Lime In The Coconut

Old School Ham and Navy Bean Soup

2012-01-11T16:10:00.005-05:00

I'm back!! After an extremely long hiatus, I plan to hopefully pick up my spatula and get back to blogging. Life has been busy with a toddler in the family, and when I'm not with my daughter (mainly because she's napping or sleeping) I'm trying to finish other chores and things around the house. But I have truly missed blogging my food adventures so I'm going to try my best to get back to steady updates. However, there may be a slight wrench thrown into this plan come the end of February. We are expecting baby girl #2 on Feb. 25!! We're so blessed and excited, though I'm sure that will slow down blogging again for a little while. I may turn this blog into a family and food blog with baby updates and stories. We shall see.
Anyway, to the task at hand - SOUP! While it is January and officially winter here on the east coast, the temps have been pretty mild as of late. Just these past two weeks we had more than one 55-60 degree day! Quite unusual for January. But I'm not complaining!! Despite the balmy temps, I still crave wintertime comfort foods and there is nothing better than homemade soup.

I had catered a Christmas luncheon for 60 people before the holidays and they ordered two spiral cut brown-sugar glazed hams as part of their menu. I kept the large bones from both hams and froze them to use for future use as soup - the unknown profits of catering.
This recipe is truly a family recipe. My grandmother used to make this soup and my mother after here. I still remember coming home from school in January - it was something we usually had after the holiday ham had been long gone - to warm, hearty bowls of ham and bean soup.

Who knew some meaty ham bones could make such a glorious pot of soup? This soup is cheap to make and chock full of good vegetables and tender beans. It's the perfect thing to warm you up on a cold winter night...that is if you are having those where you live. Enjoy!!

Old School Ham and Navy Bean Soup

2 lbs of dried navy beans
8-10 cups of hot water
2 ham bones with meat on them from spiral cut hams, smoked or brown sugar glazed will work (1 ham bone would be sufficient as long as it has a good amount of meat on it. If you don't have ham bones from an actual ham, then you may be able to ask the butcher for them.)
4 bay leaves
1 12oz bag of frozen cut carrots
1 onion, diced
6 stalks of celery, sliced
2 tb tomato paste
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes with the juice
1 Parmesan rind, whole, for flavor (this is the hard part of the back of the block of cheese that doesn't grate well. If you don't have it, then just leave it out. You can always top the finished soup with grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano.)
1 -2 tsp cayenne pepper, depending on how much heat you want
freshly ground black pepper to taste

To begin, you will need to cook and soak your beans. Rinse the beans and then put them in a large, heavy bottom stock pot and cover with the water. Bring the beans to a boil, boil for 3 minutes and then turn the heat off, cover and allow the beans to soak for one hour.
Once the beans have soaked, add in your ham bones with the meat and the bay leaves to the pot and bring it to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and allow to simmer for 2 1/2 hours. At the end of the time, check your beans to make sure they are tender. If so, remove the ham bones and using a pair of disposable gloves (because the bones will be hot), remove the meat from the bones and shred it into the soup. Once your bones have been picked of meat, you can add the large ones back to the pot along with your vegetables, tomato paste, tomatoes and Parmesan rind. Allow the soup to simmer until the vegetables are tender, about another 1/2 hour should do it. Add in your cayenne and black pepper. Taste for seasoning (you shouldn't have to add any salt because the ham meat and bones should add enough but taste to make sure).
Serve soup hot. Top with grated Romano cheese if desired.
(Leftovers of this soup may solidify a bit because of the starch from the beans and the fat from the ham. When reheating just add a little bit of water to help liquefy the soup.)

Authentic Thai Cooking with Rasamee!

2011-05-23T19:22:00.004-04:00

My mom's friend Rasamee, or Ras as we call her, is from Thailand and she makes some of the most delicious Thai food I've ever tasted. I've been to several Thai restaurants and nothing compares to her Pad Thai and her Tom Kha Gai - or Coconut Chicken Soup. So I begged her to teach me how to make these Thai favorites and much to my delight, she agreed!
She generously prepared each dish as I watched, asked tons of questions and scribbled down notes all while snapping photos here and there and trying to keep my 1-year-old daughter out of her cabinets! It was a lightening round cooking class, but tons of fun. Most of all it resulted in some tasty authentic Thai food.
Her Shrimp Pad Thai is, in a word, awesome! I could have literally eaten two plates full. The spice is just right and she has the perfect combination of fresh taste and rich flavor.

The Coconut Chicken Soup is so good I eat it until I explode. Literally! Every time I get this soup in a restaurant it tastes like it's been loaded down with sugar. Ras doesn't use sugar at all and it makes all the difference. The coconut flavor shines through and it's savory and has a natural sweetness from the onions.

One word of warning though - the Thai red hot chili is HOT! I mean like FRIGGIN HOT! Like I just swallowed a flame thrower HOT! I had to walk around the house for a few minutes, panting like a dog to get my mind off the pain. So, the moral of this story is - the peppers are super hot. You have been warned!

On the other hand, Fish Sauce is your friend! It sounds awful, it smells funny and the picture on this particular bottle of a baby holding a bottle of fish sauce is a bit disturbing, but it makes all the difference in Thai food. There is no substitute for Fish Sauce. If you can't find it....keep looking!

Anyway, despite Ras's thick accent, which is one of her many charms, and the fact that she doesn't measure anything, I think I was amazingly able to piece together a semblance of a recipe for each dish. Hopefully they do Ras's food justice!! I'm happy to be able to share them on my blog. So until Ras opens her own Thai restaurant, try out these recipes that have been in her family for years. Enjoy!

Tom Kha Gai or Coconut Chicken Soup

1 package of chicken breast or tenderloins, cut until chunks
2 kaffir lime leaves
1/4 cup of thickly sliced galanga root (if you can't find this, you can substitute ginger. Galanga tastes like a cross between ginger and licorice root. You can wrap this bouquet garni style and plunge it into the soup that way, making it easy to fish out before serving. Otherwise, you will want to pick the galanga root out before serving, as it is very fibrous and hard to eat.)
1 whole lemongrass stalk, cut into thirds
1 can coconut milk
2 cups water
1/2 large onion sliced
1 tomato, cut into chunks
1 pint of mushrooms, sliced
juice of 4 limes
1/2 cup fish sauce
3 red Thai peppers, minced
handful of cilantro
handful of scallions

In a large stockpot, add your kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, galanga, 1/2 can of coconut milk and water. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 5 minutes. Next add your chopped chicken. Allow to cook on a simmer. Once chicken has cooked, add the onion, tomato and mushrooms. Once the vegetables have cooked down, add the rest of the coconut milk, along with your fish sauce and lime juice. Bring to a simmer and add the peppers, cilantro and scallions. Stir to combine. Taste for flavor. If it feels a bit flat, add a little more fish sauce. It will punch up the flavors. Serve warm and enjoy! You can serve it over white rice if you prefer, but I like the soup just as it is.

Shrimp Pad Thai

For the Sauce: (this makes a large amount of sauce - you can keep it in the freezer for future use. You will only use about 1-2 cups of it for one batch of Pad Thai)
1 16 oz jar of concentrate cooking tamarind
1 lb jar of palm sugar
1/2 cup salt

Make the sauce first. Combine the ingredients in a large wok until well combined and saucy and until all the sugar has dissolved. Sauce will keep in the fridge for a month or up to 6 months in the freezer.

For the Noodles:
1 package of Banh Pho Rice Noodles
6 eggs, beaten
1 cup vegetable oil plus 4 tablespoons
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 lbs of shrimp, peeled and deveined and soaked in cold saltwater
1 cup of sugar water (this is equal parts sugar and water, heated until the sugar dissolves)
1/2 to 3/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 to 1/2 cup white vinegar
1 tsp cayenne pepper
a handful of shredded carrots
1 1/2 cups chopped peanuts
2 cups bean sprouts
handful of cilantro
handful of scallions
limes for garnish and juice

Soak the rice noodles in cold water overnight if possible. Set aside.
Drain your shrimp, which have been soaking in cold saltwater for about 30 minutes. Set aside.
Heat a large wok over high heat until hot. Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and using some hot pots, lift the wok and swirl the oil around so that it covers all sides of the pan as good as possible.
Add half of your egg mixture and continue to swirl the wok as the eggs cook. This allows the eggs to cook in a thin layer. They will cook in about a minute or so. Once cooked, remove to a cutting board, add two more tablespoons of oil to the wok and then add the rest of your egg mixture. Swirl until the egg is cooked.
See Ras swirl.

Good Ras. Good swirl!
Remove to a cutting board. Once cool, chop egg with a knife.
Scrape egg bits out of the wok, wipe with a clean papertowel if necessary, and then add in about a cup of oil to your wok. Get the oil hot and then add in your minced garlic. Don't let the garlic burn, but cook until softened. Add in your shrimp and stir to coat with the oil and garlic. While the shrimp cooks, add your egg back into the pan.

At this point you will need the sauce you made beforehand. Add about 1 1/2 cups of your tamarind sauce, your sugar water, fish sauce and vinegar. I suggest adding the smaller measurements of fish sauce and vinegar because you can always add more later as you need it but you can't take it away. Stir to combine. Once combined, add in your cayenne pepper, carrots and chopped peanuts. Add more vegetable oil if it seems dry and finally add in your bean sprouts.
Taste a spoonful of noodles. If the flavor is flat, add more fish sauce, sugar water and vinegar to taste. Add slowly so you don't overpower it with any flavor in particular. It's a delicate science!

Finally, once you have the flavor where you want it, top with chopped cilantro, chopped scallions and a squeeze of lime juice. Garnish with fresh lime slices and serve hot.

Spaghetti Birds' Nests

2011-05-22T21:25:00.004-04:00

These adorable, elegant little appetizers made a great addition to the birthday party we threw for our daughter. Not only are they fairly inexpensive to make - one box of spaghetti yields nearly 45 little birds' nests - they have widespread appeal and keep well on a buffet. I found this recipe when Proud Italian Cook posted about appetizers she served at a party. The original can be found at , Foodalogue .

I followed the original recipe but made a few changes. Here is my version of the recipe below. I omitted the bacon and peas in the original, and instead added chopped fresh basil and topped each nest with a roasted tomato half. I thought it just looked prettier than slopping tomato sauce on top. These were a hit at the party and I will definitely be making them again for future gatherings! Enjoy!

Tomato-Basil Spaghetti Birds' Nests

3 cloves garlic minced
1 1/2 lbs. mozzarella shredded
8 eggs beaten
1/2c parmigiano reggiano (or locatelli, whatever you use)
1/2c provolone
freshly chopped basil
1 large crate of grape tomatoes
olive oil
s+p
nonstick cooking spray
1 lb. spaghetti

Saute garlic in olive oil until soft. Reserve to side.
Preheat oven to 350. Cut each of your grape tomatoes in half and then place in a small baking dish. Toss with olive oil to coat and season with salt and pepper. Roast until they begin to soften and the skins blister, about 25 minutes. Remove and let cool.
Crack spaghetti in thirds, boil to al dente and drain.
Mix beaten eggs with cheeses, s+p, and fold in garlic and chopped basil.
Add drained spaghetti and mix.
Fill greased mini muffin tins with the spaghetti mixture and top each one with a tomato half.
Bake in 350-375 oven for 10 minutes or until egg has cooked and the cheese has melted. Remove and serve warm. These can be made a day in advance and then reheated to room temperature or warmer for serving. Makes about 45 pieces.

Birthday Cupcakes with Pineapple Flowers

2011-05-17T16:33:00.002-04:00

Our darling little baby turned 1 on Sunday! And what a celebration we had.

It was a pinwheel themed party and so my mom and I made a ton of pinwheels in various sizes out of craft paper. We used them to make centerpieces for the tables.

On top of that we made a homemade birthday banner for the birthday girl, since her name is hard to find in pre-fab banners. We spray-painted doilies and used cupcake wrappers for color and then found punch-out letters at Staples that we sponge-painted. It turned out beautifully!! And then we clipped the finished product to a rope with clothes pins.

Favor bags were filled with a pinwheel, customized M&Ms and a bottle of bubbles with a wrap that I designed to match the invites.

It was a lot of DIY work, but so worth it! It was very satisfying to throw such a pretty party for such a beautiful little girl. My husband and I were so thrilled to see her enjoy the day.
Now...on to the food!! This is a food blog after all. Well...The menu was vast! Here's what we had:
Deviled Eggs
Honey Mustard Chicken on Skewers
Taco Dip
Smoked Salmon Dip
Homemade Pigs in Blankets
Store-bought Spanakopita (Yes I cheated here and got some help from the store)
Tomato and Mozzarella Birds Nests (Post to come on these cute little apps!)
Strawberries Stuffed with Cinnamon-Sugar Marscapone Cheese (post to come on these too - they were so yummy!)
Assorted Fruit Tray
Crudite
Assorted Cheese and Crackers
Shrimp Cocktail

And then for dessert we made boxed chocolate and vanilla cupcakes with homemade cream cheese icing and topped them off with these beautiful pineapple flowers!

They are time-intensive to make. Not hard to make, but they do take a long time. I couldn't get the pineapples cut extremely thin since I don't have a mandolin, so that might be why it took me twice as long as this post from Annie's Eats blog on how to make Pineapple Flowers. Her step by step instructions are great and the flowers looks so cute and make a nice organic decorative touch to the cupcakes.

Unfortunately, it was very humid the day of my daughter's party so many of them started to loose their shape after sitting out for a few hours on the cupcake stand. But people were still impressed nonetheless.

So if you have some time, try these out! They are much more unique than jarred sprinkles :) Enjoy!

Happy Cinco De Mayo!!

2011-05-05T20:36:00.004-04:00

WHOA!! Long time, no blog hey??? I know I have been seriously MIA lately, but I have good reason. Once my baby girl started crawling my free time has been literally gone. The only time I can get anything done is nap time. I run around the house like a chicken without a head, trying to get work done - which can include actual office work, since I'm working from home, laundry, vacuuming, wiping down the bathrooms, cleaning, blowing my nose, brushing my hair, showering and possibly eating lunch. Time management has become my middle name!! It's an art form when you have a baby. And...lord help me...I only have one!!! WHOA again.
Anyway, I figured what better time to revive my long-lost blogging days than Cinco De Mayo. If you follow my blog, which I'm not really sure anyone does anymore, or ever did for that matter, you know I'm a fan of Mexican food. If I wasn't Italian, I'd be Mexican. Nuff said. I literally have a sixth sense for Mexican flavors and how to put them together (or so I think). I dream about exotic foodie vacations to Oaxaca to excavate corn fungus. Ok, not really, but wouldn't that be cool? Anyway, I digress.
In the past, my husband and I could be found at the local Mexican restaurant with the other revelers throwing back margaritas, bowls of salsa and pounds of refried beans in honor of this Mexican (not Independence Day I know) holiday. But this year a certain 11-month-old made going out to a crowded Mexican restaurant seem quite unappealing. And we were totally fine with that. We made our own fiesta, and enjoyed watching our little girl get her first taste of guacamole and gnaw on a tortilla. Ole!!
For us adults, I fixed Roasted Poblano Pepper and Pork Quesadillas with Cucumber-Tomato Salsa and a side of Smashed Black Beans . Who needs crowded Mexican restaurants? Not us! We enjoyed our little Mexican feast with some homemade guacamole and my special margaritas and our own little pinata - she's full of sweetness :) Enjoy!

Roasted Poblano and Pork Quesadillas

1 poblano pepper
1 cup of chopped roasted pork loin
1/2 sweet vidalia onion, sliced thinly
1 tb olive oil
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
2 large flour tortillas

Preheat your oven to 350. Preheat your grill. Once the grill is hot, place your poblano pepper over the hot coals and roast until the skin is evenly charred on all sides. Remove from the grill and place in a bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes or until cool. Once cool, you should be able to peel the skin off and deseed the pepper. Once you've peeled it, slice the pepper flesh into strips. Set aside.
In a small skillet heat your olive oil and then add your sliced onion. Cook over medium low heat until softened. Add your cumin and chili powder and cook a while longer until the onion almost caramelizes. Once fully cooked, set aside.
To assemble your quesadilla, get out a pizza pan or baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray and lay down one of your flour tortillas. First spread our your cooked onions to cover the tortilla surface. Top with your chopped cooked pork loin. Next top with your poblano peppers. Finally coat the entire tortilla with your cups of shredded cheese and then place your second tortilla on the top.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove and serve hot with your choice of toppings.

Cucumber-Tomato Salsa

This refreshing, cool, salsa crudo was a great accompaniment to hot, spicy Mexican quesadillas and black beans.

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
4 campari tomatoes or 2 regular tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1 jalapeno, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped (or less if you don't want that much)
juice of half a lime
cumin (about 1/4 tsp)
Tabasco (five shakes)
salt to taste (about 1/2 tsp)

Combine the cucumber, tomatoes, garlic, jalapeno and cilantro in a medium-sized bowl. Toss with the juice of half a lime and then season to taste with cumin, salt and Tabasco. You may want less or more than I've noted about. It's really just about getting it to where you want it to be flavor wise. This is great with spicy dishes.

Smashed Black Beans

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 jalapeno, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
crushed red pepper (about 1/4 tsp)
2 tb olive oil
1/4 cup chicken stock
juice of half a lime
salt and pepper to taste
chopped cilantro and Parmesan for serving

Set your beans aside. In a small skillet, warm your olive oil over medium heat and then add your jalapeno and garlic. Let soften slightly and then add your crushed red pepper. Let vegetables soften some more and then add the black beans. Toss to coat with the olive oil and then once warm, smash your black beans with a fork or muddler until your beans have a chunky consistency. Add in your chicken stock to thin them out a bit. Finally add in your lime juice and season again with salt and pepper as needed. Sprinkle the top with cilantro and Parmesan and serve warm.

Palm Beach Zoo Visit

2011-02-19T15:49:00.003-05:00

Again, I haven't been doing much cooking lately, so instead I'll post some pics of what we have been doing. We took a visit to the Palm Beach Zoo this week and saw a ton of beautiful animals. I was surprised at how many of the larger animals that you usually have trouble finding in the habitats were out to play! It was great. Enjoy!

Colorful Delray Beach, FL

2011-02-08T12:21:00.004-05:00

So I've been on hiatus recently. Thanks to my wonderful father, we've been able to spend the last few weeks of this frigid northern winter in sunny Delray Beach, FL!! The weather couldn't be more beautiful here. It's literally in the sweet spot for temperatures every single day - mid 70's. On top of that, the downtown Delray area is full of great shops and quaint restaurants and eateries. In addition, it's quite a colorful town with gorgeous houses and buildings all painted bright, bold colors. Here are a few shots I've taken of the city and some of the surrounding mansions (it really doesn't do them justice to call them houses!). I also snuck in a colorful shot of my beach beauty, along with some washed-up jellyfish pics. So until the food updates, I hope you enjoy the pics!

Chocolate Bread Pudding with Bourbon Caramel Sauce

2011-01-24T15:37:00.004-05:00

This was my very first attempt at making any kind of bread pudding. We were invited to a dinner party on Saturday night and I offered to bring dessert. I settled on bread pudding because I had a loaf of homemade bread someone had given us in our freezer. It was time to either use it or lose it so I figured, what the hell! Nothing revitalizes stale bread like a good bread pudding recipe. And just because it usually pleases more people, I decided to make a chocolate bread pudding rather than the typical classic raisin version.

I think because I had to bake this ahead of time and then transport it to the party, it wasn't able to be served at it's peak of flavor - which would have been 30 minutes after coming out of a hot oven. Despite this however, and an attempt to reheat it at the party, it was still quite a flavorful dessert. The chocolaty richness is spot on and the bread develops a nice moistness from the eggy custard. But all these things are nothing without the topping. The topping. THE TOPPING! It really deserves its own post. The beautiful Bourbon Caramel Sauce is what takes this dessert from mild to wild, ordinary to extraordinary (anyone else out there watch Jerseylicious??), alright to out of sight! Ok you catch my drift. The sauce is worth making on its own with or without the bread pudding. It would be heavenly drizzled over some vanilla ice cream or brownies. I could honestly think of 1,001 uses for the caramel sauce. If you do anything with this post, make the caramel sauce. The recipe makes a ton so no need to use it sparingly! Glob it on and enjoy!

Chocolate Bread Pudding with Bourbon Caramel Sauce
Food & Wine Magazine online

10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
One 1-pound loaf challah, crusts removed, bread cut into 1-inch dice (12 cups)

Butter an 8-by-11-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. In a medium glass bowl, microwave the chocolate at high power in 30-second intervals until melted, stirring between intervals.
In a medium saucepan, bring the milk and cream to a simmer over moderately high heat. In a large bowl, whisk the whole eggs and yolks with 1/2 cup of the sugar, the vanilla and salt. Slowly whisk the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture, then whisk in the melted chocolate.
Spread the challah cubes in the prepared baking dish and pour the chocolate custard over the top. Press the challah into the custard until evenly soaked, then let stand for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 325°. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar over the bread pudding. Set the baking dish in a roasting pan and fill the pan halfway with hot water. Bake the bread pudding for 50 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the dish from the water bath and let stand for 20 minutes. Serve the bread pudding warm or at room temperature with the Bourbon Caramel Sauce and whipped cream.

Bourbon Caramel Sauce

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup bourbon

n a medium saucepan, bring the sugar, water and corn syrup to a boil over high heat. Cook until the sugar is dissolved, washing down the side of the pan with a wet pastry brush. Continue cooking, without stirring, until an amber caramel forms, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and carefully stir in the cream. Let cool for 1 minute, then stir in the bourbon. Bring the mixture to a boil over moderate heat and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Let the caramel sauce cool slightly and serve warm or at room temperature.

Zia's Cannoli

2011-01-09T16:58:00.007-05:00

Ahhh cannoli! I don't know if it's because I'm Italian, or because it reminds me of childhood trips to the Italian bakery in Baltimore or because my dad's favorite line from The Godfather is, "Leave the gun, take the cannoli", but I have a definite soft spot for these cream-filled pastry shells.

I was so happy when I came upon this recipe from a friend and former co-worker of mine. There are so many great things about this recipe. Let me outline them below because I don't want to miss a thing!

1. It was generously passed on to me from a former co-worker,Rita, who shares my Italian-American heritage. She had posted a status update and some photos on Facebook about her weekend making her great-Aunt Zia's homemade cannolis. I was interested immediately! I messaged her and asked if she could send me the recipe.

2. Not only did she agree to share her family's recipe that they've been making for generations, but she also offered me a sample of the cannoli shells she had just made!! What's better than being passed a tried-and-true tested recipe complete with a taste of the final product?? I was very excited!

3. On top of passing on the recipe and a few finished shells to boot, she went over the process with me step-by-step telling me some hints that worked for her, which made the whole process that much more foolproof for me.

4. I love that the grease spots and aged look of the original recipe came through on the photocopy. It makes me feel like I've been handed a little piece of my friend's family history.

5. These cannoli are DELICIOUS!!! The shells turn out light, crispy and airy and the filling is perfect, not too sweet or grainy.

My mom and I made these this past Christmas and I will say, it's a time-consuming process. I spent practically a whole day making the cannoli shells.

Having a deep fryer made the process go quite smoothly - rather than frying them in a pot on the stove.

Also, you do need one essential piece of speciality equipment to make cannoli shells called cannoli forms. These hollow metal tubes are what you'll wrap your rolled cannoli dough around to hold their shape while they fry. You can buy them online in sets of 4. I suggest buying the forms that are at least 6 inches long and 1 inch wide. My friend who gave me the recipe, Rita, had a set of cannoli forms her father cut himself years ago out of heavy pipe, so if you're industrious enough these can be gotten on your own for very cheap. I found the investment in a nice set of cannoli forms worth it since I plan on making these for many Christmases to come.

The only change we made to the recipe was using butter instead of shortening in the cannoli dough. My mom and I just like the flavor that butter lends to something, whereas shortening can be kind of bland. Hopefully Rita's Aunt Zia would approve. As much as I wish I could claim this was one of my Italian family's age-old recipes, at least from this point on we can incorporate it into our family traditions to be passed on to future generations. And that is very exciting! Enjoy!!

Zia's Cannoli

FILLING:
3 cups (1 1/2 lbs) Ricotta cheese (drain through a cheesecloth or papertowels at least 48 hours prior to mixing - DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!!! Otherwise you'll have very runny filling)
1 cup sugar
2 teaspooons vanilla extract
3 drops of cinnamon oil
1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup finely chopped candied citron (I OMITTED THIS INGREDIENT)

Combine and beat the drained ricotta, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon oil until smooth, about 10 min. with electric mixer on medium speed. Once combined, stir in the chocolate chips, and citron if using. Place mixture in refrigerator to chill.

SHELLS:
3 cups sifted flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons white vinegar or Sauterne wine
2 tablespoons cold water

1 egg white, slightly beaten (for sealing dough around forms)

Sift together the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until the pieces are the size of small peas and the mixture is crumbly. Next, stir in the beaten eggs. Finally blend in the vinegar and water one tablespoon at a time. Once the dough is combines, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead. Wrap in waxed paper and chill in the refrigerator for 30 min.

Set out your deep fryer and fill with vegetable or canola oil and heat to 360 degrees.

Roll the chilled dough out to 1/16 in thickness on a floured surface. Cut 4 to 5 in long ovals from the dough. I made a form out of cardboard and used that to measure and cut my ovals.

Wrap the dough loosely around the tubes and seal at the top by brushing with some slightly beaten egg white. Press edges together to seal. Place two tubes each into a fryer basket and lower. Be sure not to overcrowd the fryer (two shells per basket at maximum). Fry until golden brown. Once done, lift and drain fat before removing WITH TONGS to absorbent paper. Do not remove with your hands because the forms will be hot. Once forms have cooled slightly you can remove the shells. The first one or two shells on each tube may stick a little, but after that they should remove pretty easily. Just wiggle the shells back and forth to loosen them from the tube.

Fill the shells when ready to serve for best taste. Filling them too early will result in soggy shells. Dust lightly with confectioners sugar and sprinkle ends of cannoli with finely chopped pistachio nuts if desired.

Makes 40-45 thin shells. Shells will keep for about 2-3 weeks in an airtight container at room temperature.

Braciole (Italian-Style Rolled Flank Steak)

2011-01-07T20:27:00.007-05:00

Braciole, pronounced bra-shoal, is an age-old Italian meat dish. It's a very southern Italian, Italian-immigrant dish. My older relatives (think grandparents and their generation) used to make it all the time. I haven't had it in years and when I saw a post recently on Proud Italian Cook's blog, it made my mouth water and my tastebuds yearn for that melt in your mouth tender meat. The trick to braciole is the braising process - basically you sear the meat rolls and then simmer them for hours in a rich, winey tomato sauce. The end result is the most flavorful, fork-tender meat you'll ever eat. In my family, we usually rolled the pounded out flank steak with slabs of lard, which helps tenderize the meat. I noticed Proud Italian Cook used thinly sliced prosciutto and I absolutely loved this idea. I used pancetta however, and then I followed her basic stuffing combination and the rolls were delicious.
My mom was in charge of wrapping up the rolls and I think she went a little overboard! Check out those sailor knots LOL!

You don't need to use as much twine, not that it will mess with the taste but it did take quite a while to open these little packages when dinner was served. Mom was just being extra-cautious though so you can't fault her for hog-tying the rolls. She just didn't want the rolls to break up in the sauce. I'm sure it comes as no surprise that Italians are good with rope (lol little bad mob humor there, not sayin' anything of course! Just kidding!)
Anyway, here are some rough measurements I came up with for the recipe. In the true Italian tradition, PRC's blog doesn't provide measurements on her post, but I know not everyone can just improvise and I don't want that to be a reason why you didn't try this dish because it's out of this world. For the tomato sauce you can just use any basic tomato sauce recipe you like - one that has red wine in it might be nice, but not required. I think the wine helps tenderize the meat even more. You need kitchen twine to tie your rolls together. I prefer to cut the steak into strips in order to make individual rolls, but if you do an online search for braciole you'll find many recipes that have you rolling up the flank steak in one large piece and tying it that way. Do whatever works for you. Enjoy! We served this for Christmas dinner with some homemade crab and red pepper ravioli.

Braciole
Source: adapted from Proud Italian Cook

4-5 lbs flank steak, pounded thin and cut into long strips about 3 inches wide
3/4 lb pancetta, sliced thinly (get this from your deli counter at your grocery)
1/2 cup minced garlic (almost one whole small bulb)
2/3 cup chopped parsley
2/3 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
1/4 - 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (use more if your mixture is looking too thick with parsley and garlic)
olive oil

Mix together your garlic, parsley, cheese and breadcrumbs. Use a little olive oil, about a tablespoon or two to bind the mixture. Lay out your flank steak, make sure it's been pounded to about 1/2 inch thick, or thinner if you can without breaking the meat too much. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Layer the pancetta in a single layer on top of each flank steak. Then top evenly with the stuffing mixture and pat flat. Finally, roll up your flank steak and secure with kitchen twine.
In a high-sided saute pan, cover the bottom with olive oil in a thin layer and heat. Once the oil is hot, add your rolls, a few at a time, and brown on all four sides.

Remove once browned and set aside. Once all your rolls are browned, add them to your simmering homemade tomato sauce and let them cook on low heat for a few hours until the meat is tender. Be careful when stirring the sauce pot so you don't break up the rolls within the pot. Once done, remove and serve with more sauce and grated romano cheese and your favorite pasta. Enjoy!

Pizzelles - Italian Waffle Cookies

2010-12-20T20:30:00.002-05:00

These cookies have been a Christmas tradition in my family starting with my great-grandmother, and possibly before. My mom and I have made them every Christmas since I can remember. She nearly quadruples the basic recipe, which has been in her recipe box on this index card in a plastic sleeve for decades, and then passes them out to tons of family and friends.

Everyone has come to expect them from our family at Christmas time. In order to meet the demand, we bought two pizzelle waffle irons and make a day of it. My mom and I get out the Christmas DVDs and spend nearly a whole afternoon into the early evening pressing these beautiful cookies out two by two while watching White Christmas, Miracle On 34th Street, A Christmas Carol and It's A Wonderful Life . This year however, our antique waffle iron, the one we've been using for decades, died on us. So we were working with one machine and not the better of the two. The one that crapped out on us was an Italian model, all metal waffle iron that made the cookies extra thin. The second iron, more modern, has a non-stick surface. This makes the baking much easier but doesn't make the pizzelles quite as thin and delicate as the Italian iron. Oh well. We made the best of what we had.

Nonetheless, the season doesn't feel like it has arrived until we bake pizzelles. The house fills with the sweet smell of butter, sugar and anise. The best part of the whole process is eating the ones that bake a little too long or accidentally break when being packed up or pulled from the iron. The challenge is not to eat too many as you go along. Every year for the past 10 years we've had an eager kitchen helper, as you can see. She gladly eats up the scraps and crumbs along the way.

There are hundreds of recipes out there for pizzelles. They are a very simple cookie. Nothing real fancy. They almost taste like a waffle cone and can be a canvas for any flavors you prefer. In my family we have always used anise seed. My mom takes her basic recipe, pictured above, and adds in anise extract and anise seed. My grandmother used to also add lemon or orange zest, but my mom has omitted that ingredient. You can add a little cocoa powder to make chocolate pizzelles, substitute almond extract for the anise seed, or any other kind of extract really. In the end you get a light, wafer-like butter cookie that resembles a snowflake and literally melts in your mouth.

Like most Italian desserts, they go excellently with a nice, hot cup of espresso or other strong coffee. The bad thing about pizzelles is you can eat 6 of them and not even notice. They are addictive and go down like potato chips! You do need a pizzelle waffle iron to make these cookies, an investment that is worth it if, like in my family, you make hundreds of these every Christmas season. Buon Natale!!

Pizzelles

1/2 cup shortening (my mom uses butter)
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 to 2 tsp anise extract
3 tb anise seeds
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and the sugar together. Add in the eggs and incorporate. Next add in the vanilla and anise extract and mix in the anise seeds. In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (flour, powder). Stir into the eggs, butter and sugar mixture until the dry and wet ingredients are fully incorporated. Chill batter, covered, in the fridge until it's slightly firm, about an hour. Get your waffle iron hot. Once hot, put a tablespoon of batter into each side of the waffle iron. Close and bake. When you close the lid you'll hear the steam hiss and rise out of the iron. After about 15 seconds open up the iron to check your progress. Bake until they are firm but not brown. Burnt cookies will taste bitter because of the anise seed. The time may shorten up as you move along since the iron will get a little hotter. You may burn the first few trying to figure oput how long you need to bake each one for, but eventually you'll figure out how much time your particular iron needs to cook up the batter to a crisp cookie. Remove the cookies gently with a fork and place on a rack to cool. Once cool you can stack your cookies and store them in an airtight container. Cookies will stay fresh for up to two weeks. Enjoy!

Chocolate Cherry Almond Biscotti

2010-12-19T20:48:00.002-05:00

This is a quick, pre-Christmas cookie post. We made these beauties to accompany the date and pistachio biscotti below. These are so good!! I switched the semisweet chocolate for white chocolate and in my opinion it really makes these cookies. It adds just the right amount of sweetness and helps bring out the cocoa flavor in the cookie.
One other thing I changed were the almonds. I couldn't find whole unblanched almonds so I just opted for blanched slivered almonds and used about 3/4 of a cup so as not to overwhelm the batter with almond slivers. It worked out fine. Another note to whoever takes on these cookies - they bake up HARD. These are not biscotti for the wimpy. These are the real deal. Crunchy and a small workout on the teeth. So if you have some weak molars etc. then be sure to soak your biscotti in some strong espresso first, or maybe a little cappuccino. I read that the absence of butter in biscotti recipes gives them that authentically hard, tack-biscuit consistency. If you're not a fan of the harder biscotti then find a recipe that uses butter. I found these to be just perfect though.
On top of that, they are just plain ole' pretty. The color contrast is nice and the little colored beady sprinkles stand out nicely against the snowy white chocolate background. They just put me in the holiday mood. How about you? I hope you get a chance to enjoy some delicious cookies this season.

Dried Cherry and Chocolate Biscotti with Almonds
Source: Emeril Lagasse, www.foodnetwork.com

2 cups flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup unblanched whole almonds
1 cup dried cherries
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in the almonds and cherries.

In another mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Stir the dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Mix well. Lightly dust the work surface. Turn the dough onto the surface and knead the dough a couple of times. Shape the dough into a log, about 12 inches long and 4 inches wide. Place the dough on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden and firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack. Using a serrated knife, slice the bread diagonally into 1/4-inch slices. Place the slices on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for an additional 12 to 14 minutes or until golden and crispy.

Remove from the oven and cool completely a second time on a wire rack. Dip half of each biscotti in the melted chocolate and place on a parchment lined baking sheet and refrigerate until the chocolate sets.

Chocolate-Dipped Date and Pistachio Biscotti

2010-12-14T20:52:00.006-05:00

For years my mom and I always made the same cookies for Christmas. Gingerbread men and sugar cutout cookies (which both involve rolling, cutting and decorating), Mexican tea cookies (also called Russian tea cookies or Pfefferneusen or something like that), chocolate chip cookies and Pizelles. This year I just didn't have the energy or the time for making that many labor-intensive cookies so I decided to keep it simple. We made Pizelles, which I will post about shortly, as well as two kinds of biscotti. I find biscotti to be a pretty simple, quick cookie to make since there is no rolling or even dropping by the tablespoon involved. You simply cut the dough in quarters or halves, form it into logs and bake it whole. Then you cut it and toast the biscotti - making them twice-baked cookies. For a special touch, we dipped these particular fruit and nut biscotti in melted semi-sweet chocolate.

These biscotti were inspired by a recipe for Fig and Pistachio Biscotti on Proud Italian Cook's blog. I made a lot of changes and omissions however, so here is my version below. I substituted dates for figs because my mom had bought a huge bag of dried medjool dates to make an appetizer for Thanksgiving and we had plenty left over so instead of spending more money for figs, we used what we had. Also, since the Pizelles we make every year are anise flavored, I didn't want the biscotti to be as well. Plus, I'm not a huge fan of anise so I eliminated that ingredient. I just put in extra vanilla extract. Also, as I've said before on this blog, you won't catch me within 50 yards of a piece of zest. I'm not a fan, no matter how hard I try to like it, I just don't. Orange, lemon or lime, it doesn't seem to matter. I just don't like citrus zest. Sorry, not happening to my baked goods! Oh well. So, in short (ha), I left that ingredient out as well. Lastly, I dipped them in melted chocolate to add a holiday touch. I also added in a touch of cinnamon to give them a warm finish.

They turned out nice and crumbly. Apparently, biscotti made with butter have more of a cakey texture and those without butter have more of a traditional hard, crunchy consistency. These leaned toward the cakey end, but still had a nice toothy crunch. Hopefully you have time to enjoy a little holiday baking this season! These aren't too hard to make inbetween shopping and trimming the tree. Enjoy!

Chocolate-Dipped Date and Pistachio Biscotti

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1/2 cup shelled pistachios
1 cup chopped pitted dates
8 oz semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
With your mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium-high until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Add eggs and extract beat until creamy and light.
Combine dry ingredients together, then add to the butter mixture, add the dates and the nuts last.
Mix everything on low speed until incorporated then remove dough and divide in half.
Form two 7×3 inch logs, place on parchment lined baking sheet apart from each other, and bake until lightly browned (25 to 30 minutes).
Remove from oven, and let them cool down, you can't cut them when they're hot they'll crumble.

Using a serrated knife, take your time and slowly cut logs into 1/2″ thick slices.
Arrange biscotti on their sides on the baking sheet. Return to oven, and bake until golden, about 10-15 minutes. Turn biscotti over on the other side and bake for another 10-15 minutes more, or until desired crispiness. Cool on racks.
Once cool, melt your chocolate over a double boiler. Once melted, dip the tops of your biscotti in and sprinkle with jimmies or cookie decorations if desired. Chill in the refrigerator until the chocolate sets back up and then enjoy!
Makes around 36-40.

White Bean and Brussel Sprout Soup

2010-12-05T11:53:00.006-05:00

Well, it's here. Winter. Cold, blustery, bitter and raw. They are even calling for snow flurries today! I guess I shouldn't complain. It is December, after all (as I keep hearing people say). Nothing could be as crazy as last winter when we had blizzard after blizzard of unrelenting snow. I swear it didn't melt till May!
At least it puts you in the holiday spirit. Speaking of holidays, do you have your tree up yet? We do! I've also already watched the obligatory Christmas movies and had the required festive eggnog while tree trimming. That is required, right?? Hee.

And in the spirit of Christmas here is a nice abstract shot of our tree from outside our house:

And here's a pic of our most favorite Christmas blessing of all, sleeping in "HEAVENLY" peace, as the song so beautifully says:

Anyway, the one redeeming thing about cold weather is the host of foods it inspires me to cook. Mainly - soup. I love a hearty bowl of warm, homemade soup on a cold, winter's night. There is NOTHING better in my opinion. I have some favorites, onion soup, traditional minestrone and roasted tomato bisque. However, last night we were looking to use up some brussel sprouts in the fridge so I fashioned up a tasty soup that made these mini-cabbage heads the star. You can just rinse them, cut them in half and throw them into the soup raw. They will boil in the broth while the beans soften up, floating like little green apples while your soup simmers.

You can easily make this with canned beans, but it's not that much harder to use dried beans and you really get your money's worth as well as a major flavor payback with dried beans. If you use canned beans however, you'll want to probably cook your brussel sprouts ahead of time since you won't have to simmer the soup as long.
Another tip, I like a thicker soup consistency, so, as you'll see in my recipe, I pureed two cups of beans once they were cooked, and then stirred them back into the soup to thicken up the broth. If you like a thinner, clearer type of soup then just skip that step. We topped our soup with crispy cubes of prosciutto and a generous spoonful of grated Romano cheese.
Finally, a word of warning. Eat this soup with ones you love. Beans and brussel sprouts can be a dangerous combination, if you know what I mean. So tread lightly but don't be afraid - the taste is worth it! Or Beano before if you must.
Enjoy!

White Bean and Brussel Sprout Soup

1 lb dried white beans
1/2 cup cubed prosciutto
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 tb fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 tb olive oil
1 qt chicken stock
2 cups water
1 can diced fire-roasted tomatoes with juice
1 bay leaf
1 lb brussel sprouts, rinsed, trimmed and then cut in half
salt and pepper for seasoning
grated pecorino romano cheese for serving

Soften the beans first. Rinse the beans, place in a large soup pot, and add cold water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 2 minutes, cover, and remove from the heat. Let stand for about 1 hour, then drain. Place aside.
In the bottom of that same soup pot, place your cubed prosciutto and crisp up over medium heat. Once the prosciutto has browned and crisped, remove it from the pot and set aside. You'll use this to top your soup when serving.
In the same pot, throw in your onion, garlic, carrots, celery, rosemary and olive oil. Saute them in the prosciutto grease and brown bits until softened. Once softened, add your drained beans to the pot along with the rest of your ingredients, stock, water, tomatoes, bay leaf and brussel sprouts. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Allow soup to simmer uncovered until the beans are tender and the brussel sprouts have cooked. Miraculously, these two things seem to happen at the same rate, which ends up being about 30-40 minutes, depending on your stove.
Once done and the beans are tender, strain out two cups of beans (these will unavoidably include celery, onion, carrots and garlic but if you can try to avoid whole brussel sprouts and leaves within these two cups). Puree the beans and miscellaneous vegetables in a food processor until smooth. Return this puree to the soup pot and stir to combine. This will help thicken your soup to a nice consistency. Ladle soup into bowls, top with crispy prosciutto and grated romano cheese and serve.

Almost-Famous Pumpkin Cheesecake

2010-11-26T20:35:00.004-05:00

I didn't bestow that title on this seemingly celebrity-status dessert. That's the name it came with! I was determined to make a pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving and I found several recipes in magazines and online. This particular recipe seemed special to me however. It made a large, restaurant size cheesecake with a super-buttery crumb crust and I just couldn't resist it's name. They totally reeled me in with the guarantee of "almost famous". It must be good then...right?? Well, fortunately, it was. It was more than good. It was stupendous!

Cheesecake on Thanksgiving is definitely a risk since you're asking people to eat a huge meal and then throw down a very rich dessert. Our crowd took on the challenge however, and did pretty well. And those who couldn't stuff in dessert took home slices of this spicy pumpkin dessert. I think those who took pieces home might actually enjoy it more than those who shoved it in after overloading their tastebuds on turkey and fixins. I would rather enjoy this cheesecake as a meal the day after Thanksgiving. It definitely deserves that kind of special attention.

A few notes about the recipe. For one, I substituted gingersnap cookies for the graham crackers in the crust. Another note about the crust, the 12 tablespoons of butter is too much, in my opinion. If I was to do it again, I'd probably use half the amount of butter. I used the whole 12 tablespoons and during the pre-baking process the butter was dripping out of my springform pan onto the oven floor causing my oven to smoke horribly. The house was full of thick smoke from the burning butter on the bottom of my oven. And honestly, it was just too much damn butter (and I thought I'd never say that, too much butter? How is it possible right?). But it's true. A little less and believe me you won't notice the difference in taste. The cheesecake part itself packs enough punch. Enjoy!

Almost-Famous Pumpkin Cheesecake
www.foodnetwork.com

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 3/4 cups sugar
Salt
2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
6 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups sweetened whipped cream
1/3 cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped
Directions
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Brush a 10-inch springform pan with some of the butter. Stir the remaining butter with the crumbs, 1/4 cup of the sugar and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pan, packing it tightly and evenly. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on a rack, then wrap the outside of the springform pan with foil and place in a roasting pan.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese with a mixer until smooth. Add the remaining 2 1/2 cups sugar and beat until just light, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beaters as needed. Beat in the sour cream, then add the pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, 1 teaspoon salt and the spices and beat until just combined. Pour into the cooled crust.

Gently place the roasting pan in the oven (don't pull the rack out) and pour the boiling water into the roasting pan until it comes about halfway up the side of the springform pan. Bake until the outside of the cheesecake sets but the center is still loose, about 1 hour 45 minutes. Turn off the oven and open the door briefly to let out some heat. Leave the cheesecake in the oven for 1 more hour, then carefully remove from the roasting pan and cool on a rack. Run a knife around the edges, cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

Bring the cheesecake to room temperature 30 minutes before serving. Unlock and remove the springform ring. To finish, place a dollop of the whipped cream on each slice and sprinkle with the toasted pecans.

A Beautiful Wedding

2010-11-23T20:27:00.002-05:00

Ok so no I'm not turning this into a photo blog! But my friend's wedding was so beautiful I just had to share some pics. Being an Indian wedding, there was a lot of great color and photo opportunities. I love my camera and recently acquired an external flash, making it that much easier to get some fabulous indoor shots at night. I'm also using a new editing software that takes all the mystery out of making good photos look professional! So here are a few pics from the big day. And, as a teaser, I just finished baking an awesome pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving dinner. We're having about 20 people at my mom's house and the menu is vast! More to come....

The groom came in on a horse with his nephew!

The beautiful bride!

The groom's sister sporting some great Indian jewelry.

The cake topper - the bride wore a vibrant blue and crystal dress for the reception that matched the cake topper exactly!

The couple during the toasts.

Sunset shots at the gorgeous bayside venue in Chesapeake Beach!

Mehndi Party!

2010-11-21T21:22:00.002-05:00

One of my best friends from middle school got married this past weekend and before the wedding she held a Mehndi Party, which is a traditional ritual within the Indian wedding ceremony. The bride and her family and friends gather to see the bride get the Mehndi tattoo, painted on by hand out of red henna paint. My friend asked me to be her "unofficial" photographer for the night's event so here are my results. What a fun and beautiful event to be a part of and I really enjoyed the task of capturing it on film! I wanted to share some with everyone since I've been a little lacking on the food updates lately. Thanksgiving is coming though so more food to come. Meanwhile, here are some pretty pics to distract and entertain - and notice, I did squeeze one in of the yummy Indian foods her mom served at the party. Yum! Enjoy!

Manchego-Stuffed Pork Saltimbocca

2010-11-03T14:09:00.003-04:00

So dinners at my house have been pretty boring as of late. There are two very good reasons for this. For starters, my nearly 6-month old baby makes planning elaborate dinners nearly impossible. Secondly, my husband has decided he needs to lose what he calls his baby weight and so is on a low-carb diet (the only diet that ever works for him, so he says). Because of this, our dinners lately have been simply grilled fish, chicken or steak with either steamed veggies or a green salad. Nothing much to blog about. However, last night I was sick of the same old thing and decided I could throw together something with a little more flavor and ingenuity that wouldn't take hours.
Enter manchego-stuffed pork saltimbocca .

This is my slightly, kicked-up version of the traditional saltimbocca preparation, which marries prosciutto and woodsy sage with seared chicken or pork in a simple lemon butter pan sauce. I served mine stuffed with nutty manchego cheese alongside some steamed asparagus. It satisfied all our dinner needs, quick, low-carb and delicious! Saltimbocca literally means jump in your mouth and the combination of cheese, salty prosciutto and the earthiness of the sage do just that. Your tongue will be dancing for joy when you taste this easy to prepare dish. Enjoy!

Manchego-Stuffed Pork Saltimbocca

2 boneless pork medallions, about 1 1/2 in thick each (the thicker they are the easier they are to stuff)
2 slices of thinly-sliced prosciutto
4 sage leaves
1/2 cup shredded manchego
juice of one lemon
1/2 cup chicken stock
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 tablespoon dijon mustard
salt and pepper
olive oil

Season your pork with salt and pepper on each side. Cut a pocket in each pork loin, being careful not to split the medallions in half. Fill each pocket with about a 1/4 cup of your shredded cheese. On the top of each pork loin lay two sage leaves and press flat. Finally, wrap your prosciutto around the pork medallion.
Preheat oven to 350. Heat a saute pan over medium heat and cover the bottom with a thin layer of olive oil. Once shimmering, add your medallions, sage side down. Let sear for 3 minutes on each side and then place the pork medallions in an oven-safe dish and cook the rest of the way - 20 minutes or until center is not pink.
Meanwhile, add your lemon juice and chicken stock to the saute pan. Scrape up any brown bits from the pork. Whisk in the tablespoons of butter and the dijon mustard. Bring the sauce to a rapid simmer and then reduce heat. Allow to thicken and reduce while occasionally whisking. Season with salt and pepper. Once pork is done, serve over top of steamed asparagus and cover with your pan sauce.

Fall at the Beach

2010-10-26T21:48:00.002-04:00

I went down to the Eastern Shore one last time for the season with my family. It was a beautiful fall weekend with the temperatures in the 70s!

I forced them all onto the beach for a little amateur photo session and I'm so glad we did because the results were awesome! Between my mom and myself we got some beautiful pics and after some editing they are pure artwork to me :) Hope you are enjoying the beautiful fall weather in your neck of the woods! I should have some food updates soon, but meanwhile here is some eye candy.

Tiramisu Ice Cream

2010-10-17T10:23:00.002-04:00

Is it just me, or does it seem like Tiramisu had it's hey-day as a trendy dessert years ago? Regardless I never really got into the sudden hype over Tiramisu. It seemed to be everywhere back in the mid-90's! Every restaurant, even the bad ones, had Tiramisu on their dessert menu. It was mentioned in movies, think Sleepless in Seattle , and seemed to be the ultimate dessert.

I've seen it served in a fancy champagne glass, two pale lady finger cookies swimming in a pool of spiked zabaglione and sprinkled with cinnamon. Other places have it in cake form, layers of lady finger cookies topped with a mascarpone cream, dotted with chocolate and cinnamon and soaked in coffee and rum. Something about it just never appealed to me, but I couldn't put my own lady finger (haha) on what it was (I'm such a sucker for puns!), until recently when I was flipping through David Lebovitz's book The Perfect Scoop . It's the lady fingers I don't like! Because honestly, what else in it is there to dislike? Epresso, good! Mascarpone, good! Chocolate, good! Liquor, GOOOOOOOD!

I didn't see any reason not to make David's Tiramisu Ice Cream . Not only was it easy to assemble - no tempering of raw egg yolks etc. - but, the ingredient list just sounded divine. It's not a traditional ice cream, since the base is made up mostly of mascarpone cheese. It ends up being QUITE rich, which is largely due to the silky chocolate ribbon that gets swirled in. Less is more with a scoop of this ice cream. In fact, I found that a scoop of this mixed with a scoop of Breyer's Vanilla was the perfect marriage. It subdued the richness of the Tiramisu Ice Cream and stretched the flavor a little bit. So if you're not too concerned about your waistline, give this recipe a try. Oh and (as if you haven't heard this a million times) Tiramisu means "pick me up" in Italian and it's named so because of the espresso in the dessert. The taste of this ice cream will definitely wake up your taste buds, but it's so rich and luxurious it won't have you ready to get up and go afterwards. Maybe it's named "pick me up" because it's so tasty you can't help but pick it up and eat it! Enjoy!

Tiramisu Ice Cream
Source: The Perfect Scoop, by David Lebovitz

2 cups mascarpone
1 cup half and half
2/3 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 cup coffee-flavored liquer, Kahlua
3 tablespoons brandy or dark rum
Mocha Ripple (recipe below)

Puree the mascarpone, half and half, sugar, salt, liquer and rum together in a blender or food processor until smooth and the sugar is dissolved. Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator.
Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. As you remove it from the machine alternate layers of Mocha Ripple with the frozen ice cream in the storage container.

Mocha Ripple
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup strongly brewed espresso
6 tb unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Whisk together the sugar, corn syrup, espresso and cocoa powder in medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture begins to bubble at the edges. Continue to whisk until it just comes to a low boil. Cook for 1 minute, whisking frequently. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla, and let cool. Chill in the refrigerator before using. Can be stored for up to two weeks in the fridge.

Mom's Jewish Apple Cake

2010-10-09T15:07:00.006-04:00

So no we're not Jewish. In fact, I was tempted to rename this, Mom's Italian Apple Cake, since we are in fact, Italian-Americans. But I need to give credit where credit is due and unfortunately Italian's can't claim this deliciously moist, rich and fruity cake. Darn.

I don't know who, where or how my mom came into possession of this particular recipe for Jewish Apple Cake, but it's been in her Land-o-Lakes recipe box for decades. Fortunately, the tattered index card is in a protective plastic sleeve so we're still able to enjoy this recipe as often as possible. She's made it countless times for birthdays, neighbors, friends and even a bake sale or two. It's a fairly simple cake to make and it turns out nearly perfect every time. And what makes it even more perfect is when it is made with locally grown, fresh-picked Maryland orchard apples.

I visited a local pick-your-own apple farm a few weekends ago and came home armed with a large bag of Ida Red apples - good for eating, but perfect for baking. These tart, yet sweet apples remain nice and crisp through the baking process and end up with a toothy bite.

They are really the perfect balance of tart, sweet and crisp that you need for a pie or cake. And this cake nestles these delicious apples in a cinnamon-sugar mixture and then envelopes them in dense and intensely moist batter. On top of that, I fortunately, had enough apples to make a hearty apple pie in addition to the apple cake. Gosh I love Fall!! And speaking of apples, here's a pic of the "apple" of my eye, my sweet baby girl :)

She's loving Fall too and I love all the great cutie patootie outfits out there for little babies. I love my girl and love dressing her up! That's her in her first pair of jeans and flannel for the season. Hats off to Fall! There's so many wonderful foods to come - squash, pumpkins, brussel sprouts, turkey, cheesecakes, soups. Strap on those elastic waistbands and let the fall eating begin!! Why not start with this cake? Enjoy!

Jewish Apple Cake

For the apples:
5 to 6 apples, cored, peeled and sliced thinly
3/4 cup sugar
2 tb cinnamon

For the batter:
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup orange or pineapple juice
4 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a tube pan for baking.
In a large bowl, toss your sliced apples with sugar and cinnamon and set aside. In a separate small bowl, mix together your dry ingredients - the flour, salt and baking powder. Then in a large mixing bowl combine your juice, eggs and oil until combined. Pour in the sugar and extract and mix until well incorporated. Now in your prepared tube pan, layer batter then apples then batter then apples and finishing up with a layer of batter. If you have any juices that have collected from your apples simply pour them into the cake once your done building up the layers. These sweet, cinnamony juices will contribute to the moistness of the cake.
Bake for 1 1/2 hours until the cake fills the tube pan and a cake tester comes out clean. Let cool in pan and then remove and serve.

Creamy Tomato-Basil Soup

2010-09-29T10:10:00.004-04:00

My husband and I are fanatics of creamy tomato-basil soup. We have probably tried it wherever it's offered, Panera Bread, Cosi, Nordstrom Cafe and La Madeleine - to name a few - and we both have our favorites. Mine is Nordstrom Cafe's version hands down. It's just the right amount of creaminess and doesn't have an overbearing tartness that affects some of the other soups. I don't know how they do it, but I suspect there is no shortage of salt, butter and cream in the mix. So after I went tomato picking at a local pick-your-own farm last weekend and came home with 12 beautiful, ripe tomatoes, I figured it would be a good time to try my hand at making this favorite at home.
I had seen a recipe in the Williams-Sonoma catalog that came in last week's mail so I went on their website and sought it out. In the process I came across a different recipe on there for a Cream of Tomato Soup with Pancetta. I used this recipe as a base but made some changes, basically because for one, I didn't like the idea of throwing raw tomatoes into the soup. So I roasted mine first. Secondly, the WS recipe seemed to be a little wimpy on the flavors so I kicked up the amount of garlic and crushed red pepper and added in some basil and white wine as well. You can access the original recipe here and see mine below with the changes. We really liked this soup. It had a nice, hearty consistency and a great overall flavor. I served it with, no surprise here, a grilled cheese. But not just any grilled cheese, this was a gourmet panini version stuffed with fresh buffalo mozzarella, bacon and tomato. The buffalo mozzeralla is so buttery and gooey when it's warm and made a great base for grilled cheese. Now that fall is here, I can't think of a better way to say goodbye to summer and hello to cooler temperatures with this "last of the tomato harvest" treat. Enjoy!

Creamy Tomato-Basil Soup

12-14 tomatoes, halved, seeds squeezed out
2 Tbs. olive oil, plus more for drizzling over tomatoes
3 slices of bacon, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups water
1/4 cup Arborio rice
1/4 cup heavy cream
a handful of shredded fresh basil leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Place your halved tomatoes on a foil-lined baking pan and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Season lightly with salt and pepper and set in the oven to roast until softened, about 30 minutes.
While your tomatoes roast, saute the bacon, garlic and onions in the olive oil until softened and the bacon has browned slightly.
Add your rice and toss with juices and grease from onions and bacon. Saute another 3 to 5 minutes and then add your 1/2 cup of white wine. Allow the mixture to thicken slightly and then add the roasted tomatoes (you can remove the tomato skins before adding them if you'd like - they should remove quite easily after being roasted) along with any juices that released while cooking them, the sugar, and red pepper flakes. Pour in your two cups of water and bring to a simmer. Cook until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes.
Finally, using an immersion blender, puree your soup. Alternatively, you can place it in small batches into a blender and puree. Just don't put too much hot soup in at one time because it will expand and blow the top off your blender if you are not careful.
Once it is pureed, stir in your shredded basil. Ladle hot soup into bowls and serve with some crusty bread or hot sandwiches.

Toffee Bar Brownie Torte

2010-09-23T20:16:00.003-04:00

Well, you say it's your birthday? It's my birthday too!! And...that's why I requested this absolutely decadent and sinful cake I spotted on Annie's Eats . My 32nd birthday (yahoo blah blah blah) was this past Sunday and as usual my mom offered to make me a cake. I'm not really a big cake eater. It has to be really spectacular for me to take in so many empty calories. I love brownies and when I saw this cake, it just looked like one huge glorified brownie. And that's exactly what it is and that is in no way, shape or form anything to shake your head at! This cake is serious.

Seriously chocolatey, seriously rich and seriously heavy! I swear the daggone thing weighed 25 lbs! It just looked like the perfect indulgence for a birthday cake so I forwarded the recipe to my mother and she gladly accepted the challenge. She did an awesome job and turned out an excellent cake. So excellent that when I shared it with my co-workers I got a request from someone for one. So I took a shot at this cake myself and made it for my coworker friend. As Annie points out on her blog, despite the long list of ingredients this cake comes together pretty easily. It's not inexpensive to make though - the chocolate, marscapone and espresso alone cost anywhere from $25.

It's so worth it though. The chocolate and coffee flavors play together beautifully and are offset by the salty, sweet crunch of the toffee bits. All you need is a thin sliver to be totally satisfied so this cake will either be something you share with LOTS of friends, or something that you enjoy for a whole week, or more! Oh and by the way, it tastes even better with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Yes I am speaking from firsthand experience. And yes I know what this cake is costing me in jean sizes thank you very much. Enjoy!

Toffee Bar Brownie Torte
Source: copied from Annie's Eats who cites The Pastry Queen by Rebecca Rather

For the brownies:
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter
16 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 cups sugar
8 large eggs
2 tbsp. vanilla extract
2½ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt

For the frosting:
3 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. instant espresso powder dissolved in 2 tsp. boiling water, chilled

For the filling:
16 oz. mascarpone cheese
2 tbsp. instant espresso powder dissolved in 2 tsp. boiling water
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 cup reserved frosting (above)
For garnish:
2 cups chopped toffee bits or finely chopped toffee bars

Directions:
To make the brownie layers, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Grease and flour the edges of three 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Combine the butter and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over a few inches of simmering water. Continue heating until the butter and chocolate are melted and smooth, stirring occasionally with a spatula. Remove the bowl from the heat and set aside. Transfer the chocolate mixture to a large mixing bowl. (If your heatproof bowl is very large, transfer to a new bowl is not necessary.) Whisk in the sugar, eggs and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth and glossy, about 1 minute. Stir in the flour and salt, and mix just until the dry ingredients are incorporated.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared baking pans. Gently smooth the batter in the pans. Bake 20-25 minutes, until the brownies are just firm to the touch. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pans 30 minutes. Then run a knife around the edge of each pan and invert the brownies onto the rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, add the chilled heavy cream to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on medium-high speed until medium-soft peaks form. Blend in the sugar, vanilla and espresso mixture, whipping just until combine. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Reserve and refrigerate 1 cup of the frosting for use in the filling. Set aside the rest of the frosting.

To make the filling, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the mascarpone, espresso liquid, sugar, vanilla and salt. Beat on medium speed until well blended and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gently fold in the reserved 1 cup of frosting with a spatula.

To assemble the torte, lay 1 of the brownie rounds to a large serving platter. Spread half of the filling mixture evenly over the top. Layer with another brownie round, and the remainder of the filling. Top with the final brownie layer. Cover the top and sides of the cake with the frosting. Garnish with the toffee bits to cover the top and sides of the cake. Use any remaining frosting to pipe decorative swirls around the top edge of the cake, if desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Eggs Benedict on Risotto Cakes

2010-09-20T21:39:00.002-04:00

Ok before we discuss how delicious eggs benedict are served over hot, crispy risotto cakes, it needs to be said that I've discovered the secret, my friends. The secret to making THE PERFECT poached egg. After a bit of research, and much trial and error, I've found the best method for poaching an egg here.
My first attempt at poaching was a bit of a mess. I had bought one of those poaching pans that you put above steaming water. Well, that was a complete disaster. My eggs stuck to the pan, my yolks hardened and it was just a failure. Then I tried just dropping my egg into a pan of boiling water. While this worked better than the poaching pan, it wasn't foolproof. The eggs stuck a bit and didn't coagulate and stay together. This final method seemed nearly foolproof! I think the swirl and the addition of the vinegar really seal the deal here.

So for the recipe below follow the link above when it comes to poaching your eggs.
The rest is up to me! I had made some traditional risotto a few nights before for dinner and this past Saturday while contemplating the usual pancakes or omelettes for breakfast, I noticed my leftover risotto. Suddenly it hit me. Why not make eggs Benedict-style and serve them over some crunchy, gooey risotto cakes instead of over boring English muffins? I had served eggs Benedict-style on top of croquettes made out of leftover mashed potatoes before and it was delicious. It seemed like a similar enough substition so I figured what the hell? I love it when I go with my instincts. This was so delicious!

I may make risotto in the future just so I can have leftovers to serve with poached eggs. So if you happen to come by some leftover risotto then don't pass up the opportunity to give this a try. It's a bit of work so early in the morning, but well worth it. Just pour yourself an extra mimosa and slap on your comfy house slippers. Brunch is served. Enjoy!

Eggs Benedict on Risotto Cakes

For the Risotto Cakes:
2 cups leftover risotto of any variety
1 egg
1 cup panko bread crumbs
olive oil and vegetable oil (have plenty on hand)

For the Hollandaise:
1 stick of butter, cubed
2 egg yolks
juice of half a lemon
salt and pepper

For the Poached Eggs:
4 eggs
1 tb white distilled vinegar

Prepare a large skillet for frying up the risotto cakes by coating the bottom with half olive oil and half vegetable oil. Turn the heat to medium while you make your risotto patties. In 1/2 cup increments scoop out your prepared leftover risotto. Form into small patties, dip in your beaten egg and then coat with panko bread crumbs. Once your oil is hot, place your rice paddies in the hot oil. Turn heat on pan down to medium low heat. Allow the patties to brown on one side for about 3 to 4 minutes before flipping to brown on the other side. Once evenly browned, removed with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels. Once your patties are fried up, set aside and cover to keep warm.

For the Hollandaise, set up a double boiler. Once the water is simmering below, add in your two egg yolks and your cubed butter. With a whisk, constantly whisk the yolks and butter together so as to temper the yolks while you melt the butter. Once the butter and yolks are combined, whisk in your lemon juice. Finally season with salt and pepper, turn heat to low and keep sauce warm while you poach your eggs. If your sauce starts to coagulate, I just whisk in a splash of boiling water to bring it back to a saucy consistency.

Finally you're ready to poach your eggs. Follow this method here, making sure to swirl the simmering water into a whirlpool and drop your eggs one by one into the center. It helps keep the egg together in the jacuzzi and they poach up to perfect squidginess after three to four minutes.

Once the eggs are done, you're ready to assemble your Benedict. Place two risotto patties on a plate. Top each patty with a poached egg and then drizzle generously with Hollandaise sauce. Serve with bacon and a lightly dressed green salad and enjoy!

Homemade Fettuccine with Preserved Lemons, Roasted Garlic and Shrimp

2010-09-12T22:10:00.004-04:00

I was watching Barefoot Contessa on The Food Network, as I so often am, and Ina had a guest on her show who was making Chicken Tagine. One of the ingredients was preserved lemons and I have to say I was intrigued by this concept. Lemons that have been cured, basically, in a salt-water solution making the whole fruit edible, from every last pithy bit of peel to each drop of pulpy pectin. I had to experiment with them for myself.

Fortunately, I was shopping in one of my favorite markets, Whole Foods , when I came across already prepared preserved lemons. They seem quite easy enough to make on your own but when I found them already made I figured what the heck! Less fuss and muss and I can test out this ingredient for myself and not go through a lot of trouble.
I didn't want to make the chicken tagine because, well basically it's a lot of food for two people and if we didn't like it I was afraid we'd have leftovers that would never leave. I did some internet searching on preserved lemons and found some recipes with pasta and preserved lemons.

I kind of fashioned my own creation, with inspiration from this web site's recipe for Pasta with Preserved Lemons and Roasted Garlic and came up with what you have below. I'm so glad that I did because this was an exceptionally flavorful dish. Very unique, but in a good way, and (in my opinion) very fancy. I mean it sounds like something that would be on the menu of a superb, chic little Italian restaurant on the upper West Side or something.
And because it was a rainy September Sunday, I decided to go ahead and make my own pasta from scratch. I whipped up the dough and got out my hand-crank pasta roller and set to work. I ended up with some beautiful fettuccine, albeit of various lengths (that just makes it more authentically hand-made, of course!). It cooked up tender and perfect and absorbed just the right amount of the lemony, vibrant sauce. Here's a pic of my lovely pasta ribbons drying on my make-shift pasta drying rack - shhh don't tell, it's my clothes drying rack:

So if you find some preserved lemons in your local market, give this pasta dish a try and let me know what you think. Or if you're feeling really industrious, make your own preserved lemons along with your pasta. You'll be your own little cottage industry right in your own kitchen! Enjoy!

Homemade Fettuccine with Preserved Lemon, Roasted Garlic and Shrimp

1 lb homemade fettuccine, or 1 lb store-bough pasta
1 whole bulb of garlic
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tb butter
1/4 cup olive oil plus 2 tb
1 preserved lemon, diced (the whole thing, pulp, skin and all - seeds removed though!)
1 1/2 cups of the cooking water from the pasta
1/2 cup basil leaves, chiffonaded

First, put your garlic to roast in the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut off the top half of the garlic clove, exposing the cloves. Rub with your two tablespoons of olive oil and then season lightly with salt and pepper. Place in a ramekin and then pour water into the dish so it measures up to about half of the clove of garlic. Cover with foil and roast in the oven for 1 hour. Remove and let the clove cool. Once it is cool, squeeze the pulp from the bulb and mash it together with a little olive oil. Set aside for later use.
Prepare your homemade fettuccine according to whichever recipe you prefer. I use 4 eggs and 1 pound of flour. Mix them together and then add a bit of olive oil to soften the dough. I then form it into a ball and then divide it into four equal parts to then place through my pasta roller. Once you've rolled out all your pasta sheets and then your fettuccine ribbons, hang the pasta to dry for a bit on a drying rack. Boil until al dente - about 8 to 10 minutes. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the cooking water for your sauce and then drain your pasta.
In a large skillet, melt your butter and the 1/4 cup olive oil together. Add in the minced garlic and let soften over medium heat. Add in your shrimp and your diced preserved lemon. Cook until the shrimp are opaque and pink. Add in your roasted garlic and cook for another minute. Finally, add in your reserved pasta water to form a sauce. If it's running, let it come to a slight simmer to thicken a bit and then remove from the heat. Toss with your pasta, top with your shredded basil and serve with grated parmesan or romano cheese.

Broccoli Rabe, Bacon and Scallop Pizza

2010-09-04T16:14:00.005-04:00

"Oh baby!" Those were the exact words of my mother when she bit into this pizza. Do yourself a favor and go make this pizza now. It's so delicious. The flavors go together so well - tender scallops, garlicky broccoli rabe, sweet tomatoes, sauteed onions, crisp, salty bacon and gooey fontina cheese. I mean how can you go wrong? The inspiration for this pizza came from some leftover scallops. I had a craving for broccoli rabe and fortunately the grocery store was brimming with lush, full bouquets of this bitter, leafy green.

I thought about how I could combine all these flavors in a unique way. This pizza came to mind and I'm so glad it did. It was delicious! I'll definitely be putting this pizza in a monthly rotation of meals. It's great for summer, fall, winter and spring too!
It's a bit labor intensive - I mean we're not just slapping marinara, cheese and pepperoni on some dough here. You have to do a lot of prep work to get the toppings ready, but believe me it's worth all the work. It is so yummy with a nice, cold glass of Pinot Grigio. Grill it or bake it, whatever you prefer. Just make it. You'll be glad you did! Enjoy!

Broccoli Rabe, Bacon and Scallop Pizza

1 bunch of broccoli rabe
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil plus two tablespoons
8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 cups fontina cheese, shredded
4 large scallops cooked
5 Campari tomatoes, sliced
1/2 vidalia onion
1 raw pizza dough

First, prepare your broccoli rabe. Trim the stalks from the broccoli rabe so that you just have the leafy tops. Rinse and drain and set aside. Fill a large pot with 1 inch of water and set to boil on the stove. Once boiling, throw in the broccoli rabe and reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Once done, drain the broccoli rabe and set aside.
In a small skillet, place your 1/4 cup olive oil along with your minced garlic. Saute until the garlic is softened and then add your cooked broccoli rabe. Saute for two more minutes and then remove from the pan and set aside.

In the same pan, heat two tablespoons of olive oil. Slice your onion thinly and then add to the pan. Saute until softened, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
Grill or bake your pizza dough according to directions. I buy the raw balls of dough at my grocery store and then grill it on a rimmed baking sheet or pizza pan on the hot grill. I stretch the dough out in the pan while it sits over a hot grill. As the dough starts to cook it takes on the shape of the pan. I close the lid, let it cook up on one side and then flip the dough onto the grill coals to parbake it on the other side. I remove the cooked pizza crust from the grill, return it to the baking sheet or pizza pan and start adding your toppings.
Drizzle the crust with olive oil and then ararnge your sliced tomatoes evenly over the crust. Next distribute your broccoli rabe and sauteed onions evenly over the dough. Next, slice your cooked scallops into discs and arrange evenly over the pizza. Finally top with your fontina cheese and then sprinkle over your crumbled bacon. Bake on 350 until the cheese is melted - or you can return it to the hot grill to melt the cheese.
Serve warm with grated cheese and crushed red pepper.

Fig and Prosciutto Flatbread

2010-09-03T21:13:00.003-04:00

Figs seem to be very "en vogue" lately. They are popping up on blogs everywhere. Fig jam, fig tortes, fig cookies - the possibilities and blog entries are endless. I'm sure you've seen many versions of a fig and prosciutto pizza or flatbread before, but this is my take on the classic pairing. For one, I'm not a big fan of fresh figs. The slimy consistency of the center, along with the texture of the outside just doesn't sit well for me. I don't know if I just haven't had good fresh figs, or if I just really don't like them. To me, dried figs have more flavor, a nice, chewy texture and a no-fail ripe, sweet taste that I can depend on.

Fresh figs are more of a gamble. So for my pizza I combine dried figs, caramelized onions with balsamic and fresh rosemary, crisp prosciutto, crumbled gorgonzola and garlic oil. I've made this pizza for a few different crowds and, I don't mean to brag...but I've been told by several of them that it's THE BEST pizza they've EVER tasted. (Yes I know how obnoxious that statement sounds.)

Oh and I call it flatbread because its square. To me, flatbread is square, pizza is round. And flatbread sounds...hmmm sexier. Like something from a gourmet restaurant perhaps? I know, can I get anymore pretentious with this pizza or what? Anyway, hope you enjoy my version of this figgy favorite!

Fig and Prosciutto Flatbread

1 portion pizza dough, grilled or baked (I buy the pre-made bags of raw dough at my grocery store)
1/2 large sweet onion, sliced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon rosemary
dash of salt
1/4 cup olive oil plus 2 tablespoons
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 thin slices of prosciutto
1 bag dried black mission figs, chopped (usually 6-8 oz bag)
1 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Lay your prosciutto out in a single layer onto a baking sheet. Crisp in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Grill or bake your pizza dough according to directions. I buy the raw balls of dough at my grocery store and then grill it on a rimmed baking sheet on the hot grill. I stretch the dough out in the pan while it sits over a hot grill. As the dough starts to cook it takes on the square shape of the pan. I close the lid, let it cook up on one side and then flip the dough onto the grill coals to parbake it on the other side. I remove the cooked pizza crust from the grill, return it to the my baking sheet and set it aside.
Meanwhile, I start preparing my other toppings. In a small skillet, I heat two tablespoons of olive oil. Add your sliced onions and cook over medium heat until slightly softened. Add your balsamic vinegar and rosemary and cook until the vinegar has thickened slightly. Season lightly with salt and once the onions are caramelized and cooked down. Remove the onions from the skillet to a plate and set aside.
Rinse and wipe out your skillet. Add your remaining 1/4 cup of olive and your minced garlic. Cook over low heat until the garlic is softened. You'll use this garlic oil as the sauce.
Now you're ready to assemble your pizza. First brush the crust with half of your garlic oil. Top evenly with your caramelized balsamic onions, then chopped figs, then crumble your prosciutto onto the pizza. Finally top with your crumbled gorgonzola. Return the pizza to a hot grill or put back into your preheated 350 degree oven and cook until the gorgonzola has melted.
Serve hot.

Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese Croquettes

2010-08-26T14:12:00.004-04:00

So I'm at my parent's beachhouse for the last three weeks of my maternity leave. My mom is here with me, and the baby too of course, and my husband comes up on the weekends. My mom and I have been doing a lot of dinners at home because lately it just seems like we can make whatever we would get in a restaurant, only much better, not to mention cheaper - GEESH do they jack up the prices in these resort towns!! Insane. Anyway, this salad is one of those dishes. They serve something similar at one of the local restaurants and charge something like $12 for a measly portion. I made this salad into a meal for my mom and myself. It was delicious! The combination of roasted beets and tangy goat cheese can't be, well...BEET! Get it?? Ok....I'll BEET it with the bad puns. No but really I'm done now. Haha.

Ok. So I combined a few recipes for similar salads out on the interwebs and came up with this version. I found the method for baking the goat cheese croquettes, rather than frying them, on Annie's Eats and the method for roasting the beets from Everyday Italian's Giada De Laurentiis. So cancel that reservation at your fancy coastal cuisine restaurant and get out your roasting pan because this simple, elegant yet hearty salad can be your dinner in no time flat! Enjoy!

Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese Croquettes

1 package of mixed field greens
6 beets, stems and leaves removed
1 red onion
1 avocado, sliced
1/2 cup of candied walnuts (you can purchase these already prepared)

For the Goat Cheese Croquettes:
1 log of goat cheese
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup breadcrumbs

For the Dressing:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tb shallots, minced
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Prepare your dressing. Whisk all the ingredients together and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Next, prepare your goat cheese croquettes. Slice your log of goat cheese in 3/4 in slices - you should probably end up with about 8 if you have an 8 oz. log of goat cheese. Have your egg and breadcrumbs set up in separate bowls for dipping. First dip the goat cheese slices in the beaten egg and then into the breadcrumbs. Arrange in a single layer on a plate and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, rinse your beets, but no need to peel them. The skins will come off easily after boiling. Place your trimmed beets into a large saucepan. Cover with cold water and set to boil on the stove. Boil the beets until you can stab a toothpick through them. Drain and rinse in cold water. Once the beets are cool you will be able to easily remove the skins. Cut the beets into quarters and place onto a rimmed baking sheet. Slice your red onion and toss it with the beets on the baking sheet. Toss the beets and onions with a few tablespoons of your prepared dressing, enough to lightly coat all the beets and onions.

Bake the beets and onions until they have caramelized - about 25-30 minutes. Once done, remove from the oven and let cool.

Remove your goat cheese croquettes from the freezer and bake in the oven on 475 degrees for 10 minutes, until golden brown but not melted! You'll want to serve these warm over the salad so don't bake them too far ahead of time.

Arrange your greens in a bowl and add your sliced avocado, candied walnuts and cooled onions and beets. Toss with a generous amount of dressing. Plate your salad and top with two to three goat cheese croquettes. Serve warm.

Homemade Cadillac Margaritas

2010-08-11T16:15:00.002-04:00

So I think I need to put a disclaimer at the beginning of this post. Ok, at the risk of ruining my reputation as an upstanding citizen ...I'm a bit of a lush when it comes to Margaritas. I like mine strong and they have to have three kinds of liquor in them - tequila, triple sec and Grand Marnier. To me, if you're going to drink a weak margarita then you might as well just have a glass of limeade, which I'm NOT a fan of.
I decided to make a pitcher of homemade Cadillac Margaritas for my husband and I after I bought a huge bag of limes for a party at one of those bargain warehouse stores and only used like 2 of them. When life gives you limes....well I think you can finish that one.

If I was to do this again, I would probably make my simply syrup less sweet. I'm not too keen on very sugary margaritas and unfortunately these were a bit sweet for me. My husband LOVED them though. Don't tell, but I'm pretty sure he had three.
Enjoy (responsibly of course!)!

Homemade Cadillac Margaritas

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 cups fresh lime juice (about 10-15 limes)
1 cup gold tequila
1/4 cup triple sec
1/3 cup Grand Marnier
lots of ice

In a small saucepan or in the microwave, melt the sugar and water together. Once the sugar is melted and you have a simple syrup, add it to a large pitcher. Mix in your lime juice and liquor. Toss in lots of ice, stir and serve in salt-rimmed glasses over ice.

Clams "Casino" Pizza

2010-08-09T20:29:00.004-04:00

Why can I not just make a simple pepperoni pizza? These homemade pizzas are certainly not "fast food" by any means - and I'm not even making homemade pizza dough!!! This idea came to me after seeing a Clams Casino Spaghetti on the menu of one of my favorite Italian restaurants in Bethany Beach, DE. I thought about it and said to myself, "Why can't we put those same toppings on a pizza?" So, I did. With a little twist of course.

The reason I have the word casino in quotes is because it has a few more elements than the traditional clams casino, but the name was catchy, succinct and, well, close enough to the original dish.
I steamed some clams, roasted some tomatoes, roasted some garlic, crisped up some prosciutto and grated some fontina and two hours later (haha) I had a pizza. I know it sounds labor intensive, but it was worth it.

This pizza is brimming with fresh, chopped clams, juicy, smoky tomatoes and topped with a roasted garlic cream sauce. You could easily just make a garlic oil too if you aren't into creamy sauces. Either way, if you like the flavors of clams casino, then I think you'll like this pizza. Enjoy!

Clams "Casino" Pizza

1 bag of pizza dough
2 dozen clams
1 pint of grape tomatoes
3 tb extra virgin olive oil
1 head of garlic
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup grated romano cheese
5 slices of thinly sliced prosciutto
1 cup of grated Italian Fontina cheese
a handful of fresh basil, chopped
salt and pepper

To start, steam your clams until they open up. Once open, remove the clams from their shells, clean out any sand, and then chop. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350. You will be crisping up your prosciutto, roasting your tomatoes and roasting your garlic in the oven and can do it all on separate racks at the same time.
Place your prosciutto on a baking sheet and cook in the oven until crispy, 15-20 minutes. Remove and crunch up into pieces. Set aside.
In the same oven you can roast your grape tomatoes. Toss them with 2 tablespoons olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast until softened, about 25-30 minutes. Remove and set aside.
For the garlic, slice off the top of a whole bulb of garlic. Rub with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place in a small baking dish. Pour water into the dish so it covers to about 1/4 way up the side of the bulb. Cover with foil. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes until the bulb is golden and soft. Once done, remove from the oven, let cool and then squeeze the pulp out from the bulb.

To make the cream sauce:
Mash your roasted garlic into a paste. In a small saucepan, whisk together your garlic paste, garlic powder and heavy cream until combined. Let the cream mixture come to a simmer and then reduce the heat. Mix in your grated romano cheese and season with salt and pepper. Once thickened, remove from the heat.

Prepare your pizza dough. You can either parbake it in a 350 oven or on a hot, oiled pan over the grill. Once the pizza dough has cooked up, remove from the heat and start to assemble your toppings. You want to cook the raw pizza dough first, then top it and then just heat and melt the cheese in a hot oven or over a hot grill.

First, spread half of your roasted garlic cream sauce over the crust of the pizza. Top evenly with your chopped clams, roasted tomatoes and crisped prosciutto. Finally, top with your grated fontina cheese. Drizzle with the rest of your cream sauce. Place the pizza back in the 350 oven and cook until your cheese has melted. Remove and top with chopped fresh basil. Slice and serve.

Ten Oaks Tavern's Buffalo Shrimp

2010-08-08T09:03:00.004-04:00

I love it when this happens. Let me start from the beginning. We live in a suburb. There aren't too many great, local restaurants out here but there are a few gems. And most of those places have one or two menu items that we end up nearly craving at least once a month. This shrimp dish is one of those such items. A local tavern out in the country, a true neighborhood pub, serves this delicious Buffalo Shrimp .

I'm not real sure why they call it "buffalo" shrimp since it doesn't taste like that chicken wing sauce everyone knows so well. For the longest time I couldn't figure out what spices they were using - I just knew they were good! Half a dozen plump, juicy shrimp, their outside layer caramelized to a perfect toothiness and are then swimming in a spicy buttery sauce. Then it happened!

I was getting my haircut at the salon in the same strip mall that the tavern is in (like I said, suburbs) and my hairdresser and I got to talking about local gossip. Before you know it we were discussing the shrimp and how good they are and she told me she got the recipe from the tavern's cook! She told me the recipe and that was that! I tried my hand at it last weekend when I was at the beach with my mom. The results were delicious and almost an exact replica of the restaurant's dish. It uses blackening seasoning as the spice component and sautes the shrimp in a butter and white wine sauce.

The dish works best if made in a cast iron skillet, but I unfortunately don't have one of those so I had to use a regular skillet. We didn't get that nice caramelization on the shrimp, but the flavor was still there. And there is so much sauce that you could easily serve this shrimp over rice or pasta if you wanted to make a nice, full meal out of it. So now, when I don't feel like going out to eat, I can make one of my favorite local restaurant meals myself at home. Like I said, I love it when this happens. Enjoy!

Ten Oaks Tavern's Buffalo Shrimp
source: my hairdresser

1 pound of large shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 15-20 shrimp total)
1 stick of butter (I know, just go with it)
1 tablespoon of Phillips Blackening Seasoning
1/2 cup of dry white wine
1/4 cup prepared blue cheese dressing for serving

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and blackening seasoning to the pan until it melts together and the butter browns slightly. Add in the shrimp and allow them to sear in the seasoned butter. Don't mix them around too much because you want to get a nice, crusty sear on them. Once the shrimp are cooked, remove them from the pan and then deglaze the pan with your dry white wine. Let the alcohol cook off and then pour the winey butter sauce over the shrimp. Serve hot with blue cheese dressing for dipping.

Artichoke and Tomato Bruschetta

2010-07-25T12:34:00.005-04:00

The heat has been insane lately in Maryland. It's almost too hot to eat anything these days! However, if you're looking for a light, tasty and fresh appetizer that will hold up in this oppressive heat this is it. I saw this post on Proud Italian Cook that included a recipe idea for Artichoke Salsa .

It sounded so good and since I love artichokes I knew it would be a hit. Plus, there is no need to warm up the oven and you don't even have to light the grill if you don't want to! Just cut up some nice French bread to serve this salsa-style artichoke mixture on. I did serve it on grilled flatbread squares, but if you can't stand the heat that extra step is not needed.
This dish is a bit labor intensive - interpreted to mean LOTS of chopping. I chopped everything by hand so it takes a while. But it's worth it. So stay cool and enjoy this yummy bruschetta!

Artichoke and Tomato Bruschetta
Adapted from Proud Italian Cook's blog

1 12 oz jar of marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
1 8 oz jar of pitted kalamata olives, chopped
2 to 3 ripe tomatoes, diced
1/2 of a red onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 fresh Cubanelle or Banana pepper, diced
a handful of basil, chiffonaded
1/2 of a lemon juiced
3 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
a loaf of French bread, sliced or pitas cut into triangles

After chopping and dicing your ingredients, combine them all in a bowl. Toss with the fresh squeezed lemon juice, olive oil, basil and salt and pepper. Season to taste - go easy on the salt because the olives will add salt as well as the marinated artichokes.

Grill your French bread or sliced pitas over hot coals until grill marks are formed. Serve artichoke mixture over pieces of grilled bread. Top with more basil leaves if desired.
(It also tastes great topped with a little shredded pecorino Romano cheese)

Violet Beauregard's Blueberry Pound Cake

2010-07-16T08:52:00.005-04:00

So do you know who Violet Beauregard is?? If you're a closet fan of the classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory film then you know exactly who I'm talking about. This greedy gum-chewer ends up turning into a blueberry before the end of her tour of the factory. The Oopma Loompas roll her away to be juiced, as her father laments, "I have a blueberry for a daughter." Remembering that great scene, I figured this pound cake would be right up Violet's alley.
After a recent trip to a local farmer's market, I came home with an overflowing pint of plump, juicy blueberries. (I wish I had taken a picture but I was trying to bake this cake as quick as I could before the baby woke up to eat so pictures were not in the cards until afterward! So here's a picture of my sweet, little baking interrupter:

Anyway, the blueberries were so beautiful and I knew I would never eat all of them before they went bad, so I figured the best thing to do was bake with them. I didn't feel like making blueberry muffins so I brainstormed on what else I could make. The idea of a blueberry pie was appealing, but I didn't have near enough blueberries for that. So I turned to an old faithful recipe for a super-moist pound cake, added my two cups of blueberries to the batter along with a cup of cinnamon streusel sugar and voila - Blueberry Cinnamon Streusel Pound Cake, or as I like to call it Violet Beauregard's Blueberry Pound Cake .

Bursting with sweet, juicy blueberries this is great for dessert or breakfast. The spicy streusel streaming through the center of the cake adds a flavorful touch. And the crazy amounts of butter along with a block of cream cheese make this THE MOISTEST pound cake I've EVER tasted. It would be a great cake to share with friends or bring to a party because it's truly no-fail! Enjoy!

Violet Beauregard's Blueberry Pound Cake
adapted from Nordstrom Family and Friends Cookbook and Ina Garten's streusel recipe

For the Pound Cake:
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, or 3 sticks, at room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for preparing the pan
1 8-oz package of cream cheese at room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
6 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups ripe blueberries, or 3 cups if you have it (this is my addition)

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

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees. Butter a 10-in tube pan or Bundt pan and then dust the pan with flour, tapping out the excess. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer set on high speed, beat together the butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides and then beat on high speed for 1 minute longer. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour 1 cup at a time, beating after each addition until the flour disappears. Do not overmix.
Fold in your blueberries.
Next, make your streusel. Combine all the dry ingredients and cut the butter into the flour and sugar mixture with fork or your fingers until you achieve a crumbly mixture. Now you're ready to assemble the batter into your prepared pan.
Pour half the batter into a prepared pan. Next, disperse the streusel mixture evenly over the top of the batter. Finally cover with the remaining half of the cake batter.
Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the top comes out clean, about 1 1/4 hours. Remove from the oven and let the cake rest in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Invert a rack on top of the cake, invert the cake and rack and then lift off the pan. Let cook slightly before serving.

Roasted Tomato and Basil Risotto

2010-07-13T21:32:00.003-04:00

I love summer! Every summer I grow herbs on my patio and it's so much fun to plan meals around the fresh supply I have waiting for me. This was one of those meals, inspired by my little herb pots. I love basil. It smells so lovely, with a slight hint of anise. It just reminds me of the summer I spent in Florence, Italy.

This risotto was kind of modeled after a caprese salad, but I left out the fresh mozzarella and substituted grated romano instead. You might think risotto is too heavy for a summer dish - not to mention the 30 minutes spent stirring it over a hot stove. But this risotto has a really fresh light flavor, accented with grilled tomatoes and a ton of fresh basil. I served it with a Grilled Pinot Grigio Pork Tenderloin , marinated in a mixture of fresh rosemary from my herb pots, garlic, dijon mustard, Pinot Grigio wine, olive oil and salt and pepper.

So if you have some extra time give this delicious fresh summery risotto a try. Just crank up your AC for the stirring part.
Enjoy!

Roasted Tomato and Basil Risotto

1 pint of cherry tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, minced
5 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of butter
1/2 of a vidalia onion (it calls for the whole thing but I don't like that much onion)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup of Arborio rice
1 cup of dry white wine
4-6 cups of chicken stock or water
a handful of chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

Fire up your grill or preheat your oven to 400 degrees. In a foil pan, toss your cherry tomatoes with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and your 4 minced cloves of garlic. Roast until tomatoes have blistered, either over a hot grill or in the oven - about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Finely chop your onion and garlic. Over medium heat, heat the olive oil along with your butter in a risotto pan or large heavy bottom saute pan. Add your onion and garlic and cook until translucent, about 7 to 10 minutes. Then add your arborio rice and toss often, allowing the rice kernels to toast up a bit, about 7 to 10 minutes. This helps them absorb the liquid more efficiently.
Then add your cup of wine and stir until the liquid is nearly completely absorbed. In a saucepan, heat your 4 cups of chicken stock over low heat. Once warm, add it to your risotto one cup at a time, stirring occasionally so your rice doesn't stick or burn. If the liquid is evaporating too quickly in your risotto pan, turn your heat down to medium low. You'll have to find the perfect temp on your range.
Once all the liquid has been absorbed and your rice is cooked to al dente, remove the pan from the stove. This could take anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes depending on your stove and temperature and how often you've been stirring.
Off the heat, stir in the tomatoes, basil and grated cheese until combined. Season with salt and pepper and serve hot.

40th Birthday Party

2010-07-06T20:51:00.003-04:00

My wonderful, loving, very young-at-heart husband turned 40 this past weekend. Here's a pic of the birthday boy by his Happy 40th Birthday sign.

I threw a nice little barbeque pool party for him with about 30 of our friends. We had great weather, a friendly crowd and tons of food. With a little help from my mom, I was able to pull off the following menu:

Appetizers:
Homemade Gaucamole
Shrimp Cocktail
Antipasti Skewers (that consisted of marinated artichoke hearts, pepperoni, marinated mixed Greek olives, and marinted mozzarella balls - all store bought and skewered up because people like food on sticks)

Cheddar Ale Spread

Main Course:
Hamburgers
Hotdogs
Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken
Deviled Eggs
Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad
Baby Greens Salad with Mandarin Oranges, Cranberries, Almonds and Shaved Parmesan

Desserts:
Tropical Carrot Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting for the birthday cake

Homemade Apple Pie

Weekend on the Chesapeake

2010-06-27T22:25:00.002-04:00

For Father's Day my family spent the weekend at my dad's house on the Chesapeake Bay. We had a beautiful weekend weatherwise and enjoyed some fun time on the water - boating, kayaking and crabbing! My dad caught and steamed up over two dozen crabs. I have big plans for a future post on the Maryland Blue Crab tradition - there is a method to our madness out here in Maryland. It's about more than just Old Bay and newspaper-lined tables. But that's for another post.
Meanwhile, let me distract you with some pretty pictures from the weekend. Enjoy!

Pizza Gabriella

2010-06-10T19:42:00.006-04:00

Ok so this name may be a bit cheesy, I know. Yes I've become that parent. I've already named something after my daughter. But I have good reason! I've made this pizza twice in the last week and a half, due to a request by my husband. It's his new favorite. Kind of like our daughter...seeing the connection?? I figured since it was so delicious and so loved by my husband, what else would I call it? It just seemed like a natural fit.

This pie marries grilled eggplant with fresh tomatoes, shredded fontina cheese, crispy prosciutto and fresh basil. The inspiration for this pizza came from two perfect eggplants I bought at the market last week. I knew I wanted to grill the eggplant and figured building a pizza around it was a pretty good start. I had some fontina in the fridge along with a container of sweet little cherry tomatoes. And because my husband has a hard time swallowing meatless meals (I know, I know) I had to add some crispy prosciutto to the mix.

What you're left with is a hearty pizza pie with tons of fresh flavor. If it's nice outside you can practically cook this whole meal on the grill! Just cook the prosciutto on low flame because it will burn easily. Hope you enjoy our Pizza Gabriella - oh and feel free to rename it after your favorite person :) Enjoy!

Pizza Gabriella

3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup olive oil plus 5 tablespoons
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 eggplant, sliced into rounds that are 1/4 to 1/2 in thick
1 pint of cherry tomatoes or Campari tomatoes, sliced
5 thin slices of prosciutto
1 1/2 cups fontina cheese, grated
1 Boboli pizza crust, or your favorite pizza crust or dough
8 basil leaves, chiffonaded
grated Romano cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a sheet pan, lay out your prosciutto slices and crisp up in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Once crisp, remove from oven. When they are cool you can chop or crumble the slices up so you can sprinkle them over your pizza when assembling.
In a small saute pan, heat up the 1/4 cup of olive oil and add in your chopped garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook over medium to medium low heat until the garlic has softened. Once the garlic is tender, remove from the heat and set aside.
Spread your eggplant rounds out and brush each side with olive oil and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a grill pan or over a hot grill, place your eggplant rounds and cook about 3 minutes on each side until slightly softened and singed with grill marks. Remove from grill and set aside.
Preheat oven to 425 if using Boboli.
Now you're ready to assemble your pie. Place your crust on a pizza pan (if you're using a raw pizza dough I would suggest cooking it first, either over a hot grill or in the oven, then assembling your pizza toppings and then cook it on 350 degrees). Take your garlic pepper oil and brush it generously all over the crust, making sure to get lots of garlic and pepper bits on the crust. Next top evenly with your slices of tomatoes. Next top with your slices of grilled eggplant, spreading them evenly over the tomatoes. Next sprinkle your crumbled prosciutto over the pizza and then top with your grated fontina cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Remove from the oven and top with shredded basil and a sprinkle of Romano cheese.

Raisin Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

2010-06-04T20:00:00.002-04:00

This post may come off sounding like an Oscar-winning speech, with these delicious cookies as the award. "I have to thank my husband who supported me through the whole process, allowing me to craft these delicious cookies."

OK that might be a bit dramatic. But honestly, I wouldn't have been able to make these sweet morsels, that I've been craving for a few weeks now, without the help of my fabulous husband. The shopping for ingredients, mixing, baking and savoring wouldn't be possible without his unwavering devotion to give me a few hours of free time from mommy-duty.

As many of you may already know, either from first-hand experience or word of mouth, being a new mommy is demanding. It's rewarding in more ways than you can really explain, but it can also be exhausting. Especially when you're breastfeeding. You're the only one that can feed the baby and in the early days it ties you to their ravenous feeding schedule that takes place every 2 to 3 hours. So if you want to do something, you need to plan ahead and make sure you maximize the free time you have in between feedings. And you only have that free time if you have a supportive spouse or partner or family member to watch the baby for you so you can hopefully get something done. Most of the time we double team on baby duty between feedings, but when I proposed breaking away so I could make these cookies, my husband said "No problem."

So I was off, playing beat the clock before baby became cranky and ready to eat again. Fortunately, these cookies were foolproof, easy to make and baked up quickly. I got them done in no time and was ready for baby when she was ready to eat. Considering that, I guess I should also thank Ina Garten for creating such a simple, yummy recipe. Ok cue the music, it's definitely time for me to leave the podium. Hope you get a chance to bake and enjoy these cookies!!

Raisin Pecan Oatmeal Cookies
Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa

1 1/2 cups pecans
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 cup granulated sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 1/2 cups raisins
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the pecans on a sheet pan and bake for 5 minutes, until crisp. Set aside to cool. Chop very coarsely.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla.

Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together into a medium bowl. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Add the oats, raisins, and pecans and mix just until combined.

Using a small ice-cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop 2-inch mounds of dough onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper. Flatten slightly with a damp hand. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer the cookies to a baking rack and cool completely.

Bananas Foster French Toast

2010-05-22T13:09:00.004-04:00

Are you drooling?? Because I was when I first read that. I saw this sinfully rich recipe in the latest Williams-Sonoma catalog and I just couldn't resist. Ever since I was maybe 10-years-old and my parents took me to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse for dinner, I've been obsessed with Bananas Foster . They used to prepare it tableside for a dessert. A tuxedo-outfitted waiter would wheel over a little cart with a hot plate and skillet on it. He'd have a bowl of ripe bananas, a bottle of rum, a dish full of brown sugar and another dish full of soft butter. The flame would click on and the show would begin. He'd start by slicing up the bananas and melting the butter in the pan. Then he'd toss the bananas with the butter and then sprinkle in the brown sugar. Finally, the grand finale - the rum would go in and he'd light it on fire. You could feel the heat and smell the strong liquor burning off. The whole skillet would be a blaze for about 20 to 30 seconds until the alcohol had burned off and all that was left was sticky, buttery, banana goodness. Then this warm mixture would be spooned over cold vanilla ice cream and served in a pretty silver dish. Heaven! For a while the restaurant stopped serving tableside Bananas Foster, and I never really understood why. I believe they have finally brought it back, and of course I can make the dish whenever I want since the technique is so easy. And you really don't need to light it on fire, that's just part of the show.

Considering my love for Bananas Foster, it's a wonder I didn't think of doing something like this on my own! I think the only thing this recipe is missing is a scoop of cold, creamy vanilla ice cream. Not exactly a healthy breakfast, but everyone is owed a sugary carb overload every now and then. And most importantly, they are baby approved.

Enjoy!

Bananas Foster French Toast
Williams-Sonoma Catalog

4 eggs
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup milk
6 Tbs. firmly packed dark brown sugar
Kosher salt, to taste
4 day-old slices brioche or other egg bread, each 1 inch thick
6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
4 bananas, cut on the bias into 1/2-inch slices
1/4 cup dark rum
1/2 tsp. vanilla bean paste
3 Tbs. water
Directions:
Preheat an oven to 200ºF.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, cinnamon, milk, 1 Tbs. of the brown sugar and a pinch of salt until well combined. Pour half of the egg mixture into a deep pie dish. Soak 1 bread slice, turning once, for 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining bread and egg mixture. Gently pour any remaining egg mixture over the bread until absorbed.

In an 11-inch French skillet over medium heat, melt 1 1/2 Tbs. of the butter. Add 2 bread slices and cook, turning once, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a wire cooling rack set over a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with 1 1/2 Tbs. of the butter and the remaining bread.

In a 9-inch French skillet over medium-high heat, melt the remaining 3 Tbs. butter. Add the bananas and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully pour in the rum, then add the remaining 5 Tbs. brown sugar, the vanilla bean paste, water and a pinch of salt. Stir to coat the bananas evenly. Simmer until the bananas are soft and the sauce is thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer the French toast to individual plates and top with the bananas. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

Herb Pesto Scallop Kabobs with Fontina Black Pepper Risotto

2010-05-20T16:05:00.004-04:00

This was one of my "last suppers", I guess you could say. I made this dinner for my family the Sunday before our little baby made her arrival into this world. It was a pretty decent day outside so perfect for a grilled feast, which is what we had. I didn't really follow a recipe for the kabobs.
We simply skewered up some fat, juicy scallops alongside pieces of onion, eggplant, red pepper and baby bella mushroom caps. I drizzled them with olive oil and grilled them until done. Meanwhile, I concocted an herb pesto of Italian parsley, fresh basil, garlic, olive oil and Romano cheese. I left out the pine nuts because my mom is not a big fan of those. And I have to say, without the pine nuts it makes a very light tasting, very fresh pesto sauce. Once the kabobs were done I de-skewered them (is that even a word?) and then tossed them with the pesto.

It was so light and delicious! I thought for sure there would be a ton of leftovers only because I bought way too many ingredients, but we ate almost all of the scallops and veggies up! Healthy and yummy.

And because we were being so good with the main course, I had to create a decadent side dish to go with the grilled abbondanza. I followed a basic risotto recipe, which I now know by heart, and just added about two cups of grated Fontina cheese and tons of freshly ground black pepper at the end. Once you stir in the cheese you get a smooth and creamy cheesy rice dish that is to die for. We literally scrapped the serving bowl clean on this one. Here's the recipe if you're interested in eating way too much of a good thing. Enjoy!

Fontina and Black Pepper Risotto

2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of butter
1/2 of a vidalia onion (it calls for the whole thing but I don't like that much onion)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup of Arborio rice
1 cup of dry white wine
4-6 cups of chicken stock or water
2 cups grated Fontina cheese
salt and pepper (freshly ground)

Finely chop your onion and garlic. Over medium heat, heat the olive oil along with your butter in a risotto pan or large heavy bottom saute pan. Add your onion and garlic and cook until translucent, about 7 to 10 minutes. Then add your arborio rice and toss often, allowing the rice kernels to toast up a bit, about 7 to 10 minutes. This helps them absorb the liquid more efficiently.
Then add your cup of wine and stir until the liquid is nearly completely absorbed. In a saucepan, heat your 4 cups of chicken stock over low heat. Once warm, add it to your risotto one cup at a time, stirring occasionally so your rice doesn't stick or burn. If the liquid is evaporating too quickly in your risotto pan, turn your heat down to medium low. You'll have to find the perfect temp on your range.
Once all the liquid has been absorbed and your rice is cooked to al dente, remove the pan from the stove. This could take anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes depending on your stove and temperature and how often you've been stirring.
Off the heat, stir in your grated Fontina until melted. Finally, season liberally with freshly ground pepper. Serve hot!

Welcome our Little Chef!!

2010-05-17T17:30:00.003-04:00

Introducing Gabriella Rose! She was born May 15 at 1:05 p.m. weighing 6 pounds, 13 oz. and 20.5 inches long! We couldn't believe how tiny she was. She's perfect in every way and she already has a great appetite. Can't wait to share my love of all things food with our beautiful daughter. I may be out of commission for a while, but look forward to getting back in the swing of things with our new addition.

White Bean and Pancetta Bruschetta

2010-05-11T17:49:00.003-04:00

This little starter really exemplifies how simple, fresh and delicious Italian food can be. I've been making these as an appetizer for family gatherings for a while. They are easy to prepare, healthy and just downright delicious.
Basically, you grill fresh French bread and top with a warm bean and bacon mixture that has been flavored with garlic and rosemary. It doesn't get much better than that! There is an alternative way to make the bread portion that isn't as healthy - and I do opt for it when I have the time and don't mind making a mess. You can fry the slices of French bread in a shallow pan filled with olive oil and crushed whole cloves of garlic. The fried bread is...well, as you can imagine, really delicious. But it's greasier, heavier and messier than simple grilling the bread over hot coals. So in the summer I opt for grilling the bread. Try it both ways and see which you prefer! Enjoy!

White Bean and Pancetta Bruschetta

1 can of white cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
1 6 oz package of pancetta (usually sliced thin)
3 cloves garlic (You can use less if you aren't a big garlic fan), chopped
2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
grated Romano cheese for topping toasts.
1 French baguette, sliced

In a skillet, brown your pancetta. Once crispy remove from the pan and set aside. To the skillet, add in the garlic and a tablespoon of olive oil and cook until the garlic is tender. Once tender, add the rosemary and cannelini beans along with the crispy pancetta. Cook until the beans are well coated and the rosemary has softened up a bit (about 3 minutes). Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, preheat a grill or a grill pan. Coat your baguette slices on both side with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on the grill and watch carefully as they toast up. Flip after about a minute to two minutes on each side. Bread will be slightly charred with grill marks. Remove from grill and top each slice with your bean mixture. Drizzle the toasts with the additional tablespoon of olive oil (or more if needed) and then top each toast with grated Romano cheese. Serve warm.

Mother's Day: Fresh Strawberry Crumb Pie

2010-05-10T16:50:00.002-04:00

So Mother's Day has come and gone and...yup I'm STILL pregnant! It's getting a little frustrating at this point since it doesn't look like I'm going to be giving birth anytime around my due date - unless things start progressing quickly (which I've told could happen). But I've been told that more often than not, first babies like to come late. That's OK I guess. More time to prepare right?? And more time to cook! Either way, I did enjoy psuedo-celebrating my first "unofficial" Mother's Day.

I bought a beautiful box of strawberries from Trader Joe's last week and decided to make a strawberry pie with my loot. It helps that both my mom and I love strawberries! I haven't ever made a strawberry pie before, but knew that I wanted to make one where the berries have been cooked, versus one that just features the whole berries in a cooked pie shell. While those are prettier, I am not a fan of that jelly type stuff that you have to coat the strawberries with.

I found this recipe online from Emeril Lagasse and it sounded right up my alley. It's basically a traditional fruit pie with a crumb topping. It made for a delicious end to a very wonderful Mother's Day! And hopefully I'll be a mother in the full sense of the word very, very soon! Enjoy!

Strawberry Crumb Pie
www.foodnetwork.com

Pie Crust:
1 stick butter
3 ounces cream cheese
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch salt

For the crumb topping:
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup oatmeal
4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly

For the filling:
6 cups (2 pounds) quartered strawberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest

Directions
In the bowl of a food processor combine butter and cream cheese and process until smooth. Add flour and salt and process just until mixture comes together to form a ball. Remove dough from the processor and shape into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

While the pie crust is chilling, prepare the crumb topping. Combine the 1/3 cup sugar, 1/2 cup flour, and the oatmeal in a small bowl and toss to combine. Add the melted butter and stir until thoroughly incorporated. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Working on a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough out to a thickness of 1/8-inch and fit it into a 9 or 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Return pie crust to the refrigerator for 20 minutes, then blind bake until lightly golden, about 18 minutes. Remove and transfer to a wire rack to cool while you assemble the strawberry filling. Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl combine the strawberries with the sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch and toss to combine. Spoon the strawberry filling into the prepared piecrust and spread the crumb topping evenly over the top of the filling. Bake in the middle of the oven for 1 hour, or until filling is bubbly and crust and crumb topping are golden brown. Transfer to a rack to cool to room temperature before serving.

I'm a BAAAAAD blogger!!

2010-04-30T15:34:00.003-04:00

Tap, tap, tap...Anyone still out there?? Anyone still checking in with me? Ugh. I'm so sorry I've been so MIA lately. To be honest, I just have not been in a real cooking mood lately - carrying around this baby belly all day makes you tired!
Here's a recent pic from 37 weeks:

And we've been very busy trying to get ready for baby so when I do cook it's really simple, quick stuff - grilled meat, chicken or fish with salad and bread mainly. Or we go out or order in. Bad I know.
I miss blogging. I miss cooking and I miss photographing my food! I also miss my energy though. I keep seeing all these beautiful posts going up all around me on food blogs and I'm feeling so behind.
I'm hoping to get a renewed energy soon, although I'm sure once the baby comes(which could technically be any day now), I'll have even less time and energy to cook. Don't fret - I will be back! In fact, I'm hoping to do some baking and cooking this weekend. I've seen some gorgeous strawberries in the stores lately and I'd love to bake something up with those if I have time.
I'm also planning a (gulp) huge 40th birthday party for my husband this July - yes folks he's going to be 40!! Seriously though he looks like he's 28. Here are some pics from a wedding we went to last week:

He always gets carded when ordering a drink! And a few times they refused to serve him because they didn't believe he was as old as his license says he is. Crazy!
I'm going to start entering him into contests for age guessing or something, if those exist. Anyway, I plan on cooking for that event with some help from my mom - ok a lot of help from my mom!! So stay tuned. There will be tons of good updates - food, parties and very soon baby pics. Thanks for sticking around!! Happy eating!

Cinnamon-Cream Cheese Monkey Bread

2010-04-07T13:42:00.004-04:00

There are several variations of so-called "Monkey Bread" out there on the blog-o-sphere and in cookbooks galore. Well stop making all of those. Don't question why, just do it. Well, ok I'll tell you why. Because this one here is "da bomb" - literally and figuratively. It's got all the wonderfully yummy qualities of monkey bread, but with the added touch of cream cheese.

This particular recipe is one that I've been making for a few years now, but unfortunately I can't remember where I found it! I liked this recipe because it included filling each little sweet, cinnamon ball with a square of cream cheese. So every piece of this pull-apart bread is like it's own sticky cheese danish. Ingenious!! I'm thinking this was originally a Paula Deen recipe, figuring she's the only one that could make something as decadent as monkey bread even more fattening and delicious. However, a search online and on Food Network's website brought up only traditional monkey breads, without the cream cheese. Oh well. So anyway, here is the recipe and for now I'll leave the source as anonymous. Enjoy!

Cinnamon-Cream Cheese Monkey Bread

1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cans of refrigerated biscuits (10 count cans work best)
1 block of Philadelphia cream cheese, cut into 20 cubes
1 stick of butter
1 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a bundt pan by spraying it with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. Mix together your cinnamon and sugar. On a cutting board or clean work surface, separate your biscuits. Sprinkle each biscuit top with your cinnamon sugar mixture. Place a cube of cream cheese in the center of each biscuit and then fold the edges in to conceal the cube of cream cheese. Rolling the biscuits between your hands to form a small ball is helpful.
Once you have all your biscuits filled and rolled into balls, put them into a large ziploc bag. Pour in the rest of your cinnamon sugar mixture and shake to thoroughly coat the biscuits.
In a small saucepan melt together your butter and brown sugar until combined - don't burn!! Now you're ready to assemble your bread. First, scatter your chopped walnuts around the bottom of the bundt pan. Then place half of your biscuit balls into the bundt pan, make sure to evenly space them around the pan as well (although they will be stacked on top of each other). Cover those with your butter and brown sugar mixture. Then add the remaining biscuit balls and then coat with your remaining butter and brown sugar. (I find there is always a little too much butter and brown sugar so I end up discarding a bit. You could bring the measurements down a touch to account for this, unless you want it really ooey, gooey sweet). Bake in the oven on the middle rack for 40 to 50 minutes, until the biscuits have plumped up and get golden brown. Serve warm with your favorite hot coffee.

Salmon Cobb Burgers

2010-04-05T20:33:00.003-04:00

I have something to admit. I'm a virgin. A salmon burger virgin that is of course! Not only that, but I've never ever bought canned salmon before so this was a whole new experience for me. I guess you can say I've been afraid of what I would encounter inside the can. I was picturing a fishy, gelatinous mess. Gladly, I was mistaken. I bought the most expensive canned salmon available (at $6 a can) in the hopes that it would have the least fishy quality. It was quite good and very meaty. The picking over part was a bit of a job though.

There are tons of fine bones, spine bones and even some slimy skin mixed in with the good salmon meat. It takes some patience and time to pick through the meat and clean it out, but it's definitely worth it. Canned salmon packs a tasty punch and we really loved having these non-traditional burgers. Now that it's warm out, I want to try another variety of these fish cakes but done on the grill. I found the initial recipe at Rachael Ray Magazine's website. I changed it slightly, but kept a lot of the original attributes. I linked to the original recipe below and posted what I did with my burgers. If you're a canned salmon and salmon burger virgin like me I encourage you to get yourself to the canned seafood aisle of your grocery store and go crazy. I promise you'll walk away satisfied! Enoy!

Salmon Cobb Burgers
adapted slightly from Rachael Ray Magazine's recipe

One 14.7-ounce can salmon, drained and picked over
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
salt and pepper
extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons Ranch dressing
4 poppy seed Kaiser style rolls, toasted
1 tomato, sliced
8 slices cooked bacon
4 slices American cheese

In a medium-size bowl, mix together the drained and picked salmon with the breadcrumbs, parsley, egg, dijon mustard and season with salt and pepper. Form into 4 patties. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil, enough to lightly coat a medium skillet, over medium heat. Once pan is hot place down your salmon patties and cook until evenly browned on both sides, about 4 minutes on each side. Top each patty with a slice of cheese, remove from the heat and cover to allow the residual heat to melt the cheese.
Now get ready to assemble your sandwiches. Dress each toasted roll with a tablespoon of Ranch dressing, top and bottom. Use more if needed or desired. Put down a slice tomato, top with your salmon pattie, top with two slices of bacon each. Serve and enjoy!

Philly's Best Cheesesteak

2010-03-30T08:51:00.002-04:00

Philly and I go way back. It's where I was born and lived for the first year of my life, it's where my parents grew up and it's where most of my relatives still live in or around today. My little brother attended Drexel University and then decided to stay in the city to live. So my husband and I go up for a visit every now and then to hang out with my brother in his stomping ground. Now despite my long history with Philadelphia and my countless visits and hours spent in the city, I've never ever had a real Philly cheesesteak. Shocking isn't it?? I've had most every other Philly food - great Italian, Philly pretzels, a hoagie, but never a real, honest to goodness cheesesteak. My husband, being a native Marylander, had never had a cheesesteak either and every time we go up to Philly to visit he gripes about why we never get cheesesteaks. So two weeks ago we went up on a beautiful weekend and took a trip to the famous "cheesesteak corner" in South Philly for one of Geno's gut-busters.

On this busy corner are two Philly landmarks - Pat's King of Steaks and Geno's .

My brother claimed Geno's was the better of the two, so we went with Geno's. Both cheesesteak joints had long lines, but they moved fairly quickly. Of the two places, Geno's definitely has much more curb appeal.

Bright, neon orange signs beckon hungry patrons. Vegas-style flourescent lighting draws your eye in while pictures of Geno's owners arm in arm with celebrities line the glossy orange-tiled walls. Big panel-size windows let you peek in on the quickly moving operation as four to five guys work feverishly to construct cheesesteak after cheesesteak.

The ordering can be a bit anxious, a la the soup nazi in Seinfeld , so we had my brother, a seasoned Philadelphia and cheesesteak afficionado, do the ordering for us.

The Rules? Here they are:
Don't linger at that window - know what you want, speak up, say it and move on. The line is long, people are hungry and Geno's cooks are busy. No time for a slow decision maker waxing poetic about the difference between a whiz wit and wit-out. Just do it man! Don't think about the calories, the cholesterol, the fat and the zero nutritional value of this meal.

That's something that should have struck you long before you waited in line. Once you commit to the cheesesteak, you need to go whole hog - cheese fries, whiz wit (translated to cheesesteak with cheese wiz and sauteed onions, the only way to eat it apparently) and a large soda to wash it all down.
I was afraid of the possible extreme saltiness of the cheese wiz, so I opted for the cheesesteak with provolone.

It was good, but one bite of my brother's whiz wit and I was regretting my decision. Nobody beats the whiz, at least when it comes to cheesesteak. The oozing, goey cheese just makes the sandwich, hands down.

I did get the fries with cheese whiz and they were delicious. The cheese whiz isn't what you're thinking. It's not the salt-laden stuff you find in the grocery store. It's much creamier and much less salty and has actual cheese flavor.

I knew my husband was enjoying his whiz wit meal because I don't think he said one single word once his cheesesteak was in hand. He wouldn't even stop to pose for a picutre! I made sure to document my first cheesesteak experience though, full, smiling mouth and everything!

Next time we're in Philly we'll conquer Pat's and see how it compares. According to my brother there is no comparison. Geno's is just better. We shall see...

Fresh Pineapple Salsa

2010-03-26T09:06:00.003-04:00

The weather is getting warmer in Maryland and that opens the door for lighter, fresher meals. I was making grilled salmon soft tacos and instead of topping them with jarred salsa I was inspired by the balmy weather to think of something a little more tropical. I surfed the grocery store for ingredients that would make the perfect fresh pineapple salsa and here is what I came up with. I have to say - this salsa was delicious! A bit spicy, a bit sweet, very juicy and flavorful and a great complement for any grilled fish or pork or chicken. Here's to hoping this nice spring weather sticks around a little longer before we get straight into the humid summer. Enjoy!

Fresh Pineapple Salsa

1 1/2 cup chopped pineapple
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
1/4 sweet onion, minced very finely
1 tomato, chopped
1 avocado, chopped
juice of half a lime
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
salt to taste
pepper to taste

The preparation is simple. Chop all your vegetables and combine in a mixing bowl. Squeeze your lime juice over the chopped fruit and vegetables. Season with salt and pepper (taste for flavoring - I like to go easy on the salt since I usually eat it with either salted chips or food that has been salted) and toss in your chopped cilantro and mixed garlic. Let the salsa sit for about 20 minutes so the flavors can combine. Serve and enjoy with tortilla chips or on top of your grilled fish or poultry.

Barefoot Bloggers: Chicken Caesar Club

2010-03-24T17:52:00.002-04:00

Well, I didn't really follow this recipe exactly. I used some of Ina's ideas, but made this into a Chicken Caesar salad, rather than a sandwich. I just wasn't in the mood for a chicken sandwich for dinner the night I made this, but a big salad sounded great. I did serve it with garlic bread though, so it had all the sandwich elements just deconstructed a bit.
I liked this dressing a lot - but I think that is mainly due to the fact that I substituted olive oil for the mayonnaise. I have come to the conclusion that I don't really like creamy Caesar dressings. I'm more of a traditionalist and go for the oil-based Caesars. I did add one tablespoon of mayo to help bind it a bit, but that was all. My dad makes a great Caesar dressing with similar components (oil-based of course) but he uses raw egg. Being pregnant, I have to forego the raw egg, and fortunately it doesn't really seem to make much of a difference in consistency. Overall this made a simple, delicious supper! I've included the original recipe below. My basic changes were olive oil for mayo, plus 1 tb of mayo and, to make it a salad, a head of romaine and only 1 chicken breast. The prosciutto and sundried tomatoes were a great flavor addition to this salad so I included them, along with shavings of parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Chicken Caesar Club
www.foodnetwork.com, Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten

•2 split (1 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
•Good olive oil
•Kosher salt
•Freshly ground black pepper
•4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta
•1 large garlic clove, chopped
•2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
•1 1/2 teaspoons anchovy paste
•1 teaspoons Dijon mustard
•1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
•1/2 cup good mayonnaise
•1 large ciabatta bread
•2 ounces baby arugula, washed and spun dry
•12 sun-dried tomatoes, in oil
•2 to 3 ounces Parmesan, shaved
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan skin side up. Rub the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until cooked through. Cool slightly, discard the skin and bones, and slice the meat thickly. Set aside.

Meanwhile, place the pancetta on another sheet pan in a single layer. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until crisp. Set aside to drain on paper towels.

Place the garlic and parsley in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until minced. Add the anchovy paste, mustard, lemon juice, and mayonnaise and process again to make a smooth dressing. (Refrigerate the Caesar dressing if not using it immediately.)

Slice the ciabatta in half horizontally and separate the top from the bottom. Toast the bread in the oven, cut side up, for 5 to 7 minutes; cool slightly. Spread the cut sides of each piece with the Caesar dressing. Place half the arugula on the bottom piece of bread and then layer in order: the sun-dried tomatoes, shaved Parmesan, crispy pancetta, and sliced chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and finish with another layer of arugula. Place the top slice of ciabatta on top and cut in thirds crosswise. Serve at room temperature.

Chunky Banana Bran Muffins

2010-03-15T10:37:00.003-04:00

So like most pregnant women, I have become anemic. Apparently this is a common plight of pregnancy. My doctor told me to start taking iron pills, with a warning that they might cause a certain side effect - constipation. Now not to get too detailed on the subject, but with all the other possible discomforts of pregnancy, I have managed to side step this one problem along the way.

So I'll be damned if now toward the end I'm going to let iron pills stop things in their tracks, if you catch my drift. I figured, instead of chasing my iron pill with a 'softener' (again, if you catch my drift) I'd rather chase it with a yummy bran muffin. Ina Garten to the rescue!! I saw her making these on Food Network one afternoon and it was like fate. They showed up just in time to save me from myself.
Now in addition to being practical little gems, they are quite tasty as well. A two-fer if you will - healthy bran and sweet, tasty banana and raisins.

So you don't have to be suffering from anything in particular (if you catch my drift yet again), to enjoy these muffins at your breakfast table. Butter them up and gobble them down! They freeze beautifully as well so you can enjoy them for many a day.

Chunky Banana Bran Muffins
Ina Garten, www.foodnetwork.com

•1 cup unprocessed wheat bran
•1 cup buttermilk (shaken)
•4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
•1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
•2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
•6 tablespoons unsulphured molasses
•1 teaspoon grated orange zest
•1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
•1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
•3/4 teaspoon baking powder
•1/4 teaspoon baking soda
•1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
•1 cup raisins
•1 cup large-diced bananas
•1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place paper liners into 1 (10 or 12-cup) muffin tin.

Combine the bran and buttermilk and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, 1 at a time. Scrape the bowl and then add the molasses, orange zest, and vanilla. (The mixture will look curdled.) Add the bran/buttermilk mixture and combine.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the batter just until combined. Don't overmix it! Fold in the raisins, bananas and walnuts with a rubber spatula.

With an ice cream scoop or large spoon, fill the muffin cups to the top and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Barefoot Bloggers: Mini Meat Loaves

2010-03-12T15:41:00.002-05:00

Ok so I've never really been a big meatloaf eater. My mom would make it once in a while when I was little, but it wasn't like we had some great family recipe to pass down, as many Americans seem to have. I've made meatloaf maybe twice since being married - once with ground turkey and the other time I can't even remember. It's not my favorite meal, but it's easy, classic and homey. I wasn't real excited about this Barefoot Bloggers choice, but I figured what they heck. I really wasn't excited about the ketchup topping. That just sounded so "tv dinnerish" to me - also, I kind of hate ketchup. Here's a little story about how much it grosses me out.

I used to be a camp counseler when I was in high school and this one little girl would bring ketchup and bologna sandwiches on white bread in her lunch bag every day (GAAAAAG!). Now as if that wasn't gross enough to me - cold ketchup on cold white bread and cold bologna, she would take out the piece of bologna in the middle of the two ketchup-stained pieces of white bread, and hold it up and lick the excess ketchup off the bologna. I could only witness this display of her love of ketchup once for fear that I would literally throw up my own lunch.
Ketchup is way too sweet in my opinion, the smell of it makes me kind of gag and the only thing I can really stomach it with is french fries. But even then I usually mix it with a little mustard. Or just hold the ketchup and dip my fries in mustard. My love of mustard could fill a whole blog entry, to be honest. And don't get me started about ketchup on hamburgers and hotdogs. Ugh. My husband likes ketchup however and wanted me to go with the ketchup topping on these mini-meat loaves, so I obliged. It wasn't too bad actually and gave the meat loaf a moistness. Overall, these were pretty tasty. I halfed the recipe to make 3 mini loaves. I also reduced the amount of onions Ina calls for, as I thought 1 and 1/2 onions would be WAY too much onion. I only used 1/2 of one onion and it was more than enough. I also added a lot more fresh thyme than she calls for. Go to the Barefoot Bloggers website to see how everyone else fared with these meat loaves. Enjoy!

Ina's Mini Meat Loaves
Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten

1 tablespoon good olive oil
3 cups chopped yellow onions (3 onions)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup canned chicken stock or broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 1/2 pounds ground chuck (81 percent lean)
1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs (recommended: Progresso)
2 extra-large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup ketchup (recommended: Heinz)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan. Add the onions, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent but not brown. Off the heat, add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste. Allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl, combine the ground chuck, onion mixture, bread crumbs, and eggs, and mix lightly with a fork. Don't mash or the meatloaf will be dense. Divide the mixture into 6 (10 to 11-ounce) portions and shape each portion into a small loaf on a sheet pan. Spread about a tablespoon of ketchup on the top of each portion. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the internal temperature is 155 to 160 degrees F and the meat loaves are cooked through. Serve hot.

Chicken in a Love Nest

2010-03-06T12:25:00.004-05:00

I love recipes like this. They really speak to what makes the food blogging community so great. I found this recipe on a random trip over to Gorgeous Gourmet blog . While perusing Lisa's blog I came across this recipe, which she had gotten from a roofer working on her house who shared her passion for cooking. So from one roofer to her to me comes this delicious, easy and elegant recipe idea for chicken! It's just kind of cool to me how food blogging can instantly connect people - people you may never even meet! So I guess I have to thank Lisa and John the roofer for this chicken recipe.

Each one of us can keep the basic recipe and make our own adaptations. For example, Lisa wrapped her chicken in puff pastry. I had some phyllo dough in my freezer so I wrapped my chicken in that. I also subbed lemon juice for the white wine since I don't have any wine on hand at the moment being 7 months pregnant.
It is so fun to share recipes and try out new ones and put your own twist on them all at the same time. Without a food blog, I would have never found this recipe! Now it will become one of our go-to meals. I even think it could be served to company or done as an appetizer version for a party. There are so many possibilities. But the best part is, I'm going to a bridal shower this weekend and they are asking for everyone to bring a recipe for the bride. I've decided this one will be my contribution. It's so easy to adjust for two or 20 people, not too expensive, and not too difficult but makes a beautiful presentation. I hope your blogging and blog-reading has lead you to some great recipes! Enjoy!

Chicken in a Love Nest
adapted from Gorgeous Gourmet

2 chicken breasts (cut in half if you decide to make 4 portions)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons butter, melted (keep separate from other butter as this will be used for the phyllo dough)
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced (use any kind you like, I used baby portabellas)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
A splash of white wine or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
10 sheets of phyllo dough
4 thin slices of provolone cheese or any cheese you prefer or have on hand (Lisa used brie originally)

Pre-heat oven to 375°F with the oven rack in the middle.
Pre-heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season the chicken breasts with salt, freshly ground black pepper, thyme. Add the seasoned chicken breasts to the hot skillet to brown, about 2 minutes each side, until nice and golden brown. Remove to a paper towel-lined platter and reserve.
To the same skillet, add the 2 tablespoons butter and the mushrooms. Cook until slightly brown and tender, then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the Dijon mustard and wine, and cook until there is almost no liquid left in the pan. Remove the mushrooms from heat and reserve.
While the mushrooms are cooking, place the phyllo on a clean and flat work surface area. Using your melted butter and a pastry brush, brush five sheets of phyllo each with butter and stack. Then do the same for five more.
Place 2-3 slices of cheese in the middle of each sheet of puff pastry and top with a chicken breast.
Spoon some mushrooms over the chicken, then fold it up into a neatly formed package: Fold two opposite points of the phyllo in towards one another over the chicken breast, pinching lightly to secure. Repeat with the other two points of the diamond, pinching gently to make all that all the seams are sealed shut.
Brush the oustide of each packet with butter or olive oil and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, seam side down. Transfer to the oven on the middle rack for 12-15 minutes, until the dough is a beautiful golden brown. Serve warm.

Blueberry-Cornmeal Muffins

2010-03-05T10:51:00.003-05:00

When I was younger, my mom and I used to make the boxed blueberry muffins often on Sunday mornings. I always thought they were pretty decent, especially coated with a pat of butter or two. In recent years though, I've really tried to make baked goods from scratch only. It cuts down on the amount of baked goods I eat since it takes much more effort but it also ups the quality of course. Nothing beats homemade baked goods.

I saw these Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins in my Essentials of Breakfast and Brunch Cookbook from Williams-Sonoma . This was a Christmas present from my husband and since he loves big breakfasts on the weekend I can't help but think it was kind of present for both of us. It really has some wonderful recipes inside and beautiful pictures to boot. Anyway, I had bought a pint of blueberries at the grocery store with the intention of just adding them to my daily yogurt, but then I had a craving for hot, sweet blueberry muffins.

These were a slight twist on the traditional muffin because they had the added texture of cornmeal. So it was kind of two muffins in one! Blueberry and corn muffins. A cinnamon-sugar topping adds a spicy sweetness to these muffin tops as well so don't skip that step! They were easy to mix up and even easier to eat. I froze the batch so I could enjoy them all week. If you have a little extra time this Sunday, be sure to make these yummy treats. Enjoy!

Blueberry-Cornmeal Muffins

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup fine ground cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
2 tablespoons granulated sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Butter 12-standard muffin pan cups or line with paper liners
In a bowl stir together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and brown sugar. Set aside.
By hand: In a large bowl whisk the eggs until blended. Whisk in the milk and butter. Add the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula just until moistened. Do not overmix. Fold in the berries.
By Mixer: In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk and butter and beat on low speed just until blended, Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until moistened. Do not overmix. Fold in the berries with a rubber spatula.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-fourths full. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the tops. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 15-18 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for two minutes, then turn out onto the rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. (My note: Or freeze in an airtight bag once the muffins have cooled to enjoy longer. Just thaw in microwave for 45 seconds each.)

Pork Belly here, Pork Belly there, Pork Belly EVERYWHERE!

2010-03-04T10:02:00.003-05:00

I may be a little behind the curve on this one, but I'm starting to notice a trend at many local restaurants. Pork belly dishes are showing up left and right on menus around town! Being someone who loves most every pork product derivative, this has intrigued me. Especially because, I'd never really heard of pork bellies outside of the old movie Trading Places . Have you seen this? Eddie Murphy and Dan Akroyd involuntarily trade social status, but unite in the end to combat two scheming old financial cronies who trade frozen orange juice and you guessed it, pork bellies, on the stock market.

Now prosciutto, bacon, pancetta, lardons, bacon, pork loin, pork chops, sausage, bacon, and in case I didn't mention it bacon, are all part of my regular culinary vocabulary. But pork belly was a new term to me.

First there was the question of what is it? I mean it seems self-explanatory, the belly of the pig. However, there's really more to it than that.

Fortunately, my adventurous husband decided to take this new menu item on head first while we were dining at Baltimore's Cinghiale a few months ago. He did ask the waiter for a quick description of pork belly first of course - you don't go blindly into an entree that costs $30! The waiter described it as one of his favorite things on the menu, cracklin' crispy slab of pork. In my opinion though, he left out some very important details.

A quick google search brought up this very informative article that describes the much-traded stock market commodity as "Bacon in its raw, uncured state, pork belly is the fattiest part of the mature hog, thick stripes of pure white fat and rosy meat." So basically, it's fat. A thick slab of it to be precise. In fact, it's the fattiest cut of the pig you can find. And the fanciest of restaurants in New York has embraced this cut, which was apparently already well known amongst southern cooks, according to the article! It's not surprising though that southern cooks knew what to do with a slab of pure white creamy pig fat before the rest of the country.

Despite it's revival and adoption by mainstream restaurant culture, after my husband's chewy slimy experience with pork belly I think it's one part of the pig I'll be perpetually passing on. I mean honestly, to us it was like being served the part of the meat that one usually cuts off! It was greasy, very rich and just had the chewy consistency of eating, well, fat. Even the so-called crispy parts were too rubbery for my tastes!

Our experience aside, diners must be lovin' the lard because good ole' pork belly has been creeping into local restaurant fare quite a lot recently. From ethnic to American-style restaurants, pork belly has crossed all borders.

For example, Victoria Gastro Pub in Columbia features an Espresso Rubbed Pork Belly served with cheese grits and an au jus sauce. They've obviously kept the southern-style to this dish.

In Baltimore, the popular new B&O American Brasserie serves a crispy pork belly cassoulet style, flavored with sage. New Baltimore hot spot Blue Hill Tavern features a pork belly appetizer with red cabbage, apple compote and calvados syrup - it sounds like a gourmet version of Peter Brady's "Pork chops and applesauce". And an old Baltimore favorite, The Brewer's Art offers a Roasted Berkshire Pork Belly appetizer that is accompanied by a sweet potato biscuit, chestnut puree, port-soaked dried cherries and natural jus.

With all this exposure lately of pork's soft underbelly, I tried to encourage my husband to maybe give it another try - even though I myself will stay far away from it. But he said it's hard to go back to a food that never sat right the first time - and wasn't cheap to boot. So while the popularity of this pig fat is a slight mystery to us, obviously others are enjoying it. Have you tried pork belly? What is your take on this fatted pig product? Or have you ever fried up pork belly in your own kitchen? I'd love to hear your experiences.

Rustic Pizza Bianca

2010-02-26T13:30:00.003-05:00

Ok I might have added the "rustic" bit - only because I needed some reason to make my misshapen pizza sound more legit. Therefore, it's not oddly shaped, it's...wait for it...rustic. I'm just not very good at getting the dough to make a perfect circle, what can I say? Oh well. Anyway, I made this yummy pizzeria-style pizza for dinner one night this week and it was simple, full of garlic flavor and hit the spot just right. The baking method outlined in this recipe really ensures a crisp crust without burning the fresh cheese topping. It has you preheat the pizza pan and then bake the crust first without the cheese and then add the cheese and place it back in the oven to melt the cheese. I found this genius because I have burnt fresh mozzarella on the top of a pizza many a time, trying to get the crust underneath crispier. I'll remember this method next time I'm using fresh mozzarella.
By the way, please excuse my awful photos. One of the bulbs for my lightbox lights has burnt out and it gets dark out way before we eat dinner in these parts so I'm left with poor lighting situations on a cold winter's night. Very annoying.
But back to the pizza! I found the recipe in an old (we're talking January 2009) issue of Gourmet Magazine. I have made white pizzas before from my own recipe, but I just thought I'd try theirs and see how it measured up. This white pizza gets it's flavor from a garlic and olive oil base that is topped with fresh mozzarella and chopped rosemary. It really thrives on the simple pairing of flavors.
I served it with a Caesar Salad recipe from Annie's Eats .

This was a creamy Caesar dressing, whereas I think I prefer the oil-based Caesars. I topped my salad with pecan-raisin bread croutons, which added a nice, sweet note to the savory dressing. I had this in a restaurant once and really liked the contrast of tastes. Overall, the dressing was pretty good, but I think in the future I'll stick with the traditional Caesar salad dressings without mayonnaise. I always seem to like them better.

Pizza Bianca
Gourmet Magazine

1 large garlic clove (I used 3)
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (I might have used 2 tbsp)
1 lb store-bought pizza dough or make your own
1/2 lb cold fresh mozzarella
1 tbsp rosemary leaves (I used 2-3 tbsp)

Put a large heavy baking sheet on the lowest rack of oven then preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Mince and mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt and then stir together with the oil. Roll out dough onto a floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Transfer to a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Lightly prick the dough all over with a fork. Stir garlic mixture and brush evenly over dough. Slide dough from parchment onto hot baking sheet. Bake until the top is puffed and pale golden in patches, 6 to 10 minutes. Prick any large bubbles with a form and flatten. Meanwhile, thinly slice mozzarella and pat dry. Remove crust from oven and arrange the mozzarella on it in 1 layer. Sprinkle the rosemary on the top. Bake until the edge of crust is deep golden and cheese is bubbling and golden in patches, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve with crushed red pepper and grated Parmesan if desired.

Barefoot Bloggers: Baked Shrimp Scampi

2010-02-17T14:08:00.002-05:00

I absolutely loved this dish, chosen by Jill of Insanely Good Food! It was an easy and very tasty way to prepare shrimp scampi. Just throw all the ingredients together in one baking dish and bake! I couldn't eat shrimp scampi without the pasta though - and this recipe makes the perfect amount of buttery garlic sauce to pour over a bowl of pasta. I went one step further though and made homemade spaghetti noodles. What a labor of love! I think making homemade pasta is so much fun, but it's definitely a bit time consuming.

You have to let the pasta strings dry out a bit and I also found that you have to separate the strings as they come out of the machine, which was a bit of a pain. The reward is so worth the effort though. Tender, perfectly al dente pasta cooks up in half the time as the boxed variety. If you have a pasta machine or are thinking of getting one take my advice and do it. Fresh is best - I'm telling you, it will be hard to go back to boxed pasta after you spoil yourself with fresh!
I followed Ina's recipe for the shrimp exactly, except I did leave out the panko bread crumbs since I was tossing it with the pasta. I don't think they would have served their purpose the same way. I also added in a pint of roasted cherry tomatoes. The tomatoes made a nice bright addition to the pasta dish and added a tartness to the sauce. Go here to see what the other Barefoot Bloggers thought of this recipe. Enjoy!

Baked Shrimp Scampi
Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa

•2 pounds (12 to 15 per pound) shrimp in the shell
•3 tablespoons good olive oil
•2 tablespoons dry white wine
•Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
•12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
•4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
•1/4 cup minced shallots
•3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
•1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
•1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
•1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
•2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
•1 extra-large egg yolk
•2/3 cup panko (Japanese dried bread flakes)
•Lemon wedges, for serving
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Peel, devein, and butterfly the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place the shrimp in a mixing bowl and toss gently with the olive oil, wine, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Allow to sit at room temperature while you make the butter and garlic mixture.

In a small bowl, mash the softened butter with the garlic, shallots, parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolk, panko, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper until combined.

Starting from the outer edge of a 14-inch oval gratin dish, arrange the shrimp in a single layer cut side down with the tails curling up and towards the center of the dish. Pour the remaining marinade over the shrimp. Spread the butter mixture evenly over the shrimp. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until hot and bubbly. If you like the top browned, place under a broiler for 1 minute. Serve with lemon wedges.

Happy Valentine's Day - Andes Candies Cheesecake!!!

2010-02-14T11:26:00.002-05:00

Oh yes. This is bad. Really bad. If you're like me you can eat a handful of Andes candies in a sitting and then justify by claiming you were trying to maintain fresh breath.

When I was in college, one of the local restaurants made an Andes candies chocolate mint pie. My roomates and I would go to the restaurant just for a thick slice of this pie with vanilla ice cream. I really wanted to make a version of that, but when I came across this Andes Candies Supreme Cheesecake my search came to an end. What could be better than creamy cheesecake ribboned with the flavors of chocolate and mint?? Classic yet creative! This cheesecake baked up beautifully. I used a water bath, even though the instructions didn't call for one. I am notorious for having cracks in my cheesecake - they still taste good but those cracks sure are disheartening. The last thing I wanted for Valentine's Day was a crack in my cheesecake!! Not good. So I labored with the foil to create a secure water bath and it was worth it.

Just wrap the bottom of your springform pan securely with about four pieces of foil - this will ensure that the water won't leak into your cheesecake. Then place your cheesecake in a larger pan. The only larger one I had was my roasting pan. And then fill up the pan with hot tap water until it reaches up about 1/3 of your cheesecake pan. Then bake. When removing it from the oven, you may want to remove your cheesecake from the water bath while in the oven so you don't splash or slosh hot water on yourself or on your cheesecake. Then remove the pan with the water after it has cooled.

The finale to this cheesecake is topping it off with a creamy chocolate mint sauce - made from, you guessed it, Andes Candies! Then you can decorate the top as you see fit with extra candies.

My Valentine will certainly enjoy this cheesecake. Thank the LORD that Lent follows Valentine's day! I will need some motivation to give up chocolate - and even more motivation to finish this cheesecake all up by Wednesday. Happy Valentine's Day!! I hope you're spending it with loved ones and celebrating the true reason for this holiday, true love, romantic or otherwise, commitment and a reminder of our daily blessings. Enjoy!

Andes Candies Supreme Cheesecake
www.tootsie.com, Andes Candies section

1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
4 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 package (4.67 oz.) Andes® Crème de Menthe Thins chopped (28 candies) or 1 cup Andes® Crème de Menthe Baking Chips
Andes® Crème de Menthe Thins (28 candies)
3 tablespoons whipping cream or milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325° F.

Crust: Mix crumbs and 3 tablespoons sugar in a small bowl. Add butter; mix well. Press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 325° F, 10 minutes.

Filling: Beat cream cheese and 1 cup sugar in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla; mix on low speed just until well blended. Stir in 1 cup Andes Baking Chips or 1 package of chopped Andes Candies (28 pieces); pour into crust.

Bake at 325° F, 1 hour and 5 minutes or until center is almost set. Run knife between rim of pan and cheesecake. Cool to room temperature.

Topping: 4 Set aside 10-12 candy pieces, for decorating top of cake. Place remaining Andes Candies and whipping cream in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on high 45 seconds. Stir until candies are melted and mixture is smooth. Pour over cheesecake, spreading to cover surface and drizzle down sides of cheesecake. Decorate with reserved Andes Candies.

Set: 5 Refrigerate cheesecake 3 hours or until serving time.

Prosciutto and Walnut-Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Roasted Red Pepper and Champagne Cream

2010-02-10T19:52:00.004-05:00

We had an unexpectedly heavy snow storm one Saturday about two weeks ago - which is becoming a usual weekend happening in these parts lately - and fortunately I had gone to the store earlier that day with preparing this dish in mind. I had a whole weekend to cook, after many nights of take-out and spontaneous cracker and cheese dinners. We had spent countless evenings working on the beautiful mural below so it left little time for cooking and dinner preparation. So once the mural was done, I set out to the grocery store with a list a mile long and several meals in mind for the upcoming weekend days and nights. I found this fancy-sounding meal in one of my favorite cookbooks and it sounded easy enough to pare down for two people, yet challenging enough that I wouldn't be bored making it.

I did have one slight problem with this recipe and it revolved around the cream sauce. Every time (and yes I did it twice and threw it out twice before I switched methods) I added the cream to the champagne it curdled up. My cream was fresh so I knew it wasn't because it had spoiled. I think it was just the heat or the alcohol. Either way, I decided to go ahead and reduce the champagne, but I added the cream to the blender with the peppers and other ingredients and then added it to the champagne. No curdling! So once success was finally achieved, I moved on and served up this delicious chicken over top of some simple roasted asparagus. This meal was fancy enough for a our date night in or to serve to company. Or maybe you could make it for that special holiday coming up? You know the one - it's pink, red and covered in chocolate! Either way, it's worth all the work and many steps to make this yummy meal. Enjoy!

Prosciutto and Walnut-Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Roasted Red Pepper and Champagne Cream

The Wine Lover Cooks With Wine, by Sid Goldstein

For The Chicken
3 tbs olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups grated monterey jack cheese
3/4 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
2 tbs minced fresh sage
1 tb minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
salt and pepper
8 chicken breasts
8 thin slices of prosciutto

For the Cream Sauce
1 tsp olive oil, plus 1/4 cup
1 tb minced shallots
2 cups champagne or other sparkling wine
3 cups heavy cream or half-and-half
2 large red bell peppers roasted (or an 8 oz jar of roasted red peppers)
2 roasted garlic bulbs
2 shallots, roasted and peeled
1 tb balsamic or red wine vinegar
salt and pepper

In a medium saute pan or skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat and saute the onion and garlic until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in the cheese, walnuts, sage, chives, parsley, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Place each chicken breast between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Pound with a mallet until evenly 1/4 in thick. Remove from the plastic wrap and lay each piece of chicken on a cutting board. Cover each chicken breast with 1 slice of prosciutto. Divide the onion mixture evenly over the prosciutto. Roll up each chicken breast jelly-roll style, securing it with toothpicks, and season with salt and pepper.

To make the cream: In a medium saucepan, heat the 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the champagne and cook to reduce to 1/4 cup. Add the cream or half and half and cook to reduce to about 1 cup. Strain and set aside.

In a blender of food processor, combine the roasted bell peppers, roasted garlic, roasted shallots and vinegar. Puree until smooth. With the machine running, drizzle in the 1/4 cup olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400. In a large ovenproof saute pan or skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Saute the chicken in batches if necessary, until golden brown on all sides. Remove the toothpicks. Transfer to the oven and bake until opaque throughout, 10 to 15 minutes.

To serve, sliced the chicken roll and top with the champagne cream sauce.

We interrupt this food blog...

2010-02-06T12:12:00.003-05:00

To bring you a Baby Break update!! We finally finished the nursery room mural and painting. We chose a Peter Rabbit theme for the room with a bedding set from Pottery Barn. Then I had my husband, who is a very good artist (not professional, just for fun) draw a scene from the Peter Rabbit books and we went from there. He projected it onto the wall and then we traced it in black paint. Then my mom and myself painted it in - my mom did all the hard detail work. She did an awesome job!! I can't wait for our beautiful baby girl to see it. Even though she'll probably be at least two before she really notices it, but no problem. Meanwhile, we're sure enjoying looking at it and imagining our baby enjoying the room.

And some close-ups of the amazing detail my mom did!

Mississippi Mud Pie

2010-02-04T09:04:00.005-05:00

Before we get into the chocolate decadence of this dessert, I have to say
that the name of this pie brings back childhood memories of learning how to spell Mississippi. I don't think I'll ever misspell that state name! Do you remember the sing-songy way we were taught how to spell it? M-i-ss-I(more emphasis)-s-s-I(more emphasis again)-p-p-i. Oh well I digress. Back to the make-up of this dark, muddy pie.

This long-standing dessert was conceived in the South and is supposed to mirror the muddy waters of the Mississippi Delta. I found this pie in my Newlyweds' Cookbook by Ryland, Peters and Small. I received this beautifully photographed book as a wedding present and have referred to it several times for party and entertaining ideas. This pie was surprisingly easy to make - and easy to make subsitutions for things I lacked in my pantry.

For example, I had to substitute about a cup of panko bread crumbs to make up for my lack of sufficient graham cracker crumbs. I also had to use semi-sweet chocolate rather than bittersweet - because again, it's all I had on hand and I was trying to get rid of some pantry items. Finally, I had to use all light brown sugar as I don't keep dark brown sugar on hand. I also threw in about a cup of shredded sweetened coconut that had to be used up as well. My substitutions and additions blended in beautifully and didn't alter the tastiness of this pie at all. So if you're looking for a fancy, rich and chocolatey dessert this Mississippi Mud Pie is sure to do the trick. Enjoy!

Mississippi Mud Pie

The Newlyweds' Cookbook

Cookie crumb base

8 oz graham crackers crushed to make about 2 2/3 cups crumbs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

Chocolate filling

6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
4 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 3/4 cups heavy cream

Grease a 9-in springform pan and set aside.

To make the base, put the crackers in a food processor and blend until fine crumbs form. Alternatively, put the crackers in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Transfer the crumbs to a mixing bowl.

Put the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of steaming, but not boiling water and melt gently (do not let the base of the bowl touch the water). Remove from the heat, stir gently, then stir into the cracker crumbs. When well mixed, transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and using the back of a spoon, press onto the base and about halfway up the sides of the pan. Chill in the refrigerator while making the filling.

To make the filling, put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of steaming but not boiling water and melt gently (do not let the base of the bowl touch the water). Remove from the heat and stir gently, then let cool.

Put the eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowl and using electric beaters or mixer, beat until thick and foamy. Beat in the cream followed by the melted chocolate. Pour the mixture into the cookie crust and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes until just firm. Let cool for a few minutes and then remove from the pan. Serve the pie at room temperature. The pie can be made up to 2 days in advance and kept, well covered, in the refrigerator. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

2010-02-01T21:06:00.004-05:00

Well it was another cold, snowy weekend here in Maryland. Anyone seeing a trend here?? I'm quite sick of these snowed-in weekends. I can't wait for Spring! It feels so far away. One good thing about these snowy weekends is the opportunity to cook up a storm for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And I can sneak in a few pancake mornings while winter is still in its height, as I have my big bulky coat to hide those extra winter pounds. So as part of making the best of this weather, I searched through my Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Breakfast and Brunch cookbook for some inspiration. These Lemon Ricotta Pancakes were instantly calling my name.

What really caught my eye is that they use beaten egg whites to help keep the batter light and fluffy. These pancakes cook up so well - they rise beautifully, taste sweet and moist and leave you with a good solid start for the day. If you have extra time this weekend, use it to make some homemade ricotta pancakes. Top them with fresh fruit, butter and syrup and enjoy! You can always work them off once Spring gets here...

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Breakfast and Brunch

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs, separated
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (or the juice of half a lemon which is what I used because we don't do zest in my house)

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg yolks, sugar, ricotta and lemon juice or zest, whichever you're using. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just blended. There will be some small lumps.

In a separate bowl, using a mixer on medium speed or a whisk, beat the whites until soft peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, carefully fold the beaten egg whites into the ricotta mixture just until blended.

Place a large griddle or fry pan with low sides over medium heat until hot enough for a drop of water to sizzle and then evaporate. Brush with a 1/2 teaspoon melted butter. For each pancake, ladle about 1/4 cup batter onto the hot surface. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until small bubbles appear, the edges start to look dry and the bottoms are golden brown, about 4 minutes. Carefully turn the pancakes and cook until lightly browned on the second side, about 1 1/2 minutes longer. Repeat with the remaining batter and butter to make about 16 pancakes, each about 4 in in diameter. Serve accompanied by butter, syrup and any sliced fruit you desire.

Blue Cheese and Honey Bruschetta

2010-01-31T15:14:00.002-05:00

Some things just go together. Cookies and milk, pb and j, hot chocolate and marshmallows and among those famous pairings should be blue cheese and honey. Sweet honey mingles with tangy blue cheese to reveal a smooth, sultry and surprising combination.

This is an easy appetizer to whip up for a crowd or just for two. I think it works best with a semi-sweet bread. I found a walnut raisin sourdough bread at my local grocery store and it worked perfectly with the toppings. Slice, toast up and enjoy! It's easy yet fancy and will leave you wanting more. What else can you ask for from a bruschetta?

Blue Cheese and Honey Bruschetta

1 loaf of raisin walnut bread (Or any fruit/nut bread will do), sliced into 1 in thick slices
1 8 oz package of blue cheese
1 stick of butter, slightly softened so it's spreadable
1/4 cup honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place your sliced bread on a baking sheet and let it crisp up. Once slightly toasted, remove and spread a pat of butter on each slice. Then crumble a small handful of blue cheese over top of the buttered bread.
Place the toasts back in the oven for about 3 to 5 minutes to slightly melt the cheese. Remove and drizzle each slice with your honey. Serve warm.

Barefoot Bloggers: Shrimp Bisque

2010-01-30T14:29:00.003-05:00

I finally got to one of the two Barefoot Bloggers recipes for this month. Actually, I made the Indonesian Ginger thing, which was the second recipe, but did it with salmon instead of chicken, wasn't real impressed and it didn't come out very photoworthy so I just decided not to blog about it. However, this shrimp bisque was definitely blog-worthy.

I had actually made this once before a few years ago so I already knew this recipe was a winner. Lately in these parts, soup-weather, ie cold, frigid nights, have been plentiful so I served up this soup last night. I really love the flavor in this soup - it's pretty simple, the shrimp taste can really shine through and it's not too rich. Ina hits a homerun again! If I make it again, I would keep a few extra whole shrimp for topping the soup, along with some fresh parsley. Soup is hard enough to photograph - especially in the winter when the sun goes down early. This soup made a particularly boring photo since I had nothing to top it with to add color or texture. Oh well - you still can get the general idea. Hope everyone enjoyed this BB recipe as much as me! Enjoy!

Shrimp Bisque
Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved
4 cups seafood stock
3 tablespoons good olive oil
2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (3 leeks)
1 tablespoon chopped garlic (3 cloves)
Pinch cayenne pepper
1/4 cup Cognac or brandy
1/4 cup dry sherry
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups half-and-half
1/3 cup tomato paste
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Place the shrimp shells and seafood stock in a saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain and reserve the stock. Add enough water to make 3 3/4 cups.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the leeks and cook them for 10 minutes over medium-low heat, or until the leeks are tender but not browned. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute. Add the cayenne pepper and shrimp and cook over medium to low heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the Cognac and cook for 1 minute, then the sherry and cook for 3 minutes longer. Transfer the shrimp and leeks to a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until coarsely pureed.

In the same pot, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook over medium-low heat for 1 minute, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the half-and-half and cook, stirring with a whisk, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the pureed shrimp, the stock, tomato paste, salt, and pepper and heat gently until hot but not boiling. Season, to taste, and serve hot.

The Lady's Chicken Noodle Soup

2010-01-15T09:04:00.003-05:00

I was home sick about two weeks ago - and still today battling the after affects of a nasty cold, mainly congestion. Being pregnant, you really can't take any medication so I resorted to every homeopathic, old school remedy I knew.
First, I mastered the strange science of the Neti-pot. Have you ever seen one of these things? They look like a cheap plastic version of Aladdin's lamp and come with packets of saline solution. You fill the pot with warm water and saline solution and then shove the spout up your nostril, turn your head to the side and basically run water through your nose. It's a very odd feeling - almost like when you dive into the pool head first and get water up your nose. It does work though in helping to clear some congestion.
Second, I drank hot green tea - decaf of course - like it was going out of style.
Third, I hung my head over a steaming pot of water several times a day to keep the moisture going.
And did I mention I did all these things while there were two men installing hardwood floor in my house?? I'm sure they thought I was one of the strangest clients they've ever had when they found me hovered over my sink with my Aladdin lamp up my nose. Or with my head shrouded in a towel hanging over a steaming tea pot. Oh the things we do for relief.
Lastly, and probably the most normal method of relief, I made a huge, delicious pot of homemade chicken noodle soup.

I was going to just come up with my own recipe, but then I saw this one on Food Network's website from Paula Deen and decided to give it a go. I'm so glad I did! It was slightly creamy, very comforting and had great homemade flavor. It so beat any canned chicken noodle soup. So if you're sick and you have any energy at all, do what I did and use it to make this soup. This recipe makes a ton so I froze a good bit of it for later in the season - in case the common cold strikes again I'll be armed and ready. Neti-pot, check! Tissues, check! Chicken soup, check!
Enjoy!

The Lady's Chicken Noodle Soup
Food Network Website, Paula Deen

Stock:
1 (2 1/2 to 3-pound) fryer chicken, cut up (I used two chicken breasts with skin on)
3 1/2 quarts water
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 bay leaves
3 chicken bouillon cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Soup:
2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups sliced celery, with leafy green tops
2 1/2 cups uncooked egg noodles
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/3 cup cooking sherry
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
(I also added a ton of fresh thyme as well as a bag of bean sprouts that I had in the fridge)
1 cup grated Parmesan, optional (ADD IT!! It made the soup so tasty)
3/4 cup heavy cream, optional (ADD IT!! Ditto statement above)
Seasoning salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Crusty French bread, for serving
Directions
For the stock: add all ingredients to a soup pot. Cook until chicken is tender, about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and set aside to cool. Remove and discard bay leaves and onion (I left the chopped onions in the stock, I figured the more veggies the better. I think they just added to the overall flavor and texture of the soup). You should have approximately 3 quarts of stock. When chicken is cool enough to touch, pick bones clean, discarding bones, skin, and cartilage. Set chicken aside.

For the soup: bring stock back to a boil, add carrots, and cook for 3 minutes. Add celery and continue to cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Add egg noodles and cook according to directions on package. When noodles are done, add chicken, mushrooms, parsley, sherry and rosemary. Add Parmesan and cream, if using. Cook for another 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning, if needed, by adding seasoning salt and pepper. Enjoy along with a nice hot crusty loaf of French bread.

Butterscotch Sticky Buns

2010-01-04T09:38:00.003-05:00

Forget New Year's resolutions! Life is too short to skip these butterscotch sticky buns. Ooey, gooey, buttery, nutty, soft and warm. It doesn't get ANY better than this. These buns rival the famous Cinnabon and they aren't that difficult to make, believe it or not. There are a lot of steps, since you have to let the dough rise, but they are worth the effort. Make sure to eat them HOT out of the oven - that is how sticky buns are meant to be devoured.

Although, a leftover bun can be warmed up in the microwave to bring back some of that supple softness. I made a batch of these on Christmas morning. Unfortunately, in the middle of making them three of my five family members left to go visit others and so the only person who enjoyed them hot out of the oven was me. A little Christmas gift to myself I guess. Oh well. I enjoyed making them and enjoyed eating them even more so no loss. They did have them for dessert after dinner, but the fresh dough tends to harden after a few hours so they weren't as squishy. The flavor was still there though. So put off that resolution one more week. I won't tell anyone!

Butterscotch Sticky Buns
Source: Food and Wine Magazine

DOUGH
3/4 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 stick unsalted butter—6 tablespoons softened, 2 tablespoons melted
2 large eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup pecan halves
GLAZE
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons Scotch whiskey
2 1/2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons crème fraîche
1 1/2 teaspoons corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon baking powder

DIRECTIONS
Make the Dough: In a glass measuring cup, heat the milk in the microwave until warm, 1 minute. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle, combine the warm milk and the yeast. Add the granulated sugar and the 6 tablespoons of softened butter and mix at medium speed until the butter is broken up, 1 minute. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the flour and salt and mix at low speed until incorporated, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the side of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium and mix the dough for 2 minutes longer. Scrape the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 325°. Spray a standard 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out to a 9-by-24-inch rectangle. In a small bowl, mix the light brown sugar with the cinnamon. Brush the 2 tablespoons of melted butter over the dough and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Beginning at a long edge, roll up the dough as tightly as possible and pinch the seam. Cut the log into twelve 2-inch pieces and set them in the muffin cups cut side up. Cover and let stand in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Set the muffin pan on a baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the buns are golden brown. Spread the pecans in a pie plate and toast for 10 minutes, until fragrant. Let cool, then coarsely chop the nuts.
Meanwhile, Make the Glaze: In a small saucepan, bring the brown sugar, butter, Scotch, condensed milk, water, crème fraîche and corn syrup to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat until thickened slightly, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the salt, vanilla and baking powder.
Unmold the buns. Pour the glaze over the hot buns and sprinkle with the pecans. Let stand until the buns have soaked up some of the glaze and are cool enough to eat, about 20 minutes. Serve warm.

It's A....

2009-12-29T14:20:00.002-05:00

GIRL!!!! We are so excited - tickled pink to be exact. I seriously can not wait to see this beautiful little baby girl we have created. And to start shopping! I already almost bought her this sweet little red taffeta gown with a faux white fur collar for NEXT Christmas. The obsession has started people! But I resisted. Well, that's not entirely true. They didn't have her "size" - or well, the size she should be come next Christmas. Oh well. I'm sure there will be plenty more to choose from when the time comes.
It's going to be a fabulous new year! I don't really know how 2010 can be topped. We are going to dinner out and then getting home early to snuggle by the fire and watch the ball drop. Hopefully I can keep my pregnant butt up till midnight! But if not, then that's ok too. Enjoy and a happy, healthy New Year to everyone!

Homemade Crab Ravioli

2009-12-27T19:55:00.004-05:00

Oh homemade crab ravioli, why haven't we met sooner?? This was one of those dishes that just blew my family away. My mom ate two servings of ravioli! I've never seen her eat so much pasta in my life - she's one of those health conscious, figure-watchers blah blah blah. We were all powerless against it! It made an elegant and delicious pasta course for our traditional Italian Christmas dinner.

Not only was the pasta light and tender, but the filling was delicious. I used lump crab meat, ricotta cheese, fresh basil and diced red pepper. I made a vodka tomato sauce to cover these little morsels. I'm not going to lie - it was a lot of work to make the fresh pasta dough. I had a hand crank pasta sheet roller and spent nearly two hours rolling out dough, stuffing the ravioli and pressing them to form a tight seal. One thing I can say that made the process much quicker and smoother was a ravioli form. You can find them at Williams-Sonoma or online from any site that sells kitchen equipment. It makes all the ravioli the same size and helps you determine how much filling to put in each one.
These tasty ravioli are well worth the effort though for a special family meal. They won't soon be forgotten! I found the recipe here.
The instructions are pretty straight-forward. I doubled the filling and pasta recipe and came out with nearly 72 ravioli - I think this was due to the fact that I rolled the dough as thin as I could without it breaking. Good luck and here are some step-by-step photos that will hopefully help you in the process should you decide to make some of your own. Enjoy!

(And one tip - these ravioli really are done once they float to the top. It won't take long, so you'll be surprised when they float up within two minutes and if you're like me, you'll wonder if they are really done. Take my word, yes they are. They cook up perfectly aldente.)

Williams-Sonoma's Homemade Meatballs with Spaghetti

2009-12-23T11:20:00.007-05:00

They get me every time. Every month the beautiful Williams-Sonoma catalog arrives and is chock full of sparkling merchandise and mouth-watering recipes. I equate its arrival to the Big Sears Toy Book of my childhood - funny how interests change? Although, when I was little I would eye up those play kitchens (which I never got, so deprived!) and the Easy Bake oven (which I also never got, again so deprived!) every single year until I was like 12. So I guess things don't change that much.
Either way, I always end up saving the catalogs because they mesmerize me with the featured recipes. On top of the great photography, I've never been disappointed by any of the recipes I've tried. I must say that Williams-Sonoma is a quite trustworthy source for no-fail recipes that range from weeknight dinners to fancy entertaining dishes. This recipe for homemade meatballs was no exception. My husband actually spotted it first - yes, I've even got him in the habit of perusing the W&S catalog for good-looking recipes - and insisted that I make them soon.

Last week was cold and dreary, the perfect time for a hearty, homey meal like spaghetti and meatballs. I made the meatballs exactly as the recipe stated, except for the size. It denotes that the recipe makes 10 meatballs. Those would have to be some HUGE meatballs. I was able to make 20 good-size meatballs out of the beef mixture. Needless to say, I froze 14 of them for future use. These were moist and tender, and the cheese cube in the center was the decadent finish.

In a word - superb. I made my own homemade marinara and used store-bought spaghetti to complement the meatballs. So don't throw out this month's W&S catalog. Flip through and get sucked in...you know you won't be able to resist it!

Homemade Meatballs with Spaghetti
source: Williams & Sonoma

3 Tbs. olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely diced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups torn pieces crustless white bread (1/2-inch pieces)
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 lb. ground beef
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme
5 oz. mozzarella cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes

7 cups tomato sauce
1 1/2 lb. spaghetti, cooked and drained
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for serving
Directions:
In a large sauté/simmer pan over medium heat, warm 1 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add the onion and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Let cool.

In a bowl, combine the bread and buttermilk. Add the ground beef, onion mixture, parsley, thyme, 2 1⁄2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper and mix with your hands until cohesive. Form the mixture into 10 meatballs. Stuff a cheese cube into the center of each one, then reroll the meatball.

In the same pan over medium-high heat, warm the remaining 2 Tbs. olive oil. Working in 2 batches, brown the meatballs, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate. Reduce the heat to medium, pour the tomato sauce into the pan and add the meatballs. Simmer, turning the meatballs once, until they are cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes.

Divide the spaghetti among individual bowls and top with the sauce and meatballs. Pass the cheese alongside. Serves 5 to 6.

Another snowy weekend

2009-12-20T13:28:00.002-05:00

Maryland, and most of the Mid-Atlantic, got hit by a huge snowstorm over the weekend. We have over a foot of snow out our front door! We spent the day inside yesterday, just staying warm and watching the snow fall. I fixed us a lazy, snowy morning breakfast of slow-scrambled eggs, homemade buttermilk biscuits and bacon. Yum!

Today the sun finally came out and the great shovel began! Well, my husband shoveled while I walked around and took some pics of the snow with my new zoom lens. How beautiful! While snow can be a pain in the butt in terms of navigating it and shoveling it and all that, it does create a pretty picture. And what's better than a white Christmas?? We haven't had one of those in years. So happy snow day!

Christmas Cookies

2009-12-19T12:54:00.003-05:00

I have had the past week off from work and spent one of those days baking Christmas cookies. I picked a wide assortment, mainly from one of my old Rachael Ray magazines and from one of my favorite blogs. Below I present the first three I have baked. Next up - fig and pistachio biscotti from Proud Italian Cook!!

Meanwhile, here are some sweets to make your Christmas a bit more merry. Enjoy! Oh and beware of the Pecan Caramel Surprises. Two tips I can offer - wait until they cool to remove them from the baking sheet, otherwise they crumble miserably. Second - be careful when biting into them later, they are very chewy and could easily pull out fillings. So unless you want to be singing "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth" then chew cautiously!

Pecan Caramel Surprise
Rachael Ray Magazine, Dec 08
Click here for the recipe

Cherry Shortbread Cookies
Rachael Ray Magazine, Dec 08
Click here for the recipe

Dark Chocolate-Ginger Crinkles
Rachael Ray Magazine, Dec 08
Click here for the recipe

Roasted Tomato Soup with Shrimp and Leek Panini

2009-12-15T14:16:00.004-05:00

I've been on a major soup and sandwich kick lately. I think because the winter weather has set in and it's just so comforting. And soup can be packed with veggies and vitamins, making it an easy, good-for-you dinner. I saw this soup on Cooking for Real with Sunny Anderson on The Food Network . I loved that she made a roasted tomato soup but incorporated red peppers, garlic and onions. It also looked like a simple soup to make, as she just roasted all the vegetables first and then pureed them with the stock.

The one problem I had with this recipe was putting the hot soup in a blender afterwards to puree it. What a hot mess - literally!! My blender went all Linda Blair in the Exorcist on me and started spouting hot soup like a fire hose! The pressure from the heat of the soup builds up in the blender and you need to use all your strength to keep that lid on - otherwise hello new paint job on your kitchen ceiling. Ugh. So to avoid exploding soup, I think the next time I make this (if I don't get that immersion blender from good ole' St. Nick this Christmas) then I'll probably wait till the roasted vegetables cool and then puree them in a food processor or blender, separate of the rest of the soup. Then I would whisk the pureed vegetables into the warm stock and go from there. I think you'd get the same result without the risk of third-degree burns from projectile soup shooting out of the top of your blender. Or perhaps I'm the only one who has had a problem with blending hot soup....it's very possible. Oh well, from one kitchen calamity comes future success, or let's hope at least.
I made simple grilled paninis to go with the soup. I picked up some shrimp from the market and combined them with sauteed buttery leeks and garlic and tons of mozzarella cheese for a DELICIOUS panini. What a great combo!! I didn't want the typical grilled cheese and I had a leek leftover in my fridge from the potato soup below and voila - shrimp and leek paninis. My husband and I really liked these sandwiches. Enjoy!

Roasted Tomato Soup
Sunny Andersen, Food Network.com

* 8 Roma tomatoes, halved and seeded
* 2 red peppers, quartered and seeded
* 1 medium onion, quartered
* 8 cloves garlic 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
* 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
* 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
* 6 cups vegetable stock
* 1/4 cup loosely packed chiffonade basil leaves

Directions

Special Equipment: Blender or immersion blender

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

On a sheet pan, gently toss together the tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic, thyme, 2 tablespoons olive oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Arrange the tomatoes and red peppers, skin side up, and bake until lightly charred, 45 to 50 minutes. In a soup pot, warm the remaining 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Stir in the tomato paste and mix well. Add the tomato and pepper mixture, including the juices, and combine. Stir in the stock, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Transfer the soup to a blender* (or use an immersion blender) and pulse in small batches that reach only about a third to halfway up the side of the jar. Be careful to start slow then increase the speed to blitz the ingredients until smooth. Use a separate bowl to hold the blended soup and then return it all to the pot.

Heat the soup to warm through, then ladle into serving bowls and garnish with basil.

*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

Shrimp and Leek Paninis

1 leek, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 tablespoons butter
8 shrimp, shelled and deveined
salt and pepper
1 cup of mozzarella cheese or Italian blend cheese, shredded
4 slices of sourdough bread

In a saute pan, melt 3 tablespoons of butter and throw in your leeks and garlic. Cook until the two vegetables are softened and then add your shrimp. Season with salt and pepper and toss until the shrimp turn pink. Once the shrimp are cooked, remove from the pan to a plate. I like to cut the shrimp in half lengthwise so they aren't bulky in my sandwich. If you prefer to chop them, then you can do that too. Either way, make sure you have four shrimp per sandwich.
Preheat your grill pan. Slather one side of each piece of bread with the remaining two tablespoons of butter. Assemble your sandwiches. Butter side down, place your first piece of bread on the grill pan. Sprinkle it with about 1/4 cup of cheese and then place your sliced shrimp down on top. Smother with half of the leek mixture and then top with another 1/4 cup of cheese. Then place top bread on, butter side up. Repeat for other sandwich with the remaining ingredients. Place top on grill pan and griddle until crisp and cheese is melted. Remove and serve!

Creamy Potato Leek Soup

2009-12-10T09:46:00.003-05:00

For dinner on Sunday night, I made mashed potatoes to go with the rest of our meal. We had about 4 cups of leftover mashed potatoes so I concocted this potato leek soup out of the remaining potatoes. It was delicious! And very thick and creamy. This is the perfect stick to your ribs soup for a cold winters night. Enjoy!

Creamy Potato Leek Soup

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 leeks, diced and rinsed thoroughly
1/2 cup half and half or heavy cream
4 cups chicken stock
3-4 cups mashed potatoes, however you prepare them (I put butter, cream and garlic powder in mine. If you don't put garlic powder in your potatoes, then you may want to add a teaspoon or so to the soup to flavor it. I used red-skinned potatoes and left the skin on.)
3 tb cornstarch, if needed to thicken up the soup (I mixed it with a little water to make a paste before adding it to the soup)
freshly ground pepper
salt to season
pat of butter (about 2 tablespoons)

For topping:
1 package of prosciutto, crisped up in the oven (put it on a baking sheet and cook for 10 to 15 minutes at 350 degrees)
shredded cheddar cheese
chopped chives

In a soup pot, melt your butter into your olive oil and then add the chopped and cleaned leeks. Saute until softened, about 10 minutes, then add your cream and stock. Allow it to come to a simmer and then whisk in your mashed potatoes. If your soup is too thick, you can add more stock or water. If your soup is too thin, you can thicken it up with a little cornstarch and water, which is what I did because I wanted a thicker consistency. Season well with salt and pepper. Add in your last pat of butter (hey no one said this was low-cal!) and serve. Top your soup with crispy prosciutto, shredded cheddar and chopped chives.

The Name Game

2009-12-09T09:42:00.003-05:00

We'll be playing the name game soon as I'm almost at 20 weeks and I got a real kick out of this list to live by! Good thing none of our name choices are on EITHER of these lists. But to be honest, I have considered Willow - and Allora - both because I like them and because I did love that Val Kilmer movie. Sigh. Oh well! Anyway, this is all in good fun, so don't take this too seriously. Just for a laugh!

Check out more fun baby stuff at iwanttobeababy.com.
BEST
hans: best movie villain ever, there’s nothing cooler
ignatious: get iggy with it
mayo: way better than miracle whip.
typhys: the one, the only…typhys!!
happy: it’s so cute when you say, “happy, stop crying.”
hysteria: oh the tantrums she will throw
mumps: it’s one swell name
hero: who wouldn’t love a baby named after a sandwich?
bum: they all borrow money growing up, so why not?
mary: she’ll be walking on clouds
naught: sometimes you feel like a naught, sometimes you don’t
bill: hopefully no one will ever run out on him
jezebel: all the bad boys will love you
emerson: proves that you’re well read without having to show your book collection
nemo: always against the current
henry: good candy bar and it’s fonzi’s real name
gwendolyn: so bad…it’s good tyranny: she’ll never have to worry about other kids stealing her toys
pharaoh: spoil him rotten or else
madison: a born shopper, will have credit card number memorized by age 6
maximus: born with a big sword
miles: new york marathon, here i come
pirate: don’t forget to put lime juice in his formula
ace: future world poker champion
homer: prefers donuts to teething rings
cannon: a true son of a gun
speck: unless he has pointy ears, then name him Spock
harper: no one will question why they’re bizarre
june: she’ll be a good mom, likely to marry a ward
andromeda: the astrologer in you says, “yes”, the bad speller in you says, “no”
dante: if he has a widow’s peak, you can call it dante’s peak
aloha: it’s much better than, say, pineapple pete
bart: make sure his rattle doubles as a slingshot
elvis: load up on peanut butter and banana baby food
rusty: after a bath, dry thoroughly
abra: i wanna reach out and grab ya

WORST
abacus: will always be in the shadow of his cousin calculator
theodora: even “baby names for dummies” excludes this one
aerilyn: is your baby an alien?
nixon: most likely to go by nickname…crook
opal: pretentious cheap gem
ripley: believe it or not. not
cameron: makes you think of Kirk. then you gag.
acne: name his other siblings pus and zit
parker: perfect…for a valet
satchel: bag and tote are better alternatives
kohinoor: american equivalent…pointdexter
brooklyn: will always feel inferior to manhanatties
armani: he’ll never be able to start his own designer label
dandelion: dandelions spread easy. nuff said
sidney: do you really want to name your kid after an ohio city?
shiloh: people named neil will always call your name
innocent: it won’t seem so cute when she’s fourteen and pregnant
mason: why not “plumber” or “roofer”?
warwick: stop the war! give peace a chance
reed: rhymes with greed
indigo: you wouldn’t name your kid “purple” would you?
willow: never name your kid after a val kilmer movie
angel: unless she/he has wings…don’t do it
heaven: her husbands joke will be…life with heaven is hell
infinity: how many mpgs does she get?
gertrude: she’ll grow into it. if she lives to be ninety
jordan: do you really think they’ll “be like mike”?
chastity: see innocent
justice: prison id #54452
jersey: otherwise known as “armpit”
suri: we would make a joke. but tom would have us killed
clementine: eternal sunshine of the thoughtless name
charbonet: your parents really meant chardonay paris: name your children after saints…not sluts

Italian Wedding Soup

2009-12-02T14:13:00.006-05:00

What can be better on a beautiful snowy afternoon than hot, homemade soup?? Pretty much nothing.

Well, except decorating your tree and sipping hot cocoa afterwards, which fortunately we were also able to enjoy. What a perfect marriage of food and festive activities! Speaking of marriage, let's talk wedding soup (brilliant segway I know haha - I should do television news writing!).

Anyway,I was always curious why they called this "Wedding" soup since I had never actually had this at any of my relatives Italian weddings. So I googled it and lo and behold - an answer. Apparently the name of the soup in Italian, Minestra Maritata, has been misconstrued in English. Surprise - we butchered a foreign language yet again! Oh well. Anyway, it really means "Well-married Minestrone". Say what? Yeah, that doesn't really make much sense at first (now you can see why we came up with our own interpretation), but there really is a simple explanation. The soup was named so because of the great flavor pairing of greens and meat in a soup. They were made for each other - or as Neaopolitans say, "maritata". So there you have it! A little food history for you to swallow with this delicious soup.

This may not be the traditional version of this classic soup, but it's the version I grew up with. It includes tortellini, mini meatballs, and a mix of greens (spinach, swiss chard, or whatever you prefer). I made a huge batch of this and froze half of it. Having never frozen soup before I wasn't sure how this would work. Surprisingly, it freezes pretty well. And makes for a easy weeknight meal on a busy night. I served mine with some buttery garlic bread. If you're looking for a comforting, hearty soup that is truly a meal in a bowl then look no further! Enjoy! And here's a pic of our tree! Hope everyone is enjoying the Christmas season so far. Merry merry!!

Italian Wedding Soup

For the Meatballs (makes about 20 meatballs)
1/2 pound ground beef
3 to 4 Italian sausage links (depending on size), casings removed
1 egg
small handful of bread crumbs to bind
small handful of grated romano (or parm) cheese to season
chopped fresh oregano or a teaspoon of dried
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper

For the Soup
2 carrots, shredded
1/2 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste
salt and pepper
4 cups chicken stock
6 cups water (You can use ALL stock if you want, I just only had 4 cups on hand so I had to go with water for the rest. Up to you! I found it just as flavorful with out - less salty this way)
1 pound of cheese tortellini
1 can of diced tomatoes with the juice
1 can of cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
1 pound of greens (I buy the bag of swiss chard and other greens that come pre-cut and washed at Trader Joe's)
plenty of grated parmesan or romano cheese for serving

First - make your meatballs. Combine the ground beef and sausage with your egg, breadcrumbs, cheese, oregano, garlic and season with salt and pepper. Once meat is well mixed, begin forming meatballs - about the size of a large tablespoon each. I made mine about the size of a golfball - which is bigger than normal, but I was just being lazy. If you have more patience than me, then truly they should be about the size of a marble so they can fit on your spoon.
Lay the meatballs in a nonstick pan or on a nonstick baking sheet and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, depending on size, until they start to brown. You can also brown them in a pan if you prefer, but I just think it's easier to bake them. Less mess. If you make the meatballs small enough - ie marble size, you can just throw them in your boiling stock/water and let them cook that way. Since mine were bigger and I wanted to make sure they cooked the whole way through, I browned them first in the oven and then dumped them in the hot tub where they could finish cooking.

While your meatballs brown, you can start cooking the vegetables in the bottom of a large stockpot. Throw your shredded carrots, onion and garlic into the pot with your olive oil. Once they start to sweat, add your tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper and then pour in your stock and water. Bring the soup to a boil and add your tortellini and meatballs. Once tortellini has cooked to aldente, add in your tomatoes, beans and greens. Once the greens have wilted down, your soup is ready to serve.

Ladle into bowls and top with a generous spoonful of grated cheese.

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream and Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-27T12:49:00.003-05:00

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!! I hope everyone had an enjoyable day full of good friends, family and food. We have a lot to be thankful for. Speaking of which, here's a pic our little turkey, whose been roasting for 16 weeks now!!

And just because it's too cute to pass up, I'm sneaking in a pic of our little nephew in his very festive turkey day shirt.

Ok now on to the task at hand!
In addition to the traditional pumpkin pies we baked this season, I wanted to try something a little different. Despite everyone saying they couldn't find pumpkin puree, I never had a problem! In fact, I bought so much I had to find ways to use it. This Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream was the perfect fit. I love both ice cream and pumpkin pie so what could be better than the combo?? This tastes exactly like pumpkin pie - except cold and without the crust. It might be fun to serve this in a twill cookie cup or in a cone to give you that "crusty" taste with it. I just ate it straight and it was just delicious and refreshing. While this recipe calls for tons of half and half and heavy cream, I didn't find this ice cream to be too rich. I prefer an ice milk consistency - think Breyers - and I feel like this ice cream had that, while still packing a creamy, flavorful punch. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
Source: The Food Network website

4 cups half and half
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 vanilla beans
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
7.5 oz canned pumpkin
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
Directions
Combine all dairy into a saucepan along with the sugar. Split and scrape the vanilla beans into the dairy and sugar mixture. Bring to 170 degrees F. to dissolve sugar then let cool at room temperature. Chill in the refrigerator overnight. While dairy is heating, grate nutmeg into pumpkin and add the other spices. Mix in a bowl to combine and chill overnight in the refrigerator. The next day, take pumpkin and dairy mixture out. Filter dairy mixture to remove large vanilla bean pieces. Add some of the dairy mixture to the pumpkin and mix well to loosen it up. Then mix both the dairy and pumpkin together. Freeze in your ice cream freezer according to the manufacturer's instructions. Let the ice cream harden for at least two hours unless serving all immediately.

Wagon Wheel Taco Pasta Salad

2009-11-22T15:12:00.003-05:00

This recipe from Cara's Cravings blog has been around the food blogosphere a few times. I finally got to give it a try when we went over to a friend's house for a football party. It was the perfect party food! No mayonnaise and nothing in it that can spoil. It can sit out on a buffet and keep just fine.

I did make one addition - I diced up half of a green pepper and added that. I also found it a little dry, so I think next time I would double the dressing recipe to give it a saucier consistency. Overall though, a great go-to recipe for any party or picnic. Enjoy!

Wagon Wheel Taco Pasta Salad
Source: Cara's Cravings

1lb wagon wheel pasta
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 10oz package frozen corn (I don't even bother thawing it, because I always make this at least a few hours before serving, so it plenty of time to defrost)
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
8oz shredded Mexican-blend cheese
1 1/2 cups salsa
1/2 cup olive oil
3-4 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp cumin
1-2 tsp chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
freshly ground salt & pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 avocado, diced

Cook the pasta al dente according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.

In a large bowl, combine the black beans, corn, tomatoes, salsa, and cheese. Add the cooled pasta and mix well.

In another bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, garlic, cumin and chili powder. Pour over the pasta salad, add the cilantro, and mix well. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

Just before serving, stir in the diced avocado.

Butternut Squash Stuffed Shells

2009-11-19T08:19:00.003-05:00

I saw these on Proud Italian Cook blog. I really love her blog. Beautiful pictures, inspired recipes and good downhome Italian cooking, which is my favorite.

She had this recipe for the butternut squash stuffed shells (click the link above for the recipe) and then one for butternut squash lasagna.

I decided to try the stuffed shells first. These were so delicious and fairly easy to make as well. The main reason I chose the shells was because I figured they'd be pretty easy to divvy up for lunches the next day, if there were leftovers, which there were. So I made these for a family dinner and my mom packed up the leftovers for me and my husband. Little did I know she packed them at the bottom of the box so when we got in late that night from her house, I forgot to remove them and put them in the fridge overnight.

So needless to say, when I discovered them the next night at the bottom of the box, they had to go straight in the trash. I was devastated because they would have made the perfect lunch for the next two days. And it never feels good to throw away food. Oh well. We did enjoy them while they lasted.

The one thing I would do differently next time, well actually two things, I would eliminate the lemon zest. I honestly don't know why I even included it this time around. I'm not a fan of lemon zest to begin with, but Proud Italian Cook really sold me on how it would enhance the dish so I figured what the heck. Unfortunately, as usual, it was too strong of a flavor for me and my husband didn't like the zestiness at all. The other thing I would change was the sauce.

I made a sage brown butter sauce, but I think a nice, creamy bechamel would have served these shells better. I added a bit of chicken stock and lemon juice to my brown butter sauce and it was pretty tasty, but all that butter does make you feel a little weighed down. Nonetheless, this was a great fall dish and perfect for a crowd. Check out her recipe and enjoy!

Pumpkin Coconut Bread That Couldda Been a Contendah

2009-11-18T08:18:00.005-05:00

This recipe reminds me of that famous Marlon Brando line from On The Waterfront , "I coulda been somebody. I coulda been a contender!". Just picture this cute little loaf in a leather jacket sitting on a motorcycle.
Why do I say this? Well, because this recipe had a lot of potential but it just quite didn't make the grade. The bread was moist and the coconut flavor was there, but I found it to be way to subtle. I had to think really hard to taste coconut, and that's even after I poured in an extra cup of shredded coconut into the batter! I think it could have benefitted from some more coconut and maybe even a dash of coconut extract or maybe Malibu coconut rum if you're feeling crazy?

On top of that, this bread recipe didn't call for any spices. Not a speck of spice in site! For a pumpkin bread, I found this really odd. Unfortunately, I didn't really think about how odd until after it was baked and I tasted how bland it was. The bread could have been a hundred times better with a few teaspoons of nutmeg, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Nothing brought out the great pumpkin flavor. So overall, I would say this bread could have been so much better.

Pumpkin Coconut Bread
Coconut and Lime Blog

Click to Go to Original Recipe

Chicken Dukkah

2009-11-13T18:02:00.002-05:00

For some reason this recipe name makes me want to say... dookey. Dookey dookey dookey! Someone dropped a dookey. Ok it's over. I've got it out of my system. Now on to the serious nature of this delicious recipe.

I saw this on Smitten Kitchen blog, who had seen it on Ask Aida on The Food Network. The recipe from Aida, basically has you first dunk some chicken skewers in a mixture of dijon mustard and olive oil and then roll them in the dukkah spice blend that has been mixed with shredded Parmesan cheese. Smitten found the dukkah crust recipe here at 101 Cookbooks, since Aida doesn't give you one.

The whole idea intrigued me, the name made me laugh and overall it just sounded like something different. It combines a ton of fragrant spices with toasted hazelnuts to create a dry, thick spice rub for chicken. You encrust the chicken in this spice rub, bake and serve. I found it healthy, tasty and a nice twist on a traditional chicken dinner.

In fact, I even ended up making a batch of dukkah-crusted chicken breasts a few weeks later with the leftover dukkah and put them in paninis with artichoke hearts, spinach and provolone cheese. They were delicious and the combination of the dukkah with spinach, artichokes and cheese was great.
The crust has a decidedly Middle-eastern type of flavor - fennel seeds, coriander, mint and cumin combine with salt, pepper, and sesame seeds. On Smitten Kitchen she served it with a balsamic reduction sauce, but I found the chicken stayed quite juicy and the spicy crust provided more than enough flavor.
You can use the dukkah crust as an herb dip with bread as well. Just put a few tablespoons of the dukkah in a bowl and cover with olive oil for dipping pita or fresh baked bread. Enjoy!

Chicken with a Dukkah Crust

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
24 chicken tenders, also called chicken tenderloins
1 cup Dukkah (recipe below)
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (Deb note: I skipped this, as a dinner guest does not mix milk and meat)

For the chicken skewers:
1. 24 metal or bamboo skewers (if using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes before using)
2. Heat oven to 350°F.
3. In a shallow bowl, combine the mustard and olive oil, and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss the chicken in the mustard mixture until well coated.
4. Combine the dukkah and Parmigiano-Reggiano in a wide, shallow dish and mix thoroughly. Roll each tender in the dukkah mix until well coated.
5. Thread a chicken tender on each skewer. Place the chicken skewers on wire cooling racks. Nest each wire rack in a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake until the meat is firm and the dukkah crust is golden, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Dukkah Spice Blend

1/2 cup hazelnuts
1/4 cup coriander seeds
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon dried mint leaves
1 teaspoon salt

Heat a heavy skillet over high heat, add the hazelnuts, and dry-toast until slightly browned and fragrant, being careful that they don't burn. Remove from the heat and cool completely. Repeat the procedure with each of the seeds and the peppercorns. Allow each of them to cool completely.

Place the nuts and seeds, along with the mint and salt, into a mortar and pound until the mixture is crushed. Or pulse in a food processor to a coarse consistency; do not allow the mixture to become a paste.

Store in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 1 month.

Yield: 1 cup.

Coconut Shrimp

2009-11-04T11:52:00.002-05:00

On Halloween night, my husband and I hid away at my mother's house. Mainly because she gets a limited number of trick-or-treaters (and when I say limited I mean she got about 50 kids), whereas in my neighborhood we get into the 100s. I live in a townhouse community, so it's insane the amount of kids that come knocking on the door. One year we stayed home to give out candy. I probably spent about $60 on candy and ran out in two hours. We then had to hid upstairs with the lights off in the hopes that they would stop ringing the doorbell! In addition to that, opening and closing the door to service these little costumed bands of children is made even that more difficult by the fact that I have three cats. Let me add to that, three cats who like to try to escape every time the front door lingers open. Not a good combination. So, we went to my mother's, handed out candy and cooked up some finger foods to munch on. Among those, was this Coconut Shrimp that I found at Food Network .

Instead of frying them like the recipe calls for, we baked them. It was less messy and better for you as well. The coconut flavor was perfect and we baked them on 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, until the coconut coating was crisp and beginning to brown.

The only thing we really didn't like about this recipe was the accompanying dipping sauce. The orange marmalade was way too potent and just didn't go well with the shrimp. Next time, I may make some kind of pineapple or mango puree sauce instead. Other than that though, the shrimp were crispy and tasty. Enjoy!

Neely's Jumbo Coconut Shrimp
The Neelys, Food Network

Peanut oil, for frying
1 1/2 pounds jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
4 large eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon granulated garlic powder
Zesty Dipping Sauce, recipe follows
Directions
Preheat oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F.

Butterfly shrimp and set aside.

In medium bowl mix together panko and coconut. In another medium bowl beat eggs and dash of salt and pepper. In a third bowl mix flour, onion and garlic powder together. Dredge shrimp in flour, then eggs, then the bread crumbs.

Place in preheated deep-fryer and fry, in batches, until crisp and golden brown; 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined sheet tray. Serve hot with Zesty Dipping Sauce on the side.

Zesty Dipping Sauce:

1 (6-ounce) jar orange marmalade
1/4 cup sweet Asian chili sauce
1 lime, juiced
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl.

Caramel Pumpkin Seeds with Macadamia Nuts

2009-11-03T10:38:00.002-05:00

I know these are a bit late, since Halloween is now over, but I just had to share because they were so tasty. Be warned though, eating too many pumpkin seeds may do a number on your stomach.

I found the hulls a bit rough to digest even though they are edible - and these sticky little morsels are so easy to overindulge on that you may find your stomach seed-filled before you know it. I thought this was a great alternative to traditional roasted pumpkin seeds and I'll definitely be making this easy recipe again next year. And I have to say, I normally don't find many of Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade recipes enticing, but once in a while she has a zinger that really intrigues me. This is one of those times and I'm glad I went with my instincts on this one. Sandra hit a semi-homemade home run here. Enjoy!

Caramelized Pumpkin Seeds
Sandra Lee, Semi-Homemade, www.foodnetwork.com

1/2 cup butterscotch caramel sauce

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon extract

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 cups pumpkin seeds, roasted

1 cup almonds, crushed (I used macadamia nuts because it's all I had around)

Lightly coat baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large skillet, slowly melt the caramel sauce and sugar. When melted stir in cinnamon extract and cayenne. Continue cooking until mixture reaches a temperature of 310 degrees F. Stir in pumpkin seeds until completely coated. Spread caramelized seeds onto the baking sheet and sprinkle with crushed almonds. Separate seeds with wooden spoon until cooled.

Cook's Notes:

Melted sugar is very hot. Please use extreme caution when handling and pouring. Pumpkin seeds may be purchased already roasted. If using the seeds from a jack-o-lantern, rinse and clean seeds. Place on a baking sheet, lightly coated with cooking spray, in a preheated 250 degree F oven. Roast seeds for about 1 hour stirring every 15 minutes. The actual seed of the pumpkin is inside the hull. The hull is edible.

Fall at Longwood Gardens

2009-11-02T10:33:00.002-05:00

We took a trip to Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania a few weekends ago to see their pumpkin display and check out the fall foliage. If you live nearby, it's a great place to walk through on a beautiful, sunny day. They have tons of gardens and a grand conservatory with a myriad of flowers, plus a topiary garden and in the summer and spring, an elaborate fountain garden dances for visitors. Here are a few pics from our recent visit.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

2009-10-31T23:13:00.002-04:00

I can't believe I haven't made some version of this soup sooner! Why? Well simply because I just love butternut squash. It's not only a fabulous fall vegetable, but it packs so many vitamins and minerals into each sweet spoonful. It's like superfood! And these days, everyone can use a little of that.

My recipe below is kind of a hybrid of a couple of versions I've seen out there. But I can namely give inspirational credit to the butternut squash recipes on both the Jenn Cuisine blog and La Tartine Gourmande's blog .

And, at the risk of sounding trite, I can safely say that this recipe was taste-tested and approved by my husband, who is not a fan of sweet root vegetables, ie sweet potatoes, butternut squash etc. but he really liked this soup, which made me feel good. I think the salty crunch of pancetta on the top helped...meat is truly the way to my man's heart for sure! Enjoy!

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

1 medium-sized butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise and seeds removed
1 large sweet potato
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 vidalia onion, diced
3 to 4 medium-sized carrots, shredded
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter (ok, I probably actually added more like 4, but I was trying to appear conservative here)
about 1/4 cup of chopped sage leaves (I didn't measure so I'm guesstimating here. I love the taste of sage, so I used a lot. You can certainly use less, like 1/8 cup if you think 1/4 cup will be too much for your taste. Or you can subsitute fresh thyme if you prefer.)
1/4 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes (depending on how hot you like it)
pinch of nutmeg
1 bay leaf
5 cups water
salt and pepper
crispy pancetta for garnishing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place your two squash halves, skin side down, alongside your whole sweet potato onto a baking sheet. Drizzle the exposed squash flesh with a tablespoon of your olive oil and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Rub oil on your sweet potato as well and then season it with salt and pepper. Roast the vegetables in the oven for an hour or until soft and fully cooked. Once cooked remove from the oven and scrape the soft flesh away from the skins of the vegetables. Puree the squash and potato in a blender or food processor.
Meanwhile, while squash is roasting, you can heat up your remaining olive oil and butter. Once the butter and oil are melted together, add your onions, shredded carrots and garlic. Let cook until slightly softened. Add in your sage, red pepper flakes, nutmeg and bay leaf and saute a bit longer. Finally add in your water and season with salt and pepper. Allow the flavors to mingle and simmer together, then add in your root vegetable puree.
At this point, you can serve the soup as is or you can puree the entire thing in a food processor or blender in small batches and then return to the soup pot. I like a smooth soup, so I took the puree route. If you find your soup is too thick after pureeing it, simply add more water, but remember to reseason appropriately with salt and pepper after doing so or your soup may lack flavor. Serve hot topped with crispy bacon or pancetta bits. The salty/sweet combo will give your tastebuds another reason to love fall's cornucopia of flavors!

Barefoot Bloggers: Blue Cheese Souffle

2009-10-29T08:08:00.002-04:00

Do souffles remind anyone else of Superman the Movie?? Remember that scene where Lois tries to make a souffle and it falls the minute she takes it out of the oven? Then Superman saves it with a simple touch or look or something like that. Fortunately, I didn't have a need for Superman's souffle puffing touch - mine turned out pretty, puffy and tasty. However, souffle still confuses me a bit.

Or maybe I should say, savory souffles confuse me a bit. Sweet souffles I get - they are dessert and they fit neatly into the dessert category. Where do savory souffles go though? Breakfast, lunch, side dish, bread course, main course?? I wasn't really sure how to serve this. Considering I don't usually make elaborate lunches, lunch was out. I guess I could have made this for a weekend breakfast, but I don't think my husband would be too happy about giving up his traditional grand slam for a souffle.

So I served this Barefoot Bloggers recipe for dinner as a side dish with some homemade butternut squash soup (which I'll post tomorrow). This seemed to work out well although when my husband dug into the little ramekin his first question was, "What is this? Eggs?". He wasn't completely sold. I can't say I was either. I mean the souffles were tasty enough, but they just seemed kind of pointless and odd. The egginess was a little weird for both of us. And truth be told, I don't really like eggs except for breakfast and once in a while in the occassional quiche. I liked the cheese flavor, but I think in conclusion I'm just not a fan of souffles in general. Oh well, c'est la vie! They do photograph well however, n'est ce pas?
Sorry for the intermittent French - I couldn't resist :) Enjoy!

Blue Cheese Souffle
Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten

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
Directions
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.

Mexican Quiche

2009-10-27T09:54:00.002-04:00

I threw this recipe together one evening by basically cleaning out my fridge and pantry. I knew I wanted something with Mexican flavors, but I wasn't feeling the usual fajitas or quesadillas. I had some leftover homemade pie crusts in the freezer and it dawned on me - Mexican quiche! Why not? I combined sausage, black beans, spinach, cheese, salsa, onions, peppers and spices to come up with a pretty hearty pie. It's not a traditional quiche by any means - it uses far less eggs than a usual quiche, which uses twice or three times the amount of eggs that I did. But it still fit the bill to satisfy my Mexican craving and it provided perfect leftovers for lunch the next two days. Enjoy! Oh and sorry for the lame photo. I was too lazy to set up my light box and too hungry to shoot again. Oh well. You get the idea.

Mexican Quiche

1 pie crust (store bought or homemade)
3 links of sausage (your choice - turkey, pork or chicken), casings removed
1 small onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 jalapeno peppers, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped (I think I really used more like 4 but I'm a garlic fiend)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 can black beans, drained
1 10oz package of frozen spinach, thawed and drained
2 cups of cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup salsa (your choice, I used ChiChi's mild)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin (You can use less if cumin isn't your thing - I like it nicely spiced though)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (optional for heat)
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups half and half (you can use milk if you like)
sour cream (for garnish)
chopped chives or scallions (for garnish)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
First, lay out your pie crust in a deep dish pie plate - and I mean deep dish, this is one thick quiche.
Next, brown your sausage and then drain and let cool on paper towels. In a skillet, saute your onions, peppers and garlic with the olive oil. Once softened, remove to a large bowl. Add your sausage and the rest of your ingredients, except your eggs and half and half.
Mix the sausage, bean, spinach, cheese and onion mixture well and disperse the salsa and spices evenly throughout the mixture. Dump the mixture into your pie plate. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and half and half. Pour the mixture over top of your quiche and distribute evenly.
Place your quiche in a preheated oven and bake for about 45 minutes to an hour or until eggs are set. Keep an eye on out to prevent burning or over baking. Remove and serve topped with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkling or chopped chives or scallions. Ole!

Chicken Milanese Panino

2009-10-26T10:48:00.002-04:00

Don't be intimidated! That's just a fancy way to say, "Fried Chicken Sandwich". It's also, a fancy way to make it as well, or at least it looks fancier than your typical fried chicken sandwich.

First, I breaded the chicken in flour, egg and then a parmesan/bread crumb mixture. Then I pan fried it olive oil until juicy and tender. I heated my beautiful Mario Batali Panini Press and went to work constructing my paninis.
I used some soft, pre-sliced sourdough bread from my store's bakery. Try to look for large slices of bread - they make the best paninis because the large surface area helps keep the sandwich together and avoids having to stack your ingredients too high between the bread.

I generously spread pesto sauce on both slices of bread. Then I layered on the fillings - roasted red peppers, provolone cheese and my breaded chicken.
I oiled my hot panini press by brushing the bottom and the heavy cast iron lid with olive oil. Then I put my sandwiches in, enjoyed the sizzle, and placed the lid on top. I kept an eye on them to prevent burning and flipped them once in the process, since the top lid never gets as hot as the bottom pan.
These were delicious - the sweet roasted peppers, nutty pesto, breaded chicken and rich provolone were a great combination. I served them with bowls of soup, but they could have easily made a meal in themselves.

So get creative! Heat up your panini press - or get a large brick from the hardware store - and throw together some good ingredients. You'll be saying "Panini's ready" in no time! Enjoy!

Lebanese-Style Stuffed Eggplant

2009-10-22T08:59:00.003-04:00

I really love eggplant. I've grilled it, fried it, baked it and sauteed it. It's one of those vegetables that to me could substitute easily for meat in a dish. But it also goes great with meat - like lamb and beef. I found this recipe on Smitten Kitchen's blog. She has a great round-up of recipes with short and sweet write-ups and beautiful pictures. She has one of those blogs that inspires me to cook more and try harder! When I saw this recipe, it reminded me of an eggplant dish I had at a local restaurant not too long ago. This was a bit different, as the restaurant dish was stuffed with a mixture of lentils and rice and then topped with a tzatiki sauce of sorts. This particular eggplant of Smitten Kitchen was stuffed with a meat and rice mixture - much more up my husband's alley - and sauced with a tomato-based sauce.

I had to change a few things for a few reasons. One - I couldn't find tiny eggplants. So I bought two larger eggplants thinking I'd just hollow out and stuff those. This plan was fine until I cut open one of my larger eggplants to reveal a little, well actually not so little, green worm. In fact, my cut into the eggplant chopped his little worm body directly in half. I screamed - I know, so girlie - and then moved on...with only one eggplant to my name of course. So I had to construct the recipe a bit differently. I cut the one eggplant in half, lengthwise, hollowed it out like a canoe and then stuffed it with way too much meat mixture, because I had made enough for two eggplants of course. Oh well. It still turned out super tasty if not super-sized. I added one bag of baby spinach to the sauce too just to get some greens in there. Overall a nice recipes. I think next time though, I'll try lentils and rice. And maybe a little tzatiki sauce...ENJOY!

Lebanese Style Stuffed Eggplant
Gourmet Magazine

6 (5- to 6-inch long) bambino (also called Baby Bell) eggplants (about 6 ounces each)
1/2 cup long-grain or jasmine rice
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons pine nuts
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cups chicken stock or reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 (14 1/2-oz) can diced tomatoes in juice
3/4 lb ground lamb or beef chuck (not lean)
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 lemon
3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Hollow out each eggplant with a melon-ball cutter, working from bottom end and leaving about 1/3 inch eggplant flesh along interior walls. Rinse rice in a sieve under cold water until water runs clear. Drain well.

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Fry pine nuts, stirring frequently, until golden, about 3 minutes, then transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Sauté onion and garlic, stirring occasionally, until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer 1/2 cup onion mixture to bowl with pine nuts. Add stock, tomatoes, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to skillet and simmer, uncovered.

Add uncooked rice, ground beef (uncooked), allspice, one teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to bowl with onion mixture and mix well with your hands.

Stuff eggplant with meat mixture, being careful not to pack tightly (rice will expand during cooking). Transfer stuffed eggplants to skillet with tomato sauce and simmer, covered, carefully turning once, until rice is cooked through, 50 minutes to one hour (cut one in half to test). Check in on your dish periodically.

If sauce is watery, transfer eggplant to a plate and boil sauce, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, 3 to 5 minutes, then adjust seasoning if necessary. Return stuffed eggplant to sauce. Squeeze lemon over dish and sprinkle with parsley before serving.

Barefoot Bloggers: Cheddar Corn Chowder

2009-10-21T08:41:00.003-04:00

I'm a little late with the first recipe of the month for Barefoot Bloggers, but better late than never! I didn't get to Barefoot last month - mainly because the challenge was to bake two different chocolate cakes. I'm not much of a cake fan for one and for two I'm not about to have two cakes sitting around my house to eat. I'll be gaining enough weight in the next few months on my own - I don't need two cakes to help me out. So sorry fellow BBers, but I just couldn't bring myself to bake two cakes for just my husband and myself.
This soup however, was a different story!

I was very excited about making this soup, as I love homemade soups on brisk fall days. We had a perfect Sunday for this soup and I served it up for my family with some Salmon BLT wraps. Yum! This recipe makes a ton of soup - and I halved it. So beware! I halved it and it fed five people, plus yielded two tupperware containers of leftovers, which I froze. I found this to be a foolproof, easy recipe though with tasty, comforting results. Definitely take some time to make this hearty soup this fall. Enjoy!

Cheddar Corn Chowder
Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa

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.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes

2009-10-16T15:07:00.002-04:00

This is so frustrating! Last Sunday morning I made these delicious whole wheat blueberry pancakes after a quick internet search. I found a recipe that encompassed wheat flour, white flour and oat bran. Perfect! I wanted a hearty pancake that would pack a healthy punch beneath the maple syrup and butter.

However, I didn't bookmark the page and now I can't find it on a Google search! Either it disappeared or I searched for it under some terms I can't remember. Anyway, I found a recipe that was similar and have posted it below. So I guess these pancakes were really a one time deal in my house since I can't find the recipe again! Oh well. Thankfully there are thousands of whole wheat blueberry pancake recipes to try on the interwebs so I'm sure I'll get by. Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes
Source: Food and Fun Blog

Makes about 6 pancakes

3/4 cup white whole-grain (wheat) flour
1/4 cup oat flour (or Oat Bran)
1 tspn baking powder
1/2 tspn baking soda
1/4 tspn salt
1 cup fresh blueberries (or frozen and thawed)
1 cup buttermilk (or milk)
1 large egg - lightly beaten
2 tbsp butter - melted

Method
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter to this.

Stir all the remaining ingredients until they are just combined. Don’t worry if the batter is a bit lumpy, you don't want to over mix. Finally fold in the blueberries.

Heat your skillet, pan, or griddle to medium-hot and brush it with a bit of butter. (If a drop of water dropped onto the pan starts to sizzle, the pan is hot enough). Now pour about 1/3 of a cup of batter into the skillet. Wait until the pancake bottom is deep golden in color (about 30 seconds), then flip with a spatula and cook the other side until golden and cooked through. Repeat with the remaining batter.