laptopsandoliveoil

2011-08-16T21:59:00.003-04:00

An Anthony Bourdain - Naples - had me craving really good sauce and good it was!!!

Recipe compliments of: the domestic diva

Ingredients

Fresh Garlic peeled and chopped (2 handfuls)
1 White Onion diced
6 cans Tuttorusso™ Tomato Puree
1/2 tube Amore™ Italian Tomato Paste (or 1/2 can of other paste)
Locatelli™ Pecorino Romano Cheese grated (3 handfuls)
Red Wine (drinking wine, not the cheap cooking kind)
Sugar (1/2 handful)
Pinch of Dried Oregano
10 Fresh Basil Leaves chopped
Water
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Fried Meat (meatballs*, Italian sausage, Beef Braciole, steak, etc.)

In a 8 quart stock pot, add enough Olive Oil to lightly coat bottom of pan.

Add fresh Garlic and Onion. Heat over a high flame until soft.

STIR.

Add a splash or two of Red Wine. Lower flame on stove to medium.

STIR.

Add Tomato Puree. Rinse 1 Puree can with a 1/2 can of Water to remove excess Puree from can. Poor into next Puree can and so on until the 6th can is full. Now add remaining Puree/Water mixture to stock pot. By doing this you get all the tomato puree and waste none.

STIR.

Add Grated Cheese.

STIR.

Add Sugar, Salt, Pepper, Basil, Oregano and Tomato Paste.

STIR.

Bring to a boil. Lower heat to a low to medium flame.

STIR.

Add lots of Fried Meat including meatballs, Italian sweet and hot sausage, braciole and steak.

STIR.

Do not cover.

Cook for at least 3 hours stirring every 20 minutes to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom of the stock pot. Depending on how thick you want your tomato sauce, you can cook it for up to 5 hours.

Simple Ravioli with Peas and some version of Pork!

2011-04-14T14:46:00.003-04:00

Pea-Prosciutto Ravioli
from Food Network Magazine.....

This recipe was so simple, tasty, and husband even ate leftovers which is not too common with him!

For 4 servings:
-4 oz of chopped Prosciutto (I used bacon. 80/20:)
-2 tbsp Olive Oil
-3 cloves of sliced Garlic
-1 tbsp Tomato Paste
-1 cup of reserved Pasta-Cooking Water
-1/4 cup Heavy Cream
-1 lb of cooked Ravioli
-1 cup frozen Peas
-Chopped Parsley
-Grated Parmesan (for garnish)

Cook the prosciutto in a large skillet with the 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat until crisp, approximately 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste; cook for 1 minute.

Ladle in 1 cup of pasta-cooking water and simmer until reduced by half. Then add in the heavy cream and simmer until the sauce has thickened. Toss in the cooked ravioli, frozen peas and the chopped parsley. Mix to combine and top it off with grated parmesan.

Queso Fresco from Scratch!

2010-12-28T17:54:00.005-05:00

Okay, so I can't take credit for making this, but I was an "official" taster. For Christmas Day, my husband and I decided to go "Feliz Navidad" style. I just couldn't do any more "roast and mashed potatoes." The local grocery store, a very small
Wegmans was out of Queso Fresco, so my husband made his own from his newly acquired Rick Bayless Cookbook. I was TRES IMPRESSED! And, he swears it was super easy.

Fresh Cheese - Queso Fresco Mexicano

Makes about 1 pound

Ingredients

1 gallon whole or 2% milk—preferably from a small local dairy with grassfed cows: the richer the flavor, the better the cheese
2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon citric acid (aka sour salt)*
OR 1 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon salt (pure fine-ground sea salt works best here)
Directions
1. Culture the milk. Pour the milk into a large (at least 8-quart) pot—I typically use an 8-quart enameled cast iron Dutch oven or a stainless steel 12-quart stock pot. Stir in the buttermilk, attach an accurate thermometer that registers temperatures as low as 75 degrees and set the pot over medium heat. When the temperature reaches 75 degrees, turn off the heat, cover the pot and let stand 3 or 4 hours.

2. Set the curd. If using citric acid, stir it into 1/4 cup cool water, continuing to stir until dissolved. Uncover the pot, set over medium heat and stir in the dissolved citric acid or the fresh lime juice. You will immediately see small curds start to form. Every couple of minutes, stir slowly, gently and thoroughly over the entire bottom of the pot until the milk reaches 195˚F—it’ll take just over 20 minutes. At this point the curds will very obviously be floating in the milky-transparent whey. Remove from the heat and let stand 5 minutes without stirring for all the curd.

3. Drain the curd from the whey. Wet a large piece of cheesecloth and drape it into a large colander. Set the colander in the sink. Using a large slotted spoon or a fine-mesh skimmer, carefully ladle all of the curd into the colander. Gather the cheesecloth up around the curd and gently press with the back of a large spoon to expel a bit more whey. Unwrap the curd onto a plate, break it up and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the salt. Work in the salt with a spoon or your fingers.

4. Finish the cheese. Gather the cheese curds into a 1-inch-thick disk, transfer to a plate, cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. The cheese should last about 1 week in the refrigerator.

A dessert worth making! Caramel Apple Cake!

2010-10-21T17:06:00.003-04:00

From Foodnetwork

Ingredients
For the Caramel and Apples:
•4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
•3 cups sugar
•5 tablespoons light corn syrup -- Makes a lot of caramel...did not use it all!
•1 cup heavy cream
•4 large Golden Delicious apples (1 3/4 to 2 pounds) -- I used NY Cortland

For the Batter:
•3 cups all-purpose flour
•2 teaspoons baking powder
•1/2 teaspoon baking soda
•1 teaspoon salt
•1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•1/2 cup sour cream
•1/3 cup fresh orange juice
•1 tablespoon vanilla extract
•1 stick unsalted butter, softened
•1 1/2 cups sugar
•3 large eggs
Directions
Butter a 9-by-3-inch round cake pan. Make the caramel: Cook the sugar and corn syrup in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is dark amber, 7 to 10 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium. Carefully add the cream and 4 tablespoons butter (it will splatter) and cook, stirring, until combined, about 3 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the heat and let sit 1 minute. Pour 1 1/2 cups caramel into a glass measuring cup and set aside. Pour the remaining caramel into the prepared pan and set aside until set, about 30 minutes.
Cut 3 apples into quarters and cut out the cores with a paring knife. Arrange the pieces skin-side down in the pan (overlapping them slightly) to form a ring about 1/2 inch from the edge. Save any pieces that do not fit for later.
Halve the remaining whole apple crosswise. Scoop out the seeds with a melon baller or measuring spoon, leaving the stem on the top half. Chop the bottom and any of the leftover quartered apples into pieces; set aside.
Arrange the apple top, stem-side down, in the center of the pan. If the quartered apples shift, just push them back into place.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Make the batter: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream, orange juice and vanilla.
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Crack the eggs into a small bowl. Slip them into the mixer bowl, one at a time, and beat until the mixture is pale and creamy, about 5 more minutes. Scrape down the bowl and beater with a rubber spatula.
With the mixer on low speed, add half of the sour cream mixture, then half of the flour mixture. Repeat. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula; finish combining the batter by hand.
Spread the batter over the apples in the pan. Top with the chopped apple. Bake on the middle oven rack until the cake is brown on top and springs back when pressed, 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes (don't worry if the top is dark). Cool in the pan on a rack.
Bring 1 inch of water to a simmer in a skillet wide enough to hold the cake pan. Carefully run a sharp knife around the inside of the pan several times, then rest the pan in the water to soften the caramel, about 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the water and dry.
Invert a plate on top of the cake, then flip over the cake and plate. Using pot holders or a towel, wriggle the pan off. Soften the reserved 1 1/2 cups caramel in the microwave, about 2 minutes. Drizzle the cake with some of the caramel.

It was a Clintonville Farmer's Market Feast

2010-07-25T20:16:00.004-04:00

Compliments of my brother in law Sam and Elizabeth Telling Farm, we made some amazinging healthy and yummy stuff this weekend!

So, maybe this wasn't sooo healthy, but it was good and it did have zucchini!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups regular all-purpose flour, unsifted
1/2 cup cocoa
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup soft butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
2 cups coarsely shredded zucchini
1/2 cup milk
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans -- not a nut person, so I skipped this
Glaze - can o frosting from store, mixed with some juiced fresh strawberries. :) Or the recipe below
Method
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
1 Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.
2 With a mixer, beat together the butter and the sugar until they are smoothly blended. Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition. With a spoon, stir in the vanilla, orange peel, and zucchini.
3 Alternately stir the dry ingredients and the milk into the zucchini mixture, including the nuts with the last addition.
4 Pour the batter into a greased and flour-dusted 10-inch tube pan or bundt pan. Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes (test at 45 minutes!) or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes; turn out on wire rack to cool thoroughly.
5 Drizzle glaze over cake.
Glaze: Mix together 2 cups powdered sugar, 3 Tablespoons milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until smooth.
Cut in thin slices to serve. Makes 10-12 servings.

As Anthony Bourdain would NOT say...YUMMO!

2010-07-01T10:40:00.004-04:00

Crash Hot Potatoes
Love this blog site, Pioneer Woman Cooks... her pics of this recipe are very helpful.

Made these the other night, and they truly were yummo;)

Servings: 6
Ingredients
12 whole New Potatoes (or Other Small Round Potatoes)
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Kosher Salt To Taste
Black Pepper To Taste
Rosemary (or Other Herbs Of Choice) To Taste ...I used parsley and rosemary.
Preparation Instructions
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender.
On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato.
With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil.
Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and fresh chopped rosemary (or chives or thyme or whatever herb you have available.)
Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Not the best, not the cheapest but the best cheapest rice cooker!

2010-05-11T20:20:00.002-04:00

Random Thought via Jen --Anyone remember Nacho Mama's on Route 23?

I just purchased a rice cooker from Target, and I decided to go cheap and this thing rocks! If you like good rice every now and then I highly recommend this very inexpensive option.

A favorite salad with a special nut

2010-04-30T15:26:00.003-04:00

1 bag of lettuce, I prefer butter lettuces

1 pear - peeled, cored and chopped
5 ounces blue cheese cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup Emerald Pecan Pie Pecans (the key to this salad)
Your favorite balsamic salad dressing

1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste

Toss and Enjoy!

A few more soups to close out the winter!

2010-03-08T19:54:00.004-05:00

Mushroom Cheddar Soup, as suggested by my wonderful friend, Marya

Bon Appétit March 1993
Yield: Serves 4
1 1/2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter

6 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed,

sliced 1 bunch green onions, chopped

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

2 cups canned chicken broth or veggie broth

2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups packed grated sharp Tillamook cheddar cheese or other sharp cheddar cheese...I use whatever I have!

Minced fresh parsley

Cover porcini with hot water and soak 30 minutes. Drain.
Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shiitake mushrooms and green onions and sauté until tender and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add flour and stir 2 minutes. Gradually mix in broth and milk. Add porcini. Bring to simmer, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thick, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Add cheese and stir just until melted. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley and serve.

More soup and sometimes I surprise myself!

2010-02-01T18:49:00.004-05:00

I dropped an avacado on the floor tonight while I was making tomato soup; thus, somehow the avacado was going into the soup! This was good stuff!!

Fire Roasted Tomato Soup

I tbsp olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped
1 carrot chopped
1 stick celery

2 cans fire roasted tomatoes (16 oz each)
1.5 cups broth...veggie or chicken

1/2 tsp dried dried red chilli flakes
salt and pepper to taste

For the avocado cream
1 medium avocado, stones removed
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tbsp lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the chopped onions and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Add the remaining vegetables and continue to cook for a further 5-10 minutes.

3. Stir in the tomatoes, seasoning and chili pepper

4. Stir in the stock, half cover the pan with a lid, and let the soup simmer gently for about 15 minutes.

5. Leave to cool slightly and blend until smooth - you can use a regular blender or hand blender.

Gently reheat.

6. Make the avocado cream by simply whizzing all the ingredients together until smooth. I used a food processor.

7. Serve the soup in bowls, with a generous dollop of the avocado cream on top.

"My Friend Jen P Would Love This" Soup

2009-12-28T17:07:00.003-05:00

Top Chef Masters, Season 1, Episode 1
Serves 2 to 4
Ingredients
2 yellow squash, finely diced
2 carrots, finely diced
1 red onion, diced
8 strips of bacon, diced
8 cloves garlic, diced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 Anaheim Chili, minced
1 quart chicken stock
3 1/2 tablespoons dark chili powder
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons butter
Manchego cheese, shredded or whatever you have
Directions
In a large sauté pan on high heat, add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add bacon, onion, and garlic and stir briefly. Reduce heat and add 2/3 chili powder. Continue to stir for 5 minutes. Add squash, carrot, red onion, jalapeno, Anaheim chili, continue to sauté on medium heat for five minutes. Add chicken stock and remaining chili powder and simmer for an hour. Fold in butter. Season with salt. Garnish with chives and julienned pepper.© 2009 Tim Love

Chef Academy Au Gratin

2009-12-21T11:49:00.005-05:00

Now that Top Chef has ended, I need a new food show for inspiration and I have been trying to get into Chef Academy. This au gratin dish intriqued me because they added curry as well as nutmeg. It was yum!!! (They haven't posted their recipe on line but I could tell it was a traditional gratin with the added spices.)

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

3 lb baking potatoes (about 6 large), peeled and sliced in 1/8 inch thick rounds --I use a mandolin.

6 oz. Gruyere or Swiss cheese, finely shredded

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup heavy cream

1 tbsp. of curry

1 tbsp. of nutmeg

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Layer half the potatoes evenly over bottom of prepared dish. Sprinkle with half the cheese, garlic, spices and salt; drizzle with half the cream. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

3. Bake uncovered 1 1/2 hours or until potatoes are tender when pierced and top is brown and crisp. Notes: Notes: Planning Tip: May be baked up to 1 day ahead. Refrigerate covered with foil.

Super Easy Soup for a Rainy Fall Night

2009-10-23T15:28:00.003-04:00

A good one from Rachael....lots of good flavor!

Chicken Salsa Soup
Ingredients:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 head garlic, cloves finely chopped
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs (I used Rotisserie chicken.)
One 32-ounce container (4 cups) chicken broth
1 1/2 cups Salsa
Salt
1 avocado, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup sour cream
Directions:
In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic; cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken thighs and broth, bring to a boil and simmer for 4 minutes. Stir in 1 cup salsa, cover and remove from the heat. Let stand until the chicken is cooked through, about 45 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred.
Return the broth to a simmer; season with salt. Divide the chicken among 4 soup bowls and top with the avocado slices. Ladle the broth into the bowls and top each portion with the cilantro, sour cream and remaining salsa.

This one is a fall keeper...Beef Bourguignon

2009-10-12T19:25:00.004-04:00

From A Year of Slow Cooking

3 pounds beef roast, or beef stew meat (I used a stew beef)

6 slices bacon--no need to cook

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, sliced in rings1 cup carrots (chopped or baby, your choice)

4 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped

1 tablespoon herbs de provence

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 cups cheap red wine

Directions.Use a 6 quart slow cooker. In the bottom of your stoneware, smear around the olive oil. Then lay down 3 slices of bacon. Add sliced onion and garlic. Put the meat into the pot on top of the onion and garlic, and sprinkle on dried spices and herbs. Toss the meat to distribute the spices to all sides. Add tomato paste. Lay the other 3 slices of bacon on top of the meat, and throw in the carrots. Pour wine over the whole thing.Cover and let cook on low for 8-9 hours, high for 4-5, or until meat has reached desired tenderness. If you are using a roast, you may want to flip the meat about an hour before serving so more liquid is absorbed into the meat. You can also cut the meat into chunks and return to the pot, if you would like more moisture to absorb.Serve with whipped mashed potatoes, and a ladle full of crock juices. I made a little gravy with some flour/butter roux and the juices.

It's a potato ricer...NO..it's a lime squeezer

2009-10-12T19:18:00.002-04:00

I figured this out the other night as I was making a few cocktails and needed some lime juice. My juicer had called it quits so I used the ricer and it worked like a charm!

Easy Excellent Mac and Cheese

2009-07-18T21:11:00.003-04:00

From a very fun and useful site...A year of slow-cooking

2/3 pound uncooked macaroni or hearty pasta

4 cups of milk

2 eggs

4 cups shredded cheese (I used all cheddar)

salt & black pepper

1 tsp dried mustard

non-stick spray

Directions: Spray crock well with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, whip egg and milk together. Stir in spices.Add cheese and noodles, and stir well to combine. Pour the mixture into the crockpot. It will be very liquidy. Cover and cook on low for 2-5 hours, or on high for 1-3. The cooking time will vary depending on what size crockpot you are using, and how quickly it heats and cooks.

Martha's Marvelous Onion Dip

2009-07-18T21:04:00.002-04:00

From the Queen of Goodness...

This was a huge hit at our family gathering.

Ingredients
Makes 2 cups.
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 Vidalia onions (1 pound total), finely chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
2 ounces reduced-fat bar cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons white-wine vinegar
1/4 cup finely chopped chives
Potato chips, for serving
Directions
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add onions; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
In a medium bowl, combine onions, sour cream, cream cheese, vinegar, and chives; season with salt and pepper. Chill dip until slightly thickened, about 1 hour; or cover and refrigerate up to 2 days. Serve with chips.

Foil Packets and Fish...on the grill

2009-06-13T07:55:00.005-04:00

These fish fillets are wrapped up with vegetables and tarragon so you end up with a great tasting meal wrapped up in a simple packet. The tarragon is a really nice add. I happened to use "Texas Tarragon" also known as "Mexican Mint Marigold"...is heartier in terms of growing for the dry Texas soil, but taste like French Tarragon.
Ingredients:
2 6 oz tilapia fillets (or any light white fish for that matter!)
1/2 zucchini cut into julienne strips
1/2 small red bell pepper, cut into thin strips....if you know me, you know I skipped this!
1/4 cup red onion, sliced
1 carrot cut into julienne strips
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon (or 3/4 teaspoon dried)
1 tablespoon butter
Preparation:Preheat grill. Heat oil in large skillet and quickly cook vegetables. About 2-3 minutes on a medium-high heat. Take two large pieces of aluminum foil. Place one piece of fish on each. Top with 1/2 tablespoon butter, half the vegetables and half the tarragon. Repeat for the other piece. Wrap tightly and place on grill. Grill over a medium heat for 12 - 18 minutes. Open carefully because the steam can be very hot.
I also served with a side of aioli.

An easy side dish for a summer night...

2009-06-13T07:47:00.002-04:00

Sherry Potatoes from one of my fav's Simply Recipes

Ingredients
1 lb russet potatoes, scrubbed clean, sliced into 1/4-inch slices
1/4 cup butter (1/2 a stick), melted
1/4 cup dry sherry
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Method
1 Preheat oven to 375°F.
2 Arrange potato slices in layers in a gratin pan or baking pan, sprinkling salt and pepper over each layer. Pour sherry over the potatoes. Pour the melted butter over the potatoes. Make sure the potatoes are well coated.
3 Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes or until potatoes are cooked, but not mushy, and they are slightly browned on top. Remove from oven, sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley.
Serves 4.

A new spring/summer twist to asparagus

2009-06-03T19:18:00.002-04:00

I know it's been a while...I am waiting for another cooking show to be inspired...in the meantime I thought you might like this.

Baked Asparagus with Parmesan Cheese
Serves: 6
Ingredients
1 lb asparagus
1 Tbsp olive oil
2-1/2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1-1/2 Tbsp bread crumbs
2 tsp margarine
MethodPreheat oven to 450 degrees F. Toss asparagus spears in 1-2 tsp olive oil and arrange in baking pan. Sprinkle with cheese and bread crumbs. Drizzle with remaining olive oil. Bake uncovered until asparagus is just tender, approximately 15 minutes.

Steak ala Spinach

2009-03-16T19:21:00.002-04:00

Having just returned from a ski trip, I learned a few things from an expert chef who graciously allowed us to stay at her condo.

We cooked filet for our evening dinner and instead of cooking a green side, we simply placed the steak on top of some spinach leaves while the steak was piping hot. The steak essentially cooked the spinach just slightly and it was very yum! (The bernaise mixed in as well and added some really nice richness.)

This one is definitely a keeper! Griddled corn cakes with greens and andouille sauce

2009-02-21T20:15:00.006-05:00

This one is compliments of Jamie from Top Chef Season 5
Serves: 2-3
Corn Cake: a box of jiffy corn mix will do and use the pancake recipe on the side

Collards: 8 leaves collard greens, chiffonade

½ Small Onion, minced

½ t Butter

Salt to taste
***Husband does not do any kind of fish/seafood :( so I skipped the crayfish, but it sure sounded good!

Cream Sauce:10 crayfish tails, blanched, shocked, and cleaned

½ onion, minced

1T Dried Thyme

½ Serrano chili, minced

2oz Tasso, diced

2oz Andouille, crumbled (fresh is best)

½ C White Wine

2/3 C Cream or half and half

1T Butter

2 Bay Leaves
Collards: Sauté onion until soft in butter. Add collards, season with salt. Cook until semi-soft (green still should have texture).
Cream Sauce:In a sauté pan melt butter over medium heat. Add Tasso, andouille, Serrano, and onion. Season with salt. Cook until onion is soft. Add dried thyme, bay leaves and white wine. Cook until wine reduces. Add cream and reduce until sauce consistency. Adjust seasoning, add crayfish, reserve warm.
To Serve: Griddle a corn cake in a non-stick pan with a small amount of butter or oil. Top with sautéed collards, then with a poached egg...I skipped the egg. Spoon cream sauce on top.

Rick Bayless Green Rice

2009-02-10T19:13:00.006-05:00

GrEeN RiCe
Great accompaniment to flank steak!
Ingredients
1 (14 ounce) can broth, or better than bouillon
1-2 poblano peppers, stemmed,seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno pepper or serrano pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup cilantro
1/2-1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
1 small onion, minced
5 cloves garlic, minced
Directions
1. Place chopped peppers and broth into a saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and simmer 10-12 minutes, or until peppers are tender.
3. Allow mixture to cool (if you blend it hot, it will fly out of the blender and burn you), then puree in a blender (broth and all) along with cilantro and salt.
4. Place onion and rice into a saucepan with the oil, and cook, stirring, until rice is opaque and onions are tender.
5. Add garlic and cook briefly, until it becomes fragrant.
6. Stir in broth mixture from the blender.
7. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat, and cook for 15-20 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed.
8. Allow to sit with the pan lid on away from heat for 12-15 minutes, then fluff with a fork and serve.

Practice for a ski trip

2009-02-07T17:57:00.003-05:00

I always go on a late season ski/eat fest with friends. I thought I would try Potato Skins from scratch and if they were good, introduce them to my friends as a mid-afternoon snack!

I must admit scooping out the potato to get a perfect skin is not as easy as it looks!

Compliments of one of my favorite sites, Simply Recipes

Potato Skins

Ingredients
6 small to medium sized russet baking potatoes (total 3 pounds)
Olive oil
Canola oil or grapeseed oil ....80/20 I used vegetable oil and it worked fine.
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
6 strips of bacon
4 ounces grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
2 green onions, thinly sliced, including the greens of the onions
Method
1 Scrub the potatoes clean then bake the potatoes using your favorite method, either oven or microwave. If using an oven, rub with olive oil and bake in a 400°F oven for about an hour until the potatoes are cooked through and give a little when pressed. If using a microwave, rub all over with olive oil and cook on the high setting for about 5 minutes per potato. I have found that baking the potatoes in a conventional oven yields potatoes that are easier to work with (cut and scoop out), the potato seems to adhere to the skins a little better, but there is hardly a discernible difference in the final product.
2 While the potatoes are cooking, cook the bacon strips in a frying pan on medium low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Let cool. Crumble.

3 Remove the potatoes from the oven and let cool enough to handle. Cut in half horizontally. Use a spoon to carefully scoop out the insides, reserving the scooped potatoes for another use, leaving about 1/4 of an inch of potato on the skin.
Increase the heat of the oven to 450°F. Brush or rub grapeseed oil or canola oil (or another high smoke point oil) all over the potato skins, outside and in. Sprinkle with salt. Place on a baking rack in a roasting pan (don't use a cookie sheet, it will warp, use a roasting pan or broiler pan that can take the heat). Cook for 10 minutes on one side, then flip the skins over and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool enough to handle.

4 Arrange the potato skins skin-side down on the roasting pan or rack. Sprinkle the insides with freshly ground black pepper, cheddar cheese, and crumbled bacon. Return to the oven. Broil for an additional 2 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven. Use tongs to place skins on a serving plate. Add a dollop of sour cream to each skin, sprinkle with green onions.
Serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.

Butternut Squash Soup with Green Chili Chutney

2009-01-31T10:16:00.004-05:00

Liked the spin on this soup and that it didn't include cream...
Butternut Squash Soup with Green Chili Coriander Chutney
Gourmet November 1990

Ingredients for the chutney
1/4 cup sliced blanched almonds
1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
2 jalapeño chilies, (wear rubber gloves)
2 cups loosely packed coriander/cilantro

For the soup
2 cups chopped onion
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
a 3- to 3 1/2-pound butternut squash, peeled, halved, the seeds and strings discarded, and the flesh cut into 1/2-inch pieces
6 cups chicken broth
two 4-inch strips of orange zest
1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
8 coriander sprigs for garnish
salt and pepper to taste
Make the chutney:
In a blender or food processor blend the almonds, the coconut, the jalapeño, a pinch of salt, and 1/3 cup water until the mixture is ground fine. Add the coriander and blend the mixture until it is ground fine. (This recipe makes what is known as a dry chutney, which has a slightly grainy texture.) The chutney may be made 8 hours in advance and kept covered and chilled. Makes about 1 cup.
Make the soup:
In a kettle cook the onion in the butter and the oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until it is softened, add the squash and 1/2 cup water, and cook the mixture, covered, over moderately low heat for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the squash is tender. Add the broth, the zest, and the juice and simmer the mixture, uncovered, for 15 minutes. In a blender or food processor purée the mixture in batches and strain it through a sieve into a large bowl. The soup may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled.
Ladle the soup into 8 bowls and garnish each serving with about a tablespoon of the chutney, to be stirred into the soup, and a coriander sprig.

Great Pasta for a Cold Winter's Night

2009-01-26T19:35:00.003-05:00

Mushroom Ragout
Compliments of our friend, Martha...

Ingredients
4 slices bacon cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
2 small onions finely chopped
1 10 ounce package cremini mushrooms, trimmed and "torn"~ no need to cut the mushrooms just tear them up with your hands

10 ounces or so of other assorted mushrooms (oyster, shitake etc.), trimmed and "torn"

1/4 cup tomato paste

1/2 cup broth or water

2 teaspoons thyme
1/4 cup chopped parsley...if you have some
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
3/4 lb spaghetti or fettucini
parmesan cheese, shaved for garnish (optional)
Directions
In a large 5-quart saucepan with a tight-fitting lid (that will be used later), cook bacon over medium heat, uncovered, stirring until crispy, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel to drain. Set aside.
Add onion to saucepan; stir until golden, about 1 minute. Add mushrooms; cover. Cook until juices have evaporated, about 20 minutes.
Stir in tomato paste, thyme, and 2 cups water until combined; cover. Cook until sauce has thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in parsley and vinegar. Add bacon, reserving some for garnish, if desired.
Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions.
Do not rinse pasta -- return immediately to sauce and toss together. Garnish with reserved bacon and LOTS of shaved Parmesan, if desired. Salt and pepper to taste.

Jen's Roasted Broccoli

2009-01-11T19:22:00.004-05:00

I happened to try this at Awesome Jen's today... YUM and so SIMPLE!

1 head of broccoli, washed and cut into florets

2 teaspoons of olive oil

1 tsp. seasoning salt...like Jane's Crazy Mixed Up Salt

Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees farenheit. Use a large bowl to toss broccoli florets with olive oil. Lay florets in a single layer on a baking sheet. Evenly distribute seasoning salt, sea salt and pepper. Bake until tender and a little crispy, usually around 15 minutes.

New Year's Eve - Part 2 - Easy and Very Good Coq Au Vin

2009-01-11T19:17:00.003-05:00

A Casey/Top Chef Recipe
Only thing I would have changed was I would have added about 10 chicken thighs for 6 people.
6 chicken thighs, skinless
Salt and pepper
Grapeseed oil for searing ...olive oil works just fine
1/2 lb bacon, diced small
1 small white onion
1 bunch ramps...80/20 and also impossible to find
1T tomato paste
1 tomato, cut into chunks
1 bay leaf
3 cups red wine
3 sprigs thyme
2 cups chicken stock
2 bunches, asparagus spears
4 russet potatoes
1 cup cream
1 stick butter, salted
1T mascarpone
Chopped dill
1t grapeseed oil
7 cipollinis, blanched and peeled...80/20 ..impossible to find

Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper. In a hot saute pan, heat grapeseed oil over medium-high heat. Sear chicken on both sides. Set aside.
Remove all but one tablespoon of oil from the pan. Add bacon and render the fat. When bacon is almost cooked, add onion and ramps. After 2 minutes, add tomato paste, tomato chunks and bay leaf for seasoning. Turn heat down to low-medium and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Deglaze pan with red wine. Cook wine for 10 minutes. Return chicken to pan, add thyme sprigs and chicken stock. Cover with foil and place in preheated oven of 350 degrees. Cook for 1 hour. Remove foil and continue cooking after stirring chicken uncovered for 15 minutes.
In the meantime, slice asparagus. Peel and cut potatoes into chunks. In a pot of cold, salted water, place potatoes on medium-high heat. When potatoes boil, cook until just tender. When ready, completely strain off water and return potatoes to pot. Steam off the water over low heat. Be careful not to scorch potatoes on the bottom. Run potatoes through a ricer and mix with cream and butter (reserve 1 tablespoon) a little at a time until creamy. Whip in the pan with a wooden spoon. Season and add in mascarpone; garnish with dill. Set aside.
In a sauté pan, melt one tablespoon of butter with grapeseed oil. Add cipollinis and saute with salt and pepper. When browned and cooked through, add to tomato-chicken stock sauce.

A New Year's Eve Top Chef Dinner - Round 1

2008-12-31T09:33:00.007-05:00

I am not a huge fan of New Year's but I was certainly happy to see 2008 move on out the door as a financial sector employee and I figured a 2009 celebration was worthy of some culinary delights! I served this on small plates as an appetizer.

For the Shrimp:
18 pc black tiger shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used Giant Eagle farm raised shrimp that was already cooked and thawed and then sauteed it in butter, paprika and black pepper. I added the bacon on the side and did not wrap the shrimp. Not quite as elegant but the flavor was still there.)
1/2T Kosher salt
9 bacon slices
2t cracked black pepper
Grapeseed oil for searing (80/20....olive oil works just fine!)

For the Grits:
2qt chicken stock
1qt milk
1/4 stick unsalted butter
1qt instant grits (I could only find quick grits and I used milk and broth to cook but followed the directions on the grits box to ensure the proper amount of liquid.)
2 cups grilled corn kernels
1 cup poblano peppers, small diced
2 cups aged white cheddar cheese
3T chopped cilantro
2T Kosher salt
2T cracked black pepper

For the Chipotle-Tomato Butter:1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2T chopped garlic
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
3T chipotle peppers (in Adobo)
1t black peppercorns
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 stick unsalted butter1/2 bunch cilantro1 lemon, juiced
2t Kosher salt

Shrimp Prep:Season shrimp with a little Kosher salt. Using a hot grill, quickly mark each shrimp. Remove from grill and allow time to cool. Shrimp should still be uncooked. When cool enough to handle, wrap each shrimp with a half piece of bacon. Season with cracked black pepper. Sear each shrimp in grapeseed oil till crispy on both sides. Serve when rest of dish is ready.

Grits Prep:Using a deep saucepot combine chicken stock and milk. Bring to a simmer, add butter, and allow time for it to dissolve. Slowly whisk in grits a little at a time. When grits begin to thicken, lower heat. Switch to a spatula and fold in the rest of the ingredients. Adjust for addition seasonings if needed. If grits are too thick, add more chicken stock.

For the Chipotle-Tomato Butter Sauce: In a saucepot, sauté onions and garlic over medium heat. Next, add tomatoes, chipotle peppers and peppercorns. Continue to cook for another three minutes. Deglaze with chicken stock and lower heat. Cook for 5 minutes then place in a blender; blend till smooth. Place liquid back in saucepot and over low heat mount with butter, whisking in a little at a time. Add cilantro and season with lemon juice and salt. Turn off heat and allow 5 minutes to steep cilantro. Strain through fine mesh strainer and reserve warm till time to serve.
To Plate:Place small amount of grits in the center of a large plate. Drizzle sauce around grits. Place three pieces of shrimp around grits. Serve.

A Top Chef Side Dish...

2008-12-31T09:25:00.003-05:00

I have made this a few times and it is a nice and easy take on mashed potatoes. It's definitely a winter/holiday dish.

Cauliflower and Fingerling Smash

3 cups fingerling potatoes, sliced, half-inch rounds (or small white potatoes)

3 cups cauliflower florets, medium-bite size

Milk (enough to cover)

1/2 cup chevre ~ goat cheese or cream cheese if you are a goat cheese hater!

1/2 cup chopped dried cherries...dried cranberries would also work

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped fine (80/20...did not have this and is not really necessary, except for some color.)

Salt and pepper to taste

Sweet Basil! I loved this book.

2008-12-16T19:45:00.002-05:00

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver is a book that really makes you think about the food you are putting on your table in a good way. Part memoir, part journalistic investigation, this book tells the story of how our family was changed by one year of deliberately eating food produced in the place where we live.

I will definitely be paying more attention to our local farmer's markets this spring!

Top Chef 5 -- Leah's Winning Breakfast Amuse Bouche

2008-12-06T14:18:00.005-05:00

I am always inspired by Top Chef even if I have to modify their recipes a bit...my pantry isn't quite as well stocked!

This was a great breakfast treat this morning, and 80/20....I didn't have any quail eggs and I didn't quite make it an amuse..mine was more like a sandwich.

1 quail egg...80/20 just a regular old egg!

1/4 cup canned whole tomatoes, mashed (I used crushed can tomatoes.)

1/2 tsp chili flakes

1 shallot minced

2 pieces of bacon

2 pieces French bread, cut 1 inch thick 80/20 I used English Muffins and trimmed the edges with a round cutter

1 clove garlic

Parmesan (just enough to grate over egg)

salt and pepper to taste

1 T olive oil

1 leaf sage, fried

1. Sweat the shallots in olive oil until tender.

2. Add chili flakes, then add canned tomatoes.

3. Cook until tomato is pretty dry.

4. Grill bread on both sides and rub with garlic.

5. Render bacon.

6. Once cooked, take out of pan, leaving bacon fat in the pan.

7. Place the grilled bread in the bacon fat, cook until crunchy.

8. Use remaining fat in pan to cook quail egg, sunny side up.

9. To assemble the amuse, use a cutter to punch out the bread in a 1 inch square.

10. Put a tsp of spicy tomato on the bread.

11. Cut the bacon into the same size as the bread and put it on top of the spicy tomato.

12. Punch the fried quail egg to make it fit the size of the bread, and place it on top.

13. Grate parmesan on top of the quail egg and put a little fresh ground pepper on top.

14. Garnish with 1 piece of fried sage or chives if you prefer.

Come over, come over to Red Rover!

2008-11-20T20:02:00.005-05:00

Red Rover is a little consignment shop in Clintonville that has high end re-sale kids clothes. It's great if you are selling or if you are buying. Wendy the owner knows what to look for....Oilily, Gymboree, Ecco Shoes, Land's End, LL Bean, Polo, Baby Gap, Hanna Andersen, Zutano etc. My experience with Wendy was MUCH better than utilizing the more popular consignment store in Columbus.

3171 N High St Columbus, OH 43202
(614) 262-8778

Rachael's Squash Mac and Cheese

2008-11-19T19:27:00.005-05:00

Even the 5 year old liked this...squash and all!
Compliments of guess who?...Rachael Ray
1 pound macaroni with lines, such as tubatini or mini penne rigate
Salt 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, --1 turn of the pan
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 medium onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves, plus a few sprigs for garnish
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken stock
1 (10 ounce) box frozen cooked butter nut squash, defrosted (I used 2.5 cups of fresh, boiled in broth and milk and then mashed with a potato masher-- about 20 minutes.)
1 cup cream or half-and-half (80/20...I only had 2% milk.)
2 cups (8 ounces) sharp Cheddar, grated
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, a couple of handfuls
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, eyeball it
Black pepper
Heat a pot of water to boil for the pasta. Salt the water then add the pasta and cook to al dente or, with a bite to it.
While pasta cooks, heat a medium heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the extra-virgin olive oil and butter. When the butter melts into the oil, add the thyme and grate the onion directly into the pot with a hand held grater or Microplane. Cook the grated onion in butter and oil 1 to 2 minutes, then add flour and cook together 1 to 2 more minutes (I boiled the squash with stock and Whisk in stock, then combine with butternut squash until warmed through and smooth. Stir in cream or half-and-half and bring sauce to a bubble. Stir in cheeses in a figure 8 motion and season the completed sauce with salt, nutmeg and pepper. Taste to adjust seasonings.
Drain cooked pasta well and combine with sauce. Serve alongside chicken sammies and top with thyme leaves picked from remaining sprigs

A little tip to spice up your wallet!

2008-11-16T18:53:00.004-05:00

I generally shop at Giant Eagle since it's closet to our home and in Giant Eagle I have noticed that in the Mexican food aisle there is a "Badia Spice Section" ...what I have also noticed it that Badia spices are considerably less expensive than McCormick etc. Sometimes more than 50% less than in the regular spice aisle. I found this article about Badia and I like what they have to say..

"The other secret to Badia Spice's growing success, says its CEO, is the company's "mean and lean" operations, which allow it to price its spices at half the cost of national brands. As a smaller, private company, Badia Spices has less overhead than the nationals--and also does not engage in the expensive practice of paying premiums to supermarket chains for special placement in the mainstream spice sections. "That shelf space doesn't come from spice heaven," says Badia. "The consumer has to pay for it."
Sourcing costs, however, are similar to the national brands. "We get our supplies from the same places as everyone else," says Badia......

Super-Easy-Great-Fall Meal

2008-11-13T19:26:00.007-05:00

Rachael Ray's Tex Mex Red Beans and Rice
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups water
1 cup enriched white rice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil, 1 turn of the pan
2 slices bacon, chopped

I added a little smoked sausage as well...
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can red beans, drained
1 tablespoon cayenne sauce (recommended: Frank's Red Hot)

80/20... had to use Tony Chachere's seasoning mix and I added a little spaghetti sauce to liquify it a bit.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add rice, cover and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
When rice is done, remove it from the stove top. To a medium skillet over medium high heat add oil and bacon and cook 3 minutes to crisp edges of bacon. Add onions and cook 3 minutes to soften. Add beans to heat through, then stir in cooked rice. Season rice and beans with cayenne sauce, salt and pepper, to your taste. Serve rice and beans from the skillet.

Pumpkin Soup

2008-11-10T19:21:00.004-05:00

I have lots of pie pumpkins remaining from Halloween so we gave this recipe a try...another fav from 101cookbooks. I really liked it although it needed more broth than I anticipated to thin it out and I also really spiced it up with the red curry.

Thai-spiced Pumpkin Soup Recipe
Keep in mind that different Thai curry pastes have differing strengths. Start with a teaspoon to start and then build from there until the soup has a level of spiciness and flavor that works for your palete.

2 acorn squash, pumpkins, or other smallish winter squash
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1 14-ounce can coconut milk

1 teaspoon (or more) red Thai curry pastewater

2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt (or to taste)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and place the oven racks in the middle.
Carefully cut each squash/pumpkin into halves (or quarters). Slather each piece of squash with butter, sprinkle generously with salt, place on a baking sheet skin sides down, and place in the oven. Roast for about an hour or until the squash is tender throughout.
When the pumpkin/squash are cool enough to handle scoop it into a large pot over medium high heat. Add the coconut milk and curry paste and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and puree with a hand blender, you should have a very thick base at this point. Now add water a cup at a time pureeing between additions until the soup is the consistency you prefer - a light vegetable stock would work here as well. Bring up to a simmer again and add the salt (and more curry paste if you like, I used just shy of 6 teaspoons but the curry paste I use is not over-the-top spicy).
Serves six.

Chicken Ala King - YUM!

2008-11-07T18:40:00.003-05:00

This is compliments of Rachael Ray with a few additions

One tube jumbo bake-off biscuits (recommended: Pillsbury brand "Grands"), available on dairy aisle
A sprinkle cayenne (spicy) or sweet paprika (mild)
1 cup dry white wine (80/20..... 1/4 cup sherry)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used chopped 3 cups of Rotisserie Chicken.)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil or extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 pound small white mushrooms, sliced
1/2 small white onion, chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons chopped pimentos (80/20 skipped this item.)
1/2 cup frozen green peas
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf or curly parsley
Preheat oven according to package directions for biscuits. Arrange biscuits on nonstick baking sheet and sprinkle with a little ground cayenne pepper or sweet paprika then place biscuits into a preheated oven. Bake until golden, remove biscuits from oven and then cool.

In a medium skillet, bring 1 cup white wine and 2 cups chicken broth and 1 bay leaf to a boil. Slide in chicken breasts and gently poach them in simmering broth and wine for 10 to 12 minutes.

Preheat a second skillet over medium heat. Add oil and butter. When butter melts into oil, add mushrooms and onion and cook 5 minutes until tender. Add flour and cook another minute.

Pull chicken from broth and set on cutting board. Ladle cooking liquid into the mushrooms, whisking it in. Add 2 to 2 1/2 cups of liquid and discard the bay leaf. Add pimentos and peas to the sauce. Dice chicken into bite-size pieces and slide into bubbling sauce. (I also added about 1/4 cup heavy cream and I did not have white wine, so I added 1/4 cup Sherry.)

Split the biscuits, place bottoms on dinner plates and cover with ladles of Chicken a la King. Cap with biscuit tops and garnish with chopped parsley.

Joe T Garcia's

2008-11-03T19:26:00.002-05:00

A few more notes about our Texas trip....our last night we headed to Fort Worth to check out Joe T Garcia's and it couldn't get much better. AWESOME, AWESOME margaritas, and amazing food. I loved that there were only 2 choices -- enchiladas or fajitas~ cash only! After Joe T's we headed down the street to Billy Bob's. The people watching was excellent!

My Napkin Sketch...

2008-10-25T09:57:00.011-04:00

A few weeks ago, I mentioned a book that I believe is a must read for anyone...business, government, education....you name it - The Back of the Napkin by Dan Roam. Anyway, it's taken me a while, but I created my own "napkin sketch" for this blog. I call it finding the "sweet spot" of 3 driving forces along with a dose of 80/20.

Fall ~ the intersection of Zucchini Season and Apples

2008-10-19T15:07:00.002-04:00

Okay...just a short intermission from my Dallas trip and a dose of something relatively healthy! I found this recipe on one of my favs...101 Cookbooks. You do have to follow the recipe closely particulary as it relates to the goat cheese component.

Apple-Zucchini Crostini

5-7 slices whole grain bread, very thinly sliced

3 ounces goat cheese or chevre, crumbled

tiny splash of milk or cream

splash of extra virgin olive oil

two big pinches of salt

1/4 cup apple, cut into 1/4 inch dice (place in a bit of lemon water if not using immediately)

3/4 cup zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice, freshly squeezeda

bit of freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the bread into bite-sized pieces (or use a cookie cutter), brush with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with a tiny bit of salt. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until golden, roughly 14 minutes, flipping once along the way. Remove and let cool.
In the meantime, whisk the goat cheese in a small bowl with just enough milk to make it fluffy, light, and easily dollop-able. Spoon into a piping bag, or alternately a small plastic bag with just a bit of the corner cut off) and set aside in a cool place.
To make the zucchini-apple component, heat a splash of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Stir in the salt and the apples. Saute for about 15 seconds and then stir in the zucchini. Cook for another 15-20 seconds - things should really be sizzling. But keep in mind, you only want to heat and soften things up a touch, not turn everything to mush by overcooking. Quickly remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and a tiny drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Toss and taste, add a bit more salt if needed. Transfer the zucchini mixture to a large plate to cool a bit.
To assemble take one piece of the toasted bread and spoon a small amount of the zucchini mixture on top of it. Squeeze a little bit of the goat cheese on top of that and a few flecks of black pepper. Repeat and arrange on your favorite serving platter.
Makes about 3 dozen bite-sized crostini.

Texas Chow Fest Part 3 ~ 12,000 calories later!

2008-10-19T14:55:00.003-04:00

A trip to the State Fair of Texas truly warrants a note about Fletcher's Corny ~ not Corn~ Corny Dogs. I've not been totally impressed by a corn dog, but this one definitely sets the standard going forward. I actually went with the deluxe version with cheese and jalapenos...yum!

I actually cut myself off at the fair after the corny dog, as I knew Bob's Steakhouse was in order for the evening. Bob's is the quintessential Texas steakhouse...dry-aged steaks that can't be matched and it was all that and more.

Texas Chow Fest Part 2

2008-10-14T20:40:00.003-04:00

The "frosted glass"....

On Thursday evening, we had the opportunity to do a little shopping and then check out Houston's Restaurant. Very chic~craftsmanesque interior, and excellent service. Never have I ordered a Cosmo cocktail and had the waiter return about 20 min later to refresh my glass! I was truly impressed!!!

The food was very good as well, but the frosted glass...well how do you top that????

Texas Chow Fest Part 1

2008-10-11T10:42:00.006-04:00

So, I had the great honor to visit the great state of Texas this past week with my super fun neighbors who hail from Dallas. Knowing our foodie ways, they did not disappoint and the food, the company, the cocktails, the sunsets, and the people were superb.

Day One: Chicken Fried Steak and REALLY cold beer

Kelly's Eastside was our destination. The Lone Star beer was super cold, the salsa was amazing and the chicken fried steak with gravy will be hard to beat in my lifetime. Should I return to Texas, Kelly's will be a must. (Even had a great kid's menu. And, the downtown area was super cute...reminded me of downtown Tempe, AZ.)

The REALLY FAST way to vacuum your car

2008-10-04T20:21:00.003-04:00

My car can get really disgusting and I don't always have time to clean it out by the week, so...I have discovered a quick way to get those cookie crumbs, dirt, dog hair etc. out of my car.....THE LEAF BLOWER. Take your car out of the garage if you have one, open up the doors and blast away. This is an especially helpful way to get dog hair out of those hard to reach places as it loosens it up enough to blow it out. Call me crazy, but it works!!!

Don't have a whole lot in the pantry...pasta

2008-10-04T18:19:00.005-04:00

Pasta Carbonara

1/2 inch of olive oil (for frying pan)

2 cloves of minced garlic

1 chopped onion

8 thick slices of bacon

3 eggs

1 package of spaghetti

1 cups grated parmesan cheese

In a frying pan, combine 1/2 inch of olive oil, 2 cloves of minced garlic, one chopped onion and the bacon cut into small squares. Let simmer for about 20 minutes....careful not to let the oil get to hot and burn the bacon.

In a bowl, beat 3 eggs with lots of salt and fresh ground pepper.

Bring a pan of salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti until al dente, drain and immediately add egg mixture to pasta so the eggs cook. Stir the egg mixture until it is well mixed. Pour in the mixture from the frying pan and stir. Finish with the parmesan cheese and serve...maybe a side of green beans.

Cherry Tomatoes Extravaganza

2008-09-30T19:36:00.004-04:00

My neighbor has a fabulous garden and he is always willing to share his tomatoes. Right now, I have a lot of his cherry tomatoes. So, I found this recipe on Kalyn's Kitchen Blog Spot and it was easy, simple and good!

Spicy Cherry Tomato Sauce for Pasta

2-3 hot Turkey Italian Sausage links or one roll of Bob Evans Sausage

3-4 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1-2 T. minced fresh garlic (you can use minced garlic from a jar with good results)

1 tsp. or less dried red pepper flakes(the kind you sprinkle on pizza)

1 - 2 tsp. dried oregano (or 2-3 tsp. fresh) - (I used the fresh stuff.)

3 T. chopped fresh parsley (or more)

3 T. chopped fresh basil (or more) (I used closer to 4T. of basil...LOVE IT. )

4 - 5 T. extra virgin olive oilFresh grated parmesan for serving
Squeeze sausage out of casing and cook in small amount of olive oil until slightly browned. Remove sausage from pan. Add olive oil, red pepper flakes, garlic, oregano, and cherry tomatoes. Cook 3-4 minutes, until tomatoes are starting to soften. Add sausage, basil and parsley and cook 3-4 minutes more. Serve over hot linguini or spagetti with lots of fresh parmesan.

Jen's Pumpkin Pie

2008-09-29T19:46:00.003-04:00

Awesome Jen provides me with dessert inspiration (lemon bomb cake...). Anyway, I had pumpkin pie at her house the other day and I just had to give it a go myself. YUM!

Jen ...I mean Libby's Famous Pumpkin Pie
1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (our pumpkin pie spice in place of all spices)

2 large eggs

1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin

1 can (12 fl. oz.) Evaporated Milk

Preheat oven to 425° F. Combine sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs lightly in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Pour into pie shell. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F.; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. (Do not freeze as this will cause the crust to separate from the filling.)

Tyler Florence Pot Roast

2008-09-27T16:16:00.003-04:00

It's college football season which translates to pot roast season too!

I really like this recipe having seen Tyler cook it on the Food Network.

1 (3 to 4 pound) piece beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 cup water or maybe a little wine :)

2 yellow onion, halved

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 bunch baby carrots (or just plain old carrots)

2 celery stalks, sliced

1 cup button mushrooms, stems removed and sliced in half

2 sprigs fresh rosemary (80/20 substitued some basil and oregano from the herb garden)

4 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves
Season all sides of the beef with a fair amount of salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot that has a tight cover; heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over moderately high heat. Brown the meat on all sides, taking the time to get a nice crust on the outside. Pour in the tomatoes and the water. Scatter the vegetables and herbs around the pot roast, season with salt and pepper; and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of oil. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Braise for about 3 hours, basting every 30 minutes with the pan juices, until the beef is fork tender.
Slice the pot roast and arrange on platter surrounded by the vegetables. Serve with the pot juices.

Beef Picadillo compliments of Rachael

2008-09-22T19:02:00.002-04:00

Here's a good and very easy Rachael Ray Recipe...

If you like green olives especially!
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 small red bell pepper, finely chopped (I am NOT a red pepper fan, so I used the 80/20 rule here.)
8 large pimiento-stuffed olives, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 pound ground beef sirloin
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper
1. In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the onion, bell pepper, olives and garlic and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Crumble in the ground beef, using a wooden spoon to break up any large clumps. Increase the heat and cook until the liquid is reduced.2. Stir the tomato paste into the meat mixture and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons water to loosen the sauce. Stir in the peas and carrots, cover and cook until just cooked through, 4 minutes. Stir in the cilantro; season with salt and pepper.

Spicy Thai Peanut Dip

2008-09-19T12:04:00.004-04:00

Thank goodness I am back on line after our "Dry Ohio Hurricane"! Cooking in the dark is hard enough, but not having the internet to look things up is also troublesome!!!

Spicy Thai Peanut Dip

Made this for a birthday gathering.
Goes great with vegetables...carrots, peppers, snow peas.
Ingredients (compliments of All Recipes)
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Stir together peanut butter, garlic, brown sugar, mayonnaise, soy sauce, and lemon juice until smooth. Refrigerate 2 hours before serving.

Asparagus Pate

2008-09-08T20:09:00.009-04:00

I made this for a dinner party the other night. If you like asparagus, I'd say it was quite good.

Ingredients
16 oz. cream cheese
2 cans asparagus or one bunch - boil for about 5 minutes...should be extra limp! Chop into 1 inch pieces when cool.
one bunch of scallions, chopped
3 tbsp. horseradish sauce (80/20...didn't have this, so I added Janes's Crazy Mixed Up Salt. Horseradish probably would have improved it.)
6 slices bacon (You could skip this if looking for a veggie dish.)
pinch salt
1. Cook bacon. Let cool and break up into tiny small pieces. (Save a few pieces for the top of the dip.)
2. Place all ingredients into food processor or blender. Mix well.
3. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.
4. Serve with vegetables, breads or crackers

Sweet Basil! I loved this book.

2008-09-06T09:23:00.003-04:00

So, I do a lot of presentations at work and I am always looking for ways to insert a little humor..tasteful of course... Anyway, I found this book through Dan Roam's Blog.

Tom also has a great website.

Marvelous Melon

2008-09-02T19:56:00.007-04:00

Marvelous Melon Salad
1 cup strawberries
1 cup blueberries
1 honeydew (or cantelope)
1/3 cup of honey
handful chopped mint
1/2 tsp. grated ginger (80/20...no ginger this time and it was still very good.)
Cut melon in half, remove the seeds and, using a melon baller, scoop out balls of flesh into a large bowl using a melon baller. Quarter the strawberries and simply wash the blueberries. Toss and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours.
Top with 1/3 cup of honey, a 1/2 tbsp of finely grated ginger
Finish with chopped mint.

Here's a good one for a hot summer day...

2008-08-23T20:51:00.004-04:00

Thanks Em....

Tequila Lime Chicken

Courtesy of Barefoot Contessa Family Style

1/2 cup gold tequila (guess what to do with the rest???)

1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (5 to 6 limes)

1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (2 oranges)

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon minced fresh jalapeno pepper (1 pepper seeded)

1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic (3 cloves)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 whole (6 split) boneless chicken breasts, skin on

Combine the tequila, lime juice, orange juice, chili powder, jalapeno pepper, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add the chicken breasts. Refrigerate overnight.Heat a grill with coals and brush the rack with oil to prevent the chicken from sticking. Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade, sprinkle well with salt and pepper, and grill them skin-side down for about 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Turn the chicken and cook for another 10 minutes, until just cooked through. Remove from the grill to a plate. Cover tightly and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

It's peach season

2008-08-17T19:42:00.008-04:00

I am not a huge fan of peaches...the fuzzy skin gets to me, but grilled peaches...now that's another story. I found this recipe on my recipes, but I will admit I was insprired by a story in GQ of all places.

Grilled Peaches with Vanilla Ice Cream

compliments of My recipes.com

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

4 fresh peaches

olive oil (or vegetable oil)

vanilla ice cream

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut peaches along the seam all the way around and twist halves off the pit. Brush cut sides with oil. Cook, cut side down, on a hot grill until fruit has grill marks, 3 to 4 minutes. Brush tops with oil, turn over, and move to indirect heat. Sprinkle cut sides with cinnamon sugar. Cover grill and cook until sugar is melted and fruit is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream (sprinkle on extra cinnamon sugar if you like).

New York Green Beans

2008-08-17T10:12:00.004-04:00

The NY Times is a staple in my parent's house and Wednesday is my personal favorite as the food section never fails to inspire. As I mentioned, I was home last week and stumbled upon this tasty very summer-like bean recipe.

2 pounds of sausages -- Wegman's was our choice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large red onion, thinly sliced -- ours was a spectacular onion from the Apple Shed
4 fresh thyme sprigs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of sugar
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 pound green or wax beans (use a combination for the prettiest dish), trimmed
1/4 cup white wine -- 80/20 I only had some red, but it worked
1/2 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs, including basil and parsley
Fleur de sel or coarse sea salt, for serving (optional).
1. Prepare grill or preheat broiler. Grill or broil sausages until browned and blistered and cooked all the way through.
2. Meanwhile, prepare beans. Heat oil in a large skillet with a cover until shimmering. Add onion, thyme sprigs and a pinch each of salt, pepper and sugar. Sauté over medium-high heat until onions are golden in spots and browned around edges, about 7 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes and sauté until they start to release their juices, 2 minutes. Add beans and wine and toss everything in pan. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 3 minutes. Uncover pan, add herbs and continue to cook. Toss beans occasionally, until liquid evaporates and beans are done to taste, 5 to 30 minutes, adding water to pan if it dries out. Garnish with coarse salt if you like and serve hot or at room temperature, with sausages.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Sweet Basil! I loved this book.

2008-08-11T07:30:00.003-04:00

A great way to conduct problem solving and fun too!
http://www.thebackofthenapkin.com/

Think...visual thinking that takes your mind to the problem solving promised land in clever, fun, and effective ways."

Grilled "steamed" clams

2008-08-11T07:20:00.004-04:00

So, I am hanging out with my parents this week....enjoying a small town and loving Wegmans, particularly their farm-raised little neck clams.

1. Rinse clams well in cold water; discard any that are broken or open.

2. Prepare a grill. Arrange the clams on a rack. Cook just until the shells open, about 5 to 10 minutes. (I threw a small wet towel over them to create more steam.)
3. Serve the clams in the shells, with bowls of , melted butter, lemon, and hot pepper sauce, if desired.

4. If they do not open, do not eat them.

Unusual but good crostini...

2008-08-11T06:54:00.003-04:00

Every August, I attend a gathering of old friends in Wayne County, New York. Each year, it becomes a little less about the adults and little more about the kids as we have all added to our families year after year. The food has also evolved...from chips and hotdogs to elegant cheese trays and hors dourves. I found this one in a checkout line cookbook...never would have combined these on my own and it was delicious.

Ingredients

1 baguette (I used wheat.)

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tbsp. butter
3/4 cup mascarpone
1/2 cup of pistachios (80/20...I confess that used almonds as they were a lot less $$$.)

1/4 cup honey

handful of basil, chopped

Slice the baguette into 1/2 rounds, spread out on a cookie sheet. Melt the butter and olive oil together and using a pastry brush, spread over the rounds. Toast in the over under the broiler for about 2-3 minutes...till crispy. Top with a layer of mascarpone, drizzle with honey and almonds and top with a few pieces of basil. The mascarpone will melt a little if the rounds are still hot...which is ideal. (Otherwise you can put the rounds back in the oven on a very low temp to melt the cheese slightly. )

For the love of beans...

2008-07-31T19:01:00.005-04:00

Thanks Laurs! Loved it! (I topped this off with a little sour cream. You know...to take some of the healthiness away!)

Orange Black Beans with Cumin

Ingredients:

Two 15-oz cans black beans, rinsed & drained
2 tbsp firmly packed light or dark brown sugar (I typically cut this way down to less than 1tbsp, and go for a slightly spicier, less sweet dish)

1 med shallot, minced

1 rib celery, minced

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 tsp ground cumin

pinch or ground cinnamon or cardamom

salt & pepper to taste

For serving:white rice

chopped fresh cilantro

chopped fresh tomatoes

salt & pepper

Cook in medium slow cooker on high for about 1.5 hours. Serve over rice, garnished with tomatoes and cilantro. I sometimes add a little cayenne as well. I've also thought about reducing the orange juice and going with some orange zest instead, but haven't tried that yet.

Williams-Sonoma Catalog Recipes

2008-07-31T18:52:00.004-04:00

Williams-Sonoma has really created a catalog that reads like a cookbook in some ways, and I just love cookbooks. I can't have enough of them!

I just recently re-created their Poulet Nicoise. The first time, I did as follows with exception of using cherry tomatoes and red wine...80/20. The next time I tried it with chicken thighs and I liked it much better. Bone-in chicken just isn't simple enough for me!

Ingredients:
1 chicken, about 3 lb., cut into serving pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 yellow squash, about 1 1/2 lb. total, quartered and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/4 cup dry white wine
3 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 tsp. chopped fresh tarragon
5 plum tomatoes, seeded and quartered
1/4 cup dry-cured black olives, pitted
1 1/4 cups chicken stock
Directions:
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a 5 1/2-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the chicken and brown on all sides, about 7 minutes total. Transfer to a plate. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more. Add the squash, wine, 2 Tbs. of the parsley and 2 tsp. of the tarragon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the squash is soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan and add the tomatoes, olives and stock. Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1 Tbs. parsley and 1 tsp. tarragon. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

Giorgio - a Clintonville Treat

2008-07-28T19:42:00.007-04:00

My husband had the misfortune of spraining his knee this weekend, and in turn his company knowing that I would be managing two "children" for a few days offered to buy us the fortune of a night of takeout. Thus, we chose to try the new Giorgio in Clintonville -- 614-265-9020. (In the old R Bar space...near the great Denise's Ice Cream) We had the bruschetta, antipasto, shrimp scampi appetizer, veal truffle ravioli, gnocchi, spaghetti and meatball for the tyke, and the fontina hazelnut ravioli...his brother and lovely girlfriend were also joining us.

The highlights.....

1. Great pickup service

2. Beautiful interior

3. The antipasto was delicious and very well done as was the shrimp...

4. Loved the hazelnut fontina ravioli and the veal truffle ravioli

5. The little guy LOVED the meatball.

We will definitely visit again.

They don't have a website yet...so I am posting their menu from my neighborhood site. Also, ask for the specials of the day.

INSALATE & ANTIPASTI
BRUSCHETTA ASSORTITA- TOASTED BREAD, 2 WITH FRESH TOMATO AND HERBS, 2 WITH ARTICHOKE, OLIVE & SUN-DREID TOMATO TAPENADE, & 2 WITH EGGPLANT & RED PEPPER TAPENADE.
9- ANTIPASTO MISTO- SLICED PROSCUITTO DI PARMA , SALAMI, BRESAOLA, & FRESH MOZZARELLA WITH TOMATOES, ARTICHOKES AND OLIVES
12- COZZE- PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND MUSSELS SIMMERED IN AN HERBED TOMATO SAUCE
10-
MISTA- MESCLUN GREENS, TOMATOES & GOLDEN RAISINS TOSSED IN OLIVE OIL AND BALSAMIC VINEGAR WITH SHAVED RICOTTA SALATA
6- DI LATTUGA FINOCCHIO E POMODORO- ROMAINE, FENNEL & TOMATO TOSSED IN OLIVE OIL, LEMON JUICE AND BALSAMIC VINEGAR WITH SHAVED PARMESAN REGGIANO
6- DI RUCOLA- ARUGULA, TOASTED ALMONDS & GORGONZOLA CHEESE TOSSED IN OLIVE OIL, LEMON JUICE AND BALSAMIC VINEGAR WITH SHAVED PARMESAN REGGIANO
7- AGRO DOLCE- ROMAINE, SLICED POACHED PEAR & ORANGES TOSSED IN OLIVE OIL AND BALSAMIC VINEGAR
7- CAPRESE- SLICES OF TOMATO, FRESH MOZZARELLA & BASIL DRIZZLED WITH EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
8-
ENTRÉES
GNOCCHI- POTATO ³DUMPLINGS², SPICED SAUSAGE & FENNEL IN VODKA SAUCE
13- SPAGHETTI ALLA PUTTANESCA- TOMATO FILETS, OLIVES, CAPERS, SPICY OLIVE OIL & ANCHOVY
12- RIGATONI- MUSHROOMS AND SAUSAGE IN A BRANDIED MARINARA SAUCE
14- SEAFOOD LINGUINE- MUSSELS, CLAMS & SHRIMP IN A PINK TOMATO SAUCE
17- LINGUINE ALLE VONGOLE- CLAMS IN YOUR CHOICE OF WHITE OR RED SAUCE
17- SPAGHETTI & MEATBALL- GIUSEPPE¹S MEAT SAUCE
10- VEAL & TRUFFLE RAVIOLI- IN A MUSHROOM SAUCE
15- CHEESE TORTELLINI- MEAT SAUCE WITH GREEN PEAS
12- SPAGHETTI FRA DIAVOLE SPICY SHRIMP WITH AN EARTHY, CHUNKY TOMATO SAUCE
17- FONTINA & HAZELNUT RAVIOLI- WHITE WINE, GARLIC & HERB MARINARA WITH PARMESAN REGGIANO
14- LASAGNE ALLA BOLOGNESE- OUR MEAT LASAGNE 11-
CLASSICO
BRACIOLE ALLA CASALINGA- VEAL LOIN, STUFFED WITH MUSHROOM, SPINACH & PINE NUTS TOPPED WITH TOMATO SAUCE
19- SALTIMBOCCA- VEAL SCALLOPINE, PROSCUITTO, MOZZARELLA AND SAGE IN A MUSHROOM SAUCE
18- POLLO ALLA CACCIATORA- SLOW COOKED CHICKEN LEG QUARTERS IN TOMATO SAUCE WITH MUSHROOMS, OLIVES & CAPERS 16-

Recipe for a Columbus Wine Tasting Party...

2008-07-26T10:41:00.003-04:00

Our wonderful neighbors invited us to enjoy food and wine last night. The wine was a real treat as was the food. Jen and her mother went on quite a "scavenger hunt" for all the right "ingredients".

Prosciutto, chorizo, salmon etc. from Whole Foods

Wine from Spagio Wine Cellars and expert advice from Sam the wine guy

Cheese from the Curds and Whey at the North Market

Great recipes and cooking from Jen and Laurie... like blue cheese pear tarts inspired by the blue cheese pear salad at Nordstrom, sausage balls inspired by the great state of Texas, and beer cheese inspired by some innovative German or maybe someone from Kentucky.

Marvelous Mel's Artichoke Meltdown -- the real version and the skinny version

2008-07-26T10:29:00.012-04:00

Thanks Mel...I have also included a skinny version that I have tried from 101 Cookbooks...it's good but not as good as the Mayo version.

The Real Version...

Ingredients

Two cans artichoke hearts in water

1 cup mayo

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1 tbsp chopped garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Dump everything in food processor or blender - mix till it looks like dip :-)Not very long

Dump everything in oven friendly bowl. Warm in 375 degree oven until hot and just bubbling. Serve with crackers. Yum! Also, one of my friends who loves this did a squeeze of fresh lemon into the food processor and said it was a nice touch.

Enjoy . .

The Skinny Version.....

2 (14-ounce) cans water-packed artichokes, well drained

4 ounces organic silken tofu

3 large cloves garlic

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

2/3 cup plain (or Greek) yogurt

1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, or more to taste

pinch of cayenne pepper
more Parmesan to sprinkle on top
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. In a blender or food processor puree the artichokes, tofu, and garlic. In a separate medium bowl whisk together the parmesan cheese, yogurt, salt, and cayenne. Stir in the artichoke puree and pour mixture into a medium-sized baking dish (or multiple smaller dishes). Sprinkle the top with more Parmesan. Bake uncovered until heated through and the cheese on the top starts to brown, about 45 minutes.
Makes 2-3 cups of artichoke dip.

Hey Jen, Buzzy, Yo Tori, Karl, Ted, Beth, Alex, Molly, Nick, Marya, Emily, Mel, Mike, Vinnie, Kate, Bueller, Bueller, Anyone who likes my blog.....

2008-07-21T20:16:00.009-04:00

It's the friends and family plan for recipes or fans of the blog....SOS - In need of some bright ideas/recipes! I am looking for recipe inspiration...so now all of you looky loos on my blog need to post a link to a recipe that you want me to try (anonymous is allowed but give me some clue to who you are) & fishless is best since Mr. Husband doesn't like fish. I have a wine and cheese party to attend later this week, so any ideas in that relm would be FABULOUS.

I will be honest...I also really want more posts to my site, so if I can get you to do it once, then maybe you will be game again!!!

P.S. Cameron IS Eric P.!!!! Jen OP. you married a movie star.

A dog with 2 working parents...

2008-07-20T12:59:00.008-04:00

So, simplifying my life is definitely key to keeping my sanity and earlier this year, we actually made life a bit more complicated with a dog... a beautiful yellow lab. My husband wore me down a little bit each year. Anyway, I hate to even admit it, but doggie daycare has really been a great help. Brie...like the cheese, does not go everyday but the days that she does go, we don't have to worry about making sure the dog gets all her exercise etc. She is "pooped" when she gets home. (Brie is my husband's responsibility, but I do help on occasion.:) Park Your Paws posted this adorable photo on their site. Brie is off to the left, sitting upright. You have to love the 1950s living room they have re-created for the dogs!

Easy Mayonnaise-less Potato Salad

2008-07-19T07:51:00.007-04:00

I watched Rachael cook this the other night on 30 Minute Meals...a far less labor intensive salad!

2 to 2 1/2-pounds small red skin potatoes, quartered

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons cider or white wine vinegar
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

6 radishes, sliced

2 tablespoons capers, drained and chopped (80/20...I skipped this.)

1/2 medium red onion,

chopped 3 to 4 ribs celery from the heart of the stalk,

chopped 1 cup watercress tops or flat leaf parsley leaves coarsely chopped
Cover potatoes with cold water, bring to a boil and salt the water. Boil potatoes until just tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain.
Meanwhile, combine the honey, Dijon, and vinegar in a bowl then slowly whisk in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. To the bowl add radishes, capers, onions, celery, watercress or parsley and hot potatoes. Using a wooden spoon break up the potatoes into large chunks. Toss the potato salad adjust salt and pepper then serve.

Great summer scallop recipe

2008-07-15T20:46:00.006-04:00

I think Ina Garten is a "summer cook". These scallops were very tasty and my non-seafood eating husband commented how great the dish smelled!

1 pound fresh bay or sea scallops

Kosher salt and freshly

ground black pepper

All-purpose flour, for dredging (I recommend Wegmans basting flour.)

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided

1/2 cup chopped shallots (2 large)

1 garlic clove, minced --forgot this

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

1/3 cup dry white wine

1 lemon, cut in 1/2
If you're using bay scallops, keep them whole. If you're using sea scallops, cut each 1 in half horizontally. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss with flour, and shake off the excess.
In a very large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over high heat until sizzling and add the scallops in 1 layer. Lower the heat to medium and allow the scallops to brown lightly on 1 side without moving them, then turn and brown lightly on the other side. This should take 3 to 4 minutes, total. Melt the rest of the butter in the pan with the scallops, then add the shallots, garlic, and parsley and saute for 2 more minutes, tossing the seasonings with the scallops. Add the wine, cook for 1 minute, and taste for seasoning. Serve hot with a squeeze of lemon juice.

My loyalty to Ann...

2008-07-14T20:45:00.003-04:00

I am a faithful Ann Taylor shopper for a couple of reasons.... 1. I don't have a lot of time to deal with the maze of racks at Macy's. 2. Ann Taylor clothes fit me extremely well 3. I like their style of clothes...go figure I work for an insurance company.

Anyway, their Taylored for Success is a great way to get some discounts once you register. I believe I received a 20% of coupon for anything over $200 which is not hard to do at Ann Taylor.

Alton's Guacamole

2008-07-12T10:52:00.006-04:00

I talk a lot about Rachael Ray, but I also love Mr. Alton Brown. Last night was the perfect night for some Corona's, guacamole and some super easy enchiladas. (I did not have the Roma's but I did have some strawberry tomatoes and they worked fine...you know 80/20:)

Guacamole
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown
3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled

1 lime, juiced

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 medium onion, diced

2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

1 clove garlic, minced
In a large bowl place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice, toss to coat. Drain, and reserve the lime juice, after all of the avocados have been coated. Using a potato masher add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mash. Then, fold in the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved lime juice. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve.

P.S. This is good but nothing beats the guacamole and mojitos at Cafe Atlantico (see pic) in DC! Not sure what the secret is??????

An 80/20 recipe...

2008-07-10T20:04:00.006-04:00

I was able to "loan" my house to a friend to host her graduation party last week. I wanted to contribute some type of food item, but wasn't very prepared considering it was during the work-week/4th of July kickoff. So, I found this recipe for a dip...I did not have the parsley or the dill but it was still good! I really do believe in the 80/20 rule!

Feta Herb Dip

15 ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

Place beans, yogurt, feta, lemon juice, garlic salt and pepper in a food processor and puree until smooth. Add herbs; puree until incorporated. Chill until ready to serve

Excellent Summer Chili Recipe

2008-07-10T19:56:00.004-04:00

Surprise, surprise...it's from Rachael Ray.

The first time I made this, I did not add the beans.... either way a great way to have chili in the summer!

1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 ears corn
2 cups elbow pasta
1 red onion, half finely chopped, half thinly sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 pound lean ground beef
One 15-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1. In a medium bowl, combine the lime juice and cilantro; whisk in 6 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

2. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the corn until just tender, about 3 minutes; transfer to a cutting board. Return the water to a boil, add the pasta and cook until al dente; drain and transfer to a large bowl. Cut the corn kernels from the cob and add to the pasta.

3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and chili powder and cook until the onion begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a colander and drain well.

4. Add the beef mixture to the pasta; season with salt and pepper. Add the kidney beans, tomatoes, sliced onion and vinaigrette and toss to dress. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the cheese.

Cool Cucumber Soup with lots of dill

2008-07-05T14:04:00.005-04:00

My husband is so funny...He sees something on FoodNetwork that he likes and literally gets in the car and picks up the ingredients. Anyway, we were watching Ellie Krieger on FoodNetwork and saw this intriguing soup.... very easy to make and healthy as well! Also, I happen to LOVE dill!

cOOl Cucumber Soup
3 cups plain nonfat yogurt
1 English cucumber (about 1 pound), cut into chunks
1 scallion, white and green parts, coarsely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, plus sprigs for garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium tomato (about 5 ounces), seeded and diced
2 teaspoons olive oil
In a blender, combine the yogurt, cucumber, scallion and dill. Pulse until pureed. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Ladle into individual bowls. Top each serving with 2 tablespoons of diced tomato, drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil and garnish with a dill sprig.

Work Smarter not Harder for Real!

2008-06-29T19:31:00.003-04:00

KNOW FEEL DO

I went to a class the other day that was centered around working smarter....great class, great presenter. The instructor Bill Jensen, has a very informative site, SimplerWork. The focus area that I liked the most was centered around writing effective and consise emails. He emphasized that all emails should: know, feel and do....tell me what I need to do, acknowledge how I might feel about this especially b/c emails can be so impersonal and tell me what I need to do. Also emails should fit on a 3x5 card, as culturally we don't have the attention span for super verbose emails. Pretty simple, and I must admit I have used it and it works...I even encouraged my husband to use my advice..ha-ha and he too admitted it's success! Imagine?!

Quick Weeknight Salad for Summer

2008-06-29T19:24:00.004-04:00

Corn is also everywhere right now!
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cups fresh corn kernels (3-4 ears)
1 1/2 cups diced avocado (1/2-inch pieces)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup finely diced red onion
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, cilantro, salt, and pepper. 2. Add the corn, avocado, tomatoes, and onion and toss to mix. Serve at room temperature. Serves 4 to 6.

Blueberries everywhere!

2008-06-26T20:32:00.007-04:00

It's definitely blueberry season so of course they are a steal at the grocery store. This was a simple recipe and great for a weeknight treat.

3 c. blueberries
2 tbsp. lemon juice

2/3 c. packed brown sugar

1/2 c. all purpose or whole wheat flour

2/3 c. quick cooking oats

1/3 c. butter, softened

3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

Spray dish with non-stick spray and spread blueberries in 8 x 8 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Mix brown sugar, flour, oats, butter, cinnamon and salt. Sprinkle on top. Microwave, uncovered on high (100%) until berries are hot and bubbly, 7 to 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream or cream. If you are not inclined to use the microwave, the oven works at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Travel Essential

2008-06-20T13:49:00.003-04:00

As I mentioned I am travelling this week and I have had to bring 3 business suits with me. For the most part, my suitcase kept my clothes pretty wrinkle free, but I am convinced that the real trick is plastic dry cleaning bags covering my clothes. Essentially the bags rub together and prevent my clothes from becoming a wrinkled mess!

Anyone for a Velvet Margarita?

2008-06-20T10:28:00.003-04:00

I am travelling this week and I had the opportunity to visit the Velvet Margarita near Hollywood, CA. Other than being seriously jet-lagged, fun place, very LA, good food and a fabulous organic margarita!

Summer Hash from Rachael Ray

2008-06-18T09:23:00.005-04:00

I haven't talked much about Rachael lately, and this recipe is definitely a keeper year-round.

I cheat a bit and sometimes use store-bought salsa and I often poach my eggs instead of frying them. I also like to top with guacamole.
Chili Sweet Potato Hash with Fried Eggs and Fresh Tomato Salsa

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan

1/2 pound bulk breakfast sausage ~ Bob Evans Hot Italian or maple sausage

1 medium sweet potato, scrubbed clean, cut in 1/2 lengthwise, thinly sliced into 1/2 moons

1 large red onion thinly sliced, divided

2 teaspoons chili powder,

2/3 palm full

1 teaspoon ground cumin,

1/3 palm full

2 teaspoons ground coriander,

2/3 palm fullSalt and pepper

3 yellow vine ripe tomatoes seeded and diced

1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro,

a palm full 1 lime, juiced

1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, a few handfuls

1 cup grated manchego or extra-sharp Cheddar

1 tablespoon butter

4 large eggs
Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat with 2 turns of the pan of olive oil, about 2 tablespoons. Add the breakfast sausage and break it up with the back of a wooden spoon into little chunks, brown sausage for 3 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and 3/4 of the chopped red onion to the sausage, season with chili powder, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper, stir frequently and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the potatoes are nice and tender. While the hash is cooking, in a small bowl combine the tomatoes, jalapeno, and the remaining chopped red onion, cilantro, lime juice and a little salt and pepper. Once the hash is cooked, add the chopped parsley, stir to combine and transfer hash to a serving platter. Sprinkle with the cheese and cover with aluminum foil, the cheese will melt while you make the fried eggs. Wipe clean the skillet you made the hash in, return it to the cook top over medium-high heat and add the butter. Once the butter has melted, crack each of the eggs into the skillet, season with a little salt and pepper and fry to desired doneness. Eggs may, of course, be scrambled as well. As you like! Transfer the fried eggs to the top of the hash, sprinkle with the fresh tomato salsa and serve.

Take me glamping! ~ Migis Lodge

2008-06-12T20:15:00.005-04:00

I like to day dream about vacations even if they are somewhat out of reach. I found this place recently and I am somehow going to make it happen in the next 2-3 years, as I think my husband and son would LOVE it. It's an all-inclusive rustic~luxurious Maine lodge.

Top Chef Finale

2008-06-12T20:08:00.003-04:00

Okay..I am psyched that Stephanie won, although I would have also been happy for Richard. I defintely thought Lisa was a 1st class pain in the ass, who I wouldn't want in my office/kitchen/etc. Then...I found out Stephanie graduated from none other than the UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN...AHHH!!!!

Okay, I can get past that...she was actually quite nice and certainly not arrogant. Imagine that?!

HOT Day Cocktail

2008-06-06T19:28:00.004-04:00

6pm on a Friday is probably my favorite hour of any week. The weekend is in front of me and it's time to figure out what will be my beverage of choice. It's been a super hot week and I have been extremely busy teaching Fierce out in the field for my company. Anyway, hot means either cocktails, corona or white wine. Tonight I am having a gimlet...the one with lime juice and it has hit the spot!

2 oz. gin or Vodka
1/4 to 1/2 oz. simple syrup
1/2 oz. lime juice
Garnish with a lime

Served over ice in a short glass

Cheers!

What's your favorite summer cocktail for a really HOT day?

The key to a successful car trip with a 4 year old...

2008-05-29T19:40:00.005-04:00

So, I returned from vacation earlier this month... a great vacation on Seabrook Island, SC. No crowds, beautiful beaches, great farm markets, restaurants. great rental etc. Anyway, our 4 year old was soooo good in the car and I am convinced it was the awesome array of lollipops that kept us sane in the car. If mouths are sucking...they are not asking, "are we there yet!" ToysRUs has a fabulous selection.

Top Chef Flank Steak Salad

2008-05-16T14:59:00.002-04:00

Top Chef was my inspiration this week and it was good! Perfect for a hot summer day....
Pineapple, Radish & Cucumber:
1 pineapple, peeled, diced
1 bunch radish, sliced
1 cucumber, sliced
Flank Steak:
1 lb flank steak
Salt and pepper to taste
Chili flakes to taste
1 oz extra virgin olive oil
(or other marinade)
Lime Dressing:
1/2 cup sprite
1/2 cup lime juice
1T white vinegar
Garnishes: (makes the salad!)
Chopped cilantro
Chopped mint

I am on vacation and fell in love with Tomato Pie

2008-05-07T19:35:00.005-04:00

The tomatoes are in season in South Carolina ...beautiful and really red.

Tomato Pie
Tomatoes, sliced (I use several varieties and sizes, but 2 medium size should do it.)
Salt and pepper to taste
Seasonings to taste
8 to 10 fresh basil leaves, chopped if available

1 cup Mozzarella cheese, grated (I have also used cheddar and feta.)
1/4 Vidalia onion, chopped
1/2 to 3/4 cup mayonnaise
Parmesan cheese
1 (9-inch) pre-baked pie shell
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice the tomatoes and lay them out on a paper towel for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the tomatoes with salt, pepper. Layer the tomato slices in the bottom of the baked pie shell. Sprinkle with basil, onions and maybe some bacon? Mix together cheese and mayonnaise (just enough mayo to get the cheese to stick together). Spread on top of pie. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes covered and about 15 minutes uncovered until lightly browned. Serves 6 to 8.

Giada's ~Not So Bikini Ready~ Pasta

2008-04-29T08:21:00.004-04:00

It was a chilly rainy day yesterday, so I was looking for some comfort food. This was pretty good and I added peas to give it some color.

Chicken Carbonara
2 teaspoons olive oil

4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, chopped (I used Prosciutto)

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 1/2 cups whipping cream

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

8 large egg yolks (I used 4 ~ and split the entire recipe in half.)

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

Salt 1 pound spaghetti

4 cups coarsely shredded chicken ~ used grilled chicken

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (Did not use)

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
Heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and garlic and saute until it is brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. Cool slightly.
In a large bowl, whisk together the cream, cheese, yolks, basil, and parsley to blend.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the spaghetti and cook until it is just tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Drain.
Add the chicken to the pan with the pancetta and stir to combine. Next, add the spaghetti and the cream mixture and toss over medium-low heat until the chicken is heated through and the sauce coats the spaghetti thickly, about 4 minutes (do not boil or you might end up scrambling the eggs). Season the pasta, to taste, with pepper and salt if needed (the pancetta will likely add all the salt you need). Transfer the pasta to a large wide serving bowl. Sprinkle the walnuts and lemon zest over, and serve.

Last Restaurant Standing

2008-04-25T14:23:00.002-04:00

Okay -- so I have been watching this show all along on BBC America. It 's a nice dose of reality tv without too much drama....I can't do all the drama sometimes! Raymond Blanc and his crew are a creative but classy bunch.

BTW, I love the scenery in this show. Makes me want to go back to the UK!

Anyway, it's down to the final 3 -- I wonder who it will be????

Giada's "Get Bikini Ready" Carrot Salad

2008-04-07T19:49:00.004-04:00

I don't know that Giada has ever had to get "bikini ready", but I did like this salad as I found some spectacular carrots at Whole Foods the other day.

1 1/2 pound large carrots, trimmed and peeled (about 8 carrots)

2 firm pears (recommended: D'Anjou)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves (had to use dry...worked well)

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar 1 tablespoon curry powder

2 teaspoons honey (I used mango chutney because I didn't have any and it worked nicely.)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Using a vegetable peeler cut the carrots lengthwise into thin ribbons or slices. Quarter, core, and stem the pears. Using a knife, slice into very thin strips. Place the carrot and pear slices in a large bowl with the chopped parsley.
In a blender combine the white wine, curry powder, honey, salt, and pepper and blend to combine. With the machine running add the olive oil. Pour the dressing over the carrots and pears. Toss to combine and serve immediately.

Here is some "mom essential" information...

2008-04-07T19:37:00.006-04:00

This is compliments of my very fun and super cool neighbor...Dr. Jennifer Dyer.

Here is an excerpt and a link to the actual post - below in blue. The article is particularly helpful because it gives you a time frame for when it is appropriate to send your child back to school, which is not always the easiest thing to figure out and she lays it out for just about any nasty sick thing you can think of! (BTW, she will be on the Today show someday and just remember you saw her here first!)

Keeping kids home from school or day care
Posted by Dr. Jennifer Shine Dyer, Nationwide Children's Hospital April 02, 2008 02:32AM
Categories: Children & Youth, Impact, Netwellness

Mild illness is common among children. Most children will not need to be excluded from school or their usual source of care for mild respiratory tract illnesses. A disease is usually transmitted before symptoms developed in the child. Disease may occur as a result of contact with children who have no symptoms of infection.
The risk of illness can be decreased by following appropriate hand washing procedures on a routine basis.............

A recipe for a new birthday tradition....

2008-04-03T15:52:00.004-04:00

So, it's my birthday today, and I am going to try to start a new tradition as I don't think we think enough about the "gifts" we have all year long, particularly when it comes to girlfriends and since this blog is definitely more "girl" than "boy" this is for my girlfriends. Think of it like signing my "2008 yearbook" and I am slightly limited by space and time, so its definitely not collectively exhaustive to use a "strategy" term...just the beginning and more to come in 2009. (Order of "gifts" is strictly aLphaBetical.)

Abby - What are fun and interesting person you are to know! I appreciate that Jen has given me the opportunity to get to know you and hang out from time to time.
Beth - We haven't seen much of you lately, but it is pretty cool that we can go out to dinner and pick up where we left off however long it has been! Also, thank you for giving me a home away from home many years ago when I was a sad college student.
Buzzy - You are an amazing sister in law. I can't tell you how happy I am to have someone on the "in-law" team. :) Furthermore, you are from my part of the world -- go Western NY!-- and I think it makes us even more connected. I truly enjoy our relationship, cocktails, your family and I look forward to having lots of fun in the future. (You, Marya and Jen P. can all go in the beer at 10am category which I LOVE!)
Emily - so you my cousin/friend. Thank you for being such an amazing supportive cousin when I moved to DC and I am so glad we had that time together as I am sure it has made us much closer friends. It was great to see you in Columbus this year....let's make our visit an annual event.
Jen P.- What can I say, you are an amazing person who has made me a better person for the last 19 -- can you believe it -- 19 years. I also believe that there are a few conversations that we have in a lifetime that can change the trajectory of our lives and at one point in college you did that for me. So, thank you. You have been a rock in my life and I will always appreciate your willingness to have a beer at 10am, let me be a part of your family especially when mine was back in New York, or just talk about any kind of "stuff". The dinner party you had for me was one of the nicest most sincere gifts I have ever received.
Jen S.- sister in law #1, you are truly unique and creative person who inspires me to be a little bit like Martha. I knew when I introduced you to my brother you would be a great part of our family.
Jen D. - What a great neighbor you have become and what an amazing attitude you have on life in general... I feel so fortunate to have met you and to have the opportunity to continue to get to know you and Mike.
Kate - We have followed each other around the East Coast and Ohio and have had many many great memories. And, having 3 boys grow up together has been such a fun and special experience. I am so glad I tracked you down in DC. Our lives have certainly been altered by our renewed friendship....just think I wouldn't be sitting here at Nationwide!
Marya - Wow -- you have been my friend longer than anyone else on this list -- 25 years if you don't count the gap around college! And since the beginning, you have added so much to my life...in terms of experience, advice and perspective. Your drive and willingness to try new things at times has really rubbed off on me and I know I am better person as a result, so thank you. Furthermore, in our "older years", you have opened me up to a whole new way of thinking and imagining. And, I cannot forget to mention that we have also had some seriously fun times and not just with you, but with our great families.
Melanie - First you were my boss....now not my boss, but definitely my friend. Thank you so much for the opportunity of a lifetime that you provided for me and continuing to support me professionally and personally. My life has definitely been enriched by your friendship.
Molly - another VERY fun neighbor...It has been great getting to know you as we hang on the porch and enjoy fine-dining Walhalla style!
Tori - You have grown up so much since we first met and each year you really become your own person, which I truly admire. Being your sister-in-law has evolved from sticking up for you to just being cool friends. Thank you for being you!

Like they always say at the Oscar's..."god I hope I didn't forget anyone". So, if I did, there is always next year. Thanks for "listening" and cheers (glasses clinking)....to a great year! Sarah

Saturday's Dinner Party - part II

2008-03-31T19:10:00.003-04:00

Let me just start by saying I love black pepper and this recipe involves lots of black pepper...NOT RED...which by the way I cannot stand.

Awesome Jen's London Broil (compliments of All Recipes) was so good that I bought London Broil at Whole Foods yesterday so I could try to replicate it.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon fresh chives (optional)
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 (2 pound) beef flank steak
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Directions
Preheat the grill for low heat.
In a bowl, mix the blue cheese, butter, and chives. Set aside. In a separate bowl, mix the black pepper, garlic salt, onion powder, and cayenne pepper.
Rub the steak with olive oil. Coat both sides of the meat with the spice mixture, and rub in by hand or press with a spatula.
Lightly oil the grill grate. Place meat on the grill, and cook 10 to 15 minutes per side, or to desired doneness. Grill to rare or medium rare for best flavor. Remove from grill, and slice lengthwise into thin strips. Top with a large dollop of blue cheese butter, and serve.

Jen's Lemon Bomb Cake

2008-03-31T09:07:00.003-04:00

Jen is the bomb!

This is actually called Lemon Wow Cake, but I am renaming it Jen's Lemon Bomb Cake because it is amazingly good. (Check out the "secret" ingredient.)

My awesome friend Jen actually threw a little dinner party for my birthday this weekend and let me select the menu throughout last week. It was an incredible meal and just great fun! It was definitely one of the nicest birthday presents I have ever received.

I will share the other dinner recipes throughout the week.
Jen's Lemon Bomb Cake
Ingredients
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 (3.5 ounce) package instant coconut cream pudding mix
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 cup lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage
1/3 cup lemon juice
4 eggs
2/3 cup vegetable oil
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan.
In a large bowl, stir together cake mix and pudding mix. Crumble the dried tarragon into a fine powder and mix with the cake and pudding mixture. Make a well in the center and pour in lemon-lime soda, lemon juice, eggs and oil. Beat on low speed until blended. Scrape bowl, and beat 4 minutes on medium speed. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Nick and Tori's "I have to use every dish in the kitchen" Cannelloni

2008-03-25T18:49:00.001-04:00

Now that brother and sister have made this...I thought I would update with a photo of all the dishes it entails!
...... I cook the majority of the time, my husband claims I have taken away his edge when it comes to the kitchen. In fact, this past weekend, I headed home to Western New York to take the little guy skiing and my husband stayed home to make his brother a birthday dinner. The dinner from what I hear was fabulous, but the molten hot piece of sausage in his eye was not. Apparently, after using every dish in the kitchen, he was left was with the last clean item... the blender. He thought about using the food processor, but somehow he thought that equated to more dishes. The result... an air pocket and some seriously hot flying food.

Nick's Cannelloni with two sauces, lots of ingredients and tons of dishes

Tomato sauce
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onions
2 or 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 28-ounce can Italian tomatoes, not drained, coarsely chopped (4 cups)
6 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8-ounce package dried cannelloni (14 pasta tubes)
or homemade crepes -- you know if you want to create more dishes
Filling (recipe follows)
Bechamel Sauce (recipe follows)
1/2 cup grated parmesan
3 tablespoons butter

Heat olive oil in a non-reactive 3-quart saucepan over high heat until a light glaze forms over oil, about 2 minutes. Add onions and garlic and cook over medium heat until onions are clear, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, sugar, salt and a few grindings of pepper, stirring well. Cover pan partially, reduce heat and simmer 45 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally.
If finishing the dish now, make filling and bechamel sauce. Also boil pasta to al dente stage, if using canneloni stirring often; drain pasta. Once filling and sauces are done and pasta is cooked and drained, finish dish. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pour a film of tomato sauce in bottom of ungreased 14-by-10-inch baking dish. Stuff the cooked pasta tubes with filling and place side by side in baking dish. Pour bechamel sauce over pasta and spoon rest of tomato sauce on top. Sprinkle with grated parmesan and dot with butter. Bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, until parmesan melts and sauce is bubbling. Slide dish under a hot broiler for about 30 seconds to brown top. Serve immediately.

Filling
2 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 cup finely chopped onions
1 or 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry, chopped again 1 tablespoon butter
1 pound ground round
1/2 mild pound ground pork sausage
1/3 cup grated parmesan
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Heat the olive oil in a large non-reactive skillet over moderate heat for 1 minute.
Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes until onions are soft but not browned. Add spinach and cook until moisture has boiled away and spinach sticks lightly to pan, 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in same skillet and lightly brown ground round and sausage, about 7 minutes, stirring constantly to break meat into small bits. With slotted spoon, transfer meat mixture to bowl with spinach. Stir in parmesan, cream, salt and pepper to taste and then mix in eggs. Sauce can be "pureed" using food processor if desired.

Bechamel sauce
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
In a heavy 1-quart saucepan, melt butter over moderate heat. Remove pan from heat and whisk in flour. Add milk and cream, whisking constantly until flour is blended in. Return pan to heat and cook, whisking constantly, until sauce reaches a boil and is smooth. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce coats wires of whisk, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in salt and pepper.

Easy Vegetarian Pasta from Ina

2008-03-22T17:00:00.004-04:00

My mom was in town and being a vegetarian, she always introduces me to some really good meatless recipes.... This one from Ina Garten was really good, and it was even better the next day. I am going to try this one for sure when my amazing friend Marya comes to town in April (which will be like a mini-food and wine festival at our house...I can't wait!)

1 tablespoon good olive oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 cloves)

2 cups heavy cream

3 lemons

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound dried fusilli pasta

1/2 pound baby arugula --We used about half of this. (or 2 bunches of common arugula, leaves cut in thirds)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the garlic, and cook for 60 seconds. Add the cream, the zest from 2 lemons, the juice of 2 lemons, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until it starts to thicken.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the pasta, and cook according to the directions on the package, about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the pasta in a colander and place it back into the pot. Immediately add the cream mixture and cook it over medium-low heat for 3 minutes, until most of the sauce has been absorbed in the pasta. Pour the hot pasta into a large bowl, add the arugula, Parmesan, and tomatoes. Cut the last lemon in half lengthwise, slice it 1/4-inch thick crosswise, and add it to the pasta. Toss well, season to taste, and serve hot.

Street Hangings...for your home

2008-03-22T16:40:00.005-04:00

You know those cool banners hanging on city streets? Well, you can buy them -for a pretty penny - and some of them are super cool at BetterWall.com! I happened to see their add while I was hanging out North Star eatery in Columbus...super fresh and organic food! (Their breakfast is amazing and their veggie burger is the best I have ever had.) Anyway, you can hang out in there and read their magazines...lots of neat ones, e.g., Dwell, Gastromique etc. and of course, scan the ads like Better Wall. I'd love to have this Tiffany Banner for my very craftsman house, but $375 is definitely a bit steep.

Another mom essential...Kohl's

2008-03-15T14:11:00.004-04:00

I love Target, Starbucks, Nordstroms, and the rest of the usual suspects, but you never hear as much about Kohl's and what a fabulous store for kids clothes, some toys, pantyhose, bras, and even a few cooking essentials. Just today, I bought socks for my 4 year old, pantyhose for work-- another topic for another day...but women should get a pantyhose allowance --- earrings, couple of beach toys, towels ~ amazing price, a pair of rubber coated tongs which will be safe on my blue pot. Furthermore, the Kohl's card is totally worth it... great discounts.

So...what's your Kolbe?

2008-03-15T09:26:00.004-04:00

We recently did this really cool assessment at work called Kolbe. What I like about it was that it got at how we "work". Are you a fact finder? Do you like structure and organization? Are you a "dreamer with big ideas"? Do you like to do things with your hands?
It also relates to our personal lives...Do I handle the packing for our trip and my husband researches the area? I am a "blue"...he is a "red". Makes sense!

Also, after you pay for the assessment, you get a really nice overview of your Kolbe.
Finally, Oprah also seems to think it's a good thing as well and her site includes an interesting story about learning styles.

It's not quite summer - greek salsa and chicken

2008-03-13T16:41:00.007-04:00

Tomatoes that are not ripe and red are sometimes better off cooked or in this case -- food processed. This was a "let's use whatever I have in the fridge" concoction and it worked very well!
Ingredients:
1 pint cherry tomatoes -- or any tomato that looks like it needs some help
1 stalk celery and/or a couple slices of a cucumber
1/4 cup red onion
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. vinegar
3 slices of good bread-- I used a good thick loaf and put it on the grill with a little olive oil and garlic with my chicken. Combine all vegetables in a food processor and pulse until slightly chunky. Add oil, vinegar, and 1/2 cup feta to salsa - stir. Toss with cubes of bread.
Serve with a piece of grilled chicken.

A non-cooking Mom essential...

2008-03-09T13:57:00.007-04:00

It's been a wintery weekend in Ohio and I have been wearing my ski gear for most of the weekend, and I was reminded of how much a I love my Marmot Precip Jacket. It's great for layering, rain, snow etc. but what I love the most as a mom is the pockets. There are 2 huge side pockets that you can put anything inside....wallet, phone, sippy cups, apples, juice boxes, mittens, hats, Thomas the Train, tennis balls (for the dog), can of soda~ beer maybe, cereal bars, a diaper, package of wipes....you name it.