Madeline's Adaptations

Buffalo Blue Cheese Oysters Rockefeller

2010-02-07T13:12:00.001-08:00

It's game day! That's right, Super Bowl Sunday is one of my favorite eating events. I love game day fare and while we are certainly going to be enjoying my regular favorites, I wanted something new this year. Guess who came to my recipe rescue again...none other than "The Genius". I told you that last post would come back to haunt me. We now refer to my husband as "The Genius". Well I don't but he can call himself whatever he wants, after all I'm the one who started it. Anyway, he suggested a take on Oysters Rockefeller. I gladly agreed.

After some thought and keeping with my belief that everything tastes better with cheese we decided on a buffalo blue cheese Oysters Rockefeller. Take a deep breath. Breathe! I know, it sounds overwhelming and it should because these little gems are heaven right here on earth. I kid you not. heaven. These will definitely be a part of my regular game day repertoire. Thank goodness there are still hockey game days left. I can't believe I just said that.

Recipe:
12 fresh oysters, shucked
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I used corn flake breadcrumbs and highly recommend them if you can find them)
1 tablespoon parsley, minced
1 tablespoon celery leaves, minced
1 teaspoon green onions, minced
1/4 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
blue cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
2. Shuck the oysters and save as much of the liquid as possible. Keep oysters on the largest of the half shells.
3. Place all of the ingredients except the oysters and blue cheese in a bowl and mix thoroughly.
4. Cover the oysters equally with the breadcrumb mixture.
5. Crumble about 1 teaspoon of blue cheese over the breadcrumbs of each oyster.
6. Place the oysters on a baking sheet trying to make sure that they stand upright.
7. Place the oysters in the oven and bake for 6-8 minutes, depending on your oven until the breadcrumbs are golden brown and the cheese has melted.
8. Serve with buffalo hot sauce and lemon wedges.

Gnocchi Perogy

2010-02-03T14:11:00.000-08:00

My husband is a sheer genius. But please, whatever you do don't tell him I said that. It's important to have some pull in any marriage and making such claims is not good for the cred. And while I know my dear husband doesn't read this on a regular basis, just watch, this will be the first post he's read in months and he'll never let me live this one down. I can see it now, "Remember when you said I was a genius? Geniuses do not take out the trash or do dishes, or pick up things from the grocery store. They simply don't. We are GENIUS-es." So let me retract before it's too late and here it goes, sometimes my husband comes up with really good ideas. Sometimes. Case in point, this gnocchi perogy.

The other night I was scraping for dinner ideas. I had a bunch of things on hand but a craving for none of them. What I wanted was perogies but my lazy a** and crampy hands haven't made any in a while and and with none in the freezer and no desire to make any, I was out of luck. Until...the "genius" piped up with a suggestion of an inside out perogy, of sorts. You see, I did have potato gnocchi in the freezer, I did have onions, bacon and sour cream. In other words, I did have the makings of a perogy and throwing all of these things together I did have one of the best meals ever. Seriously, I wanted to eat this for days and thought about it constantly. It was so good! So what became one of the smartest things my husband has ever come up with, also became one of my new favorite meals. And I still don't have to make perogies. Genius.

There's no real recipe here so here's what I did:
1. Crisp up a couple of pieces of bacon. Drain, allow to cool, crumble and set aside.
2. Slice 1 small onion thinly and saute in a skillet with a little butter over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes or until the onions are nicely golden brown. Meanwhile heat a large pot of boiling water.
3. Once the water is boiling add the gnocchi. Boil the gnocchi about 4-5 minutes or just until the gnocchi comes to the surface of the water. Remove immediately and strain.
4. Heat about 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet to medium heat. Add the cooked gnocchi to the butter and saute the gnocchi until it's golden brown on both sides.
5. Serve the dish as followed: crispy golden gnocchi, sour cream, bacon and caramelized onions on top of the gnocchi.

Oven Baked Baby Back Ribs

2010-01-28T13:36:00.000-08:00

I am a big fan of ribs. Baby back ribs, short ribs, side ribs, upside down ribs it doesn't matter to me, I like them all. A lot. So one of the things I miss most in the winter months is my husband's wicked BBQ smoked ribs. Don't get me wrong, the man will grill in below 0 temperatures I have seen him do it, freezing and all but it wouldn't be very nice of me to expect him to tend to a slow smoked rack of ribs for hours at a time, would it? I have thought about asking but ya know, we are still technically newlyweds so I'll give it a few more years before I become unreasonable. So, with a fierce craving for ribs I had to turn to the oven and believe me, I was skeptical.

Perhaps it's the fact that my husband's BBQ ribs are so good that had me spoiled but I just thought I might be a little disappointed with the oven so you can imagine my surprise when they came out super tender and really delicious. I followed the advice of my friend Jo, who makes great oven baked ribs and went with the pre boiling method. I like this approach for two reasons; it makes the ribs tender and it cuts down on the cooking time. I'm thrilled with the outcome of the ribs, they totally hit the spot. While I certainly can't wait for warmer temperatures and the smell of BBQ wafting in the air, at least now I don't have to go for months on end without my beloved ribs.

Recipe:
2 lbs pork ribs (either baby back ribs or side rack)
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups of your favorite BBQ sauce or homemade BBQ sauce (see recipe below)

Directions:
1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Fill a large pot with enough water to cover the ribs. Add the garlic powder, salt and pepper to the water as well as the ribs and bring to a boil.
2. Boil the ribs for 45 minutes skimming off any foam that comes to the surface of the water. You may have to add more water during this time to ensure the ribs are covered with water.
3. Carefully remove the ribs from the water and place in a casserole dish. You may want to line the dish with foil to make for an easier cleanup as the sauce from the ribs make it difficult to clean after baking.
4. Pour 1 cup of the BBQ sauce over the ribs, coating the back and front sides of the ribs with sauce.
5. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake the ribs for 45 minutes.
6. Remove the ribs from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Remove the foil, cover the ribs with the remaining sauce and bake, uncovered another 30 minutes.

Homemade BBQ Sauce Recipe:
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons molasses
1/4 teaspoon anchovy paste
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, adjust to taste
pinch of cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Mix all of the ingredients in a saucepan along with the onions and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook the sauce for about 30 minutes or until it has reduced to 2 cups, stirring occasionally. Remove from stove and set aside.

Chicken Wings with Momofuku Octo Vinaigrette

2010-01-21T21:52:00.000-08:00

Dear Chef David Chang,

You rock my world.

Sincerely,
Satisfied

Not familiar with my new chef crush? David Chang is the genius behind Momofuku Restaurants as well as a cookbook author co-written with Peter Meehan also called Momofuku. Check it out, for real. But until you can get your hands on him, I mean it, go ahead and rock your world with this...Okay, brace yourselves, for what I'm about to tell you just may be the best news you've heard all day. I have come upon a flavor so good it's almost hard for me to explain. A taste so great that perhaps there are no words to do it justice. Or you could simply call it the most delicious freaking sauce you've ever had. I prefer the latter. It smells amazing, It tastes amazing and oh ya, It is amazing.

Obviously what you see here are chicken wings tossed in the golden sauce. A recipe I acquired from Jaden of Steamy Kitchen and easily some of the best wings I've ever had but what you don't see is that I could eat this sauce all by itself by the gallons. It is that good and I imagine is good over so many things. Like I said, Eat. By. Itself. Don't dare me, I'll totally do it, please don't even give me an excuse. I'm talking finger licken', smackin' good. Literally, I can hear my husband in the background licking his fingers. I mean, I want to run into the street and shout my love for 'this kind of good'. I can't wait to make this sauce with fried rice, a stirfry, noodles or served over cardboard. Did I mention it's amazing?

Recipe:
3 lbs chicken wings
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Season wings with a little salt and pepper and toss to coat.
3. Place the wings on a parchment lined baking sheet in a single layer and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, turning half way through. Remove the wings from the oven and toss to coat in the Octo Vinaigrette. Recipe below.

Octo Vinaigrette Recipe:
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chopped peeled fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon finely chopped fresh chili pepper
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup light soy sauce
2 tablespoons canola, vegetable or grapeseed oil
1/4 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients together in a large enough bowl to accommodate tossing all of the chicken wings.

Osso Bucco

2010-01-15T21:48:00.000-08:00

Osso Bucco or "Awesome Bucco," as my husband calls it (he is such a geek and is going to kill me!) is just that, truly awesome for a few reasons; it's painlessly easy to make, it calls for an inexpensive cut of meat and it is so, so delicious. Osso bucco is an Italian dish that is made in the same manner as a stew. Meaning you brown the meat, throw in a little liquid like wine and stock and braise the meat until it falls apart. The only thing you really need to make osso bucco is time. The prep is minimal and the cooking process is low maintenance but it's the cooking time that brings out the flavours of this dish with the marrow of the bone being responsible for much of the fantastic flavour. And of course, like all braised dishes, it's even better the next day so make lots because you'll want to eat it for days.

Recipe from Giada De Laurentiis:
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 dry bay leaf
2 whole cloves
Cheesecloth
Kitchen twine, for bouquet garni and tying the veal shanks
3 whole veal shanks (about 1 pound per shank), trimmed (can use beef shanks in lieu of veal shanks)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
All purpose flour, for dredging
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 small onion, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
1 small carrot, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
1 stalk celery, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup dry white wine
3 cups chicken stock
3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon lemon zest

Directions:

1. Place the rosemary, thyme, bay leaf and cloves into cheesecloth and secure with twine. This will be your bouquet garni.
2. For the veal shanks, pat dry with paper towels to remove any excess moisture. Veal shanks will brown better when they are dry. Secure the meat to the bone with the kitchen twine. Season each shank with salt and freshly ground pepper. Dredge the shanks in flour, shaking off excess.
3. In a large Dutch oven pot, heat vegetable oil until smoking. Add tied veal shanks to the hot pan and brown all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove browned shanks and reserve.
4. In the same pot, add the onion, carrot and celery. Season with salt at this point to help draw out the moisture from the vegetables. Saute until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and mix well. Return browned shanks to the pan and add the white wine and reduce liquid by half, about 5 minutes. Add the bouquet garni and 2 cups of the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pan and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone. Check every 15 minutes, turning shanks and adding more chicken stock as necessary. The level of cooking liquid should always be about 3/4 the way up the shank.
5. Carefully remove the cooked shanks from the pot and place in decorative serving platter. Cut off the kitchen twine and discard.
6. Remove and discard bouquet garni from the pot.
7. Pour all the juices and sauce from the pot over the shanks. Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon zest.

The Daring Cooks January Challenge-Satay

2010-01-14T21:43:00.000-08:00

Alright, I confess. I wasn't really looking forward to this challenge. I don't want to sound like a total a@# but I've made satay many times before and it's safe to say I wasn't feeling really "challenged" with this one. And that's the beauty of thinking you're so right, you are most often proven wrong, at least in my experience.

I know, I have to kick myself because there were a couple of things that I discovered during this challenge; One is that you don't need an outdoor grill to achieve a super delicious skewer, which grilling was the only way I had tried satay, and second, this is perhaps the best peanut dipping sauce I've ever had. My husband totally agreed on that one. So there you have it, I was completely reluctant about this challenge and it turned out to be a flavour revelation. Go figure. Thanks Cuppy of Cuppylicious.

Click here for the recipe of the original Satay and Peanut Sauce from Cuppylicious:

Indian Butter Chicken (Makhani Chicken Curry)

2010-01-11T20:48:00.000-08:00

Since I discovered this recipe I have made this butter chicken four times, that was one month ago. Now I tell you I've made it four times but every time I make it I make enough for leftovers for lunch the next day and the day after that so in doing the math, I've eaten this butter chicken like, 258 times in the last month alone. Do I even need to tell you how much I love this dish? I thought not, but I do. I love Indian food in general but this is by far my favorite home Indian recipe.

Surprisingly you would think by the name that butter chicken is loaded with well, butter but that's not the case. It's loaded with cream! I won't question the name, cream, butter, whatever, I'll take either. There are so many reasons I enjoy Indian food. It aims to entice all of your senses and man, oh man, it rarely disappoints.

Recipe adapted from All Recipes:

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast, cubed

salt to taste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small onion, diced
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or more according to your taste
1 cup tomato puree
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup yogurt
salt to taste

Directions:
1. Add 2 tablespoons butter to a large skillet and heat to medium. Add the onions and saute for about 10 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
2. Add the garlic and ginger to the onions and stir together. Saute another 3-4 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons garam masala, coriander powder, cumin, chili powder and cayenne pepper to the onion mixture. Increase the heat to medium high and stir the mixture for 2-3 minutes or until the spices become fragrant.
3. Add the tomato puree and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add the heavy cream and yogurt. Simmer the mixture together. Add salt to taste. Simmer the sauce for 10 minutes to bring the flavors together.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat, stir in a few spoonfuls of sauce and cook chicken until no longer pink in the middle. Stir cooked chicken into sauce.

Serve over basmati rice.

Serves 4.

Scalloped Potatoes

2010-01-05T12:39:00.000-08:00

It's cheesy, creamy, carb loaded goodness. Yes that's right, it's scalloped potatoes. One of my favorite side dishes and I believe a favorite of many of you. Scalloped potatoes are comforting and delicious and a hit with just about anyone. For some reason though, I think there is a misconception that scalloped potatoes are hard to make. At least that's what I thought back when I couldn't cook anything and by anything I mean anything. I couldn't imagine making scalloped potatoes. It's true that it takes a little time and that the potatoes need to be sliced very thinly but essentially that's the extent of the difficulty here. Doesn't sound too traumatic, does it? Good, now do me and my former cooking inept, 20 something, single self a favour and give this deliciousness a whirl. Oh, and you see that dark brown heaven around the sides there? That's probably the best part of the dish.

Recipe:
1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8 inch thick slices
1 medium yellow onion, cut in half and cut into 1/8 inch slices
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
butter
salt and pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Butter an 8X10 casserole dish (which is not what I used in the photo but normally do). Place a layer of potatoes, overlapping eachother over the entire bottom of the dish. Scatter the potatoes with onion followed by a light sprinkling of salt and pepper. Dot the top of the layer with about a tablespoon of butter. Repeat the layering process; overlapping potatoes, onions, salt and pepper and dot with butter until you have used up all of the potatoes and onions finishing the last top layer with only potatoes and no onions.
3. In a saucepan, bring the cream to medium heat. Add 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese and nutmeg. Stir the mixture until the cheese has melted into the cream.
4. Remove cream from heat and pour over the potatoes. Top with a couple more pates of butter. Cover the casserole dish and place on a large baking sheet in case it bubbles over (optional, but highly recommended). Bake covered, for 1 hour.
5. Remove the casserole from oven, sprinkle the top with the remaining parmesan cheese, return the dish to the oven and continue to cook another 30 - 40 minutes or until the cheese is nicely browned and the potatoes are tender.

Serves 6

Spinach Salad with Lentils, Blue Cheese, Bacon and Walnuts

2009-12-31T14:56:00.000-08:00

I'm not superstitious per say. Sure I'll do a little knocking on wood every once in a while but I'm not fanatical about it. Since I got married last year and we bought our first house, I decided that I wanted to create some traditions for this new little life of mine. We had our first traditional Christmas at our house this year and started collecting some sentimental decorations. Tomorrow, New Years Day we go on a once a year binge at McDonald's (and then regret it terribly afterwards) but I needed a New Years Eve tradition and I thought this sounded fun when I came across this article on Epicurious about lucky foods to eat on New Years Eve. (Which incidentally is when I got engaged at this time last year. Whoot Whoot!) There are a lot of great ideas in the article for ringing in the new year with luck but I decided to go the lentil and pork route in the form of a spinach salad with lentils bacon and blue cheese. Four of my favorite things. The salad will be accompanied by a grilled T-Bone steak so make that five of my favorite things. I feel lucky already.

Happy New Year everyone! Thank you for all of your support this past year. I hope I've inspired some of you to try out a new recipe, perhaps when you thought you couldn't make it, much like I did not too long ago. I look forward to hearing from all of you in the new year and wish you and your loved ones a world of blessings.

Cheers!
Madeline

Salad Recipe:
1 bunch of spinach, rinsed thoroughly and dried (about 4 cups spinach)
1/4 cup dried lentils, picked over and rinsed
4 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled and cooled to room temperature
1/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup toasted walnuts (see below for toasting instructions)
8 or so mandarin orange wedges

1. Bring a medium sized sauce pan of water to a boil. Add the rinsed lentils, reduce heat to a simmer and cook lentils about 20 minutes or until tender. Once tender, drain the lentils, rinse with cold water and allow the lentils to cool and dry a little, about 1 hour.
2. Place the spinach in a large bowl. Add the vinaigrette and toss to coat. Plate the salad by placing a large bunch of spinach on a plate, sprinkle a portion of the lentils on the spinach followed by the blue cheese, bacon, walnuts, mandarin oranges.

Maple Orange Vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons maple syrup
3 tablespoons orange juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1. Mix maple syrup, orange juice, black pepper, whisk in the olive oil. Serve over the salad and toss to coat.

Toasting Walnuts:
1. There are a few ways to do this:
a) Place the walnuts in a skillet over low-medium heat and gently toast the walnuts, stirring occasionally, until they are fragrant, about 8 minutes.
b) Spread the walnuts on a plate and microwave on high heat for 4-5 minutes or until fragrant.
c) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the walnuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until fragrant.

Whichever way you choose to toast the nuts just be sure to keep a close eye on them as they will burn very easily.

Serves 2

Rosemary Parmesan Savory Shortbread

2009-12-24T19:58:00.000-08:00

I messed up. It's not often that I mess up but I did...Oh man that was fun, I couldn't even keep a straight face typing that because messing up is a huge part of my daily schedule. I am the biggest clutz ever. Surprisingly, I'm a lifelong trained ballet dancer and the whole clutz thing has caused my ballet teacher mother much dismay. But I play my part and put on the "never trip over over myself" (in public) part quite often.

The other day though, I tripped up in the kitchen making crackers. Tragic, I know. I used way too much butter and they essentialy baked like a shortbread. I was pretty bummed. I was looking for a crisp cracker but you can't always get what you want and sometimes that's a good thing because there are such things as "happy accidents". It seems like happy accidents happen to me when I'm trying too hard to figure things out. I was trying too hard with these crackers when really they wanted to do their own thing. And they did. What I thought was a total failure turned into a perfectly delicious accident. Basically a savory shortbread was the outcome and it was fantastic. So for all of the times that things don't work exactly the way I want them to, thank you kitchen gods. I will continue to appreciate that you probably know better than I do.

Recipe:
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

Directions:
1. Using either a hand mixer or electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until the dough forms a ball.
2. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll in a log, 2 inches in diameter and aproximately 12 inches long.
3. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 30 minutes or refigerate overnight.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
5. Cut 1/4 inch sliced rounds of dough and place on a baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack.

Daring Cooks December Challenge: Salmon En Croute

2009-12-15T13:09:00.000-08:00

It's that time again, Daring Cooks time and this time around the challenge was Salmon En Crute, hosted by Simone of Junglefrog Cooking. What's not to like about this dish? Buttery pastry-good, salmon-good, cheese-good. Put them all together and what you have is well, just plain good.

The real part of the challenge was baking with pastry and ideally making your own pate brisee. I've been making my own pastry for a while now so that wasn't a concern. Like I've said before, if I can do it anyone can. If you've never made your own pastry, I have to tell you how easy it is, especially if you have a food processor, which I don't. CAN YOU HEAR ME SANTA??? Food Processor. But until then I make mine with a pastry cutter which just takes a little arm work but is still super simple. When making your own pastry a few key things to consider are, making sure the butter and water are ice cold. Also, only add just enough water so when you pinch the dough it sticks together and make sure you don't over process it. And there you have it, the Salmon En Croute was great. I think it would be a lovely dish to serve for company. If you don't like salmon, the beef equivalent would be a Beef Wellington which was the other option for this Months challenge. I've never made a Beef Wellington but it is definitely on my radar. Thanks Simone for a delicious challenge!

The original recipe can be found here. I chose to follow it exactly as is.

Baked Brie with Candied Walnuts and Savory Blueberry Compote

2009-12-10T15:56:00.000-08:00

While dining out the other night, one of the appetizers we had was a baked brie with pecans and a blueberry compote and it was to die for. I've always been fond of baked brie (or any cheese for that matter) but I have only ever had it baked in puff pastry. This dish brought the brie to a whole new level and the absence of the rich puff pastry made for a perfect beginning to our dinner.

It's not as if baked brie really needs help in the flavour department but the pecans and blueberries complimented the cheese amazingly. It was so good that I haven't stopped thinking about it. I get like that every so often (always) since all I really think about is food. While I'm eating breakfast I'm thinking about what I'm going to make for dinner. I would say it's a curse and I'm sure my behind and waistline would tell you it most certainly is but I am powerless to it, I've given up, or in, or out depending on how you look at it. Anyway, I knew I had to make this baked brie especially because it's the holidays and I do believe that this would make a perfect appetizer for a dinner party or ummm, like, a regular Thursday night. Either way, here's my interpretation of the dish.

Recipe:
1 wheel brie cheese
1/2 small yellow onion, sliced very thinly
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon butter
1/2 teaspoon oil
1/2 cup walnuts
1/3 cup sugar

For the brie:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the brie on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake the brie for 15-20 minutes.
3. Remove the brie from the oven and allow to cool for about 10-15 minutes before serving.

Serve the brie with the blueberry compote and candied walnuts. (See below)

For the candied walnuts:
1. Toast the walnuts. There are a few ways to do this:
a) Place the walnuts in a skillet over low-medium heat and gently toast the walnuts, stirring occasionally, until they are fragrant, about 8 minutes.
b) Spread the walnuts on a plate and microwave on high heat for 4-5 minutes or until fragrant.
c) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the walnuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until fragrant.

Whichever way you choose to toast the nuts just be sure to keep a close eye on them as they will burn very easily.

2. In a heavy bottomed saucepan melt the sugar over high heat.
3. Once the sugar has dissolved and is bubbling, add the walnuts and stir immediately.
4. Working quickly, pour the walnut and sugar mixture on a wax paper or parchment paper lined baking sheet and using two forks, separate the walnut pieces. (Don't touch the hot candied walnuts as the sugar will burn you) Allow the nuts to cool.

For the blueberry compote:
1. Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil and half a teaspoon butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute for about 15-20 minutes or until a light golden colour and they become caramelized.
2. Add the blueberries, water, sugar and balsamic vinegar to the caramelized onions and bring mixture to a high simmer.
3. Reduce the heat to low-medium and simmer the sauce for about 15 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the sauce is thick.
4. Set the sauce aside and allow it to come to room temperature.

Oyster Po' Boy Sandwich

2009-11-28T18:49:00.000-08:00

My Husband has travelled extensively across the globe but me, not so much. There are many places I want to visit and not surprisingly I yearn for those places primarily because of the food. A few examples are of course Spain, France and Italy but a little closer to home, one day we plan on eating our way across the Southern United States. While I can't wait for real Texas BBQ and Mississippi Mud Pie, I long for Louisiana. Oh ya baby, creole and cajun cooking have a special place in my heart.

Now let's just be clear, I am the furthest you can get from being Southern so before I get into trouble from any of you locals I must say that this is my take on the Po' Boy Sandwich so please don't send me any hate mail about oh, I dunno, putting pickles on the sandwich or something like that. I do know for sure that the bun on a po' boy is of utmost importance. You'll want it to be crusty on the outside and light and airy on the inside. From there, the possibilities are pretty broad; shrimp, softshell crab, catfish, crawfish or in this case, oyster. No matter which filling you choose I can assure you that this is a delicious sandwich. Like you needed any convincing. So, until that glorious day when I find myself in New Orleans, my version of the po' boy will certainly suffice.

Recipe:
1 foot long crusty roll, cut in half
8 freshly shucked oysters
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup corn meal
1 teaspoon creole seasoning
2 eggs
2 teaspoons hot sauce
mayonnaise
pickles, sliced thinly (I prefer bread and butter pickles)
shredded lettuce
sliced tomato
oil for frying such as peanut, grapeseed or vegetable oil

Directions:
1. Beat the eggs and hot sauce together.
2. In a separate bowl mix together the all purpose flour, corn meal and creole seasoning.
3. Preheat about 1 inch of oil in a heavy bottomed deep skillet or dutch oven to a temperature of 375 degrees.
4. Dip the oyster in the egg mixture followed by the flour mixture and place the oysters one at a time in the hot oil. Make sure you don't crowd the pan, you may have to fry the oysters in batches.
5. Fry the oysters for about 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Once they are browned, flip the oysters and fry another 3 minutes or again, until golden brown. Remove the oysters from the oil and drain on paper towel.
6. Slather the bread with a good amount of mayonnaise. Place shredded lettuce on the bottom of the bun, followed by tomato slices, pickles and then the oysters.

Lamb Curry

2009-11-20T23:54:00.000-08:00

Finally a conclusion to our delicious Indian dinner, lamb curry. I know many of you may not be fans of lamb and I completely understand. Lamb can be done wrong in so many ways with the outcome being dry and tasteless. If you've sworn off lamb I hope you reconsider and start with this recipe. This lamb curry is foolproof and ensures tender and succulent lamb. The reason for this is the long cooking time. Just like a beef stew, the longer you cook it, the more tender the meat will be so as long as you have a little time you really can't go wrong.

Curries in all of their forms are one of my favorite dishes. I often make a vegetarian version with chickpeas and vegetable stock in place of the beef broth but I really enjoy this lamb curry. Served with basmati or jasmine rice, it's a very comforting dish. So whether you go for lamb, beef, chickpeas or chicken, just go for it, I promise you will love it. And there you go, a perfect ending to our Indian inspired meal.

Recipe:
1 lb lamb shank, cut into 2" pieces
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups beef stock
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne, add more to taste
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon cumin powder
1 tablespoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 bay leaf
Alternately, to save time you can simply use 2 tablespoons premade curry powder + 1 teaspoon garam masala.

1. In a large dutch oven, heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add the lamb pieces to the hot oil and brown on all sides.
2. Remove the browned lamb and add the onions to the same pan. Saute onions over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until translucent.
3. Add the garlic to the sauteed onions and cook the onions and garlic another 3-4 minutes, making sure the garlic doesn't brown.
4. Add all of the spices to the onion mixture, stir to combine and saute for about 5 minutes or until the spices become fragrant.
5. Add the lamb to the onion mixture along with the beef stock and bay leaf. Bring the curry to a boil. Reduce heat, partially cover and simmer the curry for 1 1/2-2 hours, stirring occasionally, or until the lamb becomes very tender. Remove the bay leaf and serve over rice.

Daring Cooks November Challenge: Sushi

2009-11-14T17:59:00.000-08:00

I was planning on posting the wrap up of our Indian meal lamb curry today, but that will have to wait until tomorrow because today just happens to be the Daring Cooks reveal date. November's challenge was hosted by Audax Artifex and Rose of The Bite Me Kitchen and sushi was on the menu. Ayayay this was the most challenging of all the challenges for me, I was scared. First of all, the most important part of making sushi is the rice and guess what, I can't make rice. Seriously I suck at making rice and yes I even have a rice cooker and still can't make a decent bowl. It's just not my thing, I have come to terms with that, I'm over it. So when I read somewhere that the rice is so important in sushi making that there are even specialized chefs whose sole purpose is to make the rice I wasn't hopeful about my ability to complete this challenge. But I plugged along nonetheless. Secondly, I was scared. Did I mention that? Like sweating scared. And how's that for a lovely visual while making sushi? I know, I've scared you now. I'm so sorry.

The challenge required us to make three items: nigiri, caterpillar (or dragon) roll and a decorative roll. For the dragon roll I decided to do a take on Oysters Rockefeller with oyster tempura, spinach and red onion. The decorative roll was smoked salmon and avocado and the nigiri was ebi or prawn. I won't lie, making sushi is hard, for me anyway and that is mostly related to my lame rice making skills. I'm glad I gave it a go, it tasted really good and it certainly gives you plenty of room to be creative but I doubt I'll be making it on a regular basis. Some things are just best left to the professionals.

The oyster tempura recipe is below but click here for the original sushi challenge recipe and to check out some amazing sushi ideas.

Oyster tempura recipe from Hank Shaw:
1 pound of seafood, in chunks (whole shrimp or oysters are perfect)
1 egg yolk
1 cup ice cold sparkling water
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup corn starch
3/4 cup rice flour or all-purpose flour
Peanut or canola oil for frying

Preparation:

Tempura is about preparation and speed, heat and light and air. Remember this and you will succeed and make beautiful, crispy, light and healthy fried seafood -- yes, I said "healthy." Done properly, the oil in the deep-fryer stays in the deep fryer, and you get only a smidge on your food.

Heat your oil to 370 degrees in a fryolator or in a deep, heavy pot with a candy thermometer attached to the side. Do this over medium-high to medium heat.

Create a place for your fried seafood to rest by laying out a paper towel under a rack.

Salt your seafood and set it aside.

Mix your dry ingredients in a bowl, and mix them well.

When the oil is hot -- and not before -- whisk the egg yolk and the sparkling water together, then pour it into the bowl of dry ingredients. You must be efficient from here on in.

Rapidly dip your seafood into the thin batter -- the consistency should be like melted ice cream -- shake off a bit and drop it into the oil. Do this in batches so the oil temperature does not drop too far. Do not crowd the pot!

Fry for 2-4 minutes, depending on the size of the item. Listen. Do you hear it roiling, and popping and sizzling? Good. If you hear this sound subside, remove the fish immediately. Do not use over-large pieces of seafood or you will not get this ethereal crust.

Once the seafood is out of the oil, lay it on the rack to drain. Rapidly do another batch and get it in the oil.

If you have more than 1 pound of fish or seafood, make two batches of the tempura batter, and add the liquid to the solid ingredients in the second batch only when you have gone through the first pound of fish -- this keeps the batter fizzy, and the end result light and crispy.

Once you are done, serve at once with cold beer, lemonade or sparkling wine. Dipping sauces are excellent accompaniments, too, but for a really good tempura you really only need a squeeze of lemon or lime.

Samosa with Cilantro Chutney

2009-11-07T14:44:00.000-08:00

I promised you samosas so here we go. Samosas, which are basically stuffed pastries, are one of the best little snacks around. They can be made many different ways, either vegetarian with potatoes and peas or with ground beef or chicken. Either way, they are so satisfying and If you're new to Indian food I would suggest wetting your appetite with samosas. Although the recipe may seem a bit involved, they are fun to make (trust me) and you can adjust the seasonings from mild to spicy, spicy goodness. And then there's the cilantro chutney...I could eat this stuff all by itself. While I adore this chutney with samosas I can't help but wonder what else it would be good with. Any ideas?

Next we'll wrap up the dinner with lamb curry. Even if you think you don't like lamb, I encourage you to give this recipe a try. Or at the very least you can substitute beef, chicken, tofu or chickpeas. That's the beauty of Indian food, it's versatility.

I would recommend watching Manjula's video on samosa making. The video is about 13 minutes long but well worth the watch if you have time. Click here to watch:

Recipe from Manjula's Kitchen:

Dough:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon sooji (semolina flour)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons oil
1/4 cup minus 2 tablespoon lukewarm water

1. Mix the flour, sooji, salt, oil and salt together to make a soft dough (add more water as needed). knead the dough for about 1 to 2 minutes to make the dough smooth and pliable.
2. Set the dough aside and cover it with damp cloth. Let the dough sit for at least 15 minutes.

Filling:
3 large boiled potatoes, peeled and chopped into very small cubes
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 chopped green chilies
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon amchur (mango powder) (can be found at Indian food stores, omit if can't find.)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 cup green peas (frozen)

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium high heat. Test the heat by adding one cumin seed to the oil; if it cracks right away oil is ready.
2. Add cumin seeds green chilies and coriander powder and stir for few seconds.
3. Next add green peas and turn heat to medium and stir until tender.
4. Add the potatoes and stir-fry for about 4 minutes. Stir in garam masala and amchur. Add more salt or amchur according to taste.
5. Let the filling cool to room temperature.

To Make Samosa:
1. Take 2 tablespoons of water and 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour to make a paste and keep aside.
2. Knead the dough for a minute. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts and make into balls.
3. Roll each ball into 6-inch diameter circles and cut each circle in half.
4. Spread the paste lightly all along the edge of one semicircle. Pick this semicircle up with both hands and fold it into a cone shape. Pinch the side of this cone so that it is completely sealed.
5. Fill the cone with 3 tablespoons of filling. Press this filling down with your fingers. Now close the top of this cone into a triangle shape, pinching the top edge so that it is completely sealed.
Continue filling the rest of the samosas.
6. Heat about 1 1/2" of the oil in a frying pan on medium heat. To check if oil is hot enough place a small piece of dough in oil and dough should sizzle and come to the surface slowly.
7. Place the samosas in the frying pan a few at a time.
8. After samosas are floating on top of the oil turn them slowly. Fry the samosas until the samosas turn a light golden-brown color on all sides. If you use a high heat, the samosa crust will be too soft and not crispy.

Cilantro Chutney:
1 big bunch of chopped Cilantro (green coriander)
1-3 green chopped chilies, start with one and adjust to taste
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
1/2 inch ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon oil
1 teaspoon sugar
Pinch of asafetida (hing) (can be found at Indian food stores, omit if can't find.)

1. Blend all ingredients, except the cilantro, into a paste.
2. Add the cilantro, a little at a time, and blend. If needed, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water. The water will help in blending.
3. Blend well and add more salt, green chilies, or lemon juice to taste.

Vegetable Pakora with Tamarind Chutney

2009-11-04T13:41:00.000-08:00

In continuing the rundown of my Indian dinner, one of the appetizers I made were pakoras. If you're not familiar with pakoras, they are an Indian appetizer of vegetables such as cauliflower, onion, eggplant, potato, anything really, that are fried in a chickpea flour (besan) batter. They can also be made with chicken, fish or an Indian cheese called paneer. Basically the Indian version of a Japanese Tempura. AKA, deep fried deliciousness.

Pakoras are one of my favorite Indian dishes in particular onion and cauliflower but one of the best things about Indian food are the chutneys. There are many different varieties of chutney but my favorites are this tamarind chutney and cilantro chutney. I prefer the tamarind with pakoras and the cilantro with samosas. And you guessed it, look forward to samosas with cilantro chutney. But for today, go with the pakoras, you'll be happy you did.

Pakora recipe from Manjula's Kitchen:
1 cup besan (chickpea flour)
3 tablespoons rice flour
1 tablespoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 chopped green chilies
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
3/4 cup of water (Use water as needed)
Oil to fry
8 thin slices of cauliflower
1/2 of white onion, sliced into 1/2" pieces

1. Mix the dry ingredients together
2. Add the water slowly to make a smooth batter the consistency of pancake batter. You may need to add more or less water to achieve this.
3. Add the green chilies and cilantro. Mix well.
4. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed deep skillet to medium heat or about 375 degrees. The skillet should have at least 11/2" of oil. To check if the oil is ready, put one drop of batter in the hot oil. The batter should come up but not change color right away. If oil is too hot the pakoras will not be crispy or if oil is not hot enough pakoras will be greasy.
5. Dip the vegetable slices in the batter one at a time and carefully drop in the skillet.
6. Fry the pakoras in small batches, turning occasionally, for about 8 minutes or until they reach a nice golden brown.
7. Remove the pakoras from the oil, drain on paper towel and serve hot. Note that pakoras are best served right away but can be made ahead and reheated on a baking sheet in the oven at 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes.

Tamarind Chutney recipe from All Recipes:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon asafoetida powder (can substitute onion powder)
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
2 cups water
1/2-1 cup white sugar, start with less and adjust to taste
3 tablespoons tamarind paste

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan with the cumin seeds, ginger, cayenne pepper, fennel seeds, asafoetida powder, and garam masala. cook and stir over medium heat for about 1-2 minutes to release the flavors.
2. Stir the water into the pan with the spices along with the sugar and tamarind paste.
3. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer and simmer the mixture until it turns a deep chocolaty brown and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. This should take 20 to 30 minutes. The sauce will be thin, but it will thicken upon cooling.

Makes 1 1/4 cups

Mango Lassi

2009-11-03T13:42:00.000-08:00

We had a great Halloween this year. It was the first Halloween in our new house and I was so excited to see all of the little trick or treaters. Unfortunately, much like many others I've heard from, the trick or treaters were few and far between. We had a handful of kids (and a few questionable young adults) but certainly not as many as I expected especially since our neighbourhood has two Elementary schools and therefore lots of kids. Oh well, we did have our good friends come over for dinner with their little guy who had a blast trick or treating and it was fun to see the kids who did come around all dressed up.

I made an Indian inspired dinner complete with dosas, lamb curry, samosas, pakoras, a few different chutneys and these mango lassis. Mango lassis are very popular in Indian cuisine and are basically smoothies made with yogurt, spices and often ground pistachios. The cooling aspect of the yogurt is a perfect accompaniment to the spiciness of Indian food. Not to mention lassis are just plain good.

This week I'll go through a series of the dinner we had on the weekend. So here we start with the drinks.

Coming up next are pakoras. Stay tuned...

Recipe from Simply Recipes:
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1 cup chopped mango (peeled and stone removed)
4 teaspoons sugar, to taste
A dash of ground cardamom (optional)
ground pistachios (optional)

Blend all of the ingredients except for the pistachios in a blender. Puree until smooth. Serve the lassis in a tall glass sprinkled with a little cardamom and ground pistachios if you wish.

Makes about 2 cups.

Maple Glazed Baked Ham

2009-10-26T16:43:00.000-07:00

Our Canadian Thanksgiving has come and gone and once again I am all turkeyed out. I'm so over turkey at the moment that I can't even imagine having to eat it again in just a few short months at Christmas. Nevermind again at American Thanksgiving. Yes, that's right we celebrate both. My Husband's Father is American so I feel it's my duty to celebrate both Canadian and American Thanksgiving. Okay actually it's just my lame excuse to throw a party and overindulge twice without feeling guilty. Trust me, without rationalizing I wouldn't be able to get through life. But back to the turkey, I just can't go there again so soon so we'll be going with ham. Not that I mind at all.

I know American Thanksgiving is still weeks away but due to my dancin' days, I always have a dress rehearsal. I'm not one to wing a new recipe where company is concerned. Of course I had to do a little fusion type thing and throw my Canadian maple syrup spin on this dish but you could easily substitute honey. Either way this ham is delicious. Perhaps the best thing about baking a ham are the leftovers. And just like turkey, no matter how many guests you have, there are always leftovers. I look forward to a week of eggs benedict, grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, ham casserole and chef's salad. By next week I'll probably be so over ham that we'll be back to the turkey.

Recipe:

1 10 lb smoked ham (let the ham come to room temperature before baking)
whole cloves, about 20

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Prepare the ham by making diagonal slits on the fatty side of the ham in one direction and then again in the opposite direction creating a criss cross pattern.
3. Place individual cloves in the slits of the ham.
4. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil (optional) and place the ham, fat side up, in the pan. Cover with aluminum foil and place the ham in the oven for 30 minutes.
5. Remove the ham from the oven and remove the foil.
6. Brush the ham with the glaze on all sides making sure to get the glaze in the grooves of the slits.
7. Return the ham to the oven, uncovered, and cook for 1 1/2 hours, basting with the glaze every 20 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the ham reaches 130 F.
8. Turn the oven to broil and bake the ham another 5-10 minutes just to brown the outside.
9. Remove the ham from the oven, baste once again and let the ham rest for 15 minutes before carving.

Glaze:
1/3 cup light maple syrup (can substitute honey if you don't have maple syrup)
2 tablespoons stoneground mustard
1/3 cup pineapple juice
pinch nutmeg
pinch ground ginger
pinch cinnamon

1. Whisk all of the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan.
2. Bring to a high simmer.
3. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and simmer for 8-10 minutes or just until the glaze has thickened slightly.

Daring Cooks October Challenge: Pho

2009-10-18T18:34:00.000-07:00

October's Daring Cooks challenge just happened to be one of my favorite foods, hosted by one of my favorite food bloggers. Chicken Pho was on the menu courtesy of Jaden from Steamy Kitchen. Jaden's new cookbook came out this month and it is stunning. Last year I was one of the recipe testers for her book and every single recipe I tried was delicious. This Pho is no exception. Pho, which is pronounced "fuh" is a Vietnamese soup that can be made with chicken, beef, shrimp or tofu. It's really the broth and the accompaniments that are the stars of this dish, they are the definition of flavor explosion. If you're feeling under the weather, Pho will surely bring you out of your funk. It is so warm and comforting. You'll notice the complexity of the dish when you read the broth ingredients below. I wasn't kidding about the abundance of flavor.

This month there was a second optional challenge which was chocolate wontons. But in an attempt to hold on to Thanksgiving glory just a little longer, I decided to try a pumpkin pie filling. The wontons were fantastic and I may just substitute them next time for the usual pumpkin pie. Okay, maybe not but I will be making them again very, very soon.

Check Jaden's original recipe here.

Here's my recipe for Shrimp Pho with the pumpkin wonton recipe to follow:
2 quarts shellfish stock, see recipe below
1 lb dried rice noodles (about 1/4″ wide)
1/2 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

1. Cook the noodles according to package directions.
2. bring the stock to a boil.
3. Add the shrimp to boiling stock and cook for 2-3 minutes, or just until the shrimp have turned pink.
4. Ladle the stock into bowls, add the cooked noodles and shrimp and serve with the accompaniments below.

Accompaniments:
2 cups bean sprouts, washed & tails pinched off
cilantro leaves
1/2 cup shaved red onions
lime wedges
Sriracha hot sauce
Hoisin sauce
sliced chili

Garnish the soup to your taste with all of the above ingredients.

Shellfish Stock:
3 lbs seafood shells, such as shrimp, crab and/or lobster
3 quarts cold water
1 lemon, halved
handful of fresh parsley
a couple of sprigs fresh thyme
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
10-15 black peppercorns
1 large onion, unpeeled and cut in half
3" chunk of ginger, unpeeled
2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
4 whole cloves
2 whole star anise
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
small bunch of cilantro stems only, tied in bunch with twine

1. Place ginger and onion on a small baking sheet. The top of the onion should be about 4″ from the oven’s heating element. Set to broil on high for 15 minutes. Turn the onion and ginger occasionally, to get an even char. The skin should get dark and the onion/ginger should get soft. After cooling, rub to get the charred skin off the onion and use a butter knife to scrape the skin off the ginger. Slice ginger into thick slices.
2. Place all of the ingredients in a large stock pot and fill the pot with enough cold water to cover the shells. Bring to a boil
3. Reduce the heat to a simmer, partially cover the pot and simmer the stock for 1 1/2-2 hours, skimming off any foam that comes to the surface of the liquid.
4. Strain the stock through a fine colander or cheesecloth. You may have to strain the liquid a few times to ensure all of the solids are removed.
5. Taste and adjust the broth seasoning with more fish sauce and or sugar.

*You can freeze any unused stock.

Pumpkin Wonton Recipe:
wonton wrappers
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup toasted walnuts* roughly chopped
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
pinch ground ginger
pinch allspice
oil for frying, such as grapeseed, peanut or vegetable

1. Mix the pumpkin puree, sugar, spices and walnuts together.
2. Place 1 teaspoon of filling on each wonton wrapper.
3. Lightly moisten the edges of the wrapper with water.
4. Fold the edges of the wrapper together and pinch the edges to seal.
5. Preheat oil in a deep, heavy bottomed skillet to 350 degrees.
6. Place the prepared wontons in the hot oil and fry for 5-6 minutes, turning occasionally or until golden brown.
7. Remove the wontons and drain on paper towel.
8. Sprinkle the wontons with cinnamon and icing sugar.

*To toast the nuts, place them in a frying pan over low heat. Toast the nuts, stirring frequently for about 8-10 minutes or until the nuts become fragrant. The nuts will burn very easily so keep an eye on them.

Ribeye with Onion Blue Cheese Sauce

2009-10-13T23:02:00.000-07:00

What can I tell you about this recipe...Well, it's about one of the best darn things I've ever tasted. And I do mean the best. Ever. If you don't make anything else in your whole life, just be sure to make this. Seriously, you will most certainly kick yourself for a long, long time if you don't. Please trust me on this one even if you think you don't like blue cheese, this sauce is sure to change your mind. It's insane (in a good insane way, of course). Now that I've convinced you, enjoy like you've never enjoyed before.

Recipe from The Pioneer Woman:
2 ribeye steaks, seasoned with salt and pepper
4 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, sliced thinly
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Cook your ribeye according to your preference. Two of my favorite ways to cook steak are either on a pre-heated hot grill for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until medium rare or by heating oil in a cast iron skillet to medium-high and frying the steak for 4-5 minutes on each side. Let your steak rest after cooking for 8-10 minutes before serving.
2. To make the sauce, melt the butter over medium heat in a skillet.
3. Add the onions to the melted butter and cook the onions for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until caramelized. You want the onions a caramel brown color, not dark brown.
4. Add the cream to the caramelized onions and bring to a simmer.
5. Add the blue cheese to the cream and onions and stir until the cheese is melted.
6. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to your taste noting that the cheese will add it's own salt so start with a small amount of salt.
7. Serve the sauce over your ribeye and be prepared to swoon :)

Sesame Noodles

2009-10-08T22:53:00.000-07:00

For the most part in life I prefer the simple things. I am definitely a no mama drama kinda girl. I'm not even sure what that means but I've heard it on several tv shows which just goes to show that I likely live drama through television and not through my own personal life. Accepted. Okay, apparently I needed to get something off my chest here. I don't even know where that came from but I feel better, don't you? No? well thanks for listening anyway.

So what should have been the shortest post EVER and was meant to go a little like this: "Looking for the simplest, most delicious sesame noodles around? Look no further. Period." has apparently turned into a slight therapy session revealing the facts that I clearly watch too much trashy tv, I often avoid confrontation and I appreciate the simple things in life. Could be worse. Now please excuse my vulnerable self while I go into hiding for at least a week. Oh but before I go, did I mention that I regularly eat two bowls of these noodles. Yes, TWO, fine THREE. They are that good. I know, I know, too much information. And with that, I'm outta here.

Recipe from the Pioneer Woman:
12 ounces thin noodles, such as soba, spaghetti or angel hair.
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons pure sesame oil
1/2-1 teaspoon hot chile oil, start with half and add more depending on your taste
4 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons hot water
4 green onions, thinly sliced

1. Prepare the dressing by whisking all of the ingredients together.
2. Cook the noodles according to package directions.
3. When the noodles are cooked, drain and pour the dressing over warm noodles. Toss to coat.
4. Sprinkle chopped scallions over the noodles and mix together.
5. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Egg Rolls

2009-09-30T21:57:00.000-07:00

Some of my favorite times in the kitchen are when I have no idea what to make and I have to be crafty. A perfect example of this situation are these egg rolls. The clock was ticking down to dinner time and I didn't have any ideas and even less ingredients to work with. One of the items I did have on hand was ground pork. Seriously, ground pork? What on earth do you make with ground pork? Sure if I had some ground beef to go along with it I could have busted out a meatloaf or some meatballs but just ground pork? Yeesh. But wait-ground pork, cabbage and carrots...I believe Egg Rolls were my only hope. Except I didn't have egg roll wrappers.

Had I not participated in the Daring Cooks Potstickers challenge perhaps I would have been somewhat terrified of making my own egg roll wrappers but during that challenge I must have made about a hundred wonton wrappers so I felt fairly confident that I could make egg roll wrappers. Besides it's not like I had a choice. And I am really happy about that because not only are they very easy to make, much like homemade wonton wrappers, these egg roll wrappers are so much better than store bought. So in conclusion, sometimes an inability to run to the store last minute, a hungry husband on the way home and being forced to be a little creative can result in something pretty cool and very satisfying all around.

Recipe:

Egg Roll Wrappers recipe from Life 123:
2 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites
½ cup cold water
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water to make a paste
1 quart oil for frying, such as peanut, grapeseed or vegetable

1. Mix the flour and salt together.
2. Make a well in the middle and pour in the eggs and water. Using your fingers, gently combine the ingredients to make a dough. If the dough seems a bit too dry, add cold water (a tablespoon at a time).
3. When the dough comes together, knead it for 2 minutes. The dough should be smooth and soft.
4. Cover with plastic wrap. Set aside and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
5. Divide the dough in half. Keep half covered while you are working with the first half.
6. Roll the dough out on a floured surface. You will need to form a very thin sheet that is 36 x 12 inches.
7. Cut six inch squares. Stack the squares on a plate dusted with flour. Dust the top of each square with flour to keep them from sticking to each other. You can also use parchment paper between the squares.
8. Follow the same instructions for the second half of the dough. You can either freeze them for later use or use them as they are.

Filling:
1/2 lb ground pork
1 cup cabbage, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, julliened
1 teaspoon ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small red chili, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar, if using unseasoned add 1/2 teaspoon sugar to the pork mixture

1. In a large skillet, cook pork until it's no longer pink.
2. Add the ginger, garlic, chili and rice vinegar and continue to cook another 5 minutes over low-medium heat.
3. Remove the pork mixture from the pan and set aside to cool slightly.
4. Add a little oil to the same pan and add the cabbage and carrots to the pan. Cook over medium heat for about 6-7 minutes.
5. Set the cabbage and carrots aside to cool slightly.

Dipping Sauce:
2 tablespoons chili sauce, such as sambal
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Mix all ingredients together.

Assembly:
1. Preheat oil to 375 degrees In a large heavy bottomed skillet.
2. Place 2 tablespoons of the cabbage and carrot mixture in the center of the wrapper followed by 2 tablespoons of the pork mixture on top of the cabbage.
3. Sprinkle a few of the chopped scallion and cilantro over the pork.
4. lightly brush the edges of the wrapper with the cornstarch mixture, wetting all of the edges.
5. Fold one corner over the filling. Fold the left and right corners towards the center and roll up towards the last corner. Continue rolling the remaining egg rolls.
6. Carefully place the egg rolls into the hot oil. Fry about 5 minutes or until golden brown turning occasionally.
7. Drain the egg rolls on paper towel and serve with dipping sauce.

Potato Latkes

2009-09-25T15:24:00.000-07:00

I don't really know what to say about these except to tell you I love these Latkes. I've always really liked latkes and even have a recipe here for a beet and carrot variety but potato has always been my preferred latke choice. There are some bad recipes out there however, and I have been on the receiving end of them more than once. It's not pretty. If you don't squeeze that water out of the potatoes sufficiently it's game over. Or more so it's greasy, boiled potato mounds. See? Not pretty. These latkes though, are fantastic. Not too eggy and nice and crisp. Serve these babies with sour cream or applesauce and you'll be one happy camper.

Recipe adapted from All Recipes:
2 cups potatoes, peeled (russet or yukon golds work best)
2 tablespoons yellow onion, finely grated
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
pinch nutmeg
1/2 cup oil, such as grapeseed or peanut or vegetable

1. place whole peeled potatoes in ice water for 1 hour.
2. remove the potatoes from the water and using a cheese grater, grate the potatoes (large grate.)
3. Place the potatoes in a cheesecloth or clean tea towel and wring, extracting as much moisture as possible.
4. In a medium bowl stir the potatoes, onion, eggs, flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg together.
5. In a large heavy-bottomed skillet heat the oil until around 350 degrees. Place large spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the hot oil, pressing down on them to form 1/4 inch thick patties. Fry on one side about 5 minutes or just until golden brown, turn and brown on the other. Let drain on paper towels. Serve hot.

*Keep the latkes warm in a 300 degree oven until you are ready to serve. Also, you can make a batch and freeze them by placing the cooked latkes in a single layer on a baking sheet in the freezer. Once the latkes are frozen, store them in a freezer bag. Reheat the frozen latkes in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes.

Dad's Spaghetti

2009-09-19T15:46:00.000-07:00

My Dad was a great guy. He was always there for my Sisters and I whether it be at sporting events, dance recitals or just to be there. He was a proud Dad and never missed an opportunity to let us know that. I was a pretty serious dancer growing up with dancing taking up the majority of my time. It's inevitable when your Mom is a dance teacher, you are a dancer, you don't have a choice. I had dance classes five nights a week and ALL DAY SATURDAY. While I loved dancing, I hated Saturdays. it was a lot of work and subsequently I have no reference when people my age speak of Saturday morning cartoons.

There were two things I did love about Saturdays though, every Saturday after classes my Dad picked me up and took me to our favorite Doughnut Shop for my favorite maple dipped doughnut. We would hang out at the shop chit chatting, catching up and enjoying each other's time. After our doughnut date my Dad and I would go home and make his spaghetti together. I got to do the chopping, perched on a chair of course, because I couldn't reach the counter. As the years went on the spaghetti making remained but the chairs got smaller and smaller until I could finally reach the counter all by myself. He loved this recipe and so do I.

The Doughnut Shop and spaghetti making are two of so many fond memories I have with my Dad. It's been years since his passing but every time I make this sauce it brings me back to some wonderful times. I cherish the fact that my Dad took the time out to make a special tradition for just the two of us. Despite the fact that I dreaded the Saturday 8 hour dance intensive, at least I had a couple of things to look forward to when it was over. And for that, I will always love maple dipped doughnuts, this delicious spaghetti sauce and most importantly, my Dad.

Recipe:
1 lb spaghetti
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 lb sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 large bell pepper, diced (green, red or yellow)
1 large yellow onion, diced
1/2 lb mushrooms, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 cup water + more to thin to desired consistency
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 small dried bay leaf
pinch red pepper flakes, optional
salt and pepper to taste

Brown the ground beef and sausage in a large skillet. Drain the fat and set the meat aside. Add a little oil to the pan and add the onion, mushrooms and bell pepper. Saute over low-medium heat for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are translucent but not browned. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan and continue sauteing for 5 more minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, water, sugar, basil, oregano and bay leaf and stir everything together. Bring the sauce to a high simmer. Reduce the heat to a low simmer. Being careful not to burn your tongue, taste the sauce and season to your liking with salt and pepper. Partially cover and simmer the sauce on low heat for 2 hours, stirring often. You may have to add a little more water throughout the cooking process to thin to your desired consistency.

Cook your spaghetti just until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and place in a large bowl. Pour the sauce over the pasta and serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Serves 8.