who has two thumbs and likes brunch?

this guy!

we had our annual christmas brunch last week and besides a strata (ham and swiss this time, with a lil green onion!) and sweet potato bacon hash (that basically described itself. plus add more onions, garlic, and a little WOODSTEAD to taste, if you have it. hot sauce will do too but it is clearly the poorer choice), I made a blueberry buttermilk breakfast cake. KIND OF.

I found the original recipe on Pinterest and it is from alexandra cooks. I wanted to make something sweet to go with my savory strata and this looked perfect. it's like a dense, yummy scone in cake form - but to make it more seasonal, I subbed cranberries for the blueberries and orange zest for the lemon zest. in the summer, raspberries or blackberries would be AMAZING. We loved it so much that I made another this morning because I missed the other one. Badly. I used frozen blueberries and lemon zest this time.

1/2 C. butter, room temperature

2 tsp. lemon zest (or more if you are into that kind of thing. you know I am)

7/8 C. sugar, plus some for sprinkling on top later

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

2 C. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

2 c. blueberries, fresh or frozen

1/2 c. buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and lemon zest and sugar together until fluffy. YUM! Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined. The recipe suggests to toss the blueberries together with 1/4 c. of the flour - I did this the first time I made it and did not the second time, with no noticeable difference. So - do whatever you want, fancy pants, it's your breakfast and you can flour it if you want to. if you do not, then remove the fourth a cup of flour, I suppose. mix together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt separately. add the flour mixture a little bit at a time, alternating with the buttermilk until everything is combined and then fold in the berries. grease a 9x9 pan and put the batter in and sprinkle a little sugar over the top. bake for about 35 minutes (I needed about 8 minutes more) until top is ever so slightly browned and a tooth pick comes out clean.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year: Part 2

An old time favorite: Italian Meatball Cookies

Chocolate, Spicy, Coffee Deliciousness, not to mention the batch makes a ton and they freeze really well!!

Mix together
1 cup of milk
1 cup of shortening
1 1/2 cups of sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Add 3 cups of flour
5 tsp of baking powder
1 Tbl of cinnamon
1 Tbl of nutmeg
3/4 cup of cocoa
Slowly add 2 more cups of flour followed by 1 cup of nuts (preferably walnuts) and 1 cup of chocolate chips.
Roll into 1 inch balls. Bake at 350 for about 8 minutes.

Frosting
3 cup of confectionery sugar
3 Tbls of cocoa
1/4 cup softened butter
2 Tbl hot coffee
1 tsp vanilla
Blend together

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year: Part 1

That time of year of course is Christmas cookie baking season!! In honor of the season, I will share with you some of my most favorite (and may I add famous!) holiday cookie recipes. I promise these will be better than the 12 days of Cookies featured in the paper that in an effort to be creative end of being not so tasty/sugary/fatty as a Christmas cookie truly should be (Meringues and Sesame Seed Cookies.. I mean seriously??).  I will start first with some easy peasy bar cookies. Bar cookies are the boss because a) they are easy b) they make a lot c) they freeze really well d) they're awesome!

An old standby.. Lemon Bars because you know what they say.. When life gives you lemons, make cookies!


Mix together 1 cup of butter (softened), 1/2 cup of confectionery sugar, 2 cups of flour. Press dough into the bottom of a 13x9 pan and fork some holes in it. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until browned.
Beat together 2 cups of sugar and 4 eggs until blended well. Add 1 tsp of baking powder, 2 tsps of lemon peel and the juice of a lemon and a half or 2 if you're feeling crazy. Mix thoroughly. Pour over hot crust. Bake for another 20-25 minutes or until set. Sprinkle the top with more powdered sugar and slice into squares when cool!

George Bailey Bars because he deserves his own cookie.
This recipe can be used to fit the needs of any ingredients.
Start with this base. Mix 1 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 3 eggs, 2 tsp of vanilla. Blend well. Add 1 cup of flour, 1/2 tsp of baking soda, 1/2 tsp of salt.
From here you can go nuts! I will share what I did last time I made these.. it was pretty grand.
Layer 13x9 pan with graham cracker crumbs. Layer with butterscotch chips. Add base mixture. Layer chopped pecans. Top with coconut (say brainless don't you know where coconuts come from!!(hence the name of this recipe)).

I have also made these using walnuts instead of pecans. Added chocolate chips instead of butterscotch or done both (so choice). Omitted graham crumbs. Basically throw what ever yummies you have in with this base and the results will be pleasing.
Oh.. and you need to bake them at 350 for about 18 minutes.

So get going! Bake some cookies and share your recipes with us! Please and thank you!

Way Down Yonder in the Paw Paw Patch

If you hear the word paw paw and immediately think it is some nonsensical fairy tale food or a child's name for a papaya, you are not alone.. but you are wrong. Many only know of paw paws from the old children's song, Way Down Yonder in the Paw Paw Patch.  Although unheard of by many, paw paws do exist and grow right down the street from me in good old Rochester, NY, which was how I ended up with some paw paws in my possession. When my neighbor left a bag of paw paws hanging on my doorstep, I was not quite sure what to do with them. With a quick Google search, I learned many interesting factoids about paw paws: they are native to North America; they are sometimes called the West Virginia banana; they are Ohio's native state fruit; and there are all sorts of Paw Paw festivals! I also found recipes for pies, breads, muffins, puddings and even wines using paw paws. Who knew?
So I set out to make a Paw Paw Pie
Paw paws start out green and turn yellow and then brown as they ripen. They are actually best when they outside looks like a brown rotten banana oddly enough.

Inside they have beautiful yellow flesh that tastes very sweet and similar to a banana. They also have little black seeds which can be a bugger to take out. But persist on, it is worth it!

Once you have peeled the paw paw and removed the seeds you are ready to make yourself a pie.
I used a graham cracker crust in mine but you can make a regular pastry crust as well.

In a saucepan, combine 3/4 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of cornstarch, 3 egg yolks, 2 cups of milk and 1 cup of pureed paw paws. Cook slowly until thickened about 5-10 minutes. I added 1/2 cup of toasted coconut here to add a tropical flavor (this step is optional) Pour custard into your pie crust.
Take egg whites, 1/2 tsp of cream of tartar, 3 Tbl of sugar and beat into a meringue. When peaks form pour meringue on top of the paw paw custard. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes or until peaks are browned.

While We're Talking Cauliflower...

Those purple cauliflower frozen florets previously mentioned were originally purchased to make this tasty dish, also a creamy delicious pasta spectacular. Make one or both!


Cauliflower Bagna Cauda Sauce
Simmer 1 head of garlic in water for about 20 minutes.
Cook 1 lb of fettucine in salted water until al dente.
Break cauliflower into florets. Steam in a large pan until tender.
In a saucepan, heat olive oil. Add 2 tins of anchovies. Stir until they break apart into the oil. Add mashed garlic, 3 Tbls of butter, 1 pint of cream or half and half, salt and pepper.
Toss the sauce, pasta and cauliflower together. Add some fresh parsley.

Eat up!

Creamy Chicken Cauliflower Lasagna Stylee

There are days when I look through my fridge, cupboards,  and freezer and find all sorts of random food items, bits and pieces of saved things that do not seem to go together in any appropriate fashion. In order to eliminate waste and to avoid grocery shopping, I try to mix up something creative with these items and create something spectacular (which sometimes does or doesn't happen). This happened to me last night.
Random Food Items
Half a box of lasagna noodles
2 Frozen chicken breasts
Frozen bag of purple cauliflower
1/4 bottle of Imagine Moore gratitude
Tupperware full of random blocks of Yancey Fancy cheese

Magical Dish- Creamy Lasagna!
In a pot of salted water, cook lasagna noodles.
In a large skillet, saute an onion in a bit of olive oil. Chop up chicken bits and cook until browned. Add chopped up purple cauliflower and 1/4 cup of white wine, salt and pepper to taste. Steam cauliflower til tender.

Drain lasagna noodles. In pot, melt 1 Tbl of butter and saute a few cloves of garlic. I added a ice cube size hunk of pesto (another random freezer item) but you could add dried basil if you choose. Add 1/2 cup of milk (if you have cream or half&half, this would prob be more delish). Bring to a simmer. Add 3 Tbl of flour. Cook til thickened. Add some shredded cheese to sauce. Add chicken/cauliflower mixture.

Layer noodles, CreamyCC mix and shredded cheese about 3 times in that fabulous order. Bake at 350 for about 20-30 minutes or until bubbly and browned on top. Serve with the rest of that leftover wine.
...and you know what they say, "Lasagna is always better as leftovers." This is true. I'm eating the leftovers right now.

homemade yogies

I had been meaning to try homemade yogurt for maybe a year or so, because we eat a lot of it around here and the good stuff -- the greek stuff! -- is expensive. It is unbelievably easy and you don't need a fancy yogurt maker.. just a crock pot.

to start - you need one cup of plain yogurt with live active cultures, and one half gallon of milk. my first try, I used regular vitamin d milk. you know, the kind in the front of veg-mans (I say that with a heavy german accent all of the time). I've read the less pasteurized and the more whole the betta.

if you start this at 4pm-ish, you can leave it overnight and wake up to morning yogurt numminess. put your milk in your pot de la crock and turn it on LOW for 2.5 hours. after that, shut the crockpot off and leave it, covered, for another 3 hours. after the 3 hours, stir in the cup of yogurt (once you have some made you can use that as the starter) until there's no more lumpies in your lovely lady humps. unplug your CP -- swaddle it in a large towel (to help it maintain as much heat as possible overnight) and leave it alone for 8ish hours. I put it in my oven so that nothing would disturb it overnight, such as a random cat or a ninja. hey, just playing it safe, you never know.

in the morning, you will have thick yummy yogurt! if you like it thicker (insert inappropriate weiner comment), let it strain in the fridge for the day. line a strainer with cheesecloth or coffee filters (<-- classy) and put it in a bowl and the whey will drain out after a few hours.

we've been mixing it with a spoonfuls of strawberry or blackberry jam and honey, but I want to whip up some lemon curd so I can mix that with some blueberries frozen from the summer!

creamychickenpiccatapastaaaaaaa

I have had a long, long, long love affair with capers and any recipe that includes them is on my to-try-yesterday-girlfrienddd list (which is a serious list to be on, fyi). chicken piccata is perfection in my book and I came across a recipe that layered the picatta with pasta and cream. I mean, all it needs is bacon (I left that out but reading Col's bacon posts make me think that it would be a great idea for next time). it also is a recipe in which to use your lemon reamer. I mean, c'mon.

for da chicken:

juice of one lemon

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp basil or oregano

salt n' peppa, to taste

2 chicken breasts

for da pasta:

2 c. dried penne

2 tbsp butter

juice of 2 lemons

1 tbsp minced garlic

1/2 c. half and half or heavy cream, your choice! tough decision, I know.

2 tsp dried basil

2 tbsp capers (I used about a half a jar. 2 tbsp... clearly not enough.)

1/2 c. grated parm cheezzzee

combine the first "for da chicken" ingredients to form a marinade - marinade the chicken overnight, or maybe just for a few hours if you forgot to do that overnight step (which I did. it's okay. we're only human).

grill chicken until done and slice into strips to serve over pasta.

while the chicken is grilling, cook the pasta! drain it out of the pan when done to your liking. reserve a half a cup of the pasta water to use to loosen up the sauce you are about to make, if necessary. in the pan, melt the butter, add the garlic, and add the lemon juice. pour in the half and half slowly and whisk it until it's all hot and smelling good. add the salt and pepper if you want, then add the cheese, basil and capers and heat it all up until everything is melted and nice and saucy. add the pasta and the sliced chicken. bonus points if you add bacon!

Bacon Testing, Testing 1,2,3

I know this blog is followed by a bunch of lovers of bacon! So when I tell you about last week and my desire to eat bacon every night of the week because I had found so many delicious recipes, I know you will not judge me but whoop for joy at the recipes am I about to share that involve those delectable strips of cured pork belly.

bit o bacon humor

Test One:
Pasta Carbonara
So simple. So perfect.
In a pan, cook up 5 strips of bacon in a large pan. In the meantime, bring a pot of salted water to boil for your pasta. When bacon is finished, remove and chop into bits. Chop up half an onion and some garlic. Saute until translucent in bacon grease and splash of olive oil. In a seperate bowl, mix up 3 eggs with a splash of boiling pasta water. Cook spaghetti until al dente. Add 1/3 cup of white wine to onion mixture. With tongs, add spaghetti to pan with onion and wine. Never fear the extra water clinging to your pasta will help keep your sauce together. Add bacon, eggs and 1/3 cup of parmigiana cheese. Toss pasta with tongs and simmer for a few minutes. Plate up and top with more parmigiana cheese, some parsley and fresh ground pepper.. ah Say Wheen!

Test Two:
Roasted Cauliflower/Squash/Bacon/Cheese DELIGHT
Cook up 5 strips of bacon. Roast half a butternut squash in your oven. Remove cooked bacon. In bacon grease, saute one onion, 2 cloves of garlic and 2 Tbl of Sage, salt and pepper. Chop up a head of cauliflower. Toss with some olive oil and sea salt and roast on a cookie sheet for about 25 minutes. This can be done as the same time as the squash roasting. In a food processor, combine onion mixture, squash and 8 oz of goat cheese. Blend until it is a smooth sauce. Put cauliflower and bacon bits into a baking dish with 1 or 2 chopped apples depending on your preference. Pour squash mixture over top and stir up. Top dish with some shredded cheese. I chose Asiago and it was a smart choice. Cook in your oven for about 15 minutes.

Warning: This dish serves a lot which is fine because you will want to eat it every day for an entire week.
Another piece of Good News! This dish is gluten free if you're into that sort of thing.. Cholesterol free.. not so much.

Test Three:
Bacon Pastries
Bringing bacon back to its origin... Breakfast.

In a large bowl combine 1 package of yeast and 3 3/4 cups of flour. Mix in 1/2 stick of softened butter, 3 Tbl of sugar, 2 tsp of salt. Heat 1 cup and 2 Tbl of milk until warm. Add milk and 2 eggs to flour mixture. Mix up and dump onto floured surface.
Warning: This dough will be super sticky. Pull dough up and fold over itself continuously for about 7 minutes. It will get less sticky the more you work it. I had to add a few more Tbl of flour towards the end to make it workable but don't add a lot or you can ruin the softness of your dough.
Place in a lightly floured bowl. Let rise for 1 hour.

While dough is rising, make your bechamel as follows.
Heat 2 Tbl of butter in a pan until bubbling. Remove from heat and whisk in 2 1/2 Tbl of flour. Whisk in 1 cup of milk. Return to medium heat. Bring to simmer. Cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add a pinch of nutmeg, 1 cup of gruyere cheese shredded and salt and pepper to taste.

Cut bacon into 3 inch pieces. Aim for about 20 pieces. Lay on cookie sheet and bake in oven until just cooked but not to crispy. 

When dough has risen, punch down and roll out on floured surface into a 21x15 rectangle. Cut into squares. In each square, put a spoonful of bechamel and a strip of bacon. Take two opposite corners and fold over the top like a pig in a blanket. Place on cookie sheet and let rise for another 30 minutes. Brush with egg and top with more cheese! I used a combo of cheddar and gruyere. Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes.

Bust out your fat pants and get frying!!

Coming Soon!! OKTOBERFEST dessert recipes and Paw Paws!

Response to Ricotta

Last week I posted one of my new most favorite obsessions... the recipe for homemade ricotta cheese. In case I haven't said it already, making your own cheese is one of the most fantabulous things a cook can experience. It really is magical how with a bit of milk, heat and curdling agent the curds and whey separate themselves yielding one of the greatest foods on Earth.. Cheese. I have yet to take my cheese making past ricotta and mozzarella but my hand built cheese press sits in my craft room waiting for the day to press some farmhouse cheddar or smoked gouda! When I posted the recipe for ricotta last week, I promised another recipe to go with it so here you go!

Quinoa Quiche
Who would have thought you could be alliterative with Q?? When I found this recipe, I was pumped. It combines two of my favorite things eggs and cheese into a healthy dish and you don't even need to mess with a pie crust!
Cook up 1/2 cup of quinoa in 1 cup of water for about a half hour or until water is absorbed. Place quinoa in bottom of a pie plate.  Saute in some olive oil 1/2 an onion and 2 cloves of garlic. In a bowl, mix 1/4 cup of milk, 3 eggs, 1/2 cup of ricotta. I also added a few Tbl of cream cheese because I had it lying about the fridge with nary a bagel to spread it upon. Add 1 cup of chopped spinach and onion mixture. Shred a thin layer of cheddar cheese over quinoa. Pour over cheesey egg mixture. Top with some more cheese I used more cheddar and a smidge of asiago.
Bake in the ol' oven for about 30 minutes or until not jiggly. Slice up and enjoy!

I served this with a roasted carrot soup but it was also quite divine on its own.

What to Eat with Soup

As I may have mentioned probably every day this month, September is my favorite month of the year for a number of reasons:
1. Temperate Temperatures. I can finally wear my jeans with my t-shirts and be comfortable and occasionally bust out a power cardigan.
2. Back to School. After all these years, I still look forward to buying new pencils; hence, my chosen profession.
3. Earth, Wind and Fire Day. Yes, I was the teacher that sent "September" in as a song request for the morning announcements. What can I say it makes me experience a dance party in my mind and how totally cool is it that you can actually celebrate the 21st night of September as a holiday if you feel so inclined.
4. Start of Soup Season. If there is one food I love, it is soup. So easy, yet so complicated. So calming, so versatile, so satisfying. Try as I may I can never get into chilled summer soups. I have made gazpacho. I have dreamed of vichychoisse. However,  soup does not truly become magical until September when the air chills and leaves tinge, which brings me to this particular post. While soup itself can be a full meal it is sometimes nice to have something to accompany it.

Although soup from scratch is simple and enjoyable, one product I do adore is the Healthy Sisters Soup mixes, little bags with beans and spices that create a tasty soup. They are assembled by women struggling with poverty and unemployment. The program gives them a job and healthy work experience to get them back on their feet. The other morning I took one of my mixes and tossed it in my crockpot with a can of diced tomatoes, onion, pepper, carrots and water and come home to a delicious 6 Bean Organic Soup. This left me time to figure out what to pair with this tasty soup.... Bread and Homemade Ricotta Cheese!

Molasses Bread
Combine 2 cups of buttermilk (I know not a common ingredient but it's used in the ricotta too!!), 1 cup of oats,  1/4 cup of molasses, 2 T oil.

Add 3 cups of flour, 1 T sugar, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt. Mix and let rest 2 minutes. Knead dough while adding about a 1/2 cup more flour.

Divide into to loaves. Sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal (or just grease but the cornmeal is great) and place loaves on. I baked my on a pizza stone so if you own one use it!!
Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until browned and crispy on the outside.

Ricotta Cheese
In a pot, combine 1 cup of cream, 4 cups of milk, 3/4 cup of buttermilk and 1 tsp of salt. Bring to a slow boil and cook until curds begin to separate. Stir. Turn down heat to low and cook 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 30 minutes to an hour while curds separate. Line a colander cheesecloth and ladel (don't pour!) curds into cloth. Let sit for 10-15 minutes to drain.

Serve ricotta on still warm bread with hot soup. This combo was so good I ate it for breakfast and lunch the next day! AND... I had ricotta leftover to make dinner the next night, which I will share with you soon!

You Lika da Peppa- Part Dos

After preserving over a dozen jars of pepper jam, my fridge still contained a large quantity of red peppers and what better to do with red peppers than Roast them! Now I love buying those lovely yellow cans of roasted red peppers in the store and eating them with crispy bread and cheese but have never tried to create myself. It was intimidating and seemed time consuming.. how could I possibly get regular fresh peppers to that deliciously slimy consistency that they were in the can? Well, my friends never think those thoughts again because these peppers were a snap!

Simply place 4-5 red peppers on a cookie sheet preferably with parchment or foil. Turn your oven to 325 degrees. Place peppers in oven for one hour. Turn every 20 minutes or so. Remove from oven and cover with a towel for about an hour.
Now this seems like a long time but while roasting these peppers and letting them sit under the towel I multi-tasked and managed to clean my kitchen sink, do laundry, go the gym and do grocery shopping and when I returned these little babies where ready to have their skins slipped! I sliced of the top stem and peeled the skin right off! Then rinse out the seeds and boom RoASTED! You can throw a splash of olive oil and salt on them and eat right away on crispy bread but I took this one further to make a spread.
Now keep in mind the amazing red pepper spread that is to follow can also be prepared with your everyday roasted red peppers from a can as well if you don't feel like getting fancy smancy but let me also say that roasting your own peppers in not only significantly more delicious but also significantly more satisfying.

Roasted Red Pepper Spread
In a food processor or blender, combine 2 cups of roasted red peppers, 2 Tbl of olive oil, 2 tsp of salt, 3 cloves of garlic, 1/4 cup of fresh basil. Blend to a spread.
While preparing this spread, I sauteed some onion, garlic and Italian sausage, then boiled some pasta and wilted some spinach in with the sausage when done cooking. I coated the pasta with roasted red pepper spread and topped with spinach/sausage mixture and asiago cheese... Voila. Dinner.

Two days later with more spread to spare, I smeared toasted baguettes with goat cheese and topped with pepper spread alongside some kalamata olives and wine.



 

You Lika Da Peppa... Part 1

September is my favorite month for a variety of reasons but one of the best of these reasons is the plethora of produce just waiting to be frantically canned or preserved in some manner before the long cold winter comes upon us. My garden is brimming with tomatoes and peppers, trees are becoming heavy with pears and apples  and so I fire up my stove (once again wishing it had six burners), crank the tunes, tie on my apron and cook, cook, cook.

Last week, I put in a request for my little market girl to bring me some peppers from the market for my summer stash of hot pepper jam had been depleted by some hungry boys. Fortunately/Unfortunately, I'm not quite sure what to make of it she procured 3 large bags of peppers for a mere seven bones, enough for pepper jam and so much more. You may notice the part one on this post because I created far to much amazing deliciousness with these peppers than can be described in one post. First, I will share with you what I stored in my little Ball jars in my "Long Cold Winter Cupboard" which I once again wish was larger, ahh the foolish dreams of a food freak!

Hot Peppa Jam
Chop finely 1 cup of jalapeno peppers and 3 cups of sweet peppers (mix of red and green). I highly recommend the use of a food processor for this or it will take you forevverr! Place peppers in a large pot with one packet of Sure Jell and 1 cup of cider vinegar. Let come to a rolling boil ex: you try to stir down that boil and you can't Buster! Stir in 5 cups of sugar and return to a boil. Cook for 1 minute. Put in sterilized jam jars and can. It will set up when cool.

Now you may be asking... What do I do with a jam of hot peppers.. put it on my toast??
Answer: Yes! and more!
1. Best used on crackers with cream cheese or regular cheese
2. On Grilled/ baked fish
3. On grilled cheese, eggs... with a spoon??

And the best part of these little jars of heaven... Gift for a friend? Jam!!  Dish to pass? Pepper Jam!!! Spontaneous Happy Hour with Friends and No Hors D'overes?? Pepper Jam. In fact, the last time this happened to me I had people throwing money at me begging for pepper jam party favors.

Fall-into this HOTT dish

Wellllllllcome Back. Welcome back, welcome back, Hot Dish is back!! And we're approx. ONE YEAR OLD!!!

I really missed all of you on our long summer hiatus. While I've always said there is nothing like a good meaty grilled meal the truth is that I always look forward to coming back inside, heating up the kitchen, putting on a cozy apron and cooking my heart out.
The flavors of fall are so delectable and warm my soul up as much as the turning of the leaves and pumpple picking (pumpkin/apple picking...they're both so good!).

Below you will find the recipe I made for dinner tonight which had fall written all over it. For one, it requires stove top braising which is a HOT DISH as well as warm tasty flavors such as cinnamon, dates, cumin, and olives. Another testament to the warmth of these flavors lie in the fact that this is a chicken dish which I usually consider a white wine opportunity...however the palate called for a full-bodied Malbec!

I am pulling this recipe from the latest issue of Cooking light (my love for this mag. never gets old). It is called "Chicken with Dates, Olives, and Cinnamon" which is descriptive but lackluster. Dan re-dubbed it "Date me a chicken".

Serves 6 (serving=2 thighs and 1/2 c. sauce)

Ingredients:
-12 Bone-in chicken thighs, skinned (at this part I felt like Julia Childs! Where's my pearls?)
-1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
-1/8 tsp. Kosher salt
-2 Tbsp. Butter, divided
-2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
-4 c. sliced onion
-1 tsp. minced peeled fresh ginger
-18 pitted manzanilla or large green olives, quartered
-2 Tbsp. all purpose flour
-1 tsp. ground cumin (okay, the recipe only calls for 3/4 tsp. but I put more in!!)
-1/2 tsp. ground coriander
-1/8 tsp. ground red pepper (cayanne baby)
-1 3inch Cinnamon stick
-2 c. chicken broth
-1/2 c. whole pitted dates, chopped
-3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (i accidently did not use this ingredient and the dish did not suffer at all, but I'm sure it would be a worthwhile addition)
-1/4 C. fresh basil leaves

Okay, here's the directions. You'll be at this for about an hour and possibly a few minutes more, but it will be worth it.

1. Sprinkle chicken w/ pepper and salt. Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in a good braising pan over medium-high heat. (I used my 12 inch cast iron pan which proved just a bit too small once all the chicken was simmering, but did the trick with a lid on. Cooking Light (CL) reccomends a 10-quart dutch oven. Crossing my fingers that santa will bring me a le creuset dutch oven in the future!)

Add 1 Tbsp. oil to pan and swirl to coat. Add half of the chicken thighs to pan and cook 4 mins on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from pan to rest until later. Repeat (adding butter and oil) for the rest of the chicken thighs.

2. Add Onion and ginger to pan (ps: i also added about 5 carrots here...maybe thats why I didnt have much room at the end. I thought they were necessary, but I'm sure you can live without them. FUN FACT: Wegmans organic carrots last about an eon in your crisper drawer if you dont think you'll use a whole bag right off the bat, don't sweat it. I think I had these babies for most of the summer--I KNOW, obscene--but they werent even leaky or growing things at the time of this recipe).

Saute for 8 mins. stirring frequently (think yummy caramelized onions...ahhhh). Add olives, saute for 1 min. Add Flour, cumin, coriander, red pepper and cinnamon stick, stir to coat and then add broth. Bring mixture to boil, stirring constantly, and loosen any browned bits on the bottom (extra flavor, yo!). Cook for 1 min. Return chicken to pan. Cover and reduce heat to low, cooking 12 mins. Stir in dates and simmer 10 more mins or until chicken is done (technically this should be 180 degrees but you'll know when its done. Feel free to simmer longer if you're worried. The juices and bones will keep it all nice and moist. Stir in the lemon juice here (totally missed this the first time around) and garnish with fresh basil.

BON APPETIT! I served this over egg noodes. CL suggests couscous, but what ever you have will work. Also, I took the time (you can do this while the chicken is in its last few mins of simmering...i had lots of liquid) to reduce some of the liquid and strain the fat off of it, creating a gravy like sauce to pour over the plate. Not necessary but SO NECESSARY.

Glad to be back, get postin' you Hott dishers! I know you have it in you :D.

<3 Megan Mae

Summer in the Sea

It's summer time and the livin' is easy...also it's the perfect time to make seafood. Here's two recipes I made recently, one is super fast and easy and the other is better for when you need a long session of therapeutic cooking (and when you want to impress someone with your skills as a culinary genius and domestic god or goddess). Anyway here they are.

First, an easy recipe courtesy of cooking light.

Thai Red Curry Shrimp with Ginger-Garlic Green Beans

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups water
1 cup uncooked jasmine rice
2 tsp butter
1/4 tsp kosher salt
Cooking Spray
1 1/4 lbs. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 (14 oz) can light coconut milk
1 tbs red curry paste
1 1/2 tbs fish sauce
4 tsp dark brown sugar
1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
2 tsp fresh lime juice

Directions
1. Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil in a saucepan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 min. Remove from heat; let stand 10 min. Fluff with a fork.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shrimp; saute 3 min or until done. Remove shrimp from pan; keep warm. Spoon coconut cream (the thick part from top of the can) into pan using a slotted spoon. Add curry paste; cook 2 min or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring constantly.
3. Stir in remaining coconut milk, fish sauce, and sugar. Reduce heat to medium; simmer 10 min or until sauce thickens, stirring frequently. Add bell pepper; toss to coat. Increase heat to medium-high; cook 5 min or until crisp-tender. Add shrimp; cook 1 min or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat; stir in lime juice. Spoon 1 cup rice onto each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1 cup shrimp mixture. Yield: 4 servings.

For the Ginger-Garlic Green Beans:
-Cook 12 oz trimmed green beans in boiling water 5 min or until crisp-tender.
-Drain and plunge beans into ice water; drain.
-Heat 1 tsp canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
-Add 2 tsp minced peeled fresh ginger and 1 tsp minced garlic; saute 1 min.
-Add beans, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper; cook 2 min or until heated.

And now for the more impressive and time consuming recipe courtesy of Bobby Flay.

Ancho Dusted Pan Seared Monkfish with Green Curry Roasted Corn Sauce and Roasted Corn Relish

Ingredients

Green Curry Roasted Corn Sauce
2 Tbs olive oil
1 large red onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup dry white wine
2 Tbs green curry paste
4 cups clam stock
2 corn husks, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup roasted corn kernels
Salt and fresh ground pepper
Chopped fresh cilantro

-Heat oil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until soft. Add wine and cook until reduced by 3/4. Add the curry paste and cook for 2 min. Add the clam stock and corn husks and cook until reduced by 1/2. Strain the sauce into a clean medium sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Add the cream and corn and cook to a sauce consistency. Season with salt and pepper, to taste and add the cilantro.

Roasted Corn Relish
1 cup roasted corn kernels
3 Tbs finely chopped red onion
1 ancho chile, seared into a hot pan until pliable, seeds removed and finely diced
(I used a dried ancho chile instead since i couldn't find a fresh one and followed the same steps)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs chopped cilantro
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

-Combine all ingredients in a bowl and let sit 30 min before serving. (the thirty min is pretty crucial otherwise the lime is super overpowering so I recommend making the relish first).

Monkfish
2 (1 lb) monkfish tails
Olive oil
Ancho chile powder (I used paprika and chilli powder to get the balance of spice and smoke)
Salt

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Preheat a large oven proof skillet over high heat. Brush monkfish with olive oil and season with ancho chile powder and salt. Sear on both sides until golden brown. Transfer to the oven and continue cooking for 8 to 10 min, until just cooked through. Ladle the sauce onto a platter, slice the fish into 3/4 inch slices, drizzle with more of the sauce and top with the corn relish and chopped cilantro.

Enjoy :)

Flavored Whipped Cream

I'm not sure if any of you have noticed that there is now such a thing as liquor infused whipped cream in a can... crazy? delicious? ingenious? This product comes in a variety of flavors as well.. chocolate, cherry, vanilla. At a recent visit to the Rehab lounge, I had the opportunity to try this new product. Now one would think that combining delicious whipped cream and liquour would make for a fabulous combo, perfect for topping coffee, fruit, white Russians..etc. however, this was not the case.
Now the story does not end here... a bad experience with canned whipped cream has never held me back and as a wise woman once said, "Why buy whipped cream when it is So easy to make!" So I did what any intelligent woman would do.. made my own.

In my fabulous mixer, I combined 1 cup of heavy cream, 2 Tbl of sugar and 2 Tbl of Kahlua. Mix until peaks form.
Serve this over strawberries with optional shortcake on the bottom.

Result- Perfection.

To Market, To Market to Meet a Young Goat Farmer

Last Thursday was a fabuous day. There were fireworks at the Mendon Carnival, the Brighton teachers won their first softball game annnndd The SouthWedge Market opened for the season!!! Being the foodies that we are, the last of the events was the most crucial for Allison and I. We gathered our baskets and filled them with spinach, asparagus, a plethora of rhubarb, fresh baked bread and the prize of all prizes... Smoky Paprika Double Cream Cheese. This lovely treat was sold to us by a fabulous man who entranced us with tales of his farm of 23 milking goats and free samples of all flavors of goat cheese in their creamy wonder. With our treasures in hand, we went wee wee wee all the way home to create a fabulous BELT (the sandwich not the one you wear on your waist) inspired dinner.

Best Sandwich Ever....
Toast up some slices of delicious hearty bread (any kind will do really but the better the bread the better the sandwich). We made open face sammys but you could do two slices if you wished.
Cook up some bacon (we used home smoked bacon but I know most of you do not have the luxury of brining and smoking your own strips of pork belly).

Spread your bread with goat cheese. Layer on fresh spinach leaves and strips of bacon. Top with a fried egg.

Put on your bib because you will be drooling all over as you eat this.

We ate this with a stout from Troegs.

Making Spinach Less Healthy and Way more Delicious

Sunday I attended a community dinner barbeque. I had just returned home from Oneonta and was not in the mood for an extensive cooking experience or for going to Wegmans so I created this little dish from the contents of my cupboard and a bag of fresh spinach I bought at the farm stand (freshly picked that morning).

Spinach Bacon Salad

In a small pan, cook up 6-8 strips of bacon (I alway lean toward more so I can eat some before).

Rinsh bag of baby spinach leaves. Chop up 1/4 cup of onion and add to leaves.

When bacon is done cooking combine 2 tsp of bacon grease, 2 Tbl. rice vinegar, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, basil (fresh or dried), 1/4 tsp of cayenne, 2 tsp of maple syrup. Whisk together or combine in small jar and shake it up baby. Pour over spinach and onions and toss to coat.

Top spinach with crumbled bacon, 1/3 cup of chopped almonds, 1/3 cup of sunflower seed meats, and some shredded asiago cheese.

We ate this with sausage (of course), grilled corn and potatoes and pasta salad.
Summer has arrived ladies and gents!

moules frites

subscribing to saveur magazine -- maybe, just maybe -- was one of the best decisions I have ever made. they have themed issues and may's was mexican in honor of cinco de mayo ...but nestled in the pages among the potato tacos (will try and share soon) and beans and rice waaaaaas MOULES FRITES!

with me being a french connoisseur and all (by that I mean I took it for a while and remember how to say je parle francais, ah oui oui, comme ce comme ca, you're what the french call les incompetents), I remembered that frites means fries so of course anything with fries is fine by this kid. I read on -- the article was called "a national obsession." vewwwy vewwwwy intewwesting.

french fries and mussels are the fish and chips of belgium. not only was I enticed about how well the pair would taste together, but saveur insisted on making your own mayonnaise to dip the french fries in. I thought I'd take a crack and that like you did, Megan Mae -- and everything came out wonderfully. was so easy to make but so light and delicious. F called the mayonnaise the surprise hit of the meal -- I personally loved the juice from the mussels at the bottom of my bowl (so much so that I wanted to leave my dutch oven on the stove for a few days so I could smell it's celery-buttery goodness in my kitchen).

okay, enough of that - here you go, moules frites (serves 2):

for the mayonnaise:

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 egg yolk

1 cup canola oil, plus more for frying

2 tsp. white wine vinegar

2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

for les frites:

2 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4″-thick sticks

for les moules:

2 1/2 lb. mussels, debearded and scrubbed (you can find them in a cute little bag at your friendly neighborhood seafood store - they're cheap as dirt too)

2/3 cup dry white wine*

2 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed

3 ribs celery, finely chopped*

1 1/2 leeks, light green and white parts, cut into 1/4″-thick slices*

1/2 large yellow onion, finely chopped*

*you can do whatever you want with these ingredients - we used harpoon belgian pale ale (also had one as my beer pairing during the meal) instead of white wine. we used celery and onion instead of adding leaks. you can add garlic, cream, curry, etc. to your taste if your heart so desires.

to start:

make the mayonnaise. in a large bowl, whisk mustard and egg yolk. whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in oil in a thin stream until it begins to emulsify. whisk in vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. set aside (side note: how did you do this without a kitchen aid MM? I did mine with my whisk attachment and had the thing on the highest level and it took so long because you have to add the oil so slowly. you must have some real guns on that bod of yours). (another side note: aioli is mayonnaise made with olive oil instead of canola and you add garlic to it. I think that'd be fantastic for this recipe).

make the fries: pour oil into a large pot to a depth of about 2 inches, and heat over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer reads 375°. add potatoes and cook until tender (about 8 minutes). using a slotted spoon, transfer fries to a rack and let them cool.

increase oil temperature to 385°. working in batches, add chilled potatoes back in their little hot tub and fry them until golden brown and crisp for about 4-5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, return fries to rack; season with salt.

make the mussels: heat a high-sided skillet over high heat (we used my dutch oven). add mussels, wine/beer, butter, celery, leeks, onions or veggies of your choice. season everything with salt and pepper and cover. cook 'em and stir them every now and then until all mussels are opened for about 5 minutes.

divide between two bowls with the fries on the side. dip fries into mayo and make sure you lick your fingers and drink the liquid at the bottom of your mussel bowl. ahhh.

paired with, in case ya missed it, a harpoon belgian pale ale.

Rhubarb Into Spring

I never ate rhubarb until about three years ago, but once I crossed over to the tart side their was no going back. Since food is the main thing on my mind most of the time, nothing signals spring to me like some fresh rhubarb and asparagus. At the public market last weekend, I happened across a nice young father and his son selling rhubarb so I bought and out of my little bundle of seven rhubarb stalks created two new delicious recipes.

Rhubarb Round One
Apple Rhubarb Crisp
This recipe was inspired by a Monica's Pies customer who upon seeing our Strawberry Rhubarb pie...

Man: Do you have Apple Rhubarb Pie?
Me: Apple-Rhubarb Pie? Never heard of such a thing?
Man: Never heard of it?? OH MY!! It is the most delicious kind of pie ever!!
Me: Hmmm I'll have to try it sometime.

And I did! Now this is not a popular combo because the seasonality of rhubarb is spring and apples is fall... However with the modren technology of today, a combination is possible. Per example: Last fall, I had rhubarb in my freezer from spring and used it to make an apple rhubarb pie for a birthday party... Smashing success!
This weekend, I bought fresh rhubarb and wintered over apples (not prime for eatin but perfect for baking) and created this crisp because I was too lazy to make a crust.

In a bowl combine, 3 sliced apples, 3 chopped stalks of rhubarb, 1/3 cup of sugar, 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1/8 tsp of nutmeg, 1/2 an orange juiced. Put in the bottom of a 9x9 baking pan. In a small bowl combine 1/3 cup of brown sugar, 1/3 cup of butter and 2/3 cup of flour. Combine with a fork until crumbly. Add 1/3 cup of oatmeal. Sprinkle over fruit mixture.
Pop into a 350 oven. Bake for the amount of time it takes to drink a beer on your friend's porch (Approx. 45 min.) Come home and remove from oven. I served this with a dollop of creme fraiche on top. It would also be fab with ice cream or whipped cream or just plain.

Side note... If you don't eat it all for dessert, this is amazing heated up the next day for breakfast with a cup of coffee.

Rhubarb Round 2
Pork Tenderloin with Rhubarb Chutney
Chop 2 cloves of garlic. Combine with 1 Tbl of olive oil, 1 Tbl of rice vinegar and 2 Tbl of cumin. Massage into your pork tenderloin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake for about 35 minutes or until temperature is 165. (I know you all have made pork tenderloin before!)

Now for the new exciting part... Rhubarb Chutney!!
In a small saucepan, combine 1/3 cup of sugar, 3 Tbl of balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp of ground coriander, 1 tsp of cinnamon. Bring to a boil. Add 1 cup of chopped rhubarb, 2 chopped green onions, some craisins if you desire ( I only had a few so put what I had. It would be great either way). Simmer about 5 minutes or until rhubarb is cooked. Remove from heat and let cool.

When tenderloin is done, slice and top with chutney. I served this with a side of steamed asparagus and a Dry Riesling from Dr. Konstantin Frank's. Perfection.

Just Another Reason I Adore My Food Processor

I know many of you have probably heard my raves of the joy of a food processor and it's may wonders and if you haven't you probably don't really want to.. but I'll say it again a food processor is an uber-necessary kitchen appliance. I would choose it over my microwave, toaster, and blender. The only appliances that beat it out are my coffee pot and Kitchen Aid although that probably goes without saying.
So I have here for you all one of my favorite recipes in which a food processor is oh so necessary... If you do not have one, buy one!! or you can probably use a blender or fork (if you're hard core) to mash the ingredients in this yummy dish but seriously buy yourself a food processor. You can thank me later.

Black Bean Burgers

Put half of a red onion and 3 cloves of garlic in food processor. Chop into small pieces.
Add 1 Tbl of olive oil, 1 Tbl. of cumin, 1 Tbl of cider vinegar, 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper, 1 can of black beans. Blend into a paste.

In a bowl scramble an egg. Add bean paste and 1/4 cup of bread crumbs. You can also at this point add some chopped peppers or corn or any other little ditties.
Heat a large skillet and grease with olive oil. Plop some burger paste in pan and press into a patty. Cook about 5 minutes each side on medium heat or until browned.

You can serve this little guys in many ways... On a bun like a real burger, over a bed of lettuce.

I chose to top them with some sauteed spinach and green onions and serve with a side of sliced tomatoes, potato salad and a hoppy Red Ale brewed by friend Kyle. Perfect accompaniment for this spicy little treat.

Another Saturday Night and I've got a Pork Shoulder.

So I had the plan to make this chile-braised pork shoulder for cinco de mayo but i didn't get around to it until saturday, catorce de mayo. But you know what they say: Pulled pork is always worth the wait.

I came home from wegmans equipped with a pork shoulder and 4 pork tenderloins(the cashier didn't even need to ask me how much i love pork). The latter will be brined into canadian bacon... post to follow. The former was about to get a little chile sauce rubdown.

So i hit play on the freshly downloaded bruno mars CD (i know, i'm approx 700yrs late to the b.mars party, but it's still poppin') and set to work.

The rub:

--4 large dried ancho chiles, stemmed seeded (rehydrate these pups in a lil boiling water. it said it would take around 30min. I found they were soft enough in under 10)

--1 small can chipotles in adobo sauce. The recipe called for 2 lg dried chiles de arbol or japones. I used the chipotles in adobo because i had them on hand. The adobo sauce was enough liquid for the rub. If you use the dry chiles, save about a cup of the soaking liquid from the anchos.

--2Tbsp sugar (i used dark brown sugar because that's my favorite color.)

--1Tbsp. fresh lime juice

Put these ingredients in a food processor and let 'er rip.

For the meat:

The recipe called for a 5lb Boston butt (boneless pork shoulder). I used a 9lb bone-in pork shoulder. I don't think there would be much difference except the boston butt said it would take about 2.5hrs. Mine took about 5.5hrs. I had 3 season finales of CSI on demand though so the extra 3 hours didn't really bother me.

Now take the piece of meat and rub generously with kosher salt. I just read that kosher salt has less sodium than real salt (funfact).

Now massage gently with chile mixture. Cover and set in fridge for about an hour to 1-2 days.

Spices:

--2Tbsp oil. Heat in skillet.

Add:

--1 lg onion, chopped

--2 lg garlic cloves, chopped

--2 bay leaves

--2 tsp dried oregano (use the mexican if you got it. I've never seen mexican oregano in the spice aisle, so i just used an unidentified herb from the garden)

--2 tsp ground coriander

--2 tsp ground cumin

--1/2 tsp ground allspice

--1 bottle dark beer (i used stout homebrew, the recipe called for negro modelo.)

By now, your pork should be waiting in a large oven proof pot with a cover. Pour the spice mixture over it, cover and place in an oven at 350. Baste with pan juices every so often. When pork starts to fall apart you and are almost there.

When done, transfer meat to a large platter, pull apart with two forks and pour pan liquid over it.

I served it on heated corn tortillas with a dollop of sour cream and a couple of lettuce leaves.

You could also use coleslaw, fresh cilantro or salsa. Maybe go dinobbq style and cook up some baked beans and corn bread. The possibilities are endless and that's what is beautiful about the world of pigs.

Vanilly Balslamtastic Chicken

Background

Megan Mae was busy playing life changing music to little tikes this evening, so I took over dinner detail. This is the kick ass meal i prepped...

Ingredients

1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon grated orange rind
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 (2-inch) piece vanilla bean, split lengthwise
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
16 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)
Cooking spray
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Orange rind strips (optional)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°.
Combine first 6 ingredients in a small saucepan. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean; stir seeds into broth mixture, reserving the bean for another use. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 20 minutes). Stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Arrange chicken in a single layer in the bottom of a roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle chicken evenly with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes.
Brush half of broth mixture over chicken; bake 5 minutes. Brush remaining broth mixture over chicken; bake 15 minutes or until a thermometer registers 180°. Garnish with orange rind, if desired.

New Apartment Sesame Noodles

So as some of you know I just moved into a new and wonderful apartment and as a housewarming gift to myself and new room mates I decided to make a family favorite, Cold Sesame Noodles w/ asparagus and shrimp. The original recipe calls for chicken but I felt the shrimp was a little more spring appropriate. Anyway, here it goes.

INGREDIENTS:
8 oz. linguine
3 cloves minced garlic (I used 4)
1 Tbs red wine vinegar
1 Tbs brown sugar
6 Tbs Chunky Peanut Butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
6 Tbs Sesame oil
1 Tbs Hot Chili Oil
1 lb fresh shrimp
5 Tbs toasted sesame seeds
1 lb Asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 in. pieces
5 green onions, sliced thinly (use all of the bulb and 3 inches of green)
1 small cucumber, halved seeded and diced into 1 inch pieces

1. Boil the pasta until it reaches desired tenderness, then set aside to cool in a large flat serving dish.
2. Shell your shrimp and saute them for two minutes on each side, I added a little chili oil to the pan to give them a little extra spice. Then place in the serving dish with pasta to cool.
3. Toast your sesame seeds.
4. Blanch asparagus in a sauce pan of boiling water for 1 minute. Remove from heat, drain and rinse under cool water. Then add to the serving dish.
5. Combine garlic through soy sauce in a food processor and process for 1 min. Slowly add the sesame and chili oil while processing and continue till smooth. Stir in 4 Tbs sesame seeds.
6. Toss sauce with pasta, shrimp and asparagus.
7. Sprinkle with scallions, cucumber, and the remaining 1 Tbs. of sesame seeds and serve at room temperature. Serves 6.

I served this dish with some Ithaca Apricot Wheat Beer which was delicious, refreshing, and perfect for cooling the mouth from some of the spice of the chili oil. Miss you all, happy spring. Also come visit me in my new apartment :)

Lemon Curd Two Ways

This week I made homemade lemon curd for the use of one dessert and in turn created another with the leftovers. It was even so good that I ate some with just a spoon!! This easy little sauce is a lovely start to many amazing things.

Lemon Curd
With a mixer combine 2 eggs and 1/2 cup of sugar. Mix for about 5 minutes or until fluffy and doubled in size. Add 2 Tbl. of freshly grated lemon zest and 1/3 cup of lemon juice (preferably freshly squeezed). Place mixture in a double boiler and cook for about 15 minutes or until nice and thick. Stir occassionally as it cooks. Stir in 6 Tbl. of butter.

Now for the fun part....
Way #1: The original intent for this lemon curd was to put between the layers of a carrot cake... Now you may be thinking lemon, carrot, say what?? But let me just say when this carrot cake featuring fresh ginger with lemon curd between the layers topped with thick maple cream cheese frosting was served at Johnnys it was a hit. In the words of Sky, "This cake is so good I want to have sex with it." Enough said.

Way #2: In a clear glass, layer graham cracker crumbs, lemon curd, creime fraiche, fruit- I used raspberry sauce leftover from a cheesecake but you could also put some fresh fruit in here-raspberries or blueberries... Divine. Quick. Simple. Do It.

Rainy Day Italian

One gloomy Rochester afternoon last week, I decided to spice up the kitchen with a little Italian cooking. I referred to Miss Megan Mae's recipe for Puttanesca Sauce and set it simmering upon the stove. Then I poured a glass of pinot noir and mixed up some gnocchi.

Ricotta Gnocchi
Combine 1 lb of ricotta, 1 egg, 1 Tbl of olive oil, 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese (I did half parm, half asiago) and 1/4 tsp of nutmeg.
Stir in about 2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup at a time until no longer sticky.
Knead for a few minutes on floured surface. Slice into 4-5 pieces.
Roll out into 1 inch thick rope like pieces. Slice into 1 inch pieces.
Press with a fork to make grooves for your sauce to stick to.

Now this recipe makes quite a bit (about 4 servings) so I cooked half and froze half.
To Freeze: Lay on a lightly floured baking sheet and place in freezer about 30 minutes. Transfer to ziploc bag. Save for another day.

To Cook: Bring water to a rigorous boil. Add 1 Tbl. of salt. Place gnocchi in. Cook gnocchi for about 5 minutes or until they float to the top. Scoop out with a slotted spoon. Place in a bowl and cover with delicious sauce of your choice.
Bon Appetit!!

High Tea

So unless you have been living under a rock for the past month you probably know that Prince William got married last Friday...sorry ladies. Now, I did not get up at 4:30 to watch the wedding but I did bake up some delicious scones for the occasion because I never turn down a reason to bake. Many people have mixed opinions on scones. Some people love scones especially with a nice cup of afternoon tea or with coffee in the morning. Other people see scones as a hard object to hit your enemies over the head with. These scones eliminate argument for they are nothing but delicious. Juicy blueberries and heavy cream make them light, moist and the perfect accompaniment to a tea party.

Blueberry Scones
In a small bowl, place 1 cup of frozen or fresh blueberries. Add 1 Tbl. of lemon zest and the juice of half a lemon. Stir and let sit.
In another bowl, combine 2 1/2 cups of flour, 1/4 cup of sugar, 1 Tbl baking powder, and 3/4 tsp of salt.
Add 6 Tbl of chilled butter in pieces. Fork into the flour mixture until combined.
Add blueberry mixture.

In another bowl, combine 1 cup of heavy cream, 1 egg and 1 tsp of vanilla. Stir into flour mixture.

Form a ball and place on floured surface. Flatten into a 6" circle and cut into 8 triangles.
Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Freeze for 20 minutes. Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle with sugar.

Put on your party dress, brew some tea and enjoy with your favorite Prince Charming.

Stuffed Mushrooms for the 2nd Time in April... Is that Wrong??

This recipe was inspired by the leftover pancetta and leeks in my refrigerator from last nights dinner as well as my new found/rediscovered love for ricotta cheese.

Pancetta Leek Stuffed Baby Bellas
In a small skillet, cook 1/2 cup of pancetta for about 2 minutes. Add 1/2 tsp of butter and one chopped leek. Saute until slightly browned about 3 minutes.
In a bowl, combine 1/2 cup of ricotta, 2 Tbl of breadcrumbs (preferably seasoned), a dash of pepper 1/4 of a cup of finely grated cheddar cheese and pancetta leek mixture.
Wash and remove stems from mushrooms. I used about 8 baby bella mushrooms however you could also use full sized portabellas or any mushroom you choose for that matter. Stuff mushrooms with mixture.
Place in a baking dish. Add about 1/4 cup of white wine to dish and cover with foil. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until bubbly.
I ate these as my main course meal tonight but they would also be fabulous as an appetizer or a side dish with a juicy steak. 
When you serve, be sure to spoon wine drippings from pan over the top and of course some fresh ground pepper... Ah Say WHEN!!!

Citrus and Asparagus: My Two Best Friends

Tis the season for fresh asparagus, I have been eating a lot of it! I found a recipe online combining lemon zest, pancetta and asparagus and thought it was too good to be true. I tweaked it a bit and came up with this lovely creation which is a gorgeous spring meal. I worked it up as a full meal but you can also make the dish without fettuccine if you want to serve it as a side dish.

Spring Pancetta Asparagus Delight
In a large skillet, saute 1/2 cup of pancetta sliced or chopped until browned.
Meanwhile boil water for pasta.
Add to skillet 1 Tbl of butter, 1 chopped leek, one large bundle of asparagus with ends trimmed and cut/broken into 1-2 inch pieces.
Add 1/2 a box of fettuccine and a tablespoon of salt to boiling water.
Cook asparagus for about 4 minutes. Add 2 chopped cloves of garlic, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup of white wine, 1 tsp of lemon zest, 1 tsp of orange zest to skillet. Bring to a simmer.
With tongs, remove el dente fettuccine from boiling water to the skillet.
*This is a new trick I was inspired to try from the latest Italian issue of Bon Appetit. When you add pasta straight to sauce it soaks up the flavor of sauce better, mixes up well and the pasta water adds a little something something to your sauce. After trying it, so true, this fettuccine was infused with a wine/garlic/citrus flavor that was unbelievable.
Let your mixture simmer for a few minutes and serve it up topped with a grating of Parmesan cheese.
This recipe is enough for a meal for two or a dinner and lunch for one. Pour yourself a glass of wine and enjoy this on a sunny patio.. Happy Spring!

Wasting Away Again in Margaritaville..

Once upon a time, I hosted a tropical staycation night at our local bar. To create such an event, there is one truly necessary item... Drink Umbrellas. Luckily for me and many others, I purchased a 300 pack of small drink umbrellas that have turned out to be the gift that keeps on giving. These umbrellas not only made the tropical staycation a night to remember but also inspired a Luau Themed Party at work last week. When charged with making food for a luau that needed to serve many people, be available for hours and be easy to eat, I thought PIZZA! Traditionally Hawaiian pizza has ham and pineapple so I twisted this variety and tried another variety new and fresh.. The result... pizzas eaten up, multiple compliments and one marriage proposal.

Hawaiian Pizza Two Ways
Crust... Now you can buy your own pizza crust or make one. For the first time ever, I tried Fleishman's new pizza yeast and let's say it was AMAZING!! So easy and delish. Use the recipe on the package, you don't even need to let it rise and bam delicious crust.
I baked my crust till slightly browned before adding toppings at 350 for about 15 on my awesome pizza stone. I rubbed the crust with garlic and olive oil before hand.

For the Ham/Pineapple variety.
Chop half a red onion and saute in olive oil for a few minutes. Add a 1/2 cup of fresh chopped cilantro and 2 green peppers. Cook for about 2 minutes. Spread over pizza. Add chopped ham and pineapple and top with a whole lot of mozzarella. Bake until browned and bubbly.

For the Ginger/Chicken variety...(this will blow your mind)
Marinade 3 chicken breasts in 1/4 cup of oil, 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 2 TBl of brown sugar, 1 Tbl. of chili powder, splash of cayenne.
Simmer chicken breast in large skillet with marinade for about 10 minutes. Cut in slices and simmer until cooked.

In a sauce pan over medium heat, bring to simmer juice of 2 oranges and 1 lemon, 1 Tbl of orange zest and 2 Tbl of freshly grated ginger (so necessary). Cook for about 3 minutes. Add 1 tsp of cornstarch. Stir and heat until thickened into yummy sauce. Spread of pizza crust. Top with red onion, chopped chicken and cheddar cheese. Bake until cheese melts and bubbles.

Pour yourself a cocktail with a drink umbrella, don a lei, crank the Buffett and chow down... If you close your eyes, you may even be able to convince yourself that you are in Hawaii!

Puttanesca Sauce

This sauce is inspired by Wegmans jarred Puttanesca sauce and my grandmothers Bolognese Ragu recipe. This recipe is mostly vegetarian except for the anchovy filets. I wouldnt recommended taking them out to vegify this because they are an important part of the flavor, but if you like, you may be able to substitute with kalamata olives or more salt and capers.

Ingredients:
2 T. EVOO
1 med. onion diced
4-6 garlic cloves diced
1 med. carrot peeled and diced
1 stalk celery diced (bonus flavor points for leafy celery greens)
1/2 c. diced red pepper
1/2 c. Mushroom stems (i reserved and froze baby bella stems from previous recipes)
2 c. Red wine (i used a dry Merlot)
2 T crushed dried red pepper flakes
1 T. capers
8 anchovy filets (i used and enjoy Cento anchovies in oil wrapped around capers available at Wegmans)
1 Tb. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano

1-2 T. Salt (if no sodium in your canned toms...if so, reduce salt to taste)
1/4 c. sugar (my favorite secret ingredient!)
1/4 c. fresh chopped parsley
1 28 oz. can pureed tomatoes (or could use crushed toms.)

Sautee onion and garlic in olive oil. Once translucent add carrot and celery to make a mirepoix. Add cover to pan for a few mins. Add pepper and mushrooms, once softened add wine and reduce about 1/3. Add spices: red peppers, capers, anchovies, and herbs and reduce further to about half. Add tomatoes, salt, sugar, and fresh parsley, stir to combine and cover. Let simmer as long as desired, at least 20 mins or until pasta is ready. Mange!

Mixed fruit and Cheese stuffed French Toast

This recipe was inspired by the recent Modern Family episode in which Mitchell prepared a PB and J for Cameron: Pear, Brie and Jambon (Ham!). This inspired me to raid my fridge for similar flavors. I found Strawberries and Blueberries with Blue cheese horseradish sauce (from earlier steak recipe), and smoked Salami! That was the closest I could get but I think Peach, Gorgonzola and Procuitto, or veggie option Pesto, Smoked Mozz. and Tomato would be amazing variations.

Serves 2
For french toast:
4 slices multi-grain bread
2 eggs
1 T heavy cream
1 T milk
1 tsp. ground Cinnamon

Soak bread pieces in egg/cream/milk/cinnamon mixture and fry in pan with 1 T. melted butter. Remove from heat before fully browned and stuff with filling.

For filling:
Layer on top of cooked french toast to make 1 sandwich:
1 tb. Blue Cheese horseradish sauce (from steak recipe on this blog...reserved in fridge and spread on warm french toast)
3 slices smoked Salami
1/4 c. sliced strawberries and blueberries
1/4 c. arugala
top with 1/4 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Place 2nd piece of cooked french toast on top of stack and pan fry until cheese is melted. Flip to brown other side. Serve with maple syrup to taste.

Happy Brunching.