My Food Addiction

Moist Banana Bread/Muffins

2012-01-03T08:41:00.000-08:00

I had two bananas that were deemed "too gross" to eat by my daughters so I asked them if they wanted to make banana bread with them...and I got a big yes!

I did a quick search online for moist banana bread and I found this recipe off of cooks.com. I made 2 changes; 1) I used more banana than the recipe called for and 2) I added more spice. Another little trick I copy from my mother-in-law is that I put sugar on top of my bread when it's done baking because, hey, why not?

My daughters also decided that they wanted 'mini muffins' and mini bread because "they are mini" - their words, not mine. So, I made one pan of muffins then divided the rest of the batter between 2 mini loaf pans. If you don't want to make this lovely array of baked goods, this recipe is also good for:

2 loaves
4 mini loaves
12-16 regular muffins

Enjoy!

Moist Banana Bread or Muffins
pre-heat oven to 350*

1/2 (1 stick) Softened Butter
2 Eggs
1 Cup Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
2-3 Ripe Bananas (depending on size), Mashed
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
1/8 tsp. Ginger
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
1 1/2 Cups Flour
1 Cup Chopped Walnuts or Pecans, Optional
White Sugar or Sugar in the Raw for Sprinkling.

Grease pans well - and tops if using muffin pans.

In a bowl, blend butter, eggs, sugar and vanilla until creamy. Once creamy, add mashed banana and mix until well incorporated.

Add spices, salt, baking soda and flour. Mix just until combined. Add sour cream and mix well.

If you are using nuts, fold them in at the end.

Bake at 350* using the following times:

Mini Muffins: 15 minutes
Mini Loaves: 35 Minutes
2 Loaves: 1 Hour
Muffins: 20-25 Minutes (check frequently)

Remove when knife comes clean and bread/muffins are golden brown.

Immediately spread some butter and sprinkle with white sugar or Sugar in the Raw. Serve warm.

Hearty Mediterranean Pasta

2011-12-29T12:11:00.000-08:00

This is a pasta dish I make often, when I want something hardy, quick, and easy other than spaghetti with tomato sauce. It's certainly a comfort-food for cold winter nights but can also make a delicious cold pasta salad in the summer. I love this dish because it uses ingredients that I always have in my refrigerator and pantry...and if you don't have these ingredients on hand regularly, you should. I have made other "Mediterranean" dishes and they all use the same basic ingredients, like in this dish. It's always delicious and it's super versatile.

This dish is also great because it's vegetarian - read why it's good to go meatless one night a week. If it's just too hard for you too skip some meat you can add some shredded chicken or ground, browned sausage. Also, as I always say - the best place to get olives is at the olive/antipasto bar at your grocery store. You can also get marinaded artichoke hearts there as well! If you do, be sure to get some of that marinade; you will need it to add some flavor to this dish! Personally, I do like the marinaded artichoke hearts in the jar; I prefer Cento. I always keep a jar in my pantry.

As for the pasta in this dish, you want to use something that has a lot of lines and ridges that could soak up all the flavors - since there isn't a ton of sauce in this dish. Stay away from plain ziti or any kind of flat pasta.

I used Gemelli for this dish because of all the spaces that the sauce could creep into; but cavatappi, Farfalle, or Campanelle would work. Don't know what I am talking about? Check this out to see the many different types of pasta. I hope you try this soon! Enjoy!

Hearty Mediterranean Pasta
Serves 4-6

2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion, Diced
1/4 Cup Green, Marinated Olives, Chopped (Look at the olive bar)
1/4 Cup Pitted, Jumbo Kalamata Olives, Chopped (Look at the olive bar)
1/4 Cup Marinated Artichoke Hearts, Roughly Chopped
1/4 Cup Cherry Tomatoes, Roughly Chopped
2 Tbsp. Artichoke Marinade
1-1lb. Box Gemelli Pasta
Some Pasta Water
1/2 Cup. Crumbled Feta Cheese

Bring salted water in a pasta-pot to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al-dente.

Meanwhile, in a sauce pan, heat olive oil and add diced onion and cook until translucent.

Add olives and tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes start to get soft. Add artichoke hearts and 2 Tbsp. of marinade from the artichoke hearts. Cook for a few minutes. If your pasta is not done - remove pan with sauce from heat and set aside.

Once pasta is done, add directly to pan with sauce. Add a ladle or 2 of pasta water to thicken and make a more compact sauce.

Add feta cheese, stir and serve hot.

Cast-Iron Strip Steak with Blue Cheese Crumble

2011-12-06T12:17:00.001-08:00

It's been a long time since I have had the time to sit down and organize the recipes I have been making lately. Once I finally got the time to do, I had to then take the time to upload and organize all my photos. I don't like to go this long without updating - I forget what I make and how I did it!

Thankfully, one recipe I remember was my Strip Steak with Blue Cheese Crumble. When the Halloween Nor'easter hit us here in NH, we were out of power for days. One of those days was a football Sunday. I think everyone in Southern NH made their way to the Outback for food, warmth and satellite TV with the football game on. We were in that crowd. It had been a long time since I had eaten at the Outback and I decided on Blue Cheese Crusted Steak. It was delicious and I thought immediately: I can make this.

It's fairly easy and tastes great whether grilled or cooked in the cast - iron skillet. I highly recommend you to try this. It's also a great meal to serve for company - switch out the strip steak with fillet Mignon and instant fancy! Enjoy!

Cast-Iron Strip Steak with Blue Cheese Crumble

4 NY Style Strip Steaks
Kosher Salt and Cracked Pepper, for seasoning
1 tsp. Garlic Salt
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

Crumble

1 Tbsp. Butter
1 Cup Panko
6 oz. Crumbled Blue Cheese

Heat your oven to 450* and place your skillet inside your oven to heat up. You want you pan to be scorching hot when you place your steaks in it. This will take about 20 minutes. Yes, it may be a slight inconvenience but completely worth it.

Let your steaks sit out and come to room temperature before cooking. Drizzle over olive oil and season liberally with salt, pepper and garlic salt.

While your skillet is heating up in the oven, create your crumble. Melt butter in a small saute pan. Once melted, add panko and brown (about 1-2 minutes). If the panko looks "soggy" quickly add more panko to absorb the butter.

Once browned, remove from heat and add crumbled blue cheese. Set aside.

Once pan is scorching hot, place on stove top over a medium-high heat. Set your oven to broil and place a cookie sheet in your oven and let it warm.

Quickly, add your seasoned steaks to pan. Smoke is good! Crank that vent on high! Let it sear for 4-5 minutes.

Turn and sear for about another 3-4 minutes.

Remove from skillet burner, remove cookie sheet from oven and place steaks on the heated cookie sheet.

Top your steaks with the blue cheese crumble mix and place in oven for about 2-3 minutes; just to the point of the cheese melting.

Remove and serve hot!

Pear Chutney and Goat Cheese Chicken

2011-11-06T17:41:00.000-08:00

A new food market opened up here in Manchester recently and I was excited to go check it out. Manchester has been in need of a specialty cheese and food market for a while so I was very excited to see what they had to offer. I had no idea what I was going to make for dinner - I just figured I would pick up a few ingredients and hopefully come up with something while standing at my stove.

While at the market, they had a nice selection of fresh cheeses - I decided to get a wedge of goat cheese, one of my favorite cheeses to cook with. They also had a large selection of homemade jams, jellies and chutney's. I decided to get a jar of Pear Chutney - something I would probably just look past it on the shelf at the supermarket (if you can find it!). I picked up a few other things, that I will probably use in another dish one night this week.

I knew immediately that the goat cheese and pear chutney would work well together. The sweet and savory chutney would pair nicely with the mild tang of the goat cheese atop thinly sliced chicken breasts. This is something that would probably also make a great topping for boneless pork chops.

If you can't find Pear Chutney in your store or favorite market, you can make your own - I definitely think I will be making my own very soon. The chutney I bought had pears, raisins, onions, sugar, and vinegar. Many recipes call for some curry as well, which I think would be delightful! Experiment! Here is one pear chutney recipe I found that looks really good! As for goat cheese, you can pretty much find it anywhere these days - I bought mine in a wedge, but the crumbled goat cheese at your supermarket is just as tasty.

The key to making this dish work was making the chutney into a sauce by adding some white wine, then reducing and thickening with a little corn starch. Once reduced, I popped the entire pan in the oven to finish off the dish by melting the cheese. I must say, making this dish made me feel like I was on the show CHOPPED, only I didn't have to use crazy ingredients like sea beans or chicken feet.

Pear Chutney and Goat Cheese Chicken
pre-heat oven to 350*

4-5 Thinly Sliced Chicken Breasts, Seasoned with Kosher Salt and Pepper
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Small-Medium Shallot, Finely Diced
1 Cup Pear Chutney
1/2 Cup White Wine, Your Favorite
1 Tbsp. Corn Starch
1/2 Cup Crumbled Goat Cheese

In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil and sauté shallot until translucent, about 3 minutes.

Add the seasoned chicken breasts and brown; about 2-3 minutes on the first side, flip then about 1-2 minutes on the other side.

Add your chutney and wine directly to the pan with your chicken. Mix together, bring to a simmer over a medium-high heat and reduce wine by about half.

While reducing, in a small bowl, take 2 Tbsp. of the hot wine/chutney mixture and combine it with the corn starch until smooth. Pour into your pan and stir well.

Top the chicken with your crumbled goat cheese.

Place into oven for 5-7 minutes, or until the cheese has melted somewhat. Remove and serve immediately.

This pairs nicely with potatoes or rice.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

2011-10-26T14:27:00.000-07:00

There are so many strong opinions on how to make a meatball. Bake it in the oven? Dredge in flour and fry (which I do with my Turkey Meatballs)? Simply brown in a pan? Then there's the age old question: add meatballs to your sauce, or add meatballs to spaghetti and put the sauce over top? If you are a food dork, like moi, you will know that these are questions with very definitive answers, depending on the person. Everyone who makes meatballs thinks theirs are the best tasting and the right way of making them and that everyone else is wrong.

I promise you, they continued on to eating the meatballs...not just the spaghetti

Well, I will include myself in the above stated category by saying that mine are the best meatballs and I make them the right way! See, my kids think so. I use a meatball mix which consists of ground pork, beef and veal. If you can not find this in the ground meat section of your grocery store, just ask the butcher for some! To cook them, I brown them in a pan and DO NOT throw in a pot of sauce.

I also don't use a lot of bread crumbs and fillers, the more you use, the drier the meatballs become. A secret I use to make super moist and flavorful meatballs is to add grated onion. Onion always adds moisture, but this way, grated, you don't have pieces of onion in your meatball - just the flavor and moisture. The kicker to a great Spaghetti and Meatballs is the sauce and I like to make my 'base' sauce, a marinara. You can make this and add anything you would like to; ground beef or sausage to make a meat sauce, peppers, olives, carrots, to make a meaty veggie sauce; anything you like. For Spaghetti and Meatballs, where the meatballs are the star, I prefer a simple, basic tomato sauce. Oh, these meatballs and sauce are also great for subs if your not a pasta fan! Enjoy!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

1 lb. Box of Spaghetti or 1 lb. Fresh Spaghetti
Large pot of Boiling Water, Salted

Meatballs

1 lb. Meatball Mix (ground Pork, Veal, Beef)
1/2 Onion, Grated
2 Garlic Cloves, Crushed
1/2 Cup, Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 Cup, Breadcrumbs
1 Egg, Beaten
3 Tbsp. Olive Oil, for cooking

Tomato Sauce

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Onion, Diced
3 Garlic Cloves, Crushed
2 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
2 Cans of Tomato Sauce
1 Can Diced Tomatoes, Drained
2 Bay Leaves
2 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg

Making the Sauce

Heat oil in your pan. Sauté your onion 3-5 minutes until translucent and soft. Add garlic and sauté for another minute or so, careful not to burn. Add tomato paste and let it soften. Add your cans of tomato sauce and drained diced tomatoes. Bring to a simmer. Add the bay leave, Italian seasoning and nutmeg. Cover and let simmer; the longer the better.

Making the Meatballs

Place meat in a large mixing bowl. Add the grated onion, garlic, Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs and egg. Using your hands, gently combine all the ingredients, careful not to over mix. (If you feel the mixture is too wet, add a bread crumbs a little at a time until you get the right consistency.)

Take about 1 Tbsp. of mixture and form into a ball, continue to all the mixture is formed into meatballs, trying to make them all about the same size.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Be careful that the flame/heat is not too high, or else you will burn your meatballs and they will not cook thoroughly. While cooking your meatballs, get your spaghetti ready to go.

In batches, being careful not to over crowd the pan, place meatballs and turn about every 3-5 minutes, until cooked all the way through - about 10 minutes.

Top spaghetti with a ladle of sauce and some meatballs. Garlic Bread is an excellent side!

Green Salad with Craisins and Blue Cheese

2011-10-18T08:57:00.000-07:00

I have been OBSESSED with this salad recently. I have been eating it for lunch almost every other day and today, put it in a pita pocket (a la Caesario's Greek Pita Pocket - DELICIOUS!). The key to this salad is the blue cheese and the dressing I found: Brianna's Ginger Mandarin. It is an odd, yet delicious, mix of flavors. It is a strong, distinct taste, so, it may not be for everyone; but if you like blue cheese, try this!

As I said above, the dressing is an important ingredient to this salad and adds to it's distinct flavor. If you can not find Brianna's Ginger Mandarin dressing, try to find one that is similar, like, or, try this recipe which I found online: Ginger Orange Salad Dressing.

This salad is delicious in bowl on it's own, or in a pita pocket, like pictured above. Another great addition is grilled chicken! Enjoy!

Green Salad with Craisins and Blue Cheese

1/2 Romaine Lettuce Heart
1 Pickling Cucumber, or Half a Cucumber, diced
1/4 Cup Craisins (or Handful)
1/4 Cup Crumbled Blue Cheese
1 Roma Tomato, Cored and Diced
2 Tbsp. Ginger Mandarin Dressing
1 Pita Pocket, Optional

Cut your romaine lettuce heart in half and thinly cut - or simply rip lettuce into small pieces (I tend to cut my lettuce because I like small, uniform pieces, but that's me). Dice your cucumber and tomato and place in a salad bowl.

Sprinkle on the craisins and blue cheese then top with dressing. Lightly toss. If eating in a pita, divide evenly between two halves of the pita.

Chicken Piccata

2011-10-13T07:42:00.000-07:00

Chicken Piccata is one of my go-to recipes. It's great for a casual weeknight dinner or for serving when you have company. It's pretty darn easy to make and delicious to boot.

Another great thing about Chicken Piccata is that you can serve it with a variety of sides; angel hair pasta with butter and garlic, potatoes, or rice and veggies. It's comfort food for cold nights, yet also light and crisp in the summer.

The 2 most important aspects to this dish: THIN chicken cutlets and fresh lemon juice. You can buy the thin chicken cutlets, but you do pay a little extra for that. A normal chicken cutlet will do; simply pound it out with a meat tenderizer between saran wrap. You can most likely get two servings from one cutlet! Also, bottled lemon juice is good to use in many recipes that call for a small amount of lemon juice. But this calls for about 1/3 cup - 1 whole lemon, juiced. The bottled juice, I feel, always has a bitter/sour aftertaste that isn't very complimenting to this dish.

One staple to this dish are Capers. Some people in my family are not too keen on capers, so I tend to omit them. I think they are an amazing addition of flavor. When I make this dish without capers, I try to add something that has a great flavor punch - like fresh thyme. Thus, my recipe below calls for Thyme, but feel free to substitute with 2 Tbsp. capers.

Chicken Piccata
serves 4
4-6 Thin Chicken Cutlets
2 Eggs Beaten, for Dredging
2/3 Cup Flour, for Dredging
1/4 Cup Grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese
2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Lemon Sauce
4 Tbsp. Butter
1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Whole Lemon, Juiced
3/4 Cup Chicken Stock
1/2 Cup White, Dry Wine (or an Additional 1/2 Cup Stock if you wish to not use Wine)
3 Springs Fresh Thyme (or 1 Tbsp. Dried Thyme)

Put 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a large pan. Heat under a medium-high flame

Combine flour and grated Parmigiana Reggiano. Dredge your cutlets by placing them first in the egg, then the flour and cheese mixture.

Brown your cutlets and remove from heat.

To the same pan, add your butter and allow to melt, reducing to a medium heat as not to burn the butter. Once melted, add you stock, wine, lemon juice and thyme. Scrape the bottom of the pan; the leftover bits of flour from the cutlets will naturally thicken the sauce. Bring to a simmer and Reduce sauce by half.

Add your cutlets back to the pan. Saute for a few minutes. Remove and place on serving platter, pouring the sauce overtop. Add some thyme for garnish.

I Am On the Interweb

2011-10-10T06:15:00.000-07:00

I try hard to get the word out about my blog. In other words, I tweet about it (follow me here and here) and facebook about it on my blog's facebook page (like me here). Sometimes, all this tweeting and facebooking work to my advantage.

After posting my brisket recipe, I was featured on a paper.li newspaper website in the section #RecipeHaven. This page features recipes and cooking ideas from people, like me, blogging about their passion for food! Check it out!

Recipe Haven

Beef Brisket

2011-10-09T06:47:00.000-07:00

When I hear Beef Brisket, I automatically think of BBQ Brisket. BBQ Beef Brisket served on rolls, burgers, or on BBQ platters. That's just my brain, I think I always default to BBQ. Yet, there are so many different ways to prepare beef brisket, it's a shame to think that this great cut of meat can only taste good with BBQ sauce.

Beef Brisket, in addition to being a staple in the BBQ world, is a very popular dish prepared on many Jewish Holidays. I had brisket on my mind because last week was the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashannah and I had seen on the Internet some postings about ways to prepare Brisket for the Jewish New Year.

I decided to do a little "research" and read many different recipes on how to prepare brisket. The biggest difference I found were the herbs used to season the meat. Another was the question as to whether to cook with or without tomatoes/tomato juice. On the other hand, preparation of the brisket was a unanimous, sear then roast cooking method. Your favorite potato side dish seems appropriate; whether it be roasted potatoes, pierogies or potato pancakes. I chose to serve potato gnocchi with a melted butter and thyme sauce; a recipe I found a few years back on a recipe site that I have slightly altered to fit my taste. The simple recipe is below. Here is my attempt and take on Beef Brisket. Enjoy!

Beef Brisket
pre-heat oven 325*

1 2-3 lb. Beef Brisket
Kosher Salt and Cracked Black Pepper, for seasoning
2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Medium Onions, Coarsely Diced
3 Carrots Sliced
1 Cup Red Wine
1/2 Cup Chicken Broth

Garlic/Herb Seasoning

1 Tbsp. Rosemary

4 Cloves Garlic, Crushed

1/2 Tbsp. Kosher Salt and 1/2 Tbsp. Cracked Pepper for Garlic/Herb Seasoning

Score meat on the fatty side in a cross-hatch pattern. Salt and pepper each side of the meat generously.

Place your roasting pan over a medium-high flame. Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil and sear meat until a golden brown color. Remove meat from pan and place on a platter. Add another Tbsp. of olive oil to your roasting pan and add your diced onions and sliced carrots. Saute for 3-5 minutes until tender. Turn your heat off and place your brisket on top of the onions and carrots.

Top your meat with the garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper mixture. Add the wine and beef stock to your pan. Cover meat with foil and place in your pre-heated oven. Cook for about 3 hours. Remove foil and continue cooking for another half hour, until meat is nice and brown.

When ready, place meat on cutting board. Let rest, covered in foil, for 15 minutes.

You can serve the brisket over some of the broth and vegetable mixture on a platter. If you prefer, at this point, you can make a gravy. Remove veggies from the roasting pan. Place pan on stove top and reduce by half. Add a tablespoon of flour (I prefer Wondra) mixed with butter and whisk.

Slice brisket and serve! Enjoy!

Potato Gnocchi with Melted Butter and Fresh Thyme

1 lb. pkg. Potato Gnocchi
2 Tbsp. Melted Butter
1 Tsp. Fresh Thyme
Salt and Pepper, to Taste

Boil water. Add gnocchi.

While gnocchi are cooking, melt the 2 Tbsp. of butter. As gnocchi rises to the top of the water, remove with a straining spoon and add to your saute pan with butter. When all gnocchi are in the pan, add your thyme, salt and pepper. Cook over a medium heat for a few minutes until there is a slight crisp on your gnocchi. Be careful not to burn your butter. Remove from heat and serve.

Prosciutto Sandwich

2011-09-19T12:01:00.000-07:00

When I worked in Boston there was a little sandwich shop that I, along with the rest of Government Center, loved to frequent. They were simple, quick and delicious. No frills - just great sandwiches made to order.

The other day I made a plate of fresh, local NH tomato, basil and mozzarella. An Italian staple that's easy and satisfying. After making this, I thought of a sandwich they served at the shop in Boston that I had not had in years. It was tomato, basil and mozzarella on a sandwich. They also had a version with prosciutto. So, here's my take on this simple yet amazing tasting sandwich!

Tomato, Basil, Mozzarella and Prosciutto Sandwich

1 Italian Sandwich Roll (Sub Roll)
4 Slices Fresh Tomato
4 Slices Fresh Buffalo Mozzarella (Don't use the kind that comes in the block!)
3-4 Fresh Basil Leaves
3 Slices Prosciutto, Thinly Sliced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
or *Balsamic Vinegar
Fresh Cracked Pepper

Slice your tomato and mozzarella. Lay the tomato slices on your roll. Top with Mozzarella, then basil then prosciutto.

Drizzle a small amount of Extra Virgin Olive Oil over the meat and a little onto the bread. Top with freshly cracked black pepper. Enjoy!

This is also delicious, minus the roll!

*A friend told me how she likes to make this sandwich, substituting the olive oil for balsamic vinegar! I tried it and I enjoy it more as well - the sweet and tanginess of the vinegar really bring out all the flavors of this sandwich! You can drizzle right out of the bottle or reduce by half over a low heat.

Dry Rub Ribs

2011-09-11T14:09:00.000-07:00

About 6 years ago, I made ribs and they were horrible. I bought a rack of ribs in the store with the sauce on them already, got home and threw them on a pan in the oven. About an hour and a half later, I pulled them out for dinner. We sat down to dinner, took a few bites and promptly placed them in the garbage.

Back then, I think I was a decent cook but I didn't understand anything about barbecue. Ever since then I have been terrified that I would repeat my ribs debacle of 2005. Recently, I bit the bullet. I went to the butcher and bought two healthy sized racks of all-natural pork ribs. We were going to try and grill our ribs for about 2-3 hours but the helpful butcher advised me not to. He told me to place the ribs in the oven and cook low-and-slow then finish them on the grill. I took his advice and it worked!

I decided to use a dry rub and vinegar based mop in the oven and then we charred them up on the grill. These are called "Memphis-Style Ribs". On one of the racks we used a barbecue sauce while on the grill. The other we left plain to compare tastes. They were both great, but we preferred the ribs with the sauce. You can try my delicious BBQ Sauce recipe or your favorite store-bought brand! Get grilling!

ps - don't have a grill handy?! Don't worry! Instead of basting with sauce and grilling, about 15 minutes before your ready to take them out of the oven, baste with sauce (light coating) place back in oven or place under a broiler for 1-2 minutes per side! Careful not to burn!

Dry-Rub Ribs with Hush Puppy Sides

pre-heat oven 250*
Get your grill all heated up and ready to go!

Dry Rub
easily doubled, tripled, etc.

1 Tbsp. Kosher Salt
1 Tbsp. Fresh Cracked Pepper
2 Tbsp. Paprika
1/2 Tbsp. Celery Salt
1 Tsp. Dry Mustard
1 Tsp. Garlic Powder
2 Tbsp. Brown Sugar

2 Racks of Pork Ribs, approximately 2-3 lbs. each.
I prefer pork, all-natural ribs, but you can use your favorite style

2 Cups Barbecue Sauce (optional)

Mop Sauce

1/2 Cup White Vinegar
1/2 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tbsp. Dijon or Spicy Brown Mustard

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or use a large aluminum pan (the throw-away kind from the store).

Season your ribs, liberally, with your dry rub. Use all of it. If you feel that it was not enough, simply make another batch and rub it on. You may want to make a large batch (tripled or quadrupled) and store in your spice cabinet for other meats.

Place in oven and let back LOW and SLOW at 250* for at least 4 hours. If you can give it 5 or 6, go for it!

After one hour, apply the mop sauce (top only) to your ribs with a mop (if you have one) or a basting brush. No need to turn them! Continue to do this 1 -2 times per hour.

To finish your ribs off, baste with barbecue sauce and grill up for a few minutes on each side for some char and flavor. Be careful not to burn them - there is sugar in that rub and it will easily burn; as my griller learned ;)

Serve with Hushpuppies (recipe below) and Enjoy!

This is a Hush Puppies recipe I found online a while back. They are simple to make and easy to change up to make different tastes. Try these - you will not regret it!

Hush Puppies
Bring 1 Qt. Vegetable Oil to 365*

1 Cup Flour
1 Cup Corn Meal
1 Tsp. Baking Powder
2 Eggs, Beaten

Optional: 1/2 Onion, diced or 1/2 Jalapeno, diced

In a bowl, combine flour, corn meal and baking powder. Add beaten eggs. If too dry (ingredients not coming together) add a touch of water. Batter will be sticky. If you are using onion or jalapeno, add them now.

Drop tablespoon sized balls of batter into the oil. Turn as needed to brown all sides. Drain on an old paper grocery bag (this is great for friend chicken as well!) or paper towels.

Serve warm with honey butter! Enjoy!

Sausage and Shrimp Gumbo

2011-07-18T17:52:00.000-07:00

Recently, we took a book out of the library titled Gator Gumbo. We read the book and it instantly became the library book we had to read over and over again to our oldest, who is almost 4. It's a Louisiana twist on the classic The Little Red Hen. She loved the pictures, the language, and idea of making Gumbo. For about 2 weeks she would ask me almost everyday"can we make some Gumbo?!" Honestly, I was hoping she would forget; I had never made gumbo and was a little intimidated by it.

Gator Gumbo by Candace Fleming

Well, as you can tell by this post, she kept asking so I did a little research and decided it was not only doable, but I was getting excited at the thought of making it. There are all different kinds of Gumbo: seafood, chicken, duck, sausage, etc. Some things I noticed about every gumbo are that most are roux and okra base, they need to have some type of sausage and more often than not some seafood involved. I found an amazing website chronicling Gumbo called The Southern Gumbo Trail. It taught me the basics of Gumbo and I felt confident to come up with my own Gumbo recipe.

I tweaked some of the ingredients to the taste of my family; mainly no okra. My husband dislikes it, plus they didn't have any fresh okra at the store. In it's place I increased the amount of green pepper I used. One other key change I made was that I didn't make a dark roux. Many of the Gumbo recipes I saw called for this, but I really didn't have the time to make a dark roux (I burned my first attempt and therefore didn't have the time to do it again). I found a basic (blonde) roux worked just as well. If you need some roux tips for Gumbo, this is a great site! My recipe would be easy to double, triple, etc. I served my Gumbo over white rice, but serving it in a bowl with some corn bread or a buttermilk biscuit would be just as delicious. Enjoy!

Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo
Serves 4

4 Tbsp. Butter, Melted
1/4 Cup Flour
2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
2 Garlic Cloves, Minced
1 Yellow Onion, Diced
1 Large Green Pepper, Diced
1 Can Diced Tomatoes with Juice
2 Cups Seafood Stock
1 Cup Chicken or Vegetable Stock
1 Tbsp. Cajun Seasoning
2 Bay Leaves
1 Tbsp. Basil
1/2 lb. Smoked Sausage, Anduille Sausage or Polska Kielbasa (I used turkey polska kielbasa)
1 lb. Shrimp, peeled, deveined, cleaned (I bought pre-cooked shrimp from the seafood dept.)

The Simplicity of a Roux: Butter, Flour and a Whisk

In a small saute pan, melt 4 Tbsp. butter. Once melted, add your flour and whisk continuously. Cook 3-5 minutes and set aside.

In a large sauce pot or dutch oven add your vegetable oil. Once hot, add your garlic. Saute for about 30 seconds. Add the onion and green pepper. Saute for about 5 minutes, or until translucent. When the onion and green pepper are ready, add your can of tomatoes and stir. Once warm, add your roux and stir.

My Favorites for Cajun Seasoning (also great with fried chicken) and Stock

I used Turkey Kielbasa and 41/50 Count Shrimp

Add your stock and spices. Bring to simmer and then add your sausage and shrimp. When simmering again, lower heat and let cook for at least an hour.

Serve over white rice or in a bowl with corn bread or a biscuit. I like rice, as you can see.

*I had a friend ask me, after I posted this recipe, "How can I make this gluten free?" Well, it's easy! Instead of using a butter and flour roux base - use a corn starch base. You want to make about a 1/4 cup of the corn starch mixture. Use 2 Tbsp. of warm water and 3 Tbsp. of corn starch. You need about 1/4 cup of the mixture. Slowly add to the vegetables and warm stock. If it doesn't thicken up after you have added all of your mixture, simply make some more and add a bit at a time until you get the consistency you desire (Remember, Gumbo isn't supposed to be super thick...or super runny; somewhere in the middle). Also, keep an eye on the rice. Rice, in it's purest form is naturally gluten free, but many rices on the shelves in the stores are enriched. Make sure you read the label on the rice package to make sure the rice is not enriched.

Beer in the Rear BBQ Chicken

2011-07-02T07:15:00.000-07:00

Nothing says Fourth of July like BBQ! One of the most fun BBQ dishes to make is Beer in the Rear Chicken. Yes, I know, classy name. Some people call it Beer Can Chicken, but I prefer the more refined title of "Beer in the Rear". It's just what it says. You strategically place a whole roaster chicken on a can of beer and then BBQ. The best way to BBQ this chicken is with a charcoal grill, as you can better position your chicken within the grill. If you have a gas grill, you will have to get a little crafty with it's positioning. If you do it, take a picture and send it to me at keldamyork@gmail.com and I will post it on the blog!

One step that I feel is integral to making this (and roast chicken) is to brine your chicken. It's easy to do and worth the extra step. It really adds to the flavor of juiciness of your chicken. Here are some great brining tips from Cooks Illustrated magazine. Brining Essentials.

Another key to the deliciousness of this chicken is that it's cooked by in-direct heat. You get the smoky flavor from the grill and a super juicy chicken from the can of beer that slowly steams off into the chicken. The herbs which are placed into the can of beer allow the chicken to absorb all that flavor. It may seem like a silly way to BBQ a chicken, but the flavor never fails! Plus, it's a great conversation piece!

Next time your ready to grill, try this recipe!

Beer in the Rear Chicken
Pre-heated grill

Brine

Cold Water (approximately 2 gallons for a 5 lb. Chicken)
1 Cup Kosher Salt
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Yellow Onions, Cut into Large Chunks
4 Bay Leaves

Chicken

Kosher Salt
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
Paprika
Olive Oil
1 Can of your Favorite Beer, 1/4 emptied (or drank)
2 Tbsp. Herbes de Provence (if you don't have this; 1 sprig Rosemary, 1 sprig thyme)
2 Garlic Cloves, Crushed

Grill

Hot Coals
Soaked Wood Chips (if you have, not necessary)
8x8 Pan, Foil Lined or Disposable

Brining

In a large pot, add your salt, sugar, onions and bay leaves.

Add one gallon of water and give a quick stir. Add your chicken (neck and giblets removed). Add the remaining gallon of water until your chicken is covered. Once it's covered you can stop adding more water. Cover and place in your refrigerator to let brine from 4-8 hours.

Preparing Chicken for Grill

Thoroughly dry your chicken with paper towels. Sprinkle chicken with kosher salt, pepper and paprika. Drizzle with olive oil and rub the spices in.

To your beer can, add your herbs and garlic. Place the beer can in the rear of the chicken, so your chicken can stand up, balanced, on the beer can. Place your chicken in a small pan (disposable is best, or foil line an 8x8 pan).

Grill Prep/Cooking
Remove grate on charcoal grill. Make sure your coals are super hot. If you can get glowing coals, even better! (Try a coal chimney, they work wonders!). Place your coals in a circle around the perimeter of your grill. If you have wood chips, add those as well! They really add a great flavor. Hickory chips are my favorite!

Add your pan to the center of grill, with the coals surrounding. Cover grill. Don't be tempted to lift the cover - it will let out all the heat! After about 40 mins., check the coals to make sure they are still super hot. If not, add some more. After 1 hour, check your chicken temperature. You want to cook it until it is 165* or until juices run clear.

Carefully remove your beer can, slice and enjoy!

Summertime (or Anytime) Smoothies

2011-06-15T17:21:00.000-07:00

Nowadays, smoothies are all the rage. They are super trendy with chain stores dedicated solely to the healthy drink. But not all smoothies are created equal, health wise. Many people think that just because it's a smoothie, it's healthy. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Many of the smoothies that you buy in these chain restaurants or stands at the mall are loaded with extra fat, calories and the main culprit - sugar! But when you use all fresh ingredients and control what goes into your smoothie, you can have a truly healthy, vitamin packed and delicious drink/snack/meal everyday in your own home!

Smoothies are quick and easy to make. All you need to have on hand is some fresh or frozen fruit (I like frozen because it makes the smoothies thicker and you don't need to add ice), yogurt and some juice or milk. If you do use juice, try to use a 'diet' version or all natural/organic version of juice to avoid the added sugars and calories. So many juices nowadays are loaded with everything BUT fruit juice. Read the labels! Great alternatives to juice found in your juice aisle are the juices like POM/Acai etc. found in your produce section. Even Alton Brown recommends "the purple juice!" - - I included a link below to see how he makes his!

We make smoothies in our house all the time. They are a big hit with the kiddos and parents. Smoothies are a delicious and easy way to pack in a TON of fruit (even veggies!) into your diet. They are even better to give to kids when they don't like to eat fruit or veggies because they don't even know they are getting them; just call me Jessica Seinfeld.

Tropical Fruit Smoothie
Makes 2 Cups; easily doubled, tripled, etc.

1/2 Bag Frozen Tropical Fruit Medley (I prefer Dole)
1/2 Cup Fat Free Vanilla or Plain Yogurt (I prefer Stonyfield Vanilla or Greek Yogurt, Fat Free)
1 Cup of your Favorite Fruit Juice/Skim Milk/Soy Milk (I prefer V8 Fusion Pomegranate Blueberry for the Fruit/Veggie combo)

In a blender add your juice/liquid, yogurt, fruit.

Begin blender on slowest speed. Allow to blend for a bit, then move up the speed by one. After about a half a minute or so, add speed. Keep doing this until you have a smoothie that has no more lumps in it. (You should see a tornado effect when you look down the top of the blender. If the smoothie is not moving, add some more juice/milk to continue the blending. I learned this from Alton Brown. Click here to see his smoothie recipes/tips!

Serve immediately.

I always use the tropical blend as a base because it usually includes (no matter the brand) mango, pineapple, peach and strawberries - a great taste combo. Add blueberries, bananas or cherries give a distinct flavor. Frozen grapes are also a delicious addition! If you want to add veggies, I would add vegetable juice to the smoothie - or just try one of the many flavors of V8 fusion; 1 full fruit and 1 full veggie serving in 1 cup! Experiment, there is no right or wrong smoothie!

Tilapia Fillets with Crab and Cracker Topping

2011-06-07T15:34:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has taken me so long to get a new post up! Things have been hectic with 3 year old and 1 year old activities. In the midst of these activities I was in the final stages of training for a half marathon and over Memorial Day weekend I ran in my first half marathon! All these things have left me both physically and mentally exhausted over the past few weeks. But, I am back in the kitchen and experimenting! This is the first "blog-worthy" recipe I have come up with!

This was a hard dish to give a name to without just naming all the elements that go into it. The fillets aren't stuffed - they are topped with crab. Yet, the crab is only one delicious part of this topping. Traditional New England Ritz Cracker topping is key. So, in other words, I am really coming up with jazzy names for my food.

You are probably saying to yourself, "here she goes again with tilapia! Use some other fish woman!" But, this is what was in my freezer, so I used it. Although any light, flaky white fleshed fish will work well in this dish, especially Cod, Haddock or Catfish.

If you are worried about having to buy some crabs, steam, de-shell and collect meat for the dish, then you really need to visit your Seafood Dept. at your grocery store or the Fish Monger more often. At most seafood depts. in grocery stores and your local fish monger you can find refrigerated canned - steamed, de-shelled crab meat. It's delicious, fresh and easy! Try to avoid the canned crab meat that you find in with the canned tuna (not refrigerated). I am not very often a "food-snot" but I will be one with this topic. Avoid it. Don't use it when making a meal, You need substance and fresh crab taste.

Tilapia Fillets with Crab and Cracker Topping
pre-heat oven to 400*

4 White Fleshed Fish Fillets, Your Preference
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil, Divided
2 Tbsp. Butter, Divided
1 Yellow Onion, Diced Finely
1 Celery Stalk, Diced Finely
1 Garlic Clove, Minced
12 Ritz Crackers, Crushed
6 oz. Fresh Crab meat
Lemon Juice, Half a Lemon
Old Bay Seasoning

Pre-heat your oven to 400*. Spray a baking dish with cooking-oil. Place fillets in dish, overlapping is OK.

Heat 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil over medium heat. Add onions and celery. Saute for about 3-5 mins., until just getting soft. Add 1 Tbsp. of butter. Allow the butter to melt then remove from heat and add to a small mixing bowl. Add crushed crackers and crab meat to the onion and celery mixture. Mix well.

I used 2 Tbsp. of butter here on top, but decided after baking it was a bit much. Reduce to 1 Tbsp.

Spread the crab and cracker mixture over top of the fillets. Sprinkle some lemon juice over top. Sprinkle Old Bay seasoning (I like a lot, you put on how much you like), and the remaining tablespoon of butter, diced, over top (space the butter pieces out evenly). Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, until golden brown and fillets are flaky.

My favorite seasoning blend of all-time! Get some if you don't have any!

Serve with fresh lemon wedges, a simple green vegetable like steamed string beans and rice as a side. Enjoy!

Magic Bars; by Eagle Brand

2011-05-25T18:38:00.000-07:00

These treats are amazing little morsels of pure gluttony. They are amazing, easy to make and in no way pretend to be good for you. When eating these treats you should definitely live by the mantra: Moderation is Key; although, it may be hard.

My Mother-in-Law makes these quite often for bake sales, occasions where you have to bring a dessert or just to have a little snack around the house. I had to make some treats for my daughter's art show at her school and I wanted a dessert that would take me about 10 minutes to assemble (because I waited until about noon the day of the show to make my dessert). I thought of these and my Mother-in-Law always called them Magic Bars. I did a google search and my first result was the Eagle Brand Magic Bar recipe.

This is a recipe that is not mine, but one I love. They are delicious. Make them. You'll see. You will soon be addicted yourself.

Magic Bars
Makes 12-16 squares
pre-heat oven to 350*

1 Stick Unsalted Butter, Melted
1 1/2 Cups Graham Crackers, Crushed (about 12, or one sleeve)
1 (14 ounce) Can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 Cups semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 1/3 Cups Coconut Flakes
1 Cups Chopped Walnuts

Crush your graham crackers into crumbs. I like to place them all in a gallon sized ziploc bag and let my 3 year old hit them for a while with a rolling pin. If you don't have a 3 year old, you can do it yourself.

In a small mixing, microwave safe, bowl, melt your stick of butter (about 1 minute). Add your graham crumbs and mix until all the butter is absorbed. Spread your crumb mixture in the bottom of a greased 9x13x2" pan.

Pour condensed milk evenly over top of the graham crust. Gently spread with a spatula. Evenly top with coconut, then chocolate chips, then chopped walnuts. Gently press down.

Place in a 350* oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden. Allow to cool thoroughly before slicing! They are sticky and will fall apart if they are still warm. If you need them in a hurry, place in a freezer for about an hour before cutting.

Acai Lemonade

2011-05-19T11:45:00.000-07:00

This is just something I came up with on a warm day when the sun was actually shining here in the Northeast. My daughter loves to make lemonade "from scratch" and I wanted to add a little twist to it.

You have probably heard a lot about acai berry from the sidebar of your Facebook page or in your spam folder of your e-mail. There are tons of claims that acai makes you lose obscene amounts of weight, but it always seems to be a scam. Even Oprah was part of an acai berry weight loss pill scam. Anyway, all of this recently has made acai the new POM juice. The "it" juice. Whether it really does help you lose weight, I really have no clue but I don't really care because it's super delicious. Oh, and it does have some health benefits as well which is an added plus!

I used the lemonade recipe off of theReaLemon bottle then just added some acai juice. Where can you find acai juice, you ask? It's next to the pomegranate juice, fresh smoothies, etc. which are stored in the produce section of your supermarket. If you can't find it, just ask an employee at the store, they can help you! If all of that fails, just use some POM juice, it will be just as tasty.

If you want a Friday night lemonade after the kids go to bed...just add some vodka and Enjoy!

Acai Lemonade
Makes 2 Quarts

1 Cup Lemon Juice (use the store bought, it's easier...but go ahead and juice a million lemons if that suits you)
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Acai Juice
2 Quarts Cold Water (just fill the pitcher to the top!)
3-4 Lemon Slices for Added Flavor/Garnish

My favorite juicer - William & Sonoma for only $6 - I just needed to add it in here

Measure out lemon juice and sugar. Add to your pitcher. Add water and stir until all sugar is dissolved. Add lemon slices (or halves, in this case).

Aren't you glad I included pictures to show you how to do this?

Add acai berry juice and stir. Taste, if you want to add more, go ahead!

Chill. Serve when cold over ice. Add vodka if you wish.

Simply Delicious Orzo Salad

2011-05-09T09:08:00.000-07:00

For Mother's Day I hosted the festivities at my house. We decided to do a super simple cookout style dinner. My menu consisted of marinated steak tips and chicken breasts from the local butcher, roasted, rustic vegetables (recipe, here), garlic bread and orzo salad.

The salad was something that I thought up the morning before. I wanted to make something that I could prepare the day before, so I didn't spend my Mother's Day in the kitchen, a dish that would serve many, taste delicious and not be as heavy as traditional macaroni or potato salad. I think I succeeded. This is a recipe that can be made for a cookout (perfect if you need to bring a dish to a summer BBQ), side dish for dinner, an easy take-along lunch or even snack. It's light, simple, and even the kids liked it because it's pasta!

The vegetable combination I used was a combination that existed in my refrigerator and pantry. You can use almost any salad ingredient or focus certain flavor combinations to make a certain regional flavor. For example: Kalamata olives, baby spinach, red onion, crumbled feta cheese and Greek dressing for a Mediterranean salad. Peppers, onions, chopped jalapeno, mango, black beans with a spicy vinaigrette for a Mexican orzo salad. Experiment, make it often. It will become a favorite in no time! Enjoy!

Simply Delicious Orzo Salad
Serves: Many; simply cut recipe in half for a smaller dish size

1 1lb. Box Orzo, Cooked
1 English Cucumber, Diced
1 Red Pepper, Diced
1/2 Red Onion, Diced
1 Can Artichoke Hearts (in Water, not oil!), Diced
2 Roma Tomatoes, Seeded and Dice
1/2 Cup Sliced Kalamata Olives (buy them sliced already to save time!)
1/4 Cup Italian Dressing (I like a light coating of dressing - use more, if you wish)

Salt water for boiling. Cook your Orzo according to box directions, drain and run quickly under cold water. Set aside in large serving bowl.

Dice your cucumber, pepper, onion, artichoke hearts, tomatoes and olives, if necessary.

Place all of your vegetables on top of your pasta and toss. Add Italian dressing and toss. Serve warm or chilled! You're done - so simple!

Super Simple Roasted Vegetables

2011-05-09T07:51:00.000-07:00

This is a quick, easy and super delicious side dish. It's great using fresh summer vegetables, but you can tailor it to your particular taste. It's a great side during all seasons of cooking. It goes great with a hardy, winter-style dish like a pot roast or chicken. It's also great alongside summer BBQ.

It's a no-fuss, super simple and delicious dish! Enjoy!

Super Simple Roasted Vegetables
pre-heat oven to 400*

2 Small/Medium Summer Squash, or 1 Large, Cut into Chunks
2 Small/Medium Zucchini, or 1 Large, Cut into Rounds (1/4" Thick)
3 Medium or 2 Large Carrots, Cut into Rounds (I like Bias Cuts, more elegant)
1 Large Red Onion, Cut into Chunks
2 Medium Red Peppers or 1 Large, Cut into Chuncks
3 Garlic Cloves, Crushed
3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning

Prepare all of your vegetables by dicing into large chunks or rounds.

Place in a roasting pan. Drizzle over olive oil, add crushed garlic and Italian Seasoning. Toss.

Roast at 400* for approximately 30-40 minutes. Keep your eye on the vegetables to see that they still have some bite to them. Remove from oven and serve.

Horse Show Coffee Cake

2011-05-07T14:10:00.000-07:00

I would love to say that I made this cake today to celebrate the Kentucky Derby. Yet, I didn't. I am responsible for a baked good at my church's coffee hour tomorrow. I knew exactly what I was going to make, it just so happened to coincide with Derby. Why it is named Horse Show coffee cake, I have NO clue - it has nothing to do with a horse show - it's just delicious.

This is a recipe that came from my childhood church's cookbook. A lovely woman named Carol Thompson used to make this quite often for coffee hour and I was OBSESSED with it (I was like 10...). When it was in the church cookbook, I would make it at home ALL the time. In college, I asked my mom to send me the recipe so I could make it. Every time I have ever made this cake to bring to a function, it's gotten rave reviews.

I wish I had come up with this recipe on my own, but alas, I did not. I have never found another recipe quite as delicious, moist and gooey as this one! Enjoy!

Horse Show Coffee Cake
pre-heat oven to 350*

1 Pkg. Yellow Cake Mix
1 Stick Butter, Unsalted
1 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1 Cup Walnuts, Chopped
1 1/2 Cup Sour Cream (I use Fat Free)
3 Eggs
1/2 Tsp. Nutmeg
1 Tsp. Cinnamon (I use a bit more and eyeball it)

Measure 1 cup of cake mix into a small mixing bowl and cut in butter. Use a pastry cutter if you have one (if not, go get one, they are fantastic to use with anything from biscuits, pie crusts, to cakes!). Mix in brown sugar and walnuts. Set aside.

Beat eggs lightly. Add the sour cream to the beaten eggs and mix completely until its a light golden, creamy mixture. Add this to your remaining cake mix. Add spices and combine.

Grease a 9x13x2 inch pan. Spread 1/2 cake batter into the pan (a very thin layer). Sprinkle 1/2 of your brown sugar and butter mixture over top. Spread remaining cake batter on top (it can get messy, no big deal though!) and finish with the remaining brown sugar mixture on top. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean. Serve warm, if possible!

Tilapia with Lemon Garlic Sauce

2011-05-04T15:05:00.000-07:00

I love seafood. My husband, not so much. It's a fine line with what I can get away with when it comes to seafood and fish. Usually, I leave fish and seafood for when we go out to eat; although, every once in a while I can get away with making fish, so long as the accompanying flavors are strong.

The first thing I figured out was if I was going to make fish at home, I needed to choose a light and mild fish. This led me to tilapia. Tilapia is a very mild, flaky fish - basically a blank slate. Tilapia, plain, really doesn't have much of a flavor at all, other than the flavor in which you cook it in. I prefer a swordfish or tuna steak when eating fish, but hey, I need to take what I can get!

The first time I made my husband tialpia, I dredged it in cajun season and saute'd it in a little olive oil. Spicy, simple and delicious!

This time I decided to make something a little more interesting and something the kids would eat (anything with a little spice gets a big NO from both my girls!). I make this lemon garlic sauce frequently for thin sliced chicken cutlets, almost like a piccata. It works wonderfully with fish! Enjoy!

Tilapia with Lemon Garlic Sauce

4-6 Tilapia Fillets
3 Tbsp. Flour (give or take, for dredging)
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Lemon, Juiced
2 Garlic Cloves, Crushed
2 Tbsp. Butter
1/2 Cup Dry White Wine (or Chicken Broth)
1 Tbsp. Basil

Dredge fillets in flour (a very light coating). No need to dip your fillets in any egg, water, etc. The natural moisture from the fillets is enough to have a thin flour coating.

Heat oil in a medium to large saute pan. When hot, quickly saute fillets in oil - 2 minutes on one side, 2 minutes on the other. Remove from pan and set aside.

In the same pan, melt the butter. Once melted add garlic. Saute for about 1 minute. Add lemon juice, basil and wine. Allow to simmer then reduce by almost half. (I like to throw the lemon halves in with the sauce as it simmers - the zest would be too much, but it does add a bit more flavor.)

Place fillets into sauce. Cook for one minute, flip. Remove from heat. Serve with sauce overtop.

Everyday Tomato Sauce

2011-04-26T10:41:00.000-07:00

I make a lot of Italian food. It's my favorite kind of food to make. Lasagna, chicken cacciatore, manicotti, pizza, spaghetti and meatballs...it really doesn't matter. If it's Italian, odds are I will like it and make it. A common factor in many Italian dishes is tomato sauce. In fact, in most recipes, if you don't have a great tasting sauce, your dish just doesn't taste the same.

Nowadays, there are TONS of jarred/canned tomato sauces at the grocery store. Now, I will not say that I don't buy these sauces; I usually have a jar in the pantry for those "gotta get dinner on the table quick" nights. Yet, 9 times out of 10, I make my sauce - for so many reasons:

*Quality;
*I control the ingredients/flavor;
*Make my sauce to suit any recipe;
*Price.

A great tasting, quality sauce is easy to make. Don't be intimidated! This is a basic, meatless sauce that can be tweaked to fit any dish. Add your favorite ground meat to make a meat sauce. Add olives and peppers to make a rich, Mediterranean style sauce. Make it spicy with extra red pepper flakes. Make your own homemade sauce - it tastes better and is way cheaper!

TIP: Since I make sauce, on average 3 times a week, I go to my wholesale club and buy a box of Tomato Sauce and Diced Tomatoes. It's more cost-effective and you ALWAYS have sauce on hand for those, "what do I make for dinner tonight", nights!

Basic Tomato Sauce

1/2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion, Diced
2 Garlic Cloves, Crushed
1/4 tsp. Kosher Salt
1 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
2 14oz. Cans Tomato Sauce
1 14oz. Can Diced Tomato
1 Tbsp (Handful) Italian Seasoning
1 tsp. Cracked Black Pepper
Dash of Nutmeg
1/4 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
2 Bay Leaves

In a medium saucepan heat olive oil and saute onions with kosher salt until soft and translucent (3-4 minutes). Add crushed garlic cloves to onions. Cook for one minute. Add tomato paste and mix.

Drain your can of diced tomatoes. Add the two cans of sauce and one can of diced tomatoes to the onion and garlic.

Add Italian seasoning, black pepper, nutmeg, red pepper and bay leaves. Stir. Cover sauce and bring to a bubble. Lower heat to low and allow to simmer for about a half hour. The longer you simmer, the thicker the sauce. If you like a chunky sauce, leave as is. If you like it to be a bit smoother, use an immersion blender and puree; that's what I did on this batch. Serve with almost any meal that requires sauce.

If you wanted to add meat to this sauce. Brown meat first and remove from pan, set aside. Then make your sauce in the same pan to get all the flavor. After adding your sauce and spices to the onion and garlic add your meat and allow to simmer.

Tsoureki (Greek Easter Sweet Bread)

2011-04-23T20:35:00.000-07:00

This year Greek Easter falls on the same day as Easter - this happens every so often. I never knew a Greek Easter even existed until I met my husband. His Grandmother was from Greece and now my Mother-in-law keeps the Greek Easter celebrations and food alive every year for all of us to enjoy. I am so glad that I have been introduced to this wonderful tradition of fassolakia (green beans with tomato), spanikopeta, red Easter eggs, and baklava - the star of the show.

On holidays or special occasions I love to make something a little different or extravagant. It gives me the opportunity to make something new or try something that I wouldn't make just to have sitting around the house for me to devour. My MIL asked if I could make some bread. I said I would make dinner rolls. I searched for a good dinner roll recipe when I stumbled across Tsoureki - Greek Easter bread. A sweet braided bread with sesame seeds and a red egg squeezed in the top. Dinner rolls were thrown by the wayside.

I found a recipe (from about.com) that made 4 small-medium loaves or 2 large loaves. I opted to make the 4 smaller loaves. The recipe also called for a Greek spice called Mahlab which I don't have on hand in my cabinets. I substituted aromatic bitters (look in your bar!) and a bit of cinnamon. The recipe also called for lemon and orange zest which I didn't have on hand. Instead I used a little lemon and orange juice. It seems to have worked just fine! I also lacked sesame seeds - this is probably an important part of the bread, but I didn't have time to go to the store to buy them...so this is my variation. This recipe isn't just for Greek Easter - it's great for whomever, whenever!

Tsoureki (Greek Easter Sweet Bread)
Yields: 4 Medium Loaves or 2 Large Loaves
Pre-heat oven 280*

7 1/2 tsp. Yeast
1 1/2 Cup Warm Milk
1 2/3 Cup Sugar, 1 Tbsp. Sugar
3 Sticks, 3 Tbsp. Butter, Melted
2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
2 Tbsp. Orange Juice
2 tsp. Aromatic Bitters
1/2 Tbsp. Cinnamon
5 Eggs, Beaten
8 Cups Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt

2 or 4 Red Eggs (Optional)
1 Egg Beaten with Water - Egg Wash
Sesame Seeds

In a small bowl add yeast, warm milk and 1 Tbsp. sugar. Mix and set aside and allow it to foam.

In a medium sauce pot, melt butter. Add remaining sugar. Whisk well until sugar is dissolved. Add lemon and orange juice, bitters and cinnamon. Remove from heat and set aside.

In another medium bowl, beat the 5 eggs. Temper in the butter/sugar mixture slowly - as not to scramble the eggs. Once tempered, add all the butter/sugar mixture.

Using a stand mixer, place the yeast mixture into the mixing bowl. Add the egg/butter/sugar mixture to the yeast. Slowly add the 8 cups of flour (1 cup at a time). The dough will be wet and sticky. Remove from the mixer, cover and let rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours.

Once risen, drop dough on a floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes and be sure to get all of the air bubbles out. Divide into 2 or 4 separate dough balls. Let stand for about 20 minutes. Cut each dough ball into three pieces. Roll out into medium strands (about 10-12" long). Braid the pieces and place on baking sheets.

Make your egg wash. Brush each loaf with the wash. Place an egg in one end of the bread.

Bake at 280* for 60 minutes, until golden brown. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Pancakes

2011-04-19T19:19:00.000-07:00

One morning, having a playdate for the kids with friends, we were talking about food. My friend, Alexis, who also, incidentally provided me with the granola recipe on my blog, mentioned peanut butter pancakes. I had never had one before and she told me I didn't know what I was missing. Since then, I have been thinking about these pancakes. Well, the other morning was a gloomy, rainy morning with not much on the calendar. I decided to make these little gems. Pancakes are my kids favorite breakfast - and with the addition of peanut butter I knew they would go bonkers. They did.

Toppings for these pancakes were a bit of a mystery to me. Maple syrup just sounds kind of odd on top of peanut butter. I simply gave the girls butter on the first round. Second round, Mommy was feeling really nice and put a drizzle of chocolate syrup on top. I also served these pancakes with a side of banana. I did try a bite with maple syrup and I actually liked the combo. Other additions to these pancakes could be chocolate chips mixed in, banana slices, warmed grape jelly as a topping or warmed chocolate syrup. Get creative and make your own.

I found a recipe online that I really liked and they claimed that they were "feather light". These pancakes were definitely light a fluffy as claimed, but I noticed that they needed more milk than listed. I also added a bit of vanilla to lighten the peanut butter flavor. The peanut butter flavor is subtle, not too overpowering but just right, in my opinion. If you like a stronger peanut butter flavor, increase the amount from 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup. You may need to increase the milk if you do so.

They also suggested crunchy peanut butter, which sounded odd to me - I wanted smooth, "fluffy" pancakes, so I used my Skippy All Natural Peanut Butter. I love this stuff; all natural, creamy, no need to stir! I highly recommend it!

Peanut Butter Pancakes

Yield: About 12 Medium Pancakes (slightly larger than silver dollars)

1 Cup All-Purpose Flour
2 Tbsp. Sugar
1 Tbsp. Baking Powder
1 1/4 Cup Milk
1 Egg
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/3 Cup Peanut Butter
Cooking Spray or Butter for Greasing Skillet - Griddle

In a medium mixing bowl, add flour, sugar and baking powder. Add milk, egg, vanilla. Stir until just combined.

Add peanut butter and whisk in. Your batter may have a few lumps, just work at it and get it as smooth as possible. But beware, don't overwork your batter. If you do, there goes your light and fluffy pancakes!

Drop batter by 1/4 cup onto a greased skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. When the tops begin to bubble, using a greased spatula (my little trick because I hate when batter gets on the spatula and ruins all of my other pancakes) flip and cook for about one minute more. Keep in a warm oven until ready to serve. Enjoy!

BBQ Sauce for Chicken or Whatever Your BBQ Fancy

2011-04-17T18:23:00.000-07:00

BBQ sauce is something that is so easy to make, I think people just don't realize it. You can literally throw together a delicious BBQ sauce with some simple ingredients which I guarantee you already have in your cabinets. Now, if you want a TRULY delicious BBQ sauce, you may need to buy a few extra ingredients, yet for the price of one bottle of store-bought sauce, your get the equivalent of about 4 bottles and customize it to your taste! Sweet, spicy, thick, Carolina style or mustard style. What are the differences you ask? Well, click here to get schooled in the world of BBQ Sauce. I love wikipedia - don't you?

Making your own sauce can go a long way and it's absolutely delicious. This is a great basic/starter recipe. You can make this sauce sweeter, more of a mustard-style, or spicier...yet the basic recipe is super tasty as well! Make this first, then next time if you want spicy, add some chipotle in adobo or mexican chili powder. Sweeter? Increase your brown sugar or honey. To make it a bit thinner, gradually add some full-flavored beer or chicken stock. What's also great about this sauce - you can play around with the measurements - you don't really need to be exact. This is truly one of those recipes where you can add spices and flavors until you get the sauce you prefer! I like to use this when making grilled BBQ chicken. Enjoy!

BBQ Sauce
Yield: 6 Cups

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Onion, Diced
1/2 Jalapeno, Seeded and Diced (Whole if you like it spicy)
1 64 oz. Bottle of Ketchup
1/2 Cup Molasses

1/4 Cup Worcestershire

1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar (white is fine if it's all you have)

3 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard

2 Tsp. Liquid Smoke

1/4 Cup Honey

2/3 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp. Paprika
2 Tbsp. Garlic Powder

I love how the molasses swirls in with the ketchup - it's stovetop art!

Heat olive oil in a large sauce pot. Add your diced onions and jalapeno. Saute until soft; about 4-5 minutes. Add Ketchup and molasses, stir until fully incorporated. Add worcestershire, vinegar, mustard, honey and liquid smoke. Stir.

Add brown sugar and whisk in until completely dissolved. Add paprika and garlic powder.

Blended and Simmering

Using an immersion blender, blend your sauce (try to get all the onion and jalapeno pieces). This will really enhance the BBQ sauce. (If you don't have an immersion blender...go buy one; they're great...but use a blender or food processor at the end of the sauce simmering. No need to strain.)

At this point taste and adjust any of the sugar, garlic, liquid smoke measurements if it's not the exact flavor you like.

Simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Use on your favorite meats when grilling. Add remaining sauce back to ketchup bottle and store for future use!