until very firm, 3 to 4 hours.

Put the remaining ½ cup coconut in a bowl. Using a teaspoon or a melon baller, scoop the mixture by the teaspoonful, and with your hands, roll each into a ball about 1 inch in diameter. Drop each ball into the coconut as you finish rolling it. When you have 4 to 6 brigadeiros, roll them in the coconut and lift them out with your fingers semi-open, carefully shaking off the excess.

Chocolate Brigadeiros

2009-03-21T10:10:00.000-07:00

1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 Tbs. heavy cream
1 tsp. light corn syrup
1-1/2 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (preferably 60% to 62% cacao), chopped
1 tsp. Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 cup chocolate sprinkles (preferably Guittard)

Put the condensed milk, butter, cream, and corn syrup in a 3-quart heavy-duty saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Add the chocolate and cocoa powder and continue to whisk, making sure there are no pockets of cocoa powder. As soon as the mixture comes back to a boil, turn the heat to medium low and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and pulls together into a dense, fudgy batter, about 8 minutes. When the mixture is ready, the whisk will leave trails in the batter, allowing you to briefly see the pan bottom, and when you tilt the pan, the mixture should slide to the side in a blob, leaving a thick residue on the bottom of the pan.

Slide the mixture into a bowl. (Don’t scrape the pan—you don’t want to use any of the batter stuck to the bottom.) Let the mixture cool to room temperature and then refrigerate uncovered until very firm, 3 to 4 hours.

Put the sprinkles in a bowl. Using a teaspoon or a melon baller, scoop the mixture by the teaspoonful, and with your hands, roll each into a ball about 1 inch in diameter. Drop each ball into the sprinkles as you finish rolling it. When you have 4 to 6 brigadeiros, toss them in the sprinkles to coat. You may need to exert a little pressure to ensure that the sprinkles stick.

Rum-Raisin Rice Pudding

2009-03-11T19:22:00.000-07:00

* 1/2 cup golden raisins
* 1/4 cup dark rum
* 2 3/4 cups whole milk
* 1 cup long-grain white rice
* 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 cup half-and-half, plus 1/2 cup
* 1 tablespoon cornstarch
* 3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In small non-stick saucepan, combine the raisins and rum and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove the pan from the heat and let steep while you make the pudding.

In a medium, heavy saucepan, combine the milk, rice, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, salt, cinnamon, 1 cup of the half-and-half. Cook over medium heat until the milk mixture comes to a gentle boil. Stir the mixture, cover the pan, and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the rice is cooked through and much of the liquid is absorbed.

In a small bowl, place the cornstarch. Gradually whisk in the remaining 1/2 cup half-and-half until smooth. Whisk in the egg yolks. Whisk about 1/2 cup of the hot rice mixture into the yolk mixture. Return this mixture to the pudding in the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture just starts to bubble. Continue to cook, stirring, for 1 minute, or until the mixture thickens slightly. Remove the pan from the heat.

Add the vanilla to the rum-raisin mixture, and stir the mixture into the rice pudding. Divide the pudding among 6 sundae glasses, cover with plastic wrap (unless you want a skin to form), pressing it directly onto the surface of the pudding, and refrigerate for about 2 hours, or until well chilled

Roy's Hawaiian Martini

2009-03-07T22:08:00.000-08:00

This recipe is perfect for when you want to serve a more sophisticated cocktail to a group of friends. While it does require that you marinate the pineapples in the liquor for at least 2 days, you'll find that it's well worth the wait. A large glass jar or even a big glass would work beautifully.

Yield: approximately 12 (4-ounce) servings

* 1-1/2 (750 mL) bottles Skyy Vodka (or 4-1/2 cups)
* 1/2 (750 mL) bottle Malibu Rum (1-1/2 cups)
* 1/4 bottle Stolichnaya Vanil (3/4 cup)
* 1 pineapple cut into 1/2-inch thick wedges
* 1/4 cup sugar

Layer the pineapple wedges into the jar. Pour in the remaining ingredients and allow the pineapples to marinate for at least two days. To serve, ladle approximately 4 ounces of the liquor into a stainless steel shaker half filled with ice. Shake 30 times, and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a wedge of marinated pineapple and enjoy!

Chicken Chilaquiles

2009-03-04T17:17:00.000-08:00

Chicken Chilaquiles
This is one of my favorite recipes.It comes from Cooking Light, July 2007 issue. If you like mexican food, this is "must try"

* 2 cups shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
* 1/2 cup chopped green onions
* 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeño peppers, divided
* 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
* 1 teaspoon chili powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 3/4 cup 1% low-fat milk
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
* 1 (11-ounce) can tomatillos, drained
* 1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
* 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
* Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

Combine chicken, green onions, 1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese, Parmesan, chili powder, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Place milk and next 3 ingredients (through chiles) in a food processor or blender; process until smooth.

Heat tortillas according to package directions. Pour 1/3 cup tomatillo mixture into bottom of an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 4 corn tortillas in dish, and top with half of chicken mixture. Repeat layer with remaining tortillas and chicken mixture, ending with tortillas.

Pour remaining 1 1/2 cups tomatillo mixture over tortillas; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until bubbly.

Lemon pound cake

2009-03-03T08:35:00.000-08:00

Lemon Pound cake

* 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
* 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
* 1/3 cup grated lemon zest (6 to 8 large lemons)
* 3 cups flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
* 3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the glaze:

* 2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
* 3 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 (8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch) loaf pans. You may also line the bottom with parchment paper, if desired.

Cream the butter and 2 cups granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, and the lemon zest.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, the buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide the batter evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. When the cakes are done, allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and set them on a rack set over a tray or sheet pan; spoon the lemon syrup over them. Allow the cakes to cool completely.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and the lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over the tops of the cakes and allow the glaze to drizzle down the sides.

Mushroom Risotto

2009-03-03T08:21:00.000-08:00

Wild mushroom risotto

5 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms,* rinsed

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 1/2 cups finely chopped onions
12 ounces crimini mushrooms, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1 tablespoon minced fresh marjoram
1 1/2 cups arborio rice or medium-grain white rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Additional grated Parmesan cheese

Bring broth to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Add porcini and simmer until just tender, about 2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer mushrooms to plate. Cool mushrooms and chop finely. Cover broth and keep warm over very low heat.

RISOTTO CAKES

To make risotto cakes from leftovers risotto, prepare 3 plates, one with flour, second one with beaten eggs and third with FINE breadcrumbs. (Risotto has to be cold) make patties then roll them in flour, egg and breadcrumbs and pan fry it till golden. You can also deep fry it if you prefer.

Thursday

2009-03-01T12:41:00.000-08:00

Leczo

Handfull of spinach leaves
(3) medium, yellow onions,
(2) medium red peppers,
(2) red peppers,
(4) medium tomatoes,
(1) medium zucchini, peeled
then season to taste.
I recommend:

salt,
pepper,
paprika,
cayenne pepper,
bay leaves,
and
sausage

Chop and sautee all the everything in a little bit of butter and oil till tender. After that, just bring the ingredients
and their juices to a boil.

After about 10 minutes of boiling,
reduce heat and simmer for about 25 minutes,
or until it thickens.
Leczo, however, is not supposed to thicken
too much; water can be added
according to your pleasure. We like ours the consistency of a stew. Serve over rice or with bread. THIS IS MEANT TO BE VEGETARIAN BUT AS YOU CAN SEE ON THE PICTURE I'VE ADDED SOME LEFTOVER CHICKEN SAUSAGE.

Wednesday

2009-03-01T12:29:00.000-08:00

PIZZA WITH VEGGIES AND PEPPERONI.

Pizza dough.

* 1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
* 1 3/4 to 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus additional for kneading and dredging
* 3/4 cup warm water (105-115F)
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
Stir together yeast, 1 tablespoon flour, and 1/4 cup warm water in a measuring cup and let stand until mixture appears creamy on surface, about 5 minutes. (If it doesn't, discard and start over with new yeast.)

Stir together 1 1/4 cups flour and salt in a large bowl, then add yeast mixture, oil, and remaining 1/2 cup warm water and stir until smooth. Stir in enough of remaining flour (1/4 to 1/2 cup) for dough to come away from side of bowl. (This dough will be slightly wetter than other pizza doughs you may have made.)

Knead dough on a work surface with floured hands, re flouring work surface and hands when dough becomes too sticky, until dough is smooth, soft, and elastic, about 8 minutes. Divide dough in half and form into 2 balls, then generously dust balls all over with flour and put each in a medium bowl. Cover bowls with plastic wrap and let dough rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/4 hours.

Dough can be allowed to rise, covered and chilled, 1 day. Bring to room temperature before kneading.

Add pizza sauce ( I use store bought), mozzarella cheese, peppers, onions, zucchini,spinach & sausage and whatever you'd like. Bake it in the oven for 15 minutes and serve. YOU CAN ALSO USE STORE BOUGHT DOUGH.

Tuesday...

2009-03-01T12:03:00.000-08:00

Beef with tofu and spicy mobo sauce
Steamed bok choy & steamed rice.

* Marinade for Ground Beef:
* 1 1/2 Tbsp tapioca starch (can substitute cornstarch)
* 2 tablespoons soy sauce
* Other:
* 1/4 pound ground beef
* 1 pound regular tofu (medium firmness)
* 1 leek or 3 green onions
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 1 tsp Chinese salted black beans (fermented black beans, also called Chinese black beans), or to taste
* 1 Tbsp chili bean paste, or to taste
* 3 Tbsp stock (chicken broth)
* 1 Tbsp cornstarch
* 2 Tbsp water
* 2 Tbsp light soy sauce
* Freshly ground Szechuan pepper
* 2 - 3 tablespoons oil for stir-frying, as needed

Preparation:
Mix marinade ingredients. Marinate beef for about 20 minutes.
Cut the tofu into 1/2 inch (1 cm) square cubes.
Chop leek or green onions into short lengths.
Heat wok and add oil. When oil is ready, add the marinated pork. Stir-fry beef until the color darkens. Add salt and stir. Add the salted black beans. Mash the beans with a cooking ladle until they blend in well with the meat. Add the chili paste, then the stock, bean curd, and leek or green onions.
Turn down the heat. Cook for 3 - 4 minutes.
While cooking, mix cornstarch, water, and soy sauce together. Add to wok and stir gently. Serve with freshly ground Szechuan pepper.

Steamed Bok choy with oyster sauce.

Clean bok choy and steam it, I used bottle oyster sauce to drizzle over the bok choy ( a little goes a long way as it is very salty)

Serve with steamed white or brown rice.

Honey, what's for dinner?

2009-02-24T19:47:00.000-08:00

So, what's for dinner??? As much as I love cooking, I don't like to have to come up with what I'll be cooking... I think it will help to document the weeknight meals, so when I'm out of ideas I can look through the posts and be inspired again and keep tabs on what was a hit and what wasn't...

So, here it goes:

MONDAY:

Braised pot roast

1 (3 to 4 pound) piece beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
1 cup water
2 red onions, halved
2 garlic cloves, chopped
8 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 cup button mushrooms, stems removed
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves

Season all sides of the beef with a fair amount of salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot that has a tight cover; heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over moderately high heat. Brown the meat on all sides, taking the time to get a nice crust on the outside. Pour in the tomatoes and the water. Scatter the vegetables and herbs around the pot roast, season with salt and pepper; and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of oil. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Braise for about 3 hours, basting every 30 minutes with the pan juices, until the beef is fork tender. Slice the pot roast and arrange on platter surrounded by the vegetables. Serve with the pot juices.

I MADE IT IN A PRESSURE COOKER, SO IT TOOK 35 MINUTES INSTEAD OF 3 HRS. YOU CAN ALSO PUT IT IN A CROCK POT.

If you end up making it, please let me know what you thought. Enjoy!!!