Casa de ClaudThe Blog I Thought I Never Wanted

Pinterest All Star - Chicken Parmesan Bake; No Frying, Just Baking

2012-01-20T11:56:00.000-08:00

Ya'll, let me just start off by saying how desperately I wanted this to be awesome. I mean let's think of Chicken Parm for a minute. The egg bathing, the flouring, the egg bathing, the breading, the frying, the on and on and on...right? And then here we have a recipe that would not only eliminate all that, but taste just as good, if not "better!" It was a no brainer, I had to try it, and I did. And when I pulled it out of the oven the promise of awesome was there too, I mean look at my picture. It looks just like the picture on the recipe. Side note: don't you just love when something turns out just like the picture? You get such an overpowering sense of accomplishment it's silly. You can literally feel the gold star being placed on your forehead. But I digress.

First the good. The casserole was a good, easy, weekday home cooked meal. The sauce is delicious, and the dish is very cheesy; something Ryan, our resident Cheese Fatty, loved! It also came together in a snap, so that in 30-45 minutes a hot meal was on the table, which is pretty awesome. Second, it was a hearty casserole, which means you get more bang for your buck. Ryan and I usually have a chicken breast a piece, but this dish is made so hearty with all the cheese and the addition of the croutons that half a breast is more than enough. Lastly, I love that there's a video for the recipe. The narrator is funny and relatable, which makes up for the "not so good" below.

Now, the not so good. It does not really taste like Chicken Parmesan. It tastes like a good italian style chicken casserole, which is a good thing, it's just not Chicken Parmesan. Ryan and I felt the croutons were too crouton-ey. They simply over powered the dish, and you literally felt like you were eating chicken topped with croutons, which is not a good thing. Which begs the million dollar question: would I make this again? Yes. Maybe not often, but if I wanted to put a hot meal on table fast without resorting to take out or my freezer I'd definitely make this. And I'll do you one better, I would recommend this casserole to friends that are self described "bad cooks". Not because they wouldn't know any better, but because it's a great starter casserole. And doesn't everyone, especially a novice cook, deserve a gold star on their forehead? I think so. With that said, I'll let you be the ultimate judge on this Pinterest All Star.

Pinterest All Star - Chicken Parmesan Bake;

No Frying, Just Baking!

Via Food Wishes Video Recipes

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
hot red pepper flakes, to taste
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cups marinara sauce (I used Classico Red Pepper)
1/4 cup chopped basil
8 oz mozzarella, shredded
4 oz Parmesan, grated
1 (5-oz) package garlic croutons

How to

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Pinterest All Star - Ham & Cheese Sliders

2012-01-17T05:28:00.000-08:00

Cold ham and cheese sandwiches, borrrrrrrr-riiiiiiiiing. Warm ham and cheese sliders with a delicious onion mustard spread -A REV-A-LATION! First, excuse the picture this was before I placed them in the oven, and then I forgot to take a picture after I took them out. I know, a total FAIL on my part, but any picture is better than no picture. I've made these a couple of times and I really liked them. But seriously, with gooey cheese, tangy mustard, salty butter, and soft sweet onions, what's not to love about these?!?! And the best part is they come together pretty fast once the onion spread is done, which you can make ahead of time so it's ready when you are. My only complaint is they can be a little messy on the hands. Not from the cheese as you might suspect, but from the spread. Since you top the sandwiches with it, it gets all over your hands, which I didn't care for; however, they are worth getting messy over.

There are a couple of versions of this floating around Pinterest, but this is the version I like the best, mostly because it calls for mass assembly, meaning you construct all the sandwiches at once versus assembling each individually, which totally saves time.

A couple of words of advice:

Don't get overzealous with the cheese. It will take longer to melt and, dare I say, be in jeopardy of being too cheesy. I know, blasphemous. There can never be too much cheese; however, in this situation that just may be the case.
When cutting be very, very, very gentle, otherwise your little sliders will look like they got run over by a steam roller.

Other than that, these are worth a try. So go forth onto the world and try them!

Ham and Cheese Sliders

via Beyer Beware

Ingredients

1 package of 12 Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

1 small onion minced

1 stick of butter

3 Tbspns Dijon mustard

2 tspns Worcestershire sauce

3 tspns poppy seeds (I finally broke down and bought them)

1/2 lb shaved ham

8 slices Swiss cheese (I would just do one even layer and call it a day)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Melt butter in a small skillet and add onions. Combine mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and poppy seeds into onions and butter. Simmer for several minutes.

2. Slice rolls as a group length wise and place bottoms in an aluminum foil lined 13" x 9" pan.

3. Spread 3/4 of onion mixture on roll bottoms, followed by the ham and cheese slices.

4. Top with the roll tops. Spread the remaining onion mixture over the top. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate until ready to bake.

5. Bake covered with foil for 20 minutes.

6. Cool slightly, then cut along the bun lines. Serve warm.

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2012-01-16T22:12:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a great weekend full of family, fun, and friends. I certainly did! I'll be back tomorrow with a new Pinterest All Star, hope to see you then!

xoxo,

Claudia

Pinterest All Star - Strawberry Margarita Jello Shots

2012-01-13T11:15:00.000-08:00

Yes, that is a jello shot in a strawberry. No you are not imagining things, nor have you just died and gone to heaven -although I'm pretty sure they serve these in heaven. I'm gonna be honest with you guys these are pretty freakin' fantastic. They are very tasty. Like a margarita they are sweet and salty, and a little bit sour from the lime. There is no pesky paper cup to go through to get to the good stuff. And because there is no cup it also eliminates the unattractive process of sucking the very last bit out of the cup -that alone deserves an A++. And above all, they are cute. Which makes them appear harmless, so you can tell your friend that hardly drinks, "Dude, it's just a little strawberry you can have one." And then sit back and enjoy the show.

So that's the positive, now for the negative. They are a labor of love. And by labor of love I mean if you've given birth to a child, that is the kind of labor these require. The kind of labor that makes you curse your husband, cry for no reason, swear you'll never do it again, and then as your creation is completed and you reap your rewards, you forget all about how you said you'd never do it again. You forget that you nearly stabbed yourself in the process. You forget that you ate 10 failed attempts because you got overzealous with the coring. You forget that your shirt is still sticky from jello, and that your hair looks like you've been hit with a shovel. You forget all that and you say, "Hell yeah! I'm making these again!" They are that awesome people. That's why they serve them in heaven.

The only thing I did differently was I did not use Cointreau. And yes, it was because I didn't want to go out and buy it. I did however have peach schnapps so I used that. Yet another example of a calculated budgeting decision I had to make. Anyway, it's what I had on hand so I used it. And it was DELICIOUS!

Strawberry Margarita Jello Shots

via Bakers Royale

Strawberry Prep

1. Cut the bottoms of the strawberry flat to get them to stand upright. When you do so, make sure that you do not cut off so much that there is a hole in the bottom.

2. Use a huller, apple corer, or melon baller to empty out the strawberry (I used the latter).

3. Check each strawberry and make sure there is not a hole in the bottom before you start filling. You can do this by holding it up to the light.

Ingredients

Margarita Mix

1 Box Strawberry Jell-O

8 oz. Tequila

6 oz Cointreau or Peach Schnapps

1 cup hot water

1/4 cup cold water

Salt for Garnish

Lime for garnish

Instructions

1. Boil one cup of hot water in a saucepan, then add in Jell-O powder and whisk until powder is completely dissolved, about 2 minutes. Set aside.

2. Combine tequila and Cointreau, in cocktail shaker filled with ice. Add liquor mixture to cold water and stir to combine. Then add cold liquor mixture to hot Jell-O mixture and stir to combine.

3. Pour final Jell-O mix into strawberries and chill overnight. Take a wedge of lime and use it to moisten the edge of the strawberries, then dip and rotate strawberries in salt to rim. Garnish with cut lime triangles to finish.

Helpful Notes and Tips

Use the Jell-O brand mix and not a store brand. The store brands tend to not set up as firmly.
Choose the freshest strawberries you can find.
Poor mixture into a measuring cup with a spout, it made filling the little strawberries much easier!
Fill your strawberries as high as possible, as the Jell-O will sink a bit in the middle.
This recipe makes a ton, so I would recommend you have some of those little cups on hand just in case you give up. I am not ashamed to say I did. So I ended up putting the rest of the jello in ramekins. The cups would have been better.
The lime is optional, but in my opinion a must. The way we took the shooter was like a tequila shot. We popped the strawberry into our mouth and then sucked on the little lime wedge. You need that little sourness from the lime after the saltiness from salt and the sweetness from the jell-o and the strawberry, so take a moment to include it. You won't be sorry.
How to stand up those little devils. I lined them up like soldiers against the walls of my jelly roll pan. Jelly roll pan is the proper name for a baking sheet with sides, for those of you who didn't know. This worked well for me, but be careful when putting them into the fridge they are wobbly.

UPDATE: Thanks to my friend Lisette for thinking outside the box and suggesting standing up the strawberries in ice cube trays. Not only will it make it easier to fill and place in the refrigerator, it will also eliminate having to cut the bottom off. Brilliant!

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Pinterest All Stars

2012-01-12T15:13:00.000-08:00

If you read my previous post you are now acquainted with Pinterest. If you haven't read my previous post, shame on you. Go read it now, I'll wait. Done? Good, welcome back. I am happy to introduce a new section on my blog called Pinterest All Stars. Where I will feature recipes that have gone viral on Pinterest. Don't let the title fool you. The "All Stars" refers to it's viral status not to its delicious status, and I warn you they are not all worthy of their Pinterest All Star status. These recipes are home tested by your very own humble amateur cook, me :)

The first Pinterest All Star recipe is all ready posted (Bloomin' Onion Bread). Tomorrow I will feature another Pinterest All Star, stay tuned...

Pinterest All Star - Blooming Onion Bread

2012-01-12T14:18:00.001-08:00

I found this recipe on Pinterest. If you haven't heard about Pinterest, boy are you missing out. It's basically Google Image search without all the viruses and penis shots. It's not a search engine though, it's a social networking site. Members on Pinterest post and save images, including the links that tell you where to find those images. Sometimes they're links to recipes, clothes, decor, or DIY tutorials, it really varies. But you can always find something that agrees with you. Go and explore for yourself you'll absolutely love it! But enough about Pinterest and more about this cheese marvel.

I found the Blooming Onion Bread on Pinterest one day, sitting among pictures of cute pugs and trendy wardrobe options. It was one of those images that kept getting "pinned" so I did a quick glance at the ingredients and, at the risk of sounding like Ina Garten, thought bread, cheese, and butter, how bad can that be? So I decided to try it. And it was bad. Really bad. But not the bad you're thinking. It was bad like that bad boy your mother warned you about. That kind of bad. The good kind of bad. And like that bad boy no one can resist, no one can resist her Cheesemagesty. That's what I've dubbed this creation, by the way. Why her Cheesemagesty you ask? Well, when you pull her out of the oven and gaze upon her melted cheese glory you will know why all mortals bow before her Cheesemagesty. Seriously! I have made this several times and no one can resist her, nor stop singing her praises. She is that awesome!

The best part of this recipe is its versatile. You can use any type of bread and cheese that strikes your fancy. The more creative you get the better the results. Our favorite combination is La Brea Bakery Rosemary Bread with Pepper jack Cheese, yum! The only thing I do different from the original recipe is to add a clove of mince garlic and omit the poppy seeds. I have nothing against poppy seeds, but I wasn't about to purchase them if they weren't an integral part of the recipe. You can call me cheap if you'd like, but I prefer to view it as calculated budgeting decision. The recipe below is written as I make it, follow the link below to see the original recipe. And without further ado I give you her Cheesemagesty!

Bloomin' Onion Bread aka Her Cheesemagesty

Courtesy of: The Girl Who Ate Everything

1 small La Brea Bakery Rosemary round or sourdough round

12-16 ounces Pepper Jack cheese, thinly sliced

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup finely diced green onion

1 large garlic clove minced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the bread lengthwise and widthwise without cutting through the bottom crust. This can be a little tricky going the second way but the bread is very forgiving (this is very true).

Place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Insert cheese slices between cuts. Combine butter, onion, and garlic. Drizzle over bread. Wrap in foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
Unwrap the bread and bake 10 more minutes, or until cheese is melted.

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Veal / Chicken Piccata

2010-04-19T20:49:00.000-07:00

El Veal

The Pollo

Why two versions? Short story; Ryan doesn't eat anything other than chicken -let me rephrase that- Ryan eats boneless skinless chicken breasts and meats that have been processed, formed into patties or stuffed into meat socks to become sausages -that's all Ryan eats. I know what you're thinking, "surely, he must eat [insert tasty type of meat here]" and the answer to that is no. Here's a quick break down of what you're thinking and what the answer is:

Steak? No.

Pork chops? Don't insult him.

Ground beef? You betcha!

Every hoof, snout, and anus scrapped off the slaughter house floor, ground up and stuffed into sausages? All. Day. Long!

And that is Ryan in a nutshell and why I cooked two meals. But enough about Ryan and more about this recipe.

This was a very good Piccata. I had tried Ina Garten's recipe for Chicken Piccata and I have to admit I didn't care for it. I tried it because the reviews indicated it was very lemony, and it was, but that's all it was. Needless to say I never made it again and had lost my hopes of making it at home when Dad happen to bring home some veal. Well what were we to do but cook up this politically incorrect, albeit tasty, politically incorrect meat. I tried both the veal and the chicken versions and I have to say I liked the chicken version better. I'm sure coating the chicken breast in bread crumbs didn't hurt, but overall the chicken won out. I pounded the chicken very very thinly. I cannot stress the "very very thinly'' part enough. I don't know about you but I can never pound a chicken breast with a meat mallet so I use a rolling pin and it works wonders with less effort. Make sure you place chicken between two pieces of parchment paper first -seriously, don't forget.

Anyway this recipe is going to be choppy because it's half Emeril half Claud, and when anything is half Claud it can get a little confusing. But give it a go you won't be sorry, below I wrote in both options chicken or veal. You can do both like I did, I used 3/4 pound of veal and 2 boneless skinless chicken breast. If you do this I recommend you cook the chicken first and then the veal. You will need to add oil as needed in order to have enough oil to brown the meat.

One last thing, don't worry about the crushed red pepper flakes overpowering the dish or making it spicy because it does neither. It's simply in the background acting as a cheerleader to the lemon -and it's one tasty cheerleader ;)

Veal / Chicken Piccata

Original recipe by Emeril Legasse

Veal

4 veal scallops, about 3/4 pound, pounded to a thickness of 1/8-inch

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a shallow bowl or plate combine the flour, salt and pepper and stir to combine thoroughly. Quickly dredge the veal scallops in the seasoned flour mixture, shaking to remove any excess flour.

Chicken

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast pounded thinly a little over 1/8th of an inch

Italian breadcrumbs

2 eggs

Whisk eggs in a bowl. Dip chicken in egg mixture, and then coat in breadcrumbs.

Sauce:

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
5 tablespoons butter
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 garlic clove, chopped
1 lemon, juiced, or more to taste, (about 2 tablespoons)
3 tablespoon capers, drained
1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves, optional, plus sprigs for garnish

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 pinches crushed red pepper flakes

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter and, working quickly and in batches if necessary, cook the veal until golden brown on both sides, about 1 minute per side. For the chicken cook the chicken 3-4 minutes each side. Transfer to a plate, loosely tent with aluminum foil and set aside.

Deglaze the pan with wine and bring to a boil, scraping to remove any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. When the wine has reduced by half, add the chicken stock, chopped garlic, lemon juice and capers and cook for 5 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly.

Whisk in 1/2 teaspoon of salt, remaining 3 1/2 tablespoons of butter, chopped parsley, and pepper flakes. When the butter has melted and the sauce has thickened, about 1 more minute, remove from heat. Plate the chicken, top with suace, and garnish with parsley sprigs, serve immediately.

Suggested serving companions: We had this with garlic mashed potatoes, which were very good. I usually have it with a side of plain spaghetti. I would highly recommend both.

Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

2010-04-07T16:55:00.000-07:00

OMG need I say more?!?! If you said yes, please leave this blog immediately I don't know you. For the rest of us cupcake fattys if you love strawberries you will love these cupcakes! And if you just merely like strawberries you will be completely smitten after you have these, guaranteed!

First and foremost a series of appologies:

1. sorry for the long hiatus it's just that this semester has been trying.

2. this post is long over due I've made these cupcakes like a billion times over since the first time I made them at the begining of the year.

3. sorry that they don't look very strawberry but this is the only picture I have of these lovelies and it's from my cousin's daughter's slumber party -which I was invited to and happily attended. Usually I just top them with a slice of strawberry but for the party, which was a pink theme, I went with pink sugar sparklings -which fit right in with the them and the birthday girl loved. Unfortunately it made the cupcake too sugary which I did not care for.

I got this recipe from my friend Katie's blog who got it from her friend Angie and if they knew I semi-homemade these I think they would kill me. I just want to say in my defense that I find making things from scratch very rewarding but at the same time I'm not proud I'll take help where I can get it and this time I got it in the form of... dare I say... strawberry cake mix! Again, Katie don't kill me.

Anyway, the cupcakes are so incredibly moist due to the addition of the diced strawberries and when topped with the frosting, well, it's nothing short of heavenly! The frosting is the absolute best strawberry frosting I have ever had. It's creamy, cream cheesy, and woven with such a delightful strawberry flavor you'd swear you were eating freshly made strawberries and cream -yep it's that good! One change that I made from my friend's frosting recipe is that I didn't use strawberry liquor. One, because I didn't have any and two because I was too cheap to go out and buy it -there I said it. Instead I used frozen strawberry juice concentrate. I couldn't find plain strawberry concentrate so I bought Old Orchard Apple Kiwi Strawberry juice and it gave me that intense strawberry flavor that the straberry liquor would have provided. Not only was this a more cheap -I mean economical- option but it's still in my fridge ready to go whenever I am.

Okay, I'll wrap it up now by saying that although this post is many months late it's just in time for strawberry season, so enjoy!

Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe Courtesy of Good Things Catered via Angie

Ingredients:

1 box Pillsbury Strawberry Cake Mix

Whatever ingredients box calls for

2 cups diced strawberries

Frosting

1/4 c. strawberries

1 Tbsp. Old Orchard Apple Kiwi Strawberry Juice Concentrate

1/2 tsp lemon juice

8 oz. cream cheese, room temp

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp

1 3/4 c. powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven per package directions.

Line 2 cupcake pans with baking cups.

Prepare cake mix per package directions.

Gently fold in strawberries.

Distribute mix evenly amongst cake pans, usually filling cups about 3/4 of the way up.

Bake according to package directions, at the end of cooking time test center of a cupcake with toothpick. If toothpick comes out clean then they are good to go.

Transfer pans to cooling rack, rest for 5 minutes. After five minutes remove cupcakes from pans and continue to cool them on racks.

For frosting:

Put berries, juice concentrate, and lemon juice in saucepan.

Bring to a boil over medium heat and then reduce to a simmer for 5 mins (this will create a thick paste don't worry).

Remove from pan immediately using a spatula aka a scraper and transfer to a bowl to cool. (this has to cool before proceeding)

In a stand mixer mix cream cheese and butter until creamy.

Slowly add powdered sugar to mix, when combine add berry puree.

Mix until combined.

Frost cupcakes when they are completely cooled and top with a slice of strawberry.

Fudgy Cookies Two Ways

2009-12-23T14:47:00.000-08:00

These cookies are super cool because A) they look cool and B) they are easy & very muy tasty! The cookie itself taste like a really fudgy brownie, which, helloooo, who doesn't love a fudgy brownie? Anywho, the recipe says it makes 60 cookies I leaned a little less than that. I think because I tend to make my cookies a little on the bigger side ;)

I took the batter and split it into two to make two different types of cookies. The first is the Chocolate Candy Cane Cookie made with candy cane flavored Hershey's Kisses & the second is the Chocolate Caramel Cookie made with Hershey's Caramel filled Kisses and the batter is spiked with a little cinnamon wich tastes fantastic with the caramel. If you are worried the cinnamon will be over powering it really isn't, it's just in the background to where you taste it but you're not sure if that's what you're tasting, but it's definately there and definately a great compliment to the caramel.

I got nothing else to say except, enjoy!

Fudgy Cookies Two Ways
Original Recipe courtesy of Betty Crocker

Ingredients:
Mother Batter
1/3 cup butter or margarine
6 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix

Candy Cane Cookies:
24-30 unwrapped candy cane kisses

Chocolate Caramel Cookies:
1/2 tspn cinnamon
24-30 unwrapped caramel kisses

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. In large microwavable bowl, microwave butter and chocolate on High 1 minute. Stir; microwave on High 1 minute longer or until butter is melted and chocolate can be stirred smooth.

2. Stir condensed milk into chocolate mixture. This will make roughly 2 cups. At this point (if you are making both cookies you want to start splitting your ingredients). Seperate into 1 cup portions and pour each cup into a seperate bowl.

3. Split the Sugar Cookie cookie mix too, it's roughly 3 cups so (1 1/2 cups each).

For the Chocolate Candy Cane Kiss Cookies:
1. Stir cookie mix into chocolate mixture until well blended (this will take some elbow grease).

2. Using 1 level tablespoonful of dough for each cookie, shape into 30 balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

3. Bake 6 to 7 minutes or until edges lose their shiny look (do not overbake). Immediately press 1 candy into center of each cookie. Cool cookies on cookie sheet 5 minutes; remove from cookie sheets. To get candy to spread slightly on top of cookie, tap edge of each cookie lightly. Cool completely. Store covered at room temperature.

For the Chocolate Caramel Kiss Cookies
1. Stir cookie mix and cinnamon into chocolate mixture until well blended (this will take some elbow grease).

2. Using 1 level tablespoonful of dough for each cookie, shape into 30 balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

3. Bake 6 to 7 minutes or until edges lose their shiny look (do not overbake). Immediately press 1 candy into center of each cookie. Cool cookies on cookie sheet 5 minutes; remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely. Store covered at room temperature.

Pumpkin Sandwich Cookies w/Pumpkin Buttercream Filling

2009-11-24T13:01:00.000-08:00

If you love pumpkin, you'll be in pumpkin heaven with these cookies. The cookie itself taste cake-like and the filling is to die! The recipe for the cookies I got from the Land O Lakes website. And as previously mentioned they are cake-like meaning they are spongy and delicious! The cookies are incredibly tasty on their own and could stand on their own without the filling, if you're looking to cut down on the calories but why would you want to do that? It's the HOLIDAYS for crying outloud! So indulge.

The filling the Land O Lakes recipe calls for sounds absolutely amazing, well anything with cream cheese is absolutely amazing, but that's neither here nor there. I didn't use the filling in the recipe because I was shipping the cookies to another state and some people would frown on the mere suggestion of shipping unrefrigerated cream cheese across state lines. So instead I used a Pumpkin Buttercream filling I found at Ashlees Cooking Blog. And believe me when I say it's Thanksgiving decadence at it's best! These are a must try and disregard my crappy picture. I was going to take another picture today but there was only one cookie left -yep, they're that good!

The cooking time for the cookies is kinda tricky -I blame my oven- but incase it's not my oven I'm warning you they may have to be in the oven for almost twice as long as the recipe states. That is about the only draw back. The filling is enough to do all the cookies plus you'll have some leftover. I rolled the leftover filling in plastic wrap & popped it back in the fridge to solidify. I thought it would make a great compound butter to be served at Thanksgiving with rolls. Anyway, on with the recipe.

Pumpkin Sandwich Cookies with Pumpkin Buttercream Filling
Recipes Courtesy of Land O' Lakes & Ashlee's Cooking Blog

Cookie Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice*
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
*If you don't have pumpkin spice substitute 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon plus 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Filling Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

Directions:
Heat oven to 350°F. Combine flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.

Combine brown sugar and 1/2 cup butter in large bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy. Add pumpkin, milk, egg and vanilla; beat until well mixed. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture. Beat until well mixed.

Drop batter by level measuring tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes (I would eyeball it because again they are "cake-like" mine I timed at 32 min.) or until set and lightly browned around edges. Cool 5 minutes on cookie sheets; remove to cooling rack. Cool completely.

For the Pumpkin Buttercream: Cream butter and pumpkin with a mixer or in a stand mixer. Turn to low, add in cinnamon, ginger, salt and vanilla. Slowly add sugar 1/2 c. at a time until the buttercream is creamy.
**Note: The pumpkin will make it look grainy if there isn't enough sugar mixed in. (this didn't happen to me but if it does this is why another thing she mentions is seperating due to the pumpkin puree this also didn't happen to me.)

Spread 1 teaspoon or less of filling onto bottom-side of 1 cookie. Top with another cookie, bottom-side down. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling. Sprinkle filled cookies with powdered sugar.

Lake O' Lakes Recipe Tip:
For perfectly round cookies, pipe batter in 1-inch circle on parchment-lined cookie sheets, using piping bag without a tip

Treats for Abbey

2009-02-24T15:02:00.000-08:00

I first made these treats for my little brother in law's dog Simba. And Simba was absolutely bananas over them, so I decided there was another special doggy that would want some of these as well. That doggy is Abbey Jones from Seattle. Abbey is just about the sweetest dog you can imagine and best behaved too -mostly inpart to her owner, or should I say, her Mom Marisa.

These treats are biscuit like but they do not fluff up like a biscuit when you bake them, nor do they spread out like cookies. So when you are scooping the dough keep in mind that, that is the size & shape in which the "biscuit" will end up in. I used a rounded teaspoon the second batch around. I learned my lesson with the first batch that ended up looking like, what can only be described as, dog poo pile biscuits. Not very appealing but Simba didn't mind.

Peanut Butter & Cheese Biscuits

Source: Jill's Mom

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup milk

2 Tbs peanut butter

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tsp baking powder

1 egg white

1 Tbs chicken broth

Preheat oven to 400FMix flour and milk until lumpy. Add peanut butter and broth. Mix in parmesan cheese. Add egg white, mix well. Add baking powder. Pour onto greased cookie sheet, making 2" drops (recommend smaller). Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Cool. Keep in airtight container.

*I keep Simba's in the refrigerator but I think they could probably be stored at room temperature but I don't think they would last as long. Oh and one last picture of Abbey being oh so cute!

T is for Truffle and V is for...

2008-12-24T10:08:00.000-08:00

Vegan Truffle! I know what you're thinking the two words should never be in the same sentence together evah, I agree or should I say I would have agreed. However, after trying these little balls of deliciousness I strongly disagree. I love that they don't have cream or a cream substitute. The "cream" that you end up making looks like cream and taste like a nutty cream. It's really good.

Don't be afraid of the ingredients or the method just trust me and you won't be sorry. I rolled mine in cocoa powder and crushed toasted almonds. The crushed toasted almonds were my favorite. I also rolled some in crushed heath toffee pieces but I didn't really care for it. Anyway, enjoy! Oh and you can't even tell they are vegan. Since people can be a little weary of anything vegan my policy when it comes to these truffles is don't ask don't tell. Oh and one batch makes a boatload I scooped the balls with a teaspoon measuring spoon and it made a ton!

Delicious Vegan Truffles

courtesy of: Recipezaar

Ingredients
3/4 cup raw cashews
3/4 cup cold water
1 lb bittersweet chocolate

cocoa powder

Directions
1. Put cashews and cold water in a blender and blend at high speed for 1-2 minutes (yes a long time).

2. Scrape the sides down and blend again until the mixture is the consistency of heavy cream.

3. Meanwhile, in a double boiler heat the chocolate until it's all melted.

4. Cool the chocolate until it's comfortable to work with and fold in the cashew cream (making sure not to stir too fast or you'll create bubbles).

5. Cool in the fridge for 2 hours (to set).

6. Take out a small ball, roll in cocoa powder and store in fridge/freezer.

7. Repeat until done.

P.S. Soak the cashews in the cold water in the fridge for about an hour and you'll get a better consistency to the mixture.

Cooking w/G-Money: Pink Yink Ink Drink!

2008-12-22T09:53:00.000-08:00

When G-Money first learned how to read she learned by reading Dr. Seuss. When she could successfully read a Green Eggs and Ham from cover to cover I decided to reward my favorite lil' chef with a gift; Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook. Well G-Money has been dragging this little book around, for what seems like forever now, dying to make something with her awesome Aunt. Unfortunately for little G-Money her awesome aunt has been in college hell and has not had the time to devote to cooking with G-Money.

Well that all changed this past weekend when G-Money came over and we made Pink Yink Ink Drink and watched Horton Hears a Who. It was a Dr. Seuss extravaganza!

As for the recipe it was soooo easy to make. The only thing I would change would be to use fresh berries because it was a little sour as you will see. One more thing, I would like to apologize in advance that G-Money isn't wearing her signature apron but I finally had the chance to give her the apron Ryan and I bought for her at Pike Place Market in Seattle and she decided to wear that instead.

Pink Yink Ink Drink!
source: Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook

Ingredients
1/2 pint fresh or 1/2 cup frozen blackberries, thawed
1 cup milk
6 fresh strawberries, green tops removed, or 1/2 cup frozen, thawed
1 teaspoon honey

Directions:

1. Put the blackberries in a blender and puree them.

2. Pour into a large glass.

3. Put the strawberries,

the milk,

and honey in the blender and blend.

4. Strain the mixture, optional. (we didn't do this but would definitely do it next time)

5. Pour the strawberry mixture carefully on top of the blackberries.

Unofficial Step 6: taste directly from the source to make sure it's all good.

And now for our first sip and the verdict is...

oooooh a little bitter, not gonna lie...

But overall after a little clever stirring, or should I say a lot of clever stirring, we deem this drink Pink Yink Ink-tastic!

Cold Grand Marnier Souffle

2008-09-14T17:21:00.001-07:00

This picture is a little blurry because to be honest I've already had a couple of drinks in me and there was no way I could steady the camera. Which is a shame because all of my pictures of this glorious dessert came out blurry but I don't regret having those drinks ;)

Like I said before, I cannot stop thinking about this dessert it was absolutely perfect in every way. It was easy, it looked tasty, it was tasty and best of all it was done the night before which meant it was ready to go as soon as we were! But I like the description in the book better, "It's like eating a cold, sweet cloud" and it was! It really was.

This recipe calls for Melba Sauce, which is a raspberry sauce. The book says to use store bought or raspberry puree if you can't find the Melba sauce at the grocery store. I couldn't find it at the grocery so I made my own and I'm glad I did. I used a recipe from the Food Network website. Next time though I think I would double the recipe because everyone loved the sauce, there wasn't a drop left. They literally licked the serving cup clean!

Cold Grand Marnier Souffle
Courtesy Morton's Steak Bible
Serves six

1 1/2 cups whipping cream
4 large eggs, plus 3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
Two 1/4 ounce packets unflavored gelatin powder (1 1/2 tablespoons)
1/4 cup Grand Marnier or other orange flavored liqueur
Melba Sauce
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
6 raspberries
6 mint leaves

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks. Set aside.

2. In the top of a double boiler set over simmering water, whisk the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar for about 2 minutes, or until warm to the touch (about 105*F), golden yellow, and frothy. Transfer the egg mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or remove the top of the double boiler and use a handheld mixer or immersion blender. Whisk for about 3 minutes, or until cool. Wrap your hands around the outside of the bowl to determine when the mixture cools.

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/4 cup of warm water to dissolve. Add the Grand Marnier and dissolve the gelatin to the cooled egg mixture and beat on medium-low until the liquid is incorporated.

4. Using a rubber spatula, fold the egg mixture into the whipped cream just until combined. Do not over mix. You will have more than 6 cups of batter.

5. Divide the mixture among six 8oz souffle dishes or ramekins. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours until chilled. The souffles can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

6. To serve, remove the souffles from the dishes by running a blunt kitchen knife around the inside of the dishes. Put a chilled dessert plate on top of each souffle, and holding the dish and plate securely, invert. Gently shake the dish as you lift it off the souffle.

7. Garnish each plate with a drizzle of Melba sauce, orange zest, a raspberry, and a mint leaf.

Pin It

Morton's Cajun Ribeye Steak

2008-09-14T16:40:00.000-07:00

What was not to like about these juicy, spicy, succulent and did I mention juicy steaks?! The only thing I did differently was I didn't make their Cajun seasoning. But not because I didn't want to but because after I looked at the ingredients I didn't think it would be spicy enough and why make it when I already have one I like? I use Cajun's Choice Blackened Seasoning. It's perfectly seasoned seasoning, there is no need to add salt or extra cayenne pepper to make it spicier or tastier, but I'll rave about Cajun's choice later. Now, as I mentioned earlier the method for these steaks seemed unconventional but I closed my eyes and put my trust onto the Masters at Morton's and I wasn't disappointed and our family wasn't disappointed either.

Cajun Ribeye Steak
Courtesy Morton's Steak Bible
Serves 6

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons Morton's Cajun Seasonings or other Cajun Seasonings (I used Cajun's Choice Blackened Seasonings, see notes)
Six 16 oz aged ribeye steaks, each about 1 1/1 inches thick
4 3/4 cups flavorless oil, such as canola or safflower
6 tablespoons Au Jus (optional) *see notes*

1. Put the seasonings in a large, shallow glass or ceramic pan. Press each side of the steaks into the seasoning to cover completely. Remove the steaks and lightly pound each four to five times n both sides with a meat mallet or small, heavy skillet to soften but not flatten more than a little. Discard any remaining seasoning in pan.

2. Pour the oil into the pan and add the steaks one by one. They should be covered with oil; add more if necessary. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours. Alternatively, marinate steaks in a heavy duty resealable plastic bags.

3. When you are ready to cook the steaks, remove them from the oil and pat of excess oil with paper towels. The oil can flair on the grill or in the broiler. Set the steaks aside for 30 to 60 minutes at room temperature.

4. Prepare a charcoal or gas grill or preheat the broiler and position a rack 4 inches from the heating elements. The coals should be medium hot the charcoal grill. The burners should be on high for the gas grill.

5. If using a charcoal grill, grill for a bout 8 minutes. Turn, using tongs, and grill the other side for 8-9 minutes for medium rare, or until the desired degree of doneness. If using a gas grill, grill for about 8 minutes. Turn, using tongs, and grill the other side for 8-9 minutes for medium rare, or until the desired degree of doneness. If using the broiler, broil 4 inches from the heat source abut 8 minutes. Turn, using tongs, and broil the other side for about 8 minutes for medium-rare, or until desired degree of doneness.

6. To serve, spoon some Au Jus over the steaks if desired.

Note: It is very important that you pat the steaks down before grilling them because you will have flare ups. Also, I didn't use nearly as much of the Blackened Seasonings that it calls for, but I did use a lot. I didn't pour it in a container and pressed the steaks to it as it's written. Instead I sprinkled the steaks with the seasonings and I don't mean like I would sprinkle something with salt. I mean I doused them in seasoning.

Here is the recipe for the Au Jus
Makes about 1 generous cup

1 cup store-bought demi-glace
2 1/2 teaspoons commercial beef base
1 1/4 teaspoons commercial chicken base
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
Pinch of freshly ground white pepper

1. In a medium saucepan, combine 1 1/4 cups of water with the demi-glace, beef base, chicken base, peppercorns, garlic powder, thyme, bay leaf, and ground pepper. Whisk well. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook at a boil, uncovered, whisking occasionally, for about 25 minutes, or until glossy and smooth.

2. Strain through a chinois or a fine mesh sieve into a metal bowl. Discard the solids. Let cool, then cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour until chilled. Scrape any fat that has congealed on the surface. Use right away or transfer to a lidded container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Note: I did make the Au Jus but to be completely honest I didn't think it was worth it. I like an Au Jus that is more juicy, as in runny, than gravy-ish, do you know what I mean? And their Au Jus was the thickness of gravy. I went over and over it in my mind to see if I had done anything wrong but I didn't do anything wrong. I had followed the recipe to a T! In the end I'm glad I tried it but I don't think I would make it again. Because I didn't like the consistency of the Au Jus what I did end up doing was; I mixed a little bit of the Au Jus, I would say the equivalent of 2-3 tablespoons, with the juices that were released from the steaks after they had rested and it was awesome! The taste would not have been the same had I used one or the other exclusively but I didn't think it was worth the hassle, but that's just my opinion.

I couldn't find the Veal Demi-Glace at the regular grocery store. I finally found it at Bristol Farms. This is a specialty item which translates to; expensive item. Which is one of the reasons why I wouldn't make the Au Jus again. Also, the bases that Morton's recommends, or uses are, Superior Touch Better Than Bouillon. I was able to find that at the regular grocery store in the soup aisle.

Morton's Caesar Salad

2008-09-14T16:13:00.000-07:00

As Morton's states in their cookbook what really makes this salad is their salad dressing and I couldn't agree more. Without it, all you have is Romaine and croutons -how special is that? The dressing was very good, you could definitely tell it was homemade. I made the croutons the morning of and the dressing two days prior to dinner.

Morton's Caesar Salad
Courtesy Morton's Steak Bible
Serves 6

2 slices firm, thick sliced white bread, crusts removed
2 tablespoons Clarified Butter, melted or olive oil
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan Cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 large Romaine lettuce, each weighing a generous 1 pound, washed and dried
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons Caesar Dressing, recipe follows

1. Preheat the oven to 375*F.

2. Cut each slice of bread into 16 to 20 cubes. Put the bread cubes in a bowl, drizzle with the butter, and toss to evenly coat. Spread the cubes in a single layer in a shallow baking pan. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the croutons are golden brown. Shake the pan once or twice to encourage even browning.

3. Transfer the croutons to a medium mixing bowl. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan and the garlic powder over the croutons. Gently toss. Set aside at room temperature.

4. Cut the lettuce into large bite size pieces and transfer to a large salad or mixing bowl. Toss with the Caesar Dressing. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan over the salad and add the croutons.

Caesar Dressing
Makes about 3 1/2 cups

3 large eggs
Two 2 ounces cans anchovies packed in oil, rinsed, patted dry, and diced
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons anchovy paste
1 teaspoons freshly ground white pepper
1 1/2 cups flavorless vegetable oil such as canola or safflower
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan Cheese

1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine he eggs, anchovies, mustard, garlic powder, anchovy paste, and pepper. Process for about 2 minutes, or until thoroughly mixed.
2. With the motor running, slowly add the oil until emulsified and the consistency of thin mayonnaise. Add the vinegar and lemon juice. Mix until the dressing is well combined. With the motor still running, add the Parmesan. Scrape down the sides of the bowl then mix the dressing for 30 seconds.
3. Refrigerate the dressing for at least 1 hour, or until chilled. Use the dressing immediately or transfer to a covered storage container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Note: If you don't use day old bread for the croutons, you will have to bake them longer as the bread will have more moisture in it. Also, if you've never cooked with anchovies, as I hadn't, when you rinse them only remove the bones that will easily give otherwise you'll end up tearing your anchovy and ending up with shredded pieces.

Morton's Garlic Butter

2008-09-14T15:40:00.001-07:00

To quote Morton's "Our garlic butter is a little more involved than some, but it's absolutely sublime." They couldn't be more right! At first I was like, do I really want to go through all the trouble? And I almost didn't, except it wouldn't truly be, "a night at Morton's" if I cut corners, if you know what I'm sayin'? But I'm so glad I did make it because it was sublime. Morton's suggests adding the butter to plain vegetables, potatoes and pasta and I couldn't agree more, it's that good!

Morton's Garlic Butter
Courtesy Morton's Steak Bible
Makes about 2 1/2 cups

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chopped peeled shallots
1/2 tablespoon rinsed, drained, and chopped anchovies (3 to 4 fillets)
1/2 bunch curly leaf parsley, stems removed and discarded, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 3/4 cups (3 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, soften
1/2 tablespoon Pernod liqueur
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

1. Int he bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, pulse the garlic, shallots, anchovies, and parsley until finely chopped.
2. In the bowl of electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and set on medium speed, beat the butter for 1 minute. Scrape the garlic mixture into the butter and beat for another minute or so until thoroughly mixed. Reduce the speed to low. Add the Pernod, salt, and pepper and beat to mix. Increase the speed to high and mix for 2 minutes, or until the butter is smooth, fluffy, and light. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Mix the butter mixture for 2 more minutes at high speed.
3. use immediately or transfer to an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 5 days, wrap well and freeze for up to 2 months.

Note: I didn't have any Pernod and didn't feel like buying it since all it really called for was 1/2 a tablespoon so I used a licorice liqueur I had on hand I believe it was Romana Sambuca it worked out fine. You couldn't taste it so I'm guessing it was added to balance off a different flavor in the recipe. Also, don't be put off by the anchovies (like I was) you cannot taste them and according to Morton's they are essential because you cannot attain the level of saltiness otherwise.

Wild Mushroom Canapes with Brie

2008-09-14T15:21:00.001-07:00

Oh my gosh, you have no idea how much I wish I had a better picture of this because this picture doesn't do it any justice in the least bit! This was one of the biggest hits of the night. The combination of the different mushrooms sauteed in Morton's Garlic Butter was, in short, heavenly! This was extremely easy to throw together if you have te butter made ahead of time if you don't then yeah it won't be easy. But that was one of the things I loved about this, the simplicity with big rewards. Try this you won't be sorry!

Wild Mushroom Canapes with Brie
Courtesy Morton's Steak Bible
Makes 20 canapes

1 French baguette, about 14 inches long and 3 inches wide
4 oz portobello mushrooms (about 2 medium mushroom caps)
3 ounces shiitake mushrooms (about 6 mushrooms)
4 ounces cremini mushrooms (about 10 mushrooms)
6 tablespoons Garlic Butter
4 ounces unpeeled Brie cheese, frozen

1. Preheat oven to 450*F.
2. Trim the ends off the baguettes and save for another use, such as bread crumbs. Cut the baguettes on an angle into twenty 1/4 inch slices. Toast the bread in the oven in a single layer on a baking sheet for 4 to 5 minutes, until light golden brown.
3. Twist the stems off the portobello and shiitake mushrooms and discard. Trim the stems from the cremini and discard. Using a small paring knife, scrape the underside of the portobellos clean off the dark gills.
4. Slice all the mushrooms into 1/4 inch wide strips, and then chop them into 1/2 to 1 inch long pieces. You will have about 4 cups roughly chopped pieces.
5. In a large saute pan, melt the Garlic Butter over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and saute for 4 to 5 minutes, or until softened. The mushrooms will cook down about 1 1/3 cups.
6. Lay the bread out on the baking sheet. Top each slice of toast with 1 tablespoon of the mushroom mixture.
7. Using the cheese grater, coarsely grate the frozen Brie so that you have about 1 cup. Sprinkle the grated Brie over the mushroom mixture and bake for about 5 minutes, or until the Brie melts. Serve immediately.

Note: The Brie really needs to be frozen, you can grate the cheese ahead of time to save time later. But make sure when you grate it, it's frozen and then return it to the freezer. You will see when you grate it that it softens rather quickly just from your very own body heat coming off of your hands. You can also slice and toast the baguette slices ahead of time that way when your guest arrive you just saute the mushrooms, top your baguettes, pop in the oven and enjoy!

Morton's Cosmopolitan

2008-09-14T14:55:00.000-07:00

As previously stated, this is one of the best Cosmos I've ever had. And speaking of cosmos may I just add, in an unrelated rant, that Cafe Tutu Tango should so be embarrassed with themselves for trying to pass off cranberry juice as Cosmopolitans on the day that the Sex And The City movie was released. My friend Stephanie, God Bless her heart, is a light weight. She not only drank 2 of their so called Cosmos, without the slightest bit of buzz, she had a shooter to boot. So in conclusion not only does their food suck and is waaaaaay over priced they can't make a descent drink to save their lives! Vent over, Morton's winner. Cafe Tutu Tango looser.

Morton's Cosmopolitan
Courtesy of Morton's Steak Bible
Serves 1

2 ounces Ketel One Citiroen vodka
1/2 ounce Cointreau
1/2 ounce Grand Marnier
1 tablespoon Ocean Spray cranberry puree, or 2 tablespoons frozen Ocean Spray cranberry juice concentrate, undiluted
Juice of 1 lime wedge
1 slender lime wedge, for garnish

1. Pour the vodka, Cointreau Grand Marnier, cranberry puree, and lime juice into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake 15 times. Strain into a chilled martini glass.

2. Garnish with lime wedge.

Note: I have to admit I didn't use Ketel One Citroen Vodka, I cheated for economical purposes, and used Smirnoff Citrus. Wipe the disgust off your face Smirnoff in a blind tasting came out on top over Grey Goose, so suck on that. I also used Cranberry Juice Concentrate I couldn't find the puree and more than likely you probably won't either. According to Morton's it's usually just sold to restaurants and bars.
Oh and a tip! This is a great tip I picked up from Ina Garten, you can mix the drinks in a glass pitcher before hand, store it in the refrigerator and when you are ready to serve, just give it a stir, pour it in a cocktail shaker with ice and voila you are good to go! No more mixing individual drinks! This is great for parties too, you can set up a whole bar with different martini flavors ready to go just pour, shake and serve.

Morton's The Steakhouse

2008-09-14T14:13:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I was at my new favorite store Home Goods and I ran into a cookbook I just couldn't pass up -and I'm glad I didn't! The book is Morton's Steak Bible; Recipes and Lore from the Legendary Steakhouse and it kicks ass! By the time I was done reading it I was convinced we had to have a Morton's night, at home of course! And it was through the roof.

What I really liked about this dinner is that a lot of the things, including the dessert, could be made ahead of time. To quote MaryAnn she said "you made it look so easy!" And it really was very easy. The salad dressing and garlic butter where made 2 days prior to the dinner. The dessert was made the night before. The steaks were marinated the morning of, the drinks were mixed a couple of hours before. With all of the "make ahead" involved how could it not be easy?

Here is what we had:

Morton's Cosmopolitan

This was the best Cosmo I've ever had, second only to the Cosmillinium I had while on vacation in the San Juan Islands circa 2001.

Wild Mushroom Canapes with Brie

These where the biggest hit of the night. Everyone loved them and this picture truly doesn't do them justice.

Cajun Ribeye Steak

I was a little skeptical of this, I know how blasphemous of me to question the Masters but I did, but as it turned out I had nothing to worry about. Again, this picture doesn't do it justice.

Morton's Caesar Salad

Very tasty of course!

Cold Grand Marnier Souffle

I have not been able to stop thinking about this, this was probably one of the best desserts I've ever had.

Lemon Lovers Cheesecake w/Hazelnut Crust

2008-08-22T12:24:00.000-07:00

This is by far one of the best cheesecakes I've ever had or ever made for that matter. It was over the top delicious. I would say this cheesecake gives the Pumpkin Swirl cheesecake I make at Thanksgiving a run for it's money -and that's not easy to do either!

Now what makes this cheesecake over the top is the layer of Lemon Curd it's topped with and the drizzle of blueberry sauce that it's drizzled in. Without both of these I think this cheesecake would just be good not OVER THE TOP DELICIOUS! Sure it takes a little extra effort but it's worth it, this cheesecake will put you on the map, trust me!

Lemon Lovers Cheesecake with Hazelnut Crust
Courtesy Bon Appetit

Ingredients
For crust
3/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For filling
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

-Lemon curd (store bought or homemade)
-Boothbay Blueberry Sauce

Make crust:Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Finely grind nuts, cracker crumbs and powdered sugar in processor.Add butter; blend using on/off turns until crumbs are moist. Press crumbs onto bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Chill while making filling.

Make filling:Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese in large bowl until fluffy. Slowly add sugar; beat until smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating 30 seconds after each. Mix in lemon juice and peel.

Pour filling into crust. Bake cake until outer 2-inch portion of top is set and center looks slightly glossy and is barely set, about 45 minutes (do not open oven door at all during baking time). Shake cheesecake lightly and if the perimeter is set but the center is slightly wobbley it's done.

Place cooling rack in a cool area but in an area free of any drafts. Transfer cheesecake to rack and run a knife around the edge of springform pan. This will prevent the cheesecake from cracking when contracting from pan. Cool to room temperature (approx 2-4 hrs). Cover; chill overnight.

Remove cheesecake from refrigerator 30 minutes before serving. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen. Release pan sides. Top with Lemon Curd (approx 1/4 of an inch thick) slice and drizzle with Boothbay Blueberry Sauce. Serve extra blueberry sauce on the side.

Boothbay Blueberry Sauce

2008-08-22T12:02:00.000-07:00

This was so incredibly fabulous, it wasn't even funny! The thing I liked most was the mix of spices in it, it almost tasted like Christmas. We had this drizzled over cheesecake but I'm sure this would kick butt on waffles, pancakes and especially over vanilla bean ice cream.

The original recipe makes a ton of sauce, so this is the recipe cut down and a link to the original. I plan to make these at the end of blueberry season, which is pretty much upon us, and giving them away as Christmas gifts.

Boothbay Blueberry Sauce
Courtesy of House & Garden August 1962
Makes close to 2 cups.

1 1/4 teaspoons lemon juice
1 1/4 teaspoons grated orange rind
6 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups blueberries
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
a pinch of cloves

Stir the lemon juice, orange rind, orange juice and sugar in a large pot. Bring to a rolling boil. Add berries and bring to a full boil again. Add cinnamon, cloves and boil hard, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and strain for a smoother sauce or don't strain it for a more rustic look. Cool and use at room temperature. If not using right away refrigerate after cooling.

*If using for waffles or pancakes you can probably just reheat in microwave.

Score one for the little guy...

2008-08-07T17:04:00.001-07:00

ME! Like Batman and The Joker, like Xavier and Magnito, tempering eggs has been my arch nemesis since the beginning of time. And today I can proudly tell that chapter of my life to suck it! For today I have made LEMOM CURD!!! But that's not all, I've made lemon curd, successfully! -and tasty to boot!

When I read the review for this recipe a couple of people suggested adding an extra egg yolk and straining the lemon curd. Well a lot of people made it as written and loved it. So I made it as it was written with the only exception being to strain the curd once I took it off the stove top. The reviewers recommended straining it to remove the lumps but mine didn't have any lumps the only thing that stayed in the strainer was the lemon zest, which by the way wouldn't bother me if it was in the curd.

Any who, it's tasty and a must try. The thing is I did cook it in low heat not moderate low heat because I really, really didn't want to end up with scrambled eggs like I always do. So it took a lot longer to cook than the six minutes it estimates. It took almost 15 minutes or perhaps more, but it was worth it. I'd rather have spaghetti arm from stirring than scrambled eggs from hurrying. -you can quote me on that :)

Lemon Curd

Courtesy: Gourmet Magazine

Ingredients

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lemon zest

1/2 cup sugar

3 large eggs

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into bits

Whisk together juice, zest, sugar, and eggs in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Stir in butter and cook over moderately low heat, whisking frequently, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and first bubble appears on surface, about 6 minutes.

Transfer lemon curd to a bowl and chill, its surface covered with plastic wrap, until cold, at least 1 hour.

Cooks' note:
• Curd can be chilled up to 1 week.

BOTR: They Can't All Be Winners....

2008-07-23T00:07:00.001-07:00

Sure, it looks tasty, doesn't it? But is it? No, no it's not, as matter of fact it's far from it. In case you haven't figured it out B.O.T.R. stands for Beware Of This Recipe or better yet run don't walk, the other direction if you come in contact with this recipe. This recipe lured me in with it's tasty name "Tropical Bars in a Butter Coconut Crust" and when I made it I was further seduced by it's killer aroma and oh so appealing filling and crust. But just like the Sirens in the Odyssey who lured Sailors with their sweet song and sexy bodies only to turn on them once the Sailors had given in, so did these bars reveal their not so sweet and not so tasty self to me once they cooled and were ready for consumption.

The only way I could describe the taste is like this; they tasted like I left limes out in the sun for weeks. And once the rind had gained the texture of leather gone arye I decided to pop them in my mouth all at once. Yeah.... it tasted like that! I have to admit I'm partially to blame. I am a strong advocate of "if the recipe doesn't sound right or it just doesn't make common sense, don't do it". However, when it comes to baking I am a little hesitant to get jiggy wit' it, as the kids say, because baking is so freakin' temperamental and in hind sight I realize the change wouldn't have effected the finished product negatively, I mean they seriously couldn't have tasted any worse.

So the recipe called for "3 limes quartered". Quartered?!?! Not segmented, not zested, not sliced, quartered!? So against my better judgement and common sense I quartered them, took the seeds out and tossed them in the food processor. Thinking of it now gives me the willies. The only saving grace was the crust, the crust was fabu. But there is only enough crust you can munch on before it gets old and the remnants of the filling where still there and therefore not worth keeping. It broke my heart tossing food and time away but I had no choice it was just very not tasty :(

Here's the recipe to prove I'm not making it up and I even searched all over the internets looking for a different variation hoping someone had mistyped the recipe but it was all in vain. It was written the same way everywhere.

Tropical Bars in a Butter Coconut Crust
Crust:
1 C. coconut
1 C. butter
1/2 C. sugar
1 1/2 C. flour
Combine all ingredients and press onto bottom of 9x9 square pan. Bake 15 min at 350° F.

Filling:
3 limes, quartered
2 1/4 C. sugar
4 eggs
1/2 C. flour
1 t. baking powder
1 T. plus 1 t. vanilla
Put all filling ingredients in the food processor and process until pureed.
Pour over the baked crust and bake at 350° F. for 20-25 minutes.
Cut only after cooling and sprinkle with powdered sugar and toasted coconut flakes.

Product Rave: McCormicks Grillmates Cinnamon Chipotle Rub

2008-07-22T23:21:00.001-07:00

This stuff is a little taste of awesome, I kid' you not. It has a creole taste to it, which you might not expect given it has chipotle wich is most commonly associated with Mexican or SouthWest cooking. But the chipotle flavor is very mild adding more of a smoky flavor than a spicy flavor. The cinnamon is what gives it that creole taste. I've sprinkled this little fairy dust on shrimp and tossed them on the grill -to die! And just recently used it today or should I say Mom used it today, in what will now be my new favorite way to have this -on baby back ribs!!! Oh my lawd was it good!

She just rubbed it on the ribs added a some salt, though we both agreed it really didn't need it, it made the ribs a little too salty. But I like salty so that was good by me but I think it would have been too salty for the average bear. Anywho, run out and get you some of this stuff and make you some of these:

P.S. For those of you bright ones keeping score. Yes, we did end up having an impromptu feast of roasted chicken, ribs and cauliflower. The ribs weren't part of the original plan but we were starving when we arrived at the grocery store and....well..... the rest is fatty history :)

Don't call it a comeback...

2008-07-22T22:20:00.000-07:00

*See closeup of cauliflower at the end of the post, it's to die!

I've been here for years! Well not in the blogasphere but most definately representin' in the real world. It occured to me today that I've been neglecting my poor blog and, well, that had to change. So I dusted off my apron, along with an old recipe, and here I am ready to get down to business.

Now, I know there is enough Rachel Ray hatin' going around to fill a giant"GB" but sometimes the ol' girl has a good recipe and even a good idea here and there and this is one of them. The first and only time I tried this recipe I was still a bachelorette in an 8 year relationship without any prospects of marriage in the horizon, so what better "motivation" for my man to marry me than for me to show him I could be a good wife in the kitchen? -Wow, I just lost the feminist vote but who cares! It's true! The way to a man's heart is his stomach, so suck it feminist!

But I digress......I should say the real way to a man's heart is through his stomach via bacon wrapped anything, which brings us to our recipe. It's not only easy, it's affordable and did I mention easy? It's also.....wait for it....."wrapped" in BACON!!!!

The recipe calls for a 3.5 pound chicken but I used a 5 pounder and therefor had to cook it longer. I didn't realize this until I had already added the cauliflower at the 1/2 way point as called for in the recipe. So my cauliflower ended up roasting for an extra half hour. It didn't turn out mushy but it didn't turn out crunchy like I like it either. Had I paid more attention I would have added the cauliflower in the last half hour because my chicken was bigger. But whatev' you live, you learn and I ain't no pro.

Boy am I chatty after a hiatus, I'll wrap it up. This recipe is a must try and totally awesome for such little effort, so big ups to RR!!! I'll write it as I made it and as I will make it next time.

Bacon "Stuffed" Roasted Chicken with Cauliflower

by: Rachel Ray

Ingredients

1 -5 pound whole chicken, rinsed and patted dry

4 -bacon strips
Salt & Freshly ground pepper
1 -Head cauliflower, cored and cut into bite-size florets
1 -Head of garlic, cloves peeled
1 1/2 Tablespoons EVOO (I had to represent for RR)

1. Preheat the oven to 450°. Loosen the skin of the chicken breast, drumsticks & thighs with your fingers and slide the bacon in. I did 1 slice per breast and 1 slice per drumstick/thigh area. Season the outside with salt and pepper. Place the chicken, breast side up, in a roasting pan with a rack and roast for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes lower the temperature to 400º and cook for an additional 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, toss the cauliflower, garlic and oil together in a bowl and season with salt & pepper to taste. After the chicken has cooked for an hour, remove the chicken and rack from the roasting pan and add the vegetables to the perimeter of the pan. Return chicken (without rack) to the middle of the roasting pan (breast up) and roast until the chicken is cooked through and the cauliflower is tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and tent the chicken with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Out Of Place Vent

2008-06-10T12:45:00.000-07:00

What is so difficult about making a courtesy call? I mean really. But first a little background. My Husband, who I love very dearly, has the terrible habbit of showing up late and not bothering to call to tell you he's going to be late. I mean is it really that difficult to have the common courtesy to phone someone and tell them you are going to be late, so that they are not waiting for you in front of their school like the fat kid picked last for dodge ball? I mean that is why it's called a courtesy call isn't it?

-I'm just sayin'.

Cornish Hens with Strawberry-Balsamic Sauce

2008-03-05T19:03:00.000-08:00

These turned out awesome! We ate them with our hands only using a spoon to laddle the sauce over the hens. Ryan was cracking me up because we were eating these with our hands over candle light he said he felt like he was eating at the romantic Medieval Times.

I got this recipe for the hens from the Intercourses; An Aphrodisiac Cookbook however I didn't really care for the sauce as the cookbook called for it. But it did remind me of a similar recipe I had tried before from Cooking Light so I decided to combine them. The store was out of thyme so I used Rosemary instead but I think it would have been so much tastier with the thyme. Also I coudn't find a Thai chile so I ended up using a Japanese chile, however that really didn't add the heat I was looking for, so I ended up opening the chile to release the seeds but that still didn't cut through the sweetness of the jam. But that still didn't do it, so I ended up mixing in some crushed red pepper flakes and that did the trick.

Cornish Hens with Strawberry-Balsamic Sauce

Adapted from Intercourses; An Aphrodisiac Cookbook & Cooking Light Magazine

For the hens

2 Cornish Hens

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Sprigs of Rosemary

Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

For the Sauce:

1/2 cup seedless strawberry jam

1 1/2 tbspns balsamic

1 tbspns white wine

1/4 tspn ground pepper

1/4 tspn salt

1 dry Thai chile

1/2 cup finely chopped shallot

1 1/2 tspns minced Rosemary

1 fresh strawberry

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Rub the hens with the olive oil and seson generously, inside and out, with salt and pepper. Place 1 sprig of rosemary into each cavity. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Place the hens,k breast-side up, on a wire rack set over a baking sheet and roast untilt he juices run clear or a thermmeter registers 165 degrees in the thigh about 25 to 35 minutes.

While the hens are roasting, prepare the sauce. combine the strawberry jam, vinegar, wine, pepper, and salt in a samll saucepan set over medium heat. As the jam begins to melt, add the Thai chile and let steep for 5 minutes. Taste the sauce, if you prefer something spicier, cut the chile in half and stir the sauce to distribute the fire. Remove the pepper when the desired spiciness is reached. Pour sauce into serving dish. Chop strawberry and add to sauce. Serve as a sauce for the hens.

Crostini with Blue Cheese Butter Spread and Sliced Pears

2008-02-23T17:36:00.000-08:00

Ryan and I both really liked this. The butter spread has a great blue chese flavor but what I really liked about it is that you not only taste the blue cheese you taste the nuts and the lemon as well, individually. I like when you can taste everything individually yet haromoniously and nothing gets lost. And the addition of the thinly sliced pears, by yours truly, really makes for a nice contrast. The key however, is to slice the pears thinly.

But the best part of this recipe is the butter can be made the night before and this appetizer can be thrown together in no time. You can also freeze the butter for later use then it's ready to go for unexpected guest or if you are in the mood for a "fancy", fast snack.

Crostini with Blue Cheese Butter Spread and Sliced Pears
Courtesy of Emeril Live

4 ounces blue cheese, softened (about 1 cup)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup chopped lightly toasted pecans
2 teaspoons minced shallots
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (For some reason I misread this and did 1 tspn of lemon zest, still good)
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt Ground black pepper (I didn't add any salt but I did add pepper)
1 loaf French bread, cut into thin rounds, accompaniment
1 Ripe pear thinly sliced.

In a bowl, cream together all the ingredients, except for bread and pears. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place mixture on a large sheet of plastic wrap. Form into a fat cylinder and roll up in the plastic wrap, pushing and tucking in as you go to form a tight log. Refrigerate or freeze until needed.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spread blue cheese butter evenly onto the French bread rounds. Then top each round with 1 or 2 slices of the thinly sliced pears, depending on how big your rounds are. Place on a baking sheet. Bake until golden brown and bubbly, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and enjoy!

Valentine's Day Dinner

2008-02-20T21:35:00.001-08:00

For Valentine's Day Ryan and I usually go out to a nice dinner but since the closing our of favorite special restaurant we really didn't want to go anywhere else, so we opted for a special dinner at home.

I had purchased the book "Intercourses; An aphrodiasiac Cookbook" on a tip from my friend Joelen in Chicago. I've owned the book for some time now and had yet to make a recipe from it, so I thought what better time to make something from this book than Valentine's Day. I got the recipe for the Cornish Hens & the Asparagus from this book but tweeked the sauce for the hens slightly by combining it with a similar recipe from Cooking Light Magazine. I really liked the end results.

Here is our dinner, I will post the recipes and further reviews soon.

Our Menu

Crostini with Blue Cheese Butter Spread and Sliced Pears

Cornish Hens with Strawberry-Balsamic Sauce

Asparagus with a Crunchy Panko-Almond Topping

Tuxedo Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Camarones a la Diabla

2008-02-20T20:25:00.000-08:00

I L-O-V-E Camarones a la Diabla but probably not as much as Ryan. He could probably eat them every day for lunch and dinner if I let him. He fell in love with them at my cousin's restaurant and has been hooked ever since.

Loosely translated "Camarones a la Diabla" translates to Devil Shrimp as in ON FIRE! And they are! These little guys are very muy spicy! I would have probably never have thought of making these at home if it weren't for Ryan suggesting it or I should say if it weren't for Ryan getting tired of the same ol', same ol'. So I went in search of a good recipe online and found nothing or atleast nothing good. I was about to give up until I remembered about Rick Bayless and he didn't dissapoint. This recipe sounds like my cousin's recipe with a little something extra.

Now I know what you'll be thinking once you read the recipe and instructions "Claud why would I go through the trouble of roasting the chiles & the garlic. And then reconstituting the chiles to then add bottled hot sauce to the mix?" Well I'll tell you, because that's the way it's done and my little spin on it makes it so that it doesn't taste like you are eating shrimp tossed in hot sauce.

The way Ryan and I eat them is we just make tacos out of them. We grab a corn tortilla pile on the shrimp, onions and sauce, wrap it up and enjoy! However, if you can't handle the spicy I suggest you top your taco with some sour cream and maybe some avocado slices, both of which would taste awesome on this. Anywho, enough yapping more recipe.

Camarones a la Diabla

Courtesy of Frontera Kitchens

Serves 6 generously

For the sauce:
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
8 medium-large (about 4 ounces) dried guajillo chiles
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, whole or freshly ground
1/8 teaspoon cumin, whole or freshly ground
1 medium-small onion, sliced into 8 rounds
2 cups chicken broth or water, plus a little more if needed
3 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
1/3 to 1/2 cup red hot sauce (in Acapulco, many cooks choose Tamazula brand) (I used 1/4 cup of Tapatio & 1/4 of a cup of Cholula)
Salt, about 1/2 teaspoon, depending on the saltiness of the broth (I don't think I've ever had to add salt)

For finishing the dish:
2 tablespoons butter
2 pounds shrimp

1. Making Spicy Guajillo Sauce. Roast the unpeeled garlic directly on an ungreased griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until soft (they’ll blacken in spots), about 15 minutes; cool and peel. While the garlic is roasting, toast the chiles on another side of the griddle or skillet: 1 or 2 at a time, open them flat and press down firmly on the hot surface with a spatula; when they crackle and turn a dark maroon color they are done remove from the griddle/pan.

In a small bowl, cover the chiles with hot water and let rehydrate 30 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure even soaking. Drain and discard the water.

Combine the oregano, black pepper, cumin and 1 slice of the onion in a food processor or blender. Add the drained chiles, garlic and 1/2 cup of the broth. Blend to a smooth puree, scraping and stirring every few seconds. (If the mixture just won’t go through the blender blades, add a little more liquid.) Press through a medium-mesh strainer into a bowl.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a heavy, medium-small (2- to 3-quart) pot (such as Dutch oven or Mexican cazuela) over medium-high. When the oil is hot enough to make a drop of the puree sizzle sharply, add the puree and stir constantly until it reduces into a thick paste, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1 1/2 cups broth or water, partially cover and simmer over medium-low, stirring occasionally, 20 to 30 minutes for the flavors to come together. Add the hot sauce and, if necessary, stir in a little more broth or water to bring the sauce to a medium, saucy consistency. Taste and season with about 1/2 teaspoon of the salt.

2. Finishing the dish. In a large skillet, melt the butter with the remaining 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the remaining onion, breaking the rings apart, and cook, stirring, until the shrimp are done and the onion is beginning to soften, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Add the sauce and stir everything together until the sauce is boiling. Serve right away.

G-Money Quickie

2008-02-20T20:16:00.000-08:00

Here is G-Money at her birthday party proudly posing by the cupcakes she made.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

2008-02-20T19:52:00.000-08:00

I made 50 of these cupcakes for G-Money's Birthday party. It was my first time making them and tasting them and I really, really liked them. Some complaints people have about Red Velvet cupcakes & cake is that you can't really taste the cocoa in them but with these all you taste is chocolate. Sure it doesn't hurt that you start off with a chocolate cake mix but hey you gotta do what you gotta do. My only complaint is that because you do start off with chocolate cake mix you need lots of red food coloring. A whole bottle to be exact! But it does give it a great red color.

Both Ryan and I thought these were the most moist cupcakes I have ever made. I think it has something to do with the sour cream in the mix but I'm not sure. Also, I think this recipe is designed for muffin pans not cupcake pans because it makes a lot of batter. I did use it all up but my cups were pretty much full. But I'm not complaining because I ended up with oversized cupcakes which is always nice :)

For the frosting I used one of my favorite from the Better Than Sex Cake. With an electric mixer whip a soften brick of cream cheese and then blend in 1 tub of cool whip and frost, frost away.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Courtesy of The Cake Mix Doctor

24 paper liners for cupcake pans (2 1/2 -inch size)

1 package (18.25 ounces) plain German chocolate cake mix

1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix

1 cup sour cream (see "the Cupcake Doctor says") (I used light sourcream)

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 bottle (1 ounce) red food coloring

3 large eggs

1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside.

2. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, water, oil, food coloring, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look thick and well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Spoon or scoop N cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it three quarters of the way full. (You will get between 22 and 24 cupcakes; remove the empty liners, if any.) Place the pans in the oven.

3. Bake the cupcakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 18 to 20 minutes (I baked them for 19 minutes and they were perfect). Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cupcakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting.

4. Meanwhile, prepare the White Chocolate Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting. 5. Place a heaping tablespoon of frosting on each cupcake and swirl to spread with a short metal spatula or a spoon, taking care to cover the tops completely. Place these cupcakes, uncovered or in a cake server, in the refrigerator until the frosting sets, 20 minutes. The cupcakes are ready to serve.
Store the cupcakes, in a cake saver or under a glass dome, at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Or freeze them, wrapped in aluminum foil or in a cake saver, for up to 6 months. Thaw the cupcakes overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

The Cupcake Doctor Says
Use reduced-fat sour cream, and you'll sacrifice only fat and calories, not flavor. If you can't find plain German chocolate cake mix, buy the pudding in the mix version and forgo the added pudding. For more chocolate flavor, use chocolate pudding mix instead of vanilla, but the cake won't be as red in color.

Gussie's Fried Chicken with Pecan-Honey Glaze

2008-02-20T19:23:00.000-08:00

This post is a smidge late. We made this for the Chargers vs Patriots game, okay so maybe it's more than a smidge late. At first I was a little hesitant about putting a glaze over fried chicken but after reading the reviews on Food Network it was evident that I had to. And am I glad I did it really made the fried chicken over the top good!

There was also some leftover glaze and I poured it onto a piece of parchment paper and spread it out. After it cooled it was quite the tasty after meal snack. Anywho, needless to say it was really good and we'll definately make this again but not too soon after all it is fried chicken with "candy" poured over it.

Gussie's Fried Chicken with Pecan-Honey Glaze
Courtesy: Paula Deen

1 (3 1/2-pounds) frying chicken, cut up, or your favorite chicken parts
2 large eggs
Salt and pepper
Garlic powder
Vegetable shortening or vegetable oil
2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1/2 cup honey
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
Brown paper bag

Rinse the chicken and pat it dry. Beat the eggs in a 9 by 13-inch dish. Lay the chicken pieces in the dish, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Turn the chicken and season the other side, then slosh the chicken parts around in the egg until well coated.

Put enough shortening or oil in a cast iron pan or electric skillet to come just halfway up the sides of the chicken parts. Heat the shortening or oil just until smoking, about 375 degrees F. Put the flour in a paper bag, add the chicken pieces, a few at a time, and shake to coat well. Remove the chicken with tongs and place it in the hot fat. Cover the pan, leaving a crack for steam to escape, lower the heat to 325 degrees F for electric skillet, and cook for 10 minutes. Turn the chicken with tongs, cover again (leaving the lid open just a crack), and cook for 10 minutes longer. Very large pieces may need to be cooked a little longer. Drain the chicken on paper towels and transfer to a platter.

To make the glaze, melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Whisk in the honey until well blended. Bring to a simmer and add the pecans. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Ladle the glaze over the hot fried chicken and serve.

Packer Brats with Butter 'Kraut

2008-02-18T21:35:00.000-08:00

These are made by yours truly's wonderful huband Ryan! These brats are awesome but what really makes them over the top is the sauerkraut. It is sooooo good!

Now the sauerkraut requires a lot of butter hence the name buttered 'kraut. I don't remember it having this much butter the last couple of times we've made them but this time it was just too much butter so I think next time we'll have to cut back.

Packer Brats

Courtesy of Greenbay Jim click here for original recipe

2 pounds bratwurst (we use Johnsonville) *

5 (14.5-ounce) cans Guinness Stout

1 onion, sliced

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

16 hoagie buns, split (We use Sourdough rolls)

Butter Kraut, recipe follows

Mustard, for serving

Chopped onion, for serving

Pierce the brat casing multiple times with a fork prior to boiling. We did this on the BBQ so our method varies from the original recipe. In a medium size aluminum disposable pan, add beer. Add onion and garlic. Bring to a boil. Add brats. Allow beer to come back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.

Remove brats from beer and grill, turning frequently, until brats are browned all over, about 8 to 10 minutes. At this time you can start toasting your buns on the grill.

To serve brats "Classic Style", serve 2 brats each on round, hard rolls with Buttered Kraut and brown mustard.

Buttered Kraut

1 (32-ounce) package sauerkraut, drained

1 (14.9-ounce) bottle of Guinness Stout

2 sticks of butter (next time we'd do 1 or 1 1/2)

Place sauerkraut in a pan over medium-high heat (this can also be done in a saucepan on the grill while grilling the brats). Add beer and cook until liquid is almost completely reduced. Add butter, cook, stirring frequently, until butter is melted and absorbs into the kraut, about 5 to 10 minutes.

I know what you're thinking, "Claudia you didn't really put 2 sticks of butter in the 'kraut." Well here is proof positive that I did, but I won't again in the future.

Cooking with G-Money: Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

2008-02-07T21:25:00.000-08:00

G-Money is turning 6 and having a Birthday party. Aaaaand since I am like the BEST AUNT EVAH! I have am making not one dozen but 8 dozen cupcakes and 1 Birthday cake! Yeah, I love this child or atleast I'd better because no sane person in the world would do this is if they didn't love someone. Well I guess one would do it if there was money involved but I digress. G-Money came over to help make the cupcakes.

We made one of our favorites Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes. The first time I made these I made them for Ryan and I and let me tell you unwrapping all of those mini Reeses's Peanut Butter Cups is no picnic my friend. As a matter of fact as I unwrapped, what seemed like the hundrenth mini cup, it hit me, Child Labor! If I had a pair of little hands to unwrap all of these little candies it would cut my time in half! And that's where G-Money came in. Though I do have to say G-Money kinda "pays" herself. She unwraps one, puts it aside. Unwraps another and places it in her mouth. This continues until we have the 24 we need.

Okay, so enough about how awesome G-Money is, back to the cupcakes. I got this recipe from Deborah, she frequents the same cooking board I do, and it's awesome! From start to finish this recipe is stellar. Devil's Food Cake Mix, chocolate chips, hidden Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and a velvety peanut butter frosting to boot! Seriously, S-T-E-L-L-A-R!

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
Courtesy of: Deborah

INGREDIENTS:

For cupcakes:
1 box (18.25oz) Devils Food cake mix
3 eggs
1 1/3 cup water
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 (12oz) bag Reeses mini peanut butter cups, unwrapped

For frosting:
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk, as needed
Mini semisweet chocolate chips for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12 muffin baking pans with paper cupcake liners.

2. In a large bowl combine cake mix, eggs, water and oil until moistened. Using a handheld mixer beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Fold in semisweet chocolate chips.

Place a heaping tablespoon of cake batter into each muffin cup. Place one Reeses mini peanut butter cup into each muffin cup, and top with an additional tablespoon of cake batter to cover - muffin cups should be about 2/3 full.

3. Bake in preheated oven 18-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted along the edge of the cupcake comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely.

4. To prepare frosting: place butter and peanut butter in a medium bowl and beat with a handheld mixer until fluffy and thoroughly combined. Add vanilla extract and beat until combined. Gradually mix in powdered sugar until well incorporated- if mixture becomes too thick, add milk a tablespoon at a time as needed until desired consistency. Beat for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.

Frost cupcakes...

and if desired, garnish with mini semisweet chocolate chips.

And now for the taste test:

I think the frosting and chocolate around the mouth equalls a big thumbs up from G-Money and I couldn't agree more. I could seriously eat about a hundred of these in one sitting. The cupcake is airy, the peanut butter cup inside is slightly crunchy and the frosting, well... the frosting is to die!

Cooking with G-Money

2008-02-07T20:51:00.000-08:00

For those of you who are wondering who G-Money is it's my niece Gia. You are probably wondering why I am calling this sweet five year child G-Money, well I'll tell ya. The first time Gia came over to bake with me she saw me wearing an apron and she wanted to wear one too. So I tied one of my hostess' apron around her waist and she was just in seventh heaven with that little apron. Well the next time she came over to bake with her Tia Claudia she came prepared, she brought her own apron:

Yes, she picked that apron out herself! She is so money! I love this child, tear. Anyway G-Money will have her own section in my little blog called, you guessed it, "Cooking with G-Money". These recipes will be recipes G-Money and I have made together. For the most part I think they are child-friendly but what do I know, I'm just the cool Aunt not the responsible parent, so reader discretion is advised.

P.S. For the record I have never called Gia G-Money to her face. Not for the fear that she might pimp slap me ala "I'm Rick James, Bitch!" but rather for the sheer fact that I don't want her running around introducing herself as G-Money, and trust me she would! Seriously, I love this child!

Cheater Chipotle-Bacon Cornbread Muffins

2008-01-17T21:26:00.000-08:00

Yes, this is another crappy picture -I'm on a roll!

Had it not been for my friend Julie in Chicago who gave me the heads on a this Cooking Light recipe I would have never made this. Now, I have never liked cornbread for one and two I could never see the attraction of having it with Chili, I just couldn't. But since I was having Mom, Dad, Marisa & Doug and Aunt Trish over I decided to make cornbread just in case they liked their Chili with cornbread.

I didn't want to make regular old cornbread so I turned to the Cooking Light recipe which had two of my favorite things Bacon and Chipotles. But I have to admit they weren't exactly "home made". Sure they we made and they were made at home. So technicaly speaking I guess they were "home" "made". This time I wanted to make this dinner low maintenance but I think next time I make these, and there will be a next time, I'm going to make them per the Cooking Light recipe.

Anyway I really liked them, they were savory and the chipotles just added a nice smoky flavor that wasn't spicy at all!

Cheater Chipotle-Bacon Cornbread Muffins

Adapted from Cookinglight.com

Ingredients:

1 Package of Marie Callender's Cornbread Mix

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce

3 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

Cooking spray

Preheat oven and prepare batter per package directions. Fold in the remaining ingredients. Spray cupcake pan with cooking spray and fill each 2/3 of the way with batter. Check after 13-15 minutes of cooking, insert toothpick into center of "muffin" and if it comes out clean it's good to go! Remove from pan and cool on cooling rack.

Note: In the spirit of "full disclosure" I didn't get 2 full pans out of the mix. I got more like 1 1/2, but then again I am pretty recipe retarded so I proably did something wrong.

Betty Crocker Thumbprint Cookies

2008-01-17T20:08:00.001-08:00

I know this is a bad picture, but I never said I was a photography major. And

if you think this picture is bad, you should go take a look on what's on Ol' Betty's website. Now they should be ashamed of themselfs.

I got this recipe through a recipe exchange I participated in. I was kinda bummed to get a cookie recipe (I have to say though, I did join in last so it was between this and some chocolate pie that wasn't exactly my cup of tea, but I digres) because I'm kinda the Enemy of Cookies. Or better yet cookies are the enemy of me. No matter what I do they refuse to come out good. No joke, they are either too dry, too soft, too tough or just too.... everything!!!

But lucky for me good ol' Betty makes fool proof recipes. And although this was a fool proof recipe some how, some way being the EOC I am I managed to mess it up. All I had to do was stick my thumb into the dough and make a dent big enough to fill with jam, unfortunately I didn't do that right, because when the cookies came out of the oven the imprint I had made on them had risen. But being the clever girl that I am I simply took the bottom tip of a wooden spoon and dented the cookies again. Voila! I had my imprint back and no one could be the wiser.

I would totally make these cookies again for many reasons; one, they were tasty. Two they were easy and three they were so soft that they crumbled after one bite, I love when they do that!

Betty Crocker Thumbprint Cookies
courtesy of bettycrocker.com

Prep Time:40 min
Start to Finish:1 hr 20 min
Makes:3 dozen cookies

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg, separated
1 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup finely chopped nuts
Jelly (I used Knott's Berry Farm Boysenberry) *see note below

1. Heat oven to 350ºF.
2. Mix brown sugar, shortening, butter, vanilla and egg yolk in medium bowl. Stir in flour and salt until dough holds together.
3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Beat egg white slightly. Dip each ball into egg white. Roll in nuts. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Press thumb deeply in center of each.
4. Bake about 10 minutes or until light brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Fill thumbprints with jelly.

Nutrition Information
1 Serving: Calories 85 (Calories from Fat 45 ); Total Fat 5 g (Saturated Fat 1 g); Cholesterol 10 mg; Sodium 30 mg; Total Carbohydrate 9 g (Dietary Fiber 0g); Protein 1 g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 0%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 0%; Iron 2 % Exchanges: 1/2 Starch; 1 Fat *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Note: I would use a tart jelly/jam vs a sweet one. I just really liked the contrast of the tart jam against the sweet cookie. One more thing because I made them bigger than what they suggested I only got about 2 dozen, but they were a tasty 2 dozen :)

Insalata Caprese

2007-12-17T18:07:00.000-08:00

Or salad in the style of the Island of Capri. There are more versions on how to make this than you can shake a stick at. I've seen it layered, overlapped and on skewers. I've seen it topped with just olive oil, with just balsamic vinegar and with a mixture of both. And most importantly if you have a set of working eyes you don't require a recipe. If you can see it you can make it. So going off of this basic principle, I knew I liked mine stacked, with more balsamic vinegar than olive oil and topped with julienned basil instead of whole basil leaves. But, always the perfectionist, I decided to do some research and see if I was "missing out" on something that would take my basic idea into an AWESOME idea!

So I went on allrecipes.com and found a recipe for the salad but I wasn't interested on the recipe as much as I was interested in the reviews. I find a lot of insight on the reviews, what people did different, how they made a recipe better, you know.... insight. So I found the following review by someone called YOGAFOODIE:

"I've been making this salad for years. However, us Sicilians make it a little different. Also, another trick is to use fresh bocconcini (the smaller fresh moz. balls) and to use very fresh Roma (chopped) tomatoes or cherry/plum tomatoes. I add a lot of balsamic dressing with only a splash of olive oil (plus at least 3-4 cloves of fresh chopped garlic). Mix together and let the flavors marinate together (it tastes delicious when the balsamic vinegar and garlic flavors soak into the cheese). Just a little Sicilian twist to the caprese salad. "

With this little tid bit in mind I set out to make the Caprese salad my own. And it completely surpassed my expectations. It was savory, light, fresh and best of all TASTY!!! Ryan really liked it, he liked it so much he has requested it for Christmas Day. I think I will make it as an appetizer or something we can munch on during the day. And since it's already dressed in the Christmas colors how could that be wrong? So here is my take on Insalata Caprese:

Insalata Caprese con una Claud Torsione

In English, Salad in the style of Capri with a Claud Twist

2 Vine Ripened Tomatoes (can be purchased at the grocery store)

2 Buffalo Mozzarella

Basil Leaves, julienned (About 3 or 4 it's really your preference)

1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar

2 tbspn Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 tspn Finely Chopped Garlic

Coarse Salt

Combine Balsamic vinegar and garlic in a bowl and then slowly mix in the Olive Oil until emulsified. Set the mixture aside and let "marinate" at room temperature for an hour to an hour and a half. A little before your hour or your hour an a half is done slice up your Buffalo Mozzarella . Place cheese on a platter or deep dish and pour 2 tablespoons of the balsamic mixture over the mozzarella slices. Let the cheese marinate in the balsamic vinegar for an hour. Then slice up two tomatoes, you should get about six 1/4" slices out of every tomato. Place tomatoes slices on a platter and season with coarse salt. Then with a slotted spoon transfer mozzarella cheese slices on top of the tomato slices. Then sprinkle the balsamic vinegar the cheese was marinating in around the tomato slices. Sprinkle basil over the top of the stacks, serve and enjoy.

Frito Candy aka Crazy Bark

2007-12-10T21:48:00.000-08:00

No you are not mistaken, you read that right Frito Candy! It's a bark made of the most uncommon ingredients Fritos, pretzels, Reese's peanut butter cups and chocolate. And let me just tell you it's TASTY!!!

I thought it sounded a little weird but I couldn't help and be intrigued and thank God I was. It's sweet, it's salty with a caramelized flavor in the back ground.. I don't know what else to say you will just have to try it for yourself. I will have to say if you like chocolate covered pretzels then you'll like this and I almost forgot about my favorite part it's sooooo easy to make!

Sweet, Salty, Frito Candy
Courtesy of Cookie Madness

2 cups pretzels
1 cup Fritos
8 mini peanut butter cups (Cut in half)
1 stick unsalted butter (8 tablespoons)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (or however many you want) (I used the exact amount I think if you add more chocolate it would be too sweet)
Optional: Some peanuts for the top (Definately used them and I think it helps make it look "pretty")

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a 13×9 inch pan with parchment paper or no-stick (Release) foil.

Place pretzels in food processor and pulse to break - don’t pulverize. Add Fritos to processor and break them up with pretzels. Dump into pan. Unwrap peanut butter cups and throw them in the mix.

Place butter in a non-stick saucepan and melt over medium heat. When butter is melted, stir in brown sugar. Bring mixture to a full boil and boil for 1 minute, stirring once or twice. Pour over Frito mixture and bake for 8 minutes.

Remove pan from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over hot candy. Return to oven for 1 minute to soften chips. Spread softened chocolate chips over bars.

Cool at room temperature until you feel the pan is cool enough to be transfered to your refrigerator, then transfer to refrigerator to set the chocolate. When chocolate is set, lift from pan and break the candy up as you would almond toffee. You can eat it cold or let it come back down to room temp. It doesn’t have to be refrigerated, really.

Product Rave: Dr. Pete's Praline Mustard Glaze

2007-12-09T19:08:00.000-08:00

Dr. Pete's Praline Mustard Glaze as mentioned in our Friends Thanksgiving Review is a little slice of heaven. The blend of Pralines, brown sugar, cinnamon and cloves is to die!

We had it as a dip poured over cream cheese but it would be perfect on ham. There is aso a recipe on their website for a Praline Sweet Potato Casserole that uses this glaze and it sounds absolutely sinful!

How is it we got the little Savannah treasure in Orange County you ask, I'll tell you. Our friend Lisette was in Savannah for her annual Birthday trip with her Mom and brought back a bottle of this and so kindly brought it to our Friends Thanksgiving. And we instantly fell in love with it. Well I just fell so bad that she brought her one and only bottle to our shindig so I went on a mission to try to find it. I called the company direct and asked if they had a retailer in the West Coast that sold it. The nice man on the other end of the phone said, in his beautiful southern twang, that they only had 5 retailers in the entire West Coast that sold it, my heart instantly sank. He then asked me for my zip code and told me there was a local retailer but that they were far away. He said they were all the way in Laguna Niguel! Well I just perked up and started laughing I told him I was from Orange County and 40 minutes is nothing to us! He still felt that was too far so he checked to see if there was one closer. He then said there is one located at 123 N. Glassell in Orange do you know where that is? By this point I was hysterical I told him that was right up the street from my house. He burst out lauging and said I was one lucky girl! So I high tailed it over there and bought one bottle for Lisette and one bottle for myself. And that is how the little Savannah treasure ended up in Orange County.

Anywho, you can buy it directly from them or call them and see if they have any retailers that sell it near you. If you buy it directly from them they have a four item minimum but you can mix and match so you don't have to get four of the same thing. But that wouldn't be so bad either because this stuff is liquid gold!

Grandma Trudy's Famous Cranberry Relish

2007-12-09T18:39:00.001-08:00

So Ryan's cousin Suzie wanted to make her Grandmother's famous cranberry relish. She calls up her Grandma Trudy and asks her for her famous recipe, waiting in anticipation to be handed the precious family heirloom Suzie's jaw drops when Grandma Trudy says, "Just look on the back of the cranberry bag it's right there." That is one of my favorite stories kinda reminicent of when Monica from Friends finds out Phoebe's Grandma's famous chocolate chip cookie recipe is really the Nestle Tollhouse recipe that can be found on the back of the bag as well.

Personally I don't care for cranberry sauce but I like this relish. It's easy, tart & sweet all the things I like all rolled into one. I make it the night before so when it's served it looks more like cranberry sauce and less like a relish but I like it that way. I think it's the introduction of the water which can be omitted if you'd like it to be more like a relish. The Ocean Spray recipe doesn't call for water but the bag, which was a different brand, that I got my recipe from did.

My friend Rich at our Friends Thanksgiving said "I don't like cranberry sauce. As a matter of fact I think it's the nastiest most vile thing on the table at Thanskgiving, but I can't stop eating this. Is it bad that I just want to eat this by itself?" My friend Lisette said it would taste good over a plain cheesecake as well.

Grandma Trudy's Famous Cranberry Orange Relish

1 bag fresh cranberries

1 cup of water

1 cup of sugar

the zest of one orange

1 orange segmented

The night before in a food processor or blender combine all ingredients and blend. Put in a container and refrigerate until needed.

Awesome Sausage, Apple & Cranberry Stuffing

2007-12-09T17:59:00.000-08:00

This recipe was ranked pretty high on allrecipes so I decided to try it. I must preface this by saying I do not like stuffing and did not try it, but Ryan had it and he said it was really good and our friends seemed to like it as well. Next time I think I will try it because I tried Mom MaryAnn's at regular Thanksgiving and I think I like stuffing now.

Awesome Sausage, Apple & Cranberry Stuffing

Courtesy of Stacy M. Polcyn posted on Allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups cubed whole wheat bread (Used sourdough)
3 3/4 cups cubed white bread (Used sourdough)
1 pound ground turkey sausage (Used 1/2 Jimmy Dean Sage Sausage & 1/2 Jimmy Dean Hot sausage)
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped celery
2 1/2 teaspoons dried sage (Used fresh & doubled amount)
1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary (Used fresh & doubled amount)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (Used fresh & doubled amount)
1 Golden Delicious apple, cored and chopped (Used green Granny Smith)
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley (Used fresh & doubled amount)
1 cooked turkey liver, finely chopped (Omitted for obvious reasons)
3/4 cup turkey stock (Used low sodium chicken broth)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degree F (175 degree C). Spread the white and whole wheat bread cubes in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes in the preheated oven, or until evenly toasted. Transfer toasted bread cubes to a large bowl.

In a large skillet, cook the sausage and onions over medium heat, stirring and breaking up the lumps until evenly browned. Add the celery, sage, rosemary, and thyme; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes to blend flavors.

Pour sausage mixture over bread in bowl. Mix in chopped apples, dried cranberries, parsley, and liver. Drizzle with turkey stock and melted butter, and mix lightly. Spoon into turkey to loosely fill. I didn't stuff the stuffing in the turkey. I baked in a 13x9 dish for 30-35 minutes and then stirred it half way through cooking to make sure it cooked evenly. I must warn you this is a dry stuffing so if you like your stuffing on the moist side, you will need to add a lot more stock/broth. About 3 times as much.

Good Eats Roast Turkey

2007-12-09T17:20:00.000-08:00

My roast turkey brings all the boys to the yard and they're like it's better than yours! Your damn right it's better than yours! I could teach you but I'd have to charge! Okay so maybe I won't charge but I will teach you or should I say show you.

So this is the first turkey I have ever made and if I do say so myself it turned out quite AWESOME! It was golden brown, juicy and flavorful. Pretty much everything a roast turkey should be. So I was a little scared of making a turkey but since I was hosting Friends Thanksgiving I couldn't very well ask someone else to bring the turkey so I elicited the help of my Domestic Superhero Aunt Trish. And she recommended I brine the turkey. Apparently anybody who's anybody is brining their turkey.

Here is the recipe I used. It's from Alton Brown on the food network and it was very, very good. As always I can never follow a recipe to the "T" so my changes are in parenthesis.

Good Eats Roast Turkey

Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown

1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey (I made a smaller 12-13 pnd turkey)

For the brine:

1 cup kosher salt (I used regular table salt)

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 gallon vegetable stock (Used chicken stock because the store was out of veggie)

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1/2 tablespoon allspice berries

1/2 tablespoon candied ginger (Used ground ginger about 1/8th of a tspn, next time I'll use more)

1 gallon iced water

For the aromatics:

1 red apple, sliced

1/2 onion, sliced

1 cinnamon stick

1 cup water

4 sprigs rosemary

6 leaves sage

Canola oil (Softened 1 stick of unsalted butter instead)

Combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stockpot, and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Early on the day of cooking, (or late the night before) (I used my cooler. I did a layer of ice in the cooler then double bagged the turkey in Turkey size oven bags breast down. Placed it in the coor over the ice. Then poured the in the brine & the ice water into the bag. Then I weighted down the turkey using a small plastic cutting board and tied the bag. This kep the tukey submerged. Place some more ice around the turkey). combine the brine and ice water in a clean 5-gallon bucket Place thawed turkey breast side down in brine, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area (like a basement) for 6 hours. Turn turkey over once, half way through brining.

A few minutes before roasting, heat oven to 500 degrees.

Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes.

Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard brine.

Place bird on roasting rack inside wide, low pan and pat dry with paper towels. Add steeped aromatics to cavity along with rosemary and sage.

Tuck back wings and coat whole bird liberally with canola (or other neutral) oil. (I just massaged the turkey with the softened butter, I must have used up a little over 1/2 of the stick of butter)

Roast on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cover breast with double layer of aluminum foil, insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to oven, reducing temperature to 350 degrees F. Set thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let turkey rest, loosely covered for 15 minutes before carving.

Chica Tip: Sorry I couldn't help myself, Ryan & I watch "Simply Delicioso" on Food Network and can't help making fun of Ingrid Hoffman's lameness. But I digress, back to my tip. I almost hate giving this tip away but I will. If you find yourself having to buy a lot of spices like here for the brine you will end up spending a small fortune in spices and this might deter you from making this recipe so... Instead of going to the spice aisle, ignore it all together and go straight to the Mexican or the Ethnic aisle of your grocery store. There in the Mexican section of the aisle you will find the spices you need in little plastic bags for the embarassing price of $0.79 to $0.99!!!! That's right for about 1/4 of the price of fancy schmancy McCormicks in the fancy schmancy bottles.

Friends Thanksgiving II

2007-12-09T17:19:00.001-08:00

Friends Thanksgiving

2007-12-09T15:01:00.000-08:00

You are probably asking yourself what is Friends Thanksgiving? Well in a nutshell it's an excuse for Friends to get together before Thanksgiving and have a good time while enjoying some good Thanksgiving grub. And best of all it's family drama free.

This was the first year we had Friends Thanksgiving and it was also the first time I ever made a turkey and if I do say so myself it turned out quite AWESOME!!!! But we'll get to that a little later. Friends Thanksgiving was everything I hoped for and more. The food was great, the drinks were great and I don't think any of us had laughed that hard in a while.

The little group in attendance was comprised of Ryan & I (of course), Lisette & Jeff and Rich & Steph. Lisette brought an awesome broccoli casserole, a nice tossed salad and an amazing dip called Dr. Pete's Praline and Mustard Glaze she purchased on a recent trip to Savannah, GA. If you have never had it, and there is a good chance you haven't, you must! It's like heaven, I kid you not. It tastes like the best pralines you ever had in a reduction of maple sugar kicked up by a team of spices like cinnamon, cloves and of course mustard. She served it over cream cheese with an assortment of crackers and it was to die!

Stephanie brought an apple pie with vanilla ice cream and chocolate pie. She was supposed to bring a relish tray (crudite) but forgot it. And when she forgot it she probably made the worst mistake of her life because Lisette and I have yet to let her live that down. Especially since Lisette was looking forward to putting black olives on each of her fingers tips and then eat them off one by one. Yes I did call her a five year old for this.

I made the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and cranberry relish. And I was very pleased with how they all came out. Ryan, the hater of all things potato minus french fries, even LOVED these potatoes but who wouldn't love something that has a boat load of cream cheese in it, I mean really!

Anyway when the girls arrived I greeted each with a split of champagne with a straw and of course a smile. The "women" hung around in the kitchen working on the finishing touches and talking about "girl stuff" a.k.a. gossiping while the "men" hung out in the balcony enjoying their beers and cigars. Unfortunately dinner took a little longer than expected and the "men" ended up getting drunk before dinner was served. And when we finally announced dinner was ready Jeff jokingly answered "Wow there's food too, I thought we were just getting drunk."

We then all gathered up around the table and believe it or not we held hands and went around the table saying something we were thankful for. I kid you not! I thought the guys were going to refuse to do it but they didn't, mostly they were joking about what they were thankful for, but they did humor us girls and did it. And then it came time to grub and boy did we ever! So much so that Stephanie felt the need to relieve herself at the table, not pee just gas. I thought Lisette was going to throw up because she had the unfortunate luck of being seated by her. After dinner all the boys except for Ryan fell asleep. I couldn't believe Ryan was awake he's usually the first to pass out but there he was awake. But it didn't last very long he got tired of our girl talk and put himself to sleep but not before Stephanie did a booty dance over Rich's head. Which he woke up half way through and all he saw was Stephanie's butt and thought she was farting on him, he quickly shielded himself. And that is how Friends Thanksgiving came to an end.

We are all looking forward to doing it again next year except we'll have to put someone else in charge of the crudite, Steph I'm looking in your direction.

P.S. I must warn you if you do have a Friends Thanksgiving, it will feel like you are cheating on real Thanksgiving.

Day of the Dead/Dia de los Muertos

2007-11-12T20:49:00.001-08:00

Dia de los Muertos / Day of the Dead

2007-11-12T19:52:00.000-08:00

This was the first year our family celebrated Dia de los Muertos (DDLM) in the states. We as kids never celebrated DDLM sure my Mom and Aunts would put out fruit and bread out on the kitchen table and light a candle but there was never a "celebration". This year I decided that needed to change. Truth be told it wasn't just this year, as I get older and watch our nieces and nephews grow up I think about them growing up not knowing our Mexican culture and traditions and that saddens me very much.

So this year my sister Lucy and I got together and arranged for a pot luck style dinner and to make an altar/shrine just like it's done in Mexico. Lucky for us our Mom and our Aunts were just as excited as us. They were however very skeptical. How were we (Lucy & I) supposed to pull off Dia de los Muertos if we had never celebrated it or build an altar/shrine? My Mom as a matter of fact said, and I quote, "What do you know about sugar skull making?"

Well everyone was blown away. Not only did the sugar skulls come out good but the altar/shrine kicked butt! Which is great because I seriously was afraid of it looking like a two bit operation. Everyone did an awesome job. Lucy was the Queen being able to find Marigolds & decorations. My Mom went above and beyond by making a kick butt Pozole and then a roasted acorn squash as an offering. My Tia Nelva not to be outdone made Tinga and my Aunt Celeste provided all the garnishes for the pozole. Ryan made tri-tip & my brother in law Cesar made his famous BBQ'd ribs. And everyone brought pictures it was just too awesome for words.

Our altar/shrine consisted of "the smells" which are key, they are said to lead the deceased to the altar, and they are amazing. The strong scent of the Marigolds combined with the smell of the sugar skulls that smell like freshly iced cake and the smell of Pan de Muertos / Bread of the dead with the heavy scent of toated sesame seeds is incredible. We also had pictures of my Abuelita (Grandma) Irene, Cesar's Dad who recently passed and Ryan's beloved Pop pop.

There were offerings or things that the deceased liked and enjoyed during their time on earth. For my Abuelita we had Rompope (Mexican eggnog), cigarettes (because she took joy in this rare treat), Vaporub (because according to her it cured everything. You had a headache put some Vaporub on it, your stomach hurts put some Vaporub on it. I kid you not one time my uncle Poncho had Vaporub smeared all over his head, he was a believer too), Coca Cola (because she said it helped her digestion). For Pop pop we put out St. Patrick's Day beads, a deck of card (because he loved to play card), a bottle of wine and his sugar skull was decorated with his "signature" $2 bills.

For all of our deceased we put out glasses of water because they are thirsty after their long voyage and we also played some festive cumbias (Mexican dance music). I also included the memorial prayer card that was handed out at my sister in law's gradmother's funeral. I just had to, her funeral took place in March and the Thursday before our dinner I was cleaning out my purse and there it was. I felt it wasn't coincidence and therefore I placed the card on the altar next to Pop pop's sugar skull.

All and all it was a great night we all reminisced about our loved ones and it really felt like they were there and they were happy being amond us as we remembered them fondly and missed them so much. I encourage everyone to celebrate Dia de los Muertos in their own special way. It is a beautiful Holiday that should be celebrated more. If you ever do you'll realize that there was a good reason why the Aztecs fought the Spaniards Priest to keep it.

Again, due to my technical incompetence the slide show of our altar is in the post above.

Emeril's Shrimp Scampi

2007-11-12T19:33:00.001-08:00

What I liked about this shrimp scampi was the addition of the crushed capers. Now I don't know how Emeril intended for you to crush capers but the only way I could think of doing it at the time was through the use of a garlic press. And boy did that require some elbow grease, so much so that Ryan had to do it.

Though I did like it, it wan't "saucy" enough for me. I think next time I would add the lesser of two evils, either more butter or heavy cream. Tough choice because they are both oh soooo bad, in an oh soooo good kinda way. Oh and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to make it a little "flirtier".

Emeril's Shrimp Scampi
Recipe courtesy of Food Network

1 pound large (16-20 count per pound) shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used colosal shrimp)
2 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows (I used his bottled Essence that you purchase at the grocery store)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon capers, crushed
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound cooked linguini
3 to 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Toss the shrimp in a medium bowl with the Essence.
Place the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over high heat. Add the shrimp and spread them out evenly in the skillet. Cook for 2 minutes and quickly turn the shrimp. Add the garlic and capers to the pan and cook for 30 seconds. Add the wine, lemon juice, and remaining 2 tablespoons of the butter to the skillet and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Season the shrimp with the salt and pepper and add the pasta, tossing to coat well. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the parsley. Serve hot.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Mexican Sugar Skulls II

2007-11-12T19:30:00.001-08:00

Mexican Sugar Skulls

2007-11-12T17:50:00.000-08:00

For Dia de los Muertos/Day of the Dead I was hell bound on making these. Well I'm lying, first I thought of buying them, but they are so gosh darn expensive that making them became a non issue. And though they are easy to make there sure is a lot of waiting. For instance after you take them out of the mold you have to let them dry for 8 hours, then you have to hollow them out and then let them dry for an additional 12 hours. Then you have to fuse the two pieces together with icing and then let them dry for an additional 2 hours before you can decorate them. So as you can see although they are easy to make they sure are time tedious.

My original goal was to make 20, giving me enough to decorate our altar/shrine with & then some for the kids to decorate themselves. Needless to say due to the long process I only made six.

Here is where I found the molds. They have detailed instructions complete with illustrations showing you how to make them, so I won't write them here. But I will say I did not buy them online they have a list of retailers that carry them so lucky for me the Bowers Kidseum in Santa Ana had them so all I or should I say all Ryan had to do was drive down there are purchase one. I purchase the large sugar skull mold which consists of two parts, the front & the back of the skull, they have all kinds of different sizes and varieties.

Here are some tips:

-Don't be too over zealous in packing in the sugar, I was and therefore I only got 6 sugar skulls when I should have gotten 10.
-If you have never worked with 10 pounds of sugar before may I suggest opting out of the 10 pound bag and buying two 5 pound bags instead. Reason I say this is no matter how big a bowl you have at home there is nooooo way you will be able to fit 10 pounds of sugar in it.
-The Merengue powder I was able to find at Michael's Arts & Crafs same with the color paste.
-For 10 large sugar skulls the website advices you use 4 pounds of sugar for the royal icing. I found that 2 pounds was more than enough. Seriously though, I have about 2/4 of it still left.

I hope next year some of you try to do this or at least think about celebrating Dia de los Muertos/Day of the Dead. It's a beautiful holiday that allows us to remember our beloved family and friends who have passed.

P.S. Since I cannot get the slide show and the text to coincide in one post the slide show is in the post above.

Open Letter to My Loving Husband Ryan

2007-10-11T08:23:00.000-07:00

Dear Loving Husband,

Though I love your funny comments, thank you by the way, if you plan on going on a tangent (see second comment on Taco Salad Post) or turning this into your own public forum may I suggest that you please get your own blog.

Love Always,
Your Loving Wife & Cook Claudia

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

2007-10-08T20:44:00.001-07:00

So last night we had Mom, Dad and Nona over for dinner and we made The Man Pleaser. And oooo girl did we eat our weight in calories, carbs and saturated fats, but it was oh so good! So tonight, and maybe for the next two weeks, Ryan and I are on a "diet".

I had been sitting on this recipe for a couple of weeks now and today was the perfect day for it. Usually I am against salads as a main course because I don't think of them as a "main course". But boy oh boy did this salad prove me wrong. Not only was it filling but it was oh so tasty! We made some modifications, of course, but that doesn't deter from the orginal recipe.

Chicken Chipotle Taco Salad Recipe Courtesy of: Cooking Light Magazine
Ingredients
Dressing:

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2/3 cup light sour cream
1 tablespoon minced chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce (I also added a tspn of the adobo sauce)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder (Used Mexican Chili Powder)
4 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Salad:
4 cups shredded romaine lettuce
2 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 breast) (I blackened & BBQ'd the chicken breasts, see notes below)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (Used whole grape tomatoes)
1/2 cup diced peeled avocado (omitted, only because there were no ripe ones at the grocery store)
1/3 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained (omitted because I didn't feel like beans)
1 (8 3/4-ounce) can no-salt-added whole-kernel corn, rinsed and drained (Used Trader Joes Fire Roasted Corn)

Preparation
To prepare dressing, combine first 7 ingredients, stirring well. (Did this an hour ahead to let the flavors combine)

To prepare salad, combine lettuce and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad (I drizzled a little over the top, see above picture for looks); toss gently to coat (I didn't toss I served as is with the dressing on the side and even then we only used a fraction of it). Serve immediately.

Tip: Add a spoonful of adobo sauce for a spicier salad. Kidney or pinto beans also taste great in this dish.

Yield 4 servings (serving size: 2 1/2 cups)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 249(30% from fat); FAT 8.2g (sat 2.8g,mono 2.9g,poly 0.7g); PROTEIN 23.3g; CHOLESTEROL 50mg; CALCIUM 106mg; SODIUM 650mg; FIBER 7g; IRON 2.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 25.1g
David Bonom Cooking Light, AUGUST 2006

Notes: Here is my secret recipe to blackening the chicken; rinse and pat chicken dry, start by seasoning one side at a time, sprinkle salt (enough to season or taste), then cayenne pepper (only if you want it truly spicy), then go to Ralph /Kroger and buy their Blackenend Chicken Seasoning and sprinkle it on 'til every litle bit of the chicken is covered in it and repeat on the other side. Ha ha! You thought I was going to give you a recipe full of different spices to make your own blackened season didn't cha! You should know by now I take my help where I can get it. One more thing if you make it as I suggest it will be a little spicy.

Final Thought: I don't know why it's called a taco salad as there is no trace of "taco" anywhere, but I digres. This recipe could be easily thrown together by buying a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and cubing the breast and saving the rest for another meal, perhaps some taquitos mmmm...

Claud's Chili that's only second to Mama MaryAnn's

2007-09-26T20:53:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe off of allrecipes.com at the beginning of the year and made it for Supebowl and again for the third time this past weekend. Needless to say it was awesome! And coming from me that means a lot afterall I am famous for saying, when asked what I was going to eat at the Orange County Fair, "I'm gonna eat chili cheese everything!"

When I got this recipe I read through the various reviews, which I stronly recommend you do if you take a recipe from this site or any site that offers reviews. Anywho, after reading the many reviews I tweaked the recipe as I saw fit for us. As everyone knows chili is a matter of taste some like it sweet while some like it hot. I like it with some spice and very savory, which I think this recipe does well.

I've noted my changes in red and have converted this recipe from stove top to slow cooker (8qt crockpot) recipe. I'd also like to note that I have never made it as it is written nor have I made it on the stove top. The only way I've made it is how I suggest you make it, but it's completely up to you. You can also easily 1/2 the recipe and still end up with a lot of chilli.

One last thing as you look through some of my "adjustments" they may seem a little unorthodox or like I have a total disregard for health but this is comfort food people not diet food so put that in yo' pipe and smoke it!

Boilermaker Tailgate Chili

2 pounds ground beef chuck (I used stew beef cut into little cubes, so they break up easily)
1 pound bulk Italian sausage (I used hot Italian Sausage)
3 (15 ounce) cans chili beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can chili beans in spicy sauce
2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice (Due to crockpot space I used (3) 14.5 oz cans)
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped (didn't use, don't care for it)
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped (only used 1/2 due to space in crockpot)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped (only used 1/2 due to space in crockpot)
2 green chile peppers, seeded and chopped (I used jalapenos with seeds removed)
1 tablespoon bacon bits (Used 4 bacon strips instead, crumble & reserve grease)
4 cubes beef bouillon
1/2 cup beer (Used one full beer, Pacifico to be exact)
1/4 cup chili powder (For a special kick use Mexican chili powder)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (the first time I made I didn't add it because I didn't have it & honestly I didn't see a difference with it)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon dried oregano (If you use the Mexican chili powder use Mexican Oregano)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce (e.g. Tabasco™) (I used Cholula)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I used 3/4 tbspn)
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon white sugar (Didn't use, I like it savory so I added the juice of 1/2 a lime instead)
1 (10.5 ounce) bag corn chips such as Fritos® (Have never used)
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese (I don't "measure" shredded cheese I just shred it and whatever Ryan doesn't eat before hand we use)

This directions are split to show ST=Stovetop & CP=Crock Pot
1.ST:Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground chuck and sausage into the hot pan, and cook until evenly browned. Drain off excess grease.

CP:The directions will be the same, except if you use the beef stew meat do not drain as it will not be greasy just juicy. While you are browning the meat saute the onions in the bacon grease until tender then transfer contents to crockpot, both the meat and the onions.

2.ST:Pour in the chili beans, spicy chili beans, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Add the onion, celery, green and red bell peppers, chile peppers, bacon bits, bouillon, and beer. Season with chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, oregano, cumin, hot pepper sauce, basil, salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, and sugar. Stir to blend, then cover and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

CP: Pour the remaining ingredients, with the exception of the fritos & cheese of course, into Crockpot and mix well. And set to cook on HIGH for 10 hours. Keep a close eye on it because it might spill over from being full.

3.ST:After 2 hours, taste, and adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder if necessary. The longer the chili simmers, the better it will taste. Remove from heat and serve, or refrigerate, and serve the next day. CP: In the last 2 hours of cooking give the chili a taste and adjust salt & pepper as needed, I've never had to, at this point if you'd like to make it a little spicier add some crush red pepper flakes. I have done that and it does make it spicier.

4.ST:To serve, ladle into bowls, and top with corn chips and shredded Cheddar cheese.

CP: I do not use the corn chips but I do offer sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese & green onions and I serve the chili in bread bowls.

A couple of last minute notes: I'm sure there are easier ways to make chili out there but I like this one. And believe it or not it isn't greasy at all. One last thing, I recommend you try serving this in Rosemary bread bread bowls. Trust me it's soooo worth it and you can buy the bread in the bakery section of any grocery store. If you want to add a little something different, on one of the blogs I visit the gal revealed the "secret ingredient" in her chili, cinnamon. Which totally made sence and made me wonder why I hand't thought of it before. So if you are feeling adventurous try putting in just a dash to really play up the spices.

Easy Oreo Truffles - The Little Black Balls That Started It All

2007-09-10T21:02:00.000-07:00

Picture & Recipe Courtesy of Kraftfoods.com

These little truffles were the ones that gave me the baking bug, which is kinda ironic seeing how these aren't a "baked good" at all. But what they are is delicious!!! Not only are these truffles a must try but they will become one of the most requested items you make.

They are soooo easy to make and yet they look so gourmet when they're done you'll be embarrassed to tell people how easy they were to make, I know I was. So when you make these do as the Mom did in the old Rice Crispies Treats commercials. Pretend you slaved all day in the kitchen and don't forget to throw a sprinkling of cocoa powder in your face for effect. To make these even easier, be sure to check out my notes below.

Easy Oreo Truffles

1 pkg. (1 lb., 2 oz.) OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, divided

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

2 pkg. (8 oz. each) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, melted

CRUSH 9 of the cookies to fine crumbs in food processor; reserve for later use. (Cookies can also be finely crushed in a resealable plastic bag using a rolling pin.) Crush remaining 36 cookies to fine crumbs; place in medium bowl. Add cream cheese; mix until well blended. Roll cookie mixture into 42 balls, about 1-inch in diameter.

DIP balls in chocolate; place on wax paper-covered baking sheet. (Any leftover chocolate can be stored at room temperature for another use.) Sprinkle with reserved cookie crumbs.

REFRIGERATE until firm, about 1 hour. Store leftover truffles, covered, in refrigerator.

TIP:How to Easily Dip Truffles

Place truffle ball in melted chocolate to coat; roll if necessary. Lift truffle from chocolate using 2 forks (this will allow excess chocolate to run off) before placing on wax paper. You can also put the balls in the refrigerator to firm up a bit, then poke a toothpick in them and then dip them into the chocolate. I usually use the forks.

NOTE: I take a shortcut that takes these Truffles from easy to fool proof in 30 seconds flat. Instead of melting the baking chocolate in a double boiler. I side step that whole thing by simply buying dipping chocolate, the kind you melt in the microwave. There is no additional clean up & it's sooo easy to do.

Penne Rustica aka Man Pleaser

2007-09-09T20:28:00.000-07:00

If anyone has been to Macaroni Grill they know there are two must haves, the Pasta Milano & the Penne Rustica. This rich pasta dish is a luscious mix of penne, pancetta, shrimp & grilled chicken all swimming in a decadent cream sauce. And although it might seem like it's too much work, trust me when you get a whiff of the garlic & rosemary sauteing in the butter, you won't second guess the work! You may have to hit the gym first thing in the morning though, which is why I would only recommend you make this for special occasions or as the AKA suggests to please your man or impress your friends & family.

Overall we liked the recipe very much. The sauce is too die. Is it a carbon copy of Macaroni Grill's Penne Rustica? No, but it's a good rival and I will definately be making this again.

I made a couple of changes to the recipe as the recipe I got off the internet wasn't very complete. I will write the recipe as is, but please see my notes/changes below. So without further a do here is the Man Pleaser, I mean the Penne Rustica!

Penne Rustica

Sauce:

1 tbspn Butter

1 tbspn Garlic

1/2 tbspn Dijon Mustard

1/2 tspn Salt

1/2 tspn Chopped Rosemary

1/2 cup Marsala Wine

1/8 tspn Cayenne Pepper

4 cups Heavy Cream

Saute butter, garlic and rosemary until garlic & rosemary are fragrant. Add Marsala wine and reduce by 1/3. Add remaining ingredients and reduce by half of original volume set aside.

Penne:

1/2 oz pancetta or bacon

9 ea. Shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used colossal)

6 oz. grilled chicken breast, sliced

16 oz. penne, pre-cooked

3 oz. butter

1/2 Tblspn shallots,chopped

Pinch of Salt & pepper

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/4 tspn paprika

Saute pancetta until it begins to brown. Add butter, shallots and shrimp. Cook until shrimp re evenly pink but still translucent. Add chicken, salt and pepper; mix thoroughly. Add sauce and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and simmer until sauce thickens. In a large bowl, combine shrimp and chicken mixture with precooked pasta. Place this mixture into single serving dishes or one large casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 300* for 10-15 minutes.

NOTES: I baked the Penne Rustica in my 2 1/2 qt. corning ware dish. I strongly recommend you bake it in a dish that is at least 2 to 2 1/2 inches deep for the sauce's sake. First off the sauce, if I would have let it reduce by 1/2 I would probably still be cooking. I did the sauce as the water boiled & the penne was done & the "penne" part was ready for the sauce. And trust me the sauce was thick enough and it didn't reduce by half. Second, I used four slices of pancetta because I couldn't bring myself to ordering 1oz at the deli. Next time I think I would add 1/2 of the 1/4 pound I bought if not all. As for the chicken I used 1 chicken breast and seasoned it with salt & pepper. Third, the Parmesan cheese is wrong. You do add a 1/2 a cup into the the mixture however, you still require more to sprinkle on top. I would sprinkle enough to cover the top but not make a full layer of cheese on top. Also I would finely grate it too as apposed to shredding it. Finally, the paprika I would just sprinkle it liberally & eye ball it. That's what's going to give it that beautiful Tuscan inspired color.

Other than that I would recommend you enjoy it with a special someone or a group of someones with a good bottle of wine and Ali Farka Toure & Ry Cooder's "Taking Timbuktu". I know what you're thinking this meals requires some Sinatra but trust me this Album brings the romance,sexiness and vibrance of all these wonderful flavors to life!

And just so you are sure to try this here is one last shot. This one, is a shot after we dug in so you can see all the layers of deliciousness!

My First Post

2007-09-06T20:47:00.000-07:00

I thought long and hard about this which then led me to think why do I need a blog if I can't even think of anything to write for my first post? Truth is I was over thinking it. I was building it all in my mind as my big inauguration into the world of blogs. Picturing confetti & champagne pouring down on me as I hit "Publish Post". Flash bulbs going off as I heard the paparazzi yell "Claudia over here, over here Claudia" as I stepped away from the computer and onto the red carpet.

So without much of a bang, this is my first post. I hope to share recipe reviews, events in my life, various writings, restaurants I've visited and recommend.

Let's see if all of this is what this blog ends up being. Sometimes these things have a mind of their own.