My Food Addiction

One of My Favorite Recipes: Carponata

2013-03-06T10:53:00.003-08:00

Carponata is one of my favorite recipes! It's delicious in a sandwich/panini (as suggested) or on top of grilled chicken, or just as a delicious relish with crackers or pita....and it's healthy!

Portobello Mushroom Burger

2013-02-24T10:48:00.001-08:00

I'm not a huge fan of mushrooms. I like the flavor yet I hate the texture. There's just something about the texture of a mushroom that really freaks me out. I have been trying to overcome this aversion because so many recipes call for mushrooms and the health benefits are phenomenal! I also look at all the different types of mushrooms in the store and think how cool they are and what I could use them in...then get a little bummed because I know it's all mental on why I won't eat them. So, I decided to take the first step in overcoming my aversion of mushrooms. I decided to just make one and eat the darn thing.

One of the most common types of mushroom is the portobello. That being said, the most common recipe for the portobello is portobello burger. So, that's what I decided to tackle on my first mushroom recipe adventure.

I researched (by research I mean typed "portobello mushroom burger recipes") into Google and found LOTS (66,900 to be exact). I read a lot of them and this is the one I came up with - using bits and pieces from a few different recipes. I tend to prefer the Mediterranean style anything, so unsurprisingly, that's what I came up with. I will say, I really enjoyed it and want to make it again. Maybe I will start using mushrooms more often...maybe.

Mediterranean Portobello Mushroom Burger
Serves 2

2 Portobello Mushroom Caps, cleaned (you can keep or remove gills; your call)
1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Cloves of Garlic, Crushed
1 Tbsp. Sun dried Tomatoes Oil
2-3 Sun dried Tomatoes, Finely Chopped
2 Roasted Red Peppers, diced
1 Plum Tomato, Diced
8-10 Kalamata Olives, Chopped
2 Tbsp. Capers
1 Tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 Cup Crumbled Feta Cheese
Romaine Lettuce
2 Hamburger Buns (Preferably Fresh from the Bakery)

In a small bowl add extra virgin olive oil crushed garlic, sun dried tomato oil and sun dried tomatoes. Let the flavors mingle for about 10 minutes.

Heat a grill pan, or your grill, to med-high. Brush cleaned mushrooms generously with the garlic tomato oil mixture. Place on grill or pan. Grill about 4-5 minutes on each side (depending on thickness) until the mushrooms begin to soften slightly (not mushy!).

In a separate bowl combine red peppers, tomato, olives, capers, red wine vinegar and feta. Mix and let sit for a few minutes for the flavors to marry (I use very appropriate food network cooking vocabulary!).

When your mushrooms are done, place on the bun gill side up (I found it acts as a natural bowl to contain the relish). Add a generous amount of relish (about half) and top with some romaine lettuce. Voila, gorgeous and delicious (and healthy!) portobello burger!

My Favorite Good Old Fashioned Pancake Recipe

2012-12-27T07:39:00.001-08:00

So, this is not my pancake recipe, but one I found with a google search when I ran out of Bisquick one morning. Honestly, unless I am in a pinch, I will never make Bisquick again. These are so quick, easy and delicious! You can even make the dry mix ahead of time and store in an airtight container.

This recipe makes a decent amount of medium sized pancakes and they come out light and fluffy! Just remember not to over mix the batter - that will give you tough pancakes.

Make these the next time you are reaching for that Bisquick!

"Good Old-Fashioned Pancakes"
found on allrecipes.com

1 1/2 Cups Flour
3 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Salt
1 Tbsp. White Sugar
1 1/4 Cup Milk
1 Egg
3 Tbsp. Butter, Melted

Sift together dry ingredients.

Beat together egg and milk.

Add milk and egg mixture to your dry ingredients. Add melted butter. Stir until just combined.

Add to a pan with butter. Cook and serve!

Quick Cherry Cheesecake Pie

2012-08-14T05:21:00.001-07:00

Few things in life are as amazingly delicious as cheesecake. It's creamy, tart, sweet and there are literally innumerable flavor and topping possibilities. You can have it plain, (my favorite way to be honest) with every fruit imaginable, chocolate, oreos, nuts, caramel, pumpkin, ginger, etc. etc. Your options are limitless. It's a blank slate where even the blank slate tastes great.

The one thing about cheesecake is, personally, I like it when it's homemade. I don't know why. If you aren't getting it at a restaurant where its made fresh...and many places don't...there just seems to be something always off. Don't get me wrong, I will still eat it, enjoy it and probably ask for another slice, but it's just not the same. A little too dry, too sweet, too manufactured. Cheesecake, overall, isn't that complicated of a dessert to pull off, but it can be a bit time consuming or frustrating - needing a spring form pan; making sure the edges don't get overcooked while the middle is still soggy and unappetizing (this has happened to me before).

To combat these minor inconveniences in making my own cheesecake, I decided to do a quick version...one where I didn't need to make a crust, take out that special spring form pan hidden in the basement (somewhere...) or keep my eye on it every 5 minutes to be sure it's setting correctly. I decided to make it in a pie shell and the cheesecake recipe itself is super easy. It's a basic cheesecake ingredient combo I found from Philadelphia Cream Cheese. It's 4 ingredients. Simple. Pour in a ready-made pie crust (if you want to make your own...go ahead) which are pretty darn tasty and the pan can be thrown away instead of washed, then top however you would like (or leave plain).

I chose cherry because...just because, but doll it up any way you want! Crushed Oreos, caramel and pecans, blueberries, strawberries, mixed berries, banana, lime or lemon flavored whipped topping...the possibilities are endless! Also, if you do choose a fruit topping - take advantage of those pie fillers they sell in the store - they are rather delicious and super easy and there are SO many varieties!

Experiment and eat some homemade cheesecake pie!

Quick Cherry Cheesecake Pie
pre-heat oven 325*

2, 8 oz. Packages Cream Cheese, room temperature
2 eggs
2 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 Ready Made Pie Crust
1 Can Cherry Pie Filling, or Any Topping of your Choice

In a bowl, beat together cream cheese, eggs and vanilla. Start on low and increase speed to medium. It may be a little lumpy once it's all incorporated; that's OK, we'll keep beating.

Add your sugar, continue to beat on a medium speed until all lumps are gone and you have a nice, creamy smooth mixture.

Pour into your pie crust.

Bake at 325* for 40 minutes (make sure the center isn't jiggling).

Cool, then place in refrigerator for about 3 hours.

Add your topping once completely cooled and set. just prior to serving.

Enjoy!

My Blueberry Buckle

2012-07-10T18:37:00.001-07:00

Well, it's been 3 months since my last post. Long story short, I am pregnant with baby #3, had a solid 10 weeks of all-day "morning" sickness and a severe aversion to anything not candy or bread. So, in other words, not much creative cooking has been going on in my house and all spare time has been spent being exhausted on my couch or sleeping.

Anyhow, I am starting to get back my recipe curiosity and quite honestly, dessert is my vice these days. I had a box of blueberry muffin mix in my pantry and was going to make a batch, then decided, I can do something inventive with that boxed mix! Immediately, I knew I wanted to incorporate pudding somehow - boxed cake mix and instant pudding automatically turn into an insanely moist and delicious cake. Blueberries were already in the box, so I knew I wanted to use those (in the end I used regular berries, not the canned included, that's your personal choice but you will need more than comes in the box)...then, I came up with making a blueberry cake as opposed to bread or a muffin - and I wanted it to be a coffee cake...with a crumbly, streusel topping...I am so inventive, I know.

Anyhow, I was telling this to my friend, how I came up with this recipe then she informed me that a blueberry cake with streusel topping already has a name - she showed me a recipe in one of her cookbooks - Blueberry Buckle. Well, I guess I wasn't as inventive as I thought, but I was still going to use my recipe with pudding!

Once made, I gave myself a big old pat on the back, because in my oh so humble opinion, this is an amazingly delicious cake, especially paired with some vanilla ice cream. Look, even my kids think so.

So, get yourself a box of instant pudding - some fresh or frozen blueberries and get baking!
You can use a lot of different pudding and fruit combos here - be inventive!

Blueberry Buckle
Pre-heat Oven 375*
Grease a 9x13" pan

Cake Batter

1 Box Blueberry Muffin Mix; I prefer Berry Crocker (your choice to use the included blueberries)
1 Box Lemon Instant Pudding (Not Prepared)
2 Eggs
1 1/2 Cup Milk
2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 1/4 Cup Blueberries

Streusel Topping

3/4 C. Flour
3/4 C. Oats
3/4 C. Brown Sugar
1/2 C. Cold Butter, Cubed

In a bowl with your muffin mix, add your instant pudding powder and give a quick whisk to combine. Add milk, eggs, oil and vanilla. Whisk until combined. Your batter will be thick - it's that pudding! Don't be tempted to "water" it down!

Fold in blueberries.

Pour batter into your greased 9x13" pan.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, oats and sugar. Add butter and with a fork, combine until crumbly. Spread streusel topping until cake is covered.

Bake cake at 375* for 35 - 40 minutes. Mine was done in 35 minutes, but every oven is different, so keep your eye on it.

Enjoy with freshly made whipped cream or vanilla ice cream! Enjoy!

French Onion Soup

2012-04-04T13:29:00.000-07:00

I love soup. Although, I will admit that I am not terribly adventurous with soups. Yet, I do love the classics and love to make soup homemade. Canned soup is OK if you are absolutely exhausted and can not bear to cook anything; but if you have time to make soup - do it. In most cases, it doesn't take a super long time; many soups can be made in the crock pot - simply throw in your ingredients, turn it on and 6 hours later you have delicious soup, and once you make a batch you can freeze it and re-heat anytime.

Then there is French Onion Soup. It's not that it's terribly difficult, it just takes a while and you have to be attentive. Also, it has always scared me because I just thought that I could never recreate the taste of restaurant French Onion Soup. But, today is a Saturday, I have some time on my hands - the husband is making dinner for the kids and I can pay attention to my onions.

I looked up about 6-8 different French Onion Soup recipes; from my trusted, favorite chefs to home cooks experimenting in their kitchens. I took tips and flavors that I liked from them and looked at what I liked in my soup: croutons as opposed to one slice of french bread; gruyere cheese instead of swiss; white wine as opposed to red ). All of those ingredients you can of course change up if it's not your style, but one thing I think is a MUST is to CARMELIZE YOUR ONIONS! Some recipes said to simply sweat them - to me the very depth of flavor in French Onion Soup is from the caramelized onions. I think this step is integral to a great tasting soup - take the time to do it!

*If your soup turns out to be a little too salty (from either not measuring the salt correctly or having super salty broth) here is a tip: Add one raw, peeled potato and leave it in until it is cooked. I learned this handy-dandy tip from here: How to Lessen the Salt in Soup

French Onion Soup
Serves 4-6 (depending on whether it's an Entree or Appetizer)

3 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter
4 Large Sweet Onions (such as Vidalia) sliced thin
1 Tbsp. Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp. Sugar
1/2 Cup Dry White Wine
4 Cups Beef Broth, Low Sodium - or No Sodium (Beef Broth tends to be saltier than chicken)
2-3 Sprigs Thyme (if not connected, tie together for easy removal)
2-3 Bay Leaves
Dash of Sherry Vinegar, optional (I love it; but a very small amount - it's super strong!)
Pepper to Taste
1/2 Loaf French Bread, sliced, toasted, cut into cubes
1/2 lb. Shredded Guyere Cheese
Ramekins for Broiling and Serving

In a large dutch oven (mine is a 5qt. Cast Iron) melt your butter. Add the thinly sliced onions and salt. Stir once to incorporate your salt and cover the onions in the butter. Wait 15 minutes.

these are what your onions will

look like after about 1 hour

DON'T TOUCH! It's tempting, but don't do it! After 15 minutes, stir onions quickly once every 5 minutes or so until caramelized and all liquid is almost gone; the end is when you really need to keep your eyes on the onions. This process will take about 45 mins to one hour.

Once caramelized, add the white wine, sugar and pepper. Simmer for about 2-3 minutes, until the wine is reduced by half.

Add beef broth, herbs and vinegar (if using) and bring to a boil. Once at a boiling point, reduce to a low simmer and allow to simmer for about an hour. At this point, taste your broth, add pepper if needed.

Toast your french bread slices lightly, and cube. Spoon your soup into the ramekins leaving about on inch on top.

Add the bread cubes (I like A LOT...you decide) and place your shredded cheese on top (again, I like A LOT).

Once your broiler is ready, place directly under heat for about 3 minutes. Keep your eyes on this that the cheese doesn't burn.

Once browned and melted, remove and serve! Enjoy!

Curry Chicken with Flatbread

2012-03-18T17:58:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a long time since I have posted a new recipe. A big reason for this has been a lack of creative ideas in the kitchen. Kids schedules and parent schedules have been busy so I have been making a ton of stand-by recipes. When I would experiment with something new, I would either forget to write stuff down, take pics, or I just didn't think the recipe was good enough to post.

Well, I am back. One night I was going to make Indian Curry Chicken for dinner, and usually, I cheat. I buy an amazingly tasty curry simmer sauce from my local grocery store so all I need to do is brown my chicken and make the flatbread or rice. I was going to do this again, when I realized the jar of sauce I thought I had on my shelf, was gone. I took the challenge on and decided to make my own curry sauce, from scratch. I have never done this before, but once I found out how easy it was, I am glad that I did! I did some Internet research on all the different types of curry and the staples in each recipe, then came up with the following recipe.

To make the curry sauce there are a few ingredients you may not keep in your pantry, like coconut milk and curry powder (I do, because I am just crazy into food like that) but, they are inexpensive to buy and hey, stock up, there are so many other recipes you can use these for! I also threw some peppers into my curry dish, which I know is not traditional in Indian food or curry, but I wanted some vegetables and peppers were all that were in my produce drawer. Overall, I think it really worked - the peppers gave nice crisp and bite to a dish that could otherwise be "mushy" with all it's bread, rice and chicken.

I also like to make my own flatbread. I can't call it a Naan bread, the traditional Indian bread served with all types of Indian dishes, because it's a yeast-free recipe. It's super quick to make; it can get messy, but it's worth it. When I make my flatbread I prefer to use a grill pan to get the 'char' and grill marks, but if you don't have one, a small sauté pan works just as well. Or, if you have your grill fired up, throw it on there; even better! Try this recipe - it's delicious! Enjoy!

Flatbread
makes 6-8 flatbreads

2 1/2 Cups Flour (more for dusting when kneading)
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
1 Egg
Dash of Curry Powder

Mix all ingredients together. Dough will be sticky. Place dough on a floured surface and knead for about 2-3 minutes.

Cut dough into 6 equal pieces (I make 8, so I have smaller pieces for the kids...). Roll each piece out with a well floured rolling pin. Don't worry about them all being exactly the same; I quickly roll them out so they resemble a thin circle; I like the rustic look.

Heat your pan and coat with a thin layer or olive oil. Over a medium heat, add one or two pieces of rolled out dough. You will see them start to puff up after a few minutes. You have to keep your eye on them - they will burn quickly. Flip and brown the other side. Remove from pan and keep warm in a 200* oven until your meal is ready to serve.

Repeat coating the pan with olive oil and grilling the bread dough until you have finished.

Curry Chicken

2-3 Chicken Breasts, Poached and Shredded
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Small Onion, Diced
1/2 Green Pepper, Diced
1/2 Red Pepper, Diced
2 Garlic Cloves, Crushed
3 Tbsp. Curry Powder ( I prefer yellow)
1 Tsp. Cinnamon
1 Tsp. Paprika
1/2 tsp. Sugar
1 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
1 Cup Sour Cream or Plain Yogurt
1 Can Coconut Milk
1/2 Lemon
1/2 tsp. Cayenne (leave out if you don't want additional heat)

In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Add chicken and poach. When cooked all the way through, remove from pot and shred chicken. Set aside.

In a large pan, heat olive oil over a medium-high heat. Add peppers and onion and sauté until soft. Add garlic and sauté for an additional minute.

This is what your vegetable and spice mixture will look like

In a small bowl, mix the curry, cinnamon, paprika and sugar together. When vegetables are soft, add spices and cook for 2-3 minutes. This brings out the flavors in the spices and incorporates all the flavors.

Add tomato paste and let it 'melt' and mix into the spice and vegetable mixture. At this point add the coconut milk and sour cream or yogurt. Stir constantly until all incorporated, then bring to a simmer. Add your chicken and let the curry thicken by simmering for an additional 5 minutes.

Turn off heat, add cayenne and lemon juice, stir completely into curry.

Serve over white rice or with the flatbread alone (I know what you are thinking, CARBS GALORE, but it's just so good to serve with both!!!). Although it's not Indian, I love to serve this meal with Tzatziki sauce! The creamy, fresh taste pairs wonderfully with the curry!

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!