Even the Dogs are Boys

Crostini with Roasted Garlic, Goat Cheese and Apple Chutney

noreply@blogger.com (JaymieLO) — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 13:42:00 +0000

This is an absolutely too die for appetizer. The recipe is originally from 128 Cafe in St Paul, Minnesota. Many years ago, in 1999 to be exact, Bon Appetit published it in the October edition of their magazine. Don't let the seemingly odd combination of ingredients fool you. They blend together wonderfully.

To begin, you will need some garlic. These were small heads, so I used all three.

Cut the very top of the head of garlic off

place it on a piece of foil and drizzle with a little olive oil. Wrap each head individually in the foil and roast it in the oven at 450 degrees for 30 minutes.

While the garlic is roasting, prepare the chutney. Combine 1/2 cup of brown sugar

and 1/2 cup of rice vinegar in a small sauce pan and heat over low heat.

Next, mince two cloves of garlic.

Peel

and grate 3/4 teaspoon of fresh ginger.

Add one cinnamon stick and sprinkle with an 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

When the sugar has dissolved, add all four ingredients to the saucepan and stir.

To finish the chutney, you will need one Granny Smith apple and two Roma tomatoes.

Peel, core and cut the apple into small pieces.

Add 1/2 cup of golden raisins.

Once the sugar mixture is reduced to about 1/4 cup and syrupy, add the apples and raisins.

Stir to combine and cook on high heat until the apples are tender, about ten minutes.

While the apples are boiling, take a few springs of mint

and chop, combining in a bowl with the chopped tomatoes.

When the apples are tender, remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.

Once cool, combine the apple and tomato mixtures.

and stir to combine.

When the garlic has cooled, unwrap it from the foil and squeeze the cloves out of head.

To prepare the crostini, slice a French baguette into 1/3-inch-thick slices

and brush with olive oil.

Bake in 450 degree oven for 8 minutes.

Put the chutney, roasted garlic and one log of goat cheese on a platter.

This is a hands on appetizer. Smear the crostini with goat cheese.

Smash a clove or two of roasted garlic on top of that.

Finally, top with apple chutney.

Yum! I took these pictures last week, but I might have to make this again today, just for myself, because my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Enjoy!

Crostini with Roasted Garlic, Goat Cheese and Apple Chutney
serves: 4 (Recipe also on epicurious)

3 heads of garlic
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup rice vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 t fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 cinnamon stick
1/8 t cayenne pepper
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and cut into small pieces
1/2 c golden raisins
2 small Roma tomatoes, diced
1 T mint, chopped
1 French baguette
olive oil
6 ounces fresh goat cheese

Cut the very top of the head of garlic off, place on a piece of foil and drizzle with a little olive oil. Wrap each head individually in the foil and roast it in the oven at 450 degrees for 30 minutes.

For the chutney, combine 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 1/2 cup of rice vinegar in a small sauce pan and heat over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Add garlic, ginger, cinnamon and cayenne and simmer until mixture is syrupy and reduced to 1/4 cup, about 8 minutes. Mix in the apple and raisins and boil until apples are tender, about 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature and mix in tomatoes and mint.

To prepare the crostini, slice a French baguette into 1/3-inch-thick slices and brush with olive oil. Bake in 450 degree oven for 8 minutes.

Serve chutney, roasted garlic, goat cheese and crostini together and allow guests to assemble their own appetizers.

Four Cheese Manicotti

noreply@blogger.com (JaymieLO) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 15:25:00 +0000

I was recently out to dinner at an Italian restaurant with my brother and he ordered manicotti, one of my all time favorite dishes. I commented that I should order that also, because I love it and it never seems to turn out the same at home and he retorted that was because I was using store bought manicotti shells. Now, I don't always listen to my brother, he is after all my baby brother, but, in this case, I had a sneaky suspicion he just might be onto something.

When I got home, I referred to my trusty Soprano Family Cookbook for the recipe for the crepes and it turns out they are super simple. Flour, water, eggs and salt.

It was just the kids and I, so I wanted to make a fairly small sized serving. I combined 2 eggs, 1/2 cup of flour, 1/2 cup of water and 1/4 teaspoon of salt,

whisked it together and then covered and refrigerated it while I prepared filling.

I love cheese!

For the filling, I combined 1 cup of ricotta cheese,

1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese,

a couple of ounces of goat cheese,

and 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.

I added an egg and some salt and pepper

along with some chopped Italian parsley

and stirred to combine.

For the sauce I used my standard marinara. I feel like I repeat this a lot here and it probably deserves its own post, but no time for that today, so here it is again. Chop up a couple of cloves of garlic.

Yum!

Puree 32 ounces of canned diced tomatoes.

Add a couple tablespoons to a large saute pan

and cook the garlic for a few minutes until fragrant.

Add the pureed tomatoes

and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Let it simmer for about 15 minutes and then add some torn fresh basil.

Now back to the crepes. I used a small saute pan, which I brushed with olive oil.

I poured approximately 1/3 cup of the batter into the pan once it was hot

and rotated the pan around

to distribute the batter.

After about 1 minute, I was able to flip the crepe over, using my fingers

and continued to cook it for an additional 30 seconds or so.

The finished crepes can be stacked on a plate, separated by wax paper. The batter made seven crepes. That kinda drove me nuts... Wouldn't it have been better if it made eight, or even six? Huh. Oh well, onward.

Spoon a couple of tablespoons of the marinara sauce into the bottom of a baking dish

and smear it all around.

Retrieve the cheese mixture

and, in this case, spoon one seventh (not one sixth or eighth) of the mixture down the center of a crepe.

Beginning at one side, roll it up

just like an enchilada

and place it into the marinara coated baking dish.

Repeat with all seven crepes

and then smother the prepared crepes with the remaining marinara sauce.

Now, for more cheese! Take another cup of mozzarella cheese and sprinkle it on top

and then grate a bit more Parmesan cheese on top of that.

Pop the dish into a preheated, 350 degree oven and bake for 45 minutes.

Yum! When it comes out of the oven, you will have a gooey, cheesy, delicious entree.

After I plated it, I threw on a little extra cheese and basil for good measure!

Don't tell my brother, but he might have been right.

The crepes make all the difference in the world. How come I didn't think of that? Enjoy!

Four Cheese Manicotti
serves: 4 (Recipe also on Tasty Kitchen)

For the crepes:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup water
2 eggs
1/4 t salt
For the filling:
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
3 ounces goat cheese
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 egg
1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
For the sauce:
4 cloves garlic
32 ounces diced tomatoes, pureed
3 T olive oil
2 T fresh basil
salt and pepper, to taste
For the top:
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Whisk together 2 eggs, flour, water and 1/4 teaspoon of salt,cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

For the filling, combined ricotta, mozzarella, goat and Parmesan cheese. Add an egg and season with salt and pepper. Stir in chopped Italian parsley.

For the sauce, puree 32 ounces of canned, diced tomatoes. Heat olive oil in a large saute pan and cook the garlic for a few minutes until fragrant. Add the pureed tomatoes and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Let simmer for15 minutes, adding fresh basil at the very end.

Brushed a small saute pan with olive oil. Pour approximately 1/3 cup of the crepe batter into the pan and rotated the pan to distribute the batter. Cook for about 1 minute and then flip the crepe over, using your fingers and continue to cook for an additional 30 seconds. Slide onto a plate and repeat with remaining batter. The finished crepes can be stacked on a plate, separated by wax paper.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. To assemble, spoon a couple of tablespoons of the marinara sauce into the bottom of a baking dish and smear it around. Spoon 1/2 cup of the cheese mixture down the center of a crepe, roll it up and place it into the marinara coated baking dish. Repeat will all the crepes and then smother with the remaining marinara sauce. Top the dish with another cup of shredded mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 45 minutes.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

noreply@blogger.com (JaymieLO) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 13:19:00 +0000

The Good...

If you know me, I've probably just caught your attention, because I never use the word good in the same sentence as my dear husband's dog, Jack.

However, if you've heard me tell Jack stories before, you know he is "accident prone". That is putting it lightly. This dog has cost us more in vet bills than I've spent on groceries in the past five years. There was emergency surgery to remove a neonatal binki from his ruptured intestine, the dead bird, delivered to our bed, that made him deathly ill, and just last month, the two inch patch of skin ripped off his leg on a barbed wire fence that required a skin graft. So, to clarify, the good is that Jack is alive. My husband won't be divorcing me this week because I killed his dog.

The Bad...

The bad is one jumbo sized bouncy ball that came home in a birthday goody bag.

Let's compare it to a quarter, just to put the story in context, so you understand that this isn't your average sized bad ball.

The Ugly...

Yes, I'm the ugly. More specifically the shiner that Jack gave me... but let's back up for just a second so you can fully appreciate the story.

Above mentioned ball comes home from birthday party and is promptly identified as a "dog hazzard" by ever vigilant mom (I'm making myself look good here because the above picture is so not pretty) and placed on the kitchen island for safe keeping. While preparing dinner, lunatic children invade the kitchen, capture villain ball and proceed to drop it. Ever observant dog immediately retrieves. Children, who have been warned of "the danger of the ball" scream and attempt to recover it, which causes dog to promptly swallow said object in fear. Rather, since I would imagine it is hard to swallow an orb the size of an orange, the dog begins to gag and writhe on the floor making pathetic choking sounds. The children scream "He swallowed the ball!" while I stare for a moment in stunned disbelief, thinking "How could he swallow something that large?" before springing into action, sticking my entire arm down the dog's throat and then attempting to administer the doggy Heimlich Maneuver to flailing 50 pound beast. Five seconds later, everyone else launches into action. I'm screaming at the children to look for the ball to confirm accidental swallowing. The children are screaming "He has it, we can't find it!". The two other dogs (yes, please recall that I live in a zoo), sensing danger, insert themselves into the situation. Rocky starts attacking Jack because he believes he is hurting me rather than just choking and my husband's "other" dog, Doc, who is a dumb jock, starts biting everyone and everything, because truly, he has no idea what is going on. I begin dragging the choking animal by the collar into mud room to attempt a peaceful resuscitation and finally manage to slam the door where I'm able to ascertain that, thankfully, the dog is now breathing, but, the ball is no where to be found. The children tentatively knock the door to beg admittance, confirm the ball is missing and ask what I'm going to do. Should we call dad? I begin to cry because I have no idea what to do and darn it, this is really putting a crimp in my plans for a nice dinner, which I can smell burning in the kitchen.

I won't explain all the excruciating details of the next half an hour when I try to decide where to find an emergency vet on a Sunday night. How to get children and ball containing dog into the car. Whether to call my husband at work and confess to the fiasco. But then, I hear a rumble... Could it be that the ball is disagreeing with the dog? Will it come out on its own? He begins pacing... He lies down with his nose in the corner, a telltale sign is is about to hurl. And then, blessedly, the dog pukes. I have never been so happy to see a mucous covered three inch bouncy ball in my life and promptly grab it with my bare hands and discard it while the children scream in disgust.

The black eye... I didn't discover that until the next morning, but I have to assume it was inflicted in the process of trying to deliver sharp thrusts into the abdomen of a very large choking canine. I still have it. For the last two weeks, everywhere I've gone, everyone I've seen, I've had one lingering, getting progressively worse, black eye. I'm beginning to fear it's permanent.

Just another quiet evening at our house.

Kicked in the Badonkadonk

noreply@blogger.com (JaymieLO) — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 18:00:00 +0000

I know, I disappeared. The last two weeks have been beyond crazy. They kicked my, ..., well, I'm trying to encourage a obscenity free zone at our house, hence the title, but you get the idea.

I won't bore you will all the mundane details, but to make a tedious story short, it involved a black eye, a funeral and an insane amount of "real" work, all piled onto our usual amount of craziness.

But here is something beautiful. This arrangement of flowers, given to my family for my grandmother's funeral. It is absolutely breathtaking and contains the largest roses I've ever seen.

Seriously, they are the size of baseballs.

And last night, for the first time in way too many nights, I got to cook dinner for my family. And it felt good. It felt right. It was like coming home. And I realized that I really, really love to cook. And when I don't cook, I get grouchy and under nourished, both physically and emotionally. So I just got back from the grocery store, and there will be fresh food this weekend. And my hands will smell wonderfully like garlic. And as soon as I get a get a chance, I'll post more.

Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls

noreply@blogger.com (JaymieLO) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:27:00 +0000

Have you tried these yet? Oh my goodness! If you haven't, set some time aside some weekend very soon to make them for someone you love. These were requested by my 7 year old for his birthday, along with roasted chicken, bow tie pasta, homemade marinara (on the side), salad (dressing on the side), rosemary rolls and carrot cake. But these were at the top of the list, although he didn't call them Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls. He called them, "the rolls you made at Christmas". I knew what he meant. How could I forget?

They are out of her new cookbook and they are to die for. I cut the recipe in half, because honestly, we don't need 40 to 50 huge sweet rolls in the house. We don't need 20 to 25 either, but that is a moot point.

To begin, take 2 cups of milk,

1/2 cup of vegetable oil

and 1/2 cup of sugar and heat it just until boiling. Remove from the heat and cool to lukewarm. I'm not kidding here. COOL TO LUKEWARM! Both times I've made these I hadn't cooled the liquid enough and have promptly killed my yeast, at which point I jump back up to step one and repeat.

When the liquid is at about 110 degrees, according to my candy thermometer, sprinkle 2 1/4 teaspoons of active dry yeast (or one package) on the top of the mixture and let sit for one minute.

Then add 4 cups of flour and stir. Cover with a towel, put in a warm place and let rise for one hour.

After an hour, or so, when it has doubled in bulk, add 1/2 heaping teaspoon of baking powder, 1/2 scant teaspoon of baking soda, 1/2 heaping tablespoon of salt

and an additional 1/2 cup of flour.

Mix to combine. Both times I've made these, I've done this the night before, covered it with a towel and let it sit overnight in a cool place so that it is ready to go when I wake up. I punched the dough down when I went to bed

and in the morning, it has risen again, so I punched it down

and removed it from the pan to a lightly floured surface.

Roll out the dough

until you have formed a 30 by 10 inch rectangle.

Now melt 1 cup of butter and spread it over the top of the dough with your fingers. That is a lot of butter! If you don't use quite all the butter, don't worry. You can use it to grease the pan you bake the rolls in.

Now sprinkle the dough with lots of cinamon

and top with lots of sugar (about a cup).

Begin rolling, starting at the opposite end, making a tight roll as you go. When you get to the end, pinch the dough to close.

PW says not to worry if some filling leaks out, so I didn't.

I took the remaining butter and used it to grease a jelly roll pan.

and then began slicing the roll into 1 1/4" sections. The first ones weren't pretty but once I got in about 2 inches, they were beautiful.

Arrange the rolls on the baking sheet and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. You want to let the rolls sit and rise for at least 20 minutes, so cover them up with a towel so they don't dry out. When the oven is preheated, cook for about 15 minutes until lightly browned.

While they are baking, prepare the icing. Add 1/4 cup of milk to 2 cups of powdered sugar.

Add a splash of coffee,

maple flavoring,

and 1/4 teaspoon of salt

along with 3 tablespoons of melted butter.

Whisk until smooth.

When the rolls are done, remove from the oven

and douse them with icing. Prepare to have your socks knocked off. These are out of this world decadent. You can find Pioneer Woman’s Cinnamon Roll recipe on
The Tasty Kitchen. Enjoy!

Daylight Savings Time Sucks!

noreply@blogger.com (JaymieLO) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:31:00 +0000

Springing ahead for daylight savings time is always so hard for me. At least now, I know I'm not the only one.

Our little guy came down this morning with his big brother and promptly curled up and went back to sleep in our bed. He never does that. I'm so jealous.

There was the occasional stretch, which looked so delicious...

But he'd snuggle right back into the covers and continue his slumber. I love to do that. Stretch and then go back to sleep, knowing you don't have to be up yet.

Next year, that will all change, because my baby is about to go through kindergarten round up. How can that be? This is still a baby hand!

And it is attached to an angelic little baby face, covered by his trademark ratty pink blanket, which was mine so many years ago. Kindergarten will come too soon for us, or maybe just for me, so for now, I'm going to go watch him sleep and listen to the inevitable little sighs and snorts that he makes until he decides to wake up and meet this very early Monday morning head on.

Happy Birthday Kid!

noreply@blogger.com (JaymieLO) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 18:32:00 +0000

Yesterday was my eldest son's 7th birthday. I'm in shock that he is turning into such a little man and weepy when I think of him growing up so quickly.

As he has every year since his Uncle Ryan told him it was his favorite, Michael requested carrot cake. Never mind that Ryan is never here to eat the cake. And that his dad and brother groan when they hear the request. And that then Michael offers that mom will make two cakes, a carrot cake for him and a chocolate for everyone else.

But no, I put my foot down. I will be making one cake, birthday boy's wishes. And, it is carrot.

This recipe is not my own. I found it on Tasty Kitchen, where it was submitted by ginabe. It was a perfect recipe for us, once I omitted the nuts, because despite being a fan of carrot cake, Michael does not like nuts, raisins or pineapple getting in the way of the carrot. I made the 2 layer version, because that just seems right for a birthday and it was wonderful. A little cake goes a long way. This recipe is very rich and sweet, so it will easily serve 8 to 10 people. Enjoy!

Nana’s Amazing Carrot Cake & Cream Cheese Frosting
serves: 6 (Recipe by ginabe on Tasty Kitchen)

2 c sugar
1 1/4 c oil
4 whole eggs
1 t vanilla
2 c flour
2 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1/2 t baking powder
2 c carrot, grated
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
8 T butter, at room temperature
1 t vanilla
3 c powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients together and add them to the egg mixture. Add shredded carrots. Bake in two 8" round greased cake pans for 45 minutes

Prepare frosting by mixing cream cheese, butter, vanilla and powdered sugar together until smooth. Frost cake when the cake is cool

Garlic Shrimp with Roasted Tomato and Basil Risotto

noreply@blogger.com (JaymieLO) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 17:41:00 +0000

I don't know about you, but for me, this is the WORST time of the year. As the snow melts, my fingers begin to itch to get into the garden and turn over the soil. My body is literally screaming for fresh vegetables and herbs. I'm suffering delirium tremens because I haven't tasted a fresh tomato in months. When this happens, this is about the best I can do. I've found that you can almost make a store bought roma tomato taste "real" if you roast it. I think it is as good as it gets in the dead of winter.

So here is the skinny. Use six to seven Roma tomatoes, 12 oz of cherry tomatoes, 1 head of garlic and a bunch of basil and oregano. I used lemon basil because my AeroGarden has been prolific in its production of this herb, but I normally prefer Genovese basil.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. I cut the very top of the Roma tomatoes off

and placed them cut side down in a 8x11 pan.

Repeat the same process with the cherry tomatoes, cutting off the very top

and placing cut side down in the pan.

Now take a head of garlic, separate the cloves, remove the skin

and nestle them in between the tomatoes.

Sprinkle the basil and oregano over the top.

Now drizzle several tablespoons of olive oil over the tomatoes

and top with a sprinkling of coarse sea salt. Roast the tomatoes in the oven for one hour.

After an hour, remove from the oven.

You should be able to lift the skins right off the top of the Roma tomatoes and discard them.

Remove the cherry tomatoes from the pan and reserve them. They will be used to top the dish.

Risotto is one of my absolute favorite dishes to make. It takes a bit of time, but it is so easy and the process of cooking to relaxes me. Start with one onion

and dice about 1/2 cup.

Now take another half to whole head of garlic for the shrimp.

You want to peel the cloves and slice them as thin as you can get them.

I ended up with a big pile, but we really like garlic. You can adjust the amount to your families taste.

Peel and clean one pound of raw shrimp

and gather six cups of chicken stock. I'm using homemade chicken stock, but you can use canned if you prefer.

My chicken stock was frozen, so I put it in a medium sauce pan to melt it. If you are using canned stock, you will still want to put it into a pan and heat it over very low heat.

Now we are ready to start the cooking the risotto. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter with 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauce pan.

Add 1/2 cup of diced onion to the pan and cook for several minutes until the onion is soft.

Add 1 1/2 cups of Arborio rice to the pan

and stir until it is glossy with the butter and olive oil. I always use a wooden spoon when making risotto. I must have read somewhere at some point that it is preferred, so now it is gospel.

Add 1/2 cup of dry white wine to the rice.

At this point, you better pour yourself a glass also. I always do. I suspect that I like to cook risotto so much because it gives me a good 1/2 hour of "down time" where I just sip and stir. If the kids scream for me, I can honestly say I'm busy cooking dinner. Risotto needs constant attention, but it is not intensive attention. You just need to be there.

Now for the fun. Slowly begin to add the chick stock, one ladle full at a time, waiting between each addition until the stock is absorbed into the rice. Don't hurry the process, enjoy it! Sip your wine. Refill if necessary.

When you have added all the chicken stock, you will have a nice plump risotto. It should not be mushy, but it should be creamy. Taste it, a couple of times, to make sure.

When you are satisfied with the consistency, add the roasted tomatoes, garlic and herbs to the pan

and stir to break up the roasted Roma tomatoes.

Also stir in 1 cup of Parmesan, reduce the heat to very low and turn your attention to the shrimp.

You want to very quickly saute the shrimp in 2 to 3 tablespoons of butter with the slivered garlic.

Melt the butter in a large saute pan with a splash of olive oil so that it does not burn.

Add the garlic and cook for a few minutes until it is golden in color and fragrant.

Add the shrimp and quickly toss

cooking for about 3 minutes, just until pink. Remove immediately from the heat.

As a last step, stir in about 1/2 cup of fresh basil to the risotto.

Serve the risotto on a plate, topped with the shrimp, roasted cherry tomatoes, some extra basil and grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Garlic Shrimp with Roasted Tomato and Basil Risotto
serves: 6 (Recipe also on Tasty Kitchen)

6 Roma tomatoes
12 oz of cherry tomatoes
1 1/2 heads of garlic, divided
1 1/2 cups of basil, divided
1/4 cup of oregano
4 T olive oil, divided
1 T coarse sea salt
1/2 c diced onion
6 cups of chicken stock
4 T butter, divided
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 lb raw shrimp, cleaned and peeled.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the top off the Roma tomatoes and place them cut side down in a 8x11 pan. Nestle the cherry tomatoes and 1 head of peeled garlic cloves between the Roma tomatoes. Sprinkle 1 cup of basil and the oregano over the top. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and top with coarse sea salt. Roast the tomatoes in the oven for one hour. After the tomatoes have cooled, lift the skin off the Roma tomatoes and discard the skin. Separate the cherry tomatoes from the rest of the tomatoes and herbs, they will be used as garnish for the dish and reserve.

Heat chicken stock in a medium sauce pan over low heat. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter with 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauce pan. Add onion and cook for several minutes until soft. Add 1 1/2 cups of Arborio rice. Add 1/2 cup of dry white wine and stir until absorbed. Slowly begin to add the chicken stock to the rice, one ladle full at a time, waiting between each addition until the stock is absorbed. When you have added all the chicken stock, add the roasted tomatoes, garlic and herbs and stir to break up the roasted tomatoes. Add Parmesan and reduce the heat to low.

Slice the cloves from the remaining half a head of garlic as thin as possible. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a large saute pan with a splash of olive oil so that it does not burn. Add the slivered garlic and cook for a few minutes until it is golden in color and fragrant. Add the (cleaned and peeled) shrimp and quickly toss, cooking for about 3 minutes, just until the shrimp turn pink. Remove immediately from the heat.

Stir the remaining 1/2 cup of fresh basil into the risotto. Serve risotto on a plate, topped with the shrimp, reserved cherry tomatoes and garnished with extra basil and grated Parmesan cheese.

Creamy Pork and Mushroom Shepherd's Pie

noreply@blogger.com (JaymieLO) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:37:00 +0000

This is a newer recipe for our household which I made up because my husband brought the "wrong stuff" home from the grocery store a few weeks ago. Since then, I've made it a couple a time, fine tuning until I got to this version, which suits my family's palette very nicely.

The first try started as just the meat dish and I threw the potatoes together as an after thought, but once we had tried them together, I knew they were a perfect mix for shepherd's pie and I'm a sucker for individual servings, so my 4 inch ramekins were called into action.

The other advantage of this dish is that the meat is cooked in the crock pot, so you can let it cook all day and then come home and pull together the rest of the dinner in short order.

To begin, I used 1 1/2 pounds of country style boneless pork short ribs. I put these in a single layer in the the bottom of my slow cooker.

I added 2 beef bouillon cubes to the pot

along with 1 cup of red wine.

When all those ingredients are in the pot, I made a garlic herb paste to coat the top of the ribs. I started with one head of garlic

sliced each clove

and then roughly chopped.

I took several sprigs of rosemary, removed the leaves from the stems, coarsely chopped them

and added them to the chopped garlic.

Next, I took an equal amount of thyme, again removed the leaves from the stems and added to the garlic, herb mixture.

Add approximately 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt

and 1 tablespoon of freshly ground black pepper to the mixture.

Finally, add enough olive oil

that when you mix you have a nice paste.

Use this paste to coat the top of your pork ribs. Now, put the cover on the crock pot, set on low and walk away for about 6 hours.

Midway through the cooking, you want to turn the ribs over.

And here is a secret. This is why it is so nice to cook the ribs in red wine (apart from the fact that wine is good). Sometimes when I cook ribs in the crock pot, they look gray, and to me, gray is gross in food. But look at this rib, which I'm in the process of flipping. The bottom half, which was down is nice and pink. The result is nice, flavorful, appetizing looking ribs.

At any time during the cooking process, you can get the potatoes for the top of the shepherd's pie ready. I used 3 large potatoes and cut each potato into eighths.

Boil the potato pieces for about 15 minutes or until very soft.

The entire recipes calls for 16 ounces of mushrooms, but take about 1/3 of the mushrooms now

and finely dice.

Now take 2 tablespoons of butter,

and add to a saute pan with the mushrooms.

Season liberally with salt and pepper.

When the potatoes are soft, drain with a colander and return to the sauce pan.

Add 3 ounces of cream cheese,

2 tablespoons of butter,

1/4 cup of cream

and a dollop of sour cream. To answer your question, I haven't calculated the nutritional info for this dinner, but it probably isn't low fat.

Mash it all up. I like my potatoes a bit lumpy, but if you don't, you can use a mixer instead of doing this by hand.

When everything is combined, add the sauteed mushrooms

and stir to combine. At this point, you can cover and set the potatoes aside.

We are getting to the end, so preheat your oven to 350 degrees. For the filling to the shepherd's pie, I used 1 onion, the remainder of the mushrooms and 12 oz of cherry tomatoes.

Dice up the onion

and then cut the tomatoes and mushrooms in half.

When the meat is done, it should fall apart when you pick it up with the tongs. Remove it to a plate

and then dump the liquid from the crock pot into a large saute pan.

Add the diced onion to the pan and simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

When the onion is soft, add the halved mushrooms and continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes, add 2 tablespoons of butter,

and a 1/4 cup of cream to the saute pan.

Finally, pre-mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water and add to the pan. This will thicken the mushroom sauce

While the sauce is thickening, you can use a fork or your fingers to break up the pork meat.

As a last step, add the halved tomatoes

and pork to the sauce and stir to combine.

If things seem a little dry, you can add a slosh of red wine to the mixture.

As I said in the beginning, I'm a fan of individual servings, so I use four 4" ramekins for this dinner, but you can use a larger casserole if desired.

I equally divided the meat mixture between the ramekins

and then topped them with just a bit of Parmesan cheese.

Top each ramekin with an equal amount of potatoes and then pop them into your preheated oven for 30 minutes. The nice thing about this dish is that you could stop right here, wrap the dish in foil and refrigerate for another night. If you do this, just make sure to increase your baking time to an hour.

When the ramekins come out, they should be nice and bubbly.

You can serve each person an individual pie

or you can scoop them out onto a plate. Either way, they are delicious. Enjoy!

Creamy Pork and Mushroom Shepherd's Pie
serves: 4 (Recipe also on Tasty Kitchen)

1 1/2 lbs country style boneless pork short ribs.
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 cup red wine
1 head garlic cloves, roughly chopped
3 sprigs rosemary, chopped
3 sprigs thyme, chopped
1 T Kosher salt
1 T freshly ground pepper
2 T olive oil
3 large potatoes
16 ounces mushrooms, divided
6 T butter, divided
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
3 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup cream, divided
1/4 cup sour cream
1 onion, diced
1 T cornstarch
12 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Place ribs in a single layer in the the bottom of slow cooker. Add bouillon cubes and wine to the crock pot. Prepare garlic herb paste by combining garlic, rosemary, thyme, Kosher salt, pepper and olive oil. Use this paste to coat the top of ribs. Cover, set crock pot to low and cook for 6 hours. Midway through the cooking, you want to turn the ribs over.
Clean and cut 3 large potatoes into eighths. Boil for about 15 minutes or until very soft. Finely dice 5 ounces of the mushrooms. Saute mushrooms with 2 tablespoons of butter and salt and pepper to taste. Drain the potatoes in a colander and return to the sauce pan. Add cream cheese, 2 tablespoons of butter, 1/4 cup of cream and sour cream. Mash to desired consistency. Add sauteed mushrooms and stir to combine.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. When the meat is tender, remove to a plate and dump the liquid from the crock pot into a large saute pan. Add the diced onion to the pan and simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
When the onion is soft, add the remaining mushrooms, cut in half, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Add 2 tablespoons of butter and a 1/2 cup of cream to the saute pan. Finally, pre-mix cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water and add to the pan. While the sauce is thickening, you can use a fork or your fingers to break up the pork meat. Add the cherry tomatoes and pork to the sauce and stir to combine.

Equally divide the meat mixture between four 4" ramekins and then add a layer of Parmesan cheese. Top each ramekin with an equal amount of mashed potatoes and cook in preheated oven for 30 minutes.

Mr. Big Mouth, No Teeth

noreply@blogger.com (JaymieLO) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 02:42:00 +0000

These pictures were cracking me up today. You never know what you are going to get when you ask your kids to smile for the camera. In my experience, it is very rarely a smile.

I say, "Smile!". The six year old hears, "Stuff a huge strawberry in your mouth, slightly cross your eyes and turn towards the camera."

I say, "Smile!". The six year old hears, "Wrap your entire mouth around a 64 ounce G2 bottle and try not to gag."

I say, "Smile!". The six year old hears... Well, actually, this time, I guess he heard smile. But man, his teeth are a train wreck. Five baby teeth missing (four by "natural" means, one thanks to a concrete floor at Cheeseburger in Paradise), check. Three big teeth coming in at awe inspiring angles, check. Cross bite, check. Strawberries caught in teeth, check. Scratch near eye acquired after mercilessly teasing baby brother, check. I see an orthodontist in our future.

Homemade Chicken Stock : Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (JaymieLO) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 22:05:00 +0000

We go through a lot of chicken stock at our house. It seems that most dishes I make call for a couple of cups. I used to use the pasty chicken flavored soup base, and I'll still do that in a pinch, but for the past year or so, I've tried to keep our downstairs freezer packed with homemade stock and baguettes. We eat a lot of bread also, but I digress. That is a post for another time.

This is a weekend project for me and I do it whenever we are running low. This recipe, from The Barefoot Contessa makes roughly 16 to 20 cups of stock. I usually follow the recipe, except I often omit the turnips, just because they seem to be hard to find in my neck of the woods.

To begin, you will need one very large pot, or two smaller ones. These are the two 10 quart stockpots that I use.

I use three 5 pound roasting chickens for the stock.

You will also need a healthy compliment of vegetables and herbs. I use 3 large onions, 6 carrots, 4 stalks of celery, a bunch of parsley, thyme and dill and a head of garlic. This will all go into the pot(s).

The onions need to be quartered, with their skin on, and divided between the two pots.

Leave the skin on the carrots, halve them and divide them between the two pots.

Leaving the leaves on the celery, cut into the thirds and divide between the two pots.

Cut the head of garlic cloves in half and drop one into each pot. Split the dill, parsley and thyme in half and drop into each pot.

Now for the tricky part. You need to cut one of those chickens in half. Take a big knife and cut it right down the center.

Lay one and a half chickens on top of the vegetables and herbs in each of the pots

and add 3 1/2 quarts of water to each pot.

Finally, add 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt and 1 teaspoon of whole black peppercorns to each pot. Turn on the heat and let it simmer for four hours.

After the allotted time, stain the liquid through a colander or sieve to separate the solids from the stock.

Put all the stock back in one pot and all the chicken back in the second and place in the refrigerator over night.

When you wake up, all the fat should have congealed on the top of the nice rich broth.

Skim the fat off the top

and then divide the stock into 1 cup portions and store in quart sized freezer bags.

If you get most of the air out of the bags, they will lay nice and flat and freeze nicely. Label the bags with the contents and date.

The second stockpot should be full of nicely cooled chicken.

Remove the meat from the bones,

measure into 8 oz portions

and place in quart size freezer bags.

Label the bags with the contents and date. This meat is good for pasta, sandwiches, chicken pot pie or anything else you can come up with. Enjoy!

Caesar Salad

noreply@blogger.com (JaymieLO) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:05:00 +0000

I love Caesar salad. So much. We make it a lot. Because it is so delicious. And it goes perfectly with Italian. Which we eat. A lot. This is the recipe that I've tweaked over the past few years and which I usually make. Unless I forget an ingredient. Or add an ingredient. Hey, it can happen. Especially at our house.

Now, I'm issuing a disclaimer up front. This recipes uses a raw egg. Actually, it is coddled. I love that word, probably because it sounds like cuddle, but, basically, it's raw. If the idea of a raw egg freaks you out, this isn't the recipe for you. To coddle the egg, you want to boil some water and immerse one egg in it for 60 to 90 seconds. Pull it out (not with your bare hands) and run it under cold water.

In addition to the coddled egg, you will need olive oil, salt and pepper, croutons, Worcestershire, ground mustard and Kosher salt. If you are feeling ambitious, you can make your own croutons, but for the sake of convenience, I usually just use some right out of the bag.

You will also need about a cup of grated Parmesan, a head of romaine lettuce

a lemon, a clove of garlic, the above coddled egg

and anchovies.

Beautiful smelly anchovies. Sometimes when I make this salad, people are grossed out by the thought of the coddled egg and anchovies, but I promise you, it is great.

Now that you have gathered all your ingredients, you need a big wooden bowl. Dump a little over a tablespoon of Kosher salt into the bowl and then smash a large garlic clove.

Now, take the smashed garlic and rub the salt all over the bowl

until the inside surface of the bowl is coated with garlicky salt.

Now, pull the garlic cloves back out and mince them.

Next, take four anchovies

and mince them. There will be little bones in there, but don't worry about them. They are tiny. Just chop them up.

Put the garlic and anchovies into your bowl and use a wooden spoon to smash it into a paste.

Next, take the coddled egg and peel it, dropping it into the bowl.

Add the juice from half a lemon

and a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce.

Season with lots of freshly ground black pepper

and then add a teaspoon of ground mustard.

Now, sometimes, but not always, I add a little bit of Jalapeno seasoning to the mix. I once took a cooking class at a tapas bar in Mexico (I know, it sounds awful, but it was a lot of fun) and the chef made a great Caesar to which he added just a little heat. This accomplishes that, when I'm in the mood for something spicy.

If you have a little one in the kitchen helping, tell him to start whisking. You want to break up any chunks of egg white you might have in the dressing.

For the last step, add a cup of grated Parmesan and about a 1/3 a cup of olive oil.

and again instruct your little helper to whisk.

Now, take your head of romaine and cut it up.

Put the lettuce in the bowl and toss until evenly coated with the dressing.

Top with croutons and grind a little extra Parmesan.

Serve and enjoy!

Caesar Salad
serves: 4 (Recipe also on Tasty Kitchen)

1 large egg
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1 clove garlic, smashed
4 anchovies, minced
1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon Jalapeno seasoning, optional
1 cup Parmesan, grated
1/3 cup olive oil
1 head romaine, cut into bite size pieces.
1/2 cup Caesar croutons

Coddle the egg by bringing a small saucepan of water to a boil and immersing the egg for 60 to 90 seconds. Remove the egg from the water and run under cold water.

Place one tablespoon of Kosher salt into a large wooden bowl. Use the smashed garlic to rub the salt all over the bowl until the inside surface of the bowl is coated with garlicky salt. Remove the garlic clove from the bowl and mince before adding back in. Add the minced anchovies and use a wooden spoon to smash it into a paste. Peel and add the coddled egg to the bowl with the juice of half a lemon, the Worchestershire sauce, ground mustard and optional Jalapeno seasoning, if you want a little twist on a traditional Caesar.

Whisk the dressing, breaking up any pieces of egg white. Add a cup of grated Parmesan and a 1/3 a cup of olive oil and whisk until combined.

Put the lettuce in the bowl and toss until evenly coated with the dressing. Top with croutons a little extra Parmesan.

Setting Sun

noreply@blogger.com (JaymieLO) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:12:00 +0000

While we were on vacation, we were treated to the most glorious sunsets.

The clouds were different every night.

so, I got to play with my camera, figuring out how to best capture the beauty. I'm no expert

but some nights were just breath taking,

especially when I could coax the boys into the picture.

Then we got home. The Midwest isn't Mexico, but boy, some evenings, the setting sun is still gorgeous. Instead of an ocean, the sky reflects off a frozen lake, but the promise of warm water is taunting me, promising balmy times ahead. Spring can't come soon enough.

Sweet Pepper Rellenos

noreply@blogger.com (JaymieLO) — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 22:52:00 +0000

I'm still recovering from our recent trip to Mexico, if that is possible. As a result, I've been unable to post anything this week, until today, when I finally had some time to play in the kitchen.

One evening, when we were in Bucerias, we had the pleasure of having a woman come to our casa to cook an authentic Mexican meal for us. She arrived at around 12:30 to begin preparing our dinner. It was a full days work for her. As a result, I spent the afternoon in the kitchen with her, taking notes as she made things and shooting pictures.

One of the dishes she made was Chiles Rellenos. Here is Leonarda grating the white cheddar and Queso de Canasta for the Rellenos.

The battered roasted chiles are fried in corn oil

and were absolutely beautiful.

Here is the finished dish. She made two per person and they were huge. We had leftovers for the rest of the week. As soon as I got home, I knew that this was a dish I wanted to play with. I've always wanted to buy those beautiful mini sweet peppers that you see in the grocery store, so I figured this was the perfect time to try them.

Aren't they pretty? I'm not exactly sure why I am so drawn to this vegetable. The vivid and varied color? Their mini-ness? It boggles the mind, but I'm enamored.

To begin, I roasted the peppers. You can do this in the same way as a normal bell pepper... just make sure you don't lose any in the fire. These babies are small. If you need more instructions, please refer to my roasting pepper tutorial.

Once the pepper are nice and charred, put them in a ziplock for 15 minutes

before cleaning them.

For the filling, I decided to use white cheddar cheese and goat cheese. I love goat cheese. I'm sure I've mentioned this before.

You want to mix about 4 oz of shredded white cheddar with 3 oz of goat cheese.

Add 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro to the cheeses

and mix well.

Take each of the roasted pepper and slit them, removing any seeds you find inside.

Then stuff the pepper with the cheese mixture. I used a little baby spoon that I found in my drawer. It doesn't get much use anymore. That makes me sad..

Use half a toothpick to close the slit in the pepper so the cheese doesn't spill out.

Here are all my peppers stuffed. You probably won't use all the cheese mixture, but set it aside because you can use it to finish the dish.

The rellenos are cooked in a tomato based sauce. For this you will need 2 garlic cloves and about 2 tablespoons of onion.

Finely dice the garlic and onion

And saute in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil until golden.

Next, take 2 cans of tomatoes and puree them a blender.

Add the pureed tomatoes to the onion mixture and stir well. Simmer over low heat.

To make the batter for the rellenos, you will need 4 eggs.

Separate the egg whites from the yolks

and beat the egg whites until stiff with an electric mixer.

Beat the egg yolks

and fold the yolks into the beaten whites

until thoroughly combined.

Put enough vegetable oil in a small saute pan to allow the battered peppers to be at least halfway submerged.

It is critical that you thoroughly dry the peppers at this point, or the egg batter will not stick to them.

Dip each pepper in the egg batter

coating it on all sides

and place into the hot oil. You can use a spoon to drizzle the hot oil over the pepper. When the pepper is nicely browned

remove to the plate covered with a paper towel to allow the excess oil to drain off the peppers.

When you have fried all the peppers, dump the remaining batter into the saute pan.

When it is solid, use a spatula to flip it so that both sides are nicely browned.

Use the spatula to "flatten" the omelet and remove with the peppers when completely cooked.

Pat the peppers dry and put in the saucepan with the tomato mixture.

The peppers should all be covered.

Finally, take the egg "omelet" and put it on top of the peppers and tomato sauce, just like a lid.

The final step is a jalapeno cream sauce to top the rellenos. Turn on your broiler and roast 1 jalapeno and 1 tomato, both cut in half, along with 2 tablespoons of sliced onions and 2 garlic cloves.

Broil for about 15 minutes or until the jalapeno and pepper are browned and the garlic is soft.

Remove the seeds from the jalapeno

and put in a food processor,

along with the garlic and onion. Process until smooth.

Lift the skin off the tomatoes and add to the processor. Again, process until smooth.

Add about 1/2 cup of cilantro and process.

While the processor is running, add 1/3 cup of cream.

Finally, add 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt and mix well.

To serve, remove the egg from the top of the peppers and put on a plate.

Spoon the peppers out of the saute pan with some of the tomato sauce. Drizzle with the jalapeno cream sauce, sprinkle with the remaining cheddar and goat cheese mixture and top with roughly chopped cilantro.

Use a pie cutter to cut a wedge of the egg omelet and serve with the peppers that are on top.

I promise that in seconds flat, your plate will look like this.... Enjoy!

Sweet Pepper Rellenos
serves: 4 (Recipe also on Tasty Kitchen)

1 pint miniature sweet peppers, roasted
3 oz goat cheese, crumbled
4 oz white cheddar, shredded
2 T cilantro, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
2 T onion, finely diced
2 T vegetable oil
2 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes, pureed
4 eggs, separated
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 jalapeno, cut in half
1 roma tomato, cut in half
2 T onion, sliced
2 cloved garlic
1/2 cup cilantro
1/3 cup cream
1 t Kosher salt

Roast the miniature sweet peppers and set aside. Mix white cheddar cheese with crumbled goat cheese and cilantro. Take each of roasted pepper and slit, removing any seeds you find inside. Stuff the pepper with the cheese mixture and secure with half a toothpick.

Saute the onions and garlic in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil until golden. Add pureed tomatoes and simmer over low heat.

Separate the egg whites from the yolks and beat the egg whites until stiff with an electric mixer. Beat the egg yolks and fold into the whites.

Heat 1/2 cup of vegetable oil over medium high heat. Dry each of the peppers thoroughly and dip in the egg batter, coating on all sides. Place into the hot oil. Use a spoon to drizzle oil over the pepper. Remove to a plate covered with a paper towel to allow the excess oil to drain. When all the peppers have been fried, dump the remaining egg batter into the saute pan. Use a spatula to flip and "flatten" it so that both sides are nicely browned. Remove when completely cooked.

Add the peppers to the saucepan with the tomato mixture. Take the egg "omelet" and put it on top of the peppers and tomato sauce, like a lid.

Roast jalapeno, tomato, sliced onions and garlic cloves under the broiler for about 15 minutes or until the jalapeno and pepper are browned and the garlic is soft. Remove the seeds from the jalapeno and put in a food processor, along with the garlic and onion. Process until smooth. Lift the skin off the tomatoes and add to the processor. Again, process until smooth. Add cilantro and process. While the processor is running, add 1/3 cup of cream. Add Kosher salt to taste.

To serve, remove the egg from the top of the peppers and put on a plate. Spoon the peppers out of the saute pan with some of the tomato sauce. Drizzle with the jalapeno cream sauce, sprinkle with the remaining cheddar and goat cheese mixture and top with roughly chopped cilantro. Use a pie cutter to cut a wedge of the egg omelet and serve with the peppers that are on top.

Drowning in Laundry

noreply@blogger.com (JaymieLO) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:51:00 +0000

We just got back from a nine day vacation in Mexico and I'm sitting here casting a wary eye towards my laundry room, which is overflowing with unpacked suitcases and dirty clothes. But we don't need any of that stuff, because it is all swimsuits and beach hats. Who knows when we will need those accoutrements again?

I have lots I want to "blog" about, but I can't seem to get my thoughts in order quite yet. It was an amazing yet trying vacation. We very nearly blew the entire family up one morning in the kitchen trying to keep some tortillas warm in the horno. We learned what a waterspout is and how scary it can be to be caught in one, even if you are at a bar. Both of the kids got sick. At night, I slept with them and found out that our youngest not only murmurs but also grinds his teeth while sleeping. But, it was rich in the way that only a Mexican vacation can be, so here are a few of the thousands of snapshots I took and I'll fill in the blanks as I recover.

The door to one of our casas.

A beautiful day in our backyard.

A perfect, and much appreciated, blue sky.

Some wet vegetation by the pool on one of the days the blue skies were missing.

Flop flops in the sand and waves... Ahhh.

A really big pelican. I think I was more frightened of him than he of me.

A beautiful horse and wooden saddle on the beach.

An amazing mother hummingbird sitting on her babies.

Baby Coronitas!

Tostadas galore!

Beautiful fresh produce in the Centro.

Kicking back and watching the waves roll in.

Firefighter's Spaghetti with Meatballs

noreply@blogger.com (JaymieLO) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:05:00 +0000

I went back and forth on what to call this dish. Mama's Spaghetti and Meatballs? (They aren't my mama's but if I was Italian, they might be.) The Ultimate Comfort Spaghetti and Meatballs? (This is the ultimate comfort food at our house) Retro Spaghetti and Meatballs? (Retro because it just reminds me of one of those good old fashioned "staple" recipes) Classic Spaghetti with Pork Meatballs? (Because it is really the pork meatballs that set it apart.)

I settled on Firefighter's Spaghetti and Meatballs because

Really, it is my husband's (the firefighter's) dish and
It is substantial. Did you know that firefighters like substantial meals, and lots of them? This will stick to your ribs.

Once again, this is an simple recipe with common ingredients. You will need a pound of ground pork, 2 eggs, bread crumbs, Parmesan, Italian parsley and LOTS of garlic. We often double the amount of meatballs we make, so in that case, you need 2 pounds of ground pork, 4 eggs, etc.

To start the meatballs, put the ground pork in a large bowl. Really, just pork, not beef, not a combo of pork and beef. Just pork. This makes the best meatballs. I can't order meatballs anywhere now. I've been spoiled for life by these pork meatballs.

Crack two eggs into the bowl

and add a half a cup of bread crumbs.

Season generously with salt and pepper. I use about a teaspoon of salt and grind pepper until my hand gets tired. Now grab a bunch of garlic.

That's not enough. Go get some more.

That's better. I know, it looks scary, but the garlic is so good in these meatballs.

Very roughly chop the garlic, you want some big chunks in there,

and add it to the bowl with the pork.

Now grate a bunch of Parmesan cheese. I usually add at least a cup.

Finally, add about a half a cup of roughly chopped Italian parsley.

If your kids are near, call them to mix the meat. If they aren't around, you are going to have to stick your (washed) hands into the bowl yourself and start mixing.

When you are done, all the ingredients will be evenly distributed through the pork mixture. Time to form the meatballs. Call your kids again.

This time mine answered... and came to make giant meatballs.

Giant is OK. Small are OK (especially if you want them mixed into the sauce instead of on top or if you are making baked ziti). Medium was my choice for today though.

Here they are all rolled out. These are about 1" meatballs.

Now it is time to start cooking. Get your enormous saucepan for cooking the meatballs, your large saucepan for the marinara and a stockpot for the spaghetti.

For the marinara, you will need a 28 oz can (or two small cans) of whole or diced tomatoes, olive oil, basil, salt, pepper and, yes, more garlic.

For the sauce, I minced about half the number of cloves that I used for the meatballs.

and added them with a 1/4 cup of olive oil to the saucepan. I heated the garlic for several minutes until it was golden

and then added the tomatoes, which I had pureed in my blender. Sometimes I don't puree the tomatoes because I am a fan of chunky sauces, but trust me, it is better this way.

Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste and then let simmer while you cook the meatballs.

Add enough olive oil to the enormous saucepan to cover the bottom and drop the meatballs in one by one.

You don't want to crowd them, so do them in batches if you have to. Season generously with salt and pepper. You DO NOT want to skimp on the salt here. I makes the most delicious crunchy crust on the meatballs.

When the meatballs are solid enough to be picked up, do so with a tongs and turn them over. If they fall apart when you try to pick them up, stop and let them cook for a bit longer.

When you have flipped them all, season again with salt and pepper.

The marinara should be thickened by now, so add several torn up leaves of basil and stir to combine.

When the spaghetti is al dente, drain and toss with the marinara. Plate a pile of spaghetti and nest several meatballs on top.

Sprinkle with Italian Parsley for garnish and serve with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Firefighter's Spaghetti with Meatballs
serves: 4 (Recipe also on Tasty Kitchen)

1 lb ground pork
2 eggs
1/2 cup of bread crumbs
1 t salt
freshly ground pepper
1 head of garlic, divided
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup of Italian parsley, roughly chopped
28 oz can of whole or diced tomatoes, pureed
1/2 cup of olive oil, divided
10 basil leaves, torn
1 lb spaghetti, cooked in salted water according to directions

Combine the pork, eggs, bread crumbs, 3/4 of the cloves from a head of garlic, roughly chopped, Parmesan, Italian parsley, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper in a large bowl. Mix to combine and then form into 1" meatballs.

For the marinara, mince the remaining garlic and added them with1/4 cup of olive oil to a large saucepan. Heat for several minuted until the garlic is golden and then added the pureed tomatoes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste and simmer over low heat.

Add remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil to a second saucepan and drop the meatballs in one by one. Cook the meatballs in batches to avoid crowding if necessary. Season generously with salt and pepper. Turn the meatballs when they are solid enough not to break when picked up with a pair of tongs. Season again with salt and pepper.

When the marinara is thickened (after about 15 to 20 minutes) add basil and stir to combine. Toss the sauce with the cooked spaghetti. Plate a pile of spaghetti and nest several meatballs on top. Garnish with Italian Parsley and serve with Parmesan cheese.

"Just In Case" Pie

noreply@blogger.com (JaymieLO) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:09:00 +0000

One of the first cookbooks I ever owned was called "The Treasury of Creative Cooking". My mother gave it to me years and years ago. I don't know where she got it, but I'm pretty sure she gave it to me because there is a photo of every recipe and I'm a visual cook (if you couldn't tell). I'm a bit better at it now, but when I first started experimenting in the kitchen, chances were I was cooking a recipe I'd found that was accompanied by a pretty picture. Years later, I still pull out the giant cookbook for this recipe which was submitted by Christa Schmitt and won first place in the Chocolate Recipe Context sponsored by Lexington Market in Baltimore, Maryland.

There are three basic parts to the recipe. The first is the crust, which includes, 2 cups of Oreos (or about 24), 3/4 cup of pecans and 1/2 cup of butter.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and chop the Oreos in a food processor

until they form a coarse meal.

Then add the pecans to the bowl and pulse a few more times.

Next, place a stick of butter in a glass bowl

and melt it in the microwave.

Add the Oreo and pecan mixture to the butter

and combine.

Transfer the mixture to a 9" deep dish pie plat

and use your fingers to press the mixture onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan, forming a high rim. Bake the pie crust for 10 minutes and then let cool completely.

The second part is the chocolate topping. The ingredients for this include water, eggs, chocolate, unflavored gelatin, vanilla and cream.

Place 1/4 cup of cold water in a small saucepan. Sprinkle one envelope of unflavored gelatine over the water and let stand for one minute.

Move the saucepan to the stove top and heat over low heat for about three minutes, or until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Stir in one cup of cream and heat just to a boil.

Transfer the heated cream mixture to your food processor bowl

and add one cup of semisweet chocolate chips. Process until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.

While continuing to process, add another 1/2 cup of cream

2 eggs

and one teaspoon of vanilla.

Pour into a bowl and refrigerate for about fifteen minutes, until thickened.

The last component of the pie is the carmel filling. For this, you will need 1 cup of carmels (about 24), 2 tablespoons of butter and an additional 1/4 cup of cream.

Pour the cream into a small saucepan

and add the butter

and caramels. Simmer over low heat until the caramels have completely melted and you have a smooth sauce.

Now, take your cooled crust

and pour the caramel mixture into it.

Retrieve the thickened chocolate mixture from the refrigerator and beat until smooth. Pour the chocolate over the caramel layer

and refrigerate for three hours, or until firm.

Carefully cut out a slice of the pie.

The caramel layer should ooze, perfectly complimenting the fluffy chocolate and rich crust. Enjoy!

"Just in Case" Pie
serves: 8 (Recipe also on Tasty Kitchen)

2 cups of Oreos, about 24, crushed
3/4 cup of pecans, finely chopped
1/2 cup of butter, melted
1/4 cup of cold water
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 cups of heavy cream
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup of caramels, about 24
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup of heavy cream

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Chop the Oreos and pecans in a food processoruntil they form a coarse meal. Combine the Oreo mixture with the melted butter and transfer the mixture to a 9" deep dish pie plate. Use your fingers to press the mixture onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan, forming a high rim. Bake the pie crust for 10 minutes and then let cool completely.

Place 1/4 cup of cold water in a small saucepan. Sprinkle one envelope of unflavored gelatine over the water and let stand for one minute. Move the saucepan to the stove top and heat over low heat for about three minutes, or until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Stir in one cup of cream and heat just to a boil.
Transfer the heated cream mixture to your food processor bowl and add one cup of semisweet chocolate chips. Process until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. While continuing to process, add another 1/2 cup of cream, 2 eggs and one teaspoon of vanilla. Pour into a bowl and refrigerate for about fifteen minutes, until thickened.

Pour 1/4 cup of cream into a small saucepan and add 2 tablespoons of butter and the caramels. Simmer over low heat until the caramels have completely melted and you have a smooth sauce.

Take your cooled crust and pour the caramel mixture into it. Retrieve the thickened chocolate mixture from the refrigerator and beat until smooth. Pour the chocolate over the caramel layer and refrigerate for three hours, or until firm.

Bath Time Fun

noreply@blogger.com (JaymieLO) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:08:00 +0000

Remember when taking a bath was this much fun? Blessedly, these days, my fun is getting to watch bath time be this much fun and marvel at the miracle of children.

Chicken Peanut Soup with Mashed Yams

noreply@blogger.com (JaymieLO) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 01:01:00 +0000

Winter is dragging on. This week, we needed a dinner to warm us up, just to get us through. Soup was the perfect choice, but sometimes, it needs a little something extra. I thought, how about mashed potatoes? Better yet, how about buttered, mashed sweet potatoes? With every spoonful, you can get a little bit of the velvety soup and a little bit of the rich, sweet yams. Perfection on a spoon!

Begin by making the mashed yams. I happened to have the largest yam I've ever seen in my pantry, but if you have normal sized ones, I would use two.

Chop them up into nice small (about 1") pieces so they cook quickly.

Take a sauce pan and add a teaspoon of salt to the water and bring to a boil

before adding the yams.

Cook for about 15 minutes, until each piece is nice and soft, easily pierced with a fork. I'm salivating writing this, which is odd, because up until about six months ago, I thought I hated yams. Turns out, I'm embarrassed to admit, I hadn't really tried them. It all started one night with savory sweet potato fries and these days, I'm watering my keyboard while blogging about sweet potatoes late at night...

When the yams are nice and soft, drain them and then add 1/3 cup of milk and 3 tablespoons of butter to the pan.

Dump the yams back in, skin and all. If you don't like the texture the skins add, you should peel the yam before you cut it up, so hopefully you aren't reading this sentence, mid preparation, for the first time.

Add salt, to taste. That looks like an empty grinder doesn't it? I must have fetched a new one to finish the recipe, but that just looks goofy. My apologies. Cover up the yams to keep them warm and set the pan aside.

The base of the soup is 4 cups of chicken stock and 1 cup of shredded chicken. I happen to have this chicken in my freezer from the last time I made stock and it is perfect for this application, but you can also boil some chicken breasts or use the meat from a rotisserie chicken.

We also need lots of vegetables. I used 2 carrots, 1/2 cup of roasted red bell peppers, 4 cloves of garlic, 1/2 an onion, 3 green onions, 2 stalks of celery and a bunch of cilantro.

I cut the carrots into fourths lengthwise and then sliced.

The green onions were sliced,

as was the celery.

The cilantro was roughly chopped.

The garlic minced and the onion diced.

Such pretty colors, and the kitchen should now smell wonderful.

To start the soup, place the chicken stock and chicken into an enameled roasting pan. Mine was frozen, so I let it come to a simmer

before adding the carrots.

Stir this all together and cook over low heat for 20 minutes.

Once the carrots are tender, add one 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes with their juice.

Next, add the celery,

onion,

green onions,

roasted pepper,

and garlic.

For a little extra kick, I like to add about a teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Omit or adjust this amount depending on how much heat you want in the soup.

Season with salt (ah, see the new salt grinder) and pepper and let simmer for another 20 minutes.

Now, for the surprise ingredient. You should recognize this label, if your choosy.... Which I am.

I know, it sounds crazy, but it makes the soup.

You want to add one big dollop, about 1/3 a cup, of creamy peanut butter and stir until it is nice and smooth.

Finally, add about three quarters of the cilantro, reserving the remainder for garnish.

Ladle some soup into a bowl

and then, using an ice cream scoop, add a scoop of the mashed yams. Garnish with the remaining cilantro.

The trick is to get a little bit of the buttery mashed yams and a little bit of the soup in each bite. It takes practice to measure it out just right. You might have to have several bowls! Enjoy!

Chicken Peanut Soup with Mashed Yams
serves: 4 (Recipe also on Tasty Kitchen)

2 medium yams, cut into 1" pieces
1 t salt
1/3 cup milk
3 T butter
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup shredded cooked chicken
2 carrots, diced
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, undrained
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 onion, diced
3 green onions, diced
1/2 cup roasted red bell peppers
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt
pepper
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped and divided

Begin by preparing the mashed yams. Add a teaspoon of salt to a pan of boiling water before adding the yams. Cook for 15 minutes, until yams are easily pierced with a fork, and then drain. Add milk and butter to the pan with the yams and mash. Add salt, to taste. Cover to keep warm and set aside.

For the soup, heat the chicken stock and shredded chicken to a simmer in a large enameled roasting pan or stock pot. Add the carrots and cook over low heat for 20 minutes.

Once the carrots are tender, add diced tomatoes with their juice, celery, onions, green onions, roasted pepper and garlic. Add red pepper flakes to taste.Season with salt and pepper and let simmer for another 20 minutes.

Add peanut butter to the pan and stir until smooth. Remove from heat and add three quarters of the cilantro. Ladle soup into a bowl and add a scoop of mashed yams. Garnish with remaining cilantro.

Fashion Lessons: 101

noreply@blogger.com (JaymieLO) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:48:00 +0000

I've been working my way through all my old pictures with Picasa's people identification tool. At this point, let me issue a warning. If you have the slightest bit of obsessive compulsive disorder tendencies, this is NOT a task you should ever start. EVER! Don't even try it to see how it works. I promise, you will be sucked into the face identification vortex. For the past couple of weeks I've been trying to identify shadows in crowds. For instance, do I know that person, or is it a random bystander at the St Patrick's Day parade from 2004?

Anyway, while I was wasting hours tagging all my family, friends, acquaintances and strangers, I noticed that in a high percentage of the snapshots, our youngest son is in very odd ensembles. Now I know that we aren't fashion forward at our house, but I think he may have a problem.

Here he is a couple of years ago. Now, the outfit would be OK if he had on pants, and if it was winter.

How about this one taken just a few weeks ago? That's my headband. I'm just lucky it was on his head instead of mine, because "fixing my hair" is his other favorite thing to do while I'm trying to work... And he is disappointed when I comb out my hair when we make a carpool run.

This is more like it. Middle of winter, in boxers or "little pajamas", never mind the cold, with my "Jacklyn Onassis" sunglasses on.

This one screams classic confusion. Am I superman? Am I a cowboy? Am I a train engineer?

Fatigues with antenna sportin' rain boots. His explanation? "Mom, I don't have any real army boots".

And this, this is over the top, even for him. Tightey whiteys on his head with hot wheel sunglasses. Hmmm... I swear that I've always believed he was gifted, but I may need to reconsider exactly what those gifts are.

Although I will admit that the other day I threw a pair of pants and shirt at him as I was folding laundry in an effort to get him out of the aforementioned boxers and he looked at it and asked me completely deadpan, "Mom, isn't that too much green?" How do you like them apples?

Uova in Purgatory

noreply@blogger.com (JaymieLO) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 23:09:00 +0000

See this cookbook? This well used and loved cookbook?

A few years ago, my husband was on an Italian cooking kick, and this turned into his bible.

I know... A TV show cookbook? But seriously, it has some great recipes in it.

It has been rode hard and put away wet... The pages are dog eared and tattered....

It has food splashed on it and some of the pages have stuck together, but it has been a fixture in our kitchen for many years. These days, we make modifications of many of the recipes which have been tailored to meet the palate of our family. But, I would highly recommend the cookbook to anyone who wants a good general purpose, traditional Italian cookbook. I'm going to be posting a few of our favorites in the next few weeks. Today, it is Uova (Eggs) in Purgatory.

The ingredients are pure and simple. Tomatoes, eggs, garlic, basil, olive oil, and (missing from this picture) salt, pepper and Parmesan.

My family is garlic crazy, so we start with around 8 garlic cloves

and mince them up into a nice big pile.

Next, take two 14.5 ounce cans of diced or whole tomatoes

and puree them in a blender.

I think this recipe is best done in a cast iron skillet, but most types of skillets should work. Add 1/4 of cup of olive oil to the pan along with the minced garlic. I usually don't turn the heat on until both the oil and garlic are in the pan because of the potential to scorch the garlic if the oil is too hot.

Cook the garlic over medium heat until it is lightly browned and then add the pureed tomatoes.

Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste

and then stir in a bunch of basil.

Once combined, simmer the sauce over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes. While the sauce is cooking, grate 1/2 a cup of Parmesan cheese. I like to use a coarse grate for the cheese in this dish.

The sauce is thick enough when you can see the bottom of your pan for a few seconds as you stir.

Now it is time to add 8 eggs. I've found the easiest way to do this is to lay a spoon into the sauce, making a well, crack the egg into the spoon and then slip the spoon out from under the egg.

Try to keep the eggs evenly spaced in the pan.

Season again with salt and pepper and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top.

Cover and cook over low heat until eggs are the desired consistency. If you like a nice runny yolk, this is usually about three minutes.

Sprinkle the dish with a little Italian parsley, if desired,

spoon two eggs with lots o' sauce onto each plate

and serve with crusty Italian bread to sop up the extra sauce and yolk.

Uova in Purgatory
serves: 4 (Recipe also on Tasty Kitchen)

8 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup of olive oil
2 14.5 ounce cans of diced tomatoes, pureed
salt
freshly ground pepper
10 basil leaves
8 eggs
1/2 c Parmesan, coarsely grated
Italian parsley, for garnish

Puree the tomatoes in a blender. Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil with minced garlic in a cast iron skillet until golden. Add the pureed tomatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in a bunch of basil. Simmer the sauce over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes until nicely thickened.

Making a well in the sauce with a spoon, crack an egg into the spoon and then slip the spoon out from under the egg. Repeat for each of the eight eggs, keeping the eggs evenly spaced in the skillet. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top. Cover and cook over low heat until eggs are the desired consistency, about three minutes.

Garnish with a little Italian parsley and serve with Italian bread.

Short Rib Stroganoff

noreply@blogger.com (JaymieLO) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 23:06:00 +0000

The ribs in this dish are among my husband's favorite food. He is a voracious carnivore and the rub on them is wonderful. They can stand on their own, served with whipped potatoes or fries, or you can make the entire recipe with the stroganoff and pasta. This morning, my husband ate the leftover ribs with eggs... Like I said, he likes meat. This recipe is a modification of Tyler Florence's Beef Stroganoff with Buttered Noodles.

The recipe calls for three pounds of boneless beef short ribs. Sometimes I have trouble finding them and use country style ribs instead, but I think the short ribs are better for the recipe, if you see them at the market. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.

We are going to rub the ribs down with a paste of garlic, olive oil, kosher salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme.

I LOVE garlic, so I start by taking a handful of garlic cloves

and roughly chopping them up. If you think this is going to be too much garlic for you, only use about 4 cloves to my 10.

Put the garlic in a bowl and grind about a tablespoon of fresh black pepper over it.

You want to use a course grinder so you have lots of big chunks.

Next, add a a generous tablespoon of Kosher salt to the garlic mixture.

You want to use Kosher salt because the big crystals have a large surface area. This makes it excellent for rubs.

Add enough olive oil to the bowl

to make a nice paste. I used several tablespoons.

Lastly, add the herbs to the mixture. I one sprig of rosemary and several springs of thyme.

I removed the leaves from the herbs and coarsely chopped them before adding them to the garlic.

Now you are ready to put the rub on the meat. I always line a jelly roll pan with foil when making these ribs because it makes for easy clean up.

I use my hands to coat the top of each rib with the paste and then put them in the preheated oven.

The ribs will cook for 2 1/2 hours total, but after an hour, I pull them out and cover them with another piece of foil

before cooking for the remaining hour and a half. If you don't do this, I think they get too dry and I like them tender and moist. You can pull the foil back off for the last 10 to 15 minutes if you like to make sure the ribs are nicely browned. Sometimes I do, and sometimes I forget.

While the ribs are cooking, you can prepare the rest of the ingredients for the stroganoff.

Dice two shallots and two cloves of garlic.

Then take 1 1/2 pounds of crimini or white button mushrooms and quarter them. You could slice them, but lately, I've become enamored with the quartered mushroom because it just seems more substantial in a dish.

Keep chopping until you have a very large pile.

For the rest of the sauce, you will need brandy, whipping cream, Dijon mustard and sour cream.

Prepare and set aside a bowl with 1/2 cup of sour cream and 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard.

Also chop and set aside 3 tablespoons of butter, 1/4 cup of Italian parsley and 2 green onions.

Totally off topic, when I took this picture, I realized that it was one of my favorite times a day, when the sun shining through our leaded windows works its way across our kitchen.

Funny how you notice things through the lens of your camera that you can completely miss otherwise...

Back to cooking... When the ribs have about 15 minutes left to go, add several tablespoons of olive oil to a large saute pan with the mushrooms. At the same time, bring a sauce pan of salted water to a boil for the egg noodles.

Cook the mushrooms for about five minutes or until nicely browned.

Add the shallots and garlic to the pan and toss to combine, seasoning with salt and pepper.

Continue to cook for several more minutes and then add 1/4 cup of brandy to deglaze the pan. Use a wooden spoon to scrape all the brown bits off the bottom of the saute pan

and then add 2 cups of heavy cream.

Season again with salt and pepper and simmer until the cream is reduced by half.

Once reduced, remove from the heat and add the sour cream and Dijon mustard. Stir to combine.

When the ribs come out, they should be nicely browned and tender.

They will fall apart if you press them with the side of a fork.

Drain the egg noddles and mix with three tablespoons of butter. Top a pile of buttered egg noodles with stroganoff, two to three ribs and garnish with the Italian parsley and green onions.

Now take just a little bit more of the stroganoff and pour it over the ribs.

You really can't have too much cream or butter in your diet! Enjoy, preferably with a nice glass of red wine.

Short Rib Stroganoff
serves: 6 (Recipe also on Tasty Kitchen)

10 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped, plus 2 cloves, minced
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 T olive oil, divided
1 spring fresh rosemary, leaves removed and roughly chopped
3 springs thyme, leaves removed and roughly chopped
3 lbs boneless beef short ribs
1 1/2 lbs white button mushrooms, quartered
2 shallots, diced
1/4 cup brandy
2 cups heavy cream
1 T Dijon mustard
1/2 cup sour cream
1 lb egg noddles
3 T butter
1/4 cup Italian parsley, roughly chopped
2 green onions, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Mix 10 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped with about a tablespoon of freshly ground pepper and a tablespoon of Kosher salt. Add enough olive oil to the bowl to make a thick paste. Add the chopped rosemary and thyme to the mixture. Lay the ribs on a jelly rolls pan covered with foil and cover with the garlic rub. Cook uncovered for an hour and then tent the ribs with foil and continue to cook for another hour and a half, removing the foil and cooking uncovered again for the last 10 minutes.

Add several tablespoons of olive oil to a large saute pan with the mushrooms and cook for about five minutes or until nicely browned. Add the shallots and garlic to the pan and toss to combine, seasoning with salt and pepper. Continue to cook for several more minutes and then add 1/4 cup of brandy to deglaze the pan. Use a wooden spoon to scrape all the brown bits off the bottom of the saute pan and then add the heavy cream.
Season again with salt and pepper and simmer until the cream is reduced by half. Once reduced, remove from the heat and add the sour cream and Dijon mustard. Stir to combine.

Prepare the egg noodles as directed, drain and mix with three tablespoons of butter. Top pasta with stroganoff, two to three ribs and garnish with the Italian parsley and green onions.

Pennette with Pork Ragù

noreply@blogger.com (JaymieLO) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:43:00 +0000

This is one of my favorite Italian meat sauces, because it is just a little bit different than a traditional dish. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of my husbands signature spaghetti and meatballs, and someday soon, I'll share that recipe, because they are out of this world, but today, I'm going to show you Pork Ragù. I'm pretty sure that I modified this recipe from one I found in Food and Wine. I did a quick search online, and this looks like the original, but I do it a little different.

Start with a big hunk of meat. You have some flexibility here. I usually use about 3 1/2 to 4 lbs of boneless pork shoulder. Today, because it is what came home with my husband from the grocery store, I'm using a 4 lb bone-in pork sirloin roast. You can also use a veal shoulder.

You want to cut the meat up into large chunks. You can also cut off the big hunks of fat that might be on there and, if you have 'em, throw it at your dogs. They love me when I cook!

Here is my meat all cut up. The big piece in front actually is this large because my cut was bone-in, but it is all good. If you are using a bone-in cut, just remember to pull out the bone at the end of cooking the sauce. The meat will literally fall off.

You want to pat your meat dry so that it will brown nicely,

lay it out in a single layer, and season with salt and pepper.

Top it with a sprinkling of flour,

flip it over and season the other side.

In a large enameled cast-iron skillet, heat about 1/4 cup of olive oil and brown the pork in batches over medium high heat.

You want to get all sides of the meat nice and brown

and then transfer the meat to a plate. Make sure you set the meat far enough back on the counter that the dogs, whom you have lured into the kitchen with the promise of fat, can't reach it. Our sauce had a little less meat than originally intended. (Insert your favorite swear word here)

Back to the cutting board. Take one medium sweet onion

and dice it up.

and take 5 (or so) garlic cloves

and mince them.

Finally, take a nice spring of rosemary,

remove the leaves from the stem and coarsely chop it.

Now, add another 1/4 cup of olive oil to the pan you browned the meat in and stir in the onion and garlic.

To this, you want to add about 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of coriander seeds and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of fennel seeds.

I have this really cool grinder that I got from my mother in law that grinds whole spices beautifully, but you can use spices that you have bought ground from the grocery store just as effectively. Stir the spices into the garlic and onion mixture and cook over low heat for about five minutes.

Measure a little over 1 1/2 cups of red wine

and add to the onion mixture. Boil for about 5 minutes, until reduced to roughly 1/3 of cup.

While the sauce is reducing, open two 28 oz cans of whole tomatoes.

Drain the tomatoes in a colander

and then very roughly chop.

When the wine is reduced, add the tomatoes to the pan.

Stir it all up and cook over medium heat for another five minutes.

Next, you want to find four cups of some sort of stock. You can use chicken or veal. I had beef and chicken stock frozen in my freezer, so I grabbed four. I think that I used 3 cups of chicken and 1 cup of beef. You can use canned stock or reconstituted stock.

Since mine was frozen, I just broke it up and threw it in the pan. It is hot. It will melt. I added the chopped rosemary to the top and stirred it all together as the stock thawed.

When it was boiling again, I add the meat back into the pan

moved it back the simmer burner, partially covered and left it alone for a two hours. However, I have a disclaimer. You want to check the pot every thirty minutes or so to make sure that your liquid hasn't evaporated. If it looks like it is getting dry, add some more stock or wine. I didn't have to add any today, but I often do need to.

After two hours, when you pick up the meat with your tongs, it should literally fall apart. In fact, you want to pick up all the meat and break it up, removing any bones you find if you were using a bone-in cut. While you are breaking it up, boil some salted water and prepare, according to the directions, your pasta of choice. I have found a tubular pasta works best for holding the liquid in the sauce.

When you are ready to eat, grate a nice pile of Parmesan cheese

and chop up some Italian parsley for garnish.

Usually I plate my pasta and put the sauce on top, but for this dish, you want the sauce to really coat the pasta,

so I mix it up in a bowl

before putting it on individual plates.

And now, see all that liquid at the bottom of the bowl, you don't want to miss that. It is absolutely yummy when sopped up with a piece of crusty bread,

so use a spoon to drizzle it over each serving of pasta. Top the pasta with a little Parmesan and parsley and enjoy!

Pennette with Pork Ragù
serves: 8 (Recipe also on Tasty Kitchen)

3 1/2 to 4 lb boneless pork shoulder
salt
pepper
flour, for dusting
1/2 c olive oil, divided
1 medium sweet onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons coriander seeds, ground
1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds, ground
1 1/2 cup red wine
2 28 oz cans of whole tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
4 cups chicken stock
1 spring rosemary, coarsely chopped
2 lbs pennette
1/2 c Parmesan, grated
1/2 c Italian parsley, chopped

Cut the pork shoulder into large 3" chunks and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper and dust with flour.

Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large enameled cast-iron skillet and brown the pork in batches over medium high heat. When all sides of the meat are nice and brown, transfer to a plate.

Add the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil to the pan you browned the meat in and stir in the onion, garlic, coriander and fennel. Cook over low heat for about five minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups of red wine to the onion mixture and boil for about 5 minutes, until reduced to roughly 1/3 of cup. When the wine is reduced, add the tomatoes and cook over medium heat for another five minutes. Add the stock and rosemary and bring to a boil. Add the pork, cover partially and cook over low heat until very tender, about 2 hours, adding more wine or stock as needed.

When the meat falls apart when picked up with your tongs, break it up into the sauce.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pennette until al dente. Drain and return to the pot or a bowl. Add the ragù and toss until the pasta is coated. Serve with cheese and Italian parsley at the table.

Brandied Chocolate Molten Cakes

noreply@blogger.com (JaymieLO) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:55:00 +0000

This is my "go to" dessert. To be perfectly honest, I suspect it is one of the reasons my husband loves me. I've been making these little babies for years and over time, I've begun adding a few extras to take them over the top. The basic recipe is so simple, you can make it for a quiet family dinner at home, but the result is so scandalously rich and impressive, it is perfect for the swankiest of dinner parties.

The basic ingredients are chocolate (good quality is best, but in a pinch, use whatever is on hand), butter (lots of it), eggs, powdered sugar and a wee bit of flour. Just because that doesn't seem quite rich enough, I like to add in a little cognac, or brandy, or Godiva liqueur... Basically, whatever you have will work.

The first thing you need to do is prep your little ramekins. These are 6 oz custard cups that come with almost every Pyrex set. I used to use the much prettier, white, straight sided ramekins, but honestly, the slanted sides on the custard cups make the cakes easier to plate. I take a stick of butter, rub it around in the cup and then use my fingers to smear it all around. You don't want to skimp on the butter or your cakes will stick, and that would be very sad. When the cups are greased, preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

Next, measure out 5 ounces of chocolate. You can use bittersweet or semisweet. This is a nice hunk of semisweet chocolate that I got at Whole Foods.

Put the 5 ounces of chocolate plus ten tablespoons of butter into a double boiler and slowly melt.

You need to keep this over low heat and stir it occasionally, but in the meantime, locate 6 eggs.

Into a small bowl, crack three yolks and three whole eggs (yolk plus white)

and whisk.

Now, I sneak about 2 generous tablespoons of liqueur (I used B&B today), into a large bowl with the eggs and mix well. It helps if this bowl has a pour spout because you will pour the batter out of it, into the ramekins, before baking the cakes.

Next add 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar and mix.

When the chocolate and butter is completely melted, remove from the heat and let cool slightly

before adding to the egg mixture.

Lastly, add in 1/2 cup of flour and I like to also add about a teaspoon of cinnamon. I love chocolate and cinnamon together. This isn't overpowering at all, but I think it gives it just a little extra yum factor.

If you have a little one handy, ask him to stir everything up.

and when he slops it on his leg,

sure, let him lick it off with his finger. You know he is going to be a mess from licking the bowl anyway.

However, before you let him go at the bowl, divide the chocolate batter between the six prepared ramekins. At this point you can either bake the cakes, or cover and chill them for up to a day.

I've chosen to bake them right away because the little one wants one. Cook the cakes until the sides are set but the center remains soft and runny. This will be about 11 minutes or up to 14 minutes if you refrigerated the batter. Whatever you do, DON'T OVERCOOK THEM! They just aren't as good if the chocolate doesn't ooze out.

Serve immediately! I usually run a paring knife around the sides to loosen the cake and then put a plate over the ramekin and flip it. In all the times I've made these, I'm pretty sure I've managed to burn myself every single time, but you are probably much more coordinated than me, so you will be fine. Once plated, the chocolate should run out somewhere. Y-U-M!

Add a scoop of ice cream right on top of or next to the hot cake.

and dig in. I promise you, this dessert will impress who ever you have for dinner.

Brandied Chocolate Molten Cakes

makes: 6 servings (Recipe also on Tasty Kitchen)

5 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
10 T butter, plus extra for the ramekins
3 egg yolks
3 whole eggs
2 T brandy
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
1/2 c flour
1 t cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Use the extra butter to grease 6 6oz custard cups or ramekins

Melt 5 ounces of chocolate plus ten tablespoons of butter in a double boiler. In a large bowl with a pour spout, whip 3 egg yolks and 3 whole eggs. Add in 2 generous tablespoons of brandy and 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar. When the chocolate and butter is completely melted, remove from the heat and let cool slightly before adding it to the egg mixture. Lastly, add in 1/2 cup of flour and about a teaspoon of cinnamon and mix well.

Divide the chocolate batter between the six prepared ramekins. At this point you can either bake the cakes, or cover and chill them for up to a day. Bake the cakes until the sides are set but the center remains soft and runny. This will be about 11 minutes or up to 14 minutes if you refrigerated the batter. Serve immediately with a scoop of ice cream.

Trees from heaven

noreply@blogger.com (JaymieLO) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:18:00 +0000

Today was "my day" to drive the caravan to school, but I was so happy it was. We were treated to the most beautiful display of snow and ice coated trees.

My kids were telling the other kids that the trees looked like they were from heaven

That they were made by God or an angel

The other (older) kids snickered

But I agreed with them. They were beautiful. I might be sick of the five foot drift which is preventing us from using our front door and the ten foot piles of snow that make it so difficult to see other cars, but the trees this morning, that part of winter I will take.