Mmm! Maggie's Magnificent Meals!

Tagxedo! This is WAY cool!

2012-01-31T15:50:00.002-05:00

Is this not the coolest? This is made from the words on my blog! I love it. I made it with a cool thing called Tagxedo. Go check it out. You can put in any words you choose. The more often the words show up, the bigger the word will be. Tons of great shapes, colors, and fonts to choose from!

Bucket List!

2012-01-04T13:32:00.001-05:00

Check out my Bucket List! (Click here or on the list over to the right under Pages.) I've been adding things I want to make. It's a great way to keep track of yummy things to make. (Isn't that a great bucket, by the way? You can find it here.) Soon I'll update A few of my favorite things . . .

Happy New Year (a.k.a. Cooking for a Crowd)

2012-01-01T22:51:00.000-05:00

I used to be terrified to cook for large masses of people. I had no idea where to start. Even when we'd have friends over for dinner, I'd use the kids as an excuse to just order pizza. But then there was Beersheba . . .

Beersheba Springs (pronounced BUR-shih-buh) is a tiny mountain town in the hills of Tennessee, somewhere between Chattanooga and Nashville. In the 2000 census, there were 553 people listed as residents. John's family has a long time history there. Let's see if I can get this right: John's great grandmother was known as Gran Susie. She had seven sons and came to Beersheba from Nashville to vacation. She eventually bought the house there that she had previously rented, called The White House. It was built around 1856 and was white clapboard with plaster walls and 15 foot ceilings. The house was passed down to her seven sons (one of whom was John's grandfather, Howell Elliott Adams); then to their 30 children (one of whom was John's father, Tom Adams, Sr.). The house is actually now held in a trust and owned by all the children and grand children, etc.

Anyway . . .

We go up to every summer to stay in this old old house. We go with a whole branch of the family tree: John's brother and sister and their families, John's parents, John's first cousins and their families, John's aunts and uncle, and anyone else anyone wants to bring along as a guest. It's quite a crowd. So when you get a crowd like that together, you know you need a lot of food. Being in a small mountain town (with a population of 553), even the grocery is slim pickins compared to the bursting metropolis of Atlanta, GA. And rather than have everyone fend for themselves every night, we rotate the cooking duties, as many families do in situations like this, every couple (or so) takes a night to prepare dinner for everyone. The crowd usually varies between 15 and 35 people depending on the night. And once we were married, it seemed the right thing to do to take on a night. The idea of feeding that many people is terrifying to most people, me included. But once I did it once, I have come to really like it. (Egads, you say!)

One of my biggest problems can also be an asset. I am somewhat of a perfectionist when it comes to food. I don't even want to bother serving food to people if they're not going to stop, mid-chew, to slump in their chairs and say, "Mmm . . ." Forget the frozen lasagna or boxed cakes. Gimme something good and homemade.

So, here is one of my favorite meals to serve a crowd. I served this last night for New Year's Eve with some of my best friends of recent times - my neighbors.

The Easiest Pulled Pork Tacos Ever
(I doubled this recipe but it was WAY more than I needed for 8 of us. I think I tripled the recipe for 30 people at Beersheba)

2-3 pounds boneless pork (shoulder, country style boneless ribs, tenderloin - whichever you want)
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp ground cumin
1 jar (1 cup) apricot jam or preserves (I try to use Hero or something that doesn't have HFCS)
1 red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 fresh jalapenos, sliced (ribs & seeds removed for the heat sensitive - I leave them for 1, remove for 1)

flour tortillas
lime wedges
fresh cilantro

Heat oven to 300°. Place 2 large sheets of heavy duty aluminum foil on a work surface, one atop the other. Place the pork in the center of the foil and season on all sides with the salt, pepper, and cumin. Spool the jam over the pork, turning to coat.

Scatter the jalapenos and onion around the pork.

Fold the double latyer of foil around the pork and crimp the edges to seal tightly.

Place in a baking dish. I happened to have an aluminum throw-away pan, which worked great, bu I had to squish it a bit to get it to fit in my oven!

Roast until fork tender, about 4 hours; let cool. Unwrap to shred the pork with a couple of forks, mixing in all the juices as you go.

Serve with tortillas, cilantro, and lime wedges.

Now check out these amazing empanadas my neighbor, Shaun made!

And the yummy chicken cheese nacho dip that Brooke made!

Gingerbread Men!

2011-12-13T19:40:00.000-05:00

My dad has a thing for gingerbread cake, but for me, it's gingerbread cookies - no matter what the shape. This recipe was the one that made me take the leap . . . oh so long ago . . . to signing in to a recipe website so I could save my recipes. Thanks to my friend and neighbor, Renee for sharing it with me!

(Before you get started, just know that you'll have to chill for an hour.)

Eileen's Spicy Gingerbread Men (Originally found on Allrecipes.com.)

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup molasses
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cloves

Cream together the butter and sugar. (I just use a wooden spoon.) Add egg yolk and molasses until well blended.

In a separate bowl, combine flour and remaining spices. (Aren't those colors pretty?)

Dump into the molasses mixture and stir until well blended.

Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness. (I am no expert at dough thickness but these cookies are delicious no matter what the thickness.)

Cut into shapes with cookie cutters and bake 8-10 minutes. (Go by time and not look, because the dough is brown, so if it gets any browner, they're burned!

(Isnt' that the cutest little reindeer head you've ever seen?)

Remove to cool on a wire rack. Decorate if you wish. I am usually too excited to eat them to bother with icing. My Brownie troop gobbled these up!

Curried Chicken Salad

2011-10-09T17:43:00.001-04:00

Do you ever get stuck on a certain ingredient? I think it was my oatmeal that got me stuck on golden raisins. And my bean burritos got me stuck on cilantro. Well, this recipe has both and boy is it good! My in-laws were coming over today to see our pictures from Switzerland and to have lunch. I made curried chicken salad, egg salad, and had deli turkey for my Frances. (Elsie had a cheese sandwich made with, bleh, American cheese.) This is from, what else, Cooks Illustrated, but I poach my chicken instead of roasting it.

2 chicken breasts (4 halves ~2-3 lbs), poached (see below)
3/4 cup mayonnaise
6 Tbs golden raisins
2 ribs celery, finely diced
2 scallions, finely sliced
2 Tbs fresh cilantro, minced
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice from one lemon
2 tsp curry powder (on a whim, I ordered mine from Penzey's)
1 Tbs honey

To poach chicken so it's succulent and moist, I put the chicken and water in a pot (with a handful of salt) and bring it to a boil. I let that simmer for 10-15 minutes (depending on how thick the chicken breasts are), skimming the frothy stuff off the top. Turn off the heat and let the chicken cool in the water. This keeps it nice and moist. I cooked the chicken late last night and didn't want to wait for it to cool, so I just put it in a container, covered it with broth, sealed it, and stuck it in the fridge. It was perfect!

Once the chicken was cool, I cut each breast in half then into thirds and pulled it with my fingers into bite sized pieces. You should have about 5 cups or more. (I just used 5 or 6 cups of chicken and saved the rest for something else.) Add all the other ingredients and mix thoroughly. (The recipe calls for 3/4 - 1 cup mayo, but I, The Mayo Lover, felt 3/4 was plenty.) Salt and pepper to taste, but it's so good, you probably won't need any.

I can't help but think walnuts might be a good addition here.

Holy Pumpkin, Batman!

2011-10-06T20:40:00.001-04:00

I saw this recipe on a blog I read and couldn't resist. And since it's a timely recipe, I thought I'd better share this sooner rather than later. Two Peas and Their Pod is a totally cute blog that often has food that appeals to me. The two peas just had their first baby a couple of days ago! (It used to be Two Peas in a Pod.) They got it from Martha Stewart, so it has to be good, right? I've modified it a little, as not everyone has pumpkin pie spice in their cupboard, and since I'm more likely to use cinnamon that pumpkin pie spice, it's always fresher.

Although this is the recipe that almost wasn't. Last year the grocery stores had a run on pumpkin and ran out! So, smart ol' me thought to buy some extra (when they finally got it in) and store it until this fall. Well, not so fast. I started making my batter and I got all the way to the pumpkin part, when I looked in my cupboard. Ug! I thought to stock up on candied yams (part of my pumpkin pie recipe), but I must have forgotten to get the pumpkin! I tried all the little stores nearby, but no one had it. I texted my dog walking buddies. No one had it. So I sent an email to my neighborhood google group (LOVE it) and the first response was that Kroger and Publix were all OUT recently and I may not find it anywhere. But my trusty ol' neighbor, Cathy, had some that she graciously let me borrow. (Guess who's getting some pumpkin bars tonight?)

They're a bit more cake-y or muffin-y. I was expecting something more like a cookie bar. But everyone has LOVED them.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars (from Martha to Two Peas to me!)
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger (scant)
2 sticks unsalted butter softened (I accidentally bought salted, so we'll see how that goes.)
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
12 ounces chocolate chips (2 cups)

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 x 13 inch pan. (I like to butter it, then put in foil, then butter again, so you can lift the bars out of the pan for cutting.)

Mix the dry ingredients together and set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar until smooth. (Electric mixer, standing mixer, or wooden spoon) Add the egg and vanilla until incorporated. Add the pumpkin. It will look a little bit curdled at this point. Add the dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated. (The low on my mixer is SO fast. It pretty much starts on 4, so I had to do this with a spatula.) Fold in the chocolate chips.

Spread in the pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. (I took mine out after 32 minutes and testing with a tooth pick.)

Which came first? The cow or the egg?

2011-08-17T12:20:00.012-04:00

I crack myself up. I was making my egg-in-a-hole again today, but the glass I usually use to make my hole was in the dish washer. A biscuit cutter, I thought! But it was too small. I found a flower cookie cutter in my utensil drawer but it was too big. But that got me thinking. I love cookie cutters and have tons. So what turned out to be the perfect size? The cow!

Quit eating my eggs, cow! Oh, if you could hear the laughter at my house.

Egg-in-a-hole

2011-08-15T13:29:00.000-04:00

When I was a kid, my dad was the breakfast man. He would wake us up each morning for school, and my brothers and I would pitter patter in my parents room to eat breakfast. He would bring in cinnamon twists (store bought in an aluminum foil pan) patted with butter and heated in the oven. We'd eat them upstairs in my parents room while watching Howdy Doody. (Oh, the luxury.) Then we'd grab a dime from the little drawer at the top of my dad's dresser and go wait for the MARTA bus, which in those days, doubled as a school bus in the morning and the afternoon. (A19 in the morning P29 in the afternoon. I can't believe I still remember the bus numbers.)

But on the weekend, things got a bit more elaborate. Pancakes, bacon and eggs, cream of wheat, etc. I have recently revamped one of my favorites that my dad would make. Egg-in-a-hole. It's extremely easy in concept, but I'm still playing around with the timing.

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium with a big ol' pat of butter. Take a drinking glass and press it into a piece of bread, making a hole in the bread.

Once the butter starts to bubble, plop in the bread - both pieces - and crack the egg in the middle of the hole.

I keep a close watch in the flame, so the bread doesn't burn leaving the egg raw. The circle off to the side is a great way to check how done the underside of the bread is (without messing with the egg).

Then when things look pretty good, I flip.

But I don't like to leave it in more than a couple of seconds on the other side because I like my eggs runny.

Yum!

Today I played around with putting in the bread and toasting one side with no egg. Then I flipped the bread and added the egg to the second side. But I'm not sure this is the way to go. I'll have to ask my dad how he did it.

Sneak preview!

2010-12-04T21:05:00.002-05:00

Most Wonderful Time Christmas Card

Get custom photo Christmas cards online at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

Here's a sneak preview of our Christmas card I just made on Shutterfly. Don't tell anyone!

Here it comes . . . turkey lurkey day!

2010-11-19T21:31:00.000-05:00

I am gearing up for Thanksgiving. I am hosting for the first time . . . EVER! As much as I love to cook, I am deathly afraid of putting on a big holiday meal for others. I think it's as much to do with cleaning my house as it is making a meal to please. I am such a perfectionist when it comes to stuff like this that I'm also so afraid of the timing. How the heck am I supposed to have everything warm and ready at the same time? Here's my menu, so far (recipes to come later):

Turkey

(No surprise there! I plan on brining and using a nice little foil tent a la Alton Brown.)

Dressing

(I make the one I grew up eating - made from sweet cornbread, celery, green onions, and lots of goodness - butter, eggs, and half & half)

Squash Casserole - maybe

(I make this every year, but no one seems to like it as much as I do. I am leaning toward replacing it with Spoon Bread)

Pumpkin Pie

(I used to like pumpkin pie. But last year I discovered an amazing pumpkin pie recipe, and now I LOVE pumpkin pie. Elsie does too and asks for it in the middle of the summer.)

My maybe list includes:

Peas, please

(We've always had LeSeur peas. Piece of cake to make: Heat peas. Add butter.)

Salad

(My family has always had a basic yummy salad: romaine, green onions, yummy homemade vinagrette, but I'm not sure I can do it as well as they can.)

Bread

(I made the NYT bread cooked in a Dutch Oven recently and it was phenomenal. I think I may branch out and make hearty dinner rolls in a similar fashion. Or I'll just get someone to bring Sister Schubert's rolls.)

What Melissa is bringing:

Sweet potatoes

(This is a staple with most, but I never had it growing up. I love it now.)

Hot spinach casserole

(Again, never ate it growing up, but now I LOVE spinach!)

What should I add? Some nuts to start? Champagne cocktails? Cranberry sauce? (Is that a must?) What do you *have* to have at your Thanksgiving meal?

Gyros at home

2010-11-08T14:31:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite things to eat at festivals is a gyro. I love that yummy spicy meat, in a nice warm pita wrap, with the cool tzatziki slathered throughout. At the beginning of October every year, the Greek Orthodox Cathedral near our house puts on the awesome Atlanta Greek Festival. It's usually a 4-day extravaganza. One of my favorite parts is their drive-thru. As soon as the festival opens (on a Thursday), I swing through on the way home and pick up gyros and spanakopita. Once the weekend end hits, we all climb aboard the big tour bus that takes you from the parking lot and head to the festival. In addition to more gyros, we always get these greek potatos which are sort of like steak cut fries with awesome spices and more yummy sauce. (They're also smart enough to have some good ol' fashioned pizza and hot dogs for the pickier of kids, like mine.)

Inspired by the the recent festival, I wanted to make some gyros at home, but who in their right mind would have their own spit with a huge hunk of lamb? To create these yummy things, I headed to the good ol' farmers market.

(This is a hybrid of two different recipes from Cooks Illustrated)

Tzatziki Sauce
1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
1/2 medium cucumber; peeled, seeded, and finely diced
1/8 tsp salt
1 Tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 small clove garlic, pressed through a garlic press
1 Tbs finely chopped mint leaves (mine were fresh from my back yard) (or dill)
1/4 tsp salt

Line a fine meshed sieve with 3 layers of paper towels (or use coffee filters, if you have them), place it over a deep bowl, and spoon in your yogurt. (This is where my handy dandy measurer comes into play.)

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set in the fridge.

Mix your cucumber, salt, and lemon juice in a small bowl, and put this in a colander or sieve.

Let both of these sit for 30 minutes.

Once 30 minutes is up, mix the thickened yogurt, drained cucumber mixture, garlic, mint, and additional salt together. Mmm . . .

Lamb Patties
4 pieces of pita bread (round)
3 Tbs plain yogurt
1 lb ground yogurt (I get mine at the Dekalb Farmer's Market)
2 Tbs fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
2 Tbs vegetable oil

Cut off 1/2 of pita bread from each round, chop into small pieces, and mix with the yogurt. I'm not necessarily a good judge of what 1/2 inch is (and I'm not about to get out my ruler), so I just eyeball it. I ended up having to add some more yogurt, and the patties were no worse for the wear, so just eyeball it . . . as long as you have extra yogurt to cover your overage. Set this aside for 5 minutes. Mix the lamb, cilantro, yogurt / bread mixture, salt, cumin, and cayenne together with your hands.

Split the mass in half, then half again, then split each blob into 3 pieces. (If you're bad a math, this makes 12 total.) Form them into cute little discs like this:

And stick the pan in the freezer for 5 minutes to firm them up. While you're waiting for them to firm up, turn on your oven to 350 and wrap your pita bread in a stack very tightly with foil. Once heated, throw those puppies in the oven to be super warm for the meal. Heat your oil over medium high, and cooking 6 patties at a time, cook for about 2 minutes on the first side until well browned.

Flip them over, reduce the heat to medium, and continue cooking on the other side until well browned, about 6 minutes). Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

Then put them all together: pita bread, 3 patties, lots of sauce, and maybe some lettuce (for a nice cool crispness) and tomato if you have it. (I didn't, but I wish I had.)

Yum! John thought they were yummy too, but he and I both agreed that although the tzatziki sauce was good it wasn't nearly as good as the Greek festival. Can someone teach me how to make really yummy authentic tzatziki sauce? (Maria???)

ASIDE: Speaking of the farmer's market, take a look at this stack of spices.

I bought all this for the measly little sum of $8.29 (I think; the photo gets a little blurry at the bottom). That's, from top to bottom, cinnamon, black peppercorns, cumin, oregano, basil, nutmeg - the expensive one, chili powder, and poppy seeds. Can you believe all that? Most of those are around 50 cents! If you tried to buy that at the grocery it'd be at least $3.50 EACH! For a total of over $30! So, people, please, if you can, go to the farmer's market!

Another Birthday Cake

2010-09-14T10:23:00.000-04:00

My mother-in-law turned 75 this past weekend. I made her my chocolate on chocolate cake - the same one I made for my dad's 70th. But this time, Frances helped decorate. I love using mini m&ms. They're perfect! Look at how cute those smiley faces are that Frances did, and look at how happy she is to have all her grandchildren celebrating with her.

Big George's Rockin' Spaghetti Sauce (The Best Veggie Sauce Ever!!)

2010-09-12T15:52:00.000-04:00

When I try something yummy, I'm not afraid to beg and plead to get the recipe. And when people ask me for a recipe, I always willingly pass along my secrets. (Duh, I have a blog.) Well, a long time ago, up in Highlands, North Carolina, I began begging for the recipe for the yummiest spaghetti sauce I have ever had.

My parents, John, and I were all invited to spend the weekend with Betty & George Heery at their mountain house in Highlands. (I grew up with their kids, Neal & George.)

We sat in the hot tub, played poker, drank vodka gimlets, and had the most amazing yummy spaghetti I've ever had. I watched as George opened a ziplock bag, the contents of which had been thawing, poured it into a big pot, threw in some spices and a whole stick of butter, and stirred. I was intrigued but didn't think much of it until we sat down to dinner. ~~Dios mio!~~ Oh santo cielo! It was fabulous. It was not your typical marinara, but something smooth and silky, almost. I think the key is the pureeing, or maybe it's the stick of butter.

The good thing about this recipe is that it can be made as is, and frozen in batches, or given to neighbors or friends. Or you can cut the recipe into thirds. But as long as you're making it, go for the bulk and have something in your ~~back pocket~~ freezer for a night with nothing in the house. (I've taken a liking to the blogger way of slipping up in conversation by crossing out what you really mean and putting something more appropriate.)

One time, we had a bunch of John's Millsaps friends up to Beersheba to celebrate his 30th birthday (about 8 1/2 years ago) and I served this for dinner. It has since been passed along to Mississippi and been given a name:

Big George's Rockin' Spaghetti Sauce

3 large cans of Italian Plum Tomatoes, juice and all
3 medium onions, roughly chopped
3-4 ribs celery, roughly chopped

(Did you know that a stalk of celery is the whole shebang with lots of ribs. Mr. Heery taught me that the same weekend he told me the recipe.)

3-4 large carrots, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup soybean oil

(It's usually labeled vegetable oil, but you have to read the ingredients to be sure it's not sunflower oil or something else. I'm not sure of the fundamental difference in a recipe, but he was insistent.)

1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
8 fresh basil leaves

Put all this in a big ol' pot and let simmer on the stove for 1 1/2 hours. There's no need to do any tiny dice or anything because you're going to puree it later.

Before . . .

After . . .

After time's up, pull out your ~~cuisenart - nope, stick blender - nope,~~ good ol' fashioned blender and using a glass measuring cup or something similar, fill up the blender and puree. (I once tried with a cuisenart, but all the liquid got into the middle and oozed out. I've also tried with a stick blender, but it just never gets that super smooth consistency that way. Stick with a regular blender.) I really let it go for a while, stopping every so often to make sure the stuff on top gets down to the bottom. (Look at how orange it gets!)

Pour it into a different large pot. It takes about 3 or 4 batches to get it all through the blender. And lookey there! It changed colors! It goes from red to orange. I cannot tell you the ribbing I got from Chad Danner (now owner of T-bones in Chattanooga). I think it freaked him out.

Anywho . . . once it's all been pureed, add the following:
1 stick of butter
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp sugar

Let it heat on extremely low, just to stay warm, for another 30 minutes to let those flavors really meld. Oh my yum! It's so good. Tonight we had it with some fresh cheese ravioli. But it's fantastic with good ol' spaghetti. A few times I've even made homemade gnocchi. (That sounds like another blog post!). That time I served it with shredded mozzarella instead of parmesan in an effort to mimic the gnocchi at Pasta Vino. Mmm . . . it is SO good. This is just about the ~~best~~ only way to get veggies into Frances. Have I mentioned? My 8 year old eats NO vegetables and NO fruit. You think I'm joking. She'll lick a strawberry and lick a pickle, although it's been about a year since she did that. I serve this almost always with Sister Schubert rolls. The girls usually ask for a separate bowl of just sauce to dip the rolls in.

I hope you decide to make this. It will make me happy.

Making concessions for others

2010-08-21T23:45:00.001-04:00

Have you ever changed a recipe for the sake of another person only to find you regret it. When I was in college, I was new at making meals for others, and being the people pleaser that I am, I always tried to make everyone happy. I offered to make spaghetti one night for a small crowd (4 or 5 people), but one person was a vegetarian. Well, back then, the only way I knew to make spaghetti was using the spaghetti sauce spice packet. Brown the meat, add the spice packet, some water, and a can of tomato paste.

(Okay, I just spent the past 20 minutes searching through my photos - real photos before digital existed - for a shot of this time period, but I can't find any! Where have all my college photos gone?)

Anyway, this vegetarian, who apparently didn't know much about food, said he'd be happy putting the tomato paste on his spaghetti. (YUCK!) So I attempted to make spaghetti sauce without the tomato paste. So instead of feeding all my friends a yummy meal and giving the vegetarian buttered noodles, I ended up serving everyone an awful excuse of a meal. Blech!

And another time, I decided to make a spaghetti squash casserole that I found in my Moosewood cookbook. (See, this time I decided to fix a purely vegetarian meal, in the event that damn vegetarian showed up again.) There was some ingredient in there that my boyfriend at the time said he didn't like. (I think it was ricotta cheese.) So what do I do? I leave it out. I may have ~~snuck~~ sneaked a little bit in, but it was bland bland bland.

So you would think after all these years of cooking and perfecting recipes, I'd have learned, wouldn't you? Well, last Frances had a friend over and they requested cookies for dessert. Their teacher at school had made them homemade cookies as some kind of reward and had mentioned that his secret ingredient was oatmeal. That jogged my memory and I was able to track down an old yummy recipe for cookies with oatmeal and chocolate chips - sort of a glorified tollhouse. I remembered them being really yummy. Well, since I'm a recovering pack rat, I was able to search my computer and find the recipe. The only problem - it contained walnuts. My kids, for some strange reason, do not eat nuts. So what do I do? I leave out the nuts (and I doubled the vanilla and halved the cinnamon - again because I was worried Frances wouldn't like them). Well, I'll be the first to tell you, "Blech!" They were no good. I used to think anything I made with butter and sugar and whatnot is bound to be pretty good. But these were not. Elsie's the only one in our house eating them, but she's thrilled because she can pretend that I made them all just for her.

But I didn't give up. I did make them palatable tonight by breaking one into pieces into a glass, adding some broken up walnuts, and pouring milk over the whole thing. I at it with a spoon like it was a bowl of cereal. Mmm . . . it was pretty good.

(And the picture above was taken in Leslie's kitchen. Notice all the requisites for a college kitchen: cookie dough, beer, and a sink full of dishes.)

So, have you flopped or flourished when you made concessions for others?

The BEST 1st Day of School Cookies

2010-08-13T17:31:00.000-04:00

I'm lucky. My kids have been waiting and waiting and waiting for the first day of school to start . . . pretty much since summer started. Summer used to be a time to laze around with friends all summer, but people do so much these days (camps, trips to the mountains, trips to the beach, and visits to relatives in far away places) that we really don't see their friends all that much. And this is really the first summer that I've been with them 24/7 the entire summer! I used to work through the summer, so they'd go to camp after camp. But not this summer. Even when they went to vacation bible school, I was there with them volunteering, so needless to say, I couldn't WAIT for school to start. John asked me, "What are you going to do all day on their first day back?" My response: "Do I have to do anything? Can't I just sit and enjoy my solitude?" And so I did, most of the day.

But I wanted something fun awaiting them when they got off the bus. Years ago, I was in search of the perfect chocolate chocolate chip cookie. I tried a bunch of recipes, and finally settled on this one. I can't remember where I got it, but it's got many of my own modifications, so I guess I'll call it my own.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies with m&ms (Makes 4-5 dozen or so)
2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened *
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbs vanilla
1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa**
1 cup mini (or regular) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup mini milk-chocolate m&ms (They're in the BLUE bag. Don't get the semi-sweet ones.)
Plus more mini m&ms (about a cup maybe) reserved

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

First, whisk together your flour, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl. Next, combine your butter and sugars.

*Note for softening butter: I rarely take it out ahead of time, but I've figured out the perfect microwave setting for softening butter: 1 minute at 20% power. If that scares you, then just stick the butter in a ziplock bag and squish it around with your fingers. Don't you love physics?

**Dutch-Processed Cocoa: You can find it at Whole Foods or Williams-Sonoma. It will either say Dutch-processed or processed with alkali. I can't seem to ever find it at the grocery, unless it's Hershey's Special Dark, but I don't like that one. I never use the "natural" stuff anymore.

For this, and most cookie doughs, you can either use the electric mixer or a wooden spoon. Add the eggs and vanilla to the butter mixture, then add the cocoa, scraping down the sides as needed. Dump the flour mixture in and mix it all up until it's uniform. Finally stir in in the chocolate chips and m&ms.

Now, scoop your dough with either a spoon or one of these nifty little scoopers.

This was my first time using it, and I liked it because it made my cookies all come out about the same size. But it's not necessary, and it's harder than you think to get the dough to come out of it. When using either a scoop or a spoon, while the dough is still in it, press it down into a shallow dish of m&ms. Then put it on your cookie sheet with m&ms facing up.

Now some cookie sheet advice: If you think the color of your cookie sheet doesn't matter, you're WRONG! I have two air-bake sheets: one is silver-y and the other is "non-stick" and a darker grey. I can never use my dark one for cookies because the dark sheet makes the cookies brown too much on the bottom. The the top is left raw. Here's a link for Cooks Illustrated's pick for the best cookie sheet.

Okay, moving on. Bake your cookies for 10 minutes. You want to take them out as soon as they are no longer poofy. It's really important not to over cook these. Because they're dark brown, you can't see when they're burning. You may think 10 minutes is not long enough, but just let them sit on the cookie sheet for a minute or two before you move them to a cooling rack (or plate if you don't have a rack).

They are AWESOME! The kids thought so too!

Oh wait, someone's missing. Ooops. Frances missed the bus . . . on the first day. She wasn't all that concerned though. She got her cookie on the way home from our picking her up.

And I couldn't resist this picture. Leroy's sitting in the booster seat.

I'm making another batch right now for Frances's inaugural benefit for Kids Against Childhood Cancer, a charity she and some friends have started. They're hosting a movie night in a friend's backyard and selling goodies to eat during the movie.

Sausage Tomato Spinach Pasta

2010-07-21T20:05:00.000-04:00

Once again, the dinner doldrums hit. That's why I love my google reader. I subscribe to a slew of food blogs and every so often one of them hits me with something that sounds yummy. This one came from epicurious. I always pay attention to the reviews listed as "most helpful" there because people often add good tips.

I was really worried about this dish because it had a WHOLE ONION, and I was worried about being busted by John for serving him a meal with, not only onions, but spinach and tomatoes. But he didn't balk, went back for seconds, and sopped up the sauce with yummy bread - onions and all! (Shhhh! Don't tell!)

This came together really easily, with very few dishes to do at the end. Always a plus.

Ingredients
12 ounces pasta (we used little penne)
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds hot italian sausage (or whatever's in the pkg), casings removed
1 medium onion, diced (practically minced if you want to hide them like I do)
3-4 medium cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 package cherry tomatoes, cut in half (the tomatoes, not the package)*
1 bag spinach (I used 6 oz. baby spinach, but you could use more or use frozen if you want)
1 tsp dried basil
1 14 oz. can low sodium chicken broth (always Swanson's)
yummy bread to dip in the sauce

*These cherry tomatoes were so yummy and sweet that I wish I'd put maybe 2 packages in.

I find it's easier to do your prep work up front. Cut your tomatoes in half, chop your onion, press your garlic, remove the casings from the sausage, measure your basil into a little container, fill your pasta pot with water, and put the oil in the skillet (the largest you have, because eventually it'll all end up here).

Set your pasta water on to boil, and don't forget to add salt. I use about a teaspoon, but I never measure it. I just pour it in my hand.

Note: Put your spinach in the colander you'll use to drain the pasta. Then when you pour the hot pasta and water through, it'll cook the spinach just right! Once the pasta is ready, drain it and let it sit until it's ready to be added.

Heat your olive oil over medium to medium high. When it's getting hot, add your sausage, breaking it into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon. But don't make it as small as ground beef for tacos; you want to be able to have a nice big chunk to be able to stab.

After 5 minutes or so, when it seems about halfway cooked, add the onion and garlic. (See, isn't it nice that you had it all prepped and you don't have to abandon your sausage to chop?) Let that cook for 5-8 minutes, until the onion is nice and soft (and John can't see it anymore).

Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, and basil. Let this simmer over medium until it is reduced another 6 or 8 minutes. (Who times this stuff?) It'll still be pretty brothy, but that's good for sauce dipping.

Now add your pasta / spinach that's been sitting in the colander. Mix it all up and serve immediately! Don't forget the bread. (We did, but we happened to have some yummy Pepperidge Farm Hearty White around for sandwiches and that did the trick.)

It was REALLY good! I can't wait to have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

Chocolate Eclairs

2010-07-10T00:14:00.000-04:00

I read a lot of blogs. As I may have mentioned, google reader makes this really easy, because it shows me a list of my blogs that have been updated with the title of the post. I can click on it, and it shows me a little pop-up window (that looks like a little conversation bubble from a cartoon). If I want to see the whole thing, I can get it to open in a new tab or window; if not, you close the bubble and it considers it read.

Well, Brown Eyed Baker has a list (I think this is awesome) of the top 100 things she'd like to make in her lifetime. I was perusing this list and I saw that she had made chocolate eclairs! They are an all time favorite of mine, and the idea of making them made me so happy. It took me a long time to get up the gumption, and even longer to get things moving. I did this project over 3 or 4 days, because I was a little scared. Next time, I'll try to do it in 2 days: the first making the pastry cream and the second making the rest.

There are three parts to making eclairs:

1 - the pastry outside
2 - the cream filling inside
3 - the chocolate glaze on top

I decided to follow the BEB and go with 2, then 1, then 3.

The Cream Filling (aka Pastry Cream)

Makes about 3 cups

Don’t whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until the half-and-half is already heating. Straining the finished pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve ensures a perfectly silky texture.

2 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch salt
5 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Heat the half-and-half, 6 tablespoons of the sugar, and the salt in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat until simmering, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar.

2. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and whisk until the sugar has begun to dissolve and the mixture is creamy, about 15 seconds. Whisk in the cornstarch until combined and the mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 20 seconds.

3. When the half-and-half mixture reaches a full simmer, gradually whisk the simmering half-and-half into the yolk mixture to temper. Return the mixture to the saucepan, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula; return to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until a few bubbles burst on the surface and the mixture is thickened and glossy, about 30 seconds. Off the heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla. Strain the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl. Press plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until cold and set, at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.

I couldn't take pictures along the way because it seemed like I was always doing something important. Here's a picture of when I was putting it in the pastry bag to pipe into the eclairs. I think I left my filling in the fridge for 2 days.

The Pastry (Pate a Choux)

Makes enough for 24 profiteroles or cream puffs, 16 gougères, or 8 éclairs.

2 large eggs plus 1 large egg white
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces
2 tablespoons whole milk
6 tablespoons water
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted

1. Beat the eggs and egg white in a measuring cup or small bowl; you should have 1/2 cup (discard the excess). Set aside.

2. Bring the butter, milk, water, sugar, and salt to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring once or twice. When the mixture reaches a full boil (the butter should be fully melted), immediately remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the flour with a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon until combined and the mixture clears the sides of the pan. Return the saucepan to low heat and cook, stirring constantly, using a smearing motion, until the mixture is slightly shiny, looks like wet sand, and tiny beads of fat appear on the bottom of the saucepan, about 3 minutes (the paste should register 175 to 180 degrees on an instant-read thermometer).

3. Immediately transfer the mixture to a food processor and process with the feed tube open for 10 seconds to cool slightly. With the machine running, gradually add the eggs in a steady stream. When all the eggs have been added, scrape down the sides of the bowl, then process for 30 seconds until a smooth, thick, sticky paste forms. (If not using immediately in one of the following recipes, transfer the paste to a medium bowl, press a sheet of plastic wrap that has been sprayed lightly with nonstick cooking spray directly on the surface, and store at room temperature for up to 2 hours.)

4. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a large (18 by 12-inch) baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper; set the pan aside.

5. Fold down the top 3 or 4 inches of a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip to form a cuff. Hold the bag open with one hand in the cuff and fill the bag with the paste. Unfold the cuff, lay the bag on the work surface, and, using your hands or a bench scraper, push the paste toward the tip of the pastry bag.

For cream puffs: Twist the top of the bag and pipe the paste into 1 1/4- to 1 1/2-inch mounds on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 1 to 1 1/4 inches apart. Use the back of a teaspoon dipped in a bowl of cold water to even out the shape and smooth the surface of the piped mounds.

For éclairs: Twist the top of the bag and pipe the paste into eight 5 by 1-inch strips, spaced about 1 inch apart. Use the back of a teaspoon dipped in a bowl of cold water to even out the shape and smooth the surface of the piped strips.

6. Bake 15 minutes (do not open the oven door), then reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue to bake until golden brown and fairly firm (the puffs and éclairs should not be soft and squishy), 8 to 10 minutes longer. Remove the baking sheet from the oven. With a paring knife, cut a 3/4-inch slit into the side of each puff and on the top of each éclair to release steam; return the puffs to the oven, turn off the oven, and prop the oven door open with the handle of a wooden spoon. Dry the puffs and éclairs in the turned-off oven until the centers are just moist (not wet) and the puffs and éclairs are crisp, about 45 minutes. Transfer the puffs and/or éclairs to a wire rack to cool completely. (The cooled puffs and éclairs can be stored at room temperature for up to 24 hours or frozen in a zipper-lock plastic bag for up to 1 month. Before serving, crisp room-temperature puffs in a 300-degree oven 5 to 8 minutes; crisp frozen puffs/éclairs 8 to 10 minutes.)

7. When ready to serve:

For puffs: Use the tip of a paring knife to make a small X in the side of each puff, about halfway between the top and bottom. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain tip with the pastry cream and then pip some pastry cream through the X in the side of each puff. (Fill each puff until the pastry cream starts to ooze out the side.) Top with chocolate glaze or sifted powdered sugar.

For éclairs: With a paring knife, cut around the sides of each éclair to remove the top third. Dip the top of each éclair into the glaze, shaking off any excess, and transfer the tops to a wire rack to dry. Spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons of pastry cream in the bottom of each éclair. Once the glaze has set, set the tops on the éclairs and press gently to secure.

I think I waited too long on my pastry creme. Mine was very liquid-y and I only used about half. It was oozing everywhere.

But they sure did taste goo. I think I'll have to try this again sometime. Plus, my chocolate was quite grainy and not smooth, but who cares when you're eating an eclair?!?

Oh wait! Here's the recipe for the chocolate on top:

Chocolate Glaze
(Source: Dorie Greenspan “Baking: From My Home to Yours” pages 290-292)

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon heavy cream
2 teaspoons light corn syrup

Melt the chocolate with cream and corn syrup in a small heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring until the glaze is melted and smooth.

Tacos don't have to be awful

2010-07-09T23:41:00.000-04:00

(note: my photographer, Frances, disappeared to take pictures of her American Girls in the middle of this project, so I had to take my own photos on my iPhone. You be the judge as to which ones were with a real camera.)

I used to make tacos with that awful packet in the ethnic foods section of the grocery. It came complete with corn tortillas, stabilized with a cardboard cylinder, and maybe even some taco sauce. All you had to do was brown the meat, add the spice packet and a can of tomato paste, some water, and simmer. Well, you know what, they don't have to be so awful. I make awesome tacos, complete with homemade tortilla shells, that are amazing. It's another great one from Cooks Illustrated.

Tacos Filling
2 tsp vegetable oil
2/3 cup chopped onion
3 medium cloves garlic, pressed (or finely chopped)
2 Tbs chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste
1 pound ground beef (preferably 90% lean)
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth (Swanson's)
1 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp cider vinegar

Saute the onion until soft, 4 minutes or so. Add garlic and spices and saute about 1 minute. Add beef and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon until no longer pink. Add the tomato sauce, chicken broth, brown sugar, and vinegar and let simmer on low for about 10 minutes.

Tortillas
Vegetable oil
8 corn tortillas

Heat 2-3 inches vegetable oil over medium to medium high heat. I use my smallest cast iron skillet, which is about 6 inches across. You know it's ready when you add a bit of a corn tortilla and it floats to the surface in about 2 seconds. Place a rimmed baking sheet nearby lined with 2 layers of paper towels. Hold 1/2 the corn tortilla in the oil using tongs. (The part you're holding will be at a 90 degree angle to what's in the pan.) Keep it there about 1 minute. Switch and put the other half in the oil for 1-2 minutes. Finally, put the 1st half back in to ensure it's golden brown. Place shell upside down on the paper towels to drain.

Tacos
Serve the tacos with sour cream, shredded cheese (I use Monterey Jack), avocado, and diced tomatoes.

(Oops, that's one of Frances's photos: Chloe (just like me), Nellie, Kit, Samantha, Lily (just like me); and in front: Chrissa, Felicity, and Lanie)

They're delicious left over too. Just throw the taco shells in the toaster oven for a bit. They may seem soft at first, but let them sit after toasting and they'll crisp right up.

Summertime Corn

2010-06-23T22:31:00.001-04:00

Have you noticed a plethora of corn lately?!?! Every time I go to the grocery the price has dropped even more. Last time it was 10 ears for $2.00! (That's 20¢ folks!)

(And if you want to know how to make the ¢ symbol, just hold down the "alt" key and type "0162". When you let go of the alt key, there it'll be!)

So, ~~we've~~ I've been having corn on the cob a lot lately, but no one else in my house eats it. (Not sure what to make of that, but I've given up.) So today I decided to make one of my childhood favorites: creamed corn, just one of the many food loves I share with my dad.

(Others are mounds bars, a good ol' glass of milk, pudding cooked on the stove, milkshakes, and pouring cream on our cereal - poured off the top of the raw milk that was delivered by Mathis Dairy every Tuesday and Friday mornings in that metal box on the front porch.)

Anywho, I have had homemade creamed corn that my step-mom, Carolyn, has made, and I was determined to try it. She told me that Voretta, her housekeeper for years, told her to slice through the middle of every other row of kernels in order to release their "milk." (I've read alternatively to only cut off the top half of the corn kernels.) But just look at that oozing out!

After cutting off the corn, I scraped the cob with the knife to get all the wonderful little bits of corn. The good thing about doing this is you don't have to worry about how close to the cob you cut the corn because you're going to get all that yummy goodness anyway. See?

And after a quick phone call to Carolyn to help me with the details, I put the corn in a heavy pan, covered it with water, added a couple of tablespoons of butter, and simmered it for a bit. (Sorry, no timer, but it was probably about 5 or 10 minutes.)

I've read that true creamed corn has no thickener, just the corn milk, but per Carolyn's advice, I took a bit of cornstarch and milk to thicken it just a touch. I used 1 Tbs of cornstarch mixed with 1 Tbs of 2% milk. Once I poured this in and simmered a couple more minutes, all it needed was salt ~ 1/4 tsp. It was awesome! And I felt so accomplished. Frances had a friend over and she ate 4 servings! (Frances, of course, took one obligatory bite and made a really grossed out face, swearing it off for life.) So go get yourself some corn and have a yummy southern staple.

(I served it easy style - with chicken tenders from Publix, french cut green beans from a can, and AMAZING homemade chocolate ice cream that Frances & Charlotte made. But that's a post for another day.)

Celebratory Tofu!

2010-06-11T23:13:00.000-04:00

John's leaving tomorrow (okay, I'm slow at posting . . . he left yesterday) to go hike Mt. Whitney with some friends, and as a bon voyage dinner, I made him one of our favorite meals: Curried Tofu! A while back, we were trying to make something like the curried tofu at Malaya on Collier Rd. and stumbled up on a Thai Tofu dish in Vegetarian Planet. It's now one of our celebration meals. It takes a while to prepare, but I think this time I figured out to making it go smoothly . . . preparing in advance.

Early in the day, I did the prep work - making the sauce & chopping the veggies. I even cooked the tofu.

Here's the sauce:
1 1/2 tsp lime zest (Here's where the microplane makes this a piece of cake!)

2/3 cup cilantro leaves (somewhat packed)
2-3 cloves garlic, cut in half
1/4 cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts

Pulse all that in a food processor. I use my mini-cuisinart here. It's the perfect size.

Next, add the liquids. The top to the mini-prep makes this easy, as it has two cavities with a hole in each side, allowing you to pour a couple of tablespoons of liquid as you process, and the liquid drips down in a steady stream into the work bowl.

1 Tbs fish sauce
3 Tbs hot chili sauce (see the picture up above for the kind I use)
3 Tbs vegetable oil

You'll end up with something that looks like this:

Then I drained, patted with paper towels (to remove the extra moisture), and cut up my firm tofu:

First I layed it on its side and cut into 4 patties.

Then I flipped it back to its base and cut into pieces, like so . . .

Fry these babies up in 1 Tbs vegetable oil over medium heat. It takes a while for them to get golden brown - maybe 10 minutes for the first side, but they'll get there.

Flip and get the 2nd side golden. Then pull them out of the skillet and drain on paper towels.
While these are cooking, you can cut your veggies.

3 cups broccoli - I use 2 or 3 stalks, chopping off pieces, peeling the stalk, and chopping them too. (I LOVE the stalk of broccoli even more so than the florets) I may end up with more than 3 cups. I dunno. I don't really measure.

1 bunch green onions (aka scallions), chopped thinly.

All of the above, I did ahead of time. I think it took me about an hour. Then we went swimming and came home and finished everything else in about 30 minutes. Leave the pan on the stove that you used to cook the tofu, leaving the remaining oil in there. You'll need that for later.

Coconut Scallion Rice
Bring to a boil:
2 1/2 cups water
1 1/4 cups lite coconut milk (you can use the regular, just make sure you shake it well to get the solids to be incorporated into the liquid)
1 tsp salt

Add 1 1/2 cups jasmine rice (or basmati). Reduce the heat to the lowest you can, cover, and simmer. (My stove has an ultra-low setting that kicks the gas off for 10 seconds or so, then kicks it back on, every so often. I use this.) Set your timer for 25 minutes.

Pulling it all together
In your tofu skillet, turn the heat up to medium high, until it's hot. Add your broccoli and 1/2 cup water, cover it, and steam the broccoli for about 3 minutes. Remove the lid, add the curried sauce that you made. Stir and mix for a minute or so, then add the tofu back to the pan, stirring until all are heated through.

When the timer goes off for the rice, turn off the heat, remove the lid, add the scallions, and stir until incorporated.

Serve the tofu and veggies over a mound of coconut scallion rice. Mmm . . . it's so good! If you'd like, garnish with a bit of cilantro, but I always forget this part.

Well, by now, John is camping at his base camp. He'll wake up early to begin hiking by 4:45 a.m. (California time). Let's all take a moment to send him good vibes and well wishes. Now if I can only think of what to fix him when he returns. Any ideas?

I'm-Starving Pizza Dough

2010-06-08T20:13:00.001-04:00

I usually get my pizza dough from Trader Joes or Publix, but not tonight. Frances & her friend decided to open a restaurant, which I downgraded to a bakesale, so they spent the afternoon in the kitchen making purple sugar cookies (which now look grey) decorated with all colored sprinkles. (I pretty much left them to themselves.) So, it's now dinner time and we have nothing in the house except . . . mozzarella cheese and spaghetti sauce. So, pizza it is! How can I do that in a jiffy? No-rise pizza dough. We'll let you know how it turns out. I'm too hungry to take pictures.

1 1/4 cups bread flour
2 1/4 tsp rapid rise yeast
a pinch of salt
1 cup hot water from the tap
1/8 cup olive oil
1 1/4 cup additional bread flour

Put flour, yeast, salt, and hot water in a large bowl and mix using an electric hand mixer for 3 or 4 minutes. Add 1 1/4 additional bread flour and mix by had until mostly incorporated. Turn onto the counter and knead until all the flour is incorporated (adding a bit more if needed).

Let it rest under a damp dish towel while the oven preheats the pizza stone to 500°.

Roll your dough, dress your dough, and stuff it in the oven!

(The verdict: it was a little bit chewy and not salty enough for me, but the toppings made up for it - Paul Newman's marinara & freshly shredded whole milk mozzarella. In a pinch, it'll do!)

UPDATE: Here's the kind of post I was looking for. I'm trying this next.

Lunch today

2010-06-07T14:09:00.000-04:00

Elsie likes to eat quesadillas (almost every day), and today I decided to join her. But mine has some yummy stuff added: avocado and roasted red peppers (aka diced pimentos). And don't forget to shred the cheese (Monterey Jack) yourself. Pre-shredded cheese should be banned. (Frances was watching me type this post and she just told Elsie that they need to go get their avocados. She meant library books.)

Mmm! Maggie's Magnificent Mojitos!

2010-05-23T14:06:00.000-04:00

The first time I had a mojito was in Puerto Rico 4 years ago. John had to work there for two weeks, so I went to visit the weekend in between.

Mmm . . . they were SO good. It's been my all time favorite drink ever since. But around here, I don't seem to get it much. I tried to learn how to make them when I got back and was successful on a single drink basis. But who wants to make each drink by hand. AND, I recently transplanted a bunch of mint from my dad's house, so I had my own source!

In order to make a sweet drink and being southern, I knew I needed simple syrup (you know . . . the whole sweet tea / unsweet tea thing), but who knew you could make MINTED simple syrup.

Minted Simple Syrup

3 cups fresh mint leaves

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

Put it all in a small sauce pan, bring to a boil, cook for 1 minute or so, turn off the heat, and let sit for 30 minutes. Strain ou the mint leaves through a fine mesh sieve and put it in the refrigerator to cool.

Batch Mojitos

1 cup minted simple syrup

1 3/4 cup light rum

1 cup fresh lime juice

Don't you love my nana's juicer?

All of that can be combined together in advance if you wish.

To make the individual mojitos, put ice in a glass (crushed if you want) with a few fresh mint leaves. Pour your mojito mixture, top it off with a squeeze of fresh lime and something bubbly. Most recipes call for club soda, but you can use sparlking water, perrier, even la croix (which is all that I had). Of course, my mouth was salivating and I was so excited for my final drink that I forgot to take a picture.

We're going to the beach tomorrow, and I'm going to take a bunch of our mint from the back yard. How perfect will that be!?

What's for dinner?

2010-05-19T17:15:00.000-04:00

I've been having the hardest time lately coming up with meals. Not because I can't think of something fun to eat, but because I don't have time right now ('cause I'm too busy blogging!). I've been working during the day, and once the girls get home from school, everyone is having too much fun to want to get in the car and go to the grocery. I can't blame them because it's been gorgeous out and we all have a little spring fever. Here are a couple of my go-to meals when there's nothing in the house.

1 - frozen pizza (requires . . . pizza in the freezer)
2 - pancakes (aside from staples, requires eggs and buttermilk)
3 - buttered noodles (or add some parma rosa sauce, which my kids love) -
4 - scrambled eggs (with cheese) - better if you happen to have bacon
5 - egg dinner - hard boiled eggs, then make tuna salad & egg salad. Tuna melts, egg salad sandwiches or rolled up in tortillas
6 - grilled cheese & tomato soup (related is quesadillas)

What are your go-to meals on an empty fridge?

Steak Tacos

2010-05-15T17:02:00.001-04:00

Okay Karen, this one's for you.

Maybe you haven't noticed, but I'm not very good at the meat and three type thing. Although I love to eat it, and that's what I was fed when I was growing up, I just can't seem to make it at home. But that's okay by me, because these steak tacos are delicious! And you get your vitamins and veggies in all the fixings.

We made these last Saturday night. We were hanging out on the front lawn, drinking beer and watching all the kids from the neighborhood run around together while the steak was marinating. Then it all came together relatively quickly. A great meal to share!

Steak Tacos

Serves 4 to 6. Published September 1, 2008. From Cook's Illustrated.

For a less spicy dish, remove some or all of the ribs and seeds from the jalapeños before chopping them for the marinade.

INGREDIENTS

Herb Paste
1/2	cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
3	medium garlic cloves , roughly chopped
3	medium scallions , roughly chopped (about 1/3 cup)
1	medium jalapeño chile , stemmed and roughly chopped (see note)
1/2	teaspoon ground cumin
1/4	cup vegetable oil
1	tablespoon fresh lime juice
Steak
1	flank steak (1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds), trimmed of excess fat and cut lengthwise (with grain) into 4 equal pieces *I am lucky enough to have a real butcher 1/2 mile away: The Oak Grove Market
1	tablespoon kosher salt or 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
1/2	teaspoon sugar
1/2	teaspoon ground black pepper
2	tablespoons vegetable oil
Tacos
12	(6-inch) corn tortillas , warmed
	Fresh cilantro leaves
	Minced white or red onion
	Lime wedges

INSTRUCTIONS

1. FOR THE HERB PASTE: Pulse cilantro, garlic, scallions, jalapeño, and cumin in food processor until finely chopped, ten to twelve 1-second pulses, scraping down sides as necessary. Add oil and process until mixture is smooth and resembles pesto, about 15 seconds, scraping down sides of workbowl as necessary. Transfer 2 tablespoons herb paste to medium bowl; whisk in lime juice and set aside.
2. FOR THE STEAK: Using dinner fork, poke each piece of steak 10 to 12 times on each side. Place in large baking dish; rub all sides of steak pieces
evenly with salt and then coat with remaining herb paste. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
3. Scrape herb paste off steak and sprinkle all sides of pieces evenly with sugar and pepper. Heat oil in 12-inch heavy-bottomed nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Place steak in skillet and cook until well browned, about 3 minutes. Flip steak and sear until second side is well browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Using tongs, stand each piece on a cut side and cook, turning as necessary, until all cut sides are well browned and internal temperature registers 125 to 130 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 2 to 7 minutes. Transfer steak to cutting board and let rest 5 minutes.
4. FOR THE TACOS: Using sharp chef’s knife or carving knife, slice steak pieces across grain into 1/8-inch-thick pieces. Transfer sliced steak to bowl with herb paste-lime juice mixture and toss to coat. Season with salt. Spoon small amount of sliced steak into center of each warm tortilla and serve immediately, passing toppings separately.

I warmed the tortillas in a large dry skillet - three at a time overlapping each other. I was so excited to eat that I forgot to take a picture of the finished product. We served this with fresh cilantro and the awesome salsa from The Oak Grove Market. It was so good.

I did it! I made bread!

2010-05-14T14:30:00.000-04:00

I cannot believe it! I actually did it. And it was relatively easy! Here's my finished product:

Here's how you do it. 3 3/4 cups of flour (I used King Arthur unbleached bread flour, but I think regular AP flour would be fine.) Put that in your standing mixer. Put 2 tsp of salt on one side, 2 tsp of yeast on the other, and pour 1 1/2 cups warm water down the middle. I went ahead and bought a jar of yeast, as I envisioned that I'd be making a lot more bread. Mix on low a couple of minutes with the paddle until it all comes together. Then switch to the dough hook. And mix on medium for 2 minutes. Let it rest 5 minutes, then mix 3 minutes more. Plop it on a lightly floured surface and knead it for a few minutes. I felt like my dough couldn't take any more flour, but you can add up to 1/4 cup here if need be.

As you can see, mine kept trying to worm its way out of the bowl. Then after kneading you should have a "smooth satiny ball." I'm not sure mine was all that satiny, but it was smooth.

Place it in a lightly oiled bowl, flipping it over to cover the whole thing in oil, cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and put in a warm place to rest for an hour and a half. (For me, that was on top of the ice machine, which puts out a considerable amount of heat.)

Here's what it looked like after the rest.

Plop it out, punch it down, reform into a ball, the put back in the bowl to rest another 30 minutes. After the 2nd rest, plop it out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut it into two with a bench cutter, reform into balls, and let rest AGAIN 45 minutes to an hour under a damp kitchen towel. (I got one wet, wrung it out, the put it on top.) Aren't they cute? (Oh, and preheat your oven to 450 with either a pizza stone or an upside down cookie sheet in it. I, luckily, have a pizza stone. Just remember that the oven takes a lot longer to heat up with the stone in it.)

Slash the top with a sharp knife and send 'em on in the oven. After 2 minutes, take 1/4 cup water and throw it in the oven (on the floor of it). Wait two minutes and do it again. Yea steam! I have a video of this, but I can't figure out how to upload it.

So just bake it for 20 - 25 minutes and you're done. Don't forget to let it cool!

Frances and Elsie each ate three pieces, I think. And Elsie NEVER eats her bread. (Strange, I know.) It was yummy. I'd like it to more like the onces at Vanilla & Lace, but it was my first time. Next, I might want to try the NYTimes no-knead bread recipe and see how they compare.

Mmm . . . bread!

2010-05-13T14:30:00.002-04:00

Who doesn't love bread. If you don't, I'm not sure we can be friends. How does this sound? Chewy, crusty french boule? Mmmmm . . . I sure hope it's as good as it sounds. I'm in the middle of making it now. I can't WAIT to see how it turns out. I'll let you know. Pictures to come.

Dinner tonight? Chicken parmesan . . . with yummy french bread!

Celebrating 70 Years!

2010-05-09T23:05:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, my dad turned 70 years old! (Happy birthday, Pops!) He had a little dinner party at his house for a few close friends, and like most people I know, he's impossible to buy for. So, I decided to make use of my love of baking and offer to make his birthday cake. I would have just made one, but I wanted it to be a layer cake, and with 20 people eating dinner, I worried one wouldn't be enough. So two it was. I made my old standard: old-fashioned chocolate cake with chocolate icing, and I made something a bit simpler: pound cake. I intended on making chocolate sauce for the pound cake, but I ran out of time. (I always push it on the timing of these things.)

[Side note: I read recently that Southerners use the phrase "icing" while everyone else uses "frosting." Frosting sounds like it comes in a can to me. Icing sounds deliciously yummy and homemade.]

Both of these cakes are more on the complicated side of things, so don't even bother if you don't have a few hours to spare. I think I started around 1pm and I finished with both around 5:30.

Chocolate Cake (from my beloved Cooks Illustrated)
4 ounces of unsweetened chocolate, chopped (I use Scharffen Berger)
1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa*
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 cup sugar

1 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur's 8.75 oz.)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 sticks (12 Tbs) unsalted butter, cut into 1 Tbs pieces and very soft

*This is hard to find, and chances are, you won't find it at the grocery. I usually get a big can of it at Williams-Sonoma, but I didn't have time to get over there, so I looked at Whole Foods and found a small can of organic dutch processed cocoa. Seemed fine to me. The regular grocery just has "natural" cocoa or Hershey's Special Dark Dutch-processed. I only use regular if I'm really desperate.

Set your butter out to soften in a warm place. (I sit mine on top of the ice machine or on the counter above the dishwasher if it's been run recently.) Butter and flour two 9-inch cake pans.

Set a glass bowl over a pan of simmering water on the stove and add your chopped chocolate, cocoa, and hot water. Stir with a rubber spatula until melted and smooth. When all melted, add the 1/2 cup sugar, stirring until glossy. Set aside to cool.

In one medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt and whisk to combine. In small bowl or large pyrex measuring cup, combine buttermilk and vanilla, whisking to combine. In the bowl of a large standing mixer with the whisk attachment, add the eggs and mix just to break up the yolks. Add the remaining 1 1/4 cups of sugar and mix on high for 2-3 minutes until really fluffy and light in color. Replace the whisk with the paddle attachment and add the cooled chocolate mixture on medium about 30-45 seconds. Add the softened butter, 1 Tbs at a time, mixing about 10 seconds each. Next you'll add the flour and buttermilk alternating like this: flour - buttermilk - flour - buttermilk - flour. So you'll add the flour in three additions and the buttermilk in two, each time mixing about 15 seconds. Before the final flour, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Give it a final stir with the rubber spatula to incorporate any remaining flour and divide between your two prepared cake pans. Bake @ 350° for 25 - 30 minutes. You should be able to insert a toothpick into the center and have a few crumbs attached, but no gooey batter. Let cool 15 minutes in the pan, then invert to a wire rack and let cook entirely (45 minutes - an hour).

Fluffy Chocolate Icing
16 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chopped (NOT chocolate chips! I use Ghirardelli, which is available at the grocery, usually. AND it's pronounced GEAR-a-deli, NOT JEER-a-deli)
1 stick (8 Tbs) unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbs light corn syrup
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups heavy cream (cold)

Melt the chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave (1 minute at 50% power, then still and do again if needed). In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, and salt and stir constantly over medium heat. This will get all bubbly. You want the sugar to dissolve and the bubbles to subside, which will take about 4 or 5 minutes. It will look all syrupy as well. This is good.

Pour this buttery mixture into either the bowl of your standing mixer or a large mixing bowl. There are pros and cons of each (which I'll get to). Add your melted chocolate and the cold cream. Stir with a rubber spatula to combine. Place this bowl in an ice bath to cool the mixture down. If you're using a standing mixer bowl (which is metal), this happens rather quickly but a regular mixing bowl (depending on the material) can be slower. If it cools quickly, it begins to harden against the inside of the bowl and can be hard to incorporate. A ceramic bowl is much more gradual, but it can also take what seems like FOREVER to cool down. I use a kitchen thermometer to test it. You want it to be about 70 degrees. Once it's at the desired temperature, use the standing mixer or a hand mixer to beat the icing on medium high until it's light and fluffy. You can then ice your cake! (And if the icing is too cold and clumps up, put a kitchen towel soaked in warm water on the bottom of your bowl to warm it up a bit, then beat again. My first time making this, I went back and forth between the ice bath and the warm towel before I got it right.)

Now . . . on to the pound cake. I actually made this before the icing and while the chocolate cakes were cooling. This recipe came from my beloved friend, Lauren Myracle. I made it for the first time about 7 years ago for Frances's first birthday. We turned it into a barn for her barnyard birthday.

Sour Cream Pound Cake (Lauren Myracle)
3 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
2 sticks butter, softened (I always use unsalted but the original recipe didn't specify)
6 eggs, separated
3 cups flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine sugar, sour cream, butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating after each one. Sift the flour and baking soda together and add to the mixture. Wash your beaters & beat the egg whites on the highest setting until stiff. (I just switch my beaters to the whisk attachment.) Fold the egg whites into the batter using a rubber spatula until just combined. Pour into a buttered and floured bundt pan or tube pan. Bake 30 minutes at 350°. Then lower the oven to 300° and bake for 1 hour more. Let cool slightly before removing from the pan to cool on a wire rack. Serve with ice cream and chocolate sauce.

I have lost the recipe for Lauren's chocolate sauce, but I found this one. Like I said, I didn't have time to make it, but I will do it soon. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Chocolate Sauce (also from Cooks Illustrated)
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 Tbs light corn syrup
3 Tbs unsalted butter cut into 3 pieces
table salt
6 ounces chocolate, chopped (for Milk Chocolate, I use Dove)

Bring heavy cream, corn syrup, butter, and salt to boil in small nonreactive saucepan over medium-high heat. Off heat, add chocolate while gently swirling saucepan. Cover pan and let stand until chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes. Uncover and whisk gently until combined. (Can be cooled to room temperature, placed in airtight container, and refrigerated for up to 3 weeks. To reheat, transfer sauce to heatproof bowl set over saucepan of simmering water. Alternatively, microwave at 50 percent power, stirring once or twice, 1 to 3 minutes.)

Empanadas big and small

2010-05-05T15:06:00.002-04:00

Back when I was living in Boulder, a new little joint opened up just a half a block off Pearl Street. It was a window - sort of like one of those doors where the top half and the bottom half swing separately. Well, they sold empanadas. I'd never had one before, but I quickly fell in love. (Turns out the empanada place is still there: Empanadas Plus.)

Cooks Illustrated recently published an article on empanadas and I felt inspired. I worried about being stuck with a TON of empanadas, we invited Betts & Leigh over for a little food experiment. I also had to worry about John a little because some of the ingredients were a little questionable.

Beef Empanadas

Filling
1	large slice hearty white sandwich bread , torn into quarters
2	tablespoons plus 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth (I use Swanson's)
1	pound 85 percent lean ground chuck
	Table salt and ground black pepper
1	tablespoon olive oil
2	medium onions , chopped fine (about 2 cups) (because we all know how John feels about onions, I didn't put all this in. I just used one onion or a little more than 1 cup)
4	medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 4 teaspoons)
1	teaspoon ground cumin
1/4	teaspoon cayenne
1/8	teaspoon ground cloves
1/2	cup packed cilantro leaves , coarsely chopped
2	hard-boiled eggs , coarsely chopped
1/3	cup raisins , coarsely chopped (I used golden and didn't even notice I was supposed to chop them)
1/4	cup pitted green olives , coarsely chopped (Well, I chopped them fine so John wouldn't notice)
4	teaspoons cider vinegar
Dough
3	cups (15 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour , plus extra for work surface
1	cup (5 ounces) masa harina (This was called Maseca at my grocery.)
1	tablespoon sugar
2	teaspoons table salt
12	tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter , cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled
1/2	cup cold vodka or tequila (see note)
1/2	cup cold water
5	tablespoons olive oil (for baking empanadas)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. FOR THE FILLING: Process bread and 2 tablespoons chicken broth in food processor until paste forms, about 5 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Add beef, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and pulse until mixture is well combined, six to eight 1-second pulses.
2. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onions and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, cumin, cayenne, and cloves; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add beef mixture and cook, breaking meat into 1-inch pieces with wooden spoon, until browned, about 7 minutes. Add remaining ½ cup chicken broth and simmer until mixture is moist but not wet, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to bowl and cool 10 minutes. Stir in cilantro, eggs, raisins, olives, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate until cool, about 1 hour. (Filling can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
3. FOR THE DOUGH: Process 1 cup flour, masa harina, sugar, and salt in food processor until combined, about two 1-second pulses. Add butter and process until homogeneous and dough resembles wet sand, about 10 seconds. Add remaining 2 cups flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into large bowl.
4. Sprinkle vodka or tequila and water over mixture. Using hands, mix dough until it forms tacky mass that sticks together. Divide dough in half, then divide each half into 6 equal pieces. Transfer dough pieces to plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, about 45 minutes or up to 2 days.
5. TO ASSEMBLE: Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions, place 1 baking sheet on each rack, and heat oven to 425 degrees. While baking sheets are preheating, remove dough from refrigerator. Roll each dough piece out on lightly floured work surface into 6-inch circle about ⅛ inch thick, covering each dough round with plastic wrap while rolling remaining dough. Place about 1/3 cup filling in center of each dough round. Brush edges of dough with water and fold dough over filling. Trim any ragged edges. Press edges to seal. Crimp edges of empanadas using fork.
6. TO BAKE: Drizzle 2 tablespoons oil over surface of each hot baking sheet, then return to oven for 2 minutes. Brush empanadas with remaining tablespoon oil. Carefully place 6 empanadas on each baking sheet and cook until well browned and crisp, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking. Cool empanadas on wire rack 10 minutes and serve.

And they were really good. But making them reminded me that a long time ago I made some vegetarian ones for a party at Jackie's house that were super yummy. These took a lot of time because they were bite size, but they were super good.

Tiny Curried Empanadas (Vegetarian Planet, Didi Emmons)

1 large potato (about 2/3 lbs.)
1 small butternut squash (about 1 1/2 lbs.)

Dough
1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups unbleached white flour
1 tsp. salt
1 egg
5 Tbs. cold water
1 egg yolk mixed with 1 Tbs. water

2 tsp. olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. ground coriander seeds
1/4 cup currants [I may have used golden raisins.]
2 Tbs. pine nuts
1 tsp. salt
fresh-ground black pepper to taste

Spicy Sour Cream
1 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1 tsp. chili powder
salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 375. Peel the potato, then cut it in half. Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise. To do this, cut 1/2 inch off the base of the squash, stand it upright (the base cut should make it stable), then carefully, with a strong chef's knife, cut from the top down. Bake the squash and the split potato for 45 minutes or until both are tender.

2. Make the dough while the vegetables are baking: In a large bowl combine the butter, flour, and salt. With a pastry cutter, cut the butter into fine bits, smaller than peas. Beat the egg with the water, and add this mixture to the butter and flour mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together, adding a bit more water if the dough looks too dry. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. Knead the dough for a minute to smooth it. Let the dough sit at room temperature for 15 minutes (unless your kitchen is over 70 degrees, in which case you should refrigerate the dough).

3. In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, and cook them for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the ginger, curry powder, and coriander, and cook, stirring often, for another 3 minutes. Take the skillet off the heat. Spoon our the seeds of the butternut squash, and discard them. Then scoop our the flesh. Add half the flesh to the skillet, and save the other half for another use. Cut the baked potatointo 1/4-inch cubes, and add them to the skillet as well. Stir well with a wooden spoon, mashing the squash so it is fully integrated in the filling. Add the currants, pine nuts, salt, and pepper.

4. Roll the dough quite thin on the floured surface. With a large glass or biscuit cutter (3 to 3 1/2 inches in diameter), cut as many rounds as possible. Spoon about 1 tsp. filling onto the middle of each round. Fold the rounds in half, and press the semicircle closed. Form a loose ball from the scraps of dough, then roll this out thin. Continue making empanadas until all the dough is used.
Place the empanadas on a baking sheet, and brush them with the egg yolk-water mixture (don't let too much of this drip onto the baking sheet, because it will burn). Press with a fork along the sealed edge, making a ridged design and further sealing the empanadas. Bake the empanadas at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes, until they are golden brown at the edges.
5. To make the Spicy Sour Cream, put the sour cream into a bowl, and mix in the cayenne and chili powder. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve this dip with the hot empandas.

Dinner for a friend - Bean Burrito Casserole

2010-04-30T09:10:00.009-04:00

My friend, Weatherly, had the sweetest little baby, Kate, a couple of months ago. Yesterday I brought her dinner. She had her choice of Maggie's Magnificent Meals (just came up with that one now). Her choices were:

Pulled pork tacos (porked slow cooked in a sweet sauce served with cilantro, lime, tortillas, avocado, and black beans)

Poppyseed chicken covered with buttery Ritz crackers and served with rice

Bean burrito casserole - homemade refrieds made with pinto and cannelli beans, onion, cilantro, tomatoes, and cumin. Combined with shredded monterey jack cheese in flour tortillas and baked. Also served with avocado

Vegetarian Spaghetti - my yummy homemade sauce that's vegetarian but so unlike marinara. It's got carrots, onions, celery, tomatoes, etc. all cooked slowly with fresh basil, dried herbs & pureed. Served with sister shubert rolls

Chicken parmesan - chicken breaded and sauteed, then topped with parmesan and mozzarella and put under the broiler. It's served with a basic homemade marinara and spagetti noodles.

She went with the burritos, a long time favorite of mine. I served this with a couple of quesadillas for the kids, a bottle of wine for the parents, and fruity pebbles treats for all. (They're just like Rice Krispy Treats, but made with fruity pebbles instead.)

Bean Burrito Casserole (modified from gourmet and epicurious)

3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup finely chopped onion *

1 large or 2 small cloves of garlic, pressed

1 can of pinto beans (I use Bush's)

1 can of cannelli beans (also Bush's)

1 can of Rotel tomatoes with cilantro and lime

2 tsp cumin (go to your farmer's market for spices - MUCH cheaper and better)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (oh, about 4-6 ounces) **

~ 8 - 10 flour tortillas***

1 avocado, diced (optional)

You can use any beans you want. I use these two kinds because I love them. I have used black beans too and they were just as yummy.

1 - Open your cans of beans, drain them, rinse them, and let them drip for the next step.

2 - In a large non-stick pan, saute the onion over medium in the olive oil until soft (~5 minutes), add the garlic and saute another minute or so. (Try not to let either brown.)

3 - Add your beans, and as you mix them with the onions and garlic, smash them with the back of a (wooden) spoon. (Wood not necessary, but it protects your non-stick surface.) You can smash as much as you like. I used to do about half smashed and half not, but now I pretty much smash most of them.

4 - Add the can of rotel (undrained), the cumin, and the cilantro.

5 - Mix all this together and let it cook down a bit so it's a thicker consistency.

6 - Heat your oven to 350°

7 - In a dry skillet over very very low, put a tortilla in the pan. You're just going to warm the tortilla to make it extra soft and pliable. This step is not completely necessary since this will go in the oven, but I do this for soft tacos and it makes all the difference there. As you take one tortillas out of the pan to load it up, add another one from the package to begin warming.

8 - Take your tortilla in your hand, add about 3 Tbs of bean filling across the middle, add some cheese, and roll it closed. Put in a baking dish (13 x 9 or something like that). Continue until the filling is gone!

9 - Cover with foil and heat in the oven just 10 minutes or so until the cheese is melty.

Serve with diced avocado. Mmm! (I think I've got a new tag line: Mmm! Maggie's Magnificent Meals!)

For leftovers, I wrap them tightly in foil. This keeps the tortillas from getting dried out and I think they're even better leftover. I even like them cold!

* This started with a small onion, but John doesn't like onion all that much, so I've cut it down drastically. When I was laid up with my bum ankle and he was doing the grocery shopping, he refused to buy the onion, 'cause he knew I'd put it in. That batch of burritos he LOVED. (Little did he know, I found an onion around the kitchen, chopped a very small amount it into teeny tiny bits, and added just a touch for flavor. He raved about the burritos. I think I have to be careful though. He can spot an onion!

** I NEVER buy preshredded cheese (not even parmesan). It takes just a minute to shred cheese and it is gobs better than that dried out junk that comes in a zippered bag. Blech to the bag!

*** Tortillas - Have you noticed that I'm very particular about certain things? I use La Banderita tortillas. The brand is not the important part, but do NOT get the tortillas in the refrigerated section. You want the ones on the bread aisle in a bag with a twisty tie. Again say NO to the ziplock bags. Look for tortillas made nearby (these are made in Norcross). And when you get home, store them in the CUPBOARD not the fridge. They will stay fresh and soft in the cupboard.

Puh-MIN-a Cheese (aka Pimento Cheese)

2010-04-28T00:03:00.002-04:00

My friend, Weatherly, had a small party and gave all the guests a container of homemade pimento cheese (also spelled pimiento). (What a hostess! Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?) It was delicious. I have always struggled with pimento cheese, because I LOVE it, and it's so simple, but hard to master. I have played around with Weatherly's recipe, and here's what I use now. We recently were invited to a cookout, and I brought pimento cheese to put on burgers and hotdogs (yum!). John and I also LOVE to eat grilled pimento cheese sandwiches - made just like a grilled cheese, but with . . . you know . . . pimento cheese!

4 oz. white sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (I use cabot or kraft)

4 oz. Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
1- 7oz. jar Sliced or Diced pimentos (drained)
1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1/2 cup Mayonnaise (I use Blue Plate)
2 oz Cream Cheese - Philadelphia Brand
Salt & Pepper

Place cream cheese and mayonnaise in Cuisinart. Blend. Add cayenne pepper, salt & pepper. Blend. Add grated cheese. Blend. Fold in the drained pimento by hand, not by Cuisinart. Refrigerate to blend flavors.

And for sandwiches, spread on Pepperidge Farm very thin white and / or wheat. Cut off the crusts, cut into triangles and serve. To make ahead, put the sandwiches on a platter, cover with waxed paper, then cover with a damp kitchen towel. You can then put more waxed paper or saran wrap over this and refrigerate.

Frances's Birthday "Cake"

2010-04-25T12:54:00.000-04:00

My book club, "Bed Pillers", likes to make fun of air quotes and quotes that don't really belong. But in this case, Frances's birthday cake wasn't really a cake. So there you have it.

She wanted a blondie. Here's my modified recipe. I got a kitchen scale last year, so I've taken to weighing my ingredients where possible, as different flour brands can be really different. I use King Arthur Unbleached All Purpose flour most of the time. (But I just got some of their Bread Flour & I'm really excited to make some bread with it.)

Frances's Blondies

1 1/2 cups flour (7.5 ounces)

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

12 Tbs unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks & only Land O'lakes in my house), melted & cooled

1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar ( 10.5 ounces)

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

4 tsp vanilla (which happens to be 1 Tbs + 1 tsp)

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (roughly)

The original recipe calls for 6 ounces white chocolate chips or 3 ounces semisweet & 3 ounces white, but I knew Frances would balk at white chocolate chips. It also called for 1 cup of toasted pecans or walnuts, but know Frances would balk at nuts, I just bumped up the chocolate chips.

1. Melt butter and set aside to cool a bit. (If you do this in a large-ish bowl, you can use it for the rest of the steps and not have to dirty another dish.)

2. Heat oven to 350°.

3. Prepare pan: Line pan with aluminum foil in both directions, then spray with cooking spray.*

4. Mix dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder) and set aside.

5. Whisk the brown sugar into the melted and cooled butter.

6. Add the eggs and vanilla, whisking to combine.

7. Gently fold in the dry ingredients until just combined. (Don't overmix.) Then fold in the chocolate chips.

8. Pour in the prepared pan and use a rubber spatula to spread it out evenly.

9. Bake until the top is shiny, cracked, and light golden brown. A 13 x 9 pan will take 22 to 25 minutes. I used a half sheet pan, which only took me 15 minutes. I knew I was going to do 2 layers, and I wanted a big surface to decorate.

So, in my case, pull it out of the oven and start all over again for the 2nd layer. I put chocolate icing in between the two layers, but I wasn't thrilled with my chocolate icing (Taste was good, but it was sort of a pain, and it never got as fluffy as I wanted.)

* This is what I do for brownies and blondies and stuff like that. It allows you to take the brownies out in one fell swoop. Then, if you want to cut them like the coffee shop, you can trim off the crust (and eat it) and then wrap your brownies individually and they all look perfect. Or, in this case, I could take the blondies out of the pan in one piece to decorate.

Other commentary . . . Getting the "cake" on the display platter can be a pain. I do a lot of flipping things onto cookie sheets back and forth to make sure I have the right side facing up. And getting the second layer on! Egads! I found a system that worked well. I put the second layer upside down on a cookie sheet, pushed the "cake" layer to the edge. Lined the edge up with the edge of the 1st layer and QUICKLY went FLOP! Amazingly it all landed it the right place and nothing broke.

And as far as display platters go . . . I don't have a platter big enough or flat enough for a half sheet cake, so I take a cookie sheet, cover it with wrapping paper (taped it on there on the bottom), then cover that with plastic wrap (again taped on the bottom). You can add some cool effects by using the colored plastic wrap.

And the monkey . . . I'm not really that great of an artist, but I'm not bad at faking it. I printed out a picture of this monkey enlarged to be as big as I wanted it. I cut out the outline of his head, put it on the cake, then iced the outline. Then I cute out the face/mouth part, then iced around that. Then I filled in the chocolate in between. Pretty tricky, eh?

Oh! It tasted really good! If I had my druthers, I would have had nuts and half white chocolate chips, but sometimes it's not all about me.

A birthday . . . blondie???

2010-04-18T09:29:00.001-04:00

Frances's birthday is on Wednesday. She'll be 8. But even though I love making birthday cakes, all she wants is a birthday blondie! I made blondies a few months back and she loved them. I guess it's sort of like a cookie cake. Oh well. More to come when I actually get baking. Her party is next Saturday!

Burgers

2010-03-25T11:33:00.001-04:00

I know it's been a while. Not much cooking going on around here. But here's a great little thing on making a great burger to keep you busy.

Burger Tips

Brunch with friends (old & new)

2010-02-07T14:52:00.000-05:00

We had friends over this morning. I can't do brunch without biscuits. But this was my first time making the brown sugar bacon. It's easy!

Buy thick cut bacon, place on a rack (sprayed first), place over a rimmed baking sheet covered with parchment or foil (I used both), and pat brown sugar all over. Bake at 400° for about 20 - 30 minutes. (I think the shorter time is for regular bacon; mine definitely took 30).

I got the poppyseed bread from a blog I've been reading. I think I cooked mine too long (35 minutes for a 10 inch tube pan) and I forgot to add the powdered sugar on top. But I loved the poppyseed crunch!

Cuban Sandwiches

2010-02-07T14:27:00.000-05:00

The other night I made baked porkchops. They were pretty good, but we were left with some leftover pork. I also happened to have some ham, so I decided to do a little research and make Cuban Sandwiches.

I found a wide flat baguette - not the super crusty roundish one. I spread Grey Poupon Dijon mustard on the bottom half, pillowed ham over that (Boars Head maple glazed ham), and layered slices of boneless pork chops (that had been brined & yummy). [I hate cold cuts that are layed flat, for some reason. I have to have them sliced very thin and bunched up.] My favorite Cuban sandwich shop, Kool Korner (which is no longer around), had a yummy sauce on their sandwiches. In search of something like that, I ended up with the following Mojo Sauce (concocted from a bunch of different sources & my own head):

Juice and zest of one orange

Juice and zest of one lime

a couple cloves of garlic

a jalapeno, seeded and roughly chopped

a bunch of cilantro

a teaspoon or so of cumin

and about 1/4 cup olive oil (heated - I think this was to take the bite out of the garlic, but I'm not sure)

I put all this in my mini-cuisenart to puree it.

I spread this sauce on the top half of the bread, then put the slices of swiss cheese over that. I then squished the sandwich together and threw it in the cast iron skillet with a tad bit of butter. I really squished it down like they do in the Cuban joints. Then I flipped it over, sliced it up, and added the last crucial ingredient: pickles. I added them after I cooked it because (a) John doesn't like pickles and (b) I plum forgot. But it didn't matter. It was still delicious.

I proceeded to use the sauce over the next couple of days using it on a grilled ham & swiss and dipping slices of avocado in it. Yum. John wasn't as sold on the sauce as I was, but his palate is not quite as refined as mine.

What's with that dirt flavor?

2010-02-05T07:41:00.000-05:00

I love to make fish tacos. My mother showed me how years ago, in her attempt to duplicate the fish tacos at Taqueria del Sol. I usually make them with talapia, but recently I've noticed a funny dirt type flavor in my talapia. I thought it had to do with the freshness of the fish, but I made sure before I cooked it that there was nothing funny going on. Sure enough, they still tasted like dirt. I did a little on-line research and found that I'm not the only one. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/375516 It seems that maybe it has to do with the pellet food it has been fed when farmed. Or maybe the dirty water it's been raised in, but regardless, I don't know that I'll ever get talapia again. (Although one post I read seemed to believe that talapia from Trader Joe's is fine. And another suggested that it's the fish raised in Asia that is the worst. If you get it from South America it's much better.) I have made these fish tacos at the beach with really fresh fish like grouper or snapper (can't remember which). So I won't give up on the whole recipe and idea - just the talapia.

Whatever the fish, cut it into strips about 3 inches long. (I usually cut it into four strips lengthwise then in half or thirds.) In a large ziplock bag, I put about a cup of flour and a teaspoon of salt and a bunch of grinds of black pepper. Throw the fish in here and toss it around. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over medium high. (I know it's ready when I splash a few drops of water in there and they sizzle and spit and dance across the oil.) Add the fish and fry until golden brown. Flip over and do the same on the other side. If you have some pieces that are particularly thick, I then put those on their sides to get golden. You can then drain these on a paper towel lined plate. If you're cooking for a crowd and doing batches or you're waiting for someone to get home, you can put the plate in a 200° oven until you're ready to serve.

Mmmmm Sauce:

I grew up on Blue Plate Mayonnaise. It's the only one for me. Sauce is made from Blue Plate, diced pickled jalapenos, and a spoonful or so of the juice from the jar of jalapenos.

Other yummy additions:

sliced avocados

salsa from the Oak Grove Market

Serve on soft flour tortillas warmed on a dry skillet.

Homemade Pizza

2010-02-01T09:18:00.000-05:00

You gotta love Trader Joe's! My friend, Lauren, from book club introduced me to their awesome pizza dough. It's $1 and it's in the refrigerated section (over by the cheeses and fruit). They also have marinara sauce for maybe $1.29 or so that does great as pizza sauce.

Last weekend we had friends over (and their 4 kids) to make pizzas. I've been reading all about pizzas and trying to figure out all the ways to make it awesome. Here are my tips for making it the best!

1 - Put the pizza stone in the oven cold and preheat for and hour at 500°. (A lot of places will mention a lower temp, but all the research I've done, along with experience says to make an awesome crisp bottom crust, you need it this hot.)

2 - Sprinkle your peel (that wooden paddle) with cornmeal. This allows you to slide the pizza in the oven. Otherwise it won't come off.

3 - After rolling the dough out (or tossing it), put it on the pizza peel BEFORE you put the sauce and ingredients. Otherwise you can't get it off the couter to put it on the peel.

4 - Use less sauce than you think. Have you ever watched the pizza being made at Fellini's. They really don't use that much sauce. You should still be able to see the dough underneath the thin layer of sauce. Use the back of a spoon to spread it out as you go. (William put the sauce on this pizza and it was too much. It came spilling out when we cut in to it.)

5 - Use only freshly grated mozzerella, or even better . . . Trader Joe's has sliced buffalo mozzarella in liquid. This cheese is so wonderful and has the perfect saltiness to it to make your pizza really yummy.

6 - Once you put your first one in the oven, you can start on the dough for the second one, but DON'T PUT IT ON THE PEEL. Or else you can't get your first pizza out of the oven!

We made five pizzas. We had a couple of cheese pizzas for the kids; a veggie one with buffalo mozzarella, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, and broccoli; and a meat one with pepperoni, buffalo mozzarella, and sliced meatballs left over from my soup from my last post. And one more with everything left over. They were awesome. We had leftovers, but they didn't last more than a day.

Ice cream cones for dessert.

Unfortunately the evening ended when Vivian fell and didn't want to drop her ice cream cone to catch herself. She used her cheek to land and ended up in the ER with 6 stitches. She's okay now though!

Kindergarten Soup

2010-01-22T21:18:00.000-05:00

Elsie's teacher put together a soup cookbook for the parents for Christmas, and E's been bugging me to make something. Tonight I made a modified version of Curly Noodle Soup. A few years ago, Frances went to Mud Pie cooking school and made Chicken Soup with Many Little Meatballs. I remember that the meatballs were so good, that I added them to the Curly Noodle Soup. If I had to do it over again, I would have just done the meatballs and skipped the cut up chicken from the original recipe.

1 large onion, diced

4 ribs celery, sliced (and diced)

2 medium carrots, sliced

4 cloves garlic, put through a press or minced

2 Tbs butter

2 Tbs olive oil

1/4 cup flour

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

3 14.5 oz. cans chicken broth (I just used 1.5 qt containers and could have gone ahead and used 2)

1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained

6 ounces uncooked tri-color spiral pasta (I skipped the colors)

The original recipe calls for 1 pound of boneless skinless chicken chopped into 1/2 inch pieces, but skip it in my opinion.

In a large Dutch oven, saute onion, celery, carrots, and garlic (and chicken if using) in butter an olive oil 5 minutes. Stir in flour, basil, oregano, and pepper until blended. Gradually add the broth and the tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 1 hour. Return to a boil, stir in pasta, reduce heat, and simmer 12-15 minutes or until pasta is tender. (My pasta said to cook 7 minutes for al denta, but I found I needed to go ~10 minutes.)

While the soup was simmering for the 1 hour, I made the many mini meatballs.

3/4 cup bread crumbs (recipe didn't specify prepared or fresh, but I only had fresh)

3 Tbs milk

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1/2 lb ground chicken

(As I'm typing this, I realize that I used 1 1/3 pounds of ground turkey. I knew I was using turkey instead of chicken, but I didn't realize I used way too much. Oops. No wonder I had so many meatballs.)

1 Tbs chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp thyme

1/8 tsp nutmeg

In a large bowl combine bread crumbs and milk. (Had I used the right amount of meat, I think a medium bowl would have sufficed.) Add cheese, chicken (or turkey), onion, garlic, salt, thyme, and nutmeg. Mix with your hands until well blended. Shape teaspoonfuls of mixture into meatballs.

After you've followed all the other soup directions, drop the meatballs in the soup pot, cover and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

We served this will grilled cheeses: american for the girls and muenster for John & me.

It was REALLY good! I have leftovers, so maybe I'll take a picture tomorrow. I forgot to night.

Banh Mi (Vietnamese Sandwiches!)

2010-01-20T21:29:00.000-05:00

My first introduction to Vietnamese sandwiches was at a great little sandwich place on the west side called Pangaea. It is no longer there, but it left a taste in my mouth for Banh Mi. Epicurious recently posted a recipe that showed up on my google reader for Pork Meatball Banh Mi. I made them the other night and they were SO good. Like many of the reviews, we skipped out on the radish and replaced it with julienned cucumber. But it was really very easy to make. And SO good. John loved them!

Turkey Lurkey! Part 1

2009-11-25T18:54:00.001-05:00

So, I guess it's almost Thanksgiving. WAIT a minute. Thanksgiving is OVER. Oops, I started this post way back when, but now it's long gone. I'll still tell you what I made - 4 yummy concoctions: The Dressing, squash casserole, pumpkin pie, and a pumpkin roll.

I'm not sure I can tell you the Turkey Dressing recipe, because its one of those things. If you really want to know, just ask me and I'm sure I'll tell you. I did make one slight modification this year. In an effort to make it just a bit fluffier and not so dense, I added extra eggs. It worked!

For part 1 of this, I'll tell you the squash recipe. Later on, I'll tell more 'cause the pie was AWESOME!

Squash Casserole

1 1/2 - 2 pounds yellow squash

1 onion diced

1/2 stick butter, melted

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 eggs

1 1/2 - 2 cups Muenster cheese, grated

Slice the squash ~ 3/4 inch thick. (Frances sliced it for me one year and it was so much better than when I do it. I was slicing it too thin.). Dice the onion. Place both in a medium pot with some salted water (not covering or anyting). Bring to a boil and simmer 20 minutes. Drain really well. Then combine squash, onion, butter, cream, eggs, and cheese, while still hot. Pour into a greased dish. Melt 1/2 stick of butter. Crumble 1 sleeve of saltines and mix with melted butter. Put these on top of the squash. Cook at 350° for 30 minutes. Mmmmmm.

Anyone remember Tortillas on Ponce?

2009-11-14T20:02:00.000-05:00

I loved that place. Somehow . . . can't remember how . . . I got their recipe for their green salsa. Tonight we had it on top of quesadillas. (Although, as Ella said, they would have been better with sour cream too, but we were all out.)

1 11 oz. can of sliced jalapenos (plus some juice)

1 11 oz. can of tomatillos

1 small onion, roughly chopped

1 cup cilantro leaves

You can now get the tomatillos at Publix. Drain the cans (reserving some jalapeno juice). Throw it all in the food processor and pulse or puree to your desired consistency. I then add a little salt. This contains none of the crappy sweetness all those green salsas at the grocery have.

Oh, and it trying to find out whether the name had an apostrophe or not, I discovered some other of their recipes: tortillas recipes. I'm going to have to reproduce their beans!

I'm a pancake snob

2009-10-21T09:48:00.001-04:00

I remember as a kid, it was considered a treat for my dad to take us to McDonald's for breakfast. I HATED it. I couldn't stand the consistency of the pancakes, especially since they sat on that foam plate. I cringe even now thinking about the way the knife felt as it went through the pancake and onto the plate. I might as well have eaten the plate. Yuck!

And for most of my life, I have thought pancakes were WAY overrated - just too bready for me. The only way I'd eat them is if they had some sort of fruit or nuts - bananas, blueberries, pecans . . . But last year, I stumbled on the perfect pancake recipe - at least for me. I don't even need syrup on them - just butter & powdered sugar.

I made these for Frances's half birthday this morning, at her request. I prepped a lot of it last night to make the morning go more smoothly.

2 cups flour

4 tsp sugar (which also equals 1 Tbs plus 1 tsp)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

Whisk these together and make a well in the center.

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup milk (I use 2%)

Pour these two in a medium bowl. (Okay, so this recipe uses a lot of bowls.)

Melt 1/2 stick butter (unsalted - Land O'Lakes) 1 minutes @ 50% power in a small bowl.

Separate 2 eggs in ANOTHER bowl. (I use the Jaques & Julia method - just crack the eggs in a bowl and pick up the yolk with your fingers, letting the white fall through your fingers into the bowl.)

Put the yolks in with the melted butter and whisk to combine. Pour the whites into the buttermilk / milk bowl and whisk to combine. Then pour the egg/butter mixture into the milk/buttermilk/whites mixture and whisk that.

Pour the whole thing into the dry stuff and whisk gently until just combined. Heat a non-stick skillet on medium high until water skitters. Add a bit of vegetable oil around the pan. Ladle the batter in three spots around the pan.

Flip when golden.

Now those are REAL pancakes.

Serve with butter, powdered sugar, and REAL maple syrup.

Mmmmm . . . Oatmeal

2009-10-19T09:04:00.001-04:00

If you've spent much time around me, you know that I have oatmeal every day. I can be somewhat particular (ha!) so here's how to make oatmeal MY way.

You must have Quaker Old Fashioned Oats. At least around here, the choices are somewhat limited. I've tried store brand rolled oats, but they're really more along the same caliber as Quaker Quick Oats. I even convinced my father-in-law, who is also an oatmeal aficionado, to make the switch. I use equal parts water, milk (2%), and oatmeal. My usual is to start with 2 cups water & 2 cups milk. Start this in a pot over high heat. Once it gets pretty hot (but not boiling, as milk doesn't really boil well), you add 2 cups oatmeal. Turn it down to low and let it simmer.

The thing about oatmeal, is that you have to stop it from cooking before you *think* you should. I have no idea how long I cook mine, as I never time it. But if I had to guess, I'd say it was longer than the 5 minutes the box says, but probably less than 10 minutes.

I cook 2 cups at a time so I can easily reheat oatmeal the next day an not have to use the stove every day, although the fresh oatmeal is the best. So, here's how to doctor it up.

I ladle it into my bowl - about half full (3 scoops from my 2 ounce ladle). I add a pat of butter, sliced strawberries, about 1/4 cup golden raisins (trader joe's are delicious & cheaper than grocery ones), 1/4 cup walnut pieces (sam's and trader joe's are MUCH cheaper than grocery), blueberries (if in season), 2 kid spoonfuls of brown sugar, and top it off with milk. I like my oatmeal kind of soupy as opposed to thick, but that's a matter of choice.

That's all! Leroy now makes his presence known gently when he sees I've finished my oatmeal, because I let him lick the bowl. I'm kind of anxious to have my cholesterol tested now that I've been eating this every day for the past year or two.

Chicken Parmesan

2009-10-18T15:25:00.000-04:00

This is one of my favorite meals to make. I often make this for people who come over for dinner. At Daphne's suggestion, I last served this with Caesar salad. Mmmmm.

Tomato Sauce

2 medium cloves of garlic, put through garlic press

1/4 cup evoo

1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp sugar

Bread Crumbs *

~ 10 slices pepperidge farm white bread

with crusts cut off

Chicken Parmesan

1 large egg

dry bread crumbs

8 chicken cutlets (or take breasts & sliced them into cutlets)

olive oil

3/4 cup grated mozzarella

1/4 cup grated parmesan

salt

1 lb spaghetti

*You can use regular bread crumbs, but I like to make mine. Cut off the crusts, pulse in a food processor until broken up, place in a rimmed baking sheet & bake for 6-8 minutes at 300° to dry them out.

In a large saucepan, heat garlic & olive oil over medium heat until the garlic starts to sizzle. Stir in the rest of the sauce ingredients with a pinch of salt and a couple of grinds of pepper. Bring to simmer. Simmer 10-12 minutes. Turn off heat and cover to keep warm.

Bring water to a boil for spaghetti with 2 tsp salt. Beat egg & 1/4 heaping tsp salt in a small pie plate. Mix bread crumbs with another 1/4 heaping tsp salt and a grind or two of pepper in another pie plate.

Set up a wire rack. One at a time, dip the chicken cutlets in the egg mixture, then breadcrumb mixture, then set on the wire rack. Heat 1/4 cup evoo over medium high heat. When it starts to shimmer, add the chicken and saute until golden brown on each side, ~6 minutes total, depending on the thickness of the cutlets.

Transfer the cooked chicken to a wire rack set over a jelly roll pan. Top each one with equal portions of mozzarella & Parmesan cheeses. Place the pan under the broiler until the cheese melts, ~ 3 minutes.

Drain the spaghetti. Place spaghetti on a plate, top with chicken, and spoon sauce over each. Serve immediately.

Booger cookies

2009-10-18T14:56:00.000-04:00

Frances was reading a chapter book (Diary of a Fairy Godmother) about a witch who wished she was a fairy godmother instead. At at the end they had a recipe for Hunky Dory's Booger Cookies. I thought they were a bit chalky, but Frances LOVED them.

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 small package instant pistachio pudding mix

1 egg

2 cups unbleached flour

1/2 cup chocolate chips

walnuts or pecans (optional - we left them out)

Filling

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1-3 Tbs milk

3-5 drops green food coloring

Topping

1 bag Hershey's kisses

Preheat oven to 350°

Cream powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, almond extract, pudding mix, and egg in your caldron until well blended.

Add flour and stir by hand.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Chant your favorite spell while you stir; it makes the time pass more quickly

Shape into 1 inch balls, roll in eye of newt (or nuts if you like).

Place 2 inches apart on lightly greased cookie sheet (I forgot to grease and didn't need to)

With thumb or wand, make imprint in center of each cookie.

Bake for 10-14 minutes until edges are light brown.

Let cool completely.

In a smaller caldron, combine all filling ingredients until smooth. Place a scant teaspoon of filling onto the center of each cookie. Top with witches's hat.

This blog ongoing . . . (and curry)

2009-10-02T10:42:00.000-04:00

I think I'll use this forum to put all my favorite recipes and old standbys as I make them. Or just to talk about food.

The other night, I used Curry Simple's green curry sauce to make an awesome dinner for me & John (not the kids). I started by taking rice noodles, putting them in a 9x9 brownie pan with hot water to soak for 20 minutes. Then, I took extra firm tofu (I usually use firm, but they were out), cut it into little bite sized squares, and sauteed them in olive oil until nicely browned. I added strips of red and yellow peppers too. Then I added broccoli, a 1/4 cup of water, and put the lid on (to steam the broccoli). Once that seemed cooked to my liking, I added the curry sauce (www.currysimple.com) and the rice noodles. (Mmmm I love those rice noodles.) It seemed awfully soupy (maybe from the water I added), so I let it cook down a bit. (Next time I think I'll keep it nice and saucy.) I cooked jasmine rice on the side, but with the noodles, we really didn't need it. It was SO good. I was bummed there weren't many left overs.

Birthday Brunch Recipes!

2009-08-24T10:59:00.001-04:00

Hellooo! Let's see . . . two days ago was my 40th birthday. I celebrated by hosting my own brunch with tons of friends and their families. Here's what I made:

Bountiful Breakfast (from Andrea Cataland in the Suzuki cookbook, Noble Hearts, Hungry Bellies)

16 eggs

1/4 cup milk (I used 1/2 cup half and half)

1 tsp nutmeg (I used half this amount for one casserole & didn't use it at all for the 2nd)

1/4 tsp salt (I used a teaspoon I think, but I also think it was too much, but 1/4 would have been too little)

1/8 tsp pepper (a bunch of grinds - who measures pepper???)

1 Tbs fresh parsley, finely chopped

3 Tbs butter

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup green onions, finely chopped

8 slices crisp bacon, crumbled

6 oz. fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced (I hate mushrooms, so I left them out)

1 cup shredded cheddar (I used mild cheddar from the farmers' market)

1 cup shredded swiss or jack cheese (I used Jack)

Combine eggs, milk, salt, pepper, parsley, and nutmeg. Scramble in butter in large skillet until soft set. Transfer eggs to greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish. (I forgot to grease, and I don't think it mattered.) Pour sour cream, green onions, bacon, mushrooms (yuck!), and cheese over eggs. Cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, bake uncovered at 300° for 30 minutes or until completely warm and cheese is melted. (I tried mixing the sour cream stuff on the 1st and just layered it on the 2nd. Layering is the way to go - much prettier.)

Strawberry Bread (from Ruth White, Lauren Myracle and Susan White's mom)

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teas. salt
1 teas. soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 cups sugar
3 eggs,well beaten
1 and one fourth cups vegetable oil
2 10oz.packages frozen sliced strawberries, thawed and drained ( I don’t drain them completely dry. I leave just a little juice,maybe a teaspoon or so from each box)
1 and one fourth cups chopped pecans

Combine flour,salt,soda,cinnamon, and sugar. Make a well in center of dry ingredients; add eggs and oil,stirring only until dry ingredinents are moistened. Stir in strawberries and pecans.
Spoon batter into 2 lightly greased 8x4x2and five- eighths inch loafpans.( Sometimes I use 6 of those little miniature loaf pans and bake for 50 minutes.) Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until bread tests done. Let cool completely before slicing.

Baked Cheese Grits (from Abby Nardo)

INGREDIENTS:

1 quart milk

1/2 cup butter

1 cup uncooked grits

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1/3 cup butter

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking dish.

2. Bring the milk to a boil in a pot over medium heat. Melt 1/2 cup butter in the boiling milk.

Gradually mix in the grits, and cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and

season with salt and pepper. Beat with a whisk or electric mixer until smooth. Mix in the

Cheddar cheese and 1/3 cup butter. Transfer to the prepared baking dish, and sprinkle with

Parmesan cheese.

3. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until firm.

Sour Cream Cake with Chocolate Chips (from CI)

Refer to the illustrations below when layering the batter and streusel in the pan. A fixed-bottom, 10-inch tube pan (with 10-cup capacity) is best for this recipe. Note that the streusel is divided into two parts—one for the inner swirls, one for the topping.

INGREDIENTS

Streusel
3/4	cup unbleached all-purpose flour (3 3/4 ounces)
3/4	cup granulated sugar (5 1/4 ounces)
1/2	cup packed dark brown sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
2	tablespoons ground cinnamon
2	tablespoons unsalted butter , cold, cut into 2 pieces
1	cup pecans , chopped
Cake
12	tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened but still cool, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, plus 2 additional tablespoons, softened, for greasing the pan
4	large eggs
1 1/2	cups sour cream
1	tablespoon vanilla extract
2 1/4	cups unbleached all-purpose flour (11 1/2 ounces)
1 1/4	cups granulated sugar (8 3/4 ounces)
1	tablespoon baking powder
3/4	teaspoon baking soda
3/4	teaspoon table salt
1	cup chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS

1. For the streusel: In food processor, process flour, granulated sugar, 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, and cinnamon until combined, about 15 seconds. Transfer 1 1/4 cups of flour/sugar mixture to small bowl; stir in remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar and set aside to use for streusel filling. Add butter and pecans to mixture in food processor; pulse until nuts and butter resemble small pebbly pieces, about ten 1-second pulses. Set aside to use as streusel topping.
2. For the cake: Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 10-inch tube pan with the 2 tablespoons softened butter. Whisk eggs, 1 cup sour cream, and vanilla in medium bowl until combined.
3. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in bowl of standing mixer; mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend. Add butter and remaining 1/2 cup sour cream; mix on low speed until dry ingredients are moistened and mixture resembles wet sand, with few large butter pieces remaining, about 1 1/2 minutes. Increase to medium speed and beat until batter comes together, about 10 seconds; scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula. Lower speed to medium-low and gradually add egg mixture in 3 additions, beating for 20 seconds after each and scraping down sides of bowl. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until batter is light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
4. Using rubber spatula, spread 2 cups batter in bottom of prepared pan, smoothing surface, and sprinkle 1/2 cup chocolate chips on top. Sprinkle evenly with 3/4 cup streusel filling (without butter or nuts). Repeat with another 2 cups batter, 1/2 cup chocolate chips, and remaining 3/4 cup streusel filling (without butter or nuts). Spread remaining batter over, then sprinkle with streusel topping (with butter and nuts).
5. Bake until cake feels firm to touch and long toothpick or skewer inserted into center comes out clean (bits of sugar from streusel may cling to tester), 50 to 60 minutes. Cool cake in pan on wire rack 30 minutes. Invert cake onto rimmed baking sheet (cake will be streusel-side down); remove tube pan, place wire rack on top of cake, and reinvert cake streusel-side up. Cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. Cut into wedges and serve. (Cake can be wrapped in foil and stored at room temperature for up to 5 days.)
ayering the Batter and Streusel
1. Using rubber spatula, spread 2 cups batter in bottom of prepared pan, smoothing surface.
2. Sprinkle evenly with 3/4 cup streusel filling without butter or nuts.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 with 2 cups batter and remaining streusel without butter or nuts.
4. Spread remaining batter over, then sprinkle with streusel topping with butter and nuts.

And last, but not least . . .

Tall and Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits (from CI)

We prefer to use low-fat buttermilk in these biscuits, but nonfat buttermilk will work as well (though the biscuits will be a little lighter in texture and flavor). For the highest rise, use a double-acting baking powder, such as Calumet, Clabber Girl, or Davis. Store leftover biscuits in an airtight zipper-lock bag. Reheat by placing them on a baking sheet in a 475-degree oven for 5 to 7 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

	Nonstick cooking spray
Dough
2	cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 ounces)
1	tablespoon double-acting baking powder
1	tablespoon granulated sugar
1	teaspoon table salt
1/2	teaspoon baking soda
4	tablespoons unsalted butter (cold), cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 1/2	cups buttermilk cold, preferably low-fat
To Form and Finish Biscuits
1	cup unbleached all-purpose flour (5 ounces), distributed in rimmed baking sheet
2	tablespoons unsalted butter , melted

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Spray 9-inch round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. Generously spray inside and outside of 1/4 cup dry measure with nonstick cooking spray.
2. For the dough: In food processor, pulse flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda to combine, about six 1-second pulses. Scatter butter cubes evenly over dry ingredients; pulse until mixture resembles pebbly, coarse cornmeal, eight to ten 1-second pulses. Transfer mixture to medium bowl. Add buttermilk to dry ingredients and stir with rubber spatula until just incorporated (dough will be very wet and slightly lumpy).
3. To form and bake biscuits:Using 1/4 cup dry measure and working quickly, scoop level amount of dough; drop dough from measuring cup into flour on baking sheet (if dough sticks to cup, use small spoon to pull it free). Repeat with remaining dough, forming 12 evenly sized mounds. Dust tops of each piece of dough with flour from baking sheet. With floured hands, gently pick up piece of dough and coat with flour; gently shape dough into rough ball, shake off excess flour, and place in prepared cake pan. Repeat with remaining dough, arranging 9 rounds around perimeter of cake pan and 3 in center. Brush rounds with hot melted butter, taking care not to flatten them. Bake 5 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 450 degrees; continue to bake until biscuits are deep golden brown, about 15 minutes longer. Cool in pan 2 minutes, then invert biscuits from pan onto clean kitchen towel; turn biscuits right-side up and break apart. Cool 5 minutes longer and serve.
Shaping the Biscuits
1. Using greased 1/4-cup measure, scoop 12 level portions of dough onto floured baking sheet. Lightly dust top of each biscuit with flour.
2. With floured hands, gently pick up piece of dough, coating outside with flour, shaping it into ball, and shaking off excess flour.
3. Place 9 biscuits snugly around perimeter of pan, then arrange last 3 in center.