FoodSAZm

Urban Cookery!

2013-03-08T13:07:00.001-05:00

Hi FoodSAZm followers - All of FoodSAZm's posts are now officially tranferred to my new and amazing site: www.urbancookery.com

FoodSAZm will no longer be updated - instead visit Urban Cookery for all new blog posts!

Thanks for being such loyal & awesome readers!

xoxo

Saz

FoodSAZm is now URBAN COOKERY

2013-02-28T09:37:00.000-05:00

Well my fellow FoodSAZm-ers, my dream has finally become a reality: I have my own legitimate website with my own domain name (cue Halleluiah chorus)! FoodSAZm has officially been moved over to www.urbancookery.com

I have transferred all your favorite dishes from FoodSAZm to the new website and have added a bunch of new recipes that have never been featured before. So, I am sad to say that this is the end of FoodSAZm, but the beginning of a much more interactive, expansive and exciting site! So add Urban Cookery to your bookmarks and check it out!

xoxo

Sara

Swedish Meatballs with Egg Noodles

2013-02-08T11:12:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, while spending my day daydreaming about what to cook, I sought out the desires of my husband and he said "cook something you've never done before." Well, that's a loaded statement, but well received....I do realize as a chef, when you have writer's [cooker's] block, you tend to fall back on the same few dishes for dinner....so I guess after Justin's 700th chicken quesadilla on Wednesday night, he requested something different. So with that, somehow my mind went to Swedish Meatballs. I had never eaten a Swedish Meatball before, had no idea what they were supposed to taste like, or anything, but I decided it looked delicious and like something fun to make. The best part of this dish is, you can cook the entire thing in one pot (minus making the egg noodles)....but on a weeknight, the less dish washing I need to do at the end of the night, the better. So I looked up a bunch of recipes online to get a general idea of how to make the meatballs and the sauce that goes along with it, and came up with this recipe! It was fun to make and super delish!

For the Meatballs:

(yields about 16-18 meatballs)

1 1/4 lb Ground Turkey

1/2 cup Breadcrumbs

1/2 cup Onion, minced

3 Garlic Cloves, minced

1/2 tsp Salt

Pepper

1 Tbsp Fresh minced Parsley

1 tsp Thyme

> In a large saute pan, add a little Olive Oil and saute up your onion and garlic until cooked through. Remove from heat at set aside to cool.

> In a large bowl, combine all ingredients (plus your onion and garlic) and mix with hands thoroughly.

> Form into 1 inch balls:

> In the same saute pan you cooked your onion/garlic in, add some Canola Oil, and pan fry your meatballs until golden brown on all sides (and cooked through in the middle).

> Once cooked, remove from saute pan, and set on paper towels to absorb any excess oil.

For the Sauce:

1/2 Onion, finely chopped
4 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. Butter
1/4 cup Flour
3 Cups Beef Stock
1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
Pepper

> Still in that same saute pan you were using for the meatballs, saute up your onion and garlic (you can do this in the remaining Canola Oil from the meatballs - I found there was too much oil, so I dumped some out and kept just enough to saute the onion/garlic).

> Move the onions/garlic to one side of your pan, and add the butter.

> Once your butter has melted, add in your flour and start to whisk.

> Once your flour starts to turn a light brown you can add in your beef stock slowly while continuing to whisk.

> Once all your stock has been added, you can pour in your Heavy Cream. At this point you want to bring the sauce up to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Whisk often (the longer you simmer, the thicker the sauce will become). Once you've reached your desired consistency, add your meatballs back in to reheat (about 5-8 minutes).

Serve your meatballs with a side of Egg Noodles (also covered in the sauce from the meatballs.)

This meal, as you can tell, is extremely easy to make - and is a huge crowd pleaser. Justin was very happy with the change in meal, and said "I wasn't sure if I was going to like this, but it's awesome." So it's been stated by the grand taste-test master :) ENJOY!

Shrimp & Avocado on Endive Boats

2013-01-29T09:49:00.001-05:00

I’m always looking for impressive looking dishes to serve to my guests when they first arrive. I like when appetizers are easy to eat with one hand, aren’t messy, and aren’t too filling. This dish fulfills all those requirements and is beyond delicious and refreshing. The mix of the shrimp with the citrus and avocado along with the crunch of the endive will really impress your palate and the overall look of the dish will really impress your guests! The other great thing about this recipe is you can prepare it ahead of time, and pop it in the fridge until your guests come.

Shrimp & Avocado Salad in Endive Cups

(This recipe will yield enough filling to make 6 endive cups)

10 medium Shrimp (cooked and peeled) chopped

1 celery stalk diced

2 tbsp. Low Fat Mayonnaise

½ tsp. Siracha

½ tsp. Onion Powder

¼ tsp. Dill

Pepper

½ Avocado cubed

Juice of ½ lime

1 tsp. fresh chopped Cilantro

Endive

1. In a bowl, combine your shrimp, celery, Mayonnaise, Siracha, onion powder, dill and pepper. Mix well.

2. In another bowl, combine the avocado, lime juice and cilantro and mix together - almost like you're making guacamole.

3. Carefully peel apart each leaf from your endive so that it’s completely in tact (cut off the very end part that's attached to the stem). Layer on the endive some of your avocado mixture, and then top that with some of the shrimp salad.

4. Serve cold.

Gorganzola Stuffed Figs

2013-01-28T15:16:00.001-05:00

I am pleased to present a blog post for a dish made by my husband, Justin. He made these a while back, and I totally forgot to showcase his talents on FoodSAZm... so here it is! This is a great dish to serve for really any course - appetizer, a side note on an entree dish, or as a part of your dessert course. The mix of the sweet figs with the salt of the Gorgonzola Cheese and the acidity of the reduced Balsamic, will have your taste buds singing. Justin dusted the tops of these with Porcini Powder which is something we found in our local Whole Foods, but if you can't find it, just leave it off....the other 3 ingredients really just speak for themselves!

Gorgonzola Stuffed Figs

Whole Figs, ends chopped off and hollowed out

Gorgonzola Cheese

Porcini Powder

Balsamic Vinegar

1. Stuff the figs with a cube of Gorgonzola cheese. Dust the tops with Porcini Powder.

2. In a small saucepan, reduce down your Balsamic Vinegar until it’s a thick consistency. Drizzle on top.

Zucchini Crisps

2013-01-28T15:01:00.004-05:00

With the Superbowl only 6 days away I realize that sometimes the women who are forced to watch the Superbowl with their husbands/boyfriends/man friends/etc don't want to indulge in the crazy fried Buffalo Wings or 5 layer nacho dips.....I personally don't understand these women, but I hold no judgement. So for something a little more on the healthy side against potato chips or nachos, I have these delicious Zucchini Crisps that you can try out! They go great with Tzatziki Sauce, Sour Cream, or Tartar Sauce. They're easy to make, super cheap, and healthy! The guys even like them too :)

Zucchini Crisps

(yields about 40 chips)

1 Zucchini, cut ¼ inch thick chips

1 tbsp. Olive Oil

3 tbsp. PANKO

3 tbsp. Pecorino Romano

1 tsp. Thyme

Pepper

1. With a mandolin or knife, cut up your zucchini into ¼ inch thick chips.

2. In a large bowl toss the zucchini with the Olive Oil until all chips are coated.

3. In a small bowl, mix together the Panko, Pecorino Romano, Thyme and Pepper.

4. On a greased cookie sheet, lay out each chip individually. Spoon some of the Panko/cheese mixture onto each chip.

5. In a 375 degree preheated oven cook for 30 minutes.

Sausage Cheese Balls

2013-01-25T15:05:00.001-05:00

With the Superbowl only a little over a week away, I wanted to share this recipe for Sausage Cheese Balls with you, which is great for Superbowl snacking. They're super easy to eat, delicious, and you can make a ton of them in a quick amount of time - plus they go great with beer. It's a great change up to the usual nachos and chili dishes that you may associate with Football. In addition, my Onion Dip, Spinach Artichoke Dip, Indian Spiced Nuts, Bison Sliders, Cheddar Bacon Chive Scones, Shrimp Toasts, and these amazing Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies are great ideas for easy, fun and out of the box ideas for Superbowl noshies!

Sausage Cheese Balls

Yields: 24 balls

1 lb Sweet Italian Sausage, removed from the casing

¾ Cup Buttermilk Baking Mix

8 oz. Cheddar Cheese, shredded

¼ Cup Onion, diced

¼ Cup Celery, diced

¼ tsp Garlic Powder

1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients thoroughly – use your hands!

2. On a greased baking sheet, roll the mixture into 1-inch sized balls.

3. Cook in a preheated 375-degree oven for 15 minutes. Serve hot.

Osso Buco

2013-01-24T11:06:00.001-05:00

In this installment of FoodSAZm, I am sharing probably one of my favorite meals to eat and cook: Osso Buco (Braised Veal Shank). This is a classic meal, perfected by my dad, who then passed down his recipe to me.....and of course I had to make my own alterations to it because I refuse to follow directions and I like to experiment! The first time I made this dish was when Justin and I were dating - we decided to cook it together, reading my dad's very detailed recipe except for one MINOR detail.....where my dad wrote "1 large garlic clove" Justin and used 1 large head of garlic....as in an entire bulb of garlic.....so now the big joke is that a) I can't read and b) 1 clove does not equal 1 bulb.

So now that we got my first major cooking blunder out of the way, I will share with you this awesomely impressive meal that's actually super easy to make. It's best served with potato gnocchi, which you can find my recipe for here. I also like to serve it with a simple vegetable like steamed broccoli. When buying your veal shanks, you can usually assume that you're going to be making 2 shanks per person....this is not a cheap meal, unfortunately (Veal Shanks usually cost about $15-$17 a pound) but is worth it for special occasions.....or for random Wednesday nights like I did last night!

Osso Buco

(Yields 4 Veal Shanks with extra gravy!)

-->

4 Veal Shanks - about 3” thick
Flour for dredging
Olive oil
1 Onion, sliced thin
1 tsp Crushed Bay Leaf
2 Carrots, diced
1 Celery stalk, diced
6 Thyme sprigs
Handful Fresh Parsley
4 Tarragon sprigs
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste (shouldn’t need much, maybe a little salt)
Broth – about 16 oz. -- my dad's recipe calls for Beef Broth which is usually what I've always used, however, last night I couldn't find beef broth so I used Chicken Broth and it was fantastic!
Wondra
1/2 tsp Gravy Master
Gnocchi to serve with

> First, dredge all sides of your Osso Buco in Flour.

> In a large skillet, heat up some Olive Oil, and brown the outsides of your Osso Buco - you're only browning them so just a minute or so on each side. Remove the Osso Buco from the skillet and set aside. You want to sear these shanks in the same vestibule that you'll end up cooking the Osso Buco in - so make sure it's a deep pan that also has a cover.

> Add a little more Olive Oil to your skillet, if necessary, and scrape the remaining flour from the bottom. Add in your Onion, Carrot, Celery and Garlic and cook for at least 8 minutes, stirring frequently until onion starts to turn translucent.

> At this point, add your shanks back into the skillet, and add your Thyme, Tarragon, and Parsley.

--> Add the [beef] broth so that the shanks are covered by the liquid (not necessarily completely covered, but least substantially so). Bring up to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and let cook for at least 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

> After the shanks are done cooking, remove them from the pot and set aside. Drain all solids from the broth, and discard - pour broth back into skillet. Bring up to a high heat and start to stir in your Wondra and Gravy Master, whisking often. The Wondra is a thickening agent to help create a thicker gravy texture. The Gravy Master gets that beautiful brown color that we associate with gravy....at this point season with salt and pepper if needed (but it most likely will be spot on in terms of flavor). Once you've gotten your desired thickness of gravy, add your shanks back into the skillet and cook for a few minutes on a low heat, coating/basting with the gravy.

> Serve the Shanks hot with gravy on top, alongside the gnocchi, covered in gravy as well!

One of the best parts of this meal, it the marrow from the bone. So if you have small forks or utensils used for eating lobsters, you should really try the marrow!

My recipe differs from my dad's in a few ways - but his is also fantastic. He cooks with a little White Wine, and doesn't use the Thyme or Tarragon....I also used more garlic (not a whole head though this time!) ENJOY!

Broccoli Cornbread - revisited!

2013-01-23T10:16:00.001-05:00

Back in the day....March 18, 2011 to be precise, I posted my 3rd ever recipe to FoodSAZm: Broccoli Cornbread. First off, I took the photos that are in that post with my iPhone (first major blog fail)....in addition, I didn't even remotely show HOW delicious this Cornbread is.....so I felt I needed to redeem the almighty Broccoli Cornbread in this post, in the hopes that you all will actually try making it!

This recipe is super simple, and ridiculously delicious.....even if you hate broccoli with every fiber of your being, you will love this dish.

Broccoli Cornbread

(Yields about 12 servings/1 pan)

1 tsp salt

1/8 lb melted butter (1/4 stick)

¼ onion diced

8-10oz chopped frozen broccoli (I go with 10 oz because I love broccoli that much!)

4 eggs, beaten

6 oz. (3/4 cup) low fat cottage cheese

1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix

1. Preheat your oven to 360 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, mix all your ingredients thoroughly.

3. In a greased or sprayed baking dish, pour in your cornbread batter.

4. Depending on how deep your dish is, start out by cooking your cornbread for 20 minutes. Check with a toothpick in the center to see if it’s done. My baking dish is a 10x7 Pyrex (which gives you an 1 ¼ thick bread) and I had to cook it for 32 minutes.

5. You can serve it with butter, but it’s so flavorful and moist that it can just be served alone!

Potato & Shrimp Croquettes

2013-01-22T11:21:00.000-05:00

As I have stated many a time, I am a huge fan of creating dishes out of random food in my fridge that I want to just use up and get rid of....and last night, I came up with probably one of my most successful fridge cleaning meals: Potato & Shrimp Croquettes. It all started out with me realizing I had about 10 frozen shrimp in my freezer.....10 shrimp....what am I going to do with only 10 shrimp.....so I took out my trusty scale and realized the 10 shrimp were a little over 1/4 of a pound....

Ok 1/4lb. I can do something with this....I also looked to see that I had an abundance of potatoes that needed to be used soon.....ok so now I have a potato and shrimp......don't ask me how but my strange mind went to: CROQUETTES! I have made potato and ham croquettes before and I loved them, so I figured, hey why not try it with shrimp and change up the ingredients and seasonings.....and so I derived this awesome recipe which I am so happy about!

Potato & Shrimp Croquettes

(Yields 6-8 Croquettes)

4 oz Shrimp, cooked and deveined

1 Russet Potato, peeled, cooked and mashed

1 Garlic Clove, minced

1 Green Onion, Minced

1 tbsp. Unsalted Butter

1 handful Fresh Parsley

1/4 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Salt & Pepper

1 Egg

Panko Breadcrumbs

Canola Oil to pan fry

> I buy frozen shrimp all the time to keep on hand for parties and whatnot, so I guess I had leftover just enough from my last usage, to create this dish. I personally don't like to buy the pre-cooked frozen shrimp, but feel free to, to eliminate this step. To cook my shrimp I quickly sauteed them in a tiny bit of butter until pink. Once cooked, I let cool, then devein them and removed the shells. Meanwhile in another pot, cook up you potato (peel it and cut into cubes and cook until fork tender. Once cooked, drain the water and mash the potatoes with your 1 tbsp. of butter).

> In a food processor, add your shrimp and pulse to just get a nice chop on them.

> To the shrimp, add your garlic, green onion, mashed potatoes, parsley, and shredded cheddar cheese - pulse a few times just to incorporate all the ingredients. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

> In a small bowl, whisk your egg to make an egg wash, and on a plate add your Panko. Form your potato/shrimp mixture into little logs and coat in egg, then roll in the Panko until completely coated.

> Set aside your croquettes on a pan and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

> In a large saute pan, heat up some Canola Oil. Pan fry your croquettes, flipping every so often to brown all sides. Once golden brown, carefully remove and set on a paper towel to remove any excess oil/grease.

I served mine with a sauce: 2 tbsp. Greek Yogurt, 2 tsp. Low Fat Mayo, 6 dashes of Cholula Hot Sauce. This was a great side dish to the steak I made - the outside is nice and crispy and the inside is soft and delicious! You can try to experiment with different fillings when it comes to croquettes - try different cheeses, other seafoods (like crab meat), or make them vegetarian! Enjoy!

These are a few of my favorite things...

2013-01-21T11:51:00.002-05:00

One of the greatest things about getting married is.....all the awesome kitchen stuff you can register for!! Oh and I guess that whole soulmate, love, partnership thing is cool too....but cooking is far more fun to talk about. When registering for gifts for my bridal shower and our wedding, I was like a kid in a candy store....only the candy store was Williams Sonoma....and I was a 26 year old cooking lunatic. Now that I have all of these great kitchen supplies, I shall share with you my very favorite ones, and ones that I think every cook should invest in at some point.

One of the first things I would suggest getting is a large Le Creuset Dutch Oven (insert potty humor dutch oven joke here). This is a great implement that can act as a few different kitchen supplies. First, this is great to make huge quantities of soup, chili, etc. It can also be doubled as a slow cooker to cook such things as Brisket, ribs, Osso Buco, etc. In addition, the size is great for searing large pieces of meats before you cook them. It is the first item on my list for people who aren't even majorly into cooking....believe me, you'll find many a use for this if you cook at all!

Next up, is an item not necessarily for cooking, but for pure enjoyment. The rabbit corkscrew and accessories. I do cook frequently with wine, but more often I like to enjoy some wine WHILE cooking. I used to have the same lame corkscrew that I am sure everyone in this world owns....and I always felt like opening a bottle of wine was a battle of strength and determination. Well no longer! This corkscrew is incredibly easy to use, and opens a bottle of wine with no force exerted.

One of my favorite things that I have is this set of 10 multi-sized glass bowls. These are awesome for prepping your food, creating food in, storing food, etc. The different sizes are great for various things - for example, the smallest size, which is smaller than my palm, is awesome for prepping herbs (like thyme, tarragon, etc.) - by laying out ingredients for a meal you're creating, you make it so much easier for yourself during the actual cooking time. The largest bowl is great for mixing cookie batter, letting dough rise in it, mixing ingredients together for meatballs ...you name it.

Next up is this awesome set of Le Creuset bakeware. You will not imagine how many things you can use these various dishes for. I use them to roast veggies, cook fish, make baked mac n' cheese, cook Shepherd's or Chicken Pot Pie, make meatloaf, etc. The little mini dutch ovens are great to create individual sized portions - great for mac n' cheese! We also use the little guys to melt butter for when we cook lobsters and want to dip the meat in butter!

The most prized possession in my kitchen is my awesome chef's knife. This is such an important tool when cooking - a sharp, good knife. A knife is something to invest in, because you will use it for absolutely everything....from chopping up veggies to butchering meats.

A few years back for Christmas, my mom got me the 12-cup Cuisinart Food Processor. I use this baby for SO many things that there's no way I could live without it in my kitchen. Mainly I use it to make homemade dough for my sausage breads , pierogis , pizza , etc. (using the dough blade). You can also use the sharp blade to puree things such as homemade hummus, dips - like my onion dip, or making chunky soups into smooth soups . The other attachments are very useful as well....the shredding blade is great for making latkes , the slicing blade is awesome to cut up carrots or cucumbers for a salad....trust me, this is something you want to invest in!

The next few items on my list are more for your own fun and enjoyment as opposed to kitchen necessity. First up is a slow cooker. The great thing about these is, you can put it on in the morning, loaded up with whatever you're going to cook, go to work, and come home, and you're dinner is ready. We use it to make pulled pork, slow cooked chicken , ribs, brisket, chili, pork belly, you name it. You can also use it to make soups, veggies....even mac n' cheese!

A really cool implement I received for my bridal shower was an immersion blender. This is awesome for making chunky soups smooth , or if you're into molecular gastronomy like my husband, for making foams ! They're also fairly cheap, so if you're not looking to invest in something larger, this is a fun thing to start out with.

Next up is a device that brings out the inner Paula Dean in me.....my deep fryer!!! SO AWESOME, I cannot even count the ways. Recently I've used this to deep fry Sfinge (Italian Zeppole), Corn Fritters for Thanksgiving, Angel Wings (cookies), and french fries. Obviously the possibilities for deep frying are endless, and I intend to fry anything and everything!

And now my most recent acquisition: Barry, my Pressure Cooker. A Pressure Cooker is basically the polar opposite of a Slow Cooker....in this device you can cook things in about a quarter of the time it would take to cook normally. I have cooked a 3 pound pot roast in less than an hour, cooked 2 pounds of ribs in 24 minutes, you get the idea. This is an awesome thing to have if you've worked all day and want to eat something awesome, but want it done fast!

These are just some of my favorite kitchen appliances/supplies that I think every cook should own! When you have great items such as these, your ability to get creative and try new things increases! For other really cool devices/supplies I would recommend walking into a Williams Sonoma or Sur La Table and check things out!

Shrimp & Pork Dumplings

2013-01-20T12:28:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite Asian dishes to eat is dumplings....so when I found dumpling wrappers at our local Whole Foods, I knew I had to try and make my own. My personal favorite combination is shrimp and pork dumplings - the subtle flavor of the shrimp goes so well with the mild taste of ground pork. These are great to serve as an appetizer or as a side dish for any meal. I love anything that's small and compact and wrapped in an outer casing (like my pierogis!) You can get creative with the filling of dumplings if you don't like pork or shrimp -- try ground chicken, cabbage, or edamame to name a few. In the recipe I show below, after boiling the dumplings, I pan fry them...but the next time I try these I want to deep fry them to get the entire outside crispy!

Shrimp & Pork Dumplings

Yields: Approximately 20-22 Dumplings

.4 lbs. Ground Pork

13 small Shrimp, raw and de-shelled

1 tsp. Ginger Powder

3 tbsp. Onion, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tsp. Soy Sauce

1 tsp. Sesame Oil

2 tbsp. Cornstarch

1 tsp. Rice Vinegar

Dumpling Wrappers

1> In a large bowl combine your pork, shrimp, ginger, onion, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch, and rice vinegar. Mix together this dumpling filling thoroughly with your hands.

2> To assemble your dumplings, lie out one sheet of the dumpling wrapper, have a small bowl of water on the side and with your fingers, wet the outside edges of the wrapper. Spoon a teaspoon sized portion of your filling in the center. Fold the wrapper in half creating a half circle shape, and press the edges together to seal. Repeat this until you have no more filling left.

> Bring a large pot of water to a boil and drop in half of your dumplings. Once they rise to the top of the water, they are done and can be taken out and placed on a platter.

4> After they’ve been boiled, you want to pan fry them to get the outsides crispy. In a large sauté pan, heat up a few tablespoons of Canola Oil. Add your dumplings and cook on each side until golden brown. Serve warm with the sauce listed below.

Dumpling Sauce

1 tsp. Siracha

¼ cup Soy Sauce

2 tsp. Sesame Oil

½ tsp. Sugar

½ tsp. Rice Vinegar

1. Combine all ingredients and whisk together until completely integrated. Serve alongside the dumplings to be dipped in.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

2013-01-18T12:29:00.002-05:00

Being that we're entering the weekend, I thought I'd share a great recipe for something to make on a Saturday or Sunday for brunch: Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins! I am usually not a huge muffin fan, but ever since I was a kid, I've loved these muffins - they're not overly sweet, and the subtle taste of lemon is so delicious! This recipe yields a perfect dozen which is great for figuring out how many muffins you want to make....I mean in our house there is only 2 of us, so I'd half this recipe to make the right amount for us!

Lemon Lime Poppy Seed Muffins

(yields 1 dozen muffins)

2 Cups All Purpose Flour

1 tbsp. Baking Powder

½ tsp. Baking Soda

½ tsp. Salt

1 Tablespoon Poppy Seeds

2 Eggs

1 cup Low Fat Sour Cream

½ cup granulated Sugar

2 tbsp. No Salt Butter

2 tbsp. Canola or Vegetable Oil

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 tsp. Lemon Juice

½ tsp. grated Lime Zest

1. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together thoroughly.

2. In a 12-muffin greased muffin pan, distribute equal amounts of batter to each cup.

3. Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for 15 minutes. Let cool and serve with butter.

Corn & Bacon Risotto with Tri Tip Steaks

2013-01-17T10:39:00.003-05:00

I very rarely blog dishes in which every component is talked about and plated on one plate....however, one night, during one of Justin and my infamous cook-offs I created this dish and was instantly obsessed with the art of plating and making something look a little fancier than my usual comfort food style. I had never attempted Risotto before, and I was super intimidated by it's reputation of being hard to cook, but I went for it and LOVED the flavors featured in this one (I mean, corn and bacon? hello!). I also like a dish in which I have a meat, veggie and a starch present (the Zerner triad combo that I grew up with). This dish is great if you're having company over because it's impressive looking, and risotto is very filling. If you don't like asparagus you can substitute in green beans, broccoli, or brussel sprouts (I just think the green gives this dish such a great combination of colors).

Corn & Bacon Risotto with Grilled Tri Tip Steak

(This recipe will yield 4 portions)

For the Risotto:

5 bacon slices, cooked and chopped

2 tbsp. unsalted Butter

2 tbsp. Olive Oil

¾ cup minced onion

1 garlic clove, minced

¾ cup Arborio Rice

2-3 cups Low Sodium Chicken Stock

½ cup White Wine (Pinot Grigio)

1 ½ cups frozen corn

½ tsp. thyme

1/3 cup shredded cheddar

1/8 cup Chives, diced

Pepper

1. Cook up your bacon, and set aside, leave the oil from the bacon in the pan for later use.

2. In a pot, melt your butter and olive oil. Add in your onion and garlic clove and cook for about 5 minutes. Then add in your rice, stir, and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the edges of the rice start to turn translucent.

3. Meanwhile, in another pot, bring your chicken stock to a boil, and then reduce the heat so that it’s nice and hot.

4. At this point, add in your white wine (I used a dry Pinot Grigio, you don’t want anything too sweet). Stir frequently on a medium heat, until all of the wine is absorbed (about 5 minutes). At this point, add your corn and thyme, and mix thoroughly.

5. Reduce the heat down slightly to a medium/low heat, and add one cup of your chicken stock. You want to stir the rice frequently until the broth is fully absorbed. At this point, add another cup of chicken stock and repeat the stirring and cooking process. You want to do this until the rice is al dente (you may not use all of the stock depending on the humidity – however you can save the stock to use if you want to re-heat leftover risotto).

6. When the rice is al dente, add in your chopped bacon, cheddar cheese, chives and pepper. Mix well until everything is integrated. You will want to serve your risotto immediately.

For the Steak:

4, 1/2 lb. Tri Tip Steaks

Pepper

Garlic Salt

1. Season your steak on both sides with pepper and a little bit of garlic salt.

2. On a griddle cook on each side for 4 minutes. Let sit for a few minutes before serving so that all juices are reabsorbed.

For the Compound Butter:

4 tbsp. unsalted Butter room temperature

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp basil

1. Mix the ingredients together and form into a log. Wrap in plastic wrap and put in fridge for at least 30 minutes.

2. Before serving, cut into 4 equal wheels and place on top of steak.

For the Asparagus:

About 24 tips of Asparagus (the end with the leaf)

2 tbsp. unsalted Butter

Sprinkle of garlic powder

Pepper

1. In a baking dish lay down asparagus, on top lay slices of the butter evenly across the spears. Sprinkle your garlic powder and pepper on top.

2. Cook in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Take out of oven and toss. Place the oven on HI BROIL and place on the bottom most rack of the oven – cook for about 7 minutes.

For the Fried Onions:

A loose cup of thinly sliced Onion

3-4 tsp. Flour

Salt

Pepper

Reserved Bacon Fat from your Risotto

Extra Canola Oil for frying

1. In a bowl, toss together your onion, flour, salt and pepper until the onions have a light coating of all the ingredients on them.

2. In the pan that has the reserved bacon drippings, add a little more canola oil to it so that there’s enough oil to fry. Heat up oil, once hot toss in your onions.

3. Cook until a nice golden brown. Remove from oil and set on a plate with a paper towel on top to absorb any excess oil.

For the Full Meal Assembly:

Lay down a healthy portion of Risotto; top that with your steak. In the center of the steak, add your compound butter and top with fried onions. Lay about 6 asparagus spears up against your steak vertically.

Cheesesteaks

2013-01-16T11:45:00.002-05:00

My first [and last] Cheesesteak I had in 2004 on a my first ever trip to Philly. I went to Jim's Steaks and got the classic Cheesesteak with Cheesewhiz and onions. It was a fantastic meal, but one you feel like you need a nap after. Since then, I haven't eaten a cheesesteak and I can't figure out why - it combines my love for sandwiches, with cheese and meat.....so last night I decided I was going to make my own version of a Cheesesteak. I used Swiss Cheese, Chuck Meat (cooked in my pressure cooker), Caramelized Onions, and Mushrooms. Justin and I were little piggies and devoured these sandwiches - they were SO good....so now I share the goodness with you!

Sazzy Steaks

(this make 2 large hero-sized sandwiches)

1 Baguette (cut in half to make two hero-sized sandwiches)

1 medium White Onion, chopped

1 tbsp Olive Oil

1/2 lb. Cremini Mushrooms, chopped

2 lbs. Chuck Roast

Water

Salt & Pepper

1/2 lb. Sliced Swiss Cheese (or any cheese of your choice!)

> Chop up your onion and mushrooms. In a pot, heat up your Olive Oil and add in your onion on a medium heat. Cook for about 45 minutes, stirring frequently until they are almost caramelized.

> In a separate saute pan, start to cook your mushrooms (add in a little splash of Olive Oil to keep them from sticking to the pan and burning). The reason you want to cook the onion and mushrooms in separate pots is that mushrooms will give off a lot of water while you cook them and you don't want that to cause the onions to get all mushy and not caramelize. Once your mushrooms have cooked down, drain out the water and mix the mushrooms into the pot of the caramelized onions.

> Slice up your cheese (I used Swiss cheese because I like the salty bite it has, but you can use any cheese you like....Havarti, Cheddar, Muenster, etc.)

> Lay your cheese down on your baguettes on a baking sheet. Just before you're ready to assemble your sandwiches, you're going to pop these into the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes (or until your cheese is completely melted).

> Like I said I pressure cooked my meat for the simple reason that I bought Chuck Steak which can be a very tough cut of meat (but it's super cheap). So I seasoned both sides of my meat with salt and pepper, and in a pressure cooker I added my 2lbs of Chuck, filled some water up 3/4 the way until it was almost covering the meat, and cooked it on high for 50 minutes. Just to add a little flavor, I added in a few sprigs of Tarragon while it was cooking - but you can leave that part out. After 50 minutes of cooking, the meat just falls apart, nice and tender:

> Now you're ready to assemble - add your onion/mushroom mixture on top of your melted cheese baguettes, then top with a heaping layer of meat!

This sandwich is so easy to make and can be customized to your own flavor profile. Try adding in different topping like peppers or different cheeses - add in lettuce or tomatoes - get creative! Also - if you have onion/mushrooms leftover, use them in an omelet the next morning! Like my mom always used to say, "waste not, want not!"

Russian Tea Cookies

2013-01-15T15:13:00.000-05:00

There are few sweets in this world that I truly love and cannot resist.....Russian Tea Cookies are one of them. I am pretty sure you could dust anything in powdered sugar and I would think it's the most brilliant dish ever created, and these cookies are no exception. They're super easy to make, and are great especially around the holidays - they always remind me of Christmas! Not to mention, these little delectable bites are fairly expensive to buy from a bakery, however, homemade, are super cheap and will look and taste like something a professionally made (if I can do it, you can do it). They're great to bring to a party if you're going to someone's house for dinner, or to serve at your own function. I like that they're not super sweet, and the crunch of the walnuts is awesome!

Russian Tea Cookies

Yields: about 20 Cookies

1 cup Butter

1 tsp. Vanilla extract

6 tbsp. Confectioner’s Sugar

2 Coups All Purpose Flour

1 cup Walnuts, chopped

Extra Confectioner’s Sugar to top

1> In a food processor, add all ingredients (except the extra confectioner’s sugar) and mix until the nuts are completely ground and the ingredients form a dough-like consistency.

2> On an ungreased cookie sheet, form 1-inch balls from the dough and space an inch apart. Cook in a preheated 350-degree oven for 12 minutes. Immediately remove the cookies from the pan and dust with powdered sugar. After a few more minutes, dust them again with more sugar.

Lobster Bisque

2013-01-15T11:34:00.001-05:00

A few months ago, my husband Justin and I took a cooking class at Sur La Table. The theme of the night was French Date Night, and the first dish we cooked was a Lobster Bisque. Now considering the fact that I grew up going to Maine, have been going to Maine every year with Justin, and grew up eating lobster you would think somewhere along the line I would have tried Lobster Bisque.....wrong. For some reason, I have never ordered it in a restaurant or had it at home before...so when I tasted this soup, I almost died with flavor happiness. This bisque is so incredibly flavorful, easy to make, and super elegant to serve at a dinner party. I changed up a few of the ingredients from the soup we made in the cooking class, and I love the flavor it adds! One of the key tricks that I learned was in the first step listed below, where you actually use the leftover lobster tail shells to infuse flavor -- it is probably one of the most important steps in this meal.

I served this dish as a starter for our Thanksgiving dinner and it was a huge hit with everyone...in fact for New Year's Eve, Justin requested we not only eat Whole Lobsters, but that I make a the Lobster Bisque as a starter.... lobster infatuation....

Lobster Bisque

Yields: 4 servings

1 tbsp. Olive Oil

2-3 Lobster Tails, cooked, meat removed

1 Medium Onion, chopped

1 Carrot, Chopped

1 Celery Stalk, chopped

1 Tomato, chopped

6 Garlic Cloves, chopped

2 tbsp. Fresh Tarragon

2 tbsp. Fresh Thyme Leaves

1 tsp. crushed Bay Leaf (or 1 bay leaf)

8 black Peppercorns

½ cup Brandy

¼ cup Rice Vinegar

4 Cups Fish Stock

¼ Tomato Paste

½ Cup Heavy Cream

2 tbsp. Cornstarch

2 tbsp. Water

1. Chop up your lobster meat and set aside. Also, chop up the lobster shells. In a large pot, add your Olive Oil and Lobster shells. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

2. Now add in your onion, carrot, celery, tomato, garlic, tarragon, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns, Brandy and rice vinegar. Cook for at least 10 minutes. Then add in your fish stock. Cook for 30 minutes, uncovered on a low simmer.

3. At this point, take your broth and pour it through a sieve and into another pot. You want to remove all solids from the broth, leaving just a nice seasoned broth.

4. Discard of solids and bring the broth back to a simmer. Add in your tomato paste and simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Add in cream and simmer for another 5 minutes.

6. In a small bowl whisk together your cornstarch and water (this will becoming a soup thickening agent). Add the cornstarch mixture and your lobster meat to the pot cook for a few minutes, serve hot.

The great thing about this Bisque is that it's not super heavy, so it's great for both the winter and summer!

Spinach Artichoke Dip

2013-01-14T11:49:00.002-05:00

I am a diehard New York Giants football fan and one of my favorite things about football, are all the great foods you get to eat on game day. It’s almost like for that one day a week, you can eat all this delicious, not so healthy food, and not feel bad about it because I tell myself that anything on game day has no calories (denial is an ugly, ugly thing...). One classic dish, which at least incorporates some vegetables in it, is my Spinach and Artichoke Dip. I make mine on the healthier side...while most recipes call for an entire package of Cream Cheese; I make mine with a mixture of lower-fat but tasty ingredients. This is always a crowd-pleaser and looks super fancy when it's put in a bread bowl surrounded by vibrant fresh veggies for dipping!

Spinach Artichoke Bread Bowl

(This recipe makes enough dip to fill a hollowed out bread bowl)

14 oz. can Artichoke Hearts (drained, rinsed and chopped)

10 oz. chopped Spinach (I use frozen spinach, thawed)

½ cup Low Fat Sour Cream

½ cup Low Fat Mayonnaise

1/3 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

2/3 cup shredded Part-skim Mozzarella Cheese

A few dashed of Tobasco/Cholula

Pepper

1 Sourdough round Loaf, hollowed out to make a bowl

Dippers: Carrots, Celery, Red Pepper, Chips – this is where you can get creative!

1. In a large bowl mix together your chopped artichoke hearts, spinach, sour cream, mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, mozzarella, Tobasco, and pepper. Mix thoroughly!

2. In a 350-degree pre-heated oven, cook this mixture in a Pyrex dish for 30 minutes.

3. While it’s cooking you can hollow out your bread (*tip: Cut the bread from the inside that you scoop out into chunks, sprinkle with Olive Oil and toast to use as dippers for the Spinach Artichoke Dip!) and you can chop up some veggies.

4. Once the dip is done cooking, carefully pour it into your bread bowl & serve hot!

Make this for Superbowl!

Ribollita Soup with Breadsticks

2013-01-14T09:49:00.000-05:00

A few months ago I was watching the show "Around the World in 80 Plates", a series that follows 12 chefs competing in a culinary race across 10 countries in 44 days. In each country, the chefs have to recreate a dish infamous to that region. While in Italy, one of the dishes the chefs has to cook was a Ribollita Soup. Coming from a Sicilian background, I was surprised I had never heard of this soup before, so I was immediately intrigued. There are many variations to a Ribollita Soup, but the main ingredients always include leftover bread, Cannellini (white) beans and inexpensive vegetables. I love a soup in which you can throw anything into from your refrigerator, and this seemed like that kind of dish. Also, it's high in nutrients with all the veggies, and high in fiber. So being that today is a cold, damp, rainy day, I figured it was the perfect time to share this delicious dish! I served mine with a side of breadsticks because let's face it, everything is better with bread.

Ribollita

Yields: 6-8 servings

2 cups Onion, chopped

1 cup Carrot, diced

1 cup Celery, diced

3 large Garlic Cloves, minced

4 slices Low-Sodium Bacon, chopped

1 bunch Kale, chopped

1 head Napa Cabbage, chopped

1 14.5 oz. can Whole Peeled Tomatoes

1 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes

3 Sprigs Thyme, leafs only – no stems

1 tbsp. Basil

15 oz. can White Beans, drained & rinsed

3 cups Low Sodium Chicken Stock

2 cups Ciabatta Bread, ripped into small pieces

Handful Fresh Parsley, chopped

Salt & Pepper

1. In a large pot, over medium heat cook your onion, carrot, celery, garlic and bacon. You don’t need to add any Olive Oil because the vegetables will cook in the bacon fat instead, adding more flavor. Cook for about 10 minutes.

2. Add in your kale, Napa cabbage and whole tomatoes, and stir. Cook until the greens have cooked down, and reduced in size completely (about 10 minutes).

3. Next add in your red pepper flakes, thyme, basil, White Beans, and Chicken Stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot, and cook for at least 20 minutes.

4. At this point add your bread and parsley. Cook for at least 5 minutes so that the bread is soft. At this point you can either leave your soup chunky, or do what I did which is blend it to more of a puree texture. Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan Cheese and Breadsticks.

Garlic Herb Breadsticks

Yields: 5 breadsticks

1 11oz. Package Pizza Dough

2 tbsp. Garlic Powder

1-2 tbsp. Oregano

1 Sprig Rosemary, minced

1 Sprig Thyme, leafs only

¼ cup Parmesan Cheese

1. On a greased baking sheet, roll out your dough so that it’s a rectangle. Sprinkle an even layer of garlic powder, oregano, rosemary and thyme across the whole sheet of dough. With a pizza roller or sharp knife, cut the dough into 10 equal strips.

2. Take two strips and twist them together in a spiral fashion. Top with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

3. Cook on the baking sheet in a 400 degree preheated oven for 12 minutes – serve hot with soup.

Indian Spiced Nuts

2013-01-13T16:51:00.006-05:00

This is probably one of the most addictive recipes I have and will be loved by everyone because of the great flavors that it encompasses. It will satisfy both the sweet tooth and the savory tongue and will leave you wanting more. It’s a great dish to have out during a party or while watching the game or it’s a great snack for during the day while at work. You can great creative with the types of nuts you want to use, but this blend has the perfect combinations of flavors and textures.

Indian Spiced Nuts

(Makes 4 cups of nuts)

1 cup Almonds (un-salted)

1 ½ cups Pistachios (de-shelled and un-salted)

1 cup Cashews (un-salted)

½ cup Pumpkin Seeds (un-salted)

½ cup Granulated Sugar

1 tbsp. Garam Masala

1 tbsp. Chili Powder

½ tsp. Cinnamon

½ tsp. Cumin

Dash of Cayenne

1 egg white

1>Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2>In a large bowl combine all ingredients except the egg white – mix well.

>In a small bowl, with an electric beater, whip the egg white until it forms fluffy white peaks. Add in the egg white to the nuts/spices and carefully incorporate all ingredients. The egg white allows for the spices/sugar to stick to the nuts.

5> Spread the nuts out on a baking sheet evenly and cook for 15 minutes.

This is a great quick recipe to put together and have during cocktail hour or as a munchie at a party. Even if you're not really into Indian spice flavorings, the taste is very subtle.

Pressure Cooked Ribs, Truffle Fries & Bacon Roasted Brussels

2013-01-11T13:34:00.002-05:00

I clearly have no regard for my arteries or cholesterol after I cooked and then devoured this meal I am going to share with you, but sometimes it's really nice to indulge and treat yourself to the finer things in life....like truffle oil.

So with that being said I will walk you through our decadent Wednesday night dinner with 3 delicious components....First being the Bacon Roasted Brussel Sprouts.

Bacon Roasted Brussel Sprouts

This recipe is super easy, and would be a great pairing with ANY meat dish....

I used thick cut bacon (about 3 strips) and cooked them in a frying pan halfway...you don't want to cook them completely, just about half done, remove from pan and let cool on a plate - DON'T put them on paper towels like you normally would to drain off the oil, you want the oils! In addition, save the oil in the pan for a trick with the ribs that I will explain later!

Once cooled, dice up the bacon. With your brussels, just give them a rough chop and put in a Pyrex dish...add the bacon, a sprinkle of paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and toss. If you feel it still needs a little more oil in it, you can add a touch of Olive Oil, but as it cooks in the oven, more oils from the bacon will come out.

Cook at 375 degrees for at least 35 minutes, taking out of the oven every 10 minutes to toss and make sure that all leafs are being cooked evenly. Depending on how al dente you like your brussels, you can leave them in the oven as long as you like, but 35 minutes is a great jump off point (it's enough time to cook the bitterness out of the brussels and to really incorporate that bacon flavor).

Above are the brussels PRE-cooking, below is the gorgeous bacon roasted photo....YUM!

Pressure Cooked Pork Ribs

So as I mentioned in previous posts, I acquired my new pressure cooker, Barry (yes I name all my kitchen appliances and I felt we needed to add a Barry to the group). My first experiment with Barry was with a Whole Chicken which came out fantastically, so obviously I was on a kick to try every form of meat via pressure cooker. So I decided it was time to take our traditional Bojo Ribs that we traditionally slow cook (see this post for our slow cooked version) and test them out in the polar opposite kitchen appliance from a slower cooker: a pressure cooker.

First I rubbed in our special Bojo Rib blend (which those who attended our wedding were lucky to get as a favor...it's that damn good). I can't tell you the exact recipe, but it contains Brown Sugar, Basil, Garlic Powder, Paprika and a few other special ingredients. You can either make your own rub or there are some amazing brands in the stores.... I like this Kansas City Rub, and the Rib Rub from Williams-Sonoma.

So as I said in the Brussel Sprout recipe, I wanted you to save that bacon fat in the pan for something in this recipe...well here it goes. Heat up the fat left in the pan, and once hot quickly brown both sides of you ribs just to get a little golden crust on it (about 1-2 minutes per side). This will help seal in the flavor when pressure cooking and adds a nice crisp to the outside.

Now it's time to Pressure Cook! Below is my little Barry, looking all shiny and new! In the cooker, add a few cups of chicken stock (it depends on how much liquid your pressure cooker requires, but I probably used about 2 cups). I then added a splash of Apple Cidar Vinegar, just for that nice bite that I love in most Southern BBQ sauces. I put the ribs in, sealed the top and cooked for 24 minutes on high pressure (I used about 2 lbs of pork ribs).

And out they came, tender, juicy and full of flavor. I will say one thing...the texture is completely different on ribs when you pressure cook them, then when you slow cook. Slow cooking is a lot moister where as pressure cooking is still fall off the bone, but the meat is a tad bit tougher. Next time I will probably try the ribs for less time in the pressure cooker and see if that changes the texture at all. But don't get me wrong, they were still fantastic!! I like to serve mine with Stubb's BBQ Sauce. Another method you can use is once you remove the ribs from the pressure cooker, put them on a baking sheet, pour your favorite BBQ Sauce on top and cook for a few minutes in a 400 degree oven.

Now last but not least.....my favorite....Truffle French Fries.....

To me a potato can do no wrong, no matter what form you put it in, but then, when you couple that with Truffle Oil....I could die happy on the spot. These are simple to make, you can make them in super large quantities if you're serving a lot of people, and they taste like something you'd get in a ritzy NYC steakhouse....just let the truffles do the work.

For the Fries, I like to leave the skin on the potatoes, mainly because I hate peeling potatoes but also because I love that crunch that the skin provides. I cut mine into thick fries, about 15 fries per large Russet Potato (just make sure for the most part that they're even in size so they cook evenly).

Once cut, place in a large bowl and drizzle Truffle Olive Oil on top. You don't need to use a lot because the flavor of truffle oil is extremely strong. Sprinkle some pepper and salt (if you're feeling really saucy, you can use truffle salt - helllooooo decadence!) and toss it all together so each fry is evenly coated.

I place the potato wedges on a greased baking sheet (just spray lightly with cooking spray to avoid any sticking). Bake in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes, take out and flip over, cook for another 15 minutes, do this once more but put in for about 10 minutes, and the potatoes should be completely cooked through and nice and tender. Keep an eye on the potatoes because depending on how thick you cut them, or how hot your oven is, you don't want them to burn.

I serve mine with my own homemade sauce which I just realized I never named.....hmm....

SaziSauce!

SaziSauce - A mixture of Low Fat Mayo, some ketchup, Greek yogurt and a sprinkling of garlic powder. I love it on french fries!!

I love setting a nice dinner table for us every night....it makes things special and it's a great time to talk about our days and spend time together.

Hi Yoshi!!

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

2013-01-11T10:34:00.000-05:00

I have always wanted to cook a Broccoli Cheddar Soup, and last night, I finally did so! I realized while cooking it, that I'd never even eaten this soup before, so why did I have such a great desire to make it? Well it's got both broccoli (my favorite veggie) and Cheddar (my favorite cheese) so I guess instinctively I knew it would be a great success for my taste buds....and indeed it was! It was super easy to make, only took about 30 minutes in total to prep and cook time, and was a big hit with Justin (the same man who makes fun of me constantly for cooking soups....). I paired the soup with a Pressure Cooked Pot Roast which I will also give you the recipe for.....it was INCREDIBLE. I am officially jumping on the Pressure Cooker bandwagon and insisting everyone buys one immediately!

Broccoli Cheddar Soup - 8 soup servings

1 bunch Broccoli

1 tsp. Olive Oil

1 small Onion, diced

1 Red-Skinned Potato, diced

1/4 cup Flour

3 cups Low Sodium Chicken Stock

1/4 tsp Nutmeg

1 1/2 cups Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese (plus more for garnishing)

1 12oz Can Evaporated Milk (you can use Low-fat if you can find it!)

Salt & Pepper

Scallions, for garnish, thinly sliced

> Remove stems and florets from the broccoli - finely chop the stems and roughly chop the florets. Also, dice up your onion and potato.

> In a large pot, add Olive Oil, onion, broccoli stems, and potato and cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until onions start to become translucent.

> Add in your flour and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring so as not to burn the flour.

> Next, add in your chicken stock, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile in a separate pot, add 1/2 cup of water and your broccoli florets, and cook for about 5-8 minutes (covered) until broccoli is tender.

> After your stock has finished it's 15 minutes of simmering, add the entire contents of the broccoli florets along with the nutmeg and stir.

>Now add in your cheddar cheese and evaporated milk and stir together to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper to your desire. Serve immediately with a garnish of shredded cheddar cheese and thin chopped scallions.

Super easy and delicious - makes 8 soup servings!

For the Pot Roast, I seasoned 3lbs of Chuck Roast with salt and pepper. In a pressure cooker I added 1 medium onion roughly chopped, 6 sprigs of Tarragon, the chuck roast, and enough water to cover 3/4 of the meat. Cook on High Pressure for 60 minutes (20 minutes per pound). Use the quick release on your pressure cooker and serve. The meat was so tender and flavored - I am officially obsessed. Not to mention, the liquid makes a great beef stock that you can use later on!

Bison Burgers with Special Sauce

2013-01-10T12:13:00.000-05:00

Burgers are one of my favorite things in the world....but one day, I made the mistake of looking up the calorie and fat content in Ground Beef and was immediately disgusted at my past burger eating. It was a sad sad time in my life... however, I am all about cooking comfort foods but finding ways to make them healthier in any way possible...and burgers were no different. I discovered that at my local Whole Foods, they sell Bison Meat! Bison meat has less calories and less fat than Ground Beef, and I think the taste is even better as well. In addition to this mouth watering burger, my husband started making this awesome Special Sauce (modeled after the sauce used on Shake Shack burgers). This sauce is so awesome that we usually make it in large quantities and put it in a jar for later usage (or give it out to friends when we go to their houses!) You can construct your burger however you want, but I love a nice crisp piece of lettuce, a slice of tomato, and the Special Sauce sandwiched in between a crispy bun!

Bison Sliders with Special Sauce

(yields 4, 4oz. burgers)

For the Sliders:

1 lb. Ground Bison Meat

1 garlic clove, minced

1/3 cup onion, minced

½ tsp. Thyme

2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1. In a bowl, mix all ingredients together and form 4, equal sized patties. Cook on a griddle until medium rare on the inside. Let sit for about 5 minutes after cooking so all the juices can be absorbed back into the burger.

For the Special Sauce:

½ cup Low Fat Mayonnaise

1 tbsp. Ketchup

1 tbsp. Mustard (not Dijon)

1 large Pickle, diced

¼ tsp. Garlic powder

¼ tsp. Paprika

1. Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a bowl – and cool in a refrigerator until using.

For Assembly:

1. Toast your hamburger buns, lay your bison burger on top, add your special sauce, some lettuce, a slice of tomato and then cover with the topside of the bun. You can also make these cheeseburgers by adding a slice of your favorite cheese on the burger while cooking it (*cheddar cheese goes best!)

**Tip: For extra flavor, butter the buns before you toast them!

** Also I use Cabot's 50% Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese when making these into cheese burgers....the cheese is fantastic and has half the fat and calories of regular cheese!

YUM!

Bacon Wrapped Shrimp

2013-01-10T10:08:00.000-05:00

Just when you thought food couldn't get any better, all you have to do......is wrap it in Bacon. In our house, we're beyond infatuated with anything pork related....Pork Belly, Pork Butt, Pork Chops, Ham, Bacon, Sausage....you get the idea. So for a simple, quick and delicious appetizer I always turn to my recipe for Bacon Wrapped Shrimp. The combination of the salty, smokey flavor of the bacon, the subtle seafood taste of the shrimp, a few spices, and some melty gooey cheese, your guests will think you've hit the apex of cooking glory. Not only is the flavor incredible, but these are so simple to assemble which is great if you're hosting a big party and want to be able to have delicious appetizer before the main meal. Also, try experimenting with different cheeses....I use either Cheddar Cheese or Monterey Jack because the bold flavors are able to stand up to the bold flavor of the shrimp.

Bacon Wrapped Shrimp

Yields: 12 servings

6 slices Bacon

12 large Shrimp, raw & de-shelled

12 1-inch cubes of Cheddar Cheese or Monterey Jack Cheese

Paprika

Onion Powder

Turmeric

Tooth Picks

1. Toss the Raw Shrimp in a sprinkling of Paprika, Onion Powder and Turmeric – just enough to lightly coat the shrimp.

2. Cut each of the bacon strips in half to get 12 strips. In a sauté pan, cook the shrimp halfway just to render off some fat – but you still want them somewhat raw so that they’re pliable and bendable. Lay semi-cooked bacon on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.

3. Once cooled, take one piece of bacon, lay one shrimp in the middle, top with one cube of cheddar cheese and wrap the bacon around it all. Secure it together with a toothpick. Repeat this process with the rest of your shrimp, bacon and cheddar.

4. In a 450-degree oven, cook on an ungreased baking sheet for 10 minutes, serve right away.

This is a dish that will impress everyone and make your home smell INCREDIBLE....I would wear bacon scented perfume if I could without being shunned from society.

Apple Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread

2013-01-10T09:53:00.000-05:00

I am not usually a huge fan of sweets, but I must say, I have an unfathomable weakness for anything baked with Apples and Cinnamon. I love an Apple Pie just like the next person, but I wanted to try something else, incorporating similar flavors, but in a different form. I always wanted to try making Monkey Bread (a sweet, sticky pastry consisting of pieces of soft bread with cinnamon sprinkled on it and with a glaze on top). Instead I found a great recipe for Apple Pull-Apart Bread...I changed it up a little, using lower fat ingredients where I could, and it was a HUGE success! I made it to bring over a friend's house and everyone was raving about it. Now considering my baking skills are usually sub-par, I credit this bread's success to the delicious combination of flavors and the great texture of the dough.

Apple Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread

Dough:

1 package of Active Dry Yeast

¼ cup warm water

3 cups All Purpose Flour (plus a little more, if needed)

¼ cup sugar

½ tsp salt

4 tbsp. butter, melted

1/3 cup Fat Free Milk

1 tsp. Vanilla extract

2 eggs

Filling:

¾ cup Light Brown Sugar

2 tsp. Cinnamon

3 tbsp Butter, melted

1 Granny Smith Apple, peeled and diced

Glaze:

2 tbsp. butter

½ cup Light Brown Sugar

2 tbsp. Fat Free Milk

1. In a food processor, add your yeast and warm water. Add in your flour, sugar, and salt on top of the yeast and mix. While it’s mixing, add in your melted butter, milk, vanilla and eggs. Mix until a dough ball starts to form. If the dough is too wet, slowly add in teaspoons of flour, until it’s a better consistency.

2. Set the dough aside in a bowl (sprinkle the dough with a little flour to prevent it from sticking to the sides of the bowl). Let the dough rise for 90 minutes.

3. While the dough is rising, mix together your filling ingredients thoroughly.

4. Once your dough has risen, on a floured surface, roll out the dough into a large rectangle (about 1ft by 2 ft in size). Cut the dough with a knife or pizza wheel from the short sides to create about 6 strips of equal length and width (so each strip is 1 foot by 4 inches approximately).

5. To each strip, rub the filling on top until there’s no more filing left. Make sure to equally distribute the filling to all strips and all part of the strips.

6. Then, stack each strip on top of each other until it’s one thick strip. With a knife cut every 3 inches to make about 4-5 square stacks.

7. In a greased loaf pan, stack the squares vertically. Let the dough sit for another 30-45 minutes (this will allow more rising to occur to help fill out the bread).

8. In a 350 degree preheated oven, cook for 25 minutes on the middle rack, take out, cover in foil, and then cook for another 10 minutes on the same rack.

9. Take out of the oven and let cool on a cooling rack. While cooling, make your glaze. Add all ingredients into a small saucepan, and bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Cook until the consistency becomes thicker. Drizzle over the top of the loaf and serve!

This is also delicious as a sweet treat for breakfast with a cup of coffee!