From Laptop to Stovetop

2019-04-01T20:11:00.005-04:00

Let's talk Porcini Mushroom Powder.

I recently ordered some from The Spice House.I debated about a few uses but had read that in a burger seasoning, the porcini powder offered depth and richness that many seasonings do not support. I tried it. Very successful!

1 pound ground grass-fed beef
3/4 teaspoon porcini mushroom powder
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper

Mix ground beef and divide into patties. Grill over medium-high heat until desired temperature is reached.

Porcini Mushroom Powder purchased from here: https://www.thespicehouse.com/porcini-extra-aa-dried-mushrooms-powdered

2019-04-01T19:58:00.004-04:00

Scallops from Farm Field Table

1 pound scallops
3 cloves garlic, minced or grated
Drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Crushed black pepper

Heat your grill to medium-high heat. Toss the scallops, in a grilling basket, with the rest of the ingredients until opaque throughout. This takes about 5 to 6 minutes depending on scallop size.

2013-04-30T19:58:00.003-04:00

Sauza Party!

Get ready to enjoy some great margaritas from Sauza. This is perfect for the upcoming weekend! Cinco de Mayo friends!

This one is found on AllRecipes from Sauza Tequila.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/light-delight-sauza-rita/detail.aspx

Get into the spring groove! These sparkling margs will brighten your day.

Another awesome one from Sauza. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/strawberry-sauza-rita/detail.aspx

2013-04-28T18:15:00.003-04:00

Herdez Rockin Chicken Quesdillas

Herdez kindly provided 2 of their 4 new cooking sauces to AllRecipes Allstars. This turned out to be an excellent gift! Watch for these on your International Aisle of your grocery store.

The 2 sauces I received were:
Tomatillo Verde
Red Guajillo Chile

Both are wonderfully flavored and add an authentic touch to your Mexican dishes. I can't wait to try it in more ways.

This recipe uses a crockpot to make shredded chicken. My recipe lists only breasts but thighs can also be used.

Recipe provided here:
http://allrecipes.com/personalrecipe/63625655/herdez-rockin-chicken-quesadillas/detail.aspx

Veggie Lentil Soup (& Sausage)

2013-03-24T07:43:00.002-04:00

I haven't had lentils since I was a kid. I used to eat a lentil soup from Progresso and I loved it. I was recipe searching for a lentil soup to try and I found a couple that looked great. I blended two recipes and made this one.

4 slices bacon, chopped
2 links italian sausage, casings removed (I used chicken ital saus)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped (leaves are good too!)
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
10 cups chicken stock
3 cups dry lentils
Fresh thyme leaves
Fresh parsley leaves
2 bay leaves
Salt and Ground Black Pepper

Saute the bacon in a large pot over medium heat, stirring frequently. Add the italian sausage and break it up while stirring. Pour off half the fat. Add the onions, celery and garlic and continue to cook, stirring occasionally for a few minutes. Then add the carrots. After a couple of minutes, add your tomatoes, chicken stock, herbs, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and add the lentils. Cover and continue to cook at a simmer for about 30-45 minutes or until your lentils are tender. Remove bay leaves. Use your stick blender to blend your soup to the desired consistency. I did a partial blend as I like to have some lentils in my soup as well as some blended to make it a bit thicker.

This turned out really good. It made a cozy dinner but not a heavy dinner. I did freeze in individual portions which also turned out well. It was easy to reheat and serve. Crusty bread was also excellent with this.

For a crockpot version, you could brown the meats in a pan, add to the crock pot and add the remaining ingredients. For the stick blending, I would remove to a pot so you don't scratch your crockpot stoneware. Or tear the plastic crock liner if you use those.

"Johnsonville" Italian Sausage Penne Casserole

2013-03-10T13:00:00.001-04:00

This is a post with several exciting topics.

That pasta casserole was way good.
See that pretty yellow baking dish? Johnsonville Sausage gave me a 3 baking dish set from Sur la Table! I love both companies.
First time trying the new Johnsonville Pork and Chicken Italian Sausage with 50% less fat. It's a winner.

I started to make a Johnsonville Italian Sausage recipe with Rigatoni and I may have tweaked it a little.

"Johnsonville" Italian Sausage Penne Casserole

1 pound box penne pasta, cooked till nearly done

Sauce:
Swizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
Garlic, minced (not like 1 or 2 cloves, get in there...like 8 cloves)
1 package Johnsonville Pork and Chicken Italian sauce, casings removed
Glug of Cabernet Sauvignon (some for me, some for the sauce)
2-28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
2-14oz cans diced tomatoes
10 oz package frozen spinach, defrosted
8 oz cremini mushrooms, quartered
Salt/Ground Black Pepper
Italian seasoning (I use Pasta Sprinkle from The Spice House)
Crushed Red Pepper

1 small tub ricotta cheese
1 bag of Italian shredded cheese blend (I used Kraft)

Heat oil in a dutch oven and add onion and garlic. Add sausage and break it up as it cooks. Add wine if desired. Let the sausage cook and the alcohol from the wine to evaporate.

Add in tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms and spices. Simmer, simmer for about 2 hours. Stir occasionally and check seasonings. (You can get the pasta ready when the sauce is nearly done)

Mix sauce with the pasta and add the ricotta cheese. Pour into baking dish and top with shredded cheese. Bake at 350F for 30-45 minutes.

I make this sauce a few times a year. I love it over cheese tortellini too. If you have a parmesan rind you can let it simmer in the sauce as well. Yum.

Enjoy!

Sweet and Smoky Barbeque Sauce - From AllRecipes!

2013-02-11T08:21:00.001-05:00

Happy Monday Everyone!

***shh. I'm at work*** In my defense, my work ID is being updated so I cannot actually work! Oh no worries though, I'm sure I will have plenty of time to catch up and work during the evenings or weekends. I joined a new department in November and am really enjoying it so I don't mind.

Another interesting tidbit is that I applied and was accepted to be an AllRecipes.com Allstar! I'm really excited about joining their program as an ambassador and I hope to have more to share with you in the coming year.

Above is a new recipe I tried this weekend from AllRecipes.com titled "Sweet and Smoky Barbeque Sauce".

A couple of favorite points about this recipe is the rum (good addition) and I liked the simmering of the ingredients before the ketchup was added. Definitely a good method to use with any BBQ sauce recipe.

I will make this one again but may omit the liquid smoke and add Chipotles. I love those in BBQ sauce.

I used Baby Back Ribs, cut into sections, and seasoned (s&p&garlic pow). Browned in a bit of vegetable oil, blotted on a paper towel and set into a crockpot with some of the BBQ sauce, bit of chicken stock, whole garlic cloves and a rough chopped onion. It was "crocked" till the meat started to pull back from the bones. Then I removed them and baked with a bit of fresh BBQ sauce. I love this method in the winter.

Do you make your own BBQ sauce?
Do you only grill your ribs or do you bake or crock them?

Chocolate Crackle Cookies

2013-02-03T12:51:00.003-05:00

I was reading and playing with crackle cookie recipes and came up with the following.

Chocolate Crackle Cookies

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar, plus additional 1/3 cup reserved
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 3/4 cups flour
1 package (3.5oz) chocolate instant pudding mix
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons espresso powder

Cream butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla in your mixer. Add remaining ingredients, except additional sugar. Mix well and refrigerate for at least 2 hours covered.

Preheat oven to 375F. Roll dough into 1 inch balls with your hands. Roll into the reserved sugar. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until the tops are cracked. Do not over bake.

Note: Don't worry if your dough looks crumbly when you are starting to roll it into balls. It will work out fine.

Back to Blogging

2013-02-03T12:49:00.002-05:00

Hi Everyone,

I have some fun plans for my food blog so stick around and check out my changes.

Happy Cooking!
Melissa

The Full Box of Noodles

2011-01-27T16:31:00.000-05:00

Lasagne or Lasagna? Either way, it's just perfect when you have this during the cold winter months. It slow bakes and all the cheeses meld together and it's very yummy.

I often make lasagna with homemade pasta but this time the Barilla was on sale and I grabbed a box. I didn't realize that only a half box was needed for a recipe. That means 3 noodles wide, 3 layers tall so 9 noodles are all that is needed. I made the whole box. Can you believe I used all 18 noodles? And the result? This absolutely yummy 6 layer lasagna!

I was a bit short on ricotta and stretched it with some parmesan and some defrosted chopped spinach. The sauce was made with ground beef, italian sausage, yellow bell peppers, onions, garlic, mushroom slices, and homemade canned tomatoes.

Leek Bread Pudding

2010-09-19T12:29:00.004-04:00

I got this recipe from a friend on a recipe list. As I read it, I thought, this has to be very good. Mental note to get the right bread.

I had some leeks in the fridge and knew they would be perfect for this! It was. I served it with pork chops and one of these crocks I made of bread pudding/stuffing served two people.

I halved the recipe except stuck with the 2 cups of leeks. I'm glad I did because they cooked down quite a bit. I also used gruyere cheese instead of the Comte. I'm sure you could use half and half instead of both milk and heavy cream.

Leek Bread Pudding
Recipe By: Ad Hoc At HomePublished in: Best of the Best Cookbook Recipes

2 cups leeks -- 1/2 inch slices (white and very light green parts only)
kosher salt
4 tablespoons butter
black pepper
12 cup brioche or Pullman sandwich loaf in 1 inch cubes
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
3 large eggs
3 cups milk -- whole
3 cups heavy cream
grated nutmeg
1 cup Comte or Emmentaler -- shredded

Preheat the oven to 350F

Clean the leek rounds well in a bowl of cool water.Set a medium saucepan over medium high heat, Lift the leeks from the water, drain, and add them to the pan. Season with salt and cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. As the leeks begin to soften lower the heat to medium low. The leeks will release liquid. Stir in the butter to emulsify, and season with pepper to taste. Cover the pan with parchment lid, and cook, stirring every 10 minutes, until the leeks are very soft, 30 to 35 minutes. If at any point the butter breaks or looks oily, stir in about a tablespoon of water to re-emulsify the sauce. Remove and discard the parchment lid.

Meanwhile spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan about halfway through, until dry and pale gold. Transfer to a large bowl. Leave the oven on.

Add the leeks to the bread and toss well, then add the chives and thyme. Lightly whisk the eggs in another large bowl. Whisk in the milk, cream, a generous pinch of salt, pepper to taste, and a pinch of nutmeg.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the cheese in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Spread half the leeks and croutons in the pan and sprinkle with another 1/4 cup cheese. Scatter the remaining leeks and croutons over and top with another 1/4 cup cheese. Pour in enough of the custard mixture to cover the bread and press gently on the bread so it soaks in the milk. Let soak for about 15 minutes.

Add the remaining custard, allowing some of the soaked cubes of bread to protrude. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup cheese on top and sprinkle with salt.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until the pudding feels set and the top is brown and bubbling.

Recipe Notes
12 as a side dish, 6 to 8 as a main course

Penzeys Spices, The Spice House and a New Platter!

2010-09-14T17:43:00.005-04:00

Just wanted to share a quick note regarding Penzeys Spices and The Spice House. If you didn't know the daughter of the Penzey family has her own spice company which is The Spice House.

Recently it was time for another giant order of spices and I thought I would give The Spice House a try. They have very similar ingredients to Penzeys but a few nice changes. I do like their packaging if you buy in the bags. Their packages are much smaller and therefore easier to store. Their glass bottles are also nice. The lids don't have the grippy ridges but are more rounded edged and softer.

One thing I noticed about The Spice House is how they have different blends of seasonings as well. I did try the Chicago Steak Seasoning which has a smokey garlic and is very good. I have a nice collection of new spices now.

There shipping is reasonable although I think a bit more than Penzeys, but then I've always had the "slow shipping method" available through Penzeys.

Both are great companies, family friendly and reliable. They both offer detailed product information and quality products. I like both now, but will say The Spice House was a fun shopping experience!

Le Creuset Platter: In the photo above is my new Le Creuset platter which I LOVE. First, reasonable price from Sur la Table ($49.95 USD) which I think is a great price for a Le Creuset product. Second, it's of the same quality you would expect from Sur la Table. Dishwasher, oven, broiler, freezer, and microwave safe. The oven safe is to 500F which means you can cook and serve on one dish! I selected the Cherry color as I love red but there are 4 beautiful colors to choose from! I don't work for or get paid by Sur la Table but it sure is a happy place to shop!

Grilled Reuben Sandwiches from Cuisine at Home

2010-08-28T18:41:00.004-04:00

Just a "brief byte" to say I tried these Cuisine at Home sandwiches today for lunch. They were great. I thought these were tasty and fun to make. I think the slaw could be flexible to use other things like pork sandwiches.

Grilled Rachel Panini with Tangy Horseradish Slaw

Makes: 4 sandwich halves

FOR THE COLESLAW—
1 1⁄2 cups shredded coleslaw mix
1 1⁄2 cups shredded red cabbage
1⁄4 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. ketchup
1 Tbsp. prepared horseradish
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
FOR THE SANDWICH—
4 pieces thinly sliced Swiss cheese (2 oz.)
4 slices rye bread
8 oz. thinly sliced turkey pastrami
1 Tbsp. olive oil

See the instructions here on Cuisine at Home.

Peachy Peaches!

2010-08-17T17:23:00.002-04:00

When I think of upside-down cake, I always think pineapple. I received the following recipe which sounded pretty good and I thought I had better buy some fresh peaches since it's the season in Michigan.

My favorite farm market has the most beautiful peaches right now. I bought a large bag of them and came home to search my peach recipes.

I selected this one called Peach Upside-Down Cake. I am taking this to work tomorrow.

Peach Upside-Down Cake
3 cups thinly sliced peeled peaches -- (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Cooking spray
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter -- softened
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 1/4 cups vanilla fat-free frozen yogurt
6 tablespoons fat-free caramel sundae syrup -- warmed

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a bowl. Spoon into a 9-inch round cake pan coated with cooking spray.

Place 2/3 cup sugar and next 4 ingredients (2/3 cup sugar through egg) in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (for about 5 minutes). Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, stirring well with a whisk. Add the flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix after each addition.

Spoon batter over peach mixture in pan. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Place a plate upside down on top of cake, and invert onto plate. Serve warm with frozen yogurt and the caramel syrup.

Note: I received the following recipe through an online group. The source noted was provided to me and I am not able to verify accuracy. Author: Cooking Light , AUGUST 2001.

My changes:
I did not serve with the ice cream or the caramel sauce.

Tip: peeling peaches is much easier if you blanch in boiling water for about 30 seconds. The skins will slip right off.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

2010-08-17T16:35:00.002-04:00

Please bear with me as I work on my blog. I'd like to do a bit more with my blog and so some appearances may be changing. Background photo is a test at this point.

Thanks for being patient!

Happy Birthday to Susan Branch!

2010-04-12T16:30:00.000-04:00

December 1993. I had announced I was moving to North Carolina. Leaving home for the first time, leaving my friends, family, and my job. I was packing it all up and heading to North Carolina. For love.

That Christmas my mother gave me a cookbook. I flipped through the pages and put it aside. I was 20, leaving home for the first time, what did I need a cookbook for? Cookbooks were not on my list of needs. My list contained items like, tell mover's to take the mom and dad's couch, steal some of dad's tools for hanging pictures and Mom won't miss that cabinet. The cookbook was tossed into the box of books with other random treasures. Little did I know that cookbook would become one of my treasures - one that I would still cherish 16 years later.

I finally arrived in North Carolina and found out that to survive you needed more than Taco Bell. I was copying some recipes my mom and dad made and they were okay. I had another cookbook that had very simple recipes in it and those were okay too, but none of the meals I was making were great or were something I wanted again.

One day I picked up my two tiny kittens, grabbed the cookbook my mom gave me, and laid on the couch.

As I read the first few pages I was very excited about great recipes it contained. I really enjoyed all the stories associated with them. I was eager to start cooking but each page had more and more stories, ideas and a real personal touch. I didn't want to stop reading. That day became a major pivot point in my life. A new turn that I didn't even realize would continue, but it has...everyday.

This cookbook was hand-written, hand-illustrated and created all by Susan Branch. I loved every page and still do.

Thank you Susan for showing me how to cook, how to serve family, how to laugh over foods, how to get through my first turkey and its NECK, how to enjoy life, make the best of leftovers in a refrigerator and most of all how to love while doing it all. I really appreciate everything you've taught me.

I could go on and on about how much you have influenced my life, how I enjoy tweeting with you, but my post was really a thank you and that I wish you a very Happy Birthday.

Happy Birthday Susan!

For those of you who don't know Susan Branch, you can learn all about her, her books and products on her website. Beyond designing cookbooks, Susan Branch has taken her art into scrapbook papers, stationary, stickers, quilting material, crafts, dishes, calendars, and more. It has been a real treasure to collect all her products because each piece has her art. I hope you find as much enjoyment as I do.

Sur la Table 2010

2010-04-11T09:31:00.003-04:00

I love Las Vegas. I love Sur la Table. I have been trying to make it an annual event to go to Las Vegas and when I'm there I like to go to Sur la Table, in the Miracle Mile Shops, and buy all sorts of neat foodie items.

Welcome to my Sur la Table adventure for 2010. (Sur la Table 2009 is posted here.)

I took a long list this time. I read so many foodie magazines, my list of new tools is always growing. I also saw a well organized pantry in Real Simple magazine and that's why I bought a few of the OXO Good Grips storage containers. Those are going to be great!

Through the year, as I'm using my cooking items, I find what I love, what works well, improved handles, etc. For instance, the Sur la Table Organic Kitchen Towels probably make me sound snooty, but those towels are my favorite. They don't smear glasses, don't get crunchy after drying your hands, wash up well and always seem to be the towels I reach for. Downside, color choice is limited.

Le Creuset changed their heat-proof spatula handles about 2 years ago to a rounded handle versus a flat one. I bought some rounded handled versions last year and I definitely want all rounded handles now! Problem is, my Le Creuset spatulas are so durable that none of mine are dying. Darn spatulas. I only bought one rounded handle this trip. My spatula crock is um...a bit full :>).

Emile Henry dishes are good quality, I like the sizes and color options. I have found that buying portion sized plates are nice and make for easy clean-up. It's easier to prepare the dinner, place the dishes in the oven and finish baking. While the dinner is baking, the rest of the mess is easily cleaned-up and after dinner, just the two dishes remain. I bought two individual gratins - I say baked cheesy pasta coming soon.

Some of the coolest tools I find at Sur la Table are smaller items. Their Multi-Grater looks to be one great gadget. 5 pieces of varying lids with different grates, all grate down into a measuring bowl. One of the lids can be snapped to the bottom to prevent the bowl from scooting during the grating. There is also an airtight storage lid. Fine grating, shredding, parmesan, etc. I'm really excited about using this item.

It's probably hard to see in the picture but some of the items are smaller like the silver recipe holder on the right, cheesecloth, bottle pourers (I'm using for dishsoap), ladle, and heat proof tongs - a must for non-stick skillets.

The pot lid holder is great! I tried it on a pot at the store and it was perfect! Basically it clips to your pot and then you set the lid into the holder. Keeps you from having to lay your lid around your counter/stove and getting water drips everywhere. Can't wait to give that a try.

Various towels for lining cupboards...boring. Wine bottle foil cutter...ho-hum.

I'm excited about the little Cuisinart chopper. It's a 3 cup. Since I cook for two it can be hard to always use my big Cuisinart to make things like remoulades. I needed something smaller. This one looks perfect and came in "Pomegranate", which is actually red. Exclusive colors to Sur la Table. Many Cusinart items in these colors.

The cutting board just looked so cool to me. I seem to reach for my lighter weight cuttingboards over my Boos block. I love my Epicurean cutting board which I got in Vegas a few years back. This time I got a new one that is actually created from recycled plastics, made in the USA, and is the right size. Each board uses 60+ plastic containers to manufacture! Bonus: when done with the product, call for a pre-paid shipping label to recycle it again. I'm starting to sound like a green earth person with my organics and my cutting board. Ha.

Anyway, my Sur la Table adventure was a huge hit for me again. They make it so easy and ship everything for free to my home. I can't imagine trying to get on the plane with all my "souveneirs". Excuse me Sir, didn't mean to boink you on the head with my Cuisinart box.

I'm off to unpack, wash, and put all my new toys away.

Cooking Italy: Spinach and Ricotta Gnocchi

2010-03-23T16:42:00.002-04:00

Spinach and Ricotta Gnocchi are very good. I've only eaten potato gnocchi before. So this recipe was not only a new experience in cooking the gnocchi, but also in eating them.

These ricotta gnocchi are very light, soft, almost melty tasting. The recipe states the gnocchi will remind you of a pasta filling without the pasta around it. I agree and I like how the sauce (once mixed over too) surrounds the gnocchi and provides a great flavor.

Spinach and Ricotta Gnocchi, Adapted from Marcella Hazan

10 oz package frozen spinach, thawed
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon onion, chopped very fine
2 tablespoons proscuitto, chopped
Salt
3/4 cup ricotta
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 egg yolks
1 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese, freshly grated
Whole nutmeg

Melt butter in a skillet and add the onion. Cook until the onion is pale gold, stirring occassionally. Add in the proscuitto and cook just to coat the meat with the onion and butter.

Add in the spinach and sprinkle with salt. Cook for about 5 minutes until heated through. Remove from pan and let cool.

Once cool, add ricotta and flour and mix with a spoon. Be sure all the ingredients are well mixed. Add the egg, parmesan and a very small grating of the nutmeg. Taste and add salt if needed.

Take a small amount of the mixture and roll them into small logs. Gnocchi sized. Reminded me of the size of a chocolate egg at Easter time. Flour your hands if they are too sticky when rolling.

Only cook the amount you need for your dinner. The rest can be laid on a parchment lined cookie sheet and placed in the freezer. Once firm, drop into a ziploc bag, remove the air and freeze. Frozen gnocchi can be cooked directly from the freezer.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Large enough to accomodate the amount of gnocchi you are preparing. Drop the gnocchi into the water and when the water returns to a boil, cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon.

Serve with the tomato sauce below and freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese.

Spinach ricotta gnocchi can be served in a variety of ways. It could be with a tomato sauce, as a soup dumpling or even gratineed. All of the methods sounded wonderful to me. I chose the Tomato Sauce with Heavy Cream.

Tomato Sauce with Heavy Cream, Adapted from Marcella Hazan

1/3 cup butter
3 tablespoons of onion, carrot and celery, chopped very fine
2 1/2 cups canned imported Italian tomatoes, with their juice*
Salt
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Add all of the ingredients except the cream into your saucepan. Cook, uncovered at a very low simmer for about 45 minutes. Stir occassionally.

Bring the heat up and add the cream. Stir well for about 1 minute and it's ready to serve.

*I used 3 cups of my own canned tomatoes and let it simmer about 1 hour.

This is a very rich and buttery sauce. I will use this on other dishes. I am always a fan of the tomato sauces that are "pinked up". Meaning have a cream/dairy added which lightens their color and richens the taste.

Want to cook this and other dishes with a group of friends? Join Cooking Italy where we are cooking our way through Marcella Hazan's book, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking.

Shrimp Tacos - Quick and Flavorful Dinner

2010-03-19T18:33:00.002-04:00

I loved these! I had pulled into Taco Bell recently for a quick lunch and saw the signs advertising their shrimp tacos. I thought...hmm...shrimp tacos from a fast food restaurant? Would they be any good? I gave one a try. It was actually surprising good.

I decided that I could definitely make these at home. It would be such a quick and simple dinner.
I buy raw, frozen shrimp on a regular basis because it's so easy to make dishes with shrimp. It's very low cost and I love shrimp. Really...shrimp when on sale are very economical. Especially when purchased frozen. They can be defrosted very quickly and used in a variety of dishes.

I pan sauteed shrimp with olive oil, fresh minced garlic, salt, pepper and cayenne.

Mix your avocado sauce. Drizzle over the shrimp, add lettuce, roll and devour! Great tacos.

Shrimp Tacos - Serves 2
16 shrimp*, peeled, deveined and defrosted if needed
4 cloves garlic, minced
1T olive oil
salt
freshly ground black pepper
sprinkle of cayenne
2 flour tortillas, burrito sized
1/4 cup mexican or cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup lettuce, chopped
Avocado Sauce:
1/4 cup premade zesty guacamole
1/4 cup milk, half and half or cream

Preheat oven to 275. Wrap tortillas in a foil package and stick in the oven for about 15-20 minutes.

Mix guacamole and milk to desired consistency. I have seen several recipes for an avocado dressing, but the premade guacamole just made the seasoning quite easy.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat, add garlic and stir it for about 5 minutes. Add shrimp and toss well. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne. Cook until shrimp just turn pink. About 4-5 minutes.

Remove shells from oven. Lay 8 shrimp on each warm tortilla. Drizzle with avocado sauce, top with lettuce and cheese.

Serve.

Shrimp: I normally get the 31-40 size shrimp. The average serving size is 7 per person according to the bag. I pay about $9.99 per 2 pound bag. That's 80 shrimp for $9.99. If you are serving 8 shrimp per person that's less than a $1. As I said, very economical and also lower in fat. Good food choice.

Defrosting shrimp: I pull out the bag from the freezer, drop the shrimp into a strainer (in this case only 16), rinse with cold water and let sit for about 30 minutes. During the defrosting, I prepare other parts of the meal, do laundry, go through mail, etc. The shrimp I buy is normally cleaned, I just need to remove the tail. I love the raw frozen shrimp because then I can cook them as needed with the flavors.

Blue Cheese - Bleu Cheese - Great Dressing!

2010-03-18T11:46:00.003-04:00

I was watching the Food Network on Sunday morning and saw Ina Garten make this fabulous looking Blue Cheese dressing. I missed her comments on it but it looked really good. I read the recipe on the Food Network website and headed into the kitchen to whip it up.

It's fabulous! Rarely do I look forward to packing or eating work lunches. This one actually has me excited about my work lunch salads.

This dressing has an actual blue cheese flavor versus just a creamy background with blue cheese bits. I would even use less cream/milk and leave it thicker for a dip.

I've found that many blue cheese dressing recipes contain several ingredients and I often am short one item for the recipe I'm interested in. This is a version where I would always have the ingredients on hand.

It tasted great right out of the food processor and I would use it right away. Sometimes recipes have you make the dressing in advance and then refrigerate for the flavors to meld. This is quick and ready the moment you open the food processor lid.

Blue Cheese Dressing, Adapted from Ina Garten

5 oz Danish blue cheese

1 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup milk

2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar

salt

freshly ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients in the food processor. Add in more cream or milk if necessary to bring to the desired consistency.

For a copy of Ina's original recipe, visit here. She did not have the milk added and I felt it definitely needed it. Without the milk, it was thick enough to be sour cream. Her version included tarragon wine vinegar but I'm not a huge fan of tarragon and I had white wine vinegar handy. Ina also used Roquefort cheese but I used Danish Blue.

One thing about making your own dressing is that the ingredients are items you know and trust. The jar of store bought blue cheese dressing in my fridge has ingredients listed that I'd have to Google to understand. Xanthan Gum. Does that sound yummy to you? "Oh honey, I just tasted the best Xanthan Gum". Not appealing. Making your own food has less processing and less unknown ingredients and will be more healthy and pleasing to you.

Potato Galette or Pommes Chef Anne

2010-03-16T15:52:00.001-04:00

A great brunch! Sliced potatoes, layered with cheese, olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper, baked till the potatoes are tender but the outside crispy. Oh yum.

I recently saw an old episode of "Secret of a Restaurant Chef" with Anne Burrell and she made these potatoes. Her recipe name is Pommes Chef Anne. Sort of an off take of the Pommes Anna potatoes and are layered galette style.

I have always wanted to try a Potato Galette and this recipe gave me a good base with some very important instructions.

Pommes Chef Anne, Adapted from Anne Burrell

3 russet potatoes, scrubbed clean

Extra-virgin olive oil

3/4 cup grated Parmigiano

Kosher salt

Special Equipment: Mandoline, 8-inch nonstick saute pan

I used about 6 potatoes, although smaller ones and they were Idaho potatoes. I also used a 10" nonstick skillet because I thought the 8" looked awfully small.

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Drizzle olive oil into your pan and begin layering your potato slices. Brush the slices with olive oil, sprinkle cheese, salt and pepper.

Turn the burner on medium heat and cook until the potatoes are brown. This will be your top, so be sure they are brown and crispy. This took me about 20 minutes. Do not check until at least 10 minutes because the potatoes are soft at first and will tear when you do the initial peak.

Take a pan lid, cover your skillet, and drain the olive oil from the pan. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. YOU MUST DRAIN BEFORE FLIPPING. After draining, use the pan lid to help you flip the galette. Flip the potato onto the lid and then slide the galette back into the pan with the browned side now on top.

Bake at 425F for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven, slide out onto your serving plate and be ready to eat.

Serving condiments such as sour cream and chives are perfect.

Thank You Chefs Catalog!

2010-03-14T12:08:00.008-04:00

I follow Chefs Catalog on Twitter. (@CHEFSCatalog) They have all sorts of fun questions, posts, and contests. Recently, they had a contest for "name this kitchen tool". If you guessed correctly and were randomly chosen from correct responses, you won the item. I won a Salad Spinner. I was pretty excited. Really? From Chefs Catalog? I love their catalog.

Last Saturday, the door bell rang and I thought...who is that? I opened the door to a nice FedEx man holding a Chefs box. Ooooo I thought, my salad spinner! I quickly signed and dashed back inside to open my box.

Aren't food gifts the BEST?

Ooo the lastest catalog too. :)

I just had to take it for a spin. Ha...no pun intended. I'm sorry to say I only had bagged salad on hand.

Rinse your lettuce in the colander like insert.

Place the lid on top. Pump the black knob on top a few times and voila! Washed lettuce.
Look at the extra water left behind!

Using the salad spinner helps to extract the extra water from your lettuce which makes a fresher, cleaner, crisper salad. It's great! Thank you so much Chefs Catalog!

Cooking Italy: Sausage and Cream

2010-03-03T18:27:00.006-05:00

Just a quick post to share the Sausage and Cream dish I made last night for Cooking Italy.

What an interesting dish! I thought I wouldn't like it...just sausage, onion, butter/oil, and cream?? Then the first taste came. What a unique flavor and texture! The cream/butter sauce was velvety whereas the crumbled, yet tender, sausage gave a bit of a mouth feel and then savoring the mix and tasting the flavors really made the dish one to enjoy.

If you like Italian cooking, feel free to join us! We are cooking our way through Marcella Hazan's book, "Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking". It's been a real learning experience and the tastes have been beyond just pastas and sauces.

Pulled Pork for the Crockpot

2010-03-02T17:01:00.005-05:00

While reading the Detroit Free Press newspaper the other day, I found an interesting recipe for Pulled Pork in a crockpot. Sure there are zillions of pulled pork recipes for a crockpot, but what I found in this one was the marinating overnight. From past experience, I've found the "Freep" to offer many good recipes and knew this one would have similar results.

Pulled Pork, Adapted from the Detroit Free Press

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup soy sauce

2 cups ketchup

1 teaspoon garlick powder or garlic salt

1 large onion, coarsley chopped

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

5 pound boneless pork shoulder roast, fat trimmed

Barbecue sauce for serving

Line your crockpot with a "Slow Cooker Plastic Liner". Mix the first 8 ingredients and pour into your lined crockpot. Set the roast inside and marinate in your refrigerator overnight. Rotate the roast/marinate a couple of times.

In the morning, remove the roast from the refrigerator and turn the crockpot on low for 10 hours. You want the pork roast to be fork-tender.

Remove the roast from the crockpot and let rest. Skim fat from the sauce.

Shred the meat using two forks and put aside.

Recipe posted in Detroit Free Press with source listed as http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/ and "Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever: by Diane Phillips. Tested by the Contra Costa Times.

My Changes:

When I got to the grocery store, they only had bone-in pork roasts. I chose one. However, the sizes were um...enormous! I heaved an 8 pound pork roast into the cart. Would it fit in my crockpot? My crockpot looks like this and holds about 5 quarts.

I made the marinade ingredients at about 1 1/2 times the amounts. Boy, it sure did look "ketchupy". When I sampled it, I wasn't too pleased but you never know how pork can change a dish till you try. I lined my crockpot, filled it with the marinade and then the roast and stuck it into the garage. Gotta love Michigan...in the winter your garage becomes a mega sized fridge!

The next morning, I brought it in and turned on the crock pot at about 7:30am. Pulled the pork roast out at about 5pm. It was perfect. The meat came apart so easily and the bone just fell out. Loved it! Maybe I snuck a sample piece at that point. Just maybe. Let's just say...hypothetically...I did taste a piece. It would have been wonderful.

Not sure what a "Slow Cooker Plastic Liner" is? Check out this link to Reynolds.

How did I finish the dish? Well I defatted the sauce by spooning off what I could remove. There was a quite a bit of sauce. I kept the sauce seperate from the meat for ease of reheating/serving, etc.

One dish became a pulled pork sandwich. My dish was strictly just the pork. (I lived in North Carolina for a few years. Just a pile of pulled pork, a requirement to learn to eat just the meat.)

I shredded the meat and reserved the leftovers. I only heated what I would serve. I used some of the sauce as the moisture during the reheat and had the mess cleaned up before I even prepared the plates. Easy peasy! Add more sauce if you like it or serve with BBQ sauce as the recipe suggests.

I also ate leftovers last night which heated up perfectly and I did toss some of the pork into my mexican salad for a work lunch today. FANTASTIC. Only wish I could find pork roasts about 200 pounds, see that would really be nice. Rival..get your crockpot design a little larger!

Sliders - Great Burgers!

2010-02-23T17:21:00.001-05:00

Sliders. They are so good. I'd rather not think about how they got their nickname. I should be more formal and call them by their true name - mini burgers. Yes, mini burgers.

I stumbled across this recipe for "White Castle Like Sliders". I was really intrigued because I have found many copy cat recipes but this one actually BAKED their meat patties.

I have reduced the meat to one pound of ground chuck because two people really can't eat more than one pound of "mini burgers".

I have tested these several times and they have come out perfectly each time. Also, I have tested plastic wrapping the burgers, even with their condiments, and refrigerating. The next day or even two does not effect the taste. I always seem to need leftover tips.

Using an 11x7" glass dish, I spray with non-stick spray and sprinkle in dried minced onions.
Top with 1 pound of ground chuck. Yes, you need ground chuck for this because you want the fat to "cook" the onions.
Season with salt and pepper.
Bake at 375F for about 20 minutes.
Remove from oven, blot off grease and top with cheese.
Return to oven. Add buns to oven to warm/slightly toast.
Remove buns and the burger dish from the oven, let cool for about 5 minutes.
Cut into 6 burgers.
Top with your favorite condiments and serve.

The Visual Version:
Start here: 11x7 glass dish, sprayed with non-stick spray and sprinkled with dried minced onions.

Top with 1 pound ground chuck. Spread evenly. This 11x7" dish just fits one pound of ground beef.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in a 375F oven for about 20 minutes. The meat will shrink away from the sides of the dish significantly.

Remove from oven and blot the grease away with a paper towel. Top with cheese of your choice. Shredded, sliced, etc. On Saturday, I used mexican style shredded cheese. I have used cheese slices and cheddar cheese too. All have worked out well.

Return to the oven. Add the hamburger buns of choice. I have used Pepperridge Farm Dinner Rolls which work out very well. On Saturday I used Pepperridge Farm Mini Burger Rolls. They worked out well too.

Pretend this is a clean oven that I'm cooking in. Thank you.

Remove from the oven and let cool just a few minutes to make the slicing of the burgers and cheese easier.

Ahh...perfect burgers.

Place the perfect burgers onto your toasted buns, top with condiments and serve.

These turn out very well. I've made them about 4 or 5 times now. They are very easy and tasty and do not leave a large mess to clean up. I'd also consider making them in an electric skillet. That could also be handy for a party.