The Cooking Caper

The Cooking Caper No More!

2010-07-09T12:20:00.000-04:00

Calm down people! I am not stopping my blog simply renaming it. I have been thinking about what I have been eating and cooking in the past three or four weeks and how much our country needs a food revolution! We need to stop posioning ourselves with over processed foods and go back to the basics. Now dont get me wrong I love my junkfood as much as everyone else does but really, do we need to be stuffing ourselves with this food?

I am going to be writing some more indepth thoughts and tips on how to get better food in your diet in a way that is not going to bust the bank. And I can prove to you that you dont have to spend a fortune on healthy foods!

Sea Scallops with Artichoke Cream Sauce

2010-07-06T06:53:00.003-04:00

To all my readers, I hope you had a happy and safe Fourth of July and took some time to perfect some American Recipes and cook with friends and family! Though this dish was not made on the Fourth of July, it was yesterday's meal. I had two rather large Artichokes in the fridge and a can of Artichoke Hearts in the cupboard. My plan was to make a Spinach and Artichoke dip however I ate all the Spinach as I had forgotten about the dip! So Now what to do with these things? Make a sauce of course!

For a lot of people including myself Artichokes are scary to work with. There spinney, and they have this hairy choke in the core of the vegetable. Who would have looked at this thing and said "Yes I think I can eat that?" I remember the first time I cooked an Artichoke. It was in the 7th grade Home Economics Class, I was the only one who tried it when the teacher was finished cooking them. At first, you will feel that they are a lot of work but when you get the hang of cooking them it becomes quick and easy! Best of all you do get a wow factor when you use this vegetable at a dinner party. People don't expect it! This recipe serves two however we had leftover sauce.

Ingredients
1/2 lb of pasta (your choice)
6 Sea Scallops (three per person)
1 can of Artichoke Hearts
1/2 package of diced Pancetta
1/4 cup of olive oil plus 1 tablespoon
1/4 cup of cream
1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon of marjoram
1 tablespoon of chopped garlic (use as much as you like)
2 teaspoons of pepper

Special Equipment

Blender

Directions.

1. Begin to cook your pasta as directed on the package. In a pan, drizzle in 1tablespoon of olive oil and add your Pancetta to a cold pan and cook on medium heat until crispy. Once crispy, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

2. Leave the Pancetta fat in your pan ,add your garlic to the pan. Ruff chop your Artichoke Hearts and add it to the pan. Add salt, pepper, marjoram and lemon to your Artichoke Hearts. Cook until warm through.

3. Take half of your Artichoke Heart mixture and put it in the blender. Blend together the Artichoke Hearts, with your olive oil, and cream. Transfer the cream sauce back to your pan and mix with the rest of the Artichoke Hearts.

*Cooks Note* If your Artichoke Cream becomes two thick, you can either add a few tablespoons of water or cream to the blender.

4. Place your Sea Scallops in the sauce and place a lid on the pan. Let the sauce simmer and steam the scallops for about 5-7 minutes.

*Cooks Note* If you Artichoke Cream Sauce is still two thick after you have added it to the pan, take some of your pasta water and add a few tablespoons to the pan before adding your Sea Scallops.

5. Once your pasta is al dente, drain and plate. Take the Artichoke Cream Sauce and pour over the pasta. Add the Panchetta as a garnish.

New Design Background

2010-06-30T08:26:00.001-04:00

I am testing some new background designs. What do you think? I am a bit irritated at the icon being over the title I will work on that.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-30T06:53:00.000-04:00

Saigon Bay in Review

2010-06-29T06:29:00.003-04:00

First, let me explain what criteria I use in my reviews on restaurants. First is atmosphere, second is food, and thirdly is wait staff and finally price. Randy went to this restaurant before with a friend and he was like OMG You have to go to this restaurants. At first I was not really wanting to go because Vietmeses food is not my cup of tea but on a busy work day, we decided to stop inside and try their soups.

The atmosphere is typical of a Chinese restaurants. You have smiler decorations on the wall, fake bamboo and similar condiments on the table. The place is pretty old looking, the carpets were clean but warn. At first I thought, geesh what an old place but then was like well the carpet looks old as if it had high traffic pattern. You don't come in to the restaurant for the atmosphere here, you come for the food and it was Delicious!

Randy had ordered Pho Dac Biet ($6.95) which is rice noodle beef soup with fresh sliced beef, boiled beef, tripe and tendon. The broth was delicious and had a deep beef flavor. I had the Mi Vjt Tiem, special roast duck in egg noodle soup. The broth was wonderful though very different than what I am used to. The dish contained mushrooms, cabbage, duck and some type of Asian Plum. The broth had a five spice type of flavor but intertwined with the duck quite well. I was really surprised at the quality of this dish and for $7.95

We also had Goi Cuon which is Fresh Rolls for $2.95. These rolls were made with steamed shrimp; rice noodles wrap with basil, mints, cilantro, and lettuce in rice paper and were most delicious! The prices can not be beat here at Saigon Bay! We had so much soup we actually took it home to eat later. The only draw back I have with the food, and really it’s my own preference; is that the duck in my Mi Vjt Tiem was so large it was hard to eat with chop sticks.

The Staff here at Saigon Bay are warm and friendly and came to our table often to refill our tea or to check if we are enjoying the food. One thing I did notice was that the staff did come over a few more times than I would have liked but all in all they were nice, friendly and clean. I can not wait to go back and enjoy more soup!

Shrimp Ceviche Two ways

2010-06-28T06:27:00.001-04:00

Florida summer time weather is really hot and humid. The humidity is so thick you feel like someone is sitting on your chest. This does not make for Happy Eating’s! I don’t always like to eat in weather like this but with my new healthy lifestyle I am attempting to create new lighter and healthier meals. That’s why I haven’t been posting much.

Well with that being said I wanted to share my first two attempts at Ceviche. First a made a Rock Shrimp Ceviche. This was something different. The textures were odd to me and I don’t think I would make it again. I used Rock Shrimp because they were sweeter than Gulf Shrimp and I felt it would complement the mango and Papaya nicely. Since I don’t eat papaya or Mango very often, I think that’s where I had problem with this recipe. I would have also added some sugar to the citrus juice as it was a bit too tart and adding some more flavors such as a red onion or a vidalia onions. But that being said we did eat most of it.

Mango & Papaya Ceviche

1 pounds Rock Shrimp
1 limes, juiced
1 lemons, juiced
1 oranges, juiced
1 mangos, medium dice
1 papaya, medium dice

Directions

1. Juice Lime, Lemon and Orange and set a side.

2. Take the shrimp and give them a once over. Make sure they are plump, fresh and ready to eat.

3. Cut up the mango and Papaya into cubes.

4. Combine ingredients in a bowl and let set for 30 mins before eating.

*Cooking Note* in the stores here we can pick up fresh mango that is already peeled and sliced. Though it is a little more expensive, buy this will save you time in this recipe.

I also made a more successful Ceviche with Shrimp, Jimmica, and Jalapeño Pepper for Randy. He likes spicier foods vs. the sweeter fair. I on the other hand am completely opposite! I liked the look of this Ceviche better. It was crisp and fresh and reminded me of Florida Summers. I have a friend at work that we will call "D" who makes Shrimp Ceviche all the time. Not only does D make it with Shrimp but Fish and other seafood. Living in Florida we can get fresh seafood for dishes like this. I wonder what Spiny Lobster Ceviche would taste like? Hmmmmm

Shrimp Ceviche

Ingredients

1 pound medium-small shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 Tbsp salt
3/4 cup lime juice (juice from 4-6 limes)
3/4 cup lemon juice (juice from 2-3 lemons)
1 cup finely chopped red onion
1 jalapeno pepper, ribs and seeds removed, minced
1 cup chopped cilantro
1 cucumber, peeled diced into bite size pieces
1 jimmica, peeled diced into bite size pieces
parsly to garnish

Directions

1. Look over your shrimp and make sure they are clean and ready to go. Cut the shrimp into bite size pieces and place in a large bowl. Mix in the lime and lemon juice.

*Cooks Note* If you can not get the freshest shrimp, then you can boil your shrimp with 2 Tbsp of salt for one to two minutes. Over-cooking the shrimp will turn it rubbery so make sure it is no more than 2 minutes

2. Mix in the chopped red onion and jalapeño pepper and add it to the shrimp. Let the shrimp go into the ice box for a half hour.

3. Right before serving, add the cilantro, cucumber, and jimmica.

Breakfast Cereal Quiz

2010-05-24T06:45:00.001-04:00

This weekend I sat down and had a bowl of cereal for the first time in a long time. There are only a few that I will eat and so with a bowl of Life I sat and watched the morning news. It was just as I remembered when I was a kid, "hurry up and eat this before It gets soggy." So I did hurry and it still got soggy but overall it was good! It was funny that this morning I found this quiz so I thought I would share it with you.

http://www.delish.com/food-fun/quizzes/breakfast-cereal-quiz-021909?GT1=47001

Wordless Wednesday

2010-05-12T11:00:00.000-04:00

The Coffee the Coffee Maker Makes!

2010-05-12T06:39:00.002-04:00

Thank you for the annon post about the coffee maker. The one thing I didn't discuss in my review was the coffee that the Diada De Laurentiss GCM-100 made. I think that I didn't discuss this aspect of the coffee maker is because I felt and still do that, in order to have good coffee, you first have to start out with good coffee beans. The machine is the runner up at that moment.

However, he or she made a great point about the quality of the coffee needing to be discussed. So here I go! I started using my coffee maker with two types of whole beans. One was a dark French Roast from Starbucks and the other was Archer Farms Single Origin Limited Roast Kenya. I first used a the Archer Farms brand coffee and grind the beans on the fine setting on my grinder. Placing the beans in a cone filter I waited for two minutes and had a medium body and flavor cup of coffee. It was great. the taste was wonderful, I didn't have to use the coffee creamers to hide the funky flavors you sometimes get with the coffee. On the other hand Randy didn't like this coffee because it wasn't strong enough.

With that being said the following week I made Randy's Starbucks coffee. This time I couldn't even get it down! I was perplexed at the horrors I experienced with this cup of coffee. I knew there might be something wrong with the beans itself NOT the coffee maker. When I opened up the beans I noticed they were very oily. I checked the expiration date because these beans had been on sale at $7.00 a bag but they expiration date was months away, so I thought its just the way the dark roast verity is (I don't drink dark roast coffees). The coffee was so bitter that I couldn't get it down even after I had used quite a bit of hazelnut coffee creamer.

I am still playing around with the different types of coffee and blending them together in order to create a great cup of coffee. The Coffee Maker is still wonderful. I use it 7 or 8 times a month and it produces a great cup of coffee. I live in Tampa Fl and the water is really bad and heavy with chlorine but when you make the coffee you don't get that funky flavor. This has been the best coffee maker we have had!

comic provided by Mark Stivers and can be found at http://www.markstivers.com/wordpress/

Indonesian Mud Snacks

2010-05-11T11:37:00.000-04:00

I was horrified to see this, That we as Humanity subject each other to eat mud? There is I am sure a mineral need for this but nutritional? I highly doubt there is much caloric intake from Mud. I am quite sad about this.

Check out this great MSN Video: Indonesian Mud Snacks

Hazelnut Java Frapp

2010-05-10T06:05:00.000-04:00

Sunday was kind of a let down cooking wise. I had for dinner a marinated steak from the butchers and it was way too sweet, the potatoes pie didn’t turn out so well and ended up as fried potatoes and the squash was kinda dry because I needed to use it up. So with that being said I wanted something to really uplift the night!

I recently bought a blender at the Box Store for $9.00. It was on sale and I have been waiting to get one because I wanted to make smoothies for breakfast. It’s your basic blender, plastic motorized base, plastic jar and lid type device. Blenders are kinda scary for me. I had one where the lid was not as secure and the suction took it right into my asparagus soup and dang near took my fingers! But I have to say I have over come my fear and been using it almost everyday for a month without incident.

I had some left over coffee from yesterdays morning. I had a major headache so I didn’t drink that much coffee and it was expensive coffee beans just to throw it out. That’s when I thought I would keep it to make Java Frapps. It turned out coffeelishous! The only thing I would change next time is cut the sugar in half and add ice cream to make the consistency less icy in appearance. Randy said it was sweet and at first I thought he was just being Anti-Sweets Man, the faithful Sidekick to the food pyramid. But by the time I let mine melt, the sugar level was through the roof. So thank you Anti- Sweets Man you saved the day!

________________________________________

Ingredients

4 cups left over coffee est.
1 tablespoon of Nutella
Sugar to taste
Ice

Directions

1 Pour in the coffee, the tablespoon of Nutella, and ice

2. Blend until consistency is shake like. Add more Ice if consistency is too thin and Add Milk if the consistency is too thick.

3. Add sugar to taste and Enjoy

A big Thank You!

2010-04-30T10:07:00.000-04:00

First of all I want to say thank you to my wonderful sister Jessica for fixing my blog layout! I am happy that the feed stuff is out of the middle of the posts. Now the battle is the jump cuts are on every post whether or not I need them! I have been cooking and been making these wonderful breads on the weekend. I have tried making a Papaya Bread, Blueberry Bread and Zucchini Bread! Posts and Pictures will be up this weekend! Below is one of the tigers we got to feed while I was in the Philippians. Thought I would share

Trying to fix the blog layout

2010-04-21T06:05:00.002-04:00

UGH! I dont know what I did when I was trying to update my template for the blog however I messed it up and now have a horizontal bar at the end of my posts and I am trying to get rid of the little icons. So I apologize about the layout

Cantina Lardedo Review

2010-04-19T11:29:00.013-04:00

First, let me explain what criteria I use in my reviews on restaurants. First is atmosphere, second is food, and Thirdly is wait staff and Finally price. So with that being said we hopped in the car and went and watched a movie and then headed out to get something to eat. At first we wanted to stop at Bonefish Grill but they didn’t open up until 4pm and I really wanted some tacos. That's when we stopped at Cantina Laredo at the Wiregrass Mall in Wesley Chapel, Fl.

The Caption on the website reads as this- Cantina Laredo serves authentic Mexican dishes in a sophisticated atmosphere. We offer daily fish specials, grilled chicken and steaks complemented by signature sauces such as chipotle-wine with portobello mushrooms or sauteéd artichoke hearts and roasted red bell peppers.

Sounds good, I knew my boyfriend was not really into Mexican food, however since they were spinning the dishes as Gourmet Mexican Food, he may actually enjoy it. For the most part he did. The atmosphere was pleasant and the color pallet used in the restaurant suite the theme well with there tans, blacks, and browns. We arrived around 4pm and the bar already had two or three people sitting there, and the dinning area had 7 or 8 other tables filled. I would imagine you could sit roughly 200 people if not a little more in the restaurant. Our booth was across from the bar and the flat screen TVs kept catching my eye as I ate the complementary salsas and chips. The televisions are Something typical I see at bars and sports club but really the televisions felt out of place to me.

Cantina Laredo is positioning the restaurant as a sophisticated Gourmet Mexican Food why would you need two flat screen TVs on the sports channel? Another thing that took away from the restaurant’s sophistication was when we got our meal. On my dish was a medium to small ramekin of queso. The ramekin was cracked and splitting like someone had previously dropped it on the floor. To me, these two things took some of the "Sophistication" out of the restaurant but overall the atmosphere at Cantina Laredo was nice and inviting.

Now let's talk about the food! Cantina Laredo had a nice selection of Mexican fair on the menu. They had a Table Side preparation of Guacamole, Beef, Chicken and Pork dishes with spicy sauces on them and most of all an extensive Tequila menu ranging from 6$ to 30$. I wanted Tacos so I settled on a dish called Tacos Al Carbon and Randy choose to have the Carnitas with a spicy poblano sauce.

The Tacos Al Carbon dish came with three soft shell tacos filled with either grilled chicken or beef with a side of queso, Spanish rice, and an order of beans. On top of my tacos were fresh slices of avocados and tomatoes, inside the taco was just chicken or beef. Something was missing though. I wish I had a crunch factor in the tacos. I ended up dipping the chips in my queso to give me that crunch factor. Shredded lettuce would have been perfect addition to these tacos too. The flavor factor was lacking in this dish as well. For example, the avocados could have been grilled since they were just beginning to be ripe in order to add some more in-depth flavor or at least spices could have been added to the chicken or beef. Overall the tacos were pretty flavorless and a big let down for me. The Borracho Beans however were the best part of the meal. I for one do not like pinto beans however these were simmered in beer and flavored with peppers and tomatoes. A very welcomed addition to this meal.

Randy's Carnitas were really tender and fell off the bone. He received three carnitas, Spanish rice, and mixed veggies with almonds on top. Since he knew my dish was pretty much a bust he shared is Carnitas with me. The meat was so tender and flavorful that it just literally melted in your mouth. The portion sizes were good and the poblano sauce was just the right amount so that it didn't get into your vegetables or rice. There were a few drawbacks to this dish though and that was mainly the vegetables. They were a bit over done and limp and the almonds didn’t tie into the dish at all. It felt like it was a hap hazard afterthought. The Second thing was the sauce it was so spicy that it made the meat seem spicy as well and it took away from the flavor. With that being said I don’t eat alot of spicy foods; Randy does and he enjoyed the sauce.

This can break or make a resturant, the wait staff. Are they friendly, speedy, clean ect. Randy really liked them but I felt they were trying to hard to be helpful. I understand it’s a new establishment in the area but geesh! First off we had two wait staff for our table of two. A woman and a man who took turns coming over to check on us and the food and then we had what I assumed a manager come over and ask us if we liked our meal. I wouldn’t mind this so much but really I don’t need all three to ask me how my meal is going all at the same time. Out of the two wait staff, I felt the man had more personality of the two as he provided us his personal recommendations and what he likes to eat while he is there. I was glad to say it wasn’t any of the specials or the most expensive thing on the menu that he enjoyed most so you got the since he was being genuine. The woman made drinks behind the bar and talked to the bar patrons more so then our table which was fine with me as two wait staff seemed excessive to me.

There were a few things that did bother me though. First please don’t take my order when you have someone else’s dirty Margarita Glasses in your hands. Its gross plain and simple. Secondly please let me know when you’re planning to reach across my plate to get my drink glass. I would have gladly have given you the glass so I can continue to eat my meal without your armpit in it.

Last but not least the price. For one Margareta on the rocks, Tacos Al Carbon and Carnittas we spent a $48.45 My Tacos Al Carbon was 17.29. The Carnitas was 19.99 and the Margareta was 8.00. Overall I felt the Prices were inflated to the point of ridicules. For example They had what they called "Top Shelf Guacamole" was 9.49. There selling point was "we use fresh avocados and prepare it tableside" My thought was so if we get it from the back it’s not fresh? They also had Enchiladas De Chile Relleno- 12.49, Oaxaca Camarones Con Tocino- Shrimp filled with oaxaca cheese, jalapeño, and wrapped in smoked bacon 19.99. Look to spend anywhere from $15.00 to $25.00 per person when eating at Cantina Laredo for dinner.

I would not be going back to Cantina Laredo except for Happy hour on a Friday after work. They have $3.00 margaritas and some smaller dishes ranging from the $2.00 to $5.00 range. Overall Rating for Cantina Laredo is a C. I could really take it or leave it but ultimately you will have to decide whether or not you want to eat there.

Giada De Laurentiis GCM-100 Coffee Maker Review

2010-04-17T16:40:00.001-04:00

Our Mr. Coffee Maker finally stopped working a few months ago and I got tiered of heating up hot water on the stove then pouring it through the filter decided it was time to get a new Coffee Maker. I must say it has been some time since I had the need to get a new one. Mr. Coffee did well and died at a ripe old age of 10 yrs give or take one since my Grandmother gave it to my sister and she passed it to me.

I could not believe all the gadgets these new coffee makers have on them. What happened to the Dump and Pour Verity? They seem to have all sorts of buttons and settings that would make your head spin. However after the first coffee maker we bought would not make coffee, and had to return it. Randy and I settled on Giada De Laurentiis GCM-100 Coffee Maker.

I must say I am very very pleased with this model. So far we have had it for about a month now and I love it. First let's talk about the looks of this coffee maker. This picture does not do this device justice! I love the stainless steel look to the pot. The Dimensions of the device follows Length: 14.5 "; Width: 6.75 "; Depth: 10.25 " and fits nicely on the counter-tops. I have a very limited counter-top so this was a huge plus for me. Secondly, I like the carafe as it gives me art deco kinda feel to it. The lid is also easy to pop open and pour so you don't drip the coffee everywhere! Cats drinking coffee is not a good thing! (Another post for sure) Also I like that the carafe has a wide handle so you can not burn yourself on the glass. Thirdly, I have to say this is an easy to use coffee maker. It has some great features like Brew Pause and programmable feature so if you want your coffee ready at a certain time. Though I haven't read the manual to learn out to do that. The manual is thin and in English only. I didn't see a Spanish or French instruction booklet in the box like I normally see in other appliances.

I would give Giada De Laurentiis GCM-100 Coffee Maker a 8 out of 10 for three main reasons. First, this coffee maker has a 2 hr safty switch. That being said, I like to drink coffee all morning on the weekends and that two hour feature kicks in really quick! Secondly, this is only a 10 cup coffee pot. I thought a 12 cup coffee pot would be the norm and with two coffee drinkers in the home I feel like we get two cups each (Granted my cup is rather big) and I need to make another pot. Thirdly, This coffee pot uses the triangle filters not the basket filters. No where did I see this on the box when I purchased this. So I have been using the basket filters up before I go and buy the triangle filters. All In all though it is one of the best appliances I have purchased in a while! I would definitely buy more of her line at Target.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-04-14T07:59:00.002-04:00

Grilled Romaine Shrimp Salad w/ Creamy Creaser Dressing

2010-04-13T06:39:00.002-04:00

I can’t say how much I enjoy the Spring Time here in Florida. I think alot of people miss the everyday beauty of Florida. For instance, Sunday I was so tiered I decided to take a nap. The windows had been opened and I could hear my Cardinals outside singing away to his mate. It was like having my personal sound machine and in no time I was drifting off to La La Land.

We eat alot of salad in the summer time. It's nice and refreshing way to get a meal and keep the ovens off. The problem is we tend to eat alot of the same types of salad and it gets old quick. I feel there is only so much you can do with lettuce and veggies.

So with that being said I decided to play around with the types of lettuce we have access to through the farmer's market and the general supermarkets. This week bag salad was 3.00 and a head of Romaine Lettuce was 1.79 so I went with that. I really never noticed how bitter this was until I ended up eating it by it's self. I decided to grill it and see what flavors I created with the use of olive oil and good ol S&P. I was surprised by the depths of flavor. It had that grill taste to it but still kept the shape and tenderness of the leaves. I will say though I used way too much olive oil due to being able to get my table bottle open!

I think what I like most about this dish is the dressing I used. I took a Caesar Vinaigrette dressing and mixed it with some sour cream. Looking at the grilled lettuce, I felt vinaigrette wouldn't stand up to the heartiness of this dish. The sour cream cut some of the spicy flavors of the Caesar dressing and was a nice factor to the dish. But I think for next time, I will just make a cucumber sour cream type of dressing to get a more refreshing taste.

Yields 4 to 6 salads

Special Equipment
Indoor Grill Pan

Ingredients
3. Strips of bacon
1 head of Romaine Lettuce
1 lbs medium Pre-Cooked Shrimp
1 medium cucumber
1cup of sour cream
1/2 cup Creaser Vinaigrette
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions
Turn your grill pan to high or sear setting

1. Take your medium sized cucumber and dice. Set aside for later use.

2. If your shrimp needs prep work do so now by removing tails and shells.

3. Mix your 1 cup sour cream to 1/2 cup Creaser Vinaigrette until combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. (If the dressing is too thick add more Creaser Vinaigrette or water to think it out.) Set aside.

4. Cut your 3 strips of bacon and render down the fat. Remove bacon pieces and use for garnish.

5. Turn off the pan and Toss the Pre- Cooked Shirmp in the bacon fat and warm through.

6. Wash and cut your lettuce into wedges. Then drizzle with olive oil and season with Salt and Pepper. Place on the grill for 4 to 5 minutes until you get the nice grill marks on the lettuce.

7.Assemble and Enjoy.

Polenta with a Bacon Mushroom Ragout

2010-04-12T07:01:00.004-04:00

This weekend had been jammed pack with activities that it barely left time for me to think of my recipes that had been waiting for me to post them. So as I sit hear drinking my coffee and looking at the photo of Polenta and Bacon Mushroom Ragout; I think, once again brown food is not all that pretty to photograph. That being what it is, this recipe was delicious and I can’t wait to eat it again!

I had made polenta before but it did not come out right. Randy ate it and was happy that I was trying a new dish. I on the other hand knew polenta shouldn’t be crunchy and only ate the sausage. In my attempts to use up some mushrooms I had purchased at the farmer's market a few weeks back and tackle my polenta issues, I came up with this dish. Boy was I surprised at the wonderful flavors I created! There was a nice Smokey flavor of the bacon and then at the end bite there was a nice sweet flavor of the balsamic vinegar. This dish defiantly reminded me of our time in Italy!

This dish looks complex but really it is super easy and just takes about 30 minutes to make. I have a friend who has recently begun to learn how to cook and well it’s not going so hot for him. After getting sick with his Shrimp Alfredo, he has resorted back to the old Golden Arches and Subs. It's getting pretty bad that they know his name when he orders and I am not making that up! So this recipe I dedicate to him. I want to show him that it really isn’t that difficult to make delicious and healthy food.

*Cooks Note* you don’t need to use all this cream! If your calorie conscious you can substitute for light cream or do 1 cup cream to 2 cups water/chicken broth for your polenta. By adding the cream it will give your polenta a more creamy texture. Depending upon the size of your tins, the polenta cakes yield 6 to 8

Equipment
You will need a cup cake pan in order to make the polenta cakes and an Ice Cream Scooper.

Ingredients

2 cups polenta
3 cups of heavy cream
1/4 cup cream (Ragu)
1 pint of portabella mushrooms
3 strips of bacon
1 teaspoon of Pomegranate balsamic vinegar (regular does just fine)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat the 3 cups of cream until it begins to simmer. Add the 2 cups of polenta and stir until it absorbs the liquid. Then take your muffin tin and with the ice cream scooper fill the muffin tins to the top and let set. This should take 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Cut the 3 strips of bacon and begin frying them in the pan.

3. While your bacon is rendering, remove the mushroom stems if need be and rough chop them. Once your bacon has rendered as much of the fat as possible add the mushrooms. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes until fork tender. Add salt and Pepper to taste.

4. This step you can do two different ways. First you can heat the oven to 250 and add your polenta cakes to warm them up or secondly you can melt 2 table spoons of butter adding a spring of rosemary and reheat your cakes. Once heated through, take out of muffin tins and plate

5. Add the 1/4c of cream to the pan and stir. This will bring everything together with the consistancy of a chunky ragout.

6. Add the teaspoon of balsamic vinegar, stir and turn off the heat.

7. Assemble and Enjoy!

Mr. Krabs Crab Cakes

2010-04-07T06:46:00.005-04:00

I am a fan of cartoons and not because I like brightly colored objects running around my screen but for the fact that when I was growing up, I wanted to be an animator. Problem was that I never had the drawing skills to become one. Even my stick figures were a bit off. So my guilty pleasure is watching cartoons as an adult.

I often find myself watching Nickelodeon shows such as Avatar the Last Air Bender, Invader Zim (though I can only take so much on that cartoon) and last but not least Sponge Bob. Randy on the other hand can not stand the Ol SBSP, but I steel glimpses every now and then of the show when he isn’t looking. When Mr. Krabs makes his Krabby Patty, I often chuckle to myself thinking that they are eating not hamburgers like the land dwellers but Crab Cakes! For some reason the thought of the undersea dwellers eating their own kind and not knowing it or not seeming to really care, is kinda funny to me.

So I made Some Crab Cakes after I had seen a few episodes last week or so. I sometimes think I have to be a better planner because I didn’t have bread crumbs for the filler. After realizing this, I found a few slices of Italian Bread and threw them in the food processer. While those bread crumbs were in the oven drying out. I assembled my crab cakes. Normally Red Peppers and Onions go into the mix but disliking those two veggies a lot I skipped it and instead I diced a small zucchini and added it in there. It was left raw but next time I will cook the zucchini first then mix it in. Over this entire dish had great success in my house right down to the cats! The Floridian Summers are rolling in and this dish will defiantly be made again!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup olive oil
1 (6 ounce) can canned crabmeat, drained ( I used 8oz the more the Merrier I say)
1/4 cup of diced zucchini
1 egg
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon dry mustard
8 ounces buttery round crackers, crushed
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt to taste
1 cup dry bread crumbs

Directions (makes 4)

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet over high heat. Saute 1/4 cup of zucinnie untill tender; cool slightly.

Combine crabmeat, sauteed zucchini, egg, mayonnaise, dry mustard, crushed crackers, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Form into 1/2 inch thick patties. Coat the patties with bread crumbs.

Heat 1/2 cup oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Cook cakes until golden brown on each side. Drain briefly on paper towels and serve hot.

*Cooks Tip* You don’t really need all that oil, use what makes you most comfortable

Wordless Wednesday

2010-04-07T05:50:00.000-04:00

Lamb Tagine

2010-04-05T06:16:00.002-04:00

My Easter was pretty quite since my family is up North and I am down in the South. I kinda felt left out of the traditions we have with the families. This year my Mother actually went to a restaurant with family for Easter Dinner. In my twenty-nine years, I don’t think she has ever said "Lets go to a restaurant for a holiday" Times sure has changed! Now I know this picture isn’t really "Pretty" per say but dang was it delish! This dish does take an overnight rub down. So if you think this is a dish you can just throw together you may wanna look at some of my other recipes.

So here I am at home with Randy attempting to celebrate a holiday he doesn’t even participate in and make it the best for myself as possible. So I figured I would make a lamb dish. I was attempting to stay away from the "Mint Jelly" and Rosemary route if all possible. The Idea of Mint Jelly was kinda yucky to me. So I posted on a few message boards and popped up Lamb Tagine.

This sounded delicious and filled with spices I have never cooked with. The Spices made me a bit apprehensive at first but really this Lamb Tagine is just a fancy word for Lamb Stew. On a normal Friday or Saturday I would have gone to a store with bulk spices in order to save money on spices I didn’t know or don’t use so often but I didn’t have so much time. All I can say is make time because I will never again spend 10.00 for a bottle cardamom spice. I know the brand to be more expensive but dang the recipe only called for 1/2 teaspoon! So Now I am going to be experimenting on what to do with cardamom.

My blog contains mostly my own recipes however some were modified such as the Marshmallow recipe. This is another one of the modified versions. My version of Lamb Tagine substituted carrots for parsnips and I totally removed the ginger because I wasn’t going to buy powdered ginger and then fresh ginger. Plus I spent all the spice money on the gang cardamom! I also poured the Lamb Tagine over some Jasmine Rice which added a nice aromatic quality to the overall dish. Not that you needed it with the spice rub the lamb recieved the night before. All in all this was a great dish. I learned two things while making this dish. 1. You can substitute your lamb for beef. And 2. I don’t care for lamb that much!

Thirsty Thursdays

2010-04-01T06:29:00.004-04:00

It’s getting hotter and hotter here in Florida which is not a bad thing! I love our springtime weather and how we always seem to have a breeze wafting over our faces. It's the perfect time for this cocktail. I call it a Strawberry Lemonade Twist.

I have made two pitchers of this drink and they are gone within days.My friend Jo liked them a lot when she was visiting last weekend. She said "Man these are delicious! You don’t taste the lemon vodka but you sure feel it after a few!" I couldn’t help but laugh at her statement.

There is one thing I would change next Time I make this and that is instead of using chopped Strawberries, I am going to use strawberry nectar or juice. It would work just the same. Due to the freeze we had here in Florida now all the strawberries are dirt cheep it would be more expensive to buy the nectar than the fresh berries.

Ingredients
8 plump strawberries
Country time Lemonade
1 cup of Lemon Flavored Vodka
Slice Lemons and Strawberries for Garnish.
Ice

Directions
1. If you are using fresh berries make sure you process them in a food processor or blender.
2. Follow the instructions on the Country Time Lemonade.
3. Combine your Strawberries and Country Time Lemonade.
4. Add your Lemon Flavored Vodka and stir.

Place in the fridge or Pour over a glass of ice and enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-31T05:48:00.002-04:00

Marinade Onions

2010-03-30T05:51:00.003-04:00

Now I hate HATE onions unless they are burnt to a nice crispy brown/black. My other half however cant seem to get enough of these smelly things. When I went to the Farmers Market I found two rather large onions and took them home. I chopped one up into bits and the other got almost liquefied due to not keeping an eye out on the food processor, and those ended up in the fridge. I still had a whole onion left and so I thought about the time I had made a Tapas like dish with quail eggs and onions.

I thought that just simply marinating them would be nice and refreshing on salads and what nots. Especially when we were having a feta and olive snack later this evening. So I threw a quick marinated together and it tasted great! At least that's what Randy told me Cooks beware I found these onions to be over powerful stinky!

Recipe Below.

2 large onion
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup Mirin Rice vinegar
1 teaspoon Parsley
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
As much as you like- Garlic

Directions

1. combine oil, mirin and seasonings together and let sit

2. Chop your onions into rings or small pieces depending upon what you are planing to do with the marinated onion.

3. Place onions in marinade and let sit for 1 to 24 hours. The longer you let sit the better they taste.

Marshmallows

2010-03-29T06:21:00.006-04:00

After seeing the marshmallows on Pinch My Salt (http://pinchmysalt.com/) I knew they would be the perfect treat for my lunch with Jo. I had never attempted to make marshmallows in my life and honestly I never liked them much. They always tasted processed, artificial, and yet you always seem to stick you hand in the bag when it was passed around.

I was excited about creating these fluffy little treats and wrote down the list of ingredients. I was perhaps a little to excited as I didn't write all of the ingredients down and found myself without corn syrup, which incidental is an essential part of this recipe! I was abit disappointed that I didn't double check the list before going to the store but I wondered if I could make my own corn syrup? And come to find out you can! Would I do it again? Heck no! But it is a handy thing to know just in case you find yourself without it. This recipe was found on http://www.recipezaar.com/Homemade-Corn-Syrup-Substitute-Simple-Syrup-74080

There are many different Marshmallow recipes out there but I used the one that Pinch My Salt had used from NPR. At first I thought mine may have been sickly sweet due to the whole make your own corn syrup but once they set they were delicious! If you get a chance to view Pinch My Salt photos of her Marshmallows, you will notice hers are more light and fluffy and mine are more dense almost like the inside of the marshmallow. I would make these again for sure, they are simple, and great for parties or potlucks at work.

Special Equipment

Kitchen Aid Mixer is a must!

Ingredients

2 ½ tablespoons unflavored gelatin (3-4 packets)
½ cup plus 3 tablespoons water (divided)
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
¼ cup honey
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
3-4 drops almond extract, to taste (optional)
3-5 drops candy flavoring oil, to taste ( optional such as oil of lemon, lime peppermint or crème de menthe)
2-4 drops liquid food color, as desired (optional)
¾ cup powdered sugar for dusting marshmallows.

Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with wax paper, allowing the paper to overhang the ends by about 1 inch. Evenly coat the paper with nonstick spray.

In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the ½ cup cold water. Let stand, stirring once or twice, until the gelatin softens, about 6 minutes.

In a heavy 3- to 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together the granulated sugar, corn syrup, honey, salt and the remaining 3 tablespoons warm water until well blended. When the sugar dissolves, raise the heat and bring the mixture to a full boil, stirring. Boil for 20 seconds. Stir in the gelatin mixture, vanilla and almond extract (if using), and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds longer. Remove from the heat and continue stirring until the gelatin completely dissolves.

Pour the mixture into a large bowl. Add the flavoring oil and/or food color, if desired. Using a mixer (with a whisk-shaped attachment, if available) and gradually raising the mixer speed from low to high, beat until the mixture is stiffened, lightened and very fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes.

Coat a rubber spatula with nonstick spray, and use it to scrape out the marshmallow mixture into the baking dish, spreading it evenly to the edges. Let the mixture cool and firm up, at least 6 hours and preferably 24 hours. (The mixture will become firmer and easier to handle if left for the full 24 hours.)

To cut the marshmallows: Sift about one third of the powdered sugar onto a cutting board. Lift the marshmallow slab out of the baking dish. Invert the slab onto the powdered sugar and peel off the other sheet of wax paper. Sift about a third of the remaining powdered sugar over the top of the slab. Using lightly greased kitchen shears or a lightly greased, large sharp knife, cut the slab crosswise into 12ths and lengthwise into 8ths to form 1-inch marshmallow cubes.

*Cooking Tip* I used a pizza cutter that I had sprayed and it worked great!

The marshmallows will keep, stored loosely packed in an airtight container (with wax paper between the layers) in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Let come to room temperature before serving.