Belly Garnish

Moved

2010-08-09T22:56:00.002-04:00

Well, at least I am :) the other posters are more than welcome to continue to post here.

You can find me at tisjewel.blogspot.com

Butternut Squash and Ham Soup w/bacon

2009-11-17T18:50:00.005-05:00

Mmmmm.... bacon infused.... it's really good!

1 Lg Butternut Squash
Olive oil cooking spray
1 Tbsp EV Olive oil
1 Sm Onion, chopped
1 Tsp Garlic, minced
6-8 Slices Turkey Bacon (reduced sodium)
1 Ham Steak (8oz - 1Lb depending on how much you want in there), cubed *NOTE: you can also substitute with chopped/shredded chicken or turkey.
2 Cans Chicken broth (reduced sodium)
1 Tbsp Smart Balance Butter (or I can't believe it's not butter)
2-3 C Water
1 Tbsp Garlic powder
2 Tsp Onion powder
1/8 Tsp Cayenne pepper
Dash or 2 Ground cumin
1 Tbsp Parsley, dried
Salt & fresh ground pepper
1/4 C Shredded cheese (for garnish)

You can do the butternut squash step and the bacon step at the same time and before hand.

Preheat oven to 400º. Cut butternut squash in half (or in 4ths length-wise if you have a fairly large one). Place on non-stick foil on a rack and spray both sides liberally with olive oil. Bake for 20-40 minutes, until you are able to pierce with a fork easily. Once butternut squash is done, remove from oven, let sit until cool enough to peel off skin. Cut into chunks.

While butternut squash is cooking. Heat a pan and cook your bacon. Remove bacon from pan, and set aside on paper towels. Reducing the heat on the pan to low, add 1/2 can of broth and deglaze for a few minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan with a spoon to get all the bacon bits that stuck to the pan mixed into the broth. Set aside.

Once you have your butternut squash and bacon ready to go, heat tbsp of olive oil in a large pot on med-high. Add onions, garlic, ham, and break your bacon (I only used 4 of the slices, but you can add more if you like and no one in your household has gobbled it up) up into the pot. Saute until onions are soft. Add butter. Saute more until butter has melted. Take the broth/bacon grease mixture and add to the pot, then add the rest of the broth, water, and butternut squash, bring to a boil. Stir, then add in seasonings (and adjust as necessary to taste) and parsley. Continue to simmer, stirring frequently, and while stirring smash the butternut squash against the side of the pot with the spoon. Cook in this manner until soup has thickened and most of the butternut squash has melted (though I like to leave a few chunks).

Chinese Chicken Salad

2009-11-16T18:37:00.004-05:00

Not the healthiest salad out there, but it is oooooo soooooo gooooood! And just think of it as the ingredients balancing themselves out :Op

I love this version of the salad because it reminds me of the one that they sell in a little local restaurant in Hawaii across the street from Honolulu Community College. Though that one rocks so much more than this one does.

Oh, by the way, you need a large bowl for this!

1/2 Lb Chicken breast, chopped (or use left over handmade chicken fingers like I did)
1/2 - 1 C Le Choy rice noodles or egg noodles (egg noodles are better, but rice noodles have less sodium), or won ton strips
1/2 Lb Char siu pork, chopped (or Tochino)
Head of lettuce torn into bite sized pieces - romaine or a mix is good, or plain old iceberg will do
1 Small bag of Ededame, cooked & cooled (soy beans, shelled)

Make the dressing by boiling the following ingredients:
1/2 Tsp pepper (fresh ground is the best)
1 Tsp salt
1/4 C Vinegar (I used a 50/50 combination of white and cider)
1/4 C Sugar

Cool dressing, then whisk in 1/4 C each of Sesame oil and Olive oil. Set aside.

Make sure most of your ingredients, like the chicken, ededame, char siu is room temperature. If too hot it'll wilt the lettuce too fast, if cold, it won't taste as good.

Put all ingredients, except for the dressing into a big bowl, then toss. When you're ready to serve, drizzle the dressing over it and toss again.

Coming back!

2009-09-13T11:21:00.001-04:00

I know this blog has flat-linned, but I'm hoping to get it up and kicking again shortly!!!

Creamy Clam Sauce Over Angel Hair Pasta

2009-08-10T19:09:00.004-04:00

Recently, while browsing Fresh Market in Savannah, I came across two products that just lit me up with a smile, Olive oil flavored with Lime, and Angel hair pasta nests.

I thought, mmmmm.... using those two ingredients in a recipe would be so good! I wanted to use a sauce that was creamy, first thinking alfredo, or creamy parm, but ultimately decided up on a creamy clam sauce.

Now, even before I started, I knew cooking the angel hair pasta nests would be tricky. I kept puzzling over how it would cook without falling apart, as I envisioned it blooming and expanding as it cooked in the boiling water. Umm... well, yep, it did bloom and fall apart, and ended up more like a mess rather than a nest. Normal angel hair pasta, except with some clumps here and there. So that was that. The pasta was still good, don't get me wrong, but the outer edges that bloomed cooked faster than the inside. I think next time I cook it, I'll put it in a smaller pot so that it doesn't have much room to float around.

All in all, this was very delicious! DS, having watched one too many Top Chef episodes with me, said, "mom, I think this dish deserves 4 stars". LOL! I asked him why just 4 and he said, "because you didn't make dessert". Well there you have it! I'm a proud mama of a budding food critic.

The other day he asked me if food critics make a lot of money, LOL.

1 Tbsp Olive oil (flavored with lime, or just add 1 Tsp of lime juice to the oil)
2 Shallots, chopped finely
2 Garlic cloves, minced
2 6.5oz Cans Chopped Clams in clam juice, undrained
1/2 C Half and Half (fat free)
2 Tbsp Butter, unsalted + 1 Tbsp flour (make a paste w/flour and butter)
1/4 Tsp Garlic powder
1/4 Tsp Onion powder
1 Tsp Parsley flakes
Salt & Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/3 C Freshly grated pecorino romano or parmesan cheese

Heat oil over med-high in a pan. Add garlic and shallots, saute until soft. Add in paste made from flour and butter, then add in clams w/clam juice and half and half. Season, then grate in cheese. Continue to stir until desired thickness is reached. Meanwhile cook your pasta according to package directions. Serve sauce over pasta.

Not your mama's iced tea!

2009-08-02T18:27:00.006-04:00

When I visited family in Las Vegas not too long ago, my Aunty made a drink for us from a recipe that her boss had given her. Now, I'm not sure where the recipe originated from, so can't give credit and I'm not sure on the accuracy of the measurements because I'm only relaying what I think tastes good in my opinion.

This is a nice refreshing drink that reminds me a lot of Red Robin's Freckled Lemonade, with the kick of some alcohol. The recipe calls for Jeremiah Weed Sweet Tea Vodka:

But alas, I couldn't find any, and so came home with Bacardi Rum Island Iced Tea, which is surprisingly good!

I believe you can also substitute with Firefly Sweet Tea, but I haven't tried it.

Basically, take a glass, add ice, add about 2-3 heaping spoonfuls of frozen strawberries (that have sugar added to it), fill to about 3/4 full (or 2/3 if you want more alcohol content) of Simply Lemonade (more or less to your liking), and top off with the rum/vodka iced tea. Stir. Again these are just to my tastes, so adjust to yours as necessary.

That's it! Cheers!

Ice
Frozen sliced strawberries with sugar added (preferably melted)
Simply Lemonade
Jeremiah Weed Sweet Tea (vodka), Bacardi Rum Island Iced Tea, or Firefly Sweet Tea

Burgers Gone Wild

2009-08-01T19:18:00.009-04:00

Ever make/do something that you're just totally completely (probably irrationally in another's eyes) proud of yourself for creating? This would be one of those moments for me. I'm so excited about this one that I can't contain myself!

I would call this one a work of art {insert girly giggle here}. Yes, it is humongous, yes it's quite a feat trying to fit it in your mouth, but I promise you that through that and though it is a bit messy, it is very good. In fact, I would have eaten two of them if the one hadn't been as filling as it was.

In the process of this recipe, I also got to try out my new gadget, which is almost always fun. I recently bought a new potato peeler that came with something similiar and looks like one too, but actually jullienes the veggie. Perfect tool for making shoestring potatoes!

This recipe requires you to make a few things at the same time, so be prepared to juggle. It also assumes you know how to fry an egg, and cook a burger.

The Burger

1 1/2 Lb Ground beef, lean (or sub with any ground meat)
1 Sm Onion, minced
1/4 C Fat free mozzarella
1/4 C Fat free cheddar
2 Cloves garlic, minced
1-2 Tbsp Sundried tomatoes (~used the jarred type in olive oil), minced
1/2 Tsp Red pepper flakes
1 Tsp Italian Herbs
1/2 Tsp Freshly ground pepper
1/2 Tsp Basil (~dried)
1 Tsp Onion powder
1 Tsp Garlic powder
1/4 Tsp Chili powder
2 Tsp Balsalmic vinegar

Combine the above ingredients and form patties (approx. 4-5). Heat skillet and cook on med-high heat or throw them on the grill and cook until desired doneness.

While burgers are cooking... Fry 4-5 eggs (you can optionally make the eggs, set them aside on the stove under cover while you make the other items), and while those are cooking, make...

Shoestring Potato Flat-Nests

1 Lg Baking potato
Oil for frying

{Shown, are 4 flat-nests stacked on top of eachother}.

Julienne the baking potato. Grab a handful and drop into hot oil. Using thongs or frying basket flip once the edges beging to turn golden brown. Cook until both sides are golden brown. If your oil is hot enough, it should only take a little while to cook, so you'll need to watch it carefully or it'll burn before you know it (ask me how I know...). Drain on papertowels and set aside.

Meanwhile...

Parmesan Crisps

1 Pkg of shredded/grated parmesan

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with non-stick foil. Create small circular flat piles (a little bigger than a burger would be) with the parmesan. Cook in the oven until they edges begin to crisp approx 1 1/2" inward. Remove from oven, season with salt (or seasalt) and let stand.

-----

Lastly

Season fried eggs with some freshly ground pepper.

Compile burger in buns, with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, ketchup, mustard, etc.

How to eat? Press it down, and shove it in!

Thai Cucumber Salad

2009-08-01T00:24:00.002-04:00

Today's Farmer's Market yielded a small surprise: lemon cucumbers. I've been reading about them on a few blogs lately, and was hoping they'd show up! They are very mild and easy on the tummy (the latter is definitely appreciated here).

This is a quick and easy salad to mix up. It's light and refreshing, too.

Thai Cucumber Salad

3 lemon cucumbers

1 serrano chili

2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

handful of cilantro

~1 teaspoon salt

Peel the cucumbers. Then slice in half and scoop out the seeds. Quarter them, then slice into 1/4" slices. Place in a collandar over the sink and sprinkle with salt. Toss a bit, and let sit while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the vinegar and sugar until the latter is disolved completely. Stem and seed the chili, then mince finely. Mince up the cilantro and add it and the chili to the sugared vinegar.

Rinse and drain the cucumbers well, then toss with the dressing.

Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Buffalo Soldier

2009-07-31T19:55:00.003-04:00

For whatever reason, whenever I say "Buffalo Meatball" I sing it to the tune of the Bob Marley song. Scarier still is that my boys sing along as I make up silly words...

Buffalo Meatball
Tasty morsel
Yeah, it was a Buffalo Meatball
In the mouths of America

The man is on a low-carb kick. And I am trying to accomodate. It really does suit him better and it keeps him away from the sweets. This recipe is adapted from one by Racheal Ray. This is like Buffalo Wings, but no bones, and all tasty, meaty goodness.

Meatballs

1.5 pounds ground turkey or ground chicken
2 eggs
1 tbsp. onion powder
1 tbsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. dry parsley

Roll into small balls (1 inch or less). Bake on cookie sheet at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until cooked through.

Sauce

6 tbsp. of butter
1/4 cup of hot sauce (more if you like 'em hotter)
1 tsp. of liquid smoke
2 tbsp. of splenda

Melt the butter in a large frying pan and mix in the other ingredients. Toss the cooked meatballs into the sauce until evenly coated. Serve with celery & blue cheese dressing. We did celery, carrots, and ranch ('cause blue cheese skeeves me out!).

Stew!

2009-07-31T18:58:00.003-04:00

Ok, ok, so not a lot of people like tripe, and if you're one of them, please feel free to omit it from the recipe! I like tripe, only because I used to eat it when I was a kid, and growing up in Hawaii, we get all kinds of good stuff like this! I make mine similar to regular beef stew and also throw in some stewing beef, just because DH doesn't like tripe either and he can pick it out and just eat the beef and vegetables.

This stew is slow cooked, but I used a multi-cooker, and unlike crockpots, where you can leave it unattended for several hours, this you have to watch and stir (at least every 15 minutes) or it WILL stick to the bottom and burn... ask me how I know. You can certainly use a regular large pot or even cook it in a crockpot (though if you do use a crockpot, the cooking time may be longer).

Tripe, in my opinion, isn't cooked right unless it is soft, almost like a piece of fat - I know not the best analogy, but it's the only one I can think of at the moment. If it's chewy/rubbery then it needs to cook longer. Also, very important, before cooking make sure you clean it thoroughly!!! It has all those pockets in it that it must be cleaned well with cold water. It is also like a sponge, so be sure to squeeze the water out when you're ready to chop it up.

2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Jalapeno, sliced in half and seeds removed
1/3 C Green onions, chopped
1 Med Onion, chopped
2 Shallots, chopped
3 Garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 Lb Stewing Beef
1 1/2 Lb Tripe, cleaned, chopped into small 1/4" wide strips
2 Tbsp Flour
6 C Water (to start)
2 14.5oz Cans Stewed Tomatoes
2-3 Tbsp Tomato Paste
1 Tbsp Patis (optional)
2 Lg Potatoes, peeled & chopped
3 Carrots, peeled & chopped
1 1/2 Lb Stewing Beef
1/2 Tsp Celery salt
2 Bay leaves
1 1/2 Tsp Onion powder
1 1/2 Tsp Garlic powder
2 Dashes Cumin, ground
Salt & pepper to taste
1 14.5oz Can Chicken broth

Heat oil in your pot over med-high heat. Add jalapeno, onions, shallots, and garlic. Sautee until onions are soft. Brown beef and tripe. Add flour, and stir for a couple of minutes. Mix in remaining ingredients (if preferred, you can hold off in adding the vegetables until further into cooking time). Continue to cook, stirring frequently, over med-high heat for 4-4 1/2 hours or until tripe is soft. Add more water as you go along, if needed.

Chocolate Bomb Cobbler

2009-07-30T21:26:00.007-04:00

With no fresh or frozen fruits on hand - I know, for shame! - and with the desire to make some kind of cobbler, I went with that national favorite - CHOCOLATE!

Mmm... chocolate, decadent, moist and creamy.

Today was DH's promotion ceremony, so what better way to end the day than with a rich chocolately dessert!

I won't mince words here, will just get to the goods.

6 Tbsp Butter (~used a 50/50 blend of unsalted butter and fat free I Can't Believe It's Not Butter)
--
Part 1
2 1/2 C All-purpose flour
3 Tsp Baking powder
1 Tsp Salt
1 1/2 C Sugar
3 Tbsp Unsweetened cocoa powder
1 C Milk
2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
2 oz Fat free Cream Cheese
--
Part 2
1 C Sugar
1/4 C Unsweetened cocoa powder
--
Part 3
1 1/2 C Boiling water
Hot Fudge

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a 9x9 casserole dish or cake pan, melt the butter.

In a medium sized bowl, stir flour, sugar, and cocoa powder (from part 1 ingredients) together. Add in milk, vanilla ext, and cream cheese, stir until smooth. Spoon mixture over the butter.

In another bowl, mix part two ingredients and sprinkle over the top of the mixture in the casserole dish.

Pour the boiling water over the top slowly, then add teaspoonfuls of hot fudge randomly throughout.

Bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes.

Serve with a dollop (or two) of vanilla icecream.

[Adapted from Chocolate Cobbler.]

Slow Cooked Lamb and Beef Stew

2009-07-26T19:09:00.000-04:00

Yep, another crockpot recipe. I love my crockpot dearly, as you can certainly tell. You don't have to watch the stove, you can just add the ingredients to the pot and walk away for hours on end, with a stir here and there, if it's even necessary. The only thing you have to worry about is it getting low on liquids, and that's only if it's been cooking for well over 5-6 hours. Slow cooking food also makes the flavors deeper, and definitely makes for a more tender bite.

Part 1
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Lamb Shank (I believe it was approx 1 1/2 lbs)
1 1/2 Tsp Parsley (~dried, but you can use 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh)
2 Sm Bay leaves
1 Tsp Celery salt
1 Tsp Sea salt (or rock/kosher)
1 Tsp Fresh ground pepper
5 Sm/Med Garlic cloves (2 whole, 3 crushed and minced)
2 Sm Onions, quartered
1 Whole Slice Orange (leave rind on)
Water

Part 2
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Sm/Med Onion, chopped
1 - 1 1/2 Lb Stewing beef, lean cuts
1 Tbsp Butter, unsalted
2 Tbsp Flour
1/2 Tsp Thyme (~dried, but you can use 1/2 Tbsp fresh)
1 Lg Shallot, chopped
1 C Carrots, diced
2 Med Tomatoes, vine-ripened, diced
1 Lg Potato, peeled and chopped into 1" approx. pieces
1 Tsp Sugar
Salt & Pepper to taste

This recipe is broken down into two parts.

First, set the crockpot to high. In a large skillet heat oil on med-high. Sear lamb shank for approx. 2-3 minutes on each side. While shank is searing, add the following to the crockpot: parsley, bay leaves, celery salt, sea salt, and ground pepper. Mix those together a little bit, then lay the shank over it. Add water just enough to cover the shank. Drop in the quartered onions, the garlic cloves, and the slice of orange. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour.

When you're nearing the 1 hour mark. Start part 2. Reheat skillet to med-high and heat oil. Cook onions until softened, then add stewing beef, sear until the beef is browned on all sides, add butter, stirring until melted. Evenly sprinkle on the flour. Sautee for a couple of minutes, then transfer the contents of the skillet to the crockpot.

Add remainder of ingredients to the crockpot, giving it a slight stir. If you need to, add more water.

Stirring slightly every 30 mins, continue to cook on high for an additional 4-5 1/2 hours or until lamb and beef are tender. Optionally, skim oil from fat off of the top before serving.

NOTE: I took the shank out about 1 - 2 hours before it finished cooking and cut the meat off the bone, then put it back into the crockpot to help speed up the cooking. Lamb on shanks are a bit tougher than using stew cut lamb and take longer to cook.

Wonderful if ladled over orzo.

{Total of approximately 5-8 hours on high or 8-10 on low.}

[Adapted from/inspired by Chubby Hubby.]

Crockpot Carnitas

2009-07-24T18:59:00.008-04:00

I think I'm on a Mexican food kick. So grab your crockpots, and the standard carnitas burrito condiments (I say standard, but that may be what my standard is, LOL): pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, flour tortillas, cheese, rice (flavored with cilantro), and pinto beans.

I attempted to make my flour tortillas from scratch. They turned out not exactly round, but delicious, however, I recommend doing these only if you have the time to spare and are ready to do some kneeding and some rolling - it's hard work! I followed the recipe for those homemade tortillas via this link. Also, I found that I really didn't need to leave it in the pan for very long at all, the longer you leave it the harder/crispier it gets, which makes it rather difficult to fold. I pulled it off quickly, and it didn't brown in spots like it should have, but it still turned out good - not doughy, not crispy, but pliable and soft.

To make your carnitas:

2-3 Lbs Pork shoulder or loin (I used country style loin cuts, which are rectangular cuts about 1 1/2" deep, but they have bones, so kind of a hassle being sure to remove them)
1 Tbsp Sea salt or rock/kosher salt
2 Tbsp Oil
Water (enough to almost cover the pork)
1 Tsp Chili powder
1 Tsp Paprika
2 Bay leaves
1/4 Tsp Cumin
3 Garlic cloves, minced
1 Onion, chopped
Pepper
About 1-2" strip of an orange and a lime rind + juice from 1 slice of lime
1 Tsp Onion powder

Place pork in crockpot and add all other ingredients on top. Push the rinds and the bayleaves toward the bottom. Allow to cook undisturbed for 4-6 hours on high, or 6-8 hours on low. When tender enough that it starts to fall apart when stuck with a fork, remove from crockpot to shred with a fork (remove any bones, the rinds, and bayleaves at this time as well). Place back in the crockpot for about 5-10 minutes. When ready to serve, remove with a slotted spoon.

Of course, I did forget to take a pic of the compiled burrito again! *facepalm*

Turkey Zucchini and Green Tomatoes Throw-Together

2009-07-23T18:51:00.004-04:00

This is where I grab what I can see in the fridge, freezer, and pantry, then call it a meal. When what you had planned on cooking for dinner didn't get done because you didn't start it early enough, so have to put it off until the next day and you're left with having to think on your feet and improvise. PLUS I still had some zucchini, green tomatoes, and jalapenos from my mom/grandma's garden to use before they spoiled.

2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Jalapeno, seeded and sliced into strips
2 Tbsp Green onions, chopped
1 Sm Onion, chopped
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1 Lb Lean ground turkey
1 Lg Zucchini, chopped
3 Sm Green tomatoes, chopped
Sea salt (or regular salt) & pepper
Garlic powder
Onion powder
1/2 Can Chicken broth (I used Light and Fat Free)
1/2 Tsp Patis (optional)
2 Tsp Light Soy Sauce
1-2 C Frozen peas
1-2 C Frozen broccoli + 1 Tbsp unsalted butter (I used steamworks, butter and broccoli)

Heat oil over med-high heat in a large pan, add jalapeno strips. Once jalapeno strips have crisped and browned, you can either remove them at this point or keep them in. Add garlic, green onions, and onions. Saute until onions have caramelized a bit. Stir ground turkey and cook until browned. Add in Zucchini and green tomatoes, and continue to cook for a couple of minutes before adding seasonings and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Add patis, soy sauce, and peas.

Cook at a simmer until zucchinis and green tomatoes are to desired doneness. In the last few minutes add broccoli/butter and stir.

Serve with juices over rice.

Beef Tenderloin Roast with a Baileys Angelcot Pineapple Sauce

2009-07-22T18:56:00.007-04:00

I bought a nice beef tenderloin roast the other day and was brainstorming flavors that would match it well for a sauce. Why is it much easier to pair pork tenderloin with sauces than it is with beef? The tenderloin I got was already trimmed, however, not very neatly or so I discovered, but it turned out delicious and tender nonetheless. I highly recommend getting a roast that you can trim yourself.

In seeking out ingredients for the sauce I mulled over quite a bit of things, but decided to bring into it a rather unusual item - Bailey's Irish Cream. I also had some overripe angelcots (apricots) that had been picked up at the Farm Fresh in downtown Savannah. The angelcots were too mushy to eat like a fruit, making it perfect for a sauce. Along the way I grabbed this and that, things that I thought would work well with it, from my pantry and fridge.

2-3 Lb Beef tenderloin roast
Sea salt & fresh ground peppercorns
Olive oil

Sauce
1 C Beef broth (or 1 C water + 2 beef bullion cubes - which is what I used)
2 Cloves garlic, minced
1 Lg Shallot, minced
3-4 Tbsp Unsalted butter
3 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
2 Angelcots (apricots), quartered & pitted; plus 1 sliced for garnish
1/8 C Mirin (rice wine)
2 Tbsp Bailey's Irish Cream
1/2 C Pineapple juice + 4 slices from sliced canned pineapples
1 Tbsp Fat free half & half
1 Tbsp Light sour cream
Sea salt & fresh ground peppercorns

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Coat tenderloin in 1-2 Tbsp of oil and season with sea salt and freshly ground peppercorns and black pepper.

Sear the tenderloin for approximately 3 minutes on each side, then transfer fat-side up to a roasting pan. Bake in preheated oven for approximately 20-30 minutes or until desired doneness.

Meanwhile, in the skillet used for searing, heat broth. Add garlic and shallots and simmer on medium heat until softened. Add butter, stirring until melted. Add in the remainder of the ingredients, holding on to pineapple slices until the last few minutes. While stirring, smash the angelcots. Season generously with fresh ground peppercorns and a pinch or two of sea salt. Continue to reduce and simmer on medium/med-low heat until sauce has thickened and tenderloin is ready to serve.

Once tenderloin is cooked, cover with foil and allow to settle in juice for a few minutes before carving. Cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices and spoon over with sauce. Garnish with cooked pineapple slices and fresh angelcot slices.

Serve with mashed or baked potatoes and a complimentary veggie.

Crockpot Shredded Beef

2009-07-19T18:02:00.004-04:00

Shredded beef in tacos or burritos, etc, is so much more satisfying, IMHO, than ground beef. I remember as a kid, after school my best friend and I would go to this hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant every now and again and buy the most delicious tasting, fulfilling burritos in the world. They were stuffed with savory, slow cooked beef, that was just melt in your mouth tender, and seasoned unbelievably well. Of course we couldn't do that too often, as these were pretty hefty burritos!

1 1/4-2 Lbs Thick cut top sirloin, top round, or chuck
1/4 Tsp Salt
1-2 Tbsp Chili powder
1-2 Tsp Paprika
1/2 Tsp Cumin
1 1/2 Tsp Garlic powder
1 1/2 Tsp Onion powder
1/4-1/2 Tsp Red pepper flakes
1/4 Tsp Black pepper
1 Onion, chopped
Water
2 Tsp Cider vinegar
1/4 C Low sodium salsa
All other taco fixings

Place meat in crockpot and add just enough water to cover.

In a small bowl, mix seasonings, then shake over meat. Sprinkle on onions. Cover and cook on high for 3-5 hours or on low for 5-8, until tender enough that it starts to fall apart when stuck with a fork.

Remove meat from crockpot and shred using forks. Place back in crockpot and stir in vinegar and salsa.

Cook for another 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, prep all of the other taco fixings. When ready to serve, drain/strain and/or use a slotted spoon to fill taco shells.

I meant to snap a picture of the compiled taco, but completely forgot as I was so hungry and just chowed down. You'll just have to use your imagination!

Morning Nosh

2009-07-19T08:50:00.014-04:00

The sun, that glorious bright omniscient orb that lights the sky and transforms sleeping dew into sparkling gems, has been a nuisance ever since I moved. What's fascinating is that our bedroom isn't even on the side that faces the sun! So I've been getting up early every morning as the room heats up to what feels like smoldering and the light evades. Then I spend some time with the new pup after he wakes when I venture down the stairs. Since the fam is blissfully snuggled up in their beds and I'm here wide awake waiting for the world to open its eyes, what better way to spend it than to cook something delicious!

While perusing through fabulous foodie blogs, I came across a particular recipe via vanilla sugar that just screams out to you "oh you know I'm THE YUM, there's no escaping me! bake me! bake me! you know you wanna". AND WHO DOESN'T LOVE chocolate and peanut butter in the morning! Get it going, and shower while it's cooking. Then viola, something decadent with a moist center and a crunchy crust to lip smack into with a nice cup of hot tea or coffee, just as the man-folk are waking.

Of course, being that I am me, I can't seem to stick entirely to a recipe's ingredient's list, so I have included my substitutions in (~italics) and changes in directions have also be italicized.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bread
[Original recipe by Dawn at vanilla sugar.]

¾ C Dark brown sugar (~splenda brown sugar)
¾ C peanut butter (~she used crunchy, but I only had creamy on hand)
1 Tbsp Vanilla
2 Eggs, beaten
1 ½ C Buttermilk (~1 C fat free half & half + 1/2 C reconstituted cultured buttermilk blend {~2 Tbsp buttermilk powder + 1/2 C water})
1 1/4 C all-purpose flour, sifted (~1 3/4 C)
1 C whole wheat flour, sifted (~1/2 C Italian chestnut flour)
4 Tsp Baking powder
1/2 Tsp salt
¾ C Milk choco chunks (~Semi-sweet chocolate chunks)

3 Tbsp Melted butter +- (~Unsalted sweet butter)
Raw sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a small bowl mix the eggs with the half & half and reconstituted buttermilk blend. In another bowl sift the flours, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl, cream sugar, peanut butter, and vanilla; add in the buttermilk & egg mixture. Then beat in the flour mixture; beat well until just combined.
By hand add in the semi-sweet chocolate chunks.

Pour batter into greased loaf pan and bake for 50 - 55 minutes (mine took 65-70 mins and I ended up covering it with foil during the last 10-15 minutes so that the top wouldn't burn before the insides were cooked) until golden brown and a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan 10 minutes before unmolding.

Optional, on the last 30 minutes of baking, put a bit of melted butter on the top of the bread, then sprinkled some raw sugar chunks over it. -

I think next time I make this, bananas and maybe some nuts would be a fantastic addition to the happening flavors of this bread. Traditional meets the creative innovation of this recipe.

Balsamic Figs & Warm Green Bean Salad

2009-07-18T20:22:00.004-04:00

I love fresh vegetables. My mother gave me a whole bunch of veggies from her and my grandmother's garden, and so I have to come up with different dishes for them in order to use them before they go bad. This dish contains zucchini and tomatoes (from mom's/grandma's garden), though the zucchini is more in the background while the balsamic vinegar and figs take precedent in both flavor and texture.

I served this one cold, but believe that it would be much better hot, so have adjusted it towards that purpose.

2 Tomatoes (preferably farm/garden fresh), sliced thinly
1/2 Pint of Grape tomatoes, cut in half or quartered
1 Lb Fresh green beans, whole with ends snapped off
1 Zucchini, chopped
1/2 Lb Figs, quartered
1 Bunch Fresh basil, chopped finely (chiffonade)
2 Shallots, sliced thinly
EV Olive Oil
Freshly ground sea salt and garlic (optional) or salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Season tomatoes with salt and pepper.

Blanch or steam the green beans. Meanwhile, reduce balsamic vinegar to 1/3 cup, remove from heat and toss in figs, set aside to cool (you may optionally put them in the freezer to chill).

In a hot pan, add 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil and saute shallots until soft, add zucchini, sea salt & garlic, and cook to desired doneness. Turn off heat and garnish with basil.

Drain greenbeans, and in a large bowl toss together with tomatoes, zucchini. Plate, then drizzle over with balsamic vinegar reduction and figs.

Great if served with a pan seared tender steak.

[Recipe inspired/adapted from bouchon for two's Sea Asparagus, Heirloom Tomatoes, Balsamic Glazed Figs .]

Clementine Pork Gnocchi Soup

2009-07-14T18:40:00.006-04:00

Made this up last night for dinner, sorry no pic as we just moved and the camera and stuff is upstairs, LOL. Light enough for summer, but warm enough for any occasion. Made delicious with fresh zucchini from my mom and grandma's garden.

1-2 Tbsp EV Olive oil
2 Cloves garlic, minced
1 Lg Shallot, minced
1 Lb Lean pork, chopped into small bite-sized pieces
1 Can Chicken broth (low sodium/reduced fat)
1 1/2 C Water
1 Lg Zucchini, chopped
1 C Carrots, chopped
Rind from 1 Clementine + 1/2 to all of fruit wedges
Salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
1 Tsp Garlic powder
1 Tsp Onion powder
1/4 Tsp Hot sauce
2 Tsp Mirin (rice wine)
1 Pkg Gnocchi (Italian dumplings, or use handmade)
Cooked rice

Add oil, shallots, and garlic to heated pan (med-high heat) and saute until softened. Add pork and stir occasionally until almost fully cooked. Pour in broth and water, then add carrots, zucchini, rind of clementine and half of the fruit (add more to taste after it has cooked for a while), seasonings, hot sauce, and mirin. Bring to a boil, then cover and continue to cook at a simmer until the carrots are cooked to desired softness.

While that is cooking, cook gnocchi as directed by the package.

Add Gnocchi to the soup, and let simmer for 5 minutes. Discard clementine rinds. Serve over 1/2-1 Cup of cooked rice.

Cinnamon Pickles

2009-07-02T20:00:00.002-04:00

1 gallon of large cucumbers
2 cups of lime
10 1/2 qt. water
3 cups of vinegar
1 tbls. alum
red food coloring
10 cups of sugar (I substituted 1/2 of the sugar with splenda) but it wasn't as good as the real stuff!
8 broken cinnamon sticks
6 oz. red hots (cinnamon candy)

Peel and slice enough cucumbers to make a gallon. Remove seeds from centers, thus leaving a ring. Mix lime with 8 1/2 quarts of water. Pour over cucumbers and let set 24 hours. Drain and rinse. Mix 1 cup of vinegar, alum, red food coloring and enough water to cover rings. Bring to a boil and simmer 2 hours. Drain and place rings in a large container. Make a syrup of 2 cups of vinegar, 2 cups of water, sugar, cinnamon sticks and red hots. Bring to a boil and pour over rings. Let set overnight. Next day, pack rings in jars. Reheat syrup to boiling, pour over rings in jars. Seal and process in water bath for 5 minutes.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken

2009-06-28T18:10:00.014-04:00

My first experience with these was at a knit together at Sugarbees Studios' house in Jacksonville, Florida. I had heard quite a bit about these from the guests there that day, and let me just say once I took a bite, I was hooked!!! I've made a variation of this at least 8 times since then, FOR DINNER, no less, even though it's more like an appetizer. And since, I've also seen this via other foodie blogs and have discovered the source, Paula Deen.

Below is my variation of the recipe, along with a more healthier version.

1 Pkg Low-Sodium Bacon, sliced
3-4 Chicken thighs or chicken breast
2/3 C Brown sugar, packed firmly
A few thin slices of prosciutto, chopped into strips

The skinny (healthy version):
1 Pkg Low-Sodium Turkey Bacon, sliced
1-2 Turkey breast
2/3 C Splenda Brown sugar, packed firmly

Seasonings:
1 1/2 Tbsp Chili powder
1/8 Tsp Chipotle pepper powder
1 Tsp Paprika
1/2 Tsp Freshly ground peppercorn medley (or black pepper)

Preheat oven to 350°.

Mix brown sugar with seasonings in a bowl. Coat a rack with non-stick cooking spray and line broiler pan with non-stick foil.

Cut chicken into 1-inch cubes or a little larger (the ones shown are a little bigger than what I normally make, more like 2-3 bites per rather than 1 bite). Cut each bacon slice into thirds (or halves if your pieces of chicken are larger). Wrap each chicken cube and a strip of prosciutto with bacon and secure with a toothpick.

Generously dredge wrapped chicken with brown sugar/seasoning mixture. Place chicken on rack in broiler pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until bacon is crisp.

[Recipe adapted from Paula Deen.]

Chicken & Fennel Soup

2009-06-24T18:39:00.006-04:00

I know what you're thinking, fennel = licorice = yuck! I'm one of those people who don't care for black licorice or anise flavoring at all. However, in this case the fennel is really subtle, the licorice fragrance is only there during the raw state, then the aroma of the broth takes on a new life as it cooks. It is a little like celery, hint of that licorice-ness, but becomes this soft noodle-like entity that has absorbed the flavors from the broth, and just melts in your mouth... quite surprising and refreshing.

1 Tbsp EV olive oil
2 Fennel bulbs chopped (julienne-ish)
1/2 Tsp Sea salt (used sea salt and garlic grinders by McCormick)
1/2 Tsp Freshly ground black pepper
1 Shallot, chopped
4 Cans Reduced-sodium chicken broth
6 Chicken drumsticks
3 Cups Elbow Macaroni, cooked

In a large pot, heat oil over med-high. Add chopped fennel and cook for 10 mins or until it begins to brown, stirring occasionally. Add salt, pepper and shallot. Cook for another 5 minutes, until shallot is softened and fennel is lightly browned, continuing to stir occasionally. Pour in chicken broth and add chicken drumsticks, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through, approximately 20-30 mins. Serve broth, fennel and drumsticks over cooked elbow pasta.

[Recipe adapted from Atkins. Please note that the portion sizes and nutritional value for my version differs as I served 2 chicken drumsticks per person, added elbow macaroni pasta, and omitted the spinach.]

Quick & Healthy!

2009-06-22T20:52:00.003-04:00

I cook a fair amount from scratch. But tonight I wanted something quick and mostly healthy. So I mixed it up a bit and used some store-bought sauce and some convenience ingredients. For dinner I made Hoisin Chicken.

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts sliced into strips
1 head of broccoli - chopped into florets
1 small bunch of green onions, chopped
Half a head (?) of bok choy, chopped
Fresh garlic
Soy sauce
Fresh ginger
1/2 bottle of Soy Vay Hoisin Sauce

I don't have a wok anymore (I so need to fix that) so I stir fried tonight in my cast iron skillet. I fried up the chicken with the onions, garlic, and ginger until mostly cooked. Then I added the bok choy, which added a good deal of moisture to the mix. Once the bok choy was nearly done (not to be confused with nearly dead) I threw in the broccoli and covered it for a few minutes to steam the broccoli crisp tender.

I added in about half the bottle of this tasty sauce mixed with some soy sauce to thin it slightly. I am really pleased with the taste. It has a sweet, almost Chinese BBQ kind of taste to it, but with the ginger, garlic, and onions it had just the right tang.

Once it was all done we served it up with brown rice. Easy and tasty for the whole family. The boys were disappointed there wasn't more of it.

For dessert I did not get pictures, save for one of the lovely berries. They ate it up really fast and I can't re-plate it, as it's an assembly required dessert.

Berries & Angel Food Cake with Cream Cheese Whip

Serves 8

1 angel food cake cut into 8 slices
4-6 cups mixed berries (we did strawberries and blueberries)
8 oz. fat-free cream cheese softened
8 oz. container fat-free cool whip

Mix the cream cheese and the cool whip with a mixer and chill. Serve one slice of cake with a generous scoop of berries and a quarter cup of the cream cheese whip.

A Treat for Fathers' Day

2009-06-21T18:33:00.006-04:00

Decadence, A Rich Brownie Experience {you get fat just looking at it}

My intention for fathers' day was actually to make the brownies as seen on Jenny's Lip Smack blog, but I decided to do something else. I LOVE Chantilly frosting (Hawaii's version of it) and love brownies, so why not combine it right?

A word to the wise, however, DO make sure you use REAL butter, LOL, I didn't heed the warning in the sub-header of the recipe and ended up with more of a pudding-like topping (which was still very much THE YUM, and a lot less in calories as I used I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, Fat Free.

I took 2 boxes of brownie mix. Ghirardelli's Double Chocolate and Ghirardelli's Dark Chocolate brownie mixes.

First, I mixed the dark chocolate according to the direction on the box and then poured it into a greased 9x9 pan. I mixed the double chocolate and poured it slowly over the dark chocolate.

While the brownies are cooking, prepare the frosting. The recipe to the Chantilly Frosting is here. In the end I added chopped macadamia nuts that I ran through the food processor until it was fine.

Once the brownies were cool, and the frosting was equally cool and thickened, I spread the frosting over the brownies and ate hardy! The brownies were sooooooooooooooo very moist that they actually didn't want to cut without falling apart into gooeyliciousness even when cooled. The most rich, decadent treat I have had in a long time!

Hmmm... Zum... Yum, but not an over-enthusiastic one.

2009-06-20T20:01:00.014-04:00

An Average Jewel-Review for Zum Rosenhof German Restaurant in Hinesville, GA

To head-off the Fathers' Day crowd, the family and I decided to celebrate a day early with a visit to a German restaurant in town that we have been eager to try out being that both DH and I had lived in Germany for a few years in the past. The restaurant is called "Zum Rosenhof" or "Rosenhof", located off of Main Street near the Courthouse in Hinesville. We had originally wanted to visit there a while back for one of our date nights, but had come to find out they were closed for business due to a fire. Recently though, we had been seeing new advertisements for them, and read all the great reviews, so took note that they were reopen. We were anticipating a lovely, quaint German atmosphere with authentic cuisine and above average service.

The exterior of the restaurant was dignified. The distinguished German colors were flying below bold calligraphic lettering that weren't too hard to miss upon a historical-like brick building with a large green awning. When you come in you're confronted with the bar, again, nice interior, theme-decorated with the waitresses in traditional fun cleavage-denoting garb, the stereo-typical costume that you would expect to see in such a place. The waitress, that would become ours, with the pulled back strawberry-blond hair and pretty, yet cool face, looked up from what she was doing and directed us to go upstairs. Upon stepping, we then looked to another waitress, one with shoulder cropped brown hair, and asked whether or not we should seat ourselves, to which she more or less indicated that we should with a sort of nod of her head, barely glancing up from writing on her ticket to look at us.

Stepping over some dirty napkins on the floor, and dancing around and between the chairs of other patrons in the restaurant we spotted a table in the corner (if you look at the first pic of the outside of the building we were sitting by that 1st window). There were a few tables around the perimeter with a larger setup in the middle, as there was a large party. The small room was decorated with more German flags fluttering about above each window. The one above my head kept touching my hair in a rather "shoo fly" sort of manner throughout the entire time.

Being that it was a small room, it was a little warm up there.

We were handed the menus and took our time to peruse it, oddly spotting more than one Hawaii named item - not what one would expect in a German restaurant, lol. But to keep with the theme, I choose a roast beef in gravy dish (for the life of me I can't remember what it was called something that started with an "R" and could possibly be something like r....braten, but can't be certain, but the description was similar to the sauerbraten description. DH ordered currywurst and DS picked bratwurst. We ordered appetizers of mozzarella sticks w/marinara sauce and chopped breaded chicken.

My mixed salad arrived before the appetizer. The salad was unusual, it was three different salads in one: green beans, cucumber, and salad greens each with a different sauce. It was actually quite tasty, I especially liked the creamy cucumbers.

For the appetizer, the mozzarella sticks were really good, the best I've tasted in a while. The batter on it seemed fresh and had a nice texture. The breaded chicken, I didn't sample, but looked to be fried breaded and peppered chicken breast cut into tiny pieces.

DS's meal arrived at the same time that the appetizers did. His was just a plate of one bratwurst sporting a German flag toothpick and some fries sprinkled with paprika.

When DH's and my dinners arrived, I was a little dismayed to see my roast beef literally swimming in a plate of gravy. As you can see from the pic below (after I had almost finished eating, lol, there's still a ton of gravy left). Heck, what do I know though, right? it could be tradition to drown the meat. But in my opinion, the roast beef would have tasted a whole lot better had the gravy been a little less smothering. It was a tad difficult to enjoy. From what I could tell the beef was seasoned nicely, but was leaning on the dry side. Hmm... maybe that's why they submerged it? The spaetzel (fried noodles) that came with the gravy lake was actually pretty good! I could have eaten more of it. It vaguely reminded me of funnel cake, less the powdered sugar.

DH's currywurst, according to him, was good. We had thought that his meal included a brochen, but none was received. His plate had 2 sausages liberally covered in red curry and sprinkled with paprika along side some fries.

It took a while to get refills on drinks, the waitress apparently kept forgetting about it and my sweet tea was located downstairs so she had to go get it. From a guess I would have to say that they don't have a dumb-waiter that would make it a little easier to transport food and drink from downstairs to up and vice versa, as this waitress was like a chicken with her head cut off, going up and down the stairs. When she forgot my sweet tea, DH overhead her curse under her breath, and she did it a couple times more during the course of dinner between us and the table next to us.

The waitress (the one who had "greeted" us upstairs the first time) refilled a glass at the next table and spilled it on the floor.

After we were finished eating we were waiting on DS's ice cream, which came with his meal. So that was an additional wait because the waitress was so busy running here and there and up and down and cursing to and fro. Yes, the service was less than exemplary. And I say again, GET A DUMB-WAITER installed if you don't have one, I'm sure that would help speed things up for both the wait-staff and the customers!

DS's ice cream finally arrived. The bowl and spoon were in the shape of ice cream cones. It was marble ice cream with whip cream and sprinkles.

We asked for the check and was told that it was downstairs.

In leaving the table, the people in the table next to us cautioned me of the spilled tea that was still on the floor, so I managed to side-step it without mishap.

I guess we misunderstood the waitress and thought that she meant that we had to go downstairs to get the check and pay for it, which is what we did. But we would have had to go down to pay anyway, so it didn't matter either way.

In conclusion, it was an interesting experience. I think the food was more in the $7-8 range, taste-wise and portion-wise (except the gravy), and think that the $10-15 is a bit high. The service was not up to par, neither in personality or promptness, not to mention in cleaning up messes on the floor.

Would we go back? Unfortunately, it's a no.

Photos courtesy of my cellphone, lol, thus not the greatest.

[Disclosure: I'm just an average Jane (or Jewel, rather ;)), no culinary or restaurant experience other than the regular every day home-life occurrence, so these are just my humble accountings and observances. I encourage you to make your own, if you should venture out to dine!]

Got Breakfast? Have dinner!

2009-06-19T18:47:00.006-04:00

Breakfast for dinner is so quick and easy, great for those days where you really don't want to cook anything elaborate and just want to get it over with, but still walk away satisfied and filled. Throw on some eggs, dump a can of hash in the skillet, pop in some toast and voila. And how often do you get to make a full breakfast meal these days anyway? So breakfast for dinner is perfect!

Scrambled eggs w/tuna and tomatoes

5-6 Eggs
1 Tomato, sliced (what I like to call random sliced)
1/4-1/2 Onion, chopped
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1 Can Chunk Light Tuna, drained (optional, it's great with or without)
Patis sauce (optional)
Garlic & onion powders
Salt & pepper to taste

In a bowl, beat your eggs, add drained tuna and mix. In a heated skillet, sprayed with olive oil (or butter or tsp of olive oil), add onion and garlic. Saute for a few seconds then add tomato. Saute until tomatoes start to melt. Add a quick light splash of patis, then stir. Pour in egg/tuna mix. Mix around, add in seasonings. Continue to scramble until eggs are fully cooked. Serve immediately. Makes 2-4 servings (2 if you're really hungry).

Irish Chicken & Leek Pie

2009-06-17T18:10:00.004-04:00

This dish is one of those that can quickly become like a comfort food. Warms your tummy and insides until you're all googly happy. It's a savory pie that is similar to a pot pie. The juices from the meats and the stock make this more watery than usual, so expect to use a spoon when eating.

One of these days I'll visit Ireland!

2 Deep-dish frozen pie crusts
3 Chicken thighs, cubed
1 1/2 C Cooked ham, cubed
3-4 Leeks, chopped
1 Onion, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Ground Nutmeg
1/2 C Chicken stock
1 Tbsp Cornstarch
1 Tbsp Milk
1/3 C Heavy cream
Onion & Garlic powders

Preheat the oven to 350°.

In a large bowl, mix chicken, ham, leeks and onions. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and onion & garlic powders. Alternate: if you like your leeks more tender, then heat a large pan with olive oil, add onions and leeks until tender, add chicken, sautee until chicken is browned. Mix chicken stock with cornstarch and add to chicken along with seasonings. Simmer until chicken is fully cooked and sauce thickened.

Scoop out into one deep dish (if using alternate method above, then use a slotted spoon, only transfer a little of the sauce from pan).

Take the dough from the 2nd deep dish and roll out, cut a circle little bigger than the outline of the pan flipped over. This will be the top of your pie. Gently roll the circle onto the rolling pin for easy transfer.

Mix chicken stock with cornstarch and pour over mixture in the deep dish (if you did the alternate steps above, omit this). Using a rolling pin roll the dough top over the deep dish carefully, then use a fork to secure the edges. Cut out a small circle (or square like I did, lol) in the center of the top. If you like, make a little design with any extra dough and place over the hole. I just kept it simple and left the square where I cut it.

Brush the entire top with milk. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until chicken is cooked through. If the top crust is getting too brown, cover it with parchment or aluminum foil. While the pie is baking, heat the cream over low heat. When the pie is cooked, remove from the oven, and carefully remove the design from the hole. Pour the cream into the hole, and replace the design. Let stand for a few minutes before serving.

[Recipe adapted from All Recipes.]

Daikon & Carrot Side Dish

2009-06-16T17:01:00.006-04:00

When you go out to eat at a Japanese, Korean (oh YUM! don't you just love all those little side dishes they give you?), or Thai restaurant sometimes there is this shredded daikon raddish and carrot side dish or garnish with a sweet vinegar-ish aroma and taste. This is an easy dish to prepare and calls for very little ingredients.

2 C Daikon, peeled & shredded
1 C Carrots, shredded
3 Tbsp Sugar
1/4 C Rice vinegar
1 1/4 Tsp salt

In a med-sized bowl mix together sugar, vinegar, and salt, until sugar and salt are dissolved. Add daikon and carrots and toss until evenly coated. Refrigerate for 15-30 minutes. Because the daikon and carrots are shredded, they will absorb the vinegar mixture quickly so it doesn't need to sit for very long before serving.

Great as a side veggie dish or as a garnish topping for sandwiches (for instance, tonight we're having doner kababs again and this time adding some of these).

Deli Fresh Sandwiches and Jalapeno Potato Chips

2009-06-15T17:00:00.007-04:00

Deli sliced meats and cheeses over fresh bread with some fresh veggies is da bomb! Of course you can substitute with packaged deli meats and cheeses, but if you are able to get some freshly sliced, I encourage it. This is one of my favorite quick fixes for lunch or dinner.

Healthy-Ones Roast Beef, sliced thinly
Corned Beef, sliced thinly
Thinly sliced red onion
Avocado slices
Variety of cheese slices (muenster, provolone, havarti, etc.)
Lettuce (optional)
Tomato slices (vine ripened)
Balsamic vinaigrette dressing
Choice of sandwich bread (I used fresh kaiser rolls and cheese rolls)

Really simple. Assemble, eat. But if you really must know details. Slice rolls in half, and lightly toast (optional). Layer in this order on bottom roll slice from bottom up: lettuce, meat, tomato, onion. Drizzle on some balsamic vinaigrette (be sure to shake the bottle first). Finish layering with avocado, then cheese. Add a tiny bit more of the vinaigrette to the inside top of the roll and lay over avocado. I layer it this way so that the dressing is absorbed in the veggies and meat. If you put the lettuce and cheese on top of the meat, then the dressing is more likely to leak out more (though there will still be some fine delicious leakage) sliding off the lettuce and cheese.

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Homemade Jalapeno Potato Chips

4-6 Med-Sm/Med Potatoes
1-2 Jalapeno peppers
Water
1/4 Tsp Salt
Oil for Frying (used a combination of SmartBalance Omega and Canola)

Seasonings
1/2 Tsp Cayenne pepper
1/4 Tsp Chipotle pepper (ground)
1/4 Tsp Paprika
1/2 Tsp Sea Salt & Garlic (fresh ground - McCormick brand, if possible)

Slice potatoes thinly (optionally skin first), place in a bowl. Slice jalapenos lengthwise in half and then half again. Add jalapenos to bowl with potatoes. Fill the bowl with water until it just covers the potatoes. Cover with saran wrap and let sit in the fridge for 1-2 hours (the longer you leave it the hotter it will be).

Heat oil in deep fryer to 350-375°.

Remove potatoes from the water, flicking off any stray pepper pieces (keep one piece of pepper and set aside), and place in a colander lined with paper towels. Blot potatoes well.

Mix seasonings together in a small bowl.

When oil is hot enough, add one piece of pepper (remove pepper after the first batch of potatoes is done), then add potatoes in a frying basket in batches and cook until light golden brown, being careful not to add too many at one time. Drain on paper towels and dash on some seasoning (lighter for mild, heavier for more heat).

Gourmet Thick Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries

2009-06-14T19:18:00.008-04:00

Luckily my DS loves his veggies, however, getting my DH to eat his veggies is like trying to pull teeth some times, especially since he only likes veggies such as green beans, peas, carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower. To get him to eat the kind of veggies I like, including mushrooms, zucchini, squash (though he can eat chayote squash for some odd reason), etc. to name just a handful, often I need to resort to sneaking them in there. This is a great dish to put some of those veggies in without picky eaters complaining about them too much, if at all.

1 1/2 Lb Lean ground beef (or turkey/chicken)
2-4 Baby Bella mushrooms (used 2, only because I needed to make sure they were pretty small)
1/2-1 Sm Zucchini
1/2 Onion
3 Garlic cloves, minced
1/2 C Reduced fat feta cheese (or fat free)
1 Slice of lemon
1/2 Tsp Chili powder
1/4 Tsp Cayenne or Paprika
2 Tsp Onion powder
2 Tsp Garlic powder
1-2 Tbsp Freshly grated Parmesan
1-2 Tbsp Freshly grated Pecorino Romano
Freshly ground pepper
Salt to taste

Lettuce
Tomato, sliced
Hamburger buns
Condiments

Roughly chop up zucchini, onion, mushrooms, and garlic, then run them through the food processor to chop up finely (basically until all you see are tiny slivers of those veggies). Add chopped veggies, cheeses, seasonings to ground meat and mix well. Form into large patties (makes approx. 5).

Place patties in a pan over med-high heat (properly heated pan, to keep from sticking) and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, then flip. Cover pan and continue on med-high until desired done-ness.

Grind some black pepper over patties, place in bun, then grate some more cheese over it. Top with condiments, lettuce, tomatoes, etc.

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Sweet Potato Fries
[adapted from The Biggest Loser Cookbook]

2 Sm/Med Sweet potatoes, cut into 1/4"-thick sticks
Freshly grated parmesan (or similar cheese)
Olive oil spray
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Paprika
Freshly ground black pepper
Ketchup (optional)

Preheat oven to 450°.

Spray pan lined with non-stick foil paper with olive oil. Arrange sweet potato sticks in a single layer on pan. Spray potatoes with olive oil, then season (I just take the seasoning and shake a layer of each over the potatoes). Put in oven and cook for approximately 8 minutes, flip, then bake for another 10-12 minutes or until tender and tips begin to brown. Remove from oven and grind black pepper and grate cheese over. Let sit for a couple of minutes until cheese melts enough to stick to fries. Serve.

Broccolini in Teriyaki Sauce

2009-06-12T19:05:00.004-04:00

Broccolini, I would say, has to be one of my favorite vegetables, I can eat them at any time of day, by themselves or with something else. When cooked properly, they are wonderfully crisp, even better than broccoli in taste, with definitely more sophistication. The florets just soak up any sauce that it's cooked in and its stalk retains the broccolini's natural flavor, making a fantastic side dish for any entree.

1 Bunch Broccolini (ends chopped off, and then stalks cut in half)
2 Tsp EV Olive oil
2 Tbsp Mirin
1/4 C Teriyaki Sauce (Kikkoman brand)
Garlic and Onion Powders, salt & pepper to taste
1-2 Tsp Water

Heat oil in a pan, saute broccolini until it the stalks begin to turn bright green. Add mirin, teriyaki sauce, seasonings, and water, cover and cook until desired done-ness.

Vertical Roasted Chicken

2009-06-09T23:22:00.003-04:00

If you don't want to spend $8 on a rather small store-bought rotisserie chicken, vertical roasting is my preferred method for oven-roasted chook. I've done many a bird in the classic horizontal roasting pans and they've all been "meh". Crispy, well drained skin with moist white meat is readily attained with a vertical roaster.

Ok, you'll need two pieces of hardware for this. The latter is "optional", but I personally hate to cook without one.

First up, a vertical chicken roaster. There are many of them out there to choose from. I've only used the wire cage-style, and my father uses this one. Cook's Illustrated picked this model, as their "Winner" from their March 2009 issue. I picked up my Norpro w/ infuser off Amazon for $14 in February 2009, so they do go on sale. I definitely wouldn't have paid $30 for it. Yikes. I used this model for many years, but you've got to put it in another pan of some sort to catch the chicken hootch.

The other kitchen tool is a digital oven thermometer. No need to spend LOTS of money on one, but it can set you back about $30. I think mine was $23 from Bi-Mart. It's a therometer and timer with a corded probe. This is a "must have" tool in my kitchen. It takes the guesswork out of cooking large cuts of meat entirely.

Preheat your oven to 500F. Remove all but one of your oven racks and place it on the lowest level.

Ok, take your chicken and rinser her off, remove any "innards" and feather shafts (Foster Farms seems to leave a few, behind - or rather, IN the behind). Pat dry, and sprinkle with your dry seasoning of choice. Or, you can place the bird in a paper or plastic grocery bag and add a tablespoon or two of your favorite bird seasoning, and give it a good shake. We've used Spike! (the original stuff out of the little box), lemon pepper, salt & pepper, curry powder, Ras el hanout, whatev'.

Now, jamb that hen down on to the roaster as far down as it'll go. If your bird is really "tall" and your oven isn't so tall, you may have an issue. I no longer buy the biggest bird available, now opting for ones between 3 and 4 lbs. It's a big let down to buy a big (5lb) juicy looking bird, only to find you've got to cook it some other way. If you have one of the lower profile roasters, you can probably get away with a bigger bird, but YMMV.

If you have a unit that has an infuser or reservoir, do put something in it - chicken broth, lager, white wine, water w/ lemon juice, vermouth, apple juice, etc. This boosts the moisture content of the bird while adding subtle flavor. It also gives you a bit of insurance if you don't hear the alarm go off and over cook the bird a bit. Optional: Drape a couple of slices of bacon over the top after you position her on the roaster.

Once your oven is rocket-hot, set your timer for 20 minutes, place the therometer probe in the thickest part of the thigh, and pop the bird in the oven. Close oven door, and let'r rip (turning on the fan/ventilator is a good idea) for 20 minutes. Then, reduce heat to 375F and cook until the probe read 165F. If you use a digital thermometer, chances are you can set the alarm and you don't have to keep checking on the bird. If you don't have a digital oven thermometer, you're guess is as good as mine as to how long it will take to cook the bird. A good estimate is between 1 and 1.5 hrs.

Remove from oven, and let rest for at least 10 minutes before carving.

Cost analysis:

4 lb whole chicken = $0.99/lb = $3.96

If you buy your chicken on sale (under $1/lb, ideally), the cost of the Norpro vertical roaster will be recoup'd within 8 chickens. :)

Manapua w/Filling Variety + Fried Noodles

2009-06-09T17:34:00.013-04:00

Manapua is one of my favorites from back home, Hawaii. It is also known as Chinese cha siu bau (pork-filled bun). It's one of those foods that I can prepare almost anywhere I am and feel closer to home.

As long as you know how to make the bao/bun, you can fill it with just about anything. The most common filling is char siu - sweet and savory roast pork, but you can also do a shoyu chicken, sweet bean paste, or even pizza. These buns are either steamed or baked.

This recipe is for steamed bao, a char siu filling, alternative to char siu filling, as well as a shoyu filling, and red bean paste.

The Bao/Bun Dough
[This recipe is slightly altered, link to original recipe.]

1 Pkg Active dry yeast
1 3/4 C Lukewarm water
1/2 C Sugar
1 Tbsp EV olive oil
1 Tsp Salt
5 1/2 C All-purpose flour

Dissolve yeast in water. Add sugar, oil, and salt, mixing until dissolved. Add in flour, one cup at a time, mixing and kneading thoroughly until all 5 1/2 cups are incorporated. Grease a bowl (thin coating), and place dough in it, then flip dough over. Cover and set aside in a draft-free area. I like to heat to almost boiling, a 2-cup measuring cup full of water in the microwave. Once the water is heated, I then put the covered bowl to the back of the microwave with the measuring cup full of hot water to the front, and close the microwave and let it sit in there to rise (don't turn the microwave on at this point). I find that the heat from the hot water helps the dough rise faster.

Once the dough has risen twice it's size (approx. 1 - 1 1/2 hours), punch down, and section off dough into 12-15 pieces. (If you are just using the red bean paste filling, then you can use half or a quarter of the size).

While dough is proofing, prepare fillings (recipes below this one), that need to be cooked. If planning on an array of manapua with different fillings, use a drop of food coloring on the top center of the buns to help distinguish one type from the other.

Shape pieces into balls, then flatten to approximately 3" circles (for the regular sized, the dough for the red bean should be smaller). Place 1/4 cup of filling in the center (if you have a hard time fitting that much, start off with less until you get the hang of it), and bring edges of dough together around the filling, pinching it closed to seal. Place seal side down on parchment paper or wax paper cut into 3" squares. Cover and allow to rise for another 45 minutes or until doubled. Place in steamer, being careful not to crowd them or place them too close together as they will grow in size. Drape dishcloth over steamer and cover. Steam over medium heat for approximately 25 minutes.

The Fillings

With Char Siu

1 C Water
2 Tbsp Cornstarch
2 Tbsp Sugar
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Lb Char Siu, diced

Combine first 4 ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Simmer for a minute then add char siu. Once char siu is heated, set a side to cool before using as a filling.

With Tochino

Being where I am, I can't find char siu, but there is a comparable pork product called Tochino (Orientex brand).

1 Pkg Orientex Tocino, diced
1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp cornstarch

Cook diced tocino in a non-stick saucepan, for approximately 15 minutes. It'll be hard to tell if it's cooked by looking at it because of its pink coloring. Add water and cornstarch and let simmer for a couple of minutes longer. Set aside to cool before using as a filling.

Pic of a finished manapua w/tocino filling is coming soon, my camera battery died before uploading.

With Red Bean Paste

Simple. Buy a can of already prepared Red Bean Paste. The ingredients should be simple, something like, red beans, sugar, syrup, etc. No preparation needed.

Pic below is of a finished manapua w/red bean paste.

With Shoyu Chicken

2-3 Tbsp Shoyu/soy sauce (lite)
1 Tbsp Sugar
2 Tbsp Cornstarch
1 C Water
1 Lb Cooked chicken, diced
Salt & pepper to taste

Combine first 4 ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Simmer for a minute then add cooked chicken and salt and pepper. Once chicken is heated, set a side to cool before using as a filling.

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Budget Fried Noodles

2 Pkgs Ramen Noodles, flavor of choice
Water
2 Tbsp Oil
1 Tsp Sesame oil
1 Garlic clove, minced
1/2 Onion, chopped
1/2 Can of spam, chopped into strips (or ham if you don't like spam)
1/4-1/2 C Carrots, julienned or chopped finely (if you're in a hurry)
1-2 Green onions, chopped finely (optional, as garnish)
Garlic/Onion Powders
Salt & pepper to taste

Boil ramen noodles in water until loosened and soft (almost fully cooked, but left a little al dente), but do not overcook. While that's boiling, in a pan heat oils over med-high. Add garlic, onion, half of one seasoning packet (once dish is cooked you can add more to taste) and carrots, sauteeing until carrots are cooked to desired done-ness. Add spam and saute for a few minutes longer. Drain water from ramen noodles, then add to pan with the spam. Toss and cook for a couple of minutes. Serve.

Rhubarb Chicken

2009-06-08T19:17:00.006-04:00

I bought some rhubarb at the market, though I've had it in the past in a Strawberry/Rhubarb jam, I've never cooked it myself, so thought it would be interesting to experiment with it. Since there are a lot of rhubarb desserts out there, I decided to go with a dinner entree instead and brainstormed over flavors that might be complimentary. Originally, I had plans on pairing it with pineapple, but as luck would have it, that can I thought I had was MIA, so I used what I had on hand... fresh cherries! And it turned out fantastic!

The Rhubarb & Cherry Sauce

1 1/2 C Rhubarb, chopped into 1/2" pieces
1 C Fresh cherries, pitted
1 C Light brown sugar
2 C Water
Juice from 1/4 small lime
1 1/2 Tsp Ginger, sliced & smashed
1-2 Tsp Cornstarch

In a medium saucepan combine ingredients (except for the cornstarch) and boil. Once rhubarb and cherries begin to soften, start smashing them with the back of the spoon and reduce to a simmer. Stir occasionally, continuing to smash the rhubarb and cherries. You'll continue to cook until it's a applesauce consistency (slightly more watery than applesauce). If you have a hand-held blender, puree. Otherwise just keep simmering, then add cornstarch. Total approx. cook time 40-45 minutes.

While the sauce is cooking (once it's already started to break down and simmer), work on the chicken, as follows:

1 1/2 Lb Chicken breast
1-2 Tbsp EV Olive oil
2 Garlic cloves, minced
Juice from 1/4 small lime
1 Tbsp Mirin, rice wine
1/4 C Plum wine (Ume)
1/4 C Water
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Freshly ground peppercorns (the peppercorn medley made by McCormick is great)
Freshly grated Pecorino Romano (or Parmigiano Reggiano, Parmesan, or Asiago) cheese
Fresh Marjoram

In a large pan, heat oil over med-high heat. Add garlic, then chicken. Brown chicken on all sides, squeeze lime over, and season with onion and garlic powders. Add in mirin, plum wine, and water, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until chicken is fully cooked. Add spoonfuls of the rhubarb sauce over the chicken (approx. half of the sauce), then grind some peppercorn over the top of the chicken. Continue to cook for approximately 15 more minutes. Sprinkle on about 2 stems worth of marjoram over the chicken, saute for a couple of minutes, then plate in some reserve sauce. Pour more rhubarb sauce over plated chicken, top with a little fresh marjoram, fresh ground peppercorns, and grate some cheese over it. Serve with a nice side of cheesy pasta like alfredo fettuccine.

Crockpot BBQ Pulled-Pork Sandwiches

2009-06-06T19:07:00.003-04:00

There's something about summertime that makes me want these pulled-pork sandwiches. Slow cooking succulent meat and tangy mouthwatering juices, yum.

Using a crockpot is such an easy way to get this dish going, you can start it in the morning or afternoon and it's ready for you in the evening.

2 1/2-3 Lbs pork, shoulder or butt
1 1/2 Tbsp Paprika
1 Tbsp Garlic powder
1 Tbsp Onion powder
1 Tbsp Light brown sugar
1 Tbsp Mustard, dry
2 Tbsp Kosher salt
1-2 Tsp Chili powder
Water

Sauce
2/3 C Apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp Mustard, dry
1/2 C Ketchup
1/3 C Light brown sugar
3 Garlic cloves, minced
1 Tsp Ground pepper (used freshly ground peppercorn medley by McCormick)
Salt to taste (optional)

In a large crockpot add your pork. Mix your spices in a small bowl then cover pork with it. Fill 1/4 of crockpot with water. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8-10 hours. When pork is tender, remove from crockpot and set aside. Discard all but 2 cups or so of liquid. Mix sauce and add to the remaining liquid in the crockpot, then mix again. Shred pork with two forks and re-add to crockpot to cook in sauce for at least an additional 15-30 minutes (or longer, if you are able).

Serve.

And there's nothing like having the bread soak up some of that pizazz, which is why I sought out some porous bread just for this. I used store-bought fresh baked ciabatta.

Using ciabatta was perfect, as the outside is nicely firm and crispy and the inside is soft with lots of crevices for any excess juices to escape to without making the whole thing mushy and gushy with it dripping down your palms and wrists. Hmm... maybe I ought to think about baking my own ciabatta!!!

Here's an afterthought photo of ciabatta (yeah, there's just 2 left out of 6, hehe, but really 6 is not enough as you want more for the next day's lunches!)

These sandwiches go great with any bbq sides, like corn on the cob, coleslaw, etc.

Mock Devilish Temptations - Chocolate Cookies

2009-06-05T21:42:00.001-04:00

I know what you're thinking "huh?... mock?... devilish temptations... what-the?". Ok, so these cookies look like they're chocolate shock, coma inducing scrumptious morsels, but they're not all that sugary bad! Not sugar-rush sweet as you might suspect, though would depend on your ingredients and personal sweet-toothing tolerance (DH said it's not that sweet). uh um. and... Don't forget to whip out the glass of milk as these are easily great dunkers!

1 Box Reduced Sugar Devil's Food Cake Mix
1 Pkg Sugar-Free Instant Pudding & Pie Filling, Chocolate Fudge (used butterscotch, but it didn't impart any butterscotch-ish flavor)
2 Eggs + 2 egg whites
1/2 C Oil (used Smart Balance Omega)
2/3 C Nuts, finely chopped in the food processor (used macadamia and almonds)
3/4 C Semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 Tbsp Water

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a large bowl mix together cake mix, pudding mix, nuts, and chocolate chips. In a small bowl mix together eggs, oil, and water.

Add wet ingredients to dry and mix thoroughly. Place rounded teaspoonfuls onto baking sheet and bake for approx. 13-15 mins.

Optionally drizzle with melted chocolate, ya know to finish you off...

Makes approx. 3 1/2 dozen.

Goulash

2009-06-05T16:59:00.003-04:00

It's overcast and rainy today. Rain makes me want comfort food and goulash is perfect for a day like today. It's quick and simple and comforting.

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 green pepper, chopped
1 med. onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 lb. elbow macaroni
1 lg. can whole tomatoes
1 can tomato soup
1 can mushrooms, drained
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Cook macaroni as directed. Brown hamburger in large saute pan with onion, bell pepper and garlic.

In large pan or dutch oven add cooked macaroni, hamburger mixture, tomatoes that are pulled into pieces and juice added, soup and mushrooms. Add salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer on low for about a half hour. We serve it with buttered crackers.

Filipino SoulFood

2009-06-05T12:02:00.006-04:00

I meant to post this yesterday, but DSL went down with the storm.

Feeling the need for some good soulfood, I decided to make Pork Guisantes tonight, which is a Filipino dish of pork and peas. My grandma, with whom we all call “mama”, makes the best ever! But alas, she’s in Hawaii, and I’m here in GA, so I have to make do and make my own (which comes nowhere near as good as hers!). I can never find pimentos, so I sub with canned peas and carrots, but if you can find them, you’d be all the better off for it.

Pork Guisantes

2 Tbsp Oil – I used olive oil, though you can use veg or canola
½ Small Onion, chopped
2-3 Garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ Lb Pork, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 Tbsp Soy sauce
1-2 Tbsp Patis
½ C Water
2 Bay Leaves
Tomato paste OR ½-2/3 C Tomato sauce
6-8 oz Frozen peas
1 Can pimentos, sliced OR 1 Can Peas & carrots, undrained
Salt & Pepper to taste.

In a medium pot, heat oil and sauté onions and garlic, until onions are caramelized. Add pork and brown. Add soy sauce, patis, water, and bay leaf. Bring pot to a boil, reduce heat, then simmer. Add tomato paste/sauce, peas, and pimentos (or can of peas and carrots) and continue simmering for at least 15 minutes. Simmer for 30 or more minutes for better flavor. Serve over hot rice. This dish is also good as a leftover, as it always tastes better the day after.

----

In addition to that fab Filipino dish, I attempted to make Puto, which is a Filipino steamed rice cake. Puto, is one of those things that are almost always at Filipino family get-togethers. If there’s any left at the end of the party, when making my to-take-home-plates, they manage to make their way in there. It’s sort of like a dessert, but just subtly sweet. Also makes a great left-overs snack.

However, the first attempt came out more like coconut mochi, which, although not bad tasting, is not what I wanted. Batch 2 was fail, still like mochi, but not as sticky, and batch 3 was “almost” Puto, but not quite the right density and texture or taste. So sigh, will go back to the drawing board. I do however, have some pics to tide you over.

Betty Homemaker

2009-06-03T19:50:00.003-04:00

Even though I'm a housewife, somedays I feel way more Betty Homemaker than others. Today was one of those days. For dinner I cooked up skillet lasagna, yellow squash sauteed in butter & garlic, tomato-mozzarella salad, and breadsticks (from a can - I cheated!).

Skillet-Lasagna

1 lb. ground turkey
1 jar Paul Newman spaghetti sauce (any flavor)
2 cups of water
Spices to taste
8 oz. lasagna noodles roughly broken
8 oz. fresh (or shredded) mozzarella

In a large skillet, brown the ground turkey. Mix in the water, the spaghetti sauce, and the spices. Mix in the broken (uncooked) noodles, making sure they are submerged. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer covered for about 25 minutes or until noodles are done to your liking. Remove from heat. Layer or sprinkle mozzarella over the top of the skillet, and re-cover. Let sit for about 5 minutes to melt the cheese.

Just to up the ante a bit, I made homemade blueberry cobbler for dinner. This is an adaptation of a recipe I saw many moons ago on PBS. The main thing here is you cook the blueberries separately for awhile before you add the topping.

Blueberry Cobbler

4-6 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed
1/4 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling later
Dash of cinnamon
1 tbsp. cornstarch or tapioca starch

Preheat oven to 375, mix together blueberries, sugar, cinnamon, and cornstarch. Bake in a deep dish pie plate or 8x8 pan for 20-25 minutes.

1 cup flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
Dash of cinnamon

Mix all dry ingredients together. Wait until one minute before pulling the blueberries out of the oven to mix the wet ingredients in.

4 tbsp. melted butter
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix the wet with the dry. Take the blueberries out of the oven and turn it up to 425. Drop spoonfuls of the biscuit dough over top of the blueberries. Sprinkle biscuits lightly with sugar and a dusting of cinnamon.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes or until biscuits are cooked through. Serve with vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream.

The Fruits of Summer - Rhubarb Crisp

2009-06-02T04:55:00.006-04:00

I'm thinking as long as I can have rhubarb, I can tolerate the high heat of Columbia Basin summers.

My father has a rhubarb plant that produces every year for as long as I can remember. He buried a big black plastic garbage pail in the side yard (put holes in it for drainage) and the rhubarb does very well. I managed the foresight to ask for some rhubarb yesterday and I am happily nom'ing on rhubarb crisp at 2am. I "eyeballed" this recipe, so feel free to adjust things!

Rhubarb Crisp

Preheat oven, rack centered, to 375F

4 cups diced rhubarb (I just diced up the stalks and put them in a 1-quart liquid measuring cup to see how much I had, in the end it was just over 4 cups)
1 1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup AP flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp Vietnamese cinnamon (i.e. the real stuff)

Toss together in a big bowl, and pour into a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish.

1 1/3 c rolled oats
1 1/3 c AP flour (I'm guessing, I just dumped some in to give a more-or-less 1:1 ratio of oats to flour)
1 1/3 c light brown sugar
1 cup salted sweet cream butter (if using unsalted, add a bit of salt, maybe 1/2 tsp)

Cut the butter into the dry ingredients, spread evenly over rhubarb.

Bake about 40 minutes until golden brown and bubbly around the edges. Be sure to let cool before sticking your spoon in it, as this will get "NASA Hot".

Cost break down (your mileage may vary greatly - I get my dry goods in bulk at a local/family owned grocery so it's a LOT cheaper than buying at a supermarket. These prices are based off of Safeway.com's Portland, Oregon delivery prices).

Serve with your favorite vanilla ice cream or chilled half & half. Or eat straight from the pan.

8 oz flour @ $0.04 / oz = $0.32
~1lb rhubarb @ $2.50 /lb = $2.50 (this is how much it was at the local Farmer's market last week)
8 oz granulated sugar @ $0.03/oz = $0.24
~5 oz brown sugar @ $0.06/oz = $0.30
8 oz butter @ $0.19/oz = $1.52 (I buy Raven brand @ ~$1.60/lb at Cash & Carry)
4 oz rolled oats @ $0.11 /oz = $0.44
~2 grams Cinnamon @ $3.15 /oz = $0.22 (I used Starwest Botanical's @ $10.58/lb, so my cost was $0.05)

So if you bought everything at a Portland, Oregon Safeway with a side trip to farmer's market (although I did see Rhubarb at Safeway recently, but the $6/lb price tag kept me from getting closer than 20 feet), this dish would cost you about $5.50. It'll give you 8 generous portions or 12 modest ones. Or, if you're really hungry, maybe 4.

Everyday green

2009-06-01T16:21:00.006-04:00

This recipe was good, and easy enough to make every day... ha! The first time I saw them, I knew I had to make them. At first the dough seemed a little oily, I had used EVOO (next time I think I'll use canola instead), but the cookies came out yummy. I'll have to try using a different pudding and nuts, like butterscotch with macadamia nuts or almonds.

Blarney Stones
[Recipe courtesy of Jenny Mac's Lip Smack.]

1 Box white cake mix (yellow cake not recommended for the cookies will be a yellowish/green)
1 Pkg Pistachio instant pudding
4 Egg whites
Green food coloring
1/2 C + 2 Tbsp oil
3/4 C Pistachios, ground
Semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°.

Mix cake mix with pudding. In a food processor, grind up pistachios and add to dry mix. In another bowl, mix egg whites and oil together and add enough green food coloring until desired shade is obtained. The pistachio pudding will be slightly green but perhaps not enough to get a darker green.

Add the liquid to the dry and mix. The dough should be soft firm. Place by mini ice cream scoop onto cookie sheets, or if you don't have these, use 2 spoons. Don't flatten them for you want them to look like little rocks. [I baked them for approx. 10-13 mins] Cool on cooling racks until room temperature. Melt chocolate chips and dip bottoms of cookies in the chocolate. Place in fridge to set.

Home-Cooked Chili Frito Pie

2009-05-29T18:28:00.000-04:00

The home-cooked chili can be eaten as a meal on it's own served over rice. We tend to have a bit leftover after dinner, so my thinking is that the leftovers would be perfect for Frito Pie for dinner the next day! Not to mention how much better chili tastes the day after. As chili comes first...

Home-Cooked Chili

1 1/2 Lb Ground beef, lean
16 oz Can Dark kidney beans, undrained
14.5 oz Can Fire roasted diced tomatoes
1/4 Med/Large Onion, minced
1/2 Sm/Med Zucchini, minced
2 Tsp Paprika
2 Tsp Chili powder
1/8 Tsp Chipotle chili pepper (optional)
Dash Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp Onion powder
1 Tsp Garlic powder
1 Tsp Ketchup
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 C Water

Brown ground beef in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Drain grease. Add in onions, zucchini, diced tomatoes, kidney beans, ketchup, and seasonings. Mix well, then stir in water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding in more seasonings as necessary.

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Frito Pie w/Home-Cooked Chili

1/4 C Onion, minced (use more if you like a lot of onions, I use a little just because my DH will complain otherwise)
Bag Frito Corn Chips, original
8 oz Bag Shredded cheddar cheese, reduced fat or fat free
2 1/2 - 3 C home-cooked chili
Guacamole (home-made, or store bought - if you buy it, be sure to look for an all-natural guacamole, simple ingredients w/out all the additives; optional)

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a casserole dish, spread a layer of fritos. Over than toss on half of the cheese and onions. Spoon the chili over that, then add another layer of the remaining fritos, cheese, and onions.

Place in oven and cook for 15 minutes and cheese has melted.

Optionally top with dollops of guacamole, or as a side dish. Serve.

Summer Soups

2009-05-29T15:48:00.007-04:00

When most of us think of soup, our minds conjure up steaming bowls of hearty goodness. Soups, stews & chowders are all delicious, filling cool weather meals that stick to our ribs. Definitely not something you would want now that the weather is turning warm and summer is bearing down on us. There are all kinds of great summery soups that can be enjoyed. They tend to be fruity and used as a dessert more than an entree. For your summer cooking pleasure, I present 3 Summer Soups:

Ginger Peach Soup

3 1/2 pounds fresh peaches (Approximately 10) peeled, pitted and chopped
1 teaspoon fresh ground ginger
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons rum

Puree the peaches and ginger together in a food processor or blender. Stir in heavy cream and rum. Chill. Serve cold.

Very Berry Soup

1/2 cup barley
6 cups water
1/2 cup white sugar
1 (10 ounce) package frozen raspberries
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup pitted cherries

In a large bowl, soak the barley in the water overnight and do not drain.
In a large saucepan over low heat, simmer the barley for one hour. Then add the sugar, raspberries and dried cranberries. Simmer for another 30 minutes. Add the cherries and simmer for another 15 minutes, or until the soup becomes relatively thick. Allow to chill in the refrigerator and serve cold.

Cantaloupe Soup

1 cantaloupe - peeled, seeded and cubed
2 cups orange juice
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Peel, seed, and cube the cantaloupe.
Place cantaloupe and 1/2 cup orange juice in a blender or food processor; cover, and process until smooth. Transfer to large bowl. Stir in lime juice, cinnamon, and remaining orange juice. Cover, and refrigerate for at least one hour. Garnish with mint if desired.

Photo Credit Peach Benimoto
Photo Credit Cherry Corey Leopold
Photo Credit Cantaloupe JSPatchwork

Move over Reese's...

2009-05-28T22:12:00.003-04:00

Because this is chocolate and peanut butter perfection! I made these tonight to go with the cards that the boys chose for their teachers. Hopefully they will enjoy them!

Every year at Christmas time my mother makes huge batches of buckeye candy. But never any other time of the year as far as I know. And now, as a grown-up, I know why. Buckeyes, while delicious and wonderful and made of love, are also crazy time-consuming. You have to make a big enough batch to make it worth it, but a small enough batch that you don't lose your ever-lovin' mind doing the repetitive motions. Dip and roll baby.

You don't need much equipment for these, although a double-boiler or something like it is a must. If you don't have a double boiler, you can use a pyrex bowl atop a saucepan. The key with double-boiling is that the water can NEVER touch the chocolate mix. If it does, the chocolate will seize up and you will have a nasty mess on your hands. Wax paper is also very helpful. It is much easier to peel the cooled buckeyes off the wax paper than any other method.

Ingredients:

1 cup melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1.5 lbs. confectionary sugar
2 cups peanut butter - creamy NOT natural!

12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 bar paraffin wax

Mix the vanilla and peanut butter into the melted butter with a wooden spoon. Add the confectionary sugar a few cups at a time. Eventually you will have to use your hands to mix it all in. The mixture will resemble a soft cookie dough. Roll into balls that are a smidge smaller than an inch. Place balls on wax paper lined cookie sheets and chill in refrigerator for at least 20- 30 minutes. I usually leave them in for an hour or so.

Melt the chocolate chips and the paraffin wax together in a double boiler until smooth. Keep the double boiler going on low to keep the chocolate melted. Using a toothpick or a plastic fork with only one tine left dip the peanut butter balls into the chocolate. Swirl to drip off the excess and place back on the waxed paper.

Chill buckeyes for at least an hour before serving. Store in a closed container in the fridge.

It's a Wrap, No Ranch Required.

2009-05-28T19:28:00.003-04:00

This is fairly simple to make, doesn't take as much prep work or time to make as the previous post's food did. However, if your DH asks, where's the ranch and then proceeds to try to convince you that he needs ranch in order to eat it, just make sure that you deny his request, because, though this has lettuce, it does not need Ranch dressing!

1/2 Lb Lean pork, cut into strips
1/2 Lb Chicken breast, cut into strips
1-2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Tsp Sesame oil
2 Garlic cloves, minced
2-3 Green onions, chopped
1/2 C + 1/4 C Water
1/2 C Teriyaki sauce
2 Tsp Mirin
2 Tsp Cornstarch
1/2 Tsp Sugar
2 C Shredded/Julienned fresh veggies (recommended: green beans, carrots, cabbage, daikon raddish)
1/2 C Fishcake, cut into julienned-like strips (optional)
Pepper to taste
Lettuce (plyable, like romaine, green, or iceburg)

Heat olive and sesame oils in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, chicken, and pork and saute until fully cooked.

While chicken and pork are cooking, in a measuring cup or small bowl, mix teriyaki sauce, 1/2 C water, mirin, cornstarch, and sugar.

Add 1/4 C water to chicken and pork, then add in green beans (also carrots, etc. if using; save cabbage for later step). Cover and let cook for a couple of minutes, then pour in the teriyaki sauce mixture. Stir until sauce thickens a little and the green beans are cooked to your liking. I clear a small area in the pan and add the shredded cabbage in within the last couple of minutes as I like it a tad crunchy.

Remove cabbage, then serve separately along with fishcake, and lettuce leaves. Put chicken/pork mixture into a bowl with a slotted spoon. Serve.

I served this with a side of Longanisa sausage (Filipino style-sausage), and white rice. Don't premake the wraps, instead bring all the ingredients to the table and have everyone make their own. If you premake them, the lettuce will become wilted.

Wonton Wrappers and Microwave Mochi

2009-05-27T20:04:00.010-04:00

I got this recipe years ago from my aunty. I didn't know if it was her original recipe, so I googled it. So to give proper credit, this recipe is by Violet Tasaka, who took 1st place in "The Perfect Pupu" contest via Honolulu Star-Bulletin in late June of 2000. [For source, click here, then scroll down]

I kept the recipe pretty much the same, except that I used homemade mochi, since finding store made mochi around here is a little difficult.

8 oz Mochi (if you don't have any available in your area, I've posted a recipe on how to make a quick microwave mochi)
6 Slices American cheese
30 Wonton wrappers (you can use eggroll wrappers if you can't find wonton, just cut into 4 squares, they'll be a little smaller than wonton wrappers in the end, but still works well)
Oil for frying (vegetable or canola)
Nori Furikake, for garnish

Cut each piece of cheese into 5 strips.

Cut mochi into 30 pieces, about 1/2-inch square. If you made your own mochi from the recipe below, it'll be sticky, but you can: 1) use tapioca flour or potato starch to cover your hands, then roll into small balls, or 2) suck it up and get stickied and grab a gob with your finger then drop onto wonton wrapper.

Wrap mochi in cheese and place on top of wonton. Fold wonton in half diagonally and seal edges with water.

Deep fry in oil heated to 350 degrees, about 1 minute, until golden brown. Remove, drain on papertowel and sprinkle with furikake.

Makes 30 pieces.

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Microwave Mochi

1 1/2 C Mochiko (Sweet Rice) Flour
1 1/2 C Water
1 C Sugar
Butter or margarine
Tapioca flour or potato starch

Mix all ingredients until smooth and very little lumps. Grease a bowl with butter and pour mixture into it. Cover with wax paper (you may want to grease the side that is going to be over the bowl with butter also). Microwave on high for 6-7 minutes, let cool.

For use in Mo-Cheese Age: see recipe above.

For regular use: Coat hands with tapioca flour or potato starch and roll mochi into tablespoon sized balls.

----------

I also made dim sum/chinese steamed dumplings for dinner tonight and broke in the bamboo steamer that's been sitting on the top of the fridge for a few months.

The recipe still needs a little bit of tweaking, but if you'd like to tackle it, here goes...

Chinese Dim Sum

1/2 Lb Lean Pork
1 C Shrimp, deveined and skins removed
2-3 Tbsp Water chestnuts, canned (about 10-12 slices)
1 C Fish cake (you can usually find this in an asian grocery)
1 Tbsp Ginger, minced
2 Tsp Soy sauce
1 Tbsp Mirin
1 Tsp Sugar
1 Tsp Sesame oil
3 Green onions
3 Garlic, cloves
1 Bag of Green Tea
Wonton wrappers

If you're using a bamboo steamer, prep steamer. I placed a bag of green tea into the steam water.

Then, basically finely mince everything - ginger, green onions, garlic, water chestnuts, fish cake, then the shrimp and pork.

Mix all ingredients. Spoon about a tsp onto a wonton wrapper, fold in half diagonally and seal with water. NOTE: You may optionally use a circular cutter and make the wonton wrappers round to get a half-moon shape OR to make money bags, the little bundles as seen in the middle in the pic above, spoon filling into center of wrapper and bring up all sides, pinch hard to close, then slightly twist.

Lay on parchment lined bamboo steamer so that each do not touch. Steam for approximately 30 minutes (or longer if you like, mine stayed in for a while as I was prepping the mochi and mo-cheese age). Alternately, you can 1) boil them in some lightly salted water until they float to the top and the insides are thoroughly cooked, or 2) deep fry until thoroughly cooked and golden brown.

Once you remove it from the bamboo steamer serve immediately with a side sauce of hot mustard and soy sauce.

Blueberries. Yogurt. Pastry Puff. Oh My!

2009-05-26T19:38:00.006-04:00

Blueberry Compote w/Yogurt Cream over Pastry Puff Shells

Store bought pastry puff shells
1 Egg, beaten
2 C Frozen blueberries, unthawed
1/3 C + 2 1/2 Tsp Sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp Fresh lemon juice
2 Tsp Cornstarch
1/2 C Water
Dash of salt
1/2 C Yogurt, plain
1 Tsp Butter, lite or fat free (I Can't Believe It's Not Butter)
1 Tbsp Half and Half or Evaporated Milk
Lemon zest (enough for about a pinch or two)
Powdered sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 400°.

On a non-stick (or non-stick foil) lined baking sheet lay out your 6 pastry puff shells. Brush to top (ONLY) of the shells with a wash of egg. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

While pastries are baking...

Make yogurt filling: In a small bowl, for approx. 2 minutes, whisk together 2 1/2 Tsp sugar, butter, lemon zest, yogurt, and half and half. Stick in the freezer and whisk every 5 minutes.

Make blueberry compote: In a small saucepan, combine cornstarch, salt, 1/3 C sugar, water, and lemon juice. Heat over medium, stirring constantly, until sugar and cornstarch are dissolved. Add in blueberries. Continue to cook until the berries are partially melted and sauce is thickened. Keep warm.

Once pastries are golden brown, remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove tops of shells with a knife. Remove yogurt filling from freezer and spoon into the center well of pastry shells, 2/3 full.

Pour blueberry compote into the well, letting it drip down the sides and onto the plate. Lightly sift some powdered sugar over the dish.

Serve immediately.

Late Night Cravings

2009-05-25T22:29:00.003-04:00

You know those nights when you're craving some kind of comfort food to cheer you up, but you have NO ICE CREAM in the fridge? BUT... you do, however, have that healthy almost fat free popcorn... and you do have lite or fat free butter and some not-so healthy light brown sugar and those semi-sweet chocolate chips you've been saving.

Voila... Poof... or should I say Puff.

1 Bag Microwave popped popcorn (or 2 mini bags)
1/2 C Light Brown Sugar
1/4 C Lite or fat free butter
Handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat butter and sugar in a small saucepan until melted. Let cool for a couple of minutes then drizzle over freshly popped popcorn. Toss. Then toss in that handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips. Expect gooey, melty happy yum.

Orzo Salad with Shrimp

2009-05-25T16:41:00.005-04:00

This is a salad we end up making over and over because we like the combination of flavors. Orzo looks like rice but is a pasta. The turmeric gives it a nice yellow color.

1 lb. orzo
1 tsp. turmeric
3 tsp. Vegeta
1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup extra virgin olive
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half or
1-2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, deseeded and chopped small dice
2 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

Cook orzo in boiling water that has turmeric and Vegeta added. You may also add chicken or vegetable broth to the water. Cook as directed, drain and let cool.

Make a dressing with the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and add to the cooled orzo, toss to coat.

Put cleaned shrimp on a cookie sheet, coat with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Cook at 400 F for about 10 minutes, turning after 5 minutes. Let cool. Cut into bite size pieces if larger shrimp.

To cooled orzo add shrimp, tomatoes, parsley, cucumber and feta cheese. Toss. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Can be served as a side dish or light lunch.

Crockpot Kalua Pig and Cabbage

2009-05-24T18:15:00.004-04:00

This is one of my favorite dishes, being away from the home of my heart, Hawaii, this takes me back.

2-3 Lbs Pork butt or shoulder
3 Tbsp Concentrated liquid smoke, use Hickory for a stronger flavor or Mesquite for a more mild (or a combination for an intermediate)
3 Tbsp Kosher, rock, or Hawaiian salt
Small head of cabbage
Water

Put pork in crockpot, then pour liquid smoke and sprinkle salt over it. Fill crockpot with water to cover.

Cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 8-10 or overnight. Pork should fall apart when stuck with a fork. Remove pork from crockpot and using forks, shred.

Cut cabbage into large chunks and place in the broth of the crockpot. Put pork back into the crockpot and let cook on high until cabbage is done to your liking.

Serve cabbage and pork over hot white rice.

Rice Flour Power

2009-05-23T19:05:00.001-04:00

Dinner comprised of Mochiko Chicken and Lightly Battered Veggies. Both make use of sweet rice or "mochiko" flour.

Mochiko Chicken

2 1/2-3 Lbs Boneless chicken thighs and/or chicken wings/drummettes (this recipe may accommodate up to 5 lbs)
1/4 C Mochiko/sweet rice flour
1/4 C Cornstarch
1/4 C Sugar
1/2 Tsp Salt
2 Eggs, large
5 Tbsp Lite Soy Sauce (shoyu)
6 Garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp Ginger, crushed & minced
1/2 C Green onions, chopped
Vegetable or canola oil for frying

In a medium bowl (preferably one that you have a lid for, saran wrap will work also), combine flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt. Mix well.

In a small bowl, beat eggs and mix in soy sauce, garlic, and ginger.

Using a whisk add egg mixture to dry ingredients, until you get a caramel/peanut butter looking texture. Stir in green onions. Add chicken, making sure to completely coat each piece.

Cover and marinate at least 4-5 hours in the fridge, stirring mixture around every now and again. For best flavor, marinating overnight is recommended.

Before cooking stir to recoat chicken.

Mochiko chicken is traditionally deep fried, but I chose to bake it. Both methods are provided:

Bake: Preheat oven to 375°. Line a large baking pan with foil and lightly grease or spray with nonstick cooking spray or use non-stick foil. Bake for 30 minutes, or until fully cooked.

Deep Fried: Heat a large pot or deep fryer with oil, to 350°. Deep fry the chicken until it is cooked through and golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve.

--

Lightly Battered Veggies

This makes a thin, light, and crispy shell for side-dish veggies.

3/4 C Cornstarch
1/4 C Flour
1/4 C Mochiko/sweet rice flour
1 Tsp Baking powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/4 Tsp Pepper
1/4 Tsp Paprika
1/2 Tsp Onion Powder
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
3/4 C Iced Water (use less to a desired consistency, if you want a thicker batter, I prefer a thin crispy one)
1 Egg, beaten
Vegetable or canola oil for frying
4 C Veggies (this recipe shows sliced zucchini and whole green beans)

In a medium bowl mix together cornstarch, flours, baking powder, and seasonings. Stir in water and egg until smooth.

Heat a large pot or deep fryer with oil. Dip vegetables into batter, then carefully add vegetables to oil, a few at a time. Turn at least once while frying. Fry for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Eat as is or serve with your favorite dipping sauce - a sweet robust one like sweet chili sauce mixed with honey goes fabulous with these.

Avocado & Grape Tomato Salsa

2009-05-23T14:11:00.004-04:00

Simple, but yummy.

1 Avocado
1/2 Carton grape tomatoes
1-2 Lemon wedges
1-2 Tsp Fresh cilantro, chopped
1/8 Small red onion, minced
Salt & Pepper to taste

Slice avocado in half long-wise. Using the tip of your knife gently remove seed. Cut inside of each avocado vertically and horizontally (like a grid), leaving shell intact. Using a spoon, scoop out the avocado from both halves into a bowl.

Cut grapes into quarters, or chop and add it, red onions, and cilantro to avocado. Squeeze lemon wedge over the bowl, then season to taste.

For snack or lunch or... Great with crackers (like those Pistachio Crisps shown below), good on tacos or in burritos, etc.

The Ultimate Coffee Lovers' YUM!

2009-05-22T22:05:00.003-04:00

That would be Nutty Chocolate Espresso Cake-Brownies with Caramel Drizzle!!! - the official name. An oooo yeah treat for coffee lovers (even for those, like me, who don't drink hot coffee, but love iced coffee and fraps).

1 C Butter or Margarine, softened (I used I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Lite)
1 C Sugar
3 Eggs, large
1 Tsp Vanilla extract
2 oz Unsweetened chocolate
Pkg Chocolate covered espresso beans *
1 1/4 C Flour *
1/2 C Macadamia Nuts, chopped (toast for better flavor; sub w/fav nuts)
1/2 C Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Sugar-Free Caramel
1/4 Tsp Salt

* Ingredients Notes: If you can't find chocolate covered espresso beans, like I couldn't when I wanted to, then get 1 box Starbucks Chocolate Caffé Mocha Truffles and 1 box of Starbucks Chocolate Milk Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans. I found these at Walmart and the commissary, so I imagine they're anywhere Starbucks coffees and chocolates are sold. Also, I used a combination of 3/4 C flour and 1/2 C Chestnut Flour - which can be found at natural food health stores - for a nuttier flavor.

In a microwave safe dish, melt unsweetened chocolate, then allow to cool. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium/large bowl, cream butter and sugar, then beat in eggs. Blend in the cooled melted chocolate and vanilla extract.

In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients to the creamed, mixing well.

Using the flat of a chopping knife, crush a little over half of the chocolate covered coffee/espresso beans (about 1/2 cup whole), and then chop into finer pieces. Chop 5-6 truffles into small pieces. Portion out approx 3/4 cup total from combination of coffee beans and truffles, saving the rest for garnish.

Incorporate the 3/4 cup, the nuts, and the semi-sweet chocolates to the rest of the ingredients in the large bowl, mix thoroughly.

Grease a 9"x9"x2" baking pan and pour mixture into it spreading evenly. Sprinkle a little of the semi-sweet chocolate chips over the top. Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes.

Let cool at least 5-10 minutes before cutting.

Drizzle with caramel, sprinkle on some of the saved crushed and chopped chocolate covered coffee beans and truffles and garnish with some nuts and whole chocolate covered coffee beans. Serve.

Zesty Salsa

2009-05-22T18:38:00.006-04:00

Tonight I made the Neat Sausage and Peppers Sandwich (via Jenny Mac's Lip Smack, yeah, yeah, I know! but she has some wonderful recipes!!!)

I'd really like to rename these sausages "Mummy Dogs", LOL, because they look like mummified hotdogs. I used 2 turkey kielbasa sausages cut into 6 pieces and 2 breadsticks per sausage. When done topped with reduced fat cheddar (because I didn't have any mozzarella).

Now the pepper salsa she had, I decided not to use, and created one of my own, only because my family doesn't care for bell peppers, which is what I'm assuming is in frozen peppers and onions (have no idea, it may very well be just a variety of peppers).

So my recipe for Zesty Salsa is as follows:

1/2 Small/Med onion chopped
3 Tomatillos
2 Anaheim Peppers
1 Can Diced Fire Roasted Tomatoes w/Garlic
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1/4 Tsp italian seasoning
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
Olive oil cooking spray
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice all of the peppers in half, then remove seeds from Anaheim peppers. Press Anaheim peppers flat onto a foil lined baking sheet, skin down and arrange tomatillos on baking sheet also with the skin down. Spray peppers with olive oil and put in the oven (you can optionally grill or broil these). After about 10-15 minutes remove from oven and chop into small pieces.

In a medium frying pan, heat olive oil. Add garlic, peppers, and onions and saute until onions and peppers are soft. Add diced tomatoes and seasonings (to taste), then continue to saute until most of the liquid from the diced tomatoes has evaporated.

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Stay tuned! Dessert is coming up next :)

Döner Kebabs - Pound It Out and Throw Down!

2009-05-21T16:43:00.016-04:00

My dad was stationed in Berlin, Germany, while in the Army, I was between the age of 8 and 11/12 and the Berlin wall was coming down toward the end of our stay. I remember eating a Döner Kebab.

We'd buy it from a vendor on the streets. We would watch in avid fascination as the vendor cut the meat off of these huge hunk-a-chunk-a slabs (think giant turnip or carrot shaped) on a vertical spit in thin slices with a machete looking knife (though, I was young, so it may have looked a lot bigger than it was), slather the pita with this delicious white sauce (too bad I don't have that recipe) and layer in the meat. Not sure if there were any other ingredients, like veggies, as I only remember the sauce and meat! It was delicious, savory, smelled heavenly and hit the spot just right.

I had always thought of this as a German dish, but have come to find out they have Turkish and Greek origins (think Gyro).

Now this recipe is no where near as good as those, as you can't really make one of those humongous slabs at home (or maybe you can, but who wants to)? But these are still pretty good, especially if you've been having some nostalgic cravings like I have been.

As an added bonus, if you need to work out your aggression or stress, this is the perfect dish for you as you can really pound it out and throw down with the loaf, the more you do so, the better the texture will be in the end - just be aware... you may end up with some bits of seasoned ground beef in your hair, not exactly the most ideal hair accessory!

Go to recipe, Dash's Donair via All Recipes.

Substitutions/Suggestions/Notes:
-- You may want to double the meat recipe as it was a big hit with the DH & DS, they wanted 2nds, and we ended up not having ANY left overs as I had thought we would, thinking I would have some for lunch tomorrow.
-- Didn't have a stainless steel bowl so had to stick with my plastic one and it worked just fine.
-- Instead of cayenne pepper, used half/half of chili pepper and paprika. I never seem to have cayenne and when looking to buy it I can never find it!
-- Apple cider vinegar instead of white (only because I thought I didn't have any white on hand, and this may be partially why the sauce was so sweet).
-- The sauce came out really sweet, so I would have preferred to have used less sugar to taste. Also, I ended up with a TON of sauce left, so half would be better, or freeze the rest.
-- Shredded lettuce would have been a nice addition.
-- Let the loaf sit for about 5-15 minutes before slicing.
-- Used whole wheat pita bread.
-- I would like to try this with a mixture of ground lamb, pork, and beef next, especially since, traditionally, these are made with lamb.

Baked Potato Salad

2009-05-21T08:35:00.000-04:00

Want to try a different take on a potato salad? This is a cold potato salad but it's more like a yummy loaded baked potato.

5-6 large baking potatoes, scrubbed and baked as per usual
4-5 slices bacon, fried crispy and crumbled
2-4 green onions, sliced
4 oz. cheddar cheese, grated
1 pt. sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne

Scrub, clean and bake potatoes as you normally do. I prick them with a fork, rub with olive oil, salt and pepper and wrap in foil and bake at 350 for 1 hour or until done. Cool, and cut into pieces and put in large bowl. Add bacon, green onions and cheese.

In a small bowl, mix sour cream, mayonnaise, salt, pepper and cayenne. Add dressing on top of potatoes and other toppings and mix to coat all potatoes. Store in refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight to let flavors mingle. Enjoy!

It's the Sauce That Counts!

2009-05-20T18:24:00.004-04:00

For dinner tonight, I decided to make the Pretzel Chicken Nuggets as seen on Half Assed Kitchen.

Now I'm not too fond of an overly heavy mustard flavor, so I altered the dipping sauce recipe. I didn't take a photo of the chicken, well because the pretzels kind of fell off of my chicken, lol and ended up as a saute rather than dip-able bites. My sauce, therefore, was spooned onto the finished chicken dish. This alteration can be used as a dipping sauce (just add a tad bit of thickening agent, like cornstarch) or as a regular sauce or even as a marinade.

Saucy

2 Tsp Grey Poupon Country Dijon
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp Fat Free I Can't Believe It's Not Butter
1/2 Tsp Hot Sauce
2 Tbsp Honey

In a small sauce pan, heat and melt ingredients until thoroughly incorporated. Serve.

Sesame Balls

2009-05-20T10:46:00.003-04:00

Thought I'd move this over here since everyone thought it sounded delish. And it is.

I didn't have any red bean paste but it was still really good without.

1 pound glutinous rice flour..mochiko
1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1/4 cup white sesame seeds(I actually used toasted)
4 cups oil for deep-frying

Boil water. Add brown sugar. In a large bowl mix brown sugar mix into rice flour. Heat oil in saucepan, wok or deep fryer. Form tablespoon sized balls and roll them in sesame seeds. You may need to sprinkle them with a little water. Fry in hot oil until golden brown.

original recipe:
http://www.dininginthailand.com/recipe-008-chinese-sesame-seed-balls.htm

Lentil & Bulghur Salad

2009-05-20T08:19:00.002-04:00

I made this yesterday as an experiment for a lentil salad. Since it turned out quite yummy, I thought I'd share.

Lentil & Bulghur Salad

3/4 cup French green lentils
1 cup dry bulghur
1/4 - 1/2 cup vinegar based salad dressing (your favorite homemade, or pre-bottled)
Fresh or dried herbs, to taste
garlic, to taste

I cooked the lentils in about 3 cups of water the night before, drained and refrigerated. When it was time to assemble (I use this term loosely), I boiled four cups of water and poured it over the bulghur. Let the wheat steep covered for about 20 minutes; actual time will vary depending on the size of the bulghur pieces - coarser takes longer than fine. Drain & squeeze out any excess water from the bulghur. Toss with the lentils and your choice of vinaigrette. Very simple and easy to customize. Add fresh or dried herbs and crushed garlic to punch up the flavor.

Zucchini, Mushroom and Feta Frittata

2009-05-20T07:27:00.004-04:00

2 med. zucchini (sliced and thinkly cut into matchsticks or shredded)
4 mushrooms, chopped
1/4 C green onion, minced
salt, pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
5 eggs
1 1/2 C milk
feta cheese
olive oil
cooking spray

2 muffin tins

serving size: makes 12

Heat oven to 350. Cook zucchini, musrhooms, g. onion and garlic in a little olive oil. Drain. Season. Beat eggs and milk. Spray muffin tins with cooking spray. Fill muffin tins half way with veggies. Top with desired amount of feta. Fill tins with egg mixture, about 1/4 C. Bake for 45 minutes or until firm in centers.

I forgot to take a picture!

Salsa

2009-05-19T17:45:00.004-04:00

Memorial Day is coming up and perhaps you have a BBQ or get together planned. This salsa is a crowd pleaser and simple to prepare. A few notes about this salsa, it uses tomatillos traditionally used in salsa verde and tomatoes traditionally used in salsa roja or fresca, so it's both red and green. I like onion, but not in this salsa, you could add it if you want. The secret I think is the charred pasilla peppers and not taking off the char. You get little black bits full of flavor.

Mitchypoo's Salsa

2 pasilla peppers (the ones that are darker and longer than regular green peppers)
1-2 jalapenos
1-2 serrano peppers
1-2 yellow peppers
1 anaheim pepper (the light green long, skinny peppers)
6-8 tomatillos
2 garlic cloves
1/2 bunch cilantro
2 tsp. salt
3-4 large tomatoes

Wash all the peppers, tomatillos and tomatoes, de-skin the garlic gloves. Roast the pasilla peppers over an open flame until they char and blacken. Roast on a dry skillet the other peppers, tomatillos and whole cloves of garlic or broil all of them for about 10 minutes, checking often.

Cool peppers, tomatillos, garlic and tomatoes. De-seed and de-vein the pasilla, jalapeno and serrano peppers. I do not remove the char from the pasilla peppers, it gives it a smoky taste. Cut all peppers and tomatillos and tomatoes into large chunks and put in blender or food processor. Add salt, chopped cilantro and pulse or mix until slightly chunky. Will seem a little watery at first but it will thicken up.

Makes about a quart. Serve with tortilla chips, fresh veggies or enjoy with your favorite foods.

*Please leave a comment if you try this recipe and let us know how you liked it! Thanks!

Spicy Chicken Dumplings

2009-05-19T17:30:00.001-04:00

No oven, yet again, someone is supposed to come to "look" at it tomorrow, so we'll see. This, of course, means that I had to make something for dinner that did not require the use of an oven. I had the recipe from Jenny Mac's Lip Smack's blog (see link to recipe at the bottom of this post; though my version is spicy, hers is not) in my food bookmarks, it looked delicious, not to mention that it's still a little chilly weather-wise.

Since DH doesn't like bell peppers - neither do I - I substituted with a tbsp of chipotle peppers (about 2-3 peppers from a 7 oz can of chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, drained and minced). Now if you don't want it spicy, my suggestion is to NOT add it, lol, or use much less than what I did.

He also doesn't like mushrooms, so I had to omit the sliced mushrooms. He can deal with one can of mushroom soup (98% fat free) and one can of cream of chicken soup, having no choice in the matter, said the wife *chuckle*..

I also chopped up some fresh green beans to add into the filling portion (see photo below), and used a combination of half/half and 2% milk instead of whole milk/cream.

Also served with a side of fresh green beans sauteed in unsalted butter, garlic/onion powders, and pepper (not shown).

Hop to the recipe Mushroom and Chicken Dumplings.

Fruit. Salad. Sandwich.

2009-05-19T11:51:00.003-04:00

This is one of my favs. It's a copycat of the Market Fresh Pecan Chicken Salad Sandwich at Arbys. The nuts and the choice of meat is interchangeable and I love it because of the sweetness of the grapes, and the crunchiness of the apples and nuts. This is best over a nice multi-grain bread, but I didn't have any at the time I made this so you'll just have to pretend that the butter bread that I used is multi-grain, haha.

1/2 Small/med apple chopped into small pieces
Handful of small seedless grapes, approx. 18 of them, quartered
Can light tuna in water, drained (subs: cooked shredded/minced chicken or turkey)
2-3 Tbsp lite mayo (to start, add more until desired consistency)
1 Tbsp almonds (chopped, sliced, or slivered; or your fav nut)
1 Tsp of sweet pickle juice (bread & butter, sweet pickle, or gerkin; optional)
Salt & pepper to taste
2 Slices of multi-grain bread, lightly toasted

In a small bowl combine the first 7 ingredients, mixing well, then spread onto lightly toasted bread. Cut in half, serve.

Pork with Rice Pilaf

2009-05-18T20:31:00.004-04:00

I thought I'd share my "Good Ol' Standby" pork recipe as my first post. My partner's first food love seems to be pork, so we eat a lot of it around here. I buy center cut pork loin (usually at around $1.50-$2.00/lb) at the restaurant supply store and slice it up into 1" cutlets and freeze for future use. We pick up the rice pilaf mix for $0.88 to $1.00 when it goes on sale. I'm very much a whole-foods cook, and the rice pilaf mix is one of the very few pre-packaged food stuffs that we buy.

You'll want a heavy 10" skillet with a heavy, well-fitting lid.

Johnny's Pork & Rice (a Roni)

4, 1" thick center-cut pork loin cutlets, trimmed of excess fat
1 T vegetable oil
1 box of rice pilaf mix (Chicken or Pork flavor seems to work well for this)
Water

Sear the cutlets over medium-high heat in the oil until golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside.

In the remaining oil/fat in the pan, brown the rice pilaf mixture until golden brown, stirring often to prevent sticking. Add the contents of the seasoning packet, and stir. Pour in the required amount of water (from the directions on the box) and stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Place the pork on top of the rice mixture and pour in any accumulated juices.

Cover, reduce to medium-low, and cook for about 20 minutes until the rice is done and water is mostly (if not completely) absorbed.

4 servings (serves two with leftovers)

Cost per serving (yours will vary!): $0.60 - $0.75

Ham & Bean Soup

2009-05-18T16:01:00.016-04:00

It's a cold, chilly day for a change here in the south and I'm definitely enjoying it. On such a day like this, something to fill you with warmth and make you feel all cozy inside is just the thing (not to mention that my oven has still not been fixed, oh woes!).

Pkg of 15 bean mix (or other bean package)
Can whole tomatoes (14.5 oz)
2-4 Ham hocks, score the skin for faster cooking (I use smoked)
2-3 Cups Cooked ham, cut into 1" cubes
Celery, chopped (optional, I hardly eat it and don't want to buy a bunch just to use one stalk so I just use about a tsp of celery salt)
16 oz Chicken or vegetable broth (reduced sodium or reduced fat)
1 Cup Carrots, chopped
1 Cup Fresh green beans, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 Small onion, chopped
2 Garlic cloves, minced
2 Small bay leaves
1 Tbsp olive oil
Pepper to taste
Water

Often, I don't pre-plan, or if I do, I forget to do some prep work. I only soaked the beans for a little over 2 hours and after cooking some of the beans were still a tad crunchy (I think it was one or 2 of the beans in particular), you may or may not presoak - up to you.

In a large pot or stockpot, saute onions, garlic, and bay leaves over medium-high heat in olive oil (in my case I used a multi-cooker which proved to be too small as it kept spitting beans back at me as it boiled). Once onions are soft add ham hocks and ham. Let it saute for another minute or two, then cover with water. Bring to a boil.

Stir in seasoning packet that came with beans (or use your own herbs; note: if using packet AND smoked hocks, you may want to start with just 1/2 of the seasoning packet then add more as you taste or it may end up too salty), celery salt, pepper, tomatoes, vegetables, beans and broth. Note: if you don't want your veggies melted as much, then wait until the last 30-45 minutes before adding. Bring to boil again. Continue boiling for 1-2 hours, stirring, also smooshing and breaking up the whole tomatoes, tasting frequently, and adding more water and seasonings as needed.

A good garlic bread or cheesy rolls warmed and lightly toasted in the oven goes well with this soup. Sadly, I had to use the microwave to heat them.

[Inspired by 18 Bean Soup.]

HomeMade Fudgesicles

2009-05-18T15:30:00.002-04:00

One of my all time favorite hot weather treats as a kid was the rich, creamy Fudgesicle. My young mind didn't think I could get any closer to Heaven than when I had one in my hand. I may be an adult with kids of my own, but Fudgesicles still hold a special place in my heart. Summer is just around the corner and I wanted to share with everyone a recipe from my Mom's beaten red recipe box-HomeMade Fudgesicles!

1 package chocolate pudding mix (NOT instant)
2 cups milk
1 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup sugar

Ina saucepan, combine the pudding, sugar and both milks. Cook according to the directions on the pudding box until think. Stir constantly.
Pour into a pan and place on freezer until partially frozen. Stir and spoon into paper cups or popsicle molds.
Insert wooden sticks and let freeze completely.

Some Past Recipes

2009-05-18T07:51:00.006-04:00

The premiere post, since I don't have anything ATM, this is a link to some recipes in my regular blog. Unfortunately, you may have to weed through the dribble to get to them.

Kicked Up Teriyaki Sauce (scroll to the bottom of post)

Reinvented Meatloaf

Sassy Lasagne

Chicken with Wild Rice Stuffed Tomatoes

Chinese Chicken Salad (2nd half of post)

Chayote Squash & Chicken (scroll to bottom of post)

Pastry Puff Pockets (scroll down until you see blue)