Wish Upon A Chef

A Test Of My True Southernness

2012-01-26T08:28:00.009-05:00

What truly Southern person doesn't like the combination of shrimp and cheese grits? Add some bacon into the mix and I'd almost bet that anyone within a 1,000,000,000 mile radius of the Mason-Dixon line would come running for a hefty helping of the delicious goodness.

I make a pretty awesome spicy shrimp and cheese grits casserole myself, but I'm not opposed to trying something new and different like this recipe from Food & Wine for Shrimp and Cheese-Grit Cakes with Bacon Vinaigrette. This recipe tested my true Southernness ~ let it be known right now that I cannot fry a grit cake. Frying is an inherently must-know-how-to-do Southern trait and I failed miserably. If I make this recipe again, I'll probably use a skillet instead of a grill pan and fry them in a bit of vegetable oil just like I do when I make Chicken Parmesan. My grit cakes stuck to the pan and the crust peeled right off when I tried to flip them. They weren't attractive at all and thank goodness they were smothered in vinaigrette so no one noticed.

I liked the combined flavors of the tangy balsamic vinegar, the smoky bacon, and the sweetness of the shallot in this recipe. I had a bit of the vinaigrette left over and mixed it with ziti pasta, leftover steamed broccoli and a pinch of Parmesan cheese for an awesome lunch the next day.

Shrimp with Cheese-Grit Cakes and Bacon Vinaigrette
Food & Wine, August 2009
Serves: 6

3 1/2 cups milk
5 garlic cloves -- minced
1 cup quick grits
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Tabasco
2 Tbs vegetable oil -- plus more for brushing
4 oz lean bacon -- cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 small shallots -- minced
1 small celery rib -- minced
1 scallion -- finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper -- minced
1 Tbs chopped parsley
1 tsp chopped thyme
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs Dijon mustard
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
Barbecue spice mix or Cajun seasoning -- for dusting (I used Tony Chachere's)
1 lb large shrimp -- shelled and deveined

Lightly oil a 9-inch-square glass baking dish. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk to a simmer with half of the garlic. Slowly whisk in the grits over moderate heat until very thick, 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cheddar. Season with salt, pepper and Tabasco. Pour into the dish and press plastic wrap directly onto the surface. Let stand until firm, 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat the 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the bacon; cook over moderate heat until crisp. Add the shallots, celery, scallion, red pepper, parsley, thyme and the remaining garlic and cook, stirring, until the shallots are softened, about 2 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire and a few dashes of Tabasco. Season with salt and keep warm.

Heat a grill pan and brush with oil. Cut the grits into 12 squares and dust on both sides with barbecue spice mix. Cook over moderate heat until crisp, about 2 minutes per side. Keep the grit cakes warm in a low oven; keep the grill pan hot.

Brush the shrimp with oil, season with salt and pepper and dust with barbecue spice mix. Grill the shrimp in the pan over moderately high heat until lightly charred and just cooked through, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Arrange the shrimp and grit cakes on plates, drizzle the bacon vinaigrette on top and serve right away.

Art Smith's Goat Cheese Biscuits Reinvented

2012-01-19T07:57:00.000-05:00

Goat cheese excites me.

It excites me to the point that if I see something on a restaurant menu that contains the creamy, silky, tart goodness, I look no further and order that item. It doesn't matter if it's the first of 100 items to chose from ~ it's going on my plate. Undoubtedly, some variety of the cheese ends up in my grocery cart each week regardless if it's priced at $50/lb. A recipe containing goat cheese? It's going to the top of my "To Do" list.

Crazy I know, to get so excited about cheese.

When I found a recipe for Art Smith's (who was Oprah's personal chef for awhile) Goat Cheese Drop Biscuits that are served in his Table Fifty-Two Chicago restaurant I was, well.....very excited. The combination of made-from-scratch buttermilk biscuits and goat cheese was enough to send me to the moon. But as with anything we put upon a pedestal and worship, it is bound to fail at some point.

I expected these biscuits to be oozing with warm goat cheese when I tore into them. I expected to teeter on the edge of goat cheese heaven but I was sorely disappointed when I made them per Art's recipe. It was a biscuit and nothing more. Not the least bit exciting.

Most times I don't give a recipe a second chance ~ I am of the opinion that there are too many recipes to try and too little time. But I couldn't give up on my beloved goat cheese. I revamped the recipe with some add-ins and while the goat cheese still was not very prominent, the biscuits had much more flavor and became something that I would certainly make again. They were best right out of the oven, sliced open with a pat of softened butter smooshed right in the middle.

Goat Cheese Drop Biscuits
Inspired by Chef Art Smith
Makes 12-14 biscuits

2 cups self-rising flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 ounces cold butter
4 ounces goat cheese
3 strips bacon, cooked and finally chopped (or prosciutto)
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (or chives)
1 cup buttermilk
extra butter to grease pan and top biscuits
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400. Place one 10" cast iron pan into the oven while it is preheating. Place flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder into a medium-sized bowl. Cut in the butter and goat cheese. Add bacon (or prosciutto) and parsley (or chives). Make a well in the middle of the ingredients and pour in the milk. Stir until mix is moistened, adding an extra tablespoon of milk if needed.

Remove the hot skillet from the oven and place a tablespoon of butter into it. When the butter has melted, drop 1/4 cupsful of batter into the pan (use a muffin scoop to drop the batter if you have one). Bake for 12-14 minutes until browned on the top and bottom. Remove from oven, brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter and sprinkle with the grated cheese. Return to the oven for about a minute to give the cheese a chance to melt. Enjoy warm!

Stick To Your Ribs Beef Tips

2012-01-12T07:27:00.002-05:00

Even though we were lucky enough to have unseasonably warm temperatures here in the Carolinas up until the end of December, it's now time for Old Man Winter to settle in. It is a time for staying home close to the fires and warm blankets and a time for hearty meals from the kitchen.

Beef tips served over noodles is a dish that, even though it is made with fairly inexpensive ingredients and is simple to prepare, tastes rich and hearty. There's no need to purchase an expensive cut of meat for this recipe ~ my grocery store regularly has stew meat on sale for "Buy One, Get One" and I keep my freezer stocked with it. Stew meat is generally trim from roasts and steak and is not cut in a precise order but if prepared correctly can be as tender as more expensive cuts. If you happen to have about a cup or so of red wine languishing away on your counter like I usually do, go ahead an add that while the beef is simmering for a little added richness. Serve a green salad alongside and you have an appetite filling, stick to your ribs dinner for a cold winter night.

Beef Tips and Mushrooms
Serves 4

1-1/2 pounds stew meat or sirloin steak, cut 1" thick
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 ounce fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 cup beef broth
1 cup red wine
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup milk
chopped parsley, for garnish

Brown meat in a tablespoon or two of butter. As the pieces brown, remove from skillet. Add half the wine to the skillet. Saute the mushrooms and garlic and return the meat to the pan. Add broth and remaining wine and soy sauce. Simmer for about 1 hour or until meat is tender. Blend mustard, cornstarch and milk. Add to pan. Simmer until thickened.

Serve over egg noodles and garnish with parsley.

Get a load of this potato soup

2012-01-05T07:45:00.000-05:00

Baked potatoes are probably one of the most common side dishes served in a restaurant. For me, it seems that even if you load up the foil clad vegetable with gobs and gobs of butter and sour cream, cheese, bacon and whatever else you can find to stuff in there, the potato is still sort of lacking. But take all of those same components and combine them in a simmering pot on the stove and you have one wicked good recipe for Loaded Baked Potato Soup.

This soup is guaranteed to make you feel warm and fuzzy during these cold winter days and it's so delicious and filling that nothing else is really needed to make a full meal except for maybe a green salad. Enjoy!

Loaded Baked Potato and Leek Soup

from Fine Cooking
Serves: 6

2 pounds russet potatoes
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2-1/2 cups leeks, sliced and rinsed well (or 1 large onion, diced)
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chicken broth (may need more for thinning soup)
2 cups water
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
4 thick slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated and divided
2 tablespoons scallions, thinly sliced

Heat oven to 375. Scrub potatoes in water, pat dry, and pierce several times with a fork. Set them directly on an oven rack and bake until very tender when pierced with a fork , about 1 hour. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Melt the butter in a soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the leeks (or onion) and garlic, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the broth and water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until the leeks are tender, about 20 minutes.

When the potatoes are cool, cut one of them in half lengthwise. Use a large spoon to scoop the flesh out of each half. Cut the flesh into 1/2" cubes and set aside. Coarsely chop the potato skin and the rest of the remaining potatoes and add to the pot with the leeks. Puree the contents of the pot in a blender until very smooth. Return the pureed soup to a clean pot and reheat over medium low heat. Whisk the milk and sour cream into the soup, along with 1/2 cup of the cheese. Stir in the diced potato. The soup should be fairly thick, but if it seems too thick, thin it with a little water or chicken broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve garnished with remaining cheese, bacon bits, and scallions.

Grab and Go Granola: Perfect for Breakfast On The Run

2011-11-28T08:02:00.000-05:00

I'm stepping out of the closet just long enough to admit that I have a huge girl crush on Nigella Lawson. She is voluptuously beautiful, her show is one of the very few cooking shows worth watching on Food Network, and she has a fabulous granola bar recipe. What more could you want in a relationship?

I struggle to find things that qualify as a healthy breakfast and can also be made ahead and taken to the office during the week. I tire easily of the same rotation of breakfast selections that I already have and these were a welcome addition. I served them with yogurt and fresh fruit. I'll admit to indulging in them as an afternoon snack as well (truth be known, I scarfed down all 16 bars within a weeks time!) They stayed fresh in a sealed container for the whole week. I'm thinking these would make an excellent after-school snack for the kiddies as well.

These bars were very easy to put together (I adapted Nigella's original recipe, found here, to make use of what I had on hand), but they do require about an hour to bake. The instructions say to cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then cut into bars. I highly recommend doing just that ~ I was busy taking a nap during those 15+ minutes and it was like blasting concrete out of a baking dish when I finally got around to taking them out a few hours later. I'm betting they would have still been pretty pliable after 15 minutes.

You make me swoon, Nigella, and your granola bars are the BOMB. Muah!

Grab & Go Granola Bars
inspired by Nigella Express by Nigella Lawson

1 14 fluid oz can condensed milk
1-1/4 cups rolled oats (not instant)
1-1/4 Rice Krispie cereal
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup dried berries or raisins (I used a combination of dried cranberries, dried cherries, and dried strawberries)
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup unsalted, dry roasted peanuts

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees and oil a 9- x 13-inch baking pan or just use a disposable aluminum foil one.

2. Warm the condensed milk in a large pan.

3. Meanwhile, mix all the other ingredients together and add the warmed condensed milk, using a rubber spatula to fold and distribute.

4. Spread the mixture into the oiled or foil pan and press down with a spatula or, better still, your hands (wearing those disposable latex CSI gloves to stop you from sticking) to make the surface even.

5. Bake for 1 hour, remove, and after about 15 minutes, cut into four across and four down, to make 16 chunky bars. Let cool completely.

Makes 16

Stuffing or Dressing? What's The Difference?

2011-11-22T11:39:00.004-05:00

The battle between "stuffing" and "dressing" has waged for years. What is the difference anyway? Some say "stuffing" is prepared and cooked inside the turkey while "dressing" is baked separately and served alongside the bird. Michele Kayal does an excellent job of outlining the differences in this article for Associated Press and it all appears to boil down to being a regional thing. Where I come from, it's referred to as "dressing."

Call it what you will, but this recipe for Sausage, Apple and Cranberry Dressing is and excellent accoutrement to your Thanksgiving turkey. It's also great any other time of year served with pork chops or pork roast and gravy.

Sausage, Apple and Cranberry Dressing

1 lb. turkey sausage (breakfast flavor)
1-1/2 cups onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
3 tsp. fresh sage, minced
1-1/2 tsp. fresh rosemary, minced
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
2 Golden Delicious apples, cored and chopped
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup fresh parsley, minced
1 cup turkey or chicken broth
1/4 butter, melted
6 cups homemade bread cubes, toasted*

*Make homemade bread cubes from your favorite sandwich bread. Stack bread 6 slices high on a cutting board. Using a bread knife, saw all the way through the stack, making 1/2 inch strips of bread. Turn bread and cut strips into 1/2 inch cubes. Toast cubes on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes.

In a large non-stick skillet, cook the sausage and onions together. Break the sausage into small pieces using a spatula. Cook until onions are cooked through. Add celery, apples, sage, rosemary and thyme. Cook for 2 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the bread cubes and dried cranberries. Add the fresh parsley and toss well. Add meat mixture and butter and toss well. Spread the mixture into a 9x13 baking dish and pour broth over stuffing. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Stuffing can be prepared up to the point of baking the night before. Add 15 minutes to baking time if baking from a refrigerated state (I also wait to pour the broth over just prior to baking.)

They'll be no pardon for this bird

2011-11-21T10:46:00.001-05:00

When my home office floor starts looking like this, you know it's holiday menu planning time. I always have the traditional favorites from years past and then I scour my recipe files for one or two new items to add every year. I never try to make too many new things for Thanksgiving because there's already so much going on in the kitchen anyway.

I prepared a small pre-Thanksgiving dinner this weekend for Charlotte friends and will travel home to Tennessee on Wednesday to see my family for "real" Thanksgiving. I had planned to prepare everything on Saturday, but my plans were thrown into a tailspin at 7am that morning when I found myself standing on the side of the interstate with two flat tires. It was an all day affair trying to deal with that and rest assured at the very top of my list of "Things To Be Thankful For" this year is good friends who are there in times of need.

With all the tire chaos, I never made it to the grocery store for the few needed things, so I went with Plan B and condensed the menu to use what I already had on hand. Since it was a small gathering, I went with a turkey breast instead of a whole bird and basted it with olive oil flavored with the zest of a lemon and orange. The skin crisped up really nice and the citrus flavor was subtle and complemented the apple and cranberries used in the dressing.

I've shared the bird recipe today and will continue to share the rest of my menu with you throughout the week. Happy Thanksgiving!

Citrus Roasted Turkey Breast
Serves 8

1 bone-in turkey breast
1 tablespoon olive oil
Zest from 1 lemon
Zest from 1 orange
Juice from 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place turkey breast, skin side up, in a roasting pan. Mix remaining ingredients in a small bowl and brush over turkey with a basting brush. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. Let stand 15 minutes for easiest carving.

Meatless Monday

2011-11-14T08:52:00.002-05:00

There are times that I just cannot fathom eating another piece of meat. After I've made the dinner round of beef, chicken, pork and seafood each week, I'm just plain tired of anything with a face.

I don't have alot of vegetarian recipes in my repertoire ~ something that I need desperately to change, but rest assured this fabulous recipe for Provolone Stuffed Eggplant "Meatballs" will be immediately filed away as a must-always-have-in-the-freezer vegetarian menu option. I found this recipe when I stumbled across Lauren's blog, Healthy. Delicious, a few weeks ago and the blog has been duly bookmarked for some great new menu ideas.

As much as I love eggplant Parmesan, there was no question as to whether I'd like these or not. They were very easy to put together and I love the fact that they are freezable so I can pull a portion out whenever I want. My eggplant weighed about 2-1/2 pounds and I had a couple of small zucchini in the fridge that needed to be used, so I added them to make up the difference. I also used mozzarella cheese in place of the provolone, again because it was on-hand. A couple of my "meatballs" blew a cheese gasket during baking but I was able to form them back into the semblance of a ball while they were still warm. You could serve these as a toasted "meatball" sub sandwich or with pasta.

Quick. Easy. Delicious. Satisfying.

Provolone Stuffed Eggplant "Meatballs"
recipe by Lauren of Healthy. Delicious

Ingredients

2 Globe Eggplants (about 3 pounds total)
1/2 cup Italian Seasoned Breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Egg, slightly beaten
1/8 pound Provolone

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.

Peel the eggplant, then use the coarse side of a box grater to shred it. Toss the shredded eggplant with 1 tsp kosher salt. Use your hands to squeeze out as much moisture as you can.

Discard the liquid and add the shredded eggplant to a bowl with the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and egg. Use your hands to mix the ingredients together. The mixture should be moist, but not too soggy - add more bread crumbs if needed.

Arrange the provolone into a stack, then cut it into 12 cubes.

Divide the eggplant mixture into 12 equal portions. Form each portion into a ball. Use your thumb to make an indentation in each ball and tuck a portion of the provolone inside. Roll the balls to seal the provolone inside.

Place the eggplant balls on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the bottoms have turned golden brown. Turn the eggplant balls and bake for an additional 10 minutes to brown the other side.

Serve with your favorite pasta sauce.

Crantastic Cranberry Tart

2011-11-07T08:48:00.000-05:00

Recently hailed as a "superfruit" because of their antioxidant properties, cranberries have adorned Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner tables since the beginning of time in the gelatinous shape of an aluminum can. Harvested from September to November, 95% of the crop is processed into juice cocktails, as dried berries, or as the beloved holiday cranberry sauce, so that only leaves 5% of the crop to be sold as fresh berries. When the bags of fresh berries appear in the produce section, I always stock up because they freeze surprisingly well. Grab several bags for yourself so you too can enjoy the superfruit's healing benefits year round. Although I'm not sure how healing they become once they are combined with liqueur, sugar, and cream cheese, but I'm thinking you won't really care because it makes such a fantastic combination!

Today's cranberry tart is reminiscent of this one because it is loosely based on it. While I enjoyed the Bon Appetit version very much, I must admit that I like my own version of it even a little better. I hope you enjoy it as well!

Crantastic Cranberry Tart
Inspired by Bon Appetit

Cranberry Topping:
3/4 cup Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur, divided
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1-12 ounce bag fresh or frozen cranberries
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 Pinch salt
4 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger

Crust:
1-1/2 cups cinnamon graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Cream Cheese Filling:
8 ounce cream cheese, softened
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup lemon juice

Pour 1/4 cup Chambord into small bowl; sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand until softened, 15 minutes. Combine remaining Chambord, cranberries, and next 5 ingredients in medium saucepan; bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until cranberries are tender but still plump, 5 minutes. Strain into bowl; set cranberries aside. Add gelatin mixture to hot liquid in bowl; stir until gelatin dissolves. Stir cranberries back into liqueur along with crystalized ginger and chill until cranberry mixture is cold and slightly thickened, at least 8 hours or overnight. This can be done up to 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.
For crust:

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Combine cracker crumbs, sugar, and salt in medium bowl; add melted butter and stir until crumbs feel moist when pressed together with fingertips. Press crumb mixture firmly onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Bake crust until beginning to set and slightly crisp, pressing with spoon if crust puffs during baking, about 14 minutes. Transfer tart pan to rack and cool crust completely before filling.

For cream cheese filling:

Using electric mixer, beat all ingredients until smooth. Spread filling in cooled crust. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

Spoon cranberry mixture evenly over filling. Chill at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours. Cut tart into wedges and serve cold.

Which Came First...The Chicken or the Stuffing?

2011-10-31T08:14:00.001-04:00

Chicken is one of those highly versatile foods as there are literally a zillion +1 ways you can prepare it within any category:

Grill it.
Bake it.
Fry it.
Saute it.
Stuff it.

You can be so creative with marinades and dipping sauces and the like, but my creative strengths lie in the "Stuff it" category.

I've stuffed chicken and smothered it with crab meat (the story of which always makes me laugh when I think back on it) and I've even crammed fruit into a bird. There are so many other things that I've stuffed a chicken breast with and I can't believe I haven't yet shared them with you here, mostly because it's a last minute thing of figuring out what in the fridge needs to be used up and makes a good combination and there's no real recipe per se. Today's offering is no exception to that rule.

I found myself with an overload of Boursin® Cheese thanks to a BOGO sale at my beloved Harris Teeter a few weeks ago and I also rustled up a jar of roasted red bell peppers left over from another kitchen project. I threw in some fresh sage leaves and some par-cooked bacon and it all made for one tasty dinner. I've discovered that I prefer using thin cutlets when stuffing simply because a regular chicken breast seems to be a ratio of too much chicken vs. stuffing once it's all rolled up (see how the chicken seems to be a little too top-heavy in this photo?). I've been known to slice a regular breast in half and pound it out even a little thinner if that's all I have on hand.

Try your hand at creative stuffings and let me know what combinations you come up with!

Boursin Stuffed Chicken Breasts

4 chicken breast cutlets
1 package Boursin® Cheese
4 slices par-cooked bacon (by par-cooked, I mean partially cooked. Don't cook it until it's crisp and brittle. You want it to be a little pliable so you can roll it up and it will continue to cook while the chicken is baking.)
4 to 8 fresh sage leaves
4 strips of roasted red bell peppers
Seasonings of your choice
Splash of white wine or chicken broth

Spread 1/4 of the Boursin Cheese generously on each chicken breast. Add a strip of bacon, roasted red bell pepper and one or two fresh sage leaves. Roll chicken up into a bundle and secure with toothpicks. Season bundles with your choice of seasoning blend (I usually have one of those premixed poultry seasonings on hand but just salt and freshly ground pepper work fine too).

Add a tablespoon or so oil in a skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Sear chicken on all sides until golden brown. Add about 3/4 cup or so of liquid (white wine or broth) and deglaze the pan. Remove chicken and liquid from skillet and place into a baking dish.

Bake chicken in oven preheated to 350 degrees for about 20 to 30 minutes.

Pumpkin Bars: A Fall Rite of Passage

2011-10-24T08:48:00.002-04:00

If you can feel a slight chill in the evening air and hear fallen leaves rustling and crunching under your feet, most likely you can also smell pumpkin bars baking in my oven.

To me, pumpkin is inherently an autumnal ingredient, but these could technically be enjoyed any time of year. I think if I baked them during any other season I wouldn't appreciate them as much because seeing the farmer's markets and roadside produce stands deluged with pumpkins straight from the patch always triggers the memory of these bars.

This recipe was posted by a virtual friend on a recipe forum that I used to frequent and makes a half sheet pan, so there's more than enough to share with friends, family and coworkers or to take to a Halloween or Thanksgiving potluck. I've doubled the ingredients for the icing because while I love cream cheese icing, I'm also absolutely horrible at icing a dessert and not getting crumbs all mixed in. I usually spread half the icing without any worries about getting it all crummy, put the pan in the fridge for about 15 minutes so the cream cheese can set just a bit and then use the rest of the icing to make it all pretty. These squares are really cute garnished with the little candy pumpkins that you see in the candy aisle this time of year.

Pumpkin Bars
Recipe By: Chef Beck

Amount Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2               cups sugar
1                cup butter (2 sticks), room temp.
2               cups canned pumpkin (one 15-oz. can)
4                     eggs, room temp.
2               cups flour
2               tsp. baking soda
1               tsp. cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, ground cloves
1/2          tsp. salt
Icing:
6                oz. cream cheese, room temp.
2              sticks butter, room temp.
2               tsp. vanilla
2               tsp. orange zest (optional)
4               cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 15 X 10 1/2 X 1 (half sheet) pan. Sift flour, baking soda, spices, and salt together; set aside. Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add pumpkin and eggs; beat until smooth. Add dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Spread mixture into pan. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until cake springs back when touched or toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely and frost. For frosting, beat all ingredients together until smooth.

See You Next Spring!

2011-10-17T08:30:00.000-04:00

When the temperature drops below 70 degrees, you won't be seeing me out and about unless it's absolutely necessary. The least little drop in temperature and loss of humidity turns me into a frigid Ice Queen and makes me want to shut myself up in the warm confines of my house until next spring. (Okay, so according to a few of my former husbands, I'm an Ice Queen pretty much any time of year but that's a different story altogether.) I just wish it could stay the perfect temperature of 72.5 all year long.

But I suppose if the temperatures never changed, there would be no need for warm comfort foods such as these South of the Border Shells (affectionately referred to as SOBs in my household). These delicious shells offer a twist on typical Italian themed stuffed shells because they are stuffed with a combination of ground beef, green chilies, and Southwestern spices then topped with picante sauce. I highly recommend using a medium or hot (if you dare) picante to give the shells a boost of flavor.

When these appear on the Wish Upon A Chef menu, you can bet that my summer clothes have already been archived to the back of the closet, the fuzzy blanket is on the bed and the heat pump thermostat is pegged to a nice, toasty temperature. I'll see you folks when I'm finished hibernating, but in the meantime enjoy these SOBs!

South of the Border Stuffed Shells
Source: ilovepasta.org
Servings: 6

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
24 jumbo pasta shells
1 16 oz. jar picante sauce
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 medium onion -- chopped
2 cloves garlic -- minced
1 pound lean ground beef
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp chili powder
1 4 oz. can green chilies -- chopped
1/2 cup canned corn -- drained
1 cup Monterrey jack cheese -- grated

Prepare pasta according to package directions; drain.

Mix picante sauce, tomato sauce and water in small bowl. In a skillet, cook onion, garlic and ground beef in oil over medium heat until meat is browned and onion is tender (if using non-stick skillet, use only 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil). Remove from heat and drain off fat. Add chili powder, chopped green chilies, corn, 1/2 cup shredded cheese and 1/2 cup picante sauce mixture to meat mixture.

Preheat oven to 350. Pour half of remaining picante sauce mixture in bottom of 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish. Fill each cooked shell with 1 to 2 tablespoons of mixture and place shells in baking dish. Pour remaining picante mixture over top of shells. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 20 to 30 minutes. Uncover, add remaining 1/2 cup cheese and bake, uncovered, an additional 5 minutes until cheese melts. Serve immediately.

* This recipe can be assembled and frozen. To bake, thaw at room temperature for 8 hours and bake as directed above.

Trick or Treat!

2011-10-10T08:21:00.000-04:00

When I was a kid, my grandparents would take me on a shopping trip to the mall almost every week and indulge me with gifts. Being the only grandchild, I was ~~spoiled rotten~~ appreciative of everything they bought for me and one of my most favorite splurges each week was a box of caramel coated popcorn from the now non-existent KarmelKorn shop. How sad I was when the franchise disappeared from our area malls, but according to their website, there is a location in Norfolk, NE but it only does mail order.

The salty-sweet smell alone was enough to draw you into the store and then you had the task of deciding which flavor of popcorn you wanted, but it was always an easy decision for me. Now, thanks to Gina at Desperately Seeking Gina, I can have caramel corn anytime I want. Gina made her caramel popcorn for Halloween last year and this year I decided to do the same. It's excellent for bagging in the cute little holiday treat bags that tempt me from the shelves of my favorite Dollar Tree store and I'm currently the owner of 100 super cute Halloween cello bags.

The recipe is fun and simple and I'm posting Gina's version but I had to put a different spin on my treats because once I got to the grocery store, I remembered I needed "Reese's" but thought it was Reese's Pieces instead of the Reese's mini cups (I stood right there in the aisle and looked at them all the while cursing because my store didn't have Reese's Pieces). So, I went with M&M's and candy corn, but a word to the wise: do not mix the candy corn in with the caramel and popcorn prior to baking. Baked candy corn is NOT pretty. I ended up picking the melted, oozing puddles of corn goo out of the mixture and then adding more as I bagged it. The M&M's held up sort of okay after baking but quite frankly if I did it again, I'd add those in at the end as well. I didn't drizzle the white chocolate because I ran out of time and I also wanted to keep it as close to my beloved childhood treat as I could.

One batch of the corn went home with the Boy Toy to be shared with his kids but me thinks the Boy ate most of it. He eventually started nearly cursing me via text because it was so addicting and he couldn't stop eating it. Another batch went to the office after lunch and I had some happy coworkers by the end of the day and not just because 5 o'clock had eventually rolled around.

You can trick all you want to this Halloween....I'll be enjoying this tasty treat!

Carmel Corn
posted by Gina of Desperately Seeking Gina (notes are Gina's)

10 cups of popcorn, popped {about 1/2 cup kernels}
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 stick of butter, cubed
pinch of salt
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cups nuts {I used pecans}
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup Reese's Mini pieces
vanilla wafers or white chocolate for drizzling

Add nuts to popcorn in a large bowl, set aside. {I divided my popcorn in two-nuts & popcorn in one bowl. Nuts, Reese's mini pieces, & popcorn in another}

Place brown sugar in a microwave-safe dish. Throw in pinch of salt. Add cubed butter. Pour corn syrup over this mix. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Remove & stir. Microwave for an additional 2 minutes. Remove & stir. Heat for another 2 minutes until mixture is hot & bubbly. Remove & stir once more. Handle with care!!

Add vanilla & baking soda and stir to combine. Mixture will foam, rise, and lighten in color.

Pour mixture over popcorn and stir until all the nuts & popcorn are covered in caramel-y, gooey goodness. If you divide your batch in two, like I did-eyeball it & add half the caramel mixture into one bowl, and half into the other bowl.

Now to finish:

Place caramel corn on a parchment lined baking sheet or a pan coated with butter flavored cooking spray {this is how I did it}.

Bake at 250 {preheated} degrees: 10 minutes for chewier caramel corn, or 20 minutes for crunchier. Stir every 5 minutes! Remove from oven.

Melt vanilla wafers or white chocolate on high for 1 minute. Stir to gently melt. Drizzle over caramel corn and allow to cool. Once the chocolate has set- break apart and serve. Enjoy!

Fields of Lavender

2011-10-03T07:29:00.003-04:00

So easy. So elegant. So good.

Crème brulée, also known as burnt cream, is very often an understated dessert. Its silky smooth custard base is made with cream, sugar, vanilla and egg yolks ~ ingredients that you no doubt already have on hand, and it can be pulled together quickly and just needs enough time to chill in the refrigerator before serving. A top layer of crunchy, carmelized sugar adds to its rich and creamy decadence. Most recipes call for using a butane kitchen torch to burn the sugar, but it can also be done under an oven broiler. There's no need to buy special equipment.

I splurged on a tin of dried lavender flowers for this cocktail recipe and happened to remember a recipe I'd seen years ago on a now defunct blog called "Fresh Approach Cooking" for this lovely lavender infused crème brulée. It's simply amazing at how a bit of lavender infused in warm cream for just a few minutes can evoke a feeling and image of frolicking in a field of purple lavender blooms somewhere in the south of France, the air heavy with floral perfume.

Serve this as an elegant end to any meal and I promise you won't be disappointed.

Lavender Infused Crème Brulée
by Rachael of Fresh Approach Cooking

4 ½ cups heavy cream
3 Tbsp dried lavender flower, or 4 tablespoons fresh
6 egg yolks
1/3 cup granulated white sugar
Additonal sugar to top

Heat your oven to 300F.

In a large saucepan, combine the cream and lavender and bring to a gentle boil. Remove from the heat and let the lavender infuse with the cream for 5 minutes.

Whisk the egg yolks and 1/3 cup sugar until light and creamy. Strain the lavender buds from the cream. Slowly pour the cream into the egg and sugar mixture, blending well.

Divide the cream between 6 ramekins. Put into a pan and carefully fill the pan with warm water, until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake custards until set around the edges, but still loose in the center, about 40 to 50 minutes. Remove from oven and leave in the water bath until cooled. Remove the ramekins and chill for at least 1 hour, or up to 2 days.

To serve, sprinkle one teaspoon of sugar over each custard. Melt the sugar with a blow-torch or place under broiler. It's a good idea to re-chill custards for a few minutes before serving.

Beef: It's What's For Dinner

2011-09-28T08:40:00.001-04:00

With the change of the seasons comes the transition of my appetite. Fresh summer fruits and salads are no longer as appealing to me now that fall is upon us and I'm starting to think more along the lines of hearty, stick-to-your-ribs meals to combat those long, cold and dreary winter days that are just around the corner. My menus become heavy on the meat 'n taters!

Flank steak makes a regular appearance on the Harris Teeter weekly sales flyer and while it's not one of my absolute favorite cuts of meat, I'm learning to like it. If it is cooked and cut properly, it can make for a tasty, fairly inexpensive entree. This cut of meat is also incorrectly referred to as London Broil, which technically describes a method of cooking instead of an actual cut of meat.

Special care must be taken when preparing flank steak or else you'll end up with something equivalent to shoe leather on your dinner plate ~ over-cooking is detrimental so it only requires a few minutes of cooking per side. Marination is also important for a successful flank steak ~ look for marinades that contain acids like vinegar or citrus juices because they break down the fibrous tissues in the meat. After cooking, the meat needs to rest for about 10 minutes and most importantly it MUST, MUST be sliced against the grain.

An excerpt from Beef Recipes from Lowes Foods' Kitchen explains it best: "When a recipe calls for slicing meat against the grain, looked at the cooked meat and located the direction of the string-like fibers (the grain). Slice the meat in the opposite direction of the grain to provide a tender slice of meat. If you cut the meat in the same direction as the grain, the result will be a chewy slice of meat. Example: if the grain is going north/south direction, then cut the slices in an east/west direction."

This Cooking Light recipe called for marinating the meat with whiskey and I was curious if it was acidic enough to do the job like vinegar or citrus juice. But I suppose since drinking whiskey rots your liver, surely laying in it for at least 24 hours would tenderize a piece of meat, right? I'll admit to leaving this in the marinade for more like 36 to 48 hours because I'm lazy like that and it didn't appear that my flank suffered from cirrhosis. If anything, the sweet and mellow whiskey flavor was a very nice compliment to the overall flavors. Served with a side of oven roasted vegetables, it got my vote for hearty and delicious!

Rubbed Flank Steak with Horseradish Cream
Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2000

Ingredients

Steak:
1 (1 1/2-pound) flank steak
1/4 cup rye or bourbon whiskey
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

Horseradish cream:
1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 large garlic clove, minced

Rub:
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray

Preparation

To prepare steak, trim fat from steak. Place whiskey and soy sauce in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add steak; seal and marinate in refrigerator 24 hours, turning bag occasionally.

To prepare horseradish cream, combine yogurt, horseradish, mustard, and garlic in a small bowl. Cover and chill.

To prepare rub, combine sugar and next 5 ingredients (sugar through salt). Remove steak from bag; discard marinade. Rub sugar mixture over steak; chill 30 minutes.

Prepare grill or broiler.

Place steak on a grill rack or broiler pan coated with cooking spray, and cook 8 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices. Serve with the horseradish cream.

Cookie Dough Lovers Unite!

2011-09-26T08:33:00.001-04:00

Raise your hand if you've ever eaten raw cookie dough. Pretty much everyone, I see. Now, raise your hand if you've ever gotten sick or died from eating raw cookie dough. Uh huh. I thought so.

I'm sure someone somewhere did, in fact, get sick from eating cookie dough and therefore the FDA felt the need to put the fear of God into every child and adult left standing about the dangers of dying from indulging in it. Okay, so maybe you won't actually die, but you'll spend a great deal of time being sick and wishing you could just die and get it over with. I grew up eating the stuff straight from the bowl and look how well I turned out. Tick. Twitch. Shudder.

For those of you rule followers who've heeded the warnings and never known the absolute pleasure of eating the ooey, gooey sweet chocolate goodness in its raw form, do I have a treat for you today! Originally shared with me by my friend Liz over at That Skinny Chick Can Bake, these Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies are seriously way over the top. They start out with a chocolate brownie layer, end with a layer of rich chocolate ganache, and the best part about the whole deal is the middle layer ~ cookie dough that is totally safe to eat because there are no raw eggs. If you eat this straight from the bowl, you may be a little put off by the granular texture of the dough but once it's incorporated with the other layers, you won't even notice it. The graininess comes from the fact that there are no eggs to "smooth out" and blend the sugars in the dough. Even still, I ate my fair share before I layered it onto the brownies.

I can attest to the fact that if you eat one of these chocolately, sugar loaded treats for breakfast, you will not only clear off nearly 8 hours worth of office work from your desk in just under 4 hours, but you will also go home on your lunch break and clean the entire house and still have 15 minutes to spare to eat your lunch. Talk about a sugar rush but oh, so worth it!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies
adapted from Recipe Girl and shared by That Skinny Chick Can Bake

Brownie layer:
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup butter, at room temperature
2 cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup flour

Cookie dough layer:
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
3 Tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Ganache topping:
6 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips or semi sweet chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup cream

Preheat oven to 325º. Grease 9 x 13 pan and line with parchment paper lengthwise with a slight overhang on each side. Grease parchment. Set aside.

Make brownie layer. Melt chocolate in the microwave using 30 second increments, stirring until melted and smooth. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and brown sugar till well mixed. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Mix in melted chocolate. Stir in flour; don't over mix. Spread into prepared pan. Bake 25-35 minutes or till toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool.

Make cookie dough. With an electric mixer combine butter and both sugars. Mix in milk and vanilla; stir in flour. Add chocolate chips and mix to combine. Spread over cooled brownie layer. Cool till firm (can freeze to hurry along process).

Make ganache. Melt remaining chocolate and cream together in microwave, stopping at 30 second intervals to stir till smooth and chocolate is melted. Spread over dough layer. Chill for easier cutting. You may pull the whole batch out with the parchment to cut or just cut pieces from pan.

Shrimp in a Snap!

2011-09-21T08:12:00.002-04:00

I always have a plethora of shrimp in my freezer, partly because I fall victim to the "Buy Three, Get Two Free" ~~scam~~ advertising at my favorite Harris Teeter grocery store and also because it's so quick and easy to use to prepare a meal in a pinch. It makes no difference that I probably already have 10 pounds of crustaceans in my freezer when that sale rolls around ~ my grocery cart is bellied right up to the seafood counter for more.

I purchase the 16-20 count EZ-Peel frozen shrimp and on those nights that I'm running short on time or I've forgotten to plan for dinner, I can grab a bag and thaw it quickly under cool running water and throw dinner together in a snap (therefore I eat ALOT of shrimp!) The 16-20 are a good substantial size after cooking (it means it takes anywhere from 16 to 20 shrimp to equal a pound), but they are a tad more expensive than the smaller ones.

This meal was pulled together in less than 20 minutes ~ that's less time than you can get in your car and make a run to the fast food drive-thru and much healthier too! I served it over white rice.

Spanish Sherried Shrimp
Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2000

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons chopped fresh -or- 3/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled & deveined
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cup chopped red or green bell pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup medium dry sherry
1 (14.5 oz) can no-salt-added whole tomatoes, undrained & chopped
2 teaspoon sherry vinegar or white wine vinegar

Combine flour, thyme, 1/4 tsp salt and pepper in zip-top plastic bag. Add the shrimp; seal and shake well. Heat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over med-high heat. Add the shrimp, saute 3 minutes. Remove shrimp from pan. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic; saute 2 minutes. Add sherry, cook one minute. Add 1/4 tsp salt and tomatoes, cook 4 minutes. Stir in shrimp and vinegar. Yield: 4 servings

Touchdown of a Recipe!

2011-09-19T08:04:00.002-04:00

The excitement of football season brings families, friends and even strangers together for team camaraderie. Whether fans retreat to their main caves, tailgate at the game, or gather at a friend's house to cheer on their favorite team, you know there is always food involved.

Today's recipe is a real team player because it can be made ahead of time in the slow cooker and the sandwiches can be assembled quickly before the game or during halftime. My friend Mary shared this recipe with me a few seasons ago ~ it's hearty with just a hint of spiciness and satisfies even the hungriest of fans.

After the roast has cooked, it will shred easily and can be placed back into the cooker with the juices and held warm until needed. I like to serve these open-faced on the small hoagie rolls to make them easier to handle. Build your sandwiches however you like, but my favorite way is with a squirt of mustard, piled high with roast beef, a few of the pepperoncinis for extra zing (or maybe some sauteed onions) and a layer of provolone cheese. Place the sandwich under the boiler until the cheese is melted and serve with a side of au jus.

No matter which team scores the most points, victory will be yours when you serve these on game day!

Game Day Open-Faced Roast Beef Sandwiches

1 packet Good Seasons Italian Dressing
1 jar pepperoncinis (including liquid)
Beef Chuck Roast, 3-4 lbs.
4 beef bouillon cubes, dissolved in 16 oz. hot water
1 TBLS dried Italian herbs
1 TBLS garlic powder

Place roast in crock pot and add remaining ingredients. Cook on low heat for 8-10 hours.

Diet Food

2011-09-14T09:03:00.000-04:00

I'm not much of a shopper when it comes to clothes, shoes, purses and other "girlie" things. While my closet may contain vintage clothing in the truest sense, you can bet my pantry is over-flowing with food stuff and that I own the latest and greatest kitchen appliance and tableware. I'd go stark naked before I'd go without shopping for what I love most.

So it came to be that I was the laughing stock of all my friends ~ evidently sporting popped up collars on a Members Only jacket and huge earrings are no longer all the rage. Like, when did that become totally uncool? It couldn't be avoided it any longer ~ it was time to rid my closet of leg warmers, puffed sleeves, shoulder pads, and stirrup pants which pretty much did leave me naked and needing to go shopping.

I loaded up my arms at my favorite little boutique and headed to the dressing room to slip out of my comfy stretch pants and into some new threads. But the funny thing was, nothing seemed to fit! I double checked the size on the tags and sure enough they were the same as my discarded pile of 80's memorabilia, but things were a little more snug in certain areas. Could it be that they've...GASP! changed the sizing charts since the last time I shopped for clothes?? Yeah, I'm thinking that's exactly it because there is no way that my waist, thighs, and butt have expanded that much. Right?

I made a few purchases and headed home amidst thoughts of how to go about getting a handle on my love handles. Exercise? Diet? Ugh...it was just too much to think about on an empty stomach. I figured I'd start fresh tomorrow with a plan of action. In the meantime, what better way to beat the "I'm no longer a size 4" blues than with a pan of Baked Ziti loaded with cheesy goodness?

The recipe came from a recipe forum that I used to frequent and makes a huge pan of pasta ~ I suggest a deep 9x13 pan if you choose to make just one pan. I usually divide it up into a couple of smaller pans for the freezer, as it freezes beautifully. Just prepare it up to the point of baking and freeze. Thaw before baking.

NENZ'S BAKED ZITI

1 pound dry ziti pasta or rigatoni
1 onion, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced
1 1/2 cups sour cream
6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
1.) Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.
2.) In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over
medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.
3.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the
ziti, all the Provolone cheese and sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture,
remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture.
Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
4.) Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.

A Bun In The Oven

2011-09-12T07:58:00.000-04:00

Thanks to the power of persuasive Harris Teeter advertising, I was thoroughly convinced that I needed two 16 ounce containers of cottage cheese in my grocery cart last week. Not only was I convinced that I needed them, but convinced that I wanted them. That's 32 ounces. Two pounds. Of cottage cheese. At such a bargain, who cares that it was more cottage cheese than I have ever or will ever eat in my entire life. I was crazy to pass it up.

Then I was even crazier trying to figure out what to do with it all. Sure, I could load it up with some black pepper and eat it with fruit for breakfast, but remember we're talking bulk quantities here. I have my limits. After I used part of it in lasagna, I took to the internet for ideas. I had a really hard time deciding between this recipe for homemade bread and the suggestion that I found of mixing the cottage cheese with mashed up bananas and raisins. I can assure you that suggestion goes well beyond my limits.

I put all the ingredients into my bread machine, started the dough cycle and let it do it's thing because I'm lazy like that when it comes to making bread. I only use the machine on the dough cycle because I prefer to shape my dough differently or bake in a "regular" loaf pan. The square chunk of bread that comes out when you bake in the machine is just not my thing, and I think it turns out too dense anyway. When the machine finished, I kneaded the dough just a bit with some extra flour (I initially used only 3-1/2 cups of flour like the recipe suggested, but really needed more like 4 cups because it was way too sticky to deal with) and let it rise in a loaf pan until doubled in size. Baked at 350 for about 20 minutes or so, the bread was an excellent use of cottage cheese and you'd never even know it was in there! This might be a sneaky way to get some protein and calcium into the kiddies, unbeknownst to them. I'm thinking you could use this as a basic recipe and customize the dough to your liking with herbs, poppy seeds, sesame seeds or whatever your heart desires.

The loaf was best when eaten within 2 days of being baked and I enjoyed it toasted with a smear of butter and homemade plum jam for breakfast in the mornings.

Cottage Cheese Bread

Ingredients:

1/2 cup water
1 cup cottage cheese
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups bread flour
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 package)

Directions:

Add the ingredients to your bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer, and start. You can use up to 1/2 cup more bread flour if the dough seems too sticky.

If you're only using the dough cycle, after the machine has finished place dough in a greased loaf pan; cover and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size. Bake 350 for about 20 - 30 minutes.

Can You Say "Fricassee"? I Know You Can....

2011-09-07T07:29:00.003-04:00

Not long ago, I turned to the over-burdened cookbook shelf for motivation and inspiration and happened upon my almost vintage collection of Cooking Light Annual Recipes. I used to be a loyal subscriber to the Cooking Light magazines and would buy the annuals at the end of the each year. It was a great way to have all the monthly recipes in one place without having to deal with stacks and stacks of magazines lying around the house. But somewhere along the way, I lost interest. I'm sure it wasn't any fault of Cooking Light, but rather that I began cooking for a living and that just didn't allow for the luxury of lounging around reading magazines.

Either way, I remembered why I enjoyed the magazines so much when I ran across this recipe for Chicken Fricassee with Orzo. An easy recipe that is pretty much a full meal all by itself ~ meat, starch and vegetables. I served this with a green salad and had dinner on the table in no time!

Chicken Fricassee with Orzo
Serves 4

4 (4-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons butter (I used olive oil)
3/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup diced ham
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup Chardonnay or other dry white wine
1/3 cup whipping cream
3 cups hot cooked orzo (about 1 1/2 cups uncooked rice-shaped pasta)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Parsley sprigs (optional) Preparation

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from pan.

Add onions, carrot, ham, and garlic to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in broth and wine, scraping to loosen browned bits. Return chicken to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove chicken from pan with a slotted spoon; keep warm. Add whipping cream; cook, uncovered, over medium heat 8 minutes. Spoon 3/4 cup orzo onto each of 4 plates. Top each with 1 chicken breast half, 1/3 cup sauce, and 1 tablespoon parsley. Garnish with parsley sprigs, if desired.

Real Cajun Etouffee ~ Becky Turner Style

2011-08-31T07:36:00.002-04:00

With this being the third Creole/Cajun themed dish that I've posted in as many weeks, it appears that I've subconsciously been in the mood for low country cuisine. Most people initially associate Creole or Cajun dishes with spiciness and while they can certainly contain an element of heat, the dishes are mostly composed of several layers of complex flavors derived from the combination of various ethnic backgrounds. Most are roux-based and use spices and seasonings that are not typically used in everyday cooking.

Earlier in the week I posted a tribute to the lovely Becky Shauberger Turner and this post is dedicated to her as well. It was hard for me to choose just one recipe from Becky's website so I chose several to pay homage to her. Becky's home state was Louisiana and she grew up eating Creole cuisine so she was well versed in preparing it as well. This recipe for Cajun Etouffee was prepared for her by her sister during a time when she wasn't feeling well. The recipe came together quickly and easily with few ingredients but it was loaded with deep, rich flavors. Where the recipe states "add water to cover," I used about 6 cups but in retrospect I should have stopped with 4 or 5. My etouffee was a bit thin but it was still delicious. I only had 4 pounds of shrimp on hand, so if you use the full 5 pounds, you may in fact need 6 cups of water. Just use your best judgement.

My etouffee was served in pink and blue Fiestaware, no doubt just the way Becky would have served it up.

Real Cajun Étouffée

1 1/4 cups oil
1 cup flour
4 large onions, peeled and chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt, to taste
cayenne pepper, to taste
5 pounds peeled and cleaned crawfish tails or shrimp
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 bay leaf
1/2 lemon, juiced
8 cups hot, cooked rice

Make a roux of oil and flour. Cook it until tan, not brown. Add onions, bell pepper, garlic, salt and cayenne. Stir over low heat until vegetables are tender. Add crawfish or shrimp, and water to cover. Add green onions and parsley. Turn up heat, cover and bring to boil, stirring often. Reduce heat and cook about 15 minutes. Add bay leaf and lemon juice. Stir and let stand 15 minutes. Remove bay leaf and serve over rice.

A Tribute To Becky Shauberger Turner

2011-08-29T07:12:00.174-04:00

Throughout the years I've been a follower, reader, contributor, and lurker to numerous food blogs and recipe boards. And just the same as frequenting a restaurant, club, or store on a regular basis I became acquainted with other regulars. I came to know the lovely Becky Shauberger Turner through one of these sites and although I never met her in person, I'm proud to call her a friend.

Becky departed this earthly world last month due to complications associated with MDS, a blood-related syndrome formerly referred to as "preleukemia." I'm sad to say that I didn't really know much about Becky, except that along with her hobby of cooking, she was also an avid collector of vintage and art-deco dishes and tableware. She would take the time to stop by Wish Upon A Chef fairly often and leave a nice comment or keep in touch through Facebook. But, I do know this about Becky: she was true testament of inspiration, courage, and compassion.

While her blog, Random Musings of a Deco Lady, focused primarily on her tableware collections and cooking, Becky also used the blog to update family and friends about her medical condition. I'll admit that reading the updates gave me that weak, queasy feeling ~ the one you get just before you faint from the sight of blood, and I sort of skimmed over those posts and skipped reading words like blood, transfusion, biopsy, needle, and bone marrow. How shallow am I to avoid reading about something that someone else is dealing with on a daily basis? I cannot fathom the health issues that Becky endured but not just because I didn't read about them, but because she never eluded to the struggles that she faced. Becky's outlook on life was always positive, bright, and cheery. She never complained or felt sorry for herself or faltered in her belief that she would beat this affliction and be well again. She fought a courageous battle and faced it head-on with a fierce attitude. She made the most out of every single day.

When I catch myself complaining about inconsequential things, I stop and remind myself of the trials and tribulations of failing health that Becky faced every day and remember the positive front that she presented for her friends and family. I want Becky's attitude and I want her determination and inspiration of thinking anything and everything can be overcome. I want to remember Becky Shauberger Turner as someone who positively influenced me and I want to remember her as my friend.

Today, on this day that would have been Becky's birthday, all those who were fortunate enough to know her personally or distantly will pay tribute to her by remembering her for the lovely art-deco tablescapes and/or down-home-goodness recipes she shared. I have chosen her recipe for Nutella Brownies with Salted Caramel Glaze.

Rest in peace Becky. We will certainly miss your smiling attitude here at Wish Upon A Chef!

Salted Caramel Nutella Brownies

½ cup flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ tsp instant espresso powder
Pinch salt
¼ tsp baking powder
1 stick (8 Tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
¾ cup + 2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp good vanilla
2 eggs
½ cup Nutella
¾ cup chopped nuts

Caramel Glaze
¼ cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
¼ cup water
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut in pieces
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp finishing salt (I used Hawaiian red salt)

Preheat oven 350°F. Grease an 8”×8” square pan and set aside.

In small bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In large microwavable bowl (I use a glass measuring cup as it makes for easier pouring.), melt butter in 20 second intervals, stirring after each until smooth. Add sugar and vanilla, and whisk until well-mixed. Add eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Add to dry ingredients and whisk until fully combined.

In glass measuring cup or other microwave-safe bowl, melt Nutella in 20-second intervals, stirring after each, until smooth and pourable consistency. Stir into batter along with the nuts. Pour into prepared pan and bake 25-30 minutes or until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Once brownies are cool, make the caramel glaze. In a small saucepan over low heat, warm heavy cream, but do not let boil. Keep gently warm while melting the sugar.

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and water but DO NOT STIR. Place over medium-high heat & bring to a boil. Cook until mixture turns an amber colour, but not too dark that it looks like the sugar is burning. (This took me about 10 minutes, but it varies depending on your stove.) Remove from heat and slowly stir in the warm cream, butter, and ½ tsp kosher salt. Stir gently until smooth & well combined.

Pour over cooked brownies, tilting the pan to coat. Sprinkle with finishing salt and let glaze to set before cutting.

Credits: I adapted this from my friend Annie at From the Bookshelf, who adapted from Vittles & Bits, who adapted it from Noble Pig, with the Caramel Glaze slightly adapted from The Pioneer Woman.

How Ya'll Are?

2011-08-24T07:51:00.005-04:00

Even with as many cookbooks and recipe resources that I have access to, I am a creature of habit when it comes to preparing dinners. Always defaulting to what is familiar, I've now grown tired of all my favorite "go to" recipes and taken to my over-burdened cookbook shelves for inspiration and new ideas.

Not only was this vintage Cooking Light recipe for Cajun Chicken Pasta quick and easy, it was delicious too ~ you'd never really suspect it was "light" because the cream sauce is rich and flavorful. According to the Cooking Light statistics, a 2 cup serving has 493 calories and 5g of fat (we'll not discuss the fact that it has 63.3g of carbs). Honestly, I couldn't eat a 2 cup serving of this in one sitting because it was that rich and the Cajun seasoning added just the right amount of spiciness to the dish. I'm thinking you could just as easily use shrimp in place of the chicken if you preferred.

I can gawr-on-tee even Justin Wilson would be pleased with this Cajun dish!

Cajun Chicken Pasta
Cooking Light Annual Cookbook 2001
Yield: 4 servings (serving size 2 cups)

1 pound skinned, boned chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tbsp. Cajun seasoning (I used Tony Chachere's)
cooking spray (I prefer a drizzle of olive oil)
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup sliced green onions
8 ounces uncooked linguine
2 cups evaporated fat-free milk
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (I used closer to 1/2 cup)
1/2 tsp. lemon-pepper seasoning
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Cook pasta according to directions. Combine uncooked chicken and Cajun seasoning in a ziplock bag or small bowl and shake or stir to coat well. Heat a large skillet coated with cooking spray (or olive oil) over medium heat. Add chicken mixture and saute for 7 minutes or until lightly browned. Add bell peppers, mushrooms and onions and cook for three minutes. Stir in cooked and drained pasta and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly until thickened and serve immediately.

Holy Sugar Coma, Batman!

2011-08-22T08:12:00.003-04:00

I could never quite wrap my head around the whole Twitter/Tweet craze, but Tumblr is a different story all together (like I need another internet addiction!) A few months ago, I started following gastrogirl's tumblr site and it has now become one of my favorite sources for recipes and food porn. Gastrogirl scours the internet for gorgeous food photographs and reposts them with the link to the original source/recipe. It's like having the table of contents for a zillion cookbooks all in one handy place. You'll mostly find photos of sweet treats but occasionally you'll find savory things as well. You don't even need your own Tumblr site to view, but it's totally free to set one up and follow the stream of delicious posts if you'd like.

I fell victim to a photo of White Chocolate Vanilla Marshmallow Bars originally posted at Love Veggies and Yoga, and if the name alone doesn't convince you to try them, Averie's photos will surely persuade you. Averie is a yoga instructor but even still, I am very curious as to how exactly she can eat even a fraction of the desserts she posts on her blog and still look like this. I think I'll be a regular follower of her blog now just to discover her secret.

But since I don't yet know her secret to staying so slim and gorgeous while being taunted by freshly baked treats in the house, I divided this batch of bars up and sent some to my mother for her belated birthday day (yes, I am now very aware that her birthday was Wednesday and NOT Thursday like I thought it was) and most of the rest of them to The Boy because I totally love jacking his kids up on sugary treats because I'm nice like that.

If you're looking for a sugar rush of epic proportions, this is it. I'm talking like the kind of rush you get when you stand up too quickly and get that swimmy, light-headed feeling. If you'd like to minimize the effects of the sugar coma just a bit, you can omit the 4th layer of white chocolate vanilla buttercream frosting but if you're glutton for punishment like me, go all the way. Maybe I should sign up for one of Averie's yoga classes to clear my head of the desire to bake another whole batch of these to have all to myself. Maybe she should give me one for free since she's the one who put those thoughts in my head in the first place.

Enjoy the sugar coma!

White Chocolate Vanilla Marshmallow Cake Bars – 4 Layers (Adapted from Jenny of Picky-Palate)

Posted By Averie (Love Veggies and Yoga)
Ingredients:

Cake Layer (1st layer)

1 box vanilla, white, or yellow cake mix
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 stick butter, softened

Marshmallow/Peanut Butter Layer (2nd layer)

2/3 c marshmallow creme
2/3 c peanut butter
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

White Chocolate Layer (3rd layer)

1 bag (12 oz) white chocolate chips

White Chocolate Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Layer (4th layer)

1/4 c butter (half stick)
1/3 c white chocolate (use 2 bakers squares of white chocolate, or use white chocolate chips)
2 c powdered sugar (variable from 1.5 to 3 cups based on desired consistency)
2 tbsp cream (or milk)
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a 9×13 pan with foil and spray well with cooking spray.

2. For the cake (1st/base) layer: Place stick of butter into a large bowl and microwave until the butter is softened (or just plan ahead and soften it at room temperature over time). Add cake mix, egg, and vanilla extract to the softened butter and mix with a spoon or your hands until well combined. It will be the consistency of very thick cookie dough and if it’s just not quite all combining, add 1 or 2 tbsp of water as needed. Press dough into prepared baking pan.

3. For the marshmallow/peanut butter (2nd) layer: Place marshmallow creme, peanut butter, condensed milk, and vanilla extract into a large bowl and mix until well combined. Pour over the dough.

4. For the white chocolate (3rd) layer: Sprinkle the white chocolate chips evenly over the top of the marshmallow/PB layer

5. Bake for 20-23 minutes at 350F. Center may seem somewhat jiggly, but will set up while cools. Don’t overbake. You want these gooey.

6. While bars are baking, make the white chocolate vanilla buttercream frosting (4th/top) layer: Add butter and white chocolate to a microwave-safe bowl and melt in the microwave in 30-45 second increments, removing from the heat, and stirring and re-microwaving until melted and smooth. Don’t scorch the white chocolate. Add powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla extract and stir until smooth and is in a semi-pourable consistency. For thicker frosting, use less cream or more powdered sugar. Play around with ratios to your liking.

7. After the bars are out of the oven, allow to cool for about 5-10 minutes and then drizzle the frosting over the top. You can also frost them in entirety rather than drizzling (you will likely have enough frosting to do so).

8. Allow to cool well before slicing and serving. Expedite this by placing in the fridge or freezer.