~Eat to Live, Live to Eat~

At's Chicken Curry Crepes

2008-07-29T09:49:00.000-07:00

After months of cool kitchen cooking (consisting of mostly salads) since it's been so warm out, we are actually enjoying a spurt of cooler weather, i.e., the 90's. It was cool enough yesterday that if I turned on the oven for dinner, we may not get roasted out of our house. So I decided to dive right in and take advantage of the opportunity to make a recipe that I have been craving literally for months now.

This is a great, versatile recipe and goes right along the lines of comfort food. It's great for when you have company over, because just like any other casserole or pan of enchiladas, etc., guests can serve themselves. This recipe makes one 9x13 pan of crepes. Basically, it was just enough for my husband and I to enjoy dinner and have enough left over for lunch today. You may want to double or triple this recipe based on your crowd size.

I found recently that my local grocery store actually carries pre-made crepes in the produce section. Not only were they expensive ($5.49 for a 10-pack) but they just didn't look homemade. I've grown up having crepes my entire life, and know what the homemade ones look, feel, and taste like. Even though buying the pre-made ones would have saved me time, I thought it would be worth it to make them from scratch. Plus, I would have needed to buy two packages of the pre-made things to equal what one homemade crepe recipe would have yielded (I managed to get 19 crepes out of this recipe last night, and as professional chefs will advise, it's always best to throw the first one out. I don't like wasting food though, so Mr. Mack the pup got a little treat in his bowl).

Oh, and a little history on this recipe. It's one that I've grown up with. My aunt found this recipe when I was a wee one and would make it when we were over her house or she would come to ours. These were the days before you could buy pre-cooked chicken at every supermarket, so when she made these, she'd have to make the crepes, then the chicken, and then finally assemble and bake. It took me about an hour from start to finish to make this meal last night, imagine how long it would take her? But, she kept making it because it was always a favorite in our family. I had nearly forgotten about the recipe until we were at her house last year for a family get together and she busted these out of the oven. I knew what they were right away, the curry combined with the celery and onions have that distinct aroma. I asked her for the recipe and she happily passed it along. So here's to you At - I hope I've done it justice!

Crepe Recipe
from Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book

In a bowl, combine 2 beaten eggs, 1 1/2 cups milk, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon cooking oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; beat until combined. Heat a lightly greased 6-inch skillet; remove from heat. Spoon in around 2 tablespoons batter; lift and tilt skillet to spread batter. Return to heat; brown on 1 side only. Invert over paper towels; remove crepe. Repeat with remaining batter, greasing skillet occasionally. It's not necessary to place a paper towel in between each crepe, they won't stick together too much. Just treat them gently, they are delicate little guys. Also, most avid French chefs will tell you that it's advisable to throw the first crepe away - this is up to you. The reasoning for this is because the texture of the first crepe won't turn out like the rest, due to the temperature of the pan still figuring itself out. If your first crepe turns out alright though, then keep it.

Chicken Curry Crepes

2 cups cooked chicken (I used pre-cooked chicken breast strips)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2-5 tablespoons of flour
1 tablespoon curry
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup onion
Parmesan cheese

Prepare crepes and chicken ahead of time. Saute celery and onion until tender in a little bit of olive oil. Heat chicken broth in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk the flour into the milk with a fork or a whisk, and add gradually to the broth, whisking constantly, to combine the flour. Add the salt and curry, and simmer. The sauce will thicken as it cooks, continue whisking occasionally. Save 1 cup of this sauce and set it aside. Then add the celery, onions, and chicken to the sauce in the pan. Fill each crepe with about two tablespoons of the chicken mixture, and place seam side down into a lightly greased 9x13 glass pan. Pour reserved sauce over crepes, making sure each crepe has some on it. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Voila!

Chicken-Biscuit Melts

2008-04-09T12:48:00.001-07:00

This was a quick, shortcut dinner, and it was so good and fast, we'll definitely make it again! It's not gourmet by any means, but it fits the bill for a snappy dinner.

Chicken Biscuit Melts

1 large can refridgerated biscuits (I used Grands)
3 5 oz cans chunk white chicken in water (or leftover chopped chicken, if you have it)
2/3 cups medium chunky salsa
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 4.5 oz can diced green chiles
1 bunch green onions
2 cups shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese
Additional salsa, sour cream, etc for topping

Bake biscuits according to package directions. Allow to cool for several minutes and split and place on a baking sheet.

Combine chicken, salsa, cumin, and chiles and onions in a saucepan and heat over medium heat 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring often. Spoon mixture over biscuits and sprinkle with cheese.

Broil under high heat with oven door partially open for 2-3 minutes or until cheese melts. Serve with additional salsa, sour cream, onions, etc.

Seared Scallops with Olive & Tomato Compote

2008-04-09T12:34:00.001-07:00

This was a recipe that I found in a magazine (I can't remember which one!). I have to say that this is probably the first recipe that I've followed where the meal came out looking very close to the picture! It ended up being really delicious.

Seared Scallops with Olive & Tomato Compote

2 tbsp olive oil
1 sm. onion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed with press
1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes in juice
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
salt and pepper
1/3 c. Kalamata Olives, pitted and chopped
1 1/4 lbs. sea scallops
Polenta (see recipe below)

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil on medium until hot. Add onion and cook 6-8 minutes or until soft and golden. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes with their juice, vinegar, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Heat to boiling on medium-high, cook 8-10 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Stir in olives and transfer mixture to a bowl, cover with foil to keep warm.

Meanwhile, prepare polenta.

Remove and discard the muscle on the bottom of each scallop, rinse with water and pat dry with paper towels. Evenly season the scallops with salt and pepper. In a clean skillet, heat remaining tablespoon oil on medium-high until hot. Add scallops and cook 5 minutes or until opaque throughout and lightly browned on both sides. Serve scallops with tomato compote and polenta.

Microwave Polenta

2 1/4 c. boiling water
1 c. lowfat milk
3/4 c. yellow cornmeal
salt

In a deep 2 1/2 quart microwave safe bowl or cassarole dish, stir boiling water, milk, cornmeal, and salt. Cover with waxed paper and cook in microwave for 5 minutes.

Remove bowl from microwave and whip mixture vigorously until smooth. Microwave covered on high 2-3 minutes longer or until thickened, whisking again once cooking is over.

Chicken and Artichokes with White Wine Sauce

2008-02-18T08:36:00.000-08:00

Almost two weeks ago, my husband, Chad, requested, as I was on my way out to do some "big" grocery shopping, if we could mix up our dinners some more and not eat so much chicken. "But we love chicken," I said. "Not every single night", he replied. Sure enough, I checked out the bright yellow sheet of legal paper on our fridge, which has about two weeks worth of our past meals, and, although I don't keep the meals on this sheet in the exact order we will eat them, there sure were a lot of chicken recipes on there.

So, I have tried to vary things since that last grocery shopping trip, and picked up some pork tenderloins (see previous blog posts), ground turkey for tacos, and sliced ham for Ham and Swiss Stuffed Crepes (coming soon). However, my old standby continues to be chicken, or pasta. Chicken is a lean protein, you can make it gazillion ways, and it's cost effective. At Costco, I can buy 6.5 pounds of frozen, boneless, skinless, chicken breasts for a little over $14.00. This particular sack that I'm on started out with 14 chicken breasts. Coincidence? I think not.

So while I'll continue to use chicken for several of our meals a week, I will continue on the quest to making the chicken flavorful and interesting. This particular recipe from my trusty Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook didn't disappoint. Since the recipe calls for four chicken breasts, and I only cooked two, I kept the same equivalents for the sauce so that we were getting a good dose of the oh-so-flavorful veggies. Towards the end, I chose to throw in a couple tbsp of capers, but really, the dish didn't need them. It was quite good on it's own.

Chicken and Artichokes with White Wine Sauce
adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book

1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp dried sage or Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp olive oil
1 fresh sliced button mushrooms
1 6 oz jar artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
1 tbsp butter
1/3 cup dry white wine (I used a white cooking wine)
1/3 chicken broth
1/8 tsp salt
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

In a shallow dish, stir together flour, sage or Italian seasoning, the 1/4 tsp salt, and pepper; reserve 1 tbsp of the flour mixture and set aside. Dredge the chicken breasts with the flour mixture, and cook chicken in hot oil over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside, turning once. Remove chicken from skillet, cover with foil. In the same skillet, cook mushrooms and artichoke hearts in hot butter over medium heat for 3 minutes or until artichoke hearts are tender.

In a small bowl stir together the reserved 1 tbsp flour mixture, wine, broth, and 1/8 tsp salt until smooth. Add wine mixture to skillet, cook and stir until thickened and bubbly, about 2-3 minutes. Pour sauce over chicken, sprinkle with cheese, and serve.

Bacon Wrapped Tenderloin with RR's Super Stuffed Potatoes

2008-02-16T18:55:00.000-08:00

What a yummy, yummy Valentine's Day meal this ended up being! We decided not to go out to stick to our budget and also avoid the V-Day crowds, so I tried to make our at-home dinner a little special. Yes, we ate at the kitchen table for once, and yes, I lit candles and used (gasp!) our cloth napkins. Hooray!

This is a spin on a Rachael Ray recipe from her 365 No Repeats book. One gripe about this book is that there are very, very few pictures: I like seeing what my food is supposed to look like when it's done! So, I kind of adapted this recipe to suit us, since I didn't know what RR was really going for with this one. (Turns out she uses tenderloin steaks, and I used a complete pork tenderloin). Another note to go along with this recipe: I used a Pampered Chef Deep Covered Stoneware Baker to cook the tenderloin in, but RR's recipe calls for the steaks to be cooked on the stove.

In any case, this ended up being a great little special meal for the two of us, and I'll definitely make it again!

Bacon Wrapped Tenderloin and Super Stuffed Potatoes
Adapted from Rachael Ray

2 large russet potatoes
4 tbsp EVOO
1/2 pound button mushrooms
1 small yellow onion
2-3 garlic cloves
1 tbsp fresh thyme
salt and pepper
6 slices center cut bacon (the thick kind)
1 pork or beef tenderloin (I used a pork tenderloin)
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 pound smoked Gouda cheese, shredded

Preheat the broiler to high. Clean and prick the potatoes several times with a fork, place them on a plate, and microwave on high for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat a skillet over medium-high heat with about 2 tablespoons of the EVOO, add the mushrooms, and once they start to brown, add the onion, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook 4-5 minutes.

Line the bacon slices next to each other on your cutting board or a piece of waxed paper, having them overlap slightly. Place the tenderloin lengthwise across the bacon and begin rolling the tenderloin up into the bacon slices, making sure they are fairly taught. Place into a deep covered stoneware baker suitable for microwave use, and microwave for 15 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. (Or, if you will be cooking on the stove, use remaining EVOO in a skillet over medium high heat, and cook tenderloin 2 minutes on each side. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking for another 6-10 minutes for medium rare).

To finish the potatoes, allow them to cool slightly once removing from the microwave, and slice them in half lengthwise, making your cut take off just a small top portion of the potato (if you cut it directly and evenly in half, you will have too much leftover potato filling). Scoop out the flesh of the potatoes into a medium sized bowl, taking care not to rip the potato skins. Using a potato masher, smash the potato flesh together with the sour cream, and then stir in the sauteed mushroom mixture, shredded Gouda, salt, and pepper. Scoop the filling back into the potatoes and pack it down slightly (the filling will mound the potato skins). Place on a cookie sheet and place under the broiler until lightly browned, 3-5 minutes.

Chicken Enchiladas

2008-02-16T18:45:00.000-08:00

Not your average chicken enchilada recipe!

This recipe had ingredients in it that I wouldn't even think to add to enchiladas... cream cheese? Almonds? Nonetheless, they were fantastic :)

Chicken Enchiladas
courtesy of Better Home and Gardens New Cook Book

1/4 cup slivered or sliced almonds
1/4 chopped onion
2 tbsp butter or margarine
1 4oz can diced green chile peppers, drained
1 3 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp milk
1/4 tsp ground cumin
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
12 7inch flour tortillas
1 can cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup
1 8oz carton sour cream
1 cup milk
3/4 cup shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese
2 tbsp slivered or sliced almonds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium skillet, cook the 1/4 cup almonds and the onion in hot butter over medium heat until onion is tender and nuts are lightly toasted. Remove skillet from heat, stir in 1 tbsp of the green chile peppers, reserve remaining peppers for sauce.

In a medium bowl combine cream cheese, the 1 tbsp milk, and cumin; add nut and onion mixture and chicken. Stir until combined, and spoon about 3 tbsp of the mixture onto each tortilla near one edge. Roll up and place seam side down in a rectangular baking dish.

For sauce, in a medium bowl combine the reserved chile peppers, soup, sour cream, and 1 cup milk. Pour evenly over the tortillas in the baking dish. Cover with foil. Bake for about 35 minutes or until heated through. Remove foil, and sprinkle enchiladas with cheese and remaining almonds. Return to oven and bake about 5 more minutes or until cheese melts. Serve immediately.

Red Wine & Walnut Risotto

2008-02-04T10:19:00.001-08:00

Along with the crunchy onion chicken last night, I thought some risotto might be a nice accompaniment. I had just about 3/4 cup of Arborio Rice left over, so for just the two of us, it would make just enough risotto.

It's "clean out the fridge week" at our house, before I make my next big shopping trip, so I'm trying to use up whatever I have laying around. When we have wine, and don't finish the bottle, I don't throw it away. I keep it corked up and use it in cooking to flavor sauces, deglaze a pan, you name it. So the inch left in an old bottle of Meridian cab still on the kitchen counter, was perfect for throwing in the risotto.

Red Wine & Walnut Risotto

3/4 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup red wine
1 onion
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
5 tbsp of butter
1 qt. chicken stock or broth
1/4 cup walnuts
salt and pepper

Melt 3 tbsp. of the butter in a large saucepan and saute the onions until translucent. Add the crushed garlic and cook until the garlic becomes fragrant, then add the rice, stirring to coat it. Allow the rice to cook for a couple of minutes, then add the wine, and stir until evaporated. Follow by a cup or so of hot broth or stock, and again stir until evaporated. Continue this pattern until all of the stock has been used up and the rice is done. Finely chop the walnuts with a kitchen chopper or knife, and add them to risotto, along with the remaining 2 tbsp. of butter. Mix well and serve immediately.

Crunchy Onion Chicken

2008-02-04T10:13:00.000-08:00

Sorry I've been MIA everyone. I don't know how many readers I actually draw to this blog, but I've been concentrating on some personal stuff and haven't really been making any "blog-worthy" recipes anyway. I'm trying to get back in the groove of good meal planning though, so look for more posts to come!

Last night I made a recipe that only calls for three ingredients, and was super simple to make. It was an advertisement in the middle of my Kraft Food & Family magazine (seriously, if you don't receive this magazine, you are missing out, there are some great recipes in there).

This ended up being really good. The onions stayed crunchy, and the chicken was moist, not dry (I despise dry chicken, so the fact that it was so moist was a plus).

Crunchy Onion Chicken
courtesy of French's

1 1/3 cups French's French Fried Onions
1 egg, beaten
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts

Crush french fried onions in a plastic bag.
Dip chicken in egg, then coast in onion crumbs.
Bake 20 minutes at 400 degrees or until cooked through.

Three Cheese and Artichoke Stuffed Pork Chops

2007-12-06T08:04:00.001-08:00

What do you stuff pork chops with? I suppose the possibilities are endless. I usually stuff mine with a garlic/onion/spinach and maybe cheese mixture. However the only thing I had of those one recent night was the cheese! I still wanted to do something jazzy with these chops though, so I dug through the cupboards and found a jar of artichoke hearts. Maybe I could pull off an artichoke stuffed pork chop? Sure, let's try it!

I then noticed I had some cream cheese, which would make a nice thick base for the artichokes. And why stop at one cheese when you can have... three?

Three Cheese and Artichoke Stuffed Pork Chops

Two boneless pork chops at least 3/4" thick
1/2 small jar artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
grated Parmesan cheese
2 slices swiss cheese
salt and pepper
olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut a large slit lengthwise in the side of each chop, to stuff the filling into. Do not cut all the way through the chop. In a small bowl mix cream cheese, artichoke hearts, mayo, and Parmesan cheese. Fold each slice of swiss cheese in half and place them into the pockets of the pork chops. With a rubber spatula, fill each chop with the artichoke mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

In a pan over medium high heat, spread some olive oil onto the pan and add the chops, cooking until golden brown on each side. Remove from the heat and add the pan to the oven to finish cooking, 10-15 minutes or until done. If some of the filling has come out of the pocket, you can scoop it on top of the pork chop when serving.

Crab Stuffed Potatoes

2007-12-06T07:48:00.001-08:00

My friend Dane, who makes the best twice-baked potatoes that I've ever had, would be proud. This recipe sounded a bit odd at first but I think will end up being a favorite in our household. It made a great easy meal for a cold Saturday night. The ingredients were simple to come by and the process was simple on the cook!

Crab Stuffed Potatoes

4 large baking potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 Mozzarella cheese - shredded
3 oz. cream cheese - softened
4 oz. flaked crab meat
parsley
paprika
2 chopped green onions
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
salt and pepper
melted butter

Pierce potatoes and bake at 425 degrees for 45 minutes. Cut a thin, lengthwise slice from the top of each. Carefully scoop out centers, leaving shells 1/4" thick. Beat removed potato insides with butter, cream, cheeses, crab, onion, nutmeg, salt and pepper until smooth. Mound mixture back into potato shells, packing lightly. Top with melted butter, paprika, and parsley. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until heated thoroughly.

I'm not a very good picture taker! - and Stuffed Chicken Wrapped In Bacon

2007-12-06T07:06:00.002-08:00

Poor Chad. I keep stealing his digital camera to take pictures of my culinary creations. Too bad I can't take a decent picture! Anyone have any tips for me on how to maneuver this digital camera thing so that all of my foods don't look like they have a ghostly cast to them?

Anyway. Sorry my posting has been so sporadic lately. I have indeed been cooking, just maybe not some post-worthy things on a nightly basis. This next dish is a staple at our house for when we have company over. Well, it's usually this or meatloaf that I cook, depending on the weather. And I'm really sorry that the picture doesn't do it justice here!

Several Saturdays ago, our friend Cory came out and he and Chad went golfing for a while. By the time they came home it was right around dinner time, so I started racking my brain for something that I could whip together somewhat quickly that was fulfilling for the hungry boys. I decided to make chicken breasts wrapped in bacon - not only is it along the lines of a "manly meal", but it is so, so yummy, that I couldn't see Cory not liking it. (You may ask why I wasn't worried about Chad not liking it. There is very little that Chad won't eat :D )

Turns out Cory loved it, and asked for the instructions so that he could cook it up for himself and his roommates! I paired the chicken with a simple risotto ("riz, riz, wha?" -asked Cory, as I stood stirring the rice in the pot. I explained to him it's like a creamy rice, and after a few bites he was in heaven. :)

*Warning! This meal is not dietic by any means! It should be eaten sparingly! -End Warning*

Stuffed Chicken Breasts Wrapped in Bacon
Courtesy of: My head!

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
8-12 slices of bacon (I used Applewood smoked bacon and it was delish!)
4 oz. cream cheese, softened (I popped mine in the microwave for about 30 seconds)
3 chopped green onions
olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Pound the chicken out until it's about 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick between two pieces of waxed paper. Add the chopped green onions to the cream cheese, and mix well. Using a knife or a rubber spatula, spread the chicken breasts with a generous amount of the cream cheese mixture. Begin wrapping up the chicken in a spiral form, starting at the short end, into a tight package. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Have your bacon slices ready and begin wrapping the bacon around the chicken package. (I usually wrap 2-3 slices around the chicken's girth, and then another slice lengthwise from front to back, so that not too much of the cream cheese mixture will pop out the sides). Secure the bacon slices with 2-3 toothpicks.

Heat up a pan at medium-high heat with a few tablespoons of olive oil, and cook the chickens on each side (depending on how your toothpicks are situated, you may have to turn each chicken a few times until the bacon has browned on each side). Once the bacon is browned, move the chicken to the oven. Continue cooking for about 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Allow the chicken to rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

Shrimp Risotto

2007-11-30T22:01:00.001-08:00

This is a spin on a shrimp risotto that I'd had at Strizzi's restaurant in Pleasanton, the night of our rehearsal dinner. I felt like seafood for dinner one night but didn't want to go with the usual fillets in the oven or stove. I had just gotten a brand new box of Arborio rice at Trader Joe's and thought this would be the perfect time to try to re-create the shrimp risotto I'd had at Strizzi's - though I wasn't sure that my cooking would ever meet up to theirs! This ended up being pretty good - it was tomato-ey and creamy, and very fulfilling! I served it with a Caesar salad and french bread.

Shrimp Risotto

2 tbsp. Olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 white cooking wine
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 - 1 lb. fresh cooked shrimp, tails removed
1/4 cup butter
2 tbsp. tomato paste

Heat oil in a large skillet and add onions. Cook until translucent and then add garlic. Add the rice and stir to heat in the oil until the rice becomes a pearl-y color. Lift the pan from the heat momentarily while you pour in the cooking wine, and then cook, stirring constantly, until wine is evaporated. Add 1 cup of chicken broth and stir constantly, cooking until all broth has been evaporated. Repeat with all of the remaining broth. Add the shrimp, butter, and tomato paste, stir until warmed. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Toasted Almond Chicken

2007-11-30T21:53:00.001-08:00

This is a recipe that comes together quickly - and has such a great velvety sauce, that you will be more than satisfied with this dish. This recipe is from a cookbook that I have called Our Best Easy Weeknight Favorites, by Southern Living. Most of the meals in this book come together in 30 minutes or less and all of the ones that I have tried have been really good.

The recipe calls for 6 chicken breasts but I only use three, which is one for each of us and then 1 more for my lunch the next day :) I keep the measurements for the rest of the ingredients the same though, because the sauce is so good that I soup it up with bread or rice.

Toasted Almond Chicken

6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
3 tbsp. butter or margarine, divided
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
2 tbsp. orange marmalade
1 tbsp. dijon mustard
1 pkg sliced almonds, toasted

Place chicken between two sheets of heavy duty plastic wrap and flatten to 1/4 inch thickness, using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Melt 1 1/2 tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add half of the chicken and cook 2 minutes per each side or until golden. Remove chicken from skillet and repeat procedure with remaining butter and chicken.

Reduce heat to medium; add whipping cream and next 3 ingredients to skillet, stirring well. Add chicken back to the pan, sprinkle with the almonds, and cook 8 minutes or until sauce thickens.

Homemade Mac & Cheeeeeeese

2007-11-30T21:33:00.002-08:00

Years ago, I came across a recipe in O! Magazine for homemade macaroni and cheese. YUM, I thought, as I made the recipe for the first time - I'd never had the real, homemade stuff before. This recipe is simple and impressive - I've made it for friends and family members, and everyone requests the recipe. One thing I love about fall and winter is using the oven again constantly - something I try to avoid during the hot summers here in the valley - so when I found this recipe in my recipe box recently, I thought it was time to whip out this old yummy dish.

Did you note the play on words in this blog posts title? There is a LOT of cheese in this dish - it's fairly rich. I do suggest using all of the cheeses though - I've made it once without the Fontina or Emmentaler, and it just wasn't the same!

Macaroni & Cheese
Courtesy of O! Magazine

8 tbs. unsalted butter
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne
1 pound elbow macaroni
1 cup freshly grated Cheddar
1 cup freshly graded Gruyere
1 cup freshly grated Fontina or Emmentaler (I use Fontina)
1 1/3 cups freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup fresh bread crumbs (I pulse a few stale rolls or hamburger buns in my food processor)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using 1 tbsp. of the butter, grease a 3 qt. ovenproof baking dish (I use a Corningware dish).
2. In a heavy saucepan, melt 6 tbsp. butter over low heat. With a wire whisk, mix in flour and cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes.
3. Gradually whisk in milk until blended, then mustard, salt, and cayenne. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 2 minutes.
4. In a large sauce pot of salted boiling water, cook macaroni until just al dente, about 7 minutes, and drain well. In a large bowl, stir together macaroni, milk mixture, Cheddar, Gruyere, Fontina, and 1 cup of the Parmesan. Spoon into prepared baking dish and spread evenly.
5. In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs and remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan; sprinkle evenly over macaroni. Cut remaining 1 tbsp. butter into small pieces and scatter over top of bread crumbs; bake until golden brown and bubbling, 25-30 minutes. Serves 8 as an entree, or 12 as a side dish, or two for several days worth of leftovers and side dishes :)

Croque Madame

2007-11-30T21:20:00.001-08:00

My blog is long overdue for a post! I have been studying my tail off because I'm starting school tomorrow December 1st! I'm really excited, so I've been spending time on that and not on updating the blog - sorry! However I have been taking pictures of my foods as I make them, and am ready on this Friday night to share them with you!

I LOVE receiving my Williams -Sonoma catalog in the mail. I can't always afford to buy something from it, but I love looking at all of the products and every so often there is a recipe or two. In the most recent catalog I received, there was a recipe for Croque Madame, which I had never heard of but the picture looked tasty and the recipe looked simple enough for a very elegant breakfast. I was right! This was so, so yummy, my husband had no idea what I was in the kitchen cooking up and was pleasantly surprised at what I whipped up one recent Saturday morning. Behold, the recipe below :)

Croque Madame
Courtesy of Williams-Sonoma

Preheat broiler. Place 8 slices toasted thick bread on parchment lined baking sheet. Top each of two slices with thinly sliced ham. Top all slices with 3 tbs. Bechamel sauce (recipe below); spread evenly with a knife. Top all slices with grated Gruyere cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbling and light brown, 10-15 minutes. In fry pan, cook 4 eggs sunny side up. Stack the 4 slices without ham onto to the ham-topped slices. Top each with 1 egg. Serve immediately.

Bechamel Sauce
Courtesy of Williams-Sonoma

3 tbs. unsalted butter
3 ts. all-purpose flour
2 cups milk, heated
salt and pepper, to taste

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, until blended, 1 minute - do not let the flour brown. Gradually add the milk, whisking constantly. Reduce the heat to low and continue to whisk until the sauce is smooth and slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. The sauce should coat the back of a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper, increase the heat to medium and simmer to blend the flavors, 2-3 minutes. Makes about two cups.
*For the Croque Madame recipe, I also whisked in some additional Gruyere cheese.

Homemade Ham & Bacon Pizza

2007-11-03T07:56:00.001-07:00

With my Pampered Chef order from awhile back, I ordered two boxes of their pizza crust and roll mix. It's a really good, thick dough. I haven't used it to make dinner rolls, but the pizza dough comes out amazing. I decided to use one packet of the mix (each box comes with two) and make a homemade pizza with some leftover ingredients that I had on hand. It ended up being a great quick weeknight meal that didn't have me in the kitchen for more then 30 minutes.

Allie's Homemade Ham & Bacon Pizza
1 pizza crust, rolled to your liking (I left mine rather thick)
1/2 can tomato sauce
1 tbl. pizza seasoning
1 pkg. fresh mozzarella cheese
1 bunch green onions
1 cup cooked diced ham
4 slices cooked bacon, diced
salt and pepper
olive oil

1. Dust your pizza pan with some cornmeal to avoid the dough sticking to your pan. Roll out the dough to fit and slightly overlap the diameter of your pizza pan (I used a stoneware pan). Fold the overlaps back over itself so that it forms a raised crust all the way around the pizza. Spread the tomato sauce on the dough and sprinkle with pizza seasoning.
2. In a pan on the stove cook the bacon slices, and drain on paper towels. Once cooled dice the bacon slices, and chop the green onions.
3. Meanwhile, thinly slice the mozzarella and scatter the slices over the sauce on your pizza. Top the cheese with the bacon, ham, onions, and salt and pepper. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and bubbly and the cheese is melted. Let cool for 3-5 minutes, slice, and serve!

Chicken Breasts Supreme

2007-11-03T07:46:00.001-07:00

I had been eyeing this recipe in my slow cooker cookbook for quite sometime, however when I was working it was difficult to make this recipe on a weeknight, because it only needs to stay in the slow cooker for 3-4 hours. I typically would make slow cooker meals that took 8 hours or more since I'd be at work.

But now I have the time to make these shortened slow cooker recipes and so I gave this one a shot. It was to die for! All of the cheeses got
melt-y and delicious. I will definitely make this again!

Chicken Breasts Supreme
2 slices bacon
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (I used only two, and adjusted the ingredients accordingly)
1 4.5 oz. jar sliced mushrooms, drained (I used fresh mushrooms since I had some on hand)
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
2 tbl. dry sherry, if desired
3 oz. sliced swiss cheese
1 tbl. chopped fresh chives

1. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet, drain on paper towels. Refrigerate until needed. Reserve bacon drippings in skillet.

2. Add chicken breasts to bacon drippings in skillet, cook over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes or until lightly browned, turning once. Transfer chicken to crock pot. Top with mushrooms. In same skillet, stir together soup and sherry. Spoon over mushrooms.

3. Cover, cook on low setting for 3-4 hours.

4. Top mixture in slow cooker with cheese slices. Sprinkle with chives, crumble bacon over cheese. Increase heat to high; cover and cook an additional 10 minutes until cheese is melted. With slotted spoon, remove chicken from slow cooker and serve with the juices.

Spaghetti with Quick Bolognese

2007-11-03T07:25:00.000-07:00

I came across this great looking recipe in my (free!) Nest magazine that comes quarterly. The ingredients were not that hard to come by and the picture looked amazing, so I had to try it! What I loved about this recipe also was that it called for canned diced tomatoes, so that I wasn't spending most of my time in the kitchen chopping. Canned tomatoes sure have come a long way and I keep a few cans on hand all the time now. They are great for making impromptu sauces or salsas.

For the heavy cream ingredient, I used half and half that I had in the fridge, and I unfortunately didn't have any fresh parsley :(. But all in all this was a great meal and made really great leftovers for lunch the next day too!

Spaghetti with Quick Bolognese

1 tbl. olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 carrot diced (I used two, just to get some more veggie value out of this dish)
1 lb. Italian pork sausage (spicy or sweet)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbl. tomato paste
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes (with their juices)
1/4 cup heavy cream or milk
2 tbl fresh oregano, marjoram, or flat leaf parsley, choppped
kosher salt
8 oz. spaghetti
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for passing at the table

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 3-4 minutes, until tender and translucent. Add the carrot and cook for about 2 minutes, until it softens slightly.
2. Cut the sausage casings and squeeze the meat into the skillet. Discard casings.
3. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, season with salt and pepper, and cook and stir for another 3-4 minutes, breaking up the sausage with a spoon as it cooks, until light brown but not cooked through.
4. Add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Add the wine and simmer for about 2 minutes to reduce it slightly. Add the tomatoes (and their juices).
5. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer the sauce, partially covered, for about 30 minutes to thicken. Turn off the heat and stir in the heavy cream and oregano.
6. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente, 8-9 minutes.
7. Reserve a cup of pasta cooking water, drain the spaghetti, and add it to the pan with the sauce. Toss to coat and add enough of the reserved cooking water to make the sauce slippery. Sprinkle the pasta with Parmesan and pass more at the table.

Sczechuan Noodles

2007-10-19T08:49:00.000-07:00

This is a favorite Barefoot Contessa Recipe of mine. It has so much flavor and my husband loves it. I am not able to find tahini in my local grocery stores, so I leave this out and just use regular sesame seeds in the sauce. When I decided on making this recipe for dinner, I realized I didn't have any spaghetti or linguine, so I just used what I had on hand, which was some rigatoni. Turned out great!

I usually serve this dish with some steamed broccoli and spring rolls.

Sczechuan Noodles

6 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup tahini (sesame paste)
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup good soy sauce
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon hot chili oil
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 pound spaghetti
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 yellow bell pepper, julienned
4 scallions, sliced diagonally (white and green parts)

Place the garlic and ginger in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the vegetable oil, tahini, peanut butter, soy sauce, sherry, sherry vinegar, honey, chili oil, sesame oil, and ground peppers. Puree the sauce.

Add a splash of oil to a large pot of boiling salted water and cook the spaghetti al dente. Drain the pasta in a colander, place it in a large bowl, and while still warm, toss with 3/4 of the sauce. Add the red and yellow bell peppers and scallions; toss well. Serve warm or at room temperature. The remaining sauce may be added, as needed, to moisten the pasta.

Elly's Carnitas a la Crockpot

2007-10-16T11:39:00.000-07:00

Have I told you how much I love Elly's blog? She is cooking up some great things, and is one of my favorite food blogs out there. Plus, she takes amazing food pictures - how can you not love a picture of a huge dish of (blank) right in front of you?!

This is a recipe that I borrowed from her blog, and it turned out great! With there just being two of us, this recipe was more than enough, and I had some for lunch the next day with my mom when she decided to join me here at home on her lunch break from work. Needless to say I sort of knocked her socks off with the flavor, and the carnitas ended up (in my opinion) being better the second day - I think maybe because the flavors had a chance to mingle a little more and the sauce thickened up.

Elly's Carnitas a la Crockpot!

- 2 lb. pork roast (I found one that was only 1.5 lbs, so adjusted my measurements throughout the recipe accordingly).
- cumin
- oregano
- chili powder
- cayenne powder
- salt and pepper
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled and whole
- 1 cup tomatillo salsa
- 1 onion, diced
- a little oil
- cilantro (optional)
- cooking spray

Spray the bowl of the crockpot with some cooking oil.

Cook the diced onions in the oil until they are translucent. Add the tomatillo salsa in and stir to combine.

Meanwhile, season the roast. Season liberally with salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, oregano and cayenne on both sides. On the top, cut 5 slits or Xs into the roast and insert the whole cloves of garlic in the slits.

Put roast into the crockpot. Pour tomatillo mixture over the roast.

Cook on low for about 8 hours or on high for, I would guess about 4. Shred the meat with two forks and continue to cook for about 30 minutes with the lid off, to thicken the salsa a bit. Remove the garlic cloves and stir in the cilantro.

Use to fill tacos/burritos/enchiladas or just eat with some beans and rice.

Pampered Chef products are here! And -- Orzo with Cinnamon Brown Butter and Parsley

2007-10-11T15:36:00.000-07:00

After having my kitchen and living room taken over by five, very large daunting Pampered Chef boxes yesterday, a quick and simple meal is what last night was all about. I rounded this out with some steamed corn and a slice of beer bread. I would post the recipe for the beer bread, since it was really good, but was a mix from Pampered Chef that is new and I just had to try. I made the bread in my new stoneware loaf pan though, and it turned out really light and fluffy. I've never had beer bread before and it was surprisingly sweet.

I've planned some upcoming future meals around using my new pampered chef products - new toys in the kitchen, who can resist! So stay tuned for more new things to come.

The orzo dish below is a mellow and earthy meal. I was hesitant about the cinnamon in the pasta, but it was not overpowering at all.

1 pound orzo
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (from 2 bunches)

Cook orzo in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until tender. While orzo cooks, melt butter in a small heavy skillet over moderately low heat, then simmer until golden brown with a nutty aroma, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat, then stir in oil, cinnamon, and pepper.

Drain orzo in a colander, then return to pot and add brown-butter mixture, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of skillet, and parsley. Toss until combined well and season with salt.

Turkey, Tomato and Goat Cheese Empanadas

2007-10-09T13:03:00.000-07:00

Yes friends, this is an Allie special. I became inspired yesterday afternoon while browsing through my new Rachael Ray Cookbook on some different types of food options that are quick and easy. Last night for dinner, I decided to utilize those skills by rummaging around to see what I had to make a new type of meal that didn't have me in the kitchen all night. I had just been to the grocery store on Sunday afternoon and picked up a bunch of fresh produce. They also had a sale on bunches of herbs so I got one of basil (my favorite) and another of parsley. For this recipe I used goat cheese since I had some left over from Sunday night's meal, but I'm sure swiss, gouda, or blue cheese would be fantastic in this too. Here's what I decided to make out of what I already had in my kitchen.

To make my job really easy, I also have a turnover maker. I picked up a pack three of these plastic gizmos while browsing the kitchen section at Ross on my lunch break one day. It helped me keep the filling and dough uniform while sealing the ingredients inside the pocket. I also highly recommend letting your pie dough stay in the fridge until right before you use it. I had mine sitting on the counter for a few minutes while I was slicing and dicing and the dough wanted to stick to the press while I was sealing the ingredients in.

I served the empanadas with leftover popovers and steamed broccoli with garlic mayo (just mix some garlic powder into regular mayonnaise to taste).

Turkey, Tomato and Goat Cheese Empanadas

3 Roma Tomatoes, sliced
1 package of Pillsbury pie crusts (there will be two crusts in each package)
12 leaves of fresh basil
1 oz or so of goat cheese (to your taste)
12 slices of turkey lunchmeat
olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.

Cut a section of pie dough about 7 -9 inches in diameter (or to your liking). Be sure you are getting a large enough piece that will hold ingredients as well as have an edge to seal the crust. You can cut the dough round or square to your liking.

On one half of the dough (and still leaving a little room on the edge) line two pieces of basil flat. On top of the basil place two slices of tomato, two slices of turkey, and finally, a few crumbles of goat cheese. Top with a few drops of olive oil. Fold the other half of the dough over the ingredients and press the edge of the crust to the other edge to seal.

Place on the prepared cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes, until the crust is a light golden brown.

Pistachio Crusted Chicken with Red Wine-Goat Cheese Sauce

2007-10-09T12:42:00.000-07:00

On Sunday night we invited our friends Natalie and Aaron over for dinner. It's been awhile since we have had guests over to eat at our house (usually we go out somewhere when meeting up with friends). But I decided this would be a nice change, and I have had some great recipes I've been wanting to try anyway. I know that my husband is not a picky eater, which is great, but it's also nice for a new, fresh and unbiased opinion of my cooking. While browsing Elly's blog last week, I came across this recipe for pistachio crusted chicken (sounded amazing) and a red wine sauce to top it all off. I thought this recipe would be perfect to try out on our friends. Natalie isn't too big on goat cheese or onions, so she opted for no sauce, and Aaron decided it would be nice to have the option of goat cheese, so I set it out on the table but didn't mix it into the sauce as the recipe calls for. Although if I had mixed it in, I think the sauce would have ended up with a creamier texture, and possibly would not have been as dark. All in all the meal was a great hit! We all enjoyed it. I rounded out the meal with a simple risotto, popovers, and a green salad. As Elly entails in her blog as well, the sauce looks daunting and not very appetizing, but I assure you, its delicious! I would also recommend doubling the recipe for the sauce, as we barely had enough to top the chickens, and I know some of ya'all out there like lots of sauce to mop up with your bread. YUM!

Pistachio Crusted Chicken with Red Wine-Goat Cheese Sauce

2 chicken breast halves
1/2 cup pistachios, shelled and chopped or processed
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten
flour, for dredging
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. butter
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup red wine
2 Tbsp. cream or half and half
1-2 oz. soft goat cheese
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix pistachio pieces and breadcrumbs together in a shallow bowl or plate.

Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour, and then in beaten egg and finally, in pistachio mixture.

Heat a skillet over moderate heat and add olive oil. Pan fry chicken breasts to brown/crisp up breading--about 2 minutes per side.

Move chicken breast to oven to finish cooking--10-20 minutes, depending how large breasts are.

To make sauce:

Melt butter in a skillet (I used the same one as the chicken, but you don't have to).

Cook shallot until tender, then add garlic and cook until fragrant.

Pour in wine. Reduce by half.

Stir in cream and cook 1-2 minutes to heat through and thicken.

Sieve mixture, if desired.

Off the heat, stir in the goat cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cinnamon Pound Cake

2007-10-05T20:06:00.001-07:00

So I got laid off from my job on Monday. I knew it was coming, and I'm excited and anxious to be moving onto something new. In the meantime, I've had some free time on my hands this week for sure. Today, I decided to get into the kitchen and start cooking. I wasn't sure what, but I just wanted to keep my hands busy with the preparation and making of FOOD.

I searched on my new addiction, bakespace.com, for some recipe ideas. I settled on this cake recipe because, lucky for me, its base is a yellow cake mix, and I had all of the other ingredients in my fridge and pantry. I haven't tried the cake yet, but for just going off of a simple mix and adding only a few ingredients, it looks really good. Here is the recipe:

Vegetable oil spray for misting the pan
All-purpose flour for dusting the pan
1 package (18.5 ounces) plain butter recipe yellow cake mix
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, if desired
1 cup sour cream
4 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly mist a 10-inch tube pan with the vegetable oil spray, and dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour and set the pan aside.

2. Place the cake mix and flour in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Measure out 2 tablespoons of this mixture and place it in a small bowl. Add the sugar, cinnamon, and pecans, if desired, to the small bowl and stir to combine. Set this aside.

3. Add the sour cream, eggs, oil, water, and vanilla to the large mixing bowl with the cake mix and flour. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are incorporated. Stop the machine, and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the speed to medium and blend 1 1/2 to 2 minutes more, or until the mixture is well combined and has lightened in texture. Spoon half of the batter into the prepared pan. With your fingers scatter all but 2 tablespoons of the sugar and cinnamon filling on top of the batter. Spoon the remaining batter into the pan, and carefully spread it out so as not to disturb the sugar layer. Sprinkle the remaining filling on top of the batter, and place the pan in the oven.

4. Bake the cake until it springs back when lightly pressed and the top has lightly browned, 52 to 55 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, and place on a rack to cool for 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the pan, and invert the cake once, then again so that the cake rests right-side up on the cooling rack. Let it cool for 30 minutes, then slice and serve.

Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies Ever

2007-10-03T09:07:00.000-07:00

At my old job we had a lot of potlucks. Like, two a month. They were a lot of fun, and we also were able to see what types of foods everybody eats in their homes. For one particular potluck, a co-worker brought in these tiny peanut butter cookies. They were the kind you can just pop in your mouth. Biting into one though, takes you by surprise. I love peanut butter and peanut butter cookies, but it seems that a lot of recipes out there dilute the peanutty taste with butter and/or shortening. When I asked her for the recipe, I was very surprised to hear it -- only three ingredients, and you have a stash of homebaked cookies. Double or triple the recipe for to your liking, but off of the measurements below you'll get around 25 small cookies. Enjoy!

1 cup of suger
1 cup of peanut butter (I like creamy peanut butter)
1 egg

Lightly beat the egg in a medium sized bowl. Add the peanut butter and sugar, and mix with a wooden spoon just til combined. Use a kitchen scoop with a release handle to easily ball the dough and create uniform cookies. Sprinkle with additional sugar, if desired. Bake on a cookie sheet in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes.

Lemon Pound Cakes

2007-10-02T13:08:00.000-07:00

I love to bake. Always have, always will. When I was a freshman in high school, I took it upon myself one day after school to do some Christmas baking. I made a mess in the kitchen, but everyone loved the cookies. I packaged some up to give to family members when we would go to their houses, and they also loved them. That was eleven years ago, and I still do this each Christmas.

Over the past few years I worked at perfecting my system and recipes. (You simply have to have a system to whip out this many cookies). Six years ago, I started purchasing plastic buckets at Wal-Mart each year that have Christmas designs on them. They are inexpensive and great way to make a little cookie kit for each family (I just line them with parchment paper). They have lovingly been named the Cookie Buckets, and are now fully expected at Christmas time!

While I have a few stand-byes that I make each Christmas (sugar cookies, chocolate chip, and pinwheels, among others) I try to change things up by having one new thing each year, and maybe I'll drop something out that wasn't a huge hit. One year I opened up my Real Simple magazine that had just come in the mail, and saw this recipe for Lemon Pound Cakes. I love lemon, and I love pound cakes. I thought these would be a nice addition to the cookie buckets, and it can't get any easier when you purchase disposable loaf pans at the grocery store (they come in packs of 3, and I buy six of those). This recipe however makes each cake tiny, and there is plenty of room left in the pan for them to rise some more. Two years ago, I began doubling the recipe for each set of cakes, and they fill the pan much better, and of course provide more for each family to eat. So I do recommend doubling the recipe to still yield six pound cakes.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 1 cup (2 sticks), at room temperature
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
Zest of 1 lemon
1 cup light cream (I use half and half)
1 tablespoon lemon extract (I use real lemon juice)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Brush six 5 ¾-by-3 ½-inch disposable loaf pans with the melted butter. Position a rack in lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 350° F.

Sift the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg into a large bowl; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the room-temperature butter on medium until smooth. Gradually add the sugar and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Lightly whisk the eggs, then beat them into the butter-sugar mixture. Add the lemon zest. Add a quarter of the dry-ingredients mixture, followed by a third of the cream, blending until smooth. Repeat until all the dry ingredients and cream have been combined. Blend in the extracts.

Divide the batter among the pans. Place pans in oven, spacing evenly. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until the tops are golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack. The cakes can be wrapped in plastic and kept frozen for up to 1 month.

Yield: Makes 6 small cakes (about 6 servings each)

Meatloaf!

2007-10-02T12:48:00.000-07:00

Growing up, I was not the meatloaf type. The way my mother and grandmother made it all had large chunks of onion and not much else, and it was pretty dry. Years ago, a co-worker told me about an ingredient that she uses in her meatloaf to make it moist, and this ingredient is pretty unexpected to be used in meatloaf: olive oil.

So, for about three years I kept making meatloaf and trying new ingredients in it, so that eventually it would become the way I would like it. I already liked ground beef, and knew I didn't like large chunks of onion, so I had a starting point. Now, I have a meatloaf recipe that people ask me for. I made it one night last week, and so decided to share it here. I will have to post a picture next time I make it. I never measure ingredients unless I'm baking so all of this can be adjusted to your liking, but I tried to pay more attention to about how much of each I used last time I made this meatloaf.

Meatloaf recipe:

Two lbs of ground beef (I use the 90/10 kind with only 10% fat)
3 tbs. sweet pickle relish
1/4 cup of honey
1/2 cup ketchup
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3/4 cup dried breadcrumbs
1/2 tbs italian seasoning
salt and pepper
olive oil
brown sugar

In a large bowl break up the ground beef with your hands. Add the pickle relish, honey, ketchup, garlic, breadcrumbs, italian seasoning and salt & pepper, and mix it all together with your hands. The last ingredient to the meat mixture should be the olive oil, using a steady drizzle about two turns around the bowl. Mix well again, and place into a pyrex or corningware baking pan. Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. The meatloaf will shrink slightly and the edges will move away from the sides of the pan. This will allow it to be easier to cut once its done, but also will allow you to drain some of the oil off of the side of the pan (I just carefully drain off the oil into a coffee cup once it's all done). Sprinkle brown sugar on top of the meatloaf and bake for another 3-5 minutes, until the brown sugar is dark and bubbly. Remove from the oven and let stand for another 5 minutes, and then cut into wedges. The brown sugar creates a little crust and is the perfect topping to this sweet and moist version of meatloaf. Enjoy!

Pampered Chef Party!

2007-09-29T11:45:00.000-07:00

So it's been a little while since I've written anything on here. It's been busy lately, I had a Pampered Chef party at my house last weekend, which was a ton of fun, and I had a much better turnout that I would have expected (thanks to everyone who made it!). Our tiny living room was at one point holding 16 people~ thank goodness for folding chairs. The Pampered Chef Consultant made two awesome recipes for us - a pork tenderloin, that she made in my microwave (yes, you read that correctly!) and a sweet and spicy brie that was to die for. I also was able to pick out some free and half priced items for hosting a show, and was lucky enough also to be able to squeeze in a set of cookware, since it was being offered this month as a host special for 60% off! Here are some other things that I ordered:

an egg separator (not that exciting, but definitely handy)
a small and a large microcooker - can be used for anything from melting butter to steaming vegetables in the microwave
a handy scraper - that helps you to pick up chopped anything off of the cutting board in one swoop
a stoneware loaf pan, which will come in really handy for the lemon pound cakes that I make each Christmas for friends and family members
a package of the new beer bread mix (I'll let ya'all know how it turns out)
a package of the pizza crust mix - which we have tried before and it's to die for - it also can be starter for dinner rolls or cinnamon rolls (my fav!)
the new sweet cinnamon sprinkle - yep, to go on the cinnamon rolls!
and a few other miscellaneous kitchen products

I can't wait until the orders come in, so that I can play with all my new toys and try out new recipes as well. I haven't made anything really great this week, it was busy and it was all about the quick and easy meals. But I have gotten some really great recipes ideas off of some food blogs that I have been lurking on since it's been so slow at work: check out this new one of foods this girl is creating: http://ellysaysopa.vox.com/ She has some really great foods and the pictures will make your mouth water!

Stay tuned for more updates/posts/recipes coming soon!

Our One Year Anniversary

2007-09-18T10:16:00.000-07:00

Monday September 17th, 2007 marked our one year anniversary. We are surprised at how quickly our first year of marriage flew by! Money has been a little tight lately, so we decided to celebrate at home. It's really not that fun going to a fancy dinner on a Monday night anyways! I was originally planning to have salmon fillets as the main course, but upon arriving at my neighborhood Safeway, was informed that the only salmon fillets they had in stock was the farm-raised, $21.99/lb fillets. Um, for that price we may as well go out. Since we are still working on our steak-cooking abilities, and I knew I wanted something foolproof for dinner, that we couldn't mess up on, I actually opted for frozen meals. WHAT, you say?! Frozen meals for your anniversary? Have no fear. I purchased two bags of the Bertolli dinner kits for two that are in the frozen section. Everyone I have ever heard talk about these things loves them, so I had purchased one several months ago and it was delicious. And it took all of what, 10 minutes to cook? Cannot go wrong! I purchased the Chicken, Penne, and Asparagus meal with Vodka Cream Sauce for the anniversary meal. It was to die for! I rounded it out my making the meal "semi-homemade" with my warm spinach salad recipe and rustic fresh french bread. And of course, wine. It even tells you on the side of the Bertolli bag which wine goes best with your dinner! (In this case, it was merlot, yipee! -one of my favorites). I roamed the wine section at Safeway for a little bit looking for sales, and picked up a bottle of Fetzer Merlot, 2005, for $5.55. My kind of bargain, but what would it taste like? Thankfully, it ended up being really good, with a little bit of a smoky flavor and a smooth aftertaste. I'll buy this bottle, -and this meal! -again!

Since it was our anniversary after all, I decided we needed a dessert. I thought of making my old standby for special occasions, Creme Brulee. I was all for it, but then hubby decided that I should make something simpler, something won't have me standing in the kitchen all night. OK, I asked, what would you like me to make? Brownies, he replied. Fine by me!

Perfect Roast Chicken

2007-09-15T10:12:00.000-07:00

My grandmother gave me the Barefoot Contessa Cookbook for Christmas 2 years ago. I've tried only a few of the recipes in this book so far, mostly because the few recipes I've tried have been so delicious that I keep turning back to those! This one is great for the fall/winter time, and if I have the chicken defrosting in the refrigerator, I can whip this meal together and enjoy a glass of wine when I get home from work while it cooks. Goes to show that you can get a wonderful, home cooked meal on a weeknight! I love roasted vegetables, but have not liked the way veggies turned out when cooked with this chicken. So about 25 minutes before the chicken is done, I usually haphazardly chop up some potatoes (usually red, with skins left on) and get those into a hot pan with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper; and then prepare a salad on the side.

1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch fresh thyme
1 lemon, halved
1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Scatter the onion slices around the chicken.

Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken to a platter and cover with aluminum foil while you prepare the gravy.

Remove all the fat from the bottom of the pan, reserving 2 tablespoons in a small cup. Add the chicken stock to the pan and cook on high heat for about 5 minutes, until reduced, scraping the bottom of the pan. Combine the 2 tablespoons fo chicken fat with the flour and add it to the pan. Boil for a few minutes to cook the flour. Strain the gravy into a small saucepan and season it to taste. Keep it warm over a very low heat while you carve the chicken.

Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve immediately with the warm gravy.

** If you want to roast vegetables with the chicken, place 8 whole new red potatoes, 4 carrots, cut diagonally into quarters, and add them with the onions. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables for roasting.

Biscuits Supreme

2007-09-15T09:58:00.001-07:00

Between my grandmothers, growing up I learned about all sorts of colorful dishes, such as biscuits and gravy and collard greens. This is the biscuit recipe that one grandma always used as a base for her flavorful sausage gravy, and it remains my favorite all this time later, and I have tried many, MANY biscuit recipes. It's definitely more involved than Bisquick, but if you have the time to make these, you won't be sorry.

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder*
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar*
3/4 cup butter or 1/2 cup butter and 1/4 cup shortening
1 cup milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In a large bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cream of tartar. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add milk all at once. Using a fork, stir just until moistened.

2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough by folding and gently pressing dough for four to six strokes or just until dough holds together. Pat or lightly roll dough until 3/4 inch thick. Cut dough with a floured 2-1/2-inch biscuit cutter, rerolling scraps as necessary.

3. Place biscuits 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes or until golden. Remove biscuits from baking sheet and serve warm.

4. Makes 12 biscuits

5. *Note: If baking powder and cream of tartar appear lumpy, sift through a fine mesh sieve before using.

6. Buttermilk Biscuits: Prepare as above, except substitute 1-1/4 cups buttermilk or sour milk for the 1 cup milk in the rolled biscuits and 1-1/2 cups buttermilk or sour milk for the 1-1/4 cups milk in the drop biscuits.

Warm Pancetta, Goat Cheese and Spinach Salad

2007-09-15T09:48:00.000-07:00

I saw this recipe on a Food Network Special, it was one of those shows where a bunch of the chefs from different shows come together and have a dinner party. I adore spinach, and could live on it sauteed with garlic and olive oil, so when this WARM spinach salad was featured, I couldn't resist logging on a finding the recipe. My husband loves it too, and requests it often! It is very simple to make. I'm not one for cranberries, so I leave those out, and it's still delicious.

6 cups loosely packed stemmed baby spinach
1/2 cup (5 ounces) fresh goat cheese
1/3 pound thick-sliced pancetta, cut into strips about 1 inch long and 1/4 inch wide
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Put the spinach in a large bowl. Crumble the cheese over the spinach. Cook the pancetta in a medium skillet over medium heat until crispy, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the pancetta in a sieve set over a heatproof measuring cup, reserving the rendered fat. You will need 1/4 cup for the dressing. If necessary, add enough olive oil to make 1/4 cup. Pour the fat back into the pan and add the pancetta. When the pancetta is warm again, add the garlic and cook until light brown, about 30 seconds, stirring occasionally. Add the thyme and let it crackle in the fat for about 10 seconds. Add the vinegar, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook for about 30 seconds to lower the acidity of the vinegar. You should see tiny drops of vinegar dispersed throughout the fat. Add the dried cranberries and stir. Pour the dressing over the spinach and cheese. Toss to coat the leaves evenly and melt the cheese a little. Serve immediately.

I've decided to make this a food blog.

2007-09-05T15:18:00.000-07:00

A food blog - It's the one thing I haven't done!
I'm simply enamored lately with the world of food blogs. I found out about them on thenest.com, an online community that I belong to for newlyweds. I've also become quite bored with the options for dinner. I try not to go overboard on too many extravagant ingredients when doing my grocery shopping, as I know that keeping that bill down can help me in other areas, financially. But there's only so many things you can do with chicken and ground beef, and while I love one dish recipes like casseroles, they only go so far also. So I've been browsing the web for recipes, and in turn decided it would be nice to share some of my own that I love. Enjoy!

Wow! Another online community.

2007-09-04T19:43:00.000-07:00

OK, so I feel like I'm everywhere.

Not that that's a bad thing. Someone told me that blogging is cool, so I had to find out for myself.
I like blogging. I've done it on MySpace. However I don't like MySpace's blog system, it's not very user friendly and I can't tell you how many things I've typed on there, hit preview, hit post blog, and it vanishes into the night.

Right now I feel like I'm tied to so many online communities, and each has its perks, that its like an addiction to feed every time I hear of another thing to sign up for. I'm going to need to start a database of all of my login names and passwords just to keep up.

The first one was MySpace, and while I still visit it daily (OK - maybe twice a day) its become more of habit than a need. When I had first signed up for MySpace it was all the rage, I was finding new friends daily that I hadn't spoken to in months or years, or even since *gulp* Kindergarten. I now proudly boast 102 friends, all of whom I have actually met in person (can anyone really meet and know 15,000 people in a lifetime, to have as "friends" on MySpace?) with the exception of comedian Dane Cook, who is on most people's friends list but few have met in person. Do I speak to all 102 people daily? Heavens no. There's simply not enough minutes in the day. And frankly, most days I don't message anybody, and nobody messages me. Thus the reason it's a now habit to check it out and not a need.

Then there came theknot.com. When Chad proposed on Valentine's Day 2006, I was head over heels and excited he had decided to propose. I mean, it felt like most people I had gone to school with were getting married, yet Chad and I had been together longer than a lot of them. I was beginning to wonder what was wrong with me - and then he proposed. I guess timing has a lot to do with it all. But then I realized, I knew nothing about weddings. Hadn't been to a traditional wedding in years (my father's Reno celebration and my mother's backyard buffet where the closest things I knew to a wedding - but we were hoping for something more traditional). So I signed up for theknot.com, and met a great group of (local) ladies on the Nor Cal Knotties board who were just like me, planning their weddings and having a hell of a time doing it. I bounced ideas off of these girls, learned about etiquette, and got some great ideas for how to make everything from favors to wedding programs. The website automatically transitions you over to thenest.com, their website for married ladies, after your pre-programed wedding date comes and goes, and I still log in there frequently to chat with some other posters or to give my two cents on questions.

Most recently, I have joined facebook.com, which is a spin off of MySpace (not sure which came first, but MySpace is definitely more popular). I joined because my neighbor across the street is on there, and I have all of six Facebook friends. That's OK, because it's a little more difficult to use and has some pretty wacky applications (which you install onto your page to use, these can be anything from a Chuck Norris fact populator to a program that regularly sends a round of virtual "drinks" to your friends).

And now my friends, I sit here and post my first blog to you. Is is to you, or to me? Maybe both. What do I intend to do with my blog, you ask? Post some tried and true recipes, mention good books I've read lately or movies I've watched, and probably rant about quite a few things. Wish me luck, and happy reading!

~Allie