Chronicles of a Fledgling Home Cook

Grass-fed Korean Beef Ribs over Coconut Rice

2008-08-17T11:33:00.003-07:00

I'm trying really hard to cook with what I have on hand which is a variety of grass-fed beef I picked up from A Bar H Farm a few months ago. So far, I've really liked the flavor of the beef and these ribs were no exception. Whats even better is I cooked them in the crock pot all day so there wasn't a lot of work in preparation for a good Sunday night dinner. I found the original recipe for the ribs at Daily Unadventures in Cooking but I did make a few changes which you'll see below.

Korean Style Beef Ribs
adapted from Daily Unadventures in Cooking
(serves 4)

4 pounds beef ribs
3/4 C soy sauce
1 1/2 C orange juice
2T rice vinegar
2T ginger, grated
2t hot chili flakes
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
2T toasted sesame oil (next time I would substitute olive oil for 1 T of the sesame oil as it was a little strong for me)
2T honey
3T toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
2 scallions, thinly sliced for garnish
2T corn starch, as needed
olive oil
salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat. Season the ribs with salt and pepper. Brown ribs in batches until all ribs are nicely browned on all sides

In a large bowl combine the soy sauce, juice, vinegar, ginger, garlic, chili, oil and honey and mix well (this can be made in advance as I did, the night before).

Transfer ribs to slow cooker and pour sauce over top. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until meat is very tender. Remove the ribs to a platter and pour the sauce from the crock pot into a gravy separator. Pour the sauce (without the excess fat) into a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Make a slurry with equal parts cornstarch and water and add to the sauce to thicken. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce is at desired consistency. Serve ribs over rice and top with sauce. Garnish with scallions and toasted sesame seeds if desired.

For the rice I followed this recipe I found over at Jaden's Steamy Kitchen. I really liked the mellow sweet flavor of the rice which really paired well with the ribs.

Seared Grass Fed Ribeye over Asparagus and Shiitake Risotto

2008-08-09T20:51:00.002-07:00

I know, I know...I've been away longer than I'd planned. Too many things in life getting in the way. I had to travel for work for a week where I was lucky enough to experience my first earthquake. It was nerve racking to say the least and I'm glad to be back on solid ground. I'm also serving on Grand Jury two days a week and back in Physical Therapy for my back. All those things add up to very little time to cook, and when I do, it's old standbys that have already been blogged about. Except for tonight. My husband went off to watch the UFC fight and I was looking forward to having the house to myself. It's a rare occaision these days and I take advantage of it! I knew I wanted to make a risotto to use up some of my homemade chicken stock in the fridge. A quick trip to Sprouts this afternoon resulted in some fresh asparagus, shiitake mushrooms and nice piece of grass-fed Ribeye.

Asparagus and Shiitake Risotto:
(serves 2)

1 T extra virgin olive oil
2 T butter, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 cup arborio rice
1 cup white wine
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 bunch asparagus, chopped into 1 inch pieces and blanched
6 shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and julienned
1 tsp lemon juice
1 cup parmigianno reggiano, grated

Heat the chicken stock in a saucepan and hold at a simmer.

Heat a dutch oven over medium high heat and add the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the garlic and shallot and saute until fragrant. Add the rice and cook until opaque. Deglaze with the wine and stir with a wooden spoon constantly until most of the liquid is absorbed by the rice. Ladel the chicken stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until all liquid is absorbed. This takes a bit of time but is quite worth it. Once the rice is creamy and plump add the asparagus, mushrooms, lemon juice, and cheese. Stir well to combine and keep warm until ready to serve.

Seared Grass Fed Ribeye
(serves 1 plus some scraps for the dogs)
Salt
Pepper
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lb ribeye - brought to room temperature

Season the ribeye with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat a pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Place the ribeye in the olive oil and allow the beef to sear for about 3 minutes. Flip and sear the other side. Normally I would finish a steak in the oven once it is seared but I didn't want to heat up my oven for one 1/2 lb steak. Once the steak rested for a few minutes I sliced it up (it was still VERY rare, even for my taste) and then I placed the slices back in the pan and seared each side an additional minute or so. Place the slices of the ribeye on a bed of risotto and serve. Pair this with a nice Pinot Noir and you have the makings of a wonderful dinner...

BBQ Braised Beef Sandwiches

2008-07-06T18:23:00.003-07:00

We really didn't do much for the 4th except relax. I did some baking astonishly enough. I tried my hand at pretzel making and baked a couple loaves of chocolate zucchini bread (no pictures, sorry! Maybe next time!). We had sushi at our favorite sushi place for dinner and watched fireworks from the roof of our patio. It wasn't so bad climbing the ladder to get up there but I was pretty petrified to climb down. I made it to survive another day! The reason we took it easy on the 4th is we had a big party at our friends house to get ready for on Saturday. My husband loves to get together with his friends to watch the UFC fights and I really didn't want to cook a huge spread two days in a row. Since we were going to someone else's house I wanted something that could be cooked in advanced and easily transported. I have never made bbq beef but they sounded like a great way to satisfy both my criteria. I did some searching and found this over at Simply Recipes.

As usual I made a few tweaks to the recipe to make it my own. It turned out beautifully and everyone truly enjoyed the sandwiches.

BBQ Braised Beef:
(serves 12)

3-4 lbs boneless chuck roast (I used 2 separate cuts one about 2.2 lbs and the other about 1.7 lbs)
2 medium yellow onions, diced
1 can whole peeled tomatoes, hand crushed
1 18 oz jar bbq sauce (I used Stubbs Smokey Mequite as it didn't have any HFCS)
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
12 of your favorite sandwich buns

Heat a dutch oven over medium high heat with a good coating of olive oil. Season one side of the beef (if you have a large cut, you may one to cut it into smaller pieces to allow it to brown best) and place it seasoned side down in the pot. Leave it alone for at least 4 minutes allowing it to brown really well. Season the top of the beef with more salt and pepper while the bottom is browning. When well browned flip the beef to brown the top side about another 4-5 minutes. Remove beef and set aside on a plate. Continue to brown all beef seasoning each side as you go.

Once all beef is browned, reduce the heat to medium and add a bit more olive oil and add the chopped onions. Season the onions with more salt and pepper and saute the onions until they brown really well. The juice of the onions will help deglaze all those good brown bits off the bottom of the pot. Use a wooden spoon if needed to help loosen them up and mix them in with the onions. This is flavor!! Once the onions are well browned add the tomates and the bbq sauce. Mix well and bring to a boil for about 5 minutes. Add the beef, ensuring it is covered by the sauce. Cover, reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook for 3-4 hours. I went the full four hours, stirring occaisionally (~every 30 -60 minutes) and flipping the beef in the sauce.

Once the beef is falling apart, remove it from the pot. Bring the sauce to a boil and reduce until the sauce is nice and thick, then turn the heat off. Shred the beef using two forks. Once the sauce is reduced add the beef back in.

At this point I transferred the mixture to a crock pot for transport and kept it on warm during the party. Serve on your favorite buns - I prefer them a bit toasted alongside refreshing glass of vodka spiked homemade lemonade!

Summer Linguine

2008-07-02T19:50:00.004-07:00

It's hot here in the middle of the desert, real HOT! I came home from work today to a bag full of beautiful zucchini from my MIL's garden. Immediately I was racking my brain trying to figure out what to make. It's so hot that we wanted something light so I decided to make pasta. This dish came together in a flash and the flavors were incredible.

First, I started a pot of water on high heat to get it boiling. While waiting for that I chopped up one large zucchini, 2 portabellini, garlic, shallot, prosciutto and a handful of sun dried tomatoes (Reserve that oil!) . I put a saute pan over medium heat and added a generous helping of olive oil. I sauteed the garlic, shallot and prosciutto until fragrant and the prosciutto started to crisp up. By this time the water was boiling good and I threw in a handful of salt and a pound of linguine. I added the shrooms and the zucchini to the saute pan, seasoned it with salt, pepper and tossed it all together, sauteeing until the zucchini was cooked through. I decided I wanted a little heat so I threw in some crushed red pepper flakes. I drained the cooked pasta and poured it into a serving bowl. I topped the pasta with the reserved olive oil from the sun dried tomatoes, the juice of one lemon, lots of freshly grated parmigiano reggiano, chopped basil and the sun dried tomatoes. Add the contents of the saute pan and toss well. Enjoy!

Deep Dish Pizza

2008-06-30T19:02:00.003-07:00

Tonight was a great meal made of leftovers from our bi-weekly Friday Pizza Night. I had leftover homemade dough and pizza sauce. I've been wanting to try my hand at deep dish pizza for some time so tonight was the night. I sauteed some leftover roasted garlic over medium heat in olive oil in a cast iron skillet until fragrant then added about a half pound of hot italian sausage. Once cooked through I removed the garlic and sausage and let it drain on a paper towel covered plate. I sprinkled some corn meal on the bottom of the skillet I used to brown the sausage and gently laid the rolled out dough inside, making sure to press the dough into the corners and stretch it up the sides of the pan. Next, I layered slices of mozzarella cheese, added the sausage/garlic mixture, sprinkled some sliced green olive and layers of pepperoni.

I topped it all with some pizza sauce. Put the pan in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for about 30-45 minutes. The crust should pull away from the edges of the pan and and be nice and browned. Top with some freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano and cut into quarters.

Baja Fish Tacos

2008-06-23T08:48:00.004-07:00

My husband and I love a good fish taco. We get them on every trip to Mexico when we go diving. We've never really found a great place locally for the kind of fish tacos we enjoy in Mexico so I've been perfecting a recipe to make them at home. I've used several different recipes over the past couple of years and I've combined versions of those I like the best to share with you here. I can't get enough of these so it's great to be able to whip up a batch at home whenever we have a craving. Served alongside a nice cold beer and you almost think you are on the beach in Mexico....almost!

Baja Fish Tacos
(serves 4-6)

2 limes, 1, juiced and 1 sliced for serving
1 tablespoon tequila
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons salt, divided
2 teaspoons black pepper, divided
1 ½ lbs tilapia, halibut or cod, cut into 2 inch long pieces
1 package (8-inch) corn tortillas
Vegetable oil
1 package tempura flour, divided
1 beer (plus more for drinking with the tacos!)
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 cup thinly sliced white cabbage
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 avocado cut into thin slices

In medium bowl, combine lime juice, tequila, cumin, salt, and pepper; mix thoroughly. Add the fish and toss to coat. Marinate for about 10 minutes.

Divide tempura flour in half in each of 2 shallow dishes for dredging. Season the dry tempura flour with 1 tsp each of salt, pepper and garlic salt. Stir to incorporate spices into the dry tempura flour. With the second dish of tempura flour add about 1 cup of beer and stir to mix. The mixture should be soupy. Add more beer as needed.

Warm tortillas in oven, covered in tinfoil at 150 degrees F.

In a medium Dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil to 350 degrees F. Use enough oil to have about 2 inches deep in the pot.

Remove fish from marinade, shake off excess, dredge in tempura flour then dunk in cold tempura beer batter. Gently, add fish to oil (only about 5-6 pieces at a time), making sure to keep the fish pieces separated. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes, or until light golden brown. Remove and drain on a rack over a paper towel covered cookie sheet.

Place 1-2 pieces of fried fish on top of a corn tortilla, add a slice of avocado, some diced tomatoes and cabbage. Top with white sauce and a squeeze of lime.

Tequila Lime Whitesauce:
2 tablespoons premium tequila
1 lime, juiced
8 ounces sour cream
1/4 cup milk
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons minced cilantro leaves
Salt and pepper

In small bowl, combine all ingredients. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Keep chilled until ready to serve.

Locavore 2 Synchronicity

2008-06-20T17:01:00.005-07:00

I was fortunate enough to score a reservation for the second locavore dinner held at Tapino Kitchen & Wine Bar, owned by Chef James Porter. I had heard about the first locavore dinner back in February of this year and I was so disappointed that I was unable to attend. When I saw mention of a second one I was on the phone getting reservations as fast as my fingers could dial!

The dinner was underwritten by several sponsors so the cost of the event was almost too good to be true - $40 per person with paired wines plus tax and gratuity. Seriously?! I still don’t know how Chef Porter pulled this off so it’s worth mentioning the generous sponsors of this event:

Arizona Farm Bureau
Greater Phoenix Economic Council
Local First Arizona
Tapino Kitchen and Wine Bar
City of Scottsdale

This dinner was all about celebrating the bounty that Arizona has to offer from fruit, vegetables, cheese, shrimp, beef, pork and yes, even wine! The resounding chorus throughout the night, championed by Chef Porter was, “Eat Local!” He urges everyone to support locally owned restaurants and shop for local food. We are giving back to our own economy when we as consumers do this: “For every $100 spent locally, studies show that $42 stays here at home. For the same $100 spent with a national corporation, only $13 remains here to circulate” (tapino.com). It really is something I am striving to do and it was exciting to be in a room full of 160 like minded individuals.

So, on to the dinner….

Chef Porter along with his Sous Chef, Christopher Phipps created a vibrant six course meal to showcase all that Arizona has to offer:

Amuse Bouche – this was a combination of layered gazpachos (tomato, lemon cucumber, Crenshaw melon) topped with a skewer of assorted melons. The melons were unbelievably sweet – like no melons I’ve ever eaten. The gazpachos were delicious and a great start to the meal.

First Course – Arizona Desert Sweet Shrimp Lumpia with Arizona Citrus Ponzu: Wow! This was one of my favorites. I loved the thinly sliced cucumbers which served as a bed to nestle the shrimp lumpias. The flavor of the lumpias exploded with each bite. I really don’t know what was inside the lumpia’s other than shrimp and I spotted some mushrooms but the flavors melded together perfectly. Wine Pairing: Pillsbury, Rose 2006

Second Course – Desert Roots & Duncan Farms Vegetable Terrine with Sunizona Yellow Tomato Coulis: This was a wonderful, light vegetable course, bursting with farm fresh flavor. I’ve never had a terrine before, though I’ve read a lot about them so I was really excited to try this. Wine Pairing: Arizona Stronghold, Tazi 2007

Third Course – Konrath Farm Roasted “Whole Pork” Duo: Both servings of pork were incredibly tender and delicious garnished with some micro greens and what must have been housemade pork rinds (I'm not sure as I forgot to ask our server). Wine Pairing: Pillsbury, Roan Red, 2006

Fourth Course – OX Ranch Grass-fed Angus Beef with Desert Roots Vegetable Sauté: I was really looking forward to this course because I spent the hour before the dinner talking with the rancher from OX Ranch, Jay Murphy. Jay is very personable and his excitement in talking about his ranch was apparent. The beef, like the pork, was incredibly tender. Paired with the vegetables and potatoes it was a well rounded dish. The sauce – amazing! I would have licked my plate had I not been surrounded by 159 other diners!! I’m all about grass-fed beef and what that means for the health of us humans, the animal, and our environment so it was nice to see how good grass-fed beef tastes when cooked correctly, something I’m slowly learning to do at home. Wine Pairing: Pillsbury, Diva 2006

Dessert Course: Fossil Creek Goat Cheese and Green Valley Pecan Fudge Tartlette: What a way to top off a wonderful meal – creamy fudge paired with a knob of tangy goat cheese. Yum! Wine Pairing: Page Springs Cellars, Zinfandel 2007

I’m not educated enough about wine to discuss the nuances of each but I will say that there wasn’t one I didn’t like. My favorites though were the Rose and the Zinfandel. Oh, and the Roan Red!

If my experience has peaked your interest, don’t worry, Chef James is planning Locavore 3! Its scheduled for August 21st and will feature other Chef’s from around the valley. I already have reservations so I hope to see you there!

*I did my best at providing links to all the sponsors and the wonderful farmers who provided their food. If I missed you and you'd like to be included please leave me a comment or send me an email and I'll update the post.

Penne with Fresh Tomato Sauce

2008-06-19T08:03:00.005-07:00

Last night I was exhausted and wanted something quick and easy for dinner. I had a container of cooked penne pasta that needed to be used so I heated some extra virgin olive oil over medium heat in a large pan. When the oil was nice and hot I added some minced garlic and shallots. I let that cook just until fragrant and then threw in some medium red chili flakes from Penzey's. I roughly chopped some farmer's market tomatoes and added those to the pan to let the tomatoes break down. I seasoned it all with salt and pepper and then added the cooked penne. I mixed it all together to get the sauce to coat the pasta when I realized I had some leftover carmelized onions. Perfect! I made a hot spot in the center of the pan and added those to warm them up before I mixed them in with the rest of the ingredients. I added a splash of balsamic vinegar, a big handful of freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano, stirred it all up and served it in a nice low bowl topped with some freshly chopped basil. Perfect dinner and in less that 15 minutes!

Chipotle Cheddar, Cilantro, and Avocado Omelette

2008-06-11T11:17:00.003-07:00

It's nice when I get the opportunity to work from home because I can make myself healthy, nutritious lunches without having to spend a ton of money or sacrifice flavor. I was on phone calls in the morning so I never got a chance to really eat breakfast. For lunch, I was craving an omelette. I have these beautiful pasture raised eggs from A Bar H farm in my fridge from their last trip to Phoenix to deliver meat. These eggs are beautiful! Check out these orange yolks:

I didn't have a lot of your typical omelette ingredients on hand so I decided to do something a little different. I whisked the eggs up really well and added a small pinch of salt and some chopped fresh cilantro.

I added that to a preheated nonstick skillet to start cooking. I sliced up some fresh avocado and grated this wonderful Chipotle Cheddar Cheese we found at Costo from Bravo Farms. The smokey slightly spicy chipotle flavor in the cheese is fantastic.

Once the omelette had firmed up a bit and was nice and brown on the bottom I covered one half of the cooked eggs with cheese, added a litte more fresh chopped cilantro and topped it with a few thin slices of avocado. I folded over the eggs and covered the pan with a lid to finish the cooking for just about 2 minutes or so. Gently slide the omelette onto your plate and enjoy!

A quick snack

2008-06-08T17:10:00.003-07:00

I threw this together on Saturday afternoon for a quick snack and it turned out really good - better than I had expected. I first opened a can of cannelini beans, drained them and rinsed them. I threw them in a bowl and added some chopped, pitted kalamata olives and a chiffonade of basil. I let that sit while I whipped up a quick dressing. I put about a tablespoon of dijon mustard in a small bowl and added some red wine vinegar. I combined that well with a whisk then drizzled in some extra virgin olive oil until the dressing reached the right flavor and wasn't too acidic. Add a bit of salt and pepper and drizzle the dressing over the beans. Nice and fresh - goes great with a glass of wine and the latest of edition of Food and Wine magazine.

A BLT to rival all BLT's

2008-05-26T20:46:00.003-07:00

My husband, his best friend and my dad spent over a day and a half this Memorial weekend replacing the fuel pump in my husbands truck. Certainly this deserved a decent lunch to reward their efforts, right? We had a package of fresh, thick cut, hickory smoked bacon from the Pork Shop, a local place in Queen Creek, AZ where we buy all of our pork products. The quality is unsurpassed. I'm a sucker for BLT's and so is my husband. So that coupled with the recent post I saw a post on Michael Ruhlman's blog about homemade mayonnaise (something I've been wanting to try for a long time) I figured this would be the perfect occaision. I had fresh lettuce and tomatoes from the Farmer's Market and plenty of Whole Wheat bread in the drawer.

Making mayonnaise is so simple really. Especially if you follow Ruhlman's instructions. Of course, mine did break the first time. But again, he makes it so easy. Just whisk the broken mayo into a bit of water and start all over. The second time's a charm I say. It was thick, creamy....luxurious really. I'm not a big fan of store bought mayonnaise. The texture is just, well, not quite right. This was different. And so worth the arm ache that developed after 15 min of robust whisking. Along with the bacon from The Pork Shop and my market fresh ingredients, my three hungry men could not stop talking about those BLT's for several days. Defintely a keeper.

P.S. Tonight I used the leftover mayo mixed with a bit of horseradish, pepper and lemon juice on some bison burgers. Yummy!

P.P.S I missed my one year blogoversary!! It was on May 20th and I was in Huntington Beach, CA for work. I intended to post that night but I ended up having a wonderful dinner in downtown HB at a fairly new restaurant as they debuted their new menu. It's called Silvera's and I'd recommend the place to anyone headed out there.

Wedding Favors

2008-05-15T19:30:00.003-07:00

It's so hard planning a wedding these days - there are just so many ideas out there. When it came to the wedding favors I didn't know what to do; but I knew I didn't want to give out something that would end up in a drawer never to be seen again or worse, thrown away in the trash can. My Mom quickly came to the rescue and offered to make cookies alternately dipped in chocolate and pink chocolate, the colors of my wedding (brown and pink). I thought it was a brilliant idea and we easily found some beautiful pink and brown boxes to present them to our guests at each place setting. After the wedding, several guests commented on how good the cookies were and asked, "where did you buy those cookies?" Imagine their surprise when I told them my Mom made them. Her effort of producing over 350 cookies in two days the week of the wedding more than earns her a showcase on my blog. She used a recipe found from our local newspaper, The Arizona Republic:

The Sweet Pea Sugar Cookies
(makes about 12 cookies)

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
Zest of 1 orange
2 tablespoon orange juice
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, mix together butter, sugar and vanilla. Add the egg, zest and juice. Mix until smooth. Gradually stir in the flour and baking powder until well mixed. Wrap tightly and chill for 2 to 3 hours, or until firm. Sprinkle flour along a clean surface and roll out dough. Use heart-shaped cookie cutters to cut out cookies. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake about 8 minutes, or until edges of cookies are golden. Timing will vary depending on the size and shape of the cookie cutter. Let cool.

The cooled cookies were then dipped either in melted milk chocolate or melted white chocolate (colored pink) and set to dry.

These cookies are delicious and stay moist and chewy for several days if kept in an airtight container.

A What? A Wife?

2008-05-08T19:23:00.003-07:00

Yup...I'm a wife! It's weird to say but it's true! I got married on May 3rd and we couldn't be happier. Everything went off without a hitch. I loved every minute of it but I'm glad all of the planning and everything is over. It's been quite a whirlwind. Our real honeymoon doesn't come until November but we did take a few days to ourselves and headed up north to Pinetop to relax and come down from it all. We hiked, we fished, and we played with the dogs. DH is back to work today while I stayed home to, well, nest. I unpacked all of our gifts and started cleaning out the kitchen of old things from my college days that have long passed their prime. Tomorrow, I'll work on the bathrooms - new towels are the best aren't they? But tonight, I cooked my first meal for my husband, as his wife. I can't tell you how cool that is to say!

I was short on inspiration but I had some frozen mahi mahi fillets from Trader Joe's in the freezer. A quick google reader search of my blogs brought up Kirsten's recipe (of course!) of Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi. I had a winner. I only needed two ingredients from the store and I was on my way. I added some wild rice and my husband was pleased, to say the least, with the meal. Kirsten's recipe is spot on so I won't repeat it here, you'll have to go visit her to get it. I plated my fish atop the rice and poured the white wine cream sauce on top to which DH of course added more! He loves his sauces....

So I'm back. I've got lots of new gadgets to explore...with more on the way. You'll be seeing a lot more of me now that I don't have wedding planning on the brain. :)

Cheesecake....Enough Said

2008-04-23T20:11:00.004-07:00

Yes, I know, I've been MIA, but I have a good excuse....I'm getting married in 10 days! The time is flying by and the wedding planning is in full swing. I'm feeling good about how things are progressing and I'm not too stressed - other than the whole walking down the aisle thing but we don't need to talk about that now do we?

Last weekend I took a break from all things wedding to celebrate my dear fiance's birthday. We hosted a UFC fight at our house and went a little overboard on the food preparations. We always make too much but we never want anyone to leave hungry! My fiance is originally from upstate New York so the first birthday of his that we celebrated together I made a New York Style Cheesecake. It was a hit and I've been perfecting it every year since then. This year was declared to be the best yet. I also made a raspberry and blueberry sauce to serve alongside. Pictured is the blueberry sauce. They are both so yummy.

Cheesecake:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons sugar

2 1/2 pounds cream cheese, softened (I set it out on the counter the night before)
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 of a lemon, zested
1 orange zested
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Butter the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. In a mixing bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar and mix well. Press onto bottom of springform pan and up around the edges. Use a wooden spoon to press the sides down fairly firm and bake until golden, about 8 minutes. Set aside to cool. When completely cooled, butter the sides of the pan.

Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, sugar, zests and vanilla and beat until light and creamy. Add the flour, then the eggs and yolks 1 at a time, mixing for at least 1 minute after each addition. Add the sour cream and mix until smooth. Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake for 12 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees F and bake for 1 hour more. Transfer cake to a cooling rack and let cool completely. Refrigerate cake overnight before serving.

Use a knife dipped in hot water to slice the cake easier. Top with fruit topping.

Fruit Topping:
2-3 packages blueberries or raspberries
1/2 cup water
2-3 T extra fine sugar
1-2 T Amaretto Liqueur - optional

In a small saucepan over medium heat add the fruit, water and suger. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer at least 10-15 minutes. Add Amaretto and combine well. Remove from heat and refrigerate in airtight container until ready to serve

Hot Yellow Curry Chicken and Naan

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

I was inspired to make this dish by a recent trip to Trader Joe's . They were serving samples of their pre-marinated yellow chicken curry served on their Whole Wheat Naan bread. It was delicious! Instead of purchasing the pre-marinated chicken I figured I could make it myself with free-range chicken tenders. I was right and the dish was delicious. This was one dish I threw together thinking I'd really enjoy it but my fiance would be less than enthusiastic about. Boy was I wrong! He loved it and was sopping up the remaining yellow curry sauce with the naan bread. This has quickly become a regular dish in our repetoire.

The first time I made this I used homemade chicken stock which resulted in a rich, creamy, thick curry sauce. The second time I substituted boxed chicken broth since I was out of the homemade stuff. Big mistake! The sauce was thin and runny. If you don't have homemade stock, I would recommend thickening the curry sauce with a corn starch slurry.

Hot Yellow Curry Chicken Naan
(4 servings)

1 - 1 1/2lbs chicken tenders
1 T olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chicken stock
½ cup coconut milk
3-4 T yellow curry powder, to taste
Salt and pepper
mixed greens
4 pieces of naan

Season tenders with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Place naan wrapped in a towel in the oven on low heat (about 150-200 degrees) to warm.

Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant about 1 minute. Add chicken stock, coconut milk and curry powder. Stir well to combine and bring to a simmer. Add chicken to sauce and cook about 4-5 minutes. Turn chicken over, reduce heat to low and cover, simmering an additional 2-3 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

Serve over warmed naan with mixed greens and more curry sauce served on top. My fiance loves to add a little Sriracha too!

Halibut Cheeks in a Lemon Caper Butter Sauce

2008-03-26T11:05:00.005-07:00

This is one of my favorite recipes and is a frequent request of my fiance. I have used halibut filets in the past but this time I had some fresh halibut cheeks I picked up from a local fish vendor at the farmer's market. He described them as the "filet mignon" of Halibut and boy was he right! Very tender and meaty and the resulting pan sauce is a perfect compliment to the fish. You could easily substitute your favorite white fish or even scallops, shrimp, lobster...this list goes on.

Pan-Roasted Halibut Cheeks with Lemon, Caper and Butter Sauce
adapted from a recipe by Tyler Florence
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground salt and pepper
1 lb halibut cheeks
Extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
4 slices pancetta, diced
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 teaspoons capers
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley plus whole sprigs, for garnish

Put the flour on a deep plate and season well with salt and pepper. Dredge the fish in the flour. Put a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon oil and the butter and get the skillet hot. Add the cheeks and cook until browned on 1 side, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip the fish and continue to cook until desired doneness, about 2 minutes more. Remove the cheeks and set aside, keeping warm. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring, to brown. Remove and drain pancetta on paper towels

Put the skillet back over medium heat. Add another tablespoon olive oil, the white wine, lemon juice, capers, the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the parsley and bring to a boil; boil until reduced and thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Place a serving of the cheeks on a plate, our the sauce over the fish and top with the pancetta, and serve immediately.

Homemade Granola

2008-03-03T09:23:00.003-07:00

I'm trying really hard to eliminate a lot of the processed foods in my diet - who knew it would be so hard? I love eating granola with my lowfat vanilla yogurt and berries in the morning but most of the granola options in the store have so much stuff that I can't even name it's ridiculous. At the farmer's market there are some great all natural options but it can get pricey at $5/lb. Thankfully, I have a wonderful grocery store nearby that offers a lot of bulk whole grains, oats, flour, nuts, etc. I spotted this recipe for granola on Orangette and decided it was time to make my own.

All I have to say is I'll be saving a lot of money on granola! This stuff is SO good - especially topping my favorite yogurt with some fresh berries. Try it for yourself, you won't regret it!

Try to wrap your mouth around this...

2008-03-03T08:28:00.004-07:00

At Sprouts last week they were selling all kinds of Bison meat: ground, chuck roast, ribeye, etc. I picked up a package of ground bison meat and a chuck roast. I had big plans for the roast for a Sunday dinner (future post, anyone?) but in the meantime I really wanted to try some of this Bison. According to what I've been reading, Bison is lower in fat and cholesterol than chicken and beef.

I've had a Bison Burger once at Prescott Brewing Co. and loved the flavor so I figured that would be the best way to prepare the 1.17 lbs of Bison I brought home. Since there were only two of us, I prepared 2 burgers with well over a half pound of bison each. Since the meat is so lean, I added a little olive oil to the meat and seasoned it with salt and pepper. A light mix and then I shaped the burgers. I didn't want to add anything else to the meat since I really wanted to taste the flavor of the Bison. The burgers were grilled very quickly (bison cooks up faster than beef) and topped with sharp white cheddar cheese. I sliced up some tomato and onion, some red leaf lettuce to top them off and finally a little homemade horseradish mayo. Serve with your favorite fries - I made garlic oven fries!

The bison burgers, though they looked overcooked when cut open (I like my beef burgers cooked medium), were tender and juicy. The bison flavor really came through with just the light seasoning of salt and pepper. I've heard bison meat described as a "fresh, clean red meat flavor" and I have to say I agree. Also, it doesn't seem to weigh you down as much as beef can. I promptly returned to the store to pick up some more Bison to store in the freezer.

Fennel Crusted Salmon with Roasted Fennel, Tomato and Lemon

2008-02-27T08:59:00.004-07:00

Like Mo, I'm on a fennel kick. I can't seem to get enough, especially if its roasted.

This recipe was so easy - it was inspired from a post on Serious Eats that highlighted a Jamie Oliver recipe. I didn't have a whole salmon, just some small filets so I tweaked the recipe a bit.

Ingredients:
3 small fennel bulbs, sliced (reserve some of the fennel fronds for garnish)
2 tomatoes, sliced
2 stalks of green garlic
1 lemon, thinly sliced
lemon juice
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 salmon fillets
2-3 tsp fennel seeds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine fennel, tomatoes, garlic and lemon slices in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat well and place in a roasting pan in the oven for about 25 minutes until vegetable are nearly fork tender.

Meanwhile season your salmon with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and top with some lightly crushed fennel seeds. Place on top of the roasting vegetables and continue to cook an additional 10-15 min depending on how much/how big your salmon is.

Pile some of the roasted veggies on a plate, top with a piece of salmon, drizzle with a little extra lemon juice and garnish with the reserved fennel fronds.

Coming up: I've been a busy little bee - I made some homemade granola this weekend that was fabulous. Also, a halibut cheek recipe and Bison Burgers, Yum! I also have 2 Meme's I need to catch up on, so stay tuned!

Roasted Fennel and Tomato Rigatoni with Turkey Sausage

2008-02-18T19:47:00.003-07:00

It's been awhile since I've created a meal purely based on what I have on hand at home. Today I really didn't feel like heating up another Lean Cuisine for dinner, which is what I've resorted to in an effort to easily track my calorie intake. After the gym, I pulled a package of frozen turkey out to thaw and set to work searching for ingredients to make a meal. The result was absolutely delicious and healthy to boot!

I would definitely have added more tomatoes and fennel, had I had any on hand. Use whatever fresh vegetables you have and create your own.

Roasted Fennel and Tomato Rigatoni with Turkey Sausage
(serves 1)
1 large fennel bulb, stems removed and quartered, fronds reserved
1 roma tomato, quartered
5 garlic cloves
3 shallots
1/4 lb turkey sausage
6 oz Rigatoni
crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
2 Tbl tomato paste
1 Tbl goat cheese
1/2 lemon, juiced
salt, pepper and olive oil

Heat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium sized baking dish add the fennel, tomato, garlic and shallots. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes until vegetables are fork tender.

Meanwhile, bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook about 6 minutes, just a little shy of al dente (the pasta will continue to cook in the sauce).

In a medium saucepan, brown the sausage. Add crushed red pepper flakes and the tomato paste. Continue to cook until the sausage and the tomato paste are well combined. Add in the roasted vegetables. When pasta is nearly al dente, add it to the pan along with a few ladles of the pasta water. Mix ingredients well. Add goat cheese and season with salt and pepper. Finish it off with the lemon juice, mixing well. Ladle into a bowl and top with the fennel fronds.

Belated Valentine's Day Dinner

2008-02-17T10:47:00.006-07:00

I think it's been quite clear to everyone that I've had little to no time to cook. I decided to fix that for Valentine's Day and I planned a 4 course meal for my future husband. Since Valentine's Day fell on a Thursday we decided to postpone it a day and I cooked our meal on Friday night. It was so relaxing as I cooked each course as we ate. No stress and very little mess! It was a perfect night - except for the nasty cold I've been fighting for the past 3 weeks. I was able to take enough cold medicine to stave it off for a few hours to enjoy our meal.

One thing that made our meal even more enjoyable was the fact that I bought grass fed beef. I'm in the middle of reading "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan, which I got for Christmas. I'm a meat eater through and through but the more I've gotten into cooking the more I've been reading and discovering where my protein is coming from. The things I've learned have not set well with me. I'm an animal lover at heart and can't stand the thought of any animal suffering just to end up on my plate. I believe while that animal is on this earth it should live a humane life doing what God intended, grazing, rooting, rolling in the mud, whatever, given the species. So for Valentine's I found some 100% grass fed beef. I've never had it before. Sure, it tastes different. Not bad....just different. There is a tradeoff for everything and I felt better eating that beef knowing the cow that ultimately gave its life for my meal spent its life eating what it was born to eat - not grain that its body can't process - and was raised in a humane way. I'm not expert by any means but I'm committed to learning more and doing what I can to purchase meat that is ecologically and humanely raised.

Without further ado, here is our Valentine's Dinner:

First Course:
Oysters on the half shell with Classic French Mignonette
French Kiss Martini

For the martini's add 2 oz Grey Goose L'Orange Vodka and 2 oz of Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur to a martini shaker. Add ice, shake well and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with cocoa powder.

Second Course:
Warm Pancetta, Gorgonzola and Spinach Salad
(the original recipe called for goat cheese, as seen in the link, however DF isn't a fan so I substituted gorgonzola which worked just fine.)

Entrée:
100% Grass Fed New York Steak with Boursin and Merlot Sauce
Roasted Thyme New Potatoes and Asparagus
2006 Casa Lapostolle Cabernet Sauvignon

Dessert:
Molten Chocolate Soufflé with melting
Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffle Centers**
2003 Evenus Zinfandel Port

**When making the soufflé's I followed the Ghirardelli recipe, however I added 2 Lindor Chocolate Peanut Butter truffles to his and 2 Lindor Dark Chocolate truffles to mine. Pour a little of the soufflé batter into ramekin's then add the truffles. Top with rest of the batter and bake. Adds a nice surprise in the center!

Patty Melt Goodness

2008-02-10T17:39:00.000-07:00

The other night neither my fiance or I could figure out what we wanted for dinner. After a quick dig through the freezer, he came up with some hamburger patties and that was all he needed. This recipe is all his and he gets all the credit. I don't have patty melts often but this one certainly takes the cake! Topped off with some sharp cheddar and gruyere cheeses discovered in the fridge and smothered with some caramelized onions and you have yourself one heavenly patty melt.

Patty Melts:

(serves 2)
4 slices dark rye bread
2 hamburger patties
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
a few slices of your favorite cheese (we used sharp cheddar and gruyere)
butter

Procedure:
Heat a little oil or butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until caramelized. Move the onions aside in the pan and add the hamburger patties. Once patties are cooked to your desired temperature, top with cheese and cover with a lid to accelerate the melting of the cheese.

Meanwhile butter one side of the bread and place it, butter side down, on a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Top with half of the caramelized onions and the cooked hamburger patty. Butter the second slice of bread and place on top of the hamburger (butter side up). Once the bread begins to toast and is nice and brown, very carefully flip the sandwich to toast the other side. Remove from heat, slice and serve.

Disappearing Blogger and some Comforting Chicken Noodle Soup

2008-01-28T17:20:00.000-07:00

Can it really be the end of January already? I can't believe the time is flying by so fast. Unfortunately I can see already that this is going to be a pattern. I'm full swing into wedding planning and my daily workouts don't leave much room for cooking - nor does my desire to lose weight now that I've found THE dress! I'm focused more on quick, healthy and boring meals that aren't the most blogworthy. I have so little "free" internet time now that I'm constantly researching wedding ideas so I'm afraid I've become a horrible blog friend as well. I need to catch up on all my favorite blogs and leave messages so no one thinks I dropped off the face of the earth.

In the midst of everything, I've spent the last few days sick. I summoned up enough energy to make my favorite Chicken Noodle Soup yesterday with the help of my fiance who did the grocery run. Instead of making the stock as directed in the recipe, I used the turkey stock I had made after Thanksgiving and froze for just such an occaision. This recipe is actually Paula Deen's - I love it because it adds a touch of cream at the end. The cream lends the broth a silky texture that sure is welcome on a sore throat after days and days of coughing.

Here is a link to the original recipe: The Lady's Chicken Noodle Soup

As I mentioned, I skipped the making of the stock. Instead I brought my frozen stock up to a boil. For the chicken, I bought a package of chicken breasts and chicken thighs, seasoned them up with salt and pepper and threw them into the oven at 350 for about an hour. After they cooled, I removed the skin and bones and shredded the meat into bite sized pieces. The rest of the recipe I followed exactly. Comforting and warm on a rainy day when you are a bit under the weather yourself.

Mahi-Mahi with Charred Onion, Tomatoes, and Tapenade Vinaigrette

2008-01-05T09:33:00.000-07:00

I'll eventually get around to posting the Christmas Eve dinner I made - hopefully tomorrow. But for now lets lighten things up a bit after all of that Holiday indulgence...

Mahi-Mahi with Charred Onion, Tomatoes, and Tapenade Vinaigrette
from Epicurious.com

1 medium red onion, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
3/4 pound cherry tomatoes
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 (6-ounces) skinless mahimahi fillets (1 inch thick)
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
2 teaspoons black or green tapenade (olive paste) (I chopped up some pitted kalamata olives instead of using tapenade)
Couscous

Preheat broiler and line a large shallow baking pan with foil.

Toss onion and tomatoes with 3 tablespoons oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in lined baking pan, then spread evenly in one half of pan. Pat fish dry and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, then arrange, skinned side down and spaced apart, next to vegetables in other half of pan. Drizzle fish with 1 tablespoon oil and broil 4 to 6 inches from heat until vegetables are charred and slightly wilted and fish is just cooked thourough, 12 to 15 minutes.*

Meanwhile, whisk together vinegar, tapenade, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Serve fish and vegetables over couscous. Stir pan juices into vinaigrette and drizzle on top.

*I found that for my fish this was too long. I broiled for about 8 minutes then reduced the heat to 350 and cooked another 5 minutes until the fish was opaque in the center.

Hot Buttered Rum

2007-12-21T20:10:00.000-07:00

Perfect for curling up on the couch and watching holiday movies by the lit Christmas Tree, hot buttered rum is my favorite cocktail this time of year.

Hot Buttered Rum:
(serves 6)
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
Pinch ground cloves
Pinch salt
Dark Rum, such as Appleton's
Boiling water

In a bowl cream the butter, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt together. Refrigerate until almost firm.

Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the butter mixture into a mug. Pour about 3 ounces of rum into the mug and top with boiling water. Stir well and serve immediately.

Cranberry Onion Pork Roast

2007-12-21T08:21:00.000-07:00

I've had a boneless pork loin roast in my fridge for a few days and I've been trying to figure out what to do with it. Since I was working from home today I thought I'd try something in the crockpot so I could enjoy the cooking smells all day long. This dish turned out surprisingly good - tender, juicy and sweet. Paired with creamy polenta to cut through some of the sweetness it was a filling dish on a cold night.

Cranberry Onion Pork Roast:
Extra virgin olive oil
3-4 lb boneless pork loin roast
1 large yellow onion, sliced
1 bag of cranberries
3-4 cloves of garlic, sliced
1-2 cups white wine
1-2 cups turkey broth (or chicken broth - I used turkey broth made from the Thanksgiving turkey), heated
2 T brown sugar
salt and pepper

Heat about 1 T of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Meanwhile, season the roast on all sides with salt and papper. Sear the roast on all sides to attain a deep caramelized color.

Place the roast in a large crock pot. Add the onions, garlic and cranberries around the roast in the pot. Sprinkle brown sugar on top of the vegetables and the roast. Add the wine and the warmed turkey stock. Season everything with more salt and pepper. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. If, during the last 2 hours of cooking there is too much liquid, remove the lid of the crockpot and allow the liquid to cook down. Also during this time use a fork to shred the pork.

I served my pork over creamy polenta drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and garnished with dried cranberries.

Peppermint Bark

2007-12-15T19:49:00.000-07:00

Last year I set out to make a version of Peppermint Bark that rivaled the Williams Sonoma version, and that cost a lot less as well. At $24.50 per 1 lb. tin I just could not justify buying it - even if it was my Mom's favorite during the Holiday season. I researched recipes and developed this simple recipe on my own and it was a hit with all of the recipients, especially my Mom!

I used large blocks of dark and white chocolate found at Sprouts, last year. This year, it was difficult to track down (they kept running out) so I settled for the Wilton dark and white Candy Melts sold in 14 oz packages at Michaels which was cheaper ($1.99/bag on sale) and the Peppermint Bark tasted just as good!

Peppermint Bark
(makes 1, 11x17in cookie sheet of bark)
Crushed candy canes, to yield about 1 cup
2 pounds dark chocolate (I used 2 bags of Wilton dark candy melts)
Peppermint Spirits*
2 pounds white chocolate (I used 2 bags of Wilton white candy melts)

Place candy canes in a plastic bag and hammer into 1/4-inch chunks or smaller.

Melt the dark chocolate in a double boiler. Add dropfuls (I used 3-4 dropperfuls) of peppermint spirits to taste. Pour mixture onto a cookie sheet layered with parchment or waxed paper and place in the refrigerator for 45 minutes or until firm.

Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler. Pour mixture on top of cooled dark chocolate mixture. Sprinkle crushed candy canes on top, tap the cookie sheet a couple of times to get the candy to settle into the chocolate and return to refrigerator for 45 minutes or until firm.

Using a sharp knife, break up bark into pieces in the cookie sheet. You may need to freeze the park for 15-20 minutes to make this easier. Bark keeps, layered between sheets of wax paper in an airtight container at cool room temperature or chilled, 1 week.

I package portions of the bark in clear plastic bags placed inside Kraft colored Chinese takeout containers (also found at Michaels for $1 each). Finish it off with a bit of ribbon and a gift tag.

All told I figure this works out to be about $4 per person, bark and wrapping all together. What a great gift to give to family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers!

*Peppermint Spirits (not extract) is found in the natural food section at a store like Sprouts or Whole Foods. Make sure you get the spirits, not peppermint extract. Spirits have a richer, peppermintier (is that a word?) flavor. It's more expensive but the flavor is closer to the William Sonoma version. Plus, it should last you a long while!

Happy Holidays!!

Fennel and Apple Salad

2007-12-12T18:48:00.000-07:00

I had this salad at the famed Pizzeria Bianco a few months ago when Mo, Kirsten and I, along with our significant others, finally made our first trip there. The flavors were incredible so when I saw some fresh fennel and beautiful apples at the Farmers Market, I knew I had to try to make this on my own. I searched Epicurious and wouldn't you know? Chris Bianco's recipe was right there!

Fennel and Apple Salad with Cider Vinaigrette:
from Epicurious.com
1/2 cup unfiltered apple cider or apple juice
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1 large Granny Smith apple, quartered, cored, thinly sliced
1 medium-size fresh fennel bulb, trimmed, thinly sliced
2 cups arugula (about 3 ounces)
1/2 cup pecans (about 2 ounces), toasted

Whisk first 4 ingredients in medium bowl to blend; season dressing with salt and pepper. Combine apple, fennel and arugula in large bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat. Mound salad on 4 plates; sprinkle with pecans.

Lasagna Bolognese

2007-12-09T17:52:00.000-07:00

I haven't made lasagna in ages and I normally make a version most of us are familiar with involving layers of ricotta cheese. I've never made the more traditional Northern Italian Bechamel version. I watched an episode of Molto Mario on Fine Living recently where Mario Batali made "Lasagne Bolognese al Forno" and it looked delicious! So tonight, lasagna was on the menu. I made some adjustments to Mario's original recipe and used store bought lasagna noodles, not homemade as the recipe recommends (which I do want to try in the future). With the ingredients I had on hand, this is my version of Lasagna Bolognese.

Lasagna Bolognese:
1 package lasagna noodles
Italian Sausage Ragu*
Bechamel Sauce**
Parmigiano-Reggiano
Mozzarella Cheese, sliced

*Italian Sausage Ragu:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
3 lbs hot italian sausage, ground
1/2 cup milk
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand, with the juices
1 cup dry red wine
2 cups stock (I used turkey stock I made after Thanksgiving)
Salt and pepper

In a 6 to 8-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add onion, carrot and garlic and sweat over medium heat until vegetables are translucent. Add sausage and stir into vegetables. Brown over high heat, stirring to keep meat from sticking together, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Add milk and simmer until reduced to nothing, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and simmer 15 minutes. Add the wine and stock, bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer over low heat for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove from heat.

**Bechamel Sauce:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

In a medium saucepan, heat butter until melted. Add flour and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Over medium heat, cook mixture until light golden brown, about 6 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat milk in separate pan until just about to boil. Whisk milk into butter mixture 1 cup at a time, whisking continuously until very smooth. Bring mixture to a boil. Cook 10 minutes and remove from heat. Sauce should coat the back of a spoon and hold its edge when you run a finger through the middle. Season with salt and nutmeg and set aside.

To assemble the Lasagna:
Cook 15-20 lasagna noodles in salted, boiling water, until tender. Remove from heat and shock in an ice bath. Remove noodles and layer between sheets of paper towels to dry.

In a 13x9 inch baking pan, start by adding the ragu to the bottom of the pan, top with grated parmigiano-reggiano, then noodles, followed by bechamel, ragu, parmigiano-reggiano and slices of Mozzarella. Repeat process until all noodles have been used. Top noodles with bechamel and additional parmigiano-reggiano. Bake in oven for 30-45 minutes until sauces are bubbling and the lasagna is browned on the top and the edges. Let lasagna rest for about 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Braised.....Ribeye???

2007-12-07T20:53:00.000-07:00

A few months ago my fiance came home with a few ribeye steaks from Costco. For some reason we never got around to making them so they ended up in the freezer - the last place I usually want to put a nice piece of beef. I pulled them out this weekend to thaw and was worried they had succumbed to the elements and were too freezer burned to be any good. We ended up grilling some fresh ribeyes from a new local butcher, EJ's - which turned out to be very good.

But, what to do with the freezer riddled steaks? I hate to throw food away so I planned to cook them up and feed them to the dogs over the course of a few days. It was finally raining tonight, after a long overcast day and inspiration struck: why not braise them? I love braising and am always looking for something I can experiment with. I figured if it didn't turn out or the meat was just way past its prime I could throw it out (or feed it to the dogs) knowing that at least I'd given it a shot.

Well, the garbage can remained empty and the dogs didn't get much more than a couple bites of the tender, flavorful ribeyes that came out of the oven after an hour and 45 minute of slow cooking.

Braised Ribeye Stew:
3 boneless ribeye steaks
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 onion, diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
3 T rosemary, chopped
2 T thyme, chopped
1-2 C red wine
4 C beef broth
1 1/2 C roasted potatoes*

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat. Season steaks with salt and pepper. Add steaks 1 - 2 at a time and brown on all sides really well. Remove and set aside. Brown in batches if needed.

Add carrots and onion to the pot and saute for about 5 minutes, until onions and carrots are tender. Add garlic and saute about 2 minutes. Add rosemary and thyme, season with salt and pepper. Continue to saute until you can smell the aroma of the garlic, rosemary and thyme. Deglaze the pot with the wine and scrape up all the browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Add broth and bring to a boil. Return the steaks to the pot with the accumulated juices. Ensure steaks are covered by the liquid. Cover the pot and place in the oven. Braise in the oven for about an hour and 45 minutes. Check every 30 minutes to ensure the steaks are still covered with liquid. Add more wine if needed.

When steaks are tender and falling apart, remove the pot from the oven. Remove steaks and set aside. Place pot on the stove over medium high heat. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until mixture begins to reduce. Meanwhile, using two forks, shred the beef. Add the shredded beef back to the pot, along with the roasted potatoes. You can thicken the stew with a cornstarch slurry if desired.

*I cut up fingerling potatoes into bite sized pieces, seasoned them with salt and pepper and tossed in a little olive oil. Roast in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

Catching Up...

2007-11-24T20:43:00.000-07:00

I'm so behind both in my blogging and my visiting of my favorite blogs. I don't like it when I get behind and that tells me I need to slow down a bit. I've got lots of pictures from Pittsburgh and Thanksgiving (our first fried turkey!) that I want to post and blog about but I'm too exhausted to get through it all right now. I've been spending most of my online time searching real estate as we're in the process of trying to find a new home or an acre of land to build on. It's exhausting and overwhelming but I hope we'll find something soon!

Tonight, after spending the day decorating my house for Christmas, a hard workout with my trainer and then some quick shopping for last minute touches around the house I wanted something simple, light and delicious for dinner. I've been eyeing a Creamy Sweet Potato Soup I noticed on Simply Recipes a few weeks ago. I picked up some Sweet Potatoes at the Farmer's Market last weekend in the hopes I'd finally find the time to make the soup. Tonight was the night and it was fabulous. Creamy, thick, rich and flavorful, it really hit the spot. The recipe is really simple and it allowed me to use up the last of my chicken stock (I've got 5 Liters of freshly made Turkey Stock in the freezer thanks to Thanksgiving). Click the link above for the details. I'll just share my photos, though my bowl isn't nearly as beautiful as Elise's.

Homemade Chicken Stock

2007-11-16T17:49:00.001-07:00

I saved the carcass from my roast chicken last week and I also had the bones from a chicken breast I'd frozen a few weeks back. Enjoying the first of my new 9-80 schedule, I had Friday off and decided it was time to make my first homemade chicken stock. I picked up some vegetables at Sprouts and I was ready to go.

I can't believe how easy this was and I was amazed at the wonderful aroma my house filled with while the stock simmered slowly for hours and hours. I ended up simmering it for nearly 6 hours when all was said and done. When I strained it I was left with a beautiful, rich, aromatic chicken stock. Perfect for making my butternut squash risotto on Thanksgiving.

This recipe can be modified to use any vegetables or aromatics you currently have on hand - just toss it in!!

Chicken Stock
(Makes about 14-16 Cups)

1 chicken carcass (plus additional chicken bones, if you have them)
1 yellow onion, quartered
2-3 celery stalks, with leaves, roughly chopped
2-3 carrots, roughly chopped
1 parsnip, roughly chopped
Bunch of Italian Parsley
3 bay leaves
3-4 whole allspice
3-4 whole cloves
sea salt
whole peppercorns
Water

Combine all ingredients (except water) in a large stock pot. Add water just to cover. Place over a medium heat and slowly bring the mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, (just barely simmering, depending on your stove) and continue to cook about 5-6 hours. Strain mixture into a large bowl and allow to cool. Pour into quart or gallon size freezer bags and freeze for later use. I separated mine into about 4 cup portion sizes.

Spicy White Bean Chicken Chili

2007-11-15T22:13:00.000-07:00

My fiance and I disagree on what this should be called. He doesn't even think it should be called chili - and if it has to be, he wants to name it "Chicken and White Bean Chili." I say he doesn't get a vote. You see, after the gym I went to the grocery store trying to figure out what to make for dinner. We had light rain off and on all day today, it was overcast and tonight we've been getting thunder and lightening. I think the news said we haven't had rain in about 43 days. The weather had me in the mood for a hearty warm dish - yet still easy on the calories.

So, back at the grocery store I had my cart full of the things I'd need for this dish when my cell phone rang; it was my fiance. When I told him I was at the grocery store he was curious what was on the menu. I told him I was making "White Bean Chicken Chili". He groaned. When he thinks of Chili he thinks of beef and red beans with a hearty, rich sauce. I politely told him there is more than one kind of chili in the world and if he didn't like it, he didn't have to eat it. Well, he ate the whole bowl and then some. Enough said.

Spicy White Bean Chicken Chili
(Serves 4)

1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
2-4 T olive oil
1 medium jalepeno, seeded and minced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 medium onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 - 3/4 Cup Mexican beer
4 T flour
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cumin
18 oz chicken stock
2, 15 oz cans navy beans, undrained
1, 4 oz can chopped hot green chilis (I used 1 can of the hot and the rest of the can of mild that I didn't use in my corn bread)
1/4 Cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 Cup Monteray Jack cheese, shredded (for garnish)
salt and pepper

Season the cubed chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the chicken and saute until lightly browned on all sides. Remove chicken to a plate and set aside.

Add the jalepeno, bell pepper, carrot, onion and garlic and saute 3-5 minutes until vegetables soften. Add additional olive oil if needed. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper while sauteing. Add beer and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Allow beer to reduce about two minutes. Add flour, oregano, and cumin, mix well and ensure the flour is cooked. Return the chicken and the juices to the pot along with the chicken stock. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes. Taste the mixture for seasoning and add more salt, pepper or cumin if needed.

Add beans, green chili and cilantro. Stir to combine and continue to simmer, with the lid off, for another 15 - 20 minutes or until desired consistency. Serve in bowls garnished with cheese.

I used a beer we picked up in Mexico: Barrilito. We first had this last March in Cozumel. I am admittedly not a huge beer fan. But I LOVE this beer. During our July trip to San Carlos, Mexico, we searched for it but no one carried it. However on a return trip a few weeks ago, imagine our surprise when one of the beer stands was selling 6 packs of Barrilito. We bought 4 to take home. You can use any good medium bodied beer in this dish though. I served the Chili with some easy to whip up Jiffy Corn Bread mix and added in about a 1/2 can of chopped green chilis.

Pork Tenderloin with Tomato Artichoke Sauce

2007-11-07T18:54:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to learn how to make meals based on what I have in my pantry and refrigerator. It's so hard. I took a pork tenderloin out of the freezer this morning to thaw and all day long at work I contemplated (and searched the web) for a great recipe to make. I found several but they just didn't quite address the meal I was looking for. I wanted an Italian type dish so I realized I'd be on my own to come up with something. I had a plan in my head and when I got home I checked out my pantry. I discovered a can of artichokes and diced tomatoes and I was in business.

Pork Tenderloin with Tomato Artichoke Sauce:

extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
1 pork tenderloin (about 1.25 lbs)
1 small onion, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup white wine
1 can (14.5 oz) artichokes
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1 - 2 Tbl Balsamic vinegar
1 lb cooked pasta (i.e. penne, tortiglioni, rigatoni, etc)
freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat a large oven proofe saute pan over medium high heat.

Season tenderloin with salt and pepper. Add extra virgin olive oil to hot pan and carefully place the tenderloin in the pan. Sear until the pork releases itself from the pan. Turn and continue to sear until all sides are a nice golden brown. Remove pork and set aside. Add garlic and onions, saute for about 5 minutes until tender. Add wine to deglaze pan. Scrape up all of the brown bits and allow to reduce about 2 minutes. Add artichokes and tomatoes. Simmer about 5 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar and stir to combine. Return pork to the pan and place the pan in the oven for about 30 minutes or until pork is cooked to 160 degrees (internal temperature).

Meanwhile. bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt well. Add pasta and cook until al dente.

Remove pan from oven, place pork on a cutting board to rest about 5 minutes, then slice into 1/2 in slices. Place cooked pasta on a plate, add tomato artichoke sauce and place pork medallions on top. Grate some parmigiano reggiano cheese as a garnish.

This sauce was extremely flavorful, healthy and can be used in many different variations.

Pan Seared Scallops with Bacon Mushroom Pan Sauce

2007-11-05T18:58:00.000-07:00

Tonight the Steelers are playing and we're looking forward to our visit to Pittsburgh this weekend. I picked up a pound of large sea scallops at Costco on Saturday intended just for tonight. Not knowing how I would prepare them I thought I would use up some things from the fridge for a quick easy meal. This was the perfect start to what is, so far, a perfect game...for the Steelers anyway! :)

Pan Seared Sea Scallops with Bacon Mushroom Pan Sauce:
(serves 2-3)
3 strips bacon
1 lb large sea scallops
1 shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 - 1 cup white wine
4 oz. crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 tbl capers
2 tbl lemon juice
2 tbl italian parsley, finely chopped
1 tbl unsalted butter
salt and pepper

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook bacon until crispy, remove and drain on paper towels.

Meanwhile, dry scallops with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Place seasoned side down in skillet with the bacon grease. Season top of scallops with additional salt and pepper. Sear for at least 2 minutes, until scallops lift easily from the pan. Gently turn scallops over and continue to cook 2-3 minutes. Remove scallops and place in a serving pan.

Add shallots and garlic to the pan and cook 2 minutes. Add wine and deglaze pan. Allow wine to reduce, about 2-3 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute until tender, about 4 minutes. Add capers, crumbled bacon, lemon juice, parsley, and butter. Taste sauce and season with additional salt and pepper as needed. Spoon sauce over scallops and serve.

Sunday Roast Chicken

2007-11-04T18:54:00.000-07:00

I picked up a beautiful, nearly 6 lb free-range organic chicken at Sprouts on Saturday - the perfect thing for a Sunday night dinner. I'd read about a simple, easy roast chicken in Adam Roberts' new release, "The Amateur Gourmet." I decided to try it. I was a little weary of the lack of butter or oil but I did some research and it made sense. After rinsing the chicken, pat it dry thoroughly with paper towels. You don't want the chicken to steam, you want it to roast. Thus another reason why you should not add butter or oil. I did throw some garlic cloves into the cavity along with the thyme leaves, salt and pepper. I cut up some small red potatoes and placed them cut side down in the roasting pan and placed the roasting rack on top of the potatoes. The chicken, trussed and seasoned went on top and into a 450 degree oven. Since it was nearly 6 lbs, it took about an hour and 15 minutes until the internal temperature reached 165 which prompted me to remove it and let it rest until it reached 170 degrees.

The chicken was so moist, tender and flavorful - I was in disbelief; my fiance was in heaven. The potatoes were literally fried in the chicken oil - crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. I served the chicken with a recipe I found on my most recent business trip - in the USAirways magazine (October issue) of all things: Roasted Rosemary Butternut Squash and Shallots (scroll about halfway down for the recipe). I used butternut squash and shallots I picked up at the Farmer's Market on Saturday. The result was a really tender, sweet squash that really complimented the tender chicken.

I am now a believer. You really don't need oil or butter to roast a chicken. This recipe was so easy and so good it will become a regular in our house.

Market Breakfast

2007-11-03T10:28:00.000-07:00

I've been dying to go to the Downtown Phoenix Public Market for weeks since they opened in September but with my schedule and not being in town for the past two weeks it just didn't make sense to make the 30 min drive if I couldn't buy anything. So this morning, knowing I'd be in town for a full week, I decided to make my first visit. I brought my Mom along and met up with Mo of Paws and Pours. I had a great time and came home with a bounty of fresh vegetables, free-range eggs, a loaf of bread and some arugula I need to plant before the day is out. Once I unloaded my bags I set about making breakfast and I came up with something easy, delicious and fresh:

Egg Scramble with Spinach and Tomatoes
(serves 1)
1 T vegetable oil
1 C spinach, roughly chopped
1/2 tomato, diced
2 eggs
1-2 T 2% milk
1 tsp Herbes de Provence
1 T goat cheese
salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl whisk the eggs with the milk. Add Herbes de Provence and set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the spinach and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Saute vegetables until spinach begins to wilt and tomatoes are heated through. Add egg mixture and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes. Scramble the eggs and cook until almost dry. Add in goat cheese, broken up into pieces. Pile on a plate, season with more salt and pepper if desired and enjoy!

Friday Night Pizza

2007-10-19T20:14:00.000-07:00

We've decided to start a tradition...Friday night pizza. It's taken awhile but I've finally found a pizza dough recipe I love and I've created a great pizza sauce recipe that is the perfect accompaniment.

I found the pizza dough recipe on Simply Recipes and I haven't tweaked it one bit. It is the perfect mix of crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside dough. Elise's recipe makes 2 large pizzas. I tend to make the dough the night before, putting it in a ziploc bag after it has risen (and been punched down) and stored in the fridge until ready to bake. It will puff up a bit in the fridge but no worries. Just pull it out and knead it on some flour a couple of times before you roll it out into the perfect canvas for your pizza masterpiece.

I've created the accompanying sauce over time. I found many recipes result in a tasty sauce, but after it cooked on a pizza in a hot oven, it would get watery and run over the sides of the dough. This does NOT do that. It's flavorful but it does take some time to make. Again, this could be made in advance and stored in the fridge. This sauce will make enough for at least 4 pizzas (or more depending on how much sauce you like), so you will have lots leftover, unless you are having a pizza party!

Chrissy's Pizza Sauce:
10 ripe Roma Tomatoes
2 T Olive Oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2-3 shallots, minced
1 tsp crushed red pepper (or to taste)
2 Tbl tomato paste
3/4 cup white wine
1 T brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes with their juices
2 T fresh oregano, chopped
2 T fresh basil, chopped
freshly ground pepper to taste

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Prepare a bowl of iced water.

Meanwhile, using a knife, cut an "X" into the bottom of each of the roma tomatoes. Place in boiling water for 30 - 60 seconds. Remove the tomatoes from the boiling water and shock them in the iced water to stop the cooking. This will make the tomatoes easy to peel. Peel the tomatoes and then quarter them. Remove the seeds and place quartered, seeded tomatoes in a bowl.

Heat 2 T olive oil in a large pot or dutch over over medium heat. Add garlic and shallots and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add red peppers and tomato paste. Stir to combine. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, scraping up all of the tomato from the bottom and sides of the pan. Add the quartered tomatoes, brown sugar and salt. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add canned tomatoes and break the tomatoes up with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Blend mixture with an immersion blender to desired consistency. Add basil, oregano and pepper, and stir to combine. Cook an additional 10 minutes to combine the flavors.

I topped my pizza tonight with sauteed crimini mushrooms, pepperoni, sliced green olives and of course, fresh mozzarella cheese. Place on a pizza stone in a preheated 500 degree oven for about 10 minutes. A pizza peel is a must!! It is a cheap investment and really makes the whole process much easier when placing the pizza on the hot stone and then removing it.

Depending on your oven, you may want to precook the dough for about 3 - 5 minutes prior to adding the toppings.

Short Rib Ragu with Pappardelle

2007-10-14T19:00:00.000-07:00

I've been looking forward to making this dish all week. It's something that is a perfect Sunday dinner - taking about 2-3 hours to braise, slowly in the oven.

I had something very similar to this at a Dino in Washington DC and I've been dying to re-create it at home. The dish I had at Dino was Pappardelle ai Cinghiale alla Stephan or Wild Boar Pasta consisting of house made ribbon pappardelle pasta, braised boar shoulder, crushed tomato, onions, golden raisins, celery, carrots, red wine, garlic, herbs & spices. Since I could not get my hands on wild boar here in Phoenix (actually I really didn't even look) I decided to substitute Beef Short Ribs.

The pasta I used was a gift from my Aunt Katie and Grandma for our engagement. It's an Italian egg noodle pasta, called Spinosi. It was the prefect complement to the hearty rib ragu. My Aunt is in Italy as I write this and I could not be more envious.

The weather here in Phoenix has cooled off dramatically so we took advantage of it and enjoyed dinner on our back patio complete with an arugula salad with lemon garlic vinaigrette, roasted garlic french bread and a great bottle of Cellar No. 8 Cabernet Sauvignon (the same wine I used in the braising liquid).

Short Rib Ragu with Pappardelle
(serves 4)
4 oz. pancetta, chopped
4 lbs beef short ribs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
7 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 cups full-bodied red wine
1, 28 oz can of whole, peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand with their juices
1-2 cups beef stock (I substituted some reserved liquid from reconstituted mushrooms I made earlier in the week for the extra cup of beef stock)
4 sprigs thyme
4 Tbl rosemary, chopped
2 Tbl oregano, chopped
1 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 lb pappardelle pasta (or other wide, thin noodle)
Parmigiano-Reggiano and Asiago cheese

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat, add the pancetta and cook until crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove the pancetta with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Season the ribs with salt and pepper and add them to the pot cooking them over high heat until deep brown all on sides, about 15 minutes total. Do this step in batches so the meat gets really brown and does not steam. Remove the short ribs to a plate and set aside.

Add the carrots, onion, celery and garlic to the pan and cook over high heat until browned and softened, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the red wine, tomatoes and juices, beef stock and herbs, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to dislodge the brown bits. Bring the mixture to a boil then add the browned short ribs and pancetta. Cover with a lid and place in the oven. Check every hour to ensure the liquid rises just to the top of the meat. If not, add additional beef stock as necessary. After an hour and a half add the chopped chocolate. Cook for 2 1/2 hours, or until the ribs are falling off the bones. When done, remove ribs and set aside.

Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat.

Place dutch oven on a burner and skim the fat off of the top. Heat over a medium flame until mixture is simmering and reduce by 1/4 to 1/2. Remove and discard thyme stems.

Meanwhile, remove meat from the bones, discarding fat and tendons. Shred the meat and place in a bowl. Add meat to the reduced braising liquid and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low.

Generously salt the boiling water and add pasta. Cook 2-4 minutes until al dente. Drain pasta and add to short rib ragu. Toss gently and pour into a serving bowl. Top with grated parmigano-reggiano and asiago cheese.

Bistecca alla Fiorentina

2007-10-10T19:32:00.000-07:00

I was exhausted today and really didn't plan on making anything more than a BLT (my healthy version with turkey bacon, spinach & tomato on whole wheat bread). I got home from the gym and collapsed on the couch ready to watch some of my many DVR'd cooking shows but I didn't get very far. I started watching one of the recorded episodes of Joanne Weir's Cooking Class where she made "Bistecca alla Fiorentina" in her fireplace with a beautiful lemon vinaigrette arugula salad.

Once she plated the sliced steak and topped it with the salad, I was sold. I haven't had steak in a LOOONG time but there was one little problem....the only steaks I had were frozen solid and it was 5:00pm. Since I do most of the cooking (with no complaints from me) I convinced my fiance that if he went to the store to get a lovely, thick porterhouse, I would cook him an amazing, yet simple dinner. All he had to hear was "porterhouse" and he was on his way.

So, I mustered up some energy and got to work in the kitchen...which wasn't very much work at all. In less than 30 minutes (only 10 minutes of that actual work other than tending the grill) we had a satisfying, flavorful meal that really hit the spot. The acidity from the lemon vinaigrette paired with the steak was a real winning combination.

Bistecca alla Fiorentina
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 lb porterhouse beef steak (about 2 in thick)
2 medium ripe red tomatoes, diced
5 cups of greens (arugula, spinach or combination of both)
Lemon wedges, for garnish

Heat an outdoor grill to a medium high heat (about 450 degrees).

In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Lightly oil the steaks with extra virgin olive oil then grind some fresh pepper on both sides. Place on the grill. Grill steaks until there is a brown crust on one side, 5-6 minutes. Turn the steaks, season with salt and continue to cook until medium rare, 5-6 additional minutes. Remove from the grill, season 2nd side with salt and let rest 10 minutes. Remove the filet and strip pieces from the bone, then slice on the diagonal against the grain into thin slices. Place on a warm platter.

Toss the greens and tomatoes with the vinaigrette, salt and pepper and place on top of the sliced steak. Serve immediately, garnished with lemon wedges.

Thai-Style Halibut with Coconut Curry Broth

2007-10-08T19:31:00.000-07:00

Wow - I'm still reeling from how flavorful and healthy this meal was. In keeping with my healthy but flavorful theme of late (don't want to ruin all that hard work at the gym) I was searching Food Network for some inspiration. I know Ellie Krieger cooks healthy meals and I've never tried one of her recipes so I decided to give it a go and this one in particular caught my eye - it was either going to be a huge success or a huge bomb - but I was willing to take the risk. I just wasn't sure about the coconut curry flavor with halibut. I didn't change a thing about the recipe (a rarity for me) and both my fiance and I thoroughly enjoyed every morsel of this meal. You could easily substitute chicken breasts, tenders, or pork for the halibut, if desired, but it would require longer cooking time. I'm thinking next time I may make this with some scallops. Yum!!

Thai-Style Halibut with Coconut Curry Broth

(Serves 4)

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 shallots, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
2 1/2 teaspoons red curry paste
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus 1/4 teaspoon, plus more for seasoning
4 (6-ounce) pieces halibut fillet, skin removed
5 cups fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 scallions, green part only, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups cooked brown rice, for serving

In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer until reduced to 2 cups, about 5 - 8 minutes.

Season the halibut with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Arrange the fish in the pan and turn to coat in the sauce. Cover and cook until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, steam 5 cups of washed baby spinach for 2 - 3 minutes.

Plate brown rice followed by a pile of steamed spinach in the bottom of 4 deep plates. Top with the fish fillets. Stir the cilantro, scallions, and lime juice into the pan sauce and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Ladle the sauce over the fish and serve.

Wild Mushroom and Spinach stuffed Chicken Breasts

2007-10-07T19:51:00.000-07:00

I love Sunday night dinners, even when it is something as simple as chicken breasts, but "kicked up a notch." Chicken, for me, tends to be pretty boring, but I know how good it is for you so I try to find ways to make it more interesting and flavorful - and use up the stuff in my fridge. Tonight's dinner was successful - even if I was a little worried. I made the wild mushroom and spinach stuffing in a healthy way but this could be made even more flavorful with a little goat cheese added to the mix. You can also substitute any of your favorite mushrooms, dried or fresh or a combination of both.

Wild Mushroom and Spinach stuffed Chicken Breasts
with White Truffle Oil roasted Potatoes
(serves 2)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half and pounded to about 1/4 in thickness
3 garlic cloves
4 oz crimini mushrooms
1/2 oz dried mushrooms (I used a mushroom medley of porcini, chanterelle, shiitake & oyster)
1/2 white onion, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
5 oz. spinach
2 cups fingerling potatoes, halved
1 tbl white truffle oil
salt and pepper to taste
extra virgin olive oil

Place the dried mushrooms in a bowl with about 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water. Let sit for 30-60 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving liquid for a future use (don't waste this flavorful water - a risotto maybe?). Remove any tough stems from the reconstituted mushrooms and set aside.

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

In a food processor add the garlic cloves and pulse until minced. Remove the stems from the crimini mushrooms and quarter. Add the crimini and reconstituted mushrooms to the food processor and pulse again, mincing the mixure.

Heat 1-2 tbl of extra virgin olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add onions and saute until translucent. Add mushroom mixture and continue cooking for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Deglaze pan with wine and allow wine to reduce, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Once the wine is absorbed add the spinach and toss until all spinach is wilted. Remove from heat.

Place 2 large spoonfuls in center of each chicken breast. Gently roll each breast and secure with kitchen twine.

In a bowl season potatoes with salt and pepper and drizzle with white truffle oil and 1 tbl extra virgin olive oil. Toss to coat.

Place chicken in a roasting pan and surround with potatoes. Place in oven for about 40 minutes until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are fork tender.

Ahi with White Bean and Arugula Salad

2007-10-04T21:06:00.000-07:00

I saw this beautiful White Bean and Arugula Salad over on Kalyn's Kitchen the other day. I've been eating a lot of white beans lately and I just can't seem to get enough of them. When I saw this salad I knew I had to give it a try. Adding a nice seared piece of seasoned Ahi Tuna seemed the perfect accompaniment and turned out to be a light, healthy meal, something I needed after a delicious but indulgent dinner Wednesday night at Andreoli, my new favorite place to have Italian in the valley.

You can find the recipe for the salad on Kalyn's site linked above so I won't repeat it here. The Ahi was very easy. I lightly seasoned with sea salt and freshly ground pepper and a little bit of extra virgin olive oil on both sides. Allow tuna to sit for 10-15 minutes until room temperature (important for the searing). Heat a large pan over medium high heat. Add 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and gently lay the tuna steaks in the pan. Sear about 1-2 minutes per side. Remove from pan and serve over salad. Drizzle extra salad dressing over the tuna if desired.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin

2007-10-02T19:51:00.000-07:00

I believe it is possible to eat healthy yet still eat food full of flavor. I think I proved that today. I've been working out at the gym and I've hired a personal trainer - who's been kicking my butt! It's made me much more conscious of what I eat so I'm trying really hard to continue to eat good food full of flavor but ensure that it's healthy and balanced at the same time.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Potatoes, Asparagus and Pearl Onions
1lb pork tenderloin
salt and pepper to taste
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 tbl rosemary, minced
2 tbl thyme, destemmed
3-4 tbl extra virgin olive oil
kitchen twine
Fingerling potatoes
Asparagus
Pearl onions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Butterfly the pork tenderloin and pound out to about 1/2 inch thickness. Season inside with salt and pepper.

Combine garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper and 2 tbl of olive oil. Spread 1/2 of the mixture inside the tenderloin. Roll tenderloin and seal with 4-5 pieces of kitchen twine tied tight to keep contents inside. Season outside of tenderloin with salt, pepper and about 1/4 of the garlic/rosemary/thyme mixture. Place in a roasting pan and set aside.

Cut the fingerling potatoes into bite size pieces. Trim the ends of the asparagus and cut into 1 -2 inch pieces. Cut the root end off of the pearl onions, peel and cut in half. Combine the potatoes, asparagus and onions with salt, pepper, remaining garlic/rosemary/thyme mixture and remaining olive oil. Toss to coat. Add to roasting pan.

Roast pork and vegetables in preheated oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or until pork reaches 160 degrees and vegetables are fork tender. Allow pork to rest about 5 minutes, then slice into 1/2 inch thick rounds. Serve over roasted vegetables.

Combining a bit of the sweet roasted pearl onions with the tender flavorful pork was pure heaven. Fork tender asparagus and potatoes round out the meal.

Salmon Fennel and Leek Soup

2007-09-25T20:13:00.000-07:00

I've been back from D.C. for a few days now and still recovering from the lack of sleep and the 3 hour time difference. I had training classes during the day for my new job so the evenings and all day Friday were devoted to sight seeing and eating some of the most delicious food the city has to offer. I didn't get much sleep and I'm paying for it now, but it was worth it. I did a Segway tour of the city at night and ate at Komi, Dino, Brasserie Les Halles and Pizzeria Paradiso, all excellent!

I spent much of the morning on Saturday catching up on my favorite shows recorded on my DVR. I've been watching more and more cooking shows on PBS and am really enjoying Joanne Weir's Cooking Class where I saw this dish. I couldn't get a copy of the recipe unless I bought the DVD's so this is my version based on the show.

Ingredients
1 Fennel bulb
4 Leeks
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 1/2 cups clam juice
1/2 cup water
Baguette
Fennel seeds, crushed
Parsley
Lemon
1 lb salmon, skin removed, cut into bite sized chunks
1/2 cup heavy cream – optional
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Herb Salad:
Chop feathery tops of fennel and place in a bowl. Add leaves from parsley, roughly chopped. Drizzle with 1-2 tsp olive oil, ½ tsp lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Croutons:
Slice baguette into ½ inch slices on the bias. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and crushed fennel. Bake in 400 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Rub with garlic on both sides. Set aside.

Soup:
Remove fennel stalks and outer layer of bulb and discard. Chop remaining fennel bulb into a medium dice.

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chopped fennel.

Meanwhile slice leeks (use all of the white and about 1 inch of the green part, discard the rest.) First slice in half lengthwise then into ½ inch chunks. Place leeks into a bowl of water and swirl around to rinse and remove grit and dirt. Drain in a colander and add to fennel. Add 1 tsp salt and cook 15 minutes or until softened. Add wine and allow to reduce. Add clam juice and water just to the top of the vegetables. Simmer 15-20 minutes.

Cool the soup and puree to desired consistency using either a blender or immersion blender. Return to the pot and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Add salmon pieces and season soup with salt, pepper and 1 tsp lemon juice. Add cream, if desiered. Once salmon is cooked through, the soup is ready to serve.

Place in bowls and top with croutons and herb salad.

This dish was really creamy and flavorful with the leek, fennel and salmon. It was also really soothing. Cooking has become more and more therapeutic for me. I find when I'm stressed, I can channel that stress into something more productive, by cooking. After work this afternoon I was sitting at the computer and as usual Blanca was standing beneath my desk wanting some love. As I was petting her I found a large lump on her belly, about a half inch in diameter. I don't know how I've missed that this long. I have a vet appointment for Thursday and should know if it is anything that I need to worry about then...but until that point, I'm really scared. I'm trying to focus on positive energy though for myself but mostly for Blanca. So, after dinner Blanca got a few pieces of the salmon from the soup and she agrees that it's very good! ;)

Italian Style Sausage "Chili"

2007-09-16T17:43:00.000-07:00

I'm off to Washington D.C. tomorrow for a week of training for my new job. But before I hop on the plane, I had to cook one last meal.

I've started reading Heat by Bill Buford (Excellent, by the way!) which had me craving some type of rustic Italian flavored dish. I saw a recipe on Simply Recipes for White Beans and Sausage which was my inspiration for this recipe. The result was an Italian style "chili" that really hit the spot served with triangles of pan-fried polenta.

Italian Sausage "Chili"
extra virgin olive oil
1 medium white onion, chopped
1.5 lbs hot italian sausage
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
3 - 15 oz cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (reserve the juice from 2 cans)
2- 28 oz cans whole peeled tomatoes**
1/2 cup white wine
2-3 tbl fresh oregano, chopped
3-4 tbl fresh basil, chopped
parmesan rind
salt and pepper
freshly grated parmigano reggiano

** Pour the contents of one can of the tomatoes into a food processor. Add the juices from the second can, reserving the whole tomatoes. Purée the mixture for about 1 minute. Set aside. Chop the reserved whole tomatoes into large bite-size pieces and set aside.

Heat 1 - 2 Tbs olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent. Add sausage and fry until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add garlic and crushed red pepper flakes, stirring to combine. Add the reserved juice from the beans, wine and chopped tomatoes. Bring mixture to a boil and allow to thicken about 5 minutes.

Add the cannellini beans, tomato purée, oregano, and basil. Stir well and then add the parmesan rind. Bring mixture back to a slow boil, then reduce heat and simmer at least one hour or until desired consistency. I simmered mine for about 2 hours for a really thick, chili like consistency. Remove the rind before serving. Top with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese and serve with toasted bread or polenta.

Roasted Tomato Soup

2007-09-13T17:47:00.000-07:00

I must be crazy. At this moment it is 103 degrees outside. And yes, I turned my oven on to 400 degrees and roasted tomatoes for...of all things...tomato soup! I know, I know. In my defense I had tomatoes in my fridge that were fast becoming too ripe for anything but soup. Plus...I was bored. And I was watching cooking shows on PBS. Not a good combination. The result is me wanting to cook something, anything, even if it meant turning on my oven in this horrendous heat (c'mon already - can't summer be OVER?).

The best part, in my mind, was having a great dish that would really showcase the pungent flavor of a huge bunch of fresh, home grown basil, from my friend Mo, over at Paws and Pours. You must check out her blog - it combines my two loves: Dogs and Wine! What could be better??

Roasted Tomato Soup
(serves 2)
6 ripe tomatoes, cored and halved
1 medium white onion, cut into chunks
6 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 leek, sliced
salt and pepper, to taste
extra virgin olive oil
crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
1 tsp. dried thyme
2 cups chicken broth
1 tbl mascarpone cheese (you could substitute unsalted butter here - but the mascarpone adds a light, creamy richness)
1 large bunch torn basil leaves

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine tomatoes, onion, garlic and leek in a large roasting pan. Season with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and thyme. Drizzle olive oil across the top and toss to coat. Place in pre-heated oven for at least 30 minutes.

Heat a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add tomato mixture and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 min. Using an immersion blender, blend ingredients until desired consistency. Add basil and mascarpone, stirring to blend. Serve and enjoy.

**Note - the basil was perfectly green until it hit the heat of the soup.**

Roasted Soy Ginger Glazed Halibut over Sauteed Broccolini and Brown Rice

2007-09-12T20:05:00.000-07:00

I've never eaten broccolini before but it's something I've always wanted to try. So when I saw a small package of it at Safeway it seemed like the perfect time. Paired with some halibut fillets I defrosted from the freezer, I had a healthy dinner with tons of flavor.

Soy Ginger Glazed Halibut
1 tbl sesame seeds
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tbl rice vinegar
2 tbl mirin
2 tbl sesame oil
1 small shallot, minced
1/4 cup peeled fresh ginger, minced
2-3 halibut fillets, skinned
Freshly ground pepper

In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce with the rice vinegar, mirin, sesame oil, shallot and ginger. In a large, shallow dish, marinate the halibut fillets with the soy-ginger glaze. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450°. Transfer the halibut to a large baking pan and season with pepper. Pour a couple spoonfuls of the glaze over the fish. Bake the fish in the upper third of the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until glazed and just cooked through.

I served this with brown rice and a sauteed broccolini recipe I've been eyeing over at Kirsten's Home Cooking.

Chicken Sausage, Caramelized Onion and Sage Penne

2007-09-10T19:38:00.000-07:00

I spent Sunday evening cleaning out my refrigerator; tossing out food that was way past its usefulness, cleaning every square inch and organizing my condiments according to use. I now LOVE opening my fridge. It's amazing what a good cleaning can do. During my inventory of freezer goods, I discovered a package of hot chicken sausage from Sprouts that needed to be eaten. I left it in the fridge to thaw and tonight I created a flavorful, yet fairly healthy pasta dish that certainly hit the spot after a hard workout.

Chicken Sausage Penne:
(serves 2)

Extra virgin olive oil
3/4 lb hot chicken sausage (you can substitute sweet or regular sausage of any kind)
1/2 lb penne pasta (I used whole wheat)
1 medium white onion, sliced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc)
3 T sage, chopped
3-4 T mascarpone
2 cups baby spinach
salt and pepper to taste
parmigiano-reggiano cheese

In a large pot, bring water to boil. Salt water and add pasta. Cook until al dente.

Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat a tablespoon or two of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add chicken sausage and saute until cooked through. Remove sausage from pan and drain on paper towel covered plate.

Add sliced onions and saute over medium heat until translucent. Season with salt and pepper then reduce heat to medium low and cook 5-10 minutes until onions are caramelized. Add garlic and saute about 1 minute until fragrant. Add cooked sausage and toss mixture. Carefully pour in wine and deglaze pan, making sure to scrape up all of the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Let mixture simmer a few minutes, then add mascarpone. Break up cheese and incorporate into mixture. Add in cooked pasta and toss well to coat.

Place a bed of spinach leaves in a large pasta bowl. Top spinach with pasta and add freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese.

I've missed participating in Presto Pasta Nights over at Once Upon a Feast. I think it's about time I submit another entry, don't you?

Frittata (or a great way to rid your fridge of leftovers!)

2007-09-04T19:39:00.000-07:00

I was at a loss as to what to cook for dinner. I really wanted to use up a lot of the random vegetables lanquishing in my fridge so I would not have to throw them out. I was perusing the latest Williams Sonoma catalog, saw a frittata pan and inspiration hit. I have made frittatas before, primarily for an Easter brunch when my family wanted something significantly different from the standard Ham and sides we usually make. I proposed frittatas and I was elected to cook for the day. I made two frittatas, both very successful and learned something important that day - how versatile and easy fritttatas are to make.

Frittata
1 tbl unsalted butter
1 tbl extra virgin olive oil
4 slices turkey bacon, diced
5 asparagus spears, cut into 1 in. pieces
1/4 cup sliced mushrooms
1 tomato, diced
5 eggs
1/4 cup 1% milk
2 tsp Herbes de Provence
3 slices feta cheese, diced
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbl italian parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat, then add butter. Once butter is melted add turkey bacon and fry until almost crisp then add asparagus. Continue to toss about 2 minutes. Add olive oil if needed. Add mushrooms and saute mixture another 2 minutes then add tomatoes.

Meanwhile combine eggs, milk, a dash of salt and herbes de provence and whip with a whisk for 2-3 minutes until mixture is well combined.

Pour egg mixture over veggie/bacon mixture. Add cheese, parsley and pepper. Allow eggs to set around the edges, then place pan in the oven for about 15-20 minutes until eggs are fully cooked and golden brown on top. Slice and serve.

The pictures aren't the best - it was already dark after I made this so there was no natural light - thus the unfortunate yellow hue. But I promise you, this tasted like a crustless quiche and really hit the spot!

Out of the Heat and into the Pines...

2007-09-04T08:46:00.000-07:00

I've been MIA again. I've been crazy busy transitioning into a new job which I finally started on Friday. To celebrate (and to escape the heat), my fiance and I headed up north to my parents' cabin in Pinetop, AZ.

We spent a couple of days fishing and hiking with the 4 legged children, got caught in the rain, enjoyed a glorious thunderstorm that knocked the power out for an hour and finally got woken up by a beautiful hummingbird in the house. We saved him and he flew off after the shock wore off.

Sunday night we grilled some steaks, mashed some potatoes and ate a wonderful meal that I failed to take pictures of.

Neither of the dogs were ready to come home as we were packing up the car. We really weren't either....who would want to with weather at least 20 degrees cooler than down in the valley?

Bruschetta with Basil Pesto

2007-08-26T15:43:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe for a really easy Bruschetta that I love to make when having guests over.

Bruschetta with Basil Pesto:
1 loaf of french bread, cut into 1/2 inch slices
extra virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
6 garlic cloves
basil
3 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
freshly grated parmigiano reggiano

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the bread slices on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Cut two of the garlic cloves in thirds and used the cut sides to rub the garlic on to the toasts. Place in the oven until golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a mini-cuisinart, add the remaining 4 garlic cloves, a pinch of salt, a large bunch of basil leaves and a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Blend until garlic is minced and a pesto forms. Drizzle in about a tsp of balsamic vinegar and blend some more.

Put the diced tomatoes in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Pour in the pesto and stir to combine. Spoon pesto onto toasted bread and top with parmigianno-reggiano.

Eggs Benedict

2007-08-21T19:40:00.000-07:00

My fiance's favorite breakfast dish is Eggs Benedict. A couple years ago, I decided to make it at home. Ever since, my fiance won't order it in a restaurant because he says he likes mine the best. Making this dish is truly a test in the kitchen. The preparation of each component isn't difficult in and of itself, but getting everything ready at the same time can be quite a challenge! I have finally gotten this down to a science and perfected the art of egg poaching.

Classic Eggs Benedict*:
(serves 2)
4 eggs
2 tsp white vinegar
2 english muffins, split
4 - 8 pieces canadian bacon
Hollandaise Sauce (recipe below)
Italian parsely, freshly chopped, for garnish

Heat canadian bacon in a pan over medium heat.

Place the english muffins split side up and place under a broiler for approximately 5 minutes or until lightly toasted.

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over medium heat. Add vinegar to the pot. Meanwhile place each egg in individual small bowls. Once the water is at a rolling boil, gently dip the bowl beneath the water and tilt to allow the egg to slide into the water. This will keep the egg white from separating from the yolk. Once all eggs are in the pot, reduce the heat to low and simmer about 3-4 minutes until the whites have set but the yolks are still runny.

Plate 2 english muffin halves and top with 1 or 2 slices of canadian bacon. Remove the poached eggs with a slotted spoon, ensuring the water is drained and place on top of the bacon. Top with hollandaise and parsely.

*To my dish (pictured), I added spinach and sliced roma tomatoes on top of the canadian bacon before adding the eggs and hollandaise.

Hollandaise Sauce
4 egg yolks
1 tbl lemon juice
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
dash of salt
dash of cayenne pepper

In a metal bowl, beat the yolks and the lemon juice until the mixture has doubled in volume. Place over a pot of simmering water (or use a double boiler) and continue to mix with a wisk, gradually adding in the melted butter. Once the mixture has doubled again, remove from the heat and add in salt and cayenne pepper. Cover with a towel and keep warm until ready to serve. If the mixture gets to thick after sitting, add a tablespoon of hot water and mix again until it reaches the desired consistency.

Leftover hollandaise heats up well served over asparagus.

Osso Buco with Parmesan Basil Risotto

2007-08-20T07:15:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago, during my first trip to Portland, I ate one of the best meals of my life at a quaint restaurant in downtown called Veritable Quandry. The dish was Osso Buco served over a bed of Parmesan Basil Risotto. Every bite was melt in your mouth goodness with tender veal and flavorful broth. I decided that I had to make this at home to see if I could replicate the flavors. I scoured the internet for the perfect osso buco recipe but couldn't find one I really liked. The basic method was the same throughout so I took a chance and followed my gut. Instead of cooking for two, we decided to invite some friends over to be my guinea pigs. Everyone truly enjoyed the dish as the veal was so tender and the vegetable ragu immensely flavorful. Paired with the risotto it was a lovely Sunday dinner.

Here is my version of Osso Buco with Parmesan Basil Risotto.

Osso Buco
(serves 4)
3 oz pancetta
extra virgin olive oil (if needed)
4 veal shanks (of similar size)
salt and pepper
flour
2 carrots, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 medium white onion, diced
1 tsp dried thmye
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dry white wine
14 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, hand crushed in juices
2 cups beef broth
Gremolata (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Heat a dutch oven over medium heat. Add pancetta to pan and cook until crisp and the fat has rendered, about 5 minutes. Remove the pancetta with a slotted spoon and set aside. There should be about 2 tbl of fat in the pot to cook the remaining ingredients but if needed, add a little olive oil.

Season the veal shanks on both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge each veal shank in flour and shake off the excess. Gently place the shanks in the pot and brown on both sides, about 3 - 4 min per side. Remove the shanks from the pot and set aside.

Add the carrots, celery and onions to the pot. Cook, stirring frequently until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in the thyme and garlic. This will create a wonderful aroma. Continue cooking another 5-7 minutes until the vegetables begin to brown.

Add the pancetta back to the pan and place the shanks on top of the vegetables and pancetta. Pour in the wine and tomatoes. Add beef stock, ensuring that the mixture rises about 3/4 up the sides of the shanks. Cover tightlly with a lid and put in the oven to cook until the meat is tender and falling off the bone. This took exactly 2 hours for me.

Serve veal shanks on top of a bed of risotto (recipe below). Top with "vegetable ragu" from the pot, which gets better if cooked down a bit, once the shanks are removed. Top Osso Buco with Gremolata and serve.

Gremolata
1 tbl lemon zest
2 tbl italian parsley, minced
4 cloves of garlic, minced

Combine all three ingredients and set aside.

Parmesan Basil Risotto
(serves 4-6)
extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 shallot, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
7 cups chicken stock
1 tbl unsalted butter
1 - 2 tbl freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tbl basil chiffonade
1 1/4 cups freshly grated parmigiano reggiano

Heat chicken stock in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once it is warm reduce heat and simmer.

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat about 3-4 minutes. Add onion, shallot, and garlic and saute about 5 minutes until the onions are translucent. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly until the rice is almost completely opaque. Add the wine and stir mixture until all of the liquid is absorbed. Add chicken stock 1/2 cup to a cup at a time and stir until all liquid is absorbed. This will take about 45 minutes. Once the rice is creamy and "al dente" reduce heat to low and add butter, lemon juice, basil and cheese and stir to combine.

I served this meal with a bottle of wine from Robert Mondavi called Vinetta, a blend of about 5 different wines. The wine specifically commented on the attached tag that it pairs well with Osso Buco and it was a huge coincidence that I had in in my wine fridge. It turned out to be the perfect accompaniment and my fiance later commented that he was glad our guests turned down the wine so we could enjoy the whole bottle ourselves!

This meal will become a staple in my home, especially during the cooler months. I'll be anxiously waiting for veal shanks to go on sale so I can make this again and again.

A Beautiful Sunday...

2007-08-12T18:51:00.000-07:00

I love Sundays. Sleeping in, relaxing and enjoying the last free day before the grueling week begins. After a wonderful massage, I stopped by the grocery store for a few things I needed for a lovely appetizer and then dinner, something I've been drooling over in the September issue of Food & Wine all week.

First, the appetizer. I hadn't eaten all day and I knew I'd need something to tide me over until dinner. I've been wanting to try a bruschetta recipe from Kirsten's blog since she posted it a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, I didn't read the recipe close enough and came home with fresh figs instead of dried. No problem, I improvised and the result was delightful. I followed Kirsten's recipe exactly, except for the figs. Here is how I made my figs to add to her bruschetta:

Balsamic Glazed Figs:
1 tbl butter
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp sugar
6 fresh figs, quartered

Heat butter, sugar and balsamic vinegar in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Allow the mixture to bubble and reduce in half. Add the figs and cook about 1 - 2 minutes, turning to coat in the sauce. Remove from heat.

While assembling the bruschetta (see Kirsten's recipe here), add the figs and drizzle a bit of the pan sauce over them before adding the prosciutto.

For dinner I wanted to make a recipe that is a Ligurian classic, highlighted in September's issue of Food and Wine magazine, a Tuna, Olive and Bread Salad served with Farinata. I won't bore you with a repeat of the recipes here but you can find them at the following links:

Tuna, Olive and Bread Salad

Farinata

The salad was absolutely addicting. The farinata was good with the salad, but on its own, a little bland. I think I could kick it up a bit and make it more flavorful. Ultimately though, it was a successful Sunday leaving me rejuvinated for the coming week.

Ceviche Boats and a Mojito Cocktail

2007-08-11T19:01:00.000-07:00

Since I began this blog a few short months ago, I've "met" some really great people online. Today I was lucky enough meet two of those in person. Kirsten of Kirsten's Home Cooking and Maureen of Paws and Pours and I met at Mike Thai, a local restaurant for lunch. The time flew by as we enjoyed a delicious lunch and chatted about "girl stuff." After, we took a trip to the nearby Sprouts to do a little grocery shopping. We all left with a pound of the "colossal" shrimp they had on sale and various other produce. I had already planned on making ceviche and mojitos for a cool and refreshing dinner - though I was worried I wouldn't be hungry after the long leasurely lunch we'd just enjoyed. The temperatures have been consistently over 100 degrees lately so making a meal that doesn't require the use of the stove, oven, or grill sounded like a good plan to me.

Ceviche Boats
(This makes a large bowl of ceviche. I admittedly made too much and would probably cut the recipe in half in the future unless making for a large group of people)

1 lb "colossal" shrimp, peeled and deveined, then cut into bite size pieces
8 oz. halibut fillet, cut into bite size pieces
4 limes, juiced
4 lemons, juiced
2 avocados, diced
2 serrano peppers, seeded and diced
3 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 english cucumber, diced
2-3 tbl cilantro, chopped
salt, to taste
endive lettuce

Place shrimp and halibut into a glass bowl and add enough of the combined juices to cover the fish. The acid from the juice will cook the fish. Allow to sit until shrimp is pink and halibut is opaque, about 1 hour.

Add avocado, serrano pepper, tomato, cucumber, and cilantro. Season with salt to taste. Serve in endive lettuce leaves and garnish with more cilantro if desired.

This can also be served with tortilla chips or use warmed corn tortillas to make ceviche tacos.

Mojito
(makes 1 pint size glass)

2 tsp extra fine sugar
4-5 mint leaves
1 lime, juiced
2 oz white rum
ice
club soda

In a pint size glass add sugar and mint leaves. Using the back of a spoon or wooden muddler gently bruise the mint against the sugar. You don't want to grind it up just gently bruise the mint so the flavor infuses into the liquid you'll be adding. Add lime juice and rum and stir to mix. Fill glass with ice and top off with club soda. Garnish with a lime slice and sprig of mint.

I promise you'll almost be able to hear the crash of the ocean waves and feel the sand between your toes...

Grilled Swordfish with Samoriglio Sauce

2007-08-09T18:21:00.000-07:00

The September issue of Food & Wine arrived on Tuesday afternoon. After a long day at work I took one look at it and knew I would not be getting on the treadmill that night. I decided on a big glass of wine, a hot bubble bath and some time with one of my favorite magazines. I've hardly put it down since - there are so many wonderful recipes contained inside. There was one in particular that I zeroed in on immediately: an article about Marcella Hazan and one of her favorite seafood recipes. Marcella first had this dish in Italy over 30 years ago. In the time since it has evolved as she has worked to perfect it. She suggests using whatever is fresh at the fish market (wild salmon, arctic char, ruby trout or halibut) but today at AJ's the Swordfish looked wonderful. I cut the recipe in half for 2 servings. One bite and my fiancee said "WOW!"

Ms. Hazan didn't lie - this dish is delectable, with or without the Salmoriglio sauce, due in large part to marinating the fish in olive oil soaked bread crumbs, an easy simple way to prepare a piece of fresh fish to really bring out the flavor.

You can find the recipe for "Marinated Fish with Salmoriglio Sauce" here. I served the fish with a side of grilled asparagus tossed in salt, pepper and olive oil. Despite Marcella's recommendation to use the "gentler heat of the oven" I chose to grill the fish. With temperatures exceeding 100 degrees in Arizona right now, I just could not fathom heating my oven to 400 degrees. I kept a close eye on the fish and the result was a tender flaky fish, perfectly cooked.

On my trip to Oregon I picked up a few bottles of wine (one of my favorite "souvenirs") so I served this with an Oregon Pinot Gris.

Home at last...

2007-08-03T20:32:00.000-07:00

It's been a whirlwind. First a quick but wonderful dive trip to San Carlos, Mexico. I really needed a bit of a vacation and nothing relaxes me more than diving. My job requires conducting investigations into workplace issues....and to be perfectly honest, sometimes I just don't want to talk to anyone anymore. Diving gives me that respite. No talking, just gliding through the temperate waters and enjoying whatever nature chooses to reveal to you at that moment in time. My fiance and I have learned to take it slow and look carefully under niches and crevices. We were rewarded with some amazing encounters with octopus hunting for their meals. I think we spent more than 15 minutes during one dive, in place, watching an octopus hunt for his meal. It was heavenly. No rushing, no conversation. Just enjoying nature take place. And a great way to celebrate our engagement doing what we both love to do.

After Mexico, I had less than 24 hours to pack my bags and head to Chicago for a job interview. This job is for my current company and in the same organization but doing a very different function than I do currently - meaning no more investigations! I was really nervous but I felt I did well and left Chicago less than 24 hours later feeling pretty good. I've been to Chicago before for work so I wasn't so disappointed that I didn't get to see or do anything. The interview was enough to occupy my time. Again, I had 24 hours to pack my bags for a week long trip to Portland, Oregon. I don't normally travel this much, this close together, so I was a bit overwhelmed but I knew I had a few days in Portland with Channing, a good friend of mine to relax and enjoy the area before we had to get to work.

Channing and I arrived in Portland late Friday night so we went straight to our hotel and fell fast asleep. Saturday morning we woke up bright and early and were on the road. Our destination? The Columbia River Gorge. We decided to take the 3 hour roundtrip tour (which actually took about 6 hours with stops and lunch at Mt. Hood). Within an hour I was already trying to figure out how I could possibly move there. The scenery was gorgeous. Sunday, we decided to make the 90 minute drive to the Oregon Coast. We started at Cannon Beach and ended up in Tillamook where we toured the Tillamook Cheese Factory. Here are a few pictures to share with you my infatuation with the Oregon countryside:

Saturday afternoon we arrived back at the hotel and while Channing napped, I searched the internet for an appropriate place for dinner. I decided we would head to the Portland City Grill for appetizers, drinks and a 30th floor view of Portland. After, we had reservations for dinner at Veritable Quandry. If you are ever in Portland, please, make time to dine here. It was absolutely wonderful. I had the Osso Bucco and Channing had the Salmon. Quite frankly, the meal was perfect and really set the tone for the rest of our meals.

Monday evening I decided we had to try a local hotspot, Pok Pok, a "street food" Thai restaurant that has received rave reviews. Its in a remodeled house in the middle of a neighborhood in a suburb of Portland. I didn't have my camera this night which I totally regret. We had another amazing meal consisting of lamb kebabs, spicy boar collar meat served with chilled mustard greens and pork kebabs served with two dipping sauces. Another plus was the signature drink of the day - Maple Leaf, made with lemon juice, whisky and Vermont Maple Syrup. Sounds odd, right? Well, no...it was wonderful - not too sweet at all as you'd expect. I plan to try to recreate it at home.

Tuesday found as at Wilf's at Union Station. Highlight consisted of Steak Diane, cooked tableside as well as banana's foster, also cooked tableside. The decor was eclectic and retro with red velvet seats reminiscient of the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland. Channing started his meal with the Pate which he adored and I had the French Onion soup which was flavorful and full of onions and topped with aged Asiago cheese. Mmmmm...

Our last night required us to find a restaurant that would suit Channing and I (very adventurous in our food tastes) as well as two additional colleagues who are not so adventurous. I read some reviews on Southpark Seafood Grill on Chowhound and thought it would be the perfect place. I was so proud because I was able to convince our two coworkers to try the steamed clams we ordered and they really liked them. We all ended up ordering various versions of the Australian Escolar - a halibut like fish but much more tender. Mine was served with radicchio, frisee, leeks and an olive tapenade, I practically licked the plate. Need I say more?

Our last stop before the airport was to a local brewery (one of many in Portland) called Laurelwood. We tried the beer sampler which consisted of 9, 3 ounce glasses of beer for a whopping $8. Such a deal. The beers were all very good - if only I could have drank them all. Channing finished most of his and started working on mine while I texted my fiance and asked him why he was never there when I truly needed him - the beer connoisseur that he is! ;)

So now I'm home and I'm dying to cook a scrumptious meal. And I have something to celebrate. As Channing and I were having a glass of wine in the wine bar at the airport yesterday toasting a successful trip, I got the call that I had a job offer in response to my interview last week in Chicago. I accepted today and I couldn't be happier. I told my fiance that I'll be cooking him something special in celebration.

I'll be back!

2007-07-25T11:10:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a long weekend of diving in San Carlos, Mexico. We had a blast but after six dives in two days I'm exhausted! Now I'm off to Chicago this afternoon and then Portland on Friday for work. I'll be there for a week so hopefully I'll have some good meals to discuss upon my return. All of this travel leaves NO time for cooking but I will be back the first week of August and ready to cook up a storm.

Melt-in-your-Mouth Ribeye Steaks

2007-07-18T08:43:00.000-07:00

I bought a couple beautiful Ribeye steaks at Midwestern Meats with plans to make a relaxing Sunday night dinner with them. Well, after the huge dinner Saturday night followed by a great breakfast at the Hassayampa Inn in Prescott, by the time we got home we had no desire to eat anything at all. So the steaks were put on hold until Monday.

I realized after making this meal that *Gasp!* I have never cooked a steak before. DF has always made wonderful steaks on the grill so I've never needed or wanted to. Until now. I had to try making steaks in this pan to really give it a run through and see just how good it is. I was not disappointed.

Pan Seared Ribeye with Portobello Cabernet Sauce:
2 Ribeye steaks
Salt and Pepper
1 tbl vegetable oil
1-2 tbl butter
6 mini portobellos, wiped clean and sliced (these are bigger than crimini's but smaller that regular portobellos. Use whatever you prefer or have on hand)
1/2 cup Cabernet Sauvignon (or whatever you'll be drinking with dinner)
1 tbl heavy cream

Allow steaks to come to room temperature for at least one hour prior to cooking. Pat dry with paper towels and liberally season with freshly ground salt and pepper.

Heat a large pan over medium high heat. Add oil to the pan and allow it to heat up before adding butter. Butter should sizzle a bit when adding. Swirl to allow butter and oil to mix and it will begin turning a light brown color.

Add steaks to pan. Allow the steaks to sear about 5 minutes each side for medium-rare, 6 minutes per side for medium. Remove steaks from pan and allow to rest while you are cooking the sauce.

Add mushrooms to the pan and toss to coat in remaining oil. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low and add wine. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to scrape up all of the yummy brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring liquid to a simmer and add the cream. Allow mixture to reduce. Top steaks with mushrooms and pour sauce over the top.

I served my steaks with some garlic and rosemary roasted fingerling potatoes and spinach salad. I kid you not, the steaks were melt-in-your-mouth good with a nice crust on the outside and tender flavorful beef on the inside. I paired this with a Cabernet that I picked up on my last business trip to Seattle from Sagelands Vineyard.

Unfortunately, my camera batteries died when dinner was ready (figures!) so I don't have any after pictures that are worth a darn. I tried using my other camera and they did not turn out well.

Halibut on a bed of Sauteed Spinach topped with Tomato Olive Relish

2007-07-14T10:42:00.000-07:00

There is nothing better than feeling like you've hit a home run in the kitchen. I did just that last night and I owe it all to this:

It's a funny story really. Last week I was reading through some blogs and came across this post at Blue Kitchen. It only took me about 10 seconds after finishing that post to find the very same pan on ebay ($67!), purchase it and pay for it. I jokingly commented on the post that Terry should be in Marketing because of how well he sold me on the pan. Well, little did I know he works in Advertising. I guess I'm just a sucker for good advertising.

It was a very long week impatiently waiting for this pan to arrive via UPS. I watched the tracking number all week and prayed that it would arrive as promised on the 13th and it did. I knew just what I wanted to make - our last piece of Alaskan Halibut courtesy of my DB's mother from her last trip up to Alaska to visit his sister.

I found a recipe that sounded interesting and healthy on Food Network but I decided to change it up a bit and make a pan sauce, with my new pan. I cannot tell you how successful this dish turned out. First, I'd like you to feast your eyes on this beautiful fish, with a nice brown crust on it:

After the fish was cooked through I removed them from the pan then added a little white wine, some lemon juice, salt and pepper and voila! The pan did all the work - I just scraped up those yummy brown bits and the end result was a beautiful pan sauce that I poured over the fish while it was resting. Five minutes to whip together the Spinach and the Relish and dinner was on the table.
Oh and you know what else? The pan cleans up very easily. I could not be happier.

Here is the recipe that was the inspiration for this dish, but as you'll see I changed things up a bit when it came to the halibut and the spinach:

Halibut:
3 tbl olive oil
2 - 6 oz Halibut fillets
salt and pepper
1 cup flour
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used Chardonnay)
2 tbl lemon juice

Pat Halibut dry with a few paper towels. Season both sides liberally with freshly ground salt and pepper. Dredge seasoned fillets in flour on both sides. Shake to get rid of excess flour.

In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, carefully add the halibut to the pan and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and keep warm with tented foil.

Reduce the heat and add the wine. Using a spatula scrape all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper and allow sauce to reduce. Pour sauce over fish and continue to let rest while you pull together the spinach and relish.

Spinach:
2 tbl olive oil
1 tbl butter
2 bags baby spinach
3 cloves garlic, chopped
salt, to taste

In a large saute pan, heat the oil and butter over medium heat. Add spinach, half a bag at a time, stirring as you go to allow the spinach to wilt. After 1 bag is added, throw in garlic then add additional spinach. Season with freshly ground salt. Continue to stir until wilted.

Tomato Olive Relish:
4 Roma Tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 cup olive oil
3 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup kalamata olives, chopped

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Add to small saucepan over high heat so that tomatoes do not reduce into a sauce. The point is just to heat the mixture quickly.

Pulling it all together - Plate the spinach and top with a piece of fish. Garnish with Relish.

Enjoy!

Crab Cakes with Lemon-Dill Sauce

2007-07-12T17:48:00.000-07:00

I've had about a half of a pound of crab meat leftover from the 4th and I didn't want it to go to waste. So....what does one do with left over crab meat? You got it...Crab Cakes!

The recipe I used was adapted from a Paula Deen recipe found on Food Network. I served the cakes with a side of roasted asparagus and mushrooms which made for a fairly healthy, filling meal. I paired this with a Smoking Loon Chardonnay.

Crab Cakes
extra virgin olive oil and butter
1/2 large red pepper, finely diced
1 shallot, finely minced
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 tbl heavy cream
1 egg, beaten
1 tbl italian parsley, chopped
1 tsp Horseradish Mustard (I use Maille)
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I had a half of a loaf of wheat bread that needed to be used up. I toasted it, sliced, in the oven, then cut into cubes. One quick run through the food processor and you have quick home made bread crumbs!)
1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1/4 cup grate parmesan cheese
1/2 lb crab meat
lemon, cut into wedges

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Saute the shallot, pepper, and garlic until the pepper is limp, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and add the cream, mustard, 1 egg, parsley, old bay and 1/4 cup bread crumbs. Mix well and then gently fold in the crab meat. Form the mixture into 4 cakes, about 1/2-inch thick.

In a separate mixing bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup of bread crumbs with the Parmesan. Pat this topping onto both sides of the cakes. Place cakes on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours. I made mine around lunch time and they sat in the fridge until 5pm when I was ready to cook them up. They didn't fall apart during cooking which is the reason for allowing them to refrigerate for a bit first.

In a medium skillet, combine more oil and butter (about a tbl of each) over medium heat. Saute the crab cakes approximately 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Serve with lemon-dill sauce (see below) and lemon wedges along side the cakes.

Lemon-Dill Sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/8 cup buttermilk
1 tbl dill, chopped
1 tbl italian parsley, chopped
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 garlic clove, minced

To make the sauce, combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and stir well. Refrigerate until chilled. You can make this well in advance and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Roasted Asparagus and Mushrooms
12 oz asparagus
1/2 cup cremini mushrooms
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
white truffle oil, to taste (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a roasting pan, add asparagus and mushrooms. Pour olive oil and truffle oil over the top. Add freshly ground salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes or until asparagus is fork tender. Toss mixture about halfway through roasting time.

Grammy's Banana Nut Bread

2007-07-08T15:08:00.000-07:00

I had some bananas that hadn't been eaten and I decided to take my first stab at my Grammy's wonderful banana nut bread recipe. A quick call to my mom and the recipe was in my inbox. I had no idea how simple and easy it was. Whenever my Grammy or Mom made this bread (which was always a treat!) we ate it fresh out of the oven, warm, with a little butter spread on top so it melts into the bread. The flavor was so good it tasted like it would have taken hours to prepare and bake. But nope, this one is easy and the results are delicious!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 or 3 bananas - over ripe
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour bread pans. This recipe adequately filled 4 small sized bread pans, 2/3 full.

Combine shortening, sugar, eggs and bananas in a mixer. Add flour, soda and salt and mix again until well combined. Finally, mix in the nuts. Pour mixture into bread pans, filling 2/3 full. Bake in pre-heated oven 35-45 minutes. The tops will brown and begin crack. This is when you know they are done. You can check with a toothpick to be sure.

Perciatelli with Chicken in a Mushroom Goat Cheese Sauce

2007-07-06T17:46:00.000-07:00

This is my submission for Presto Pasta Night #20 hosted by Ruth over at Once Upon a Feast.

Like Kirsten, I've been loving the variety of dried pastas at Sprouts. Yesterday, I picked up some Perciatelli, which I'd never heard of before, and planned to make it tonight since I'm on my own for the weekend. I've had some goat cheese from Trader Joe's that I need to use up so I added some mushrooms and chicken tenders to my cart and I was on my way.

Now as an aside, do any of you buy chicken tenders? It seems to me that most portion sizes these days are just too big and I've nearly stopped buying chicken breasts all together. I love cooking with chicken tenders instead because they cook up fast and one or two chicken tenders is more than enough for me with my meal whether it be a pasta dish or a salad.

And as an added surprise, this morning, I stopped by Trader Joe's on my way home from Physical Therapy. I was looking for asparagus (for another meal I've planned this weekend) and I found these:

I've never heard of them before so I thought I'd give them a try. I must say, they are huge! I would say one clove** (or head, in this case) equals about 6-8 regular garlic cloves.

I'd say thats enough chat. On to the recipe...

Ingredients:
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lb Perciatelli
3 chicken tenders
1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp white truffle oil
1 shallot, diced
1 garlic clove, minced** see above
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tbl goat cheese
1/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano
1/4 cup toasted walnuts
nutmeg, freshly grated
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbl italian parsley, chopped

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt. Add pasta. Cook until just al dente and drain.

Meanwhile, season chicken tenders with salt and pepper.

Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add chicken and cook 3-4 minutes per side until cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add additional oil to pan if needed then add mushrooms. Cook 3-4 minutes until shrooms begin to carmelize. Add a dash of truffle oil (a little goes a long way!). Cook an additional minute or so and then add shallots and garlic. Continue to saute until shallots are tender. Add wine and deglaze pan. Cook until wine reduces then add cream and cheeses. Break up the goat cheese until it melts into the sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce and allow to simmer until the sauce thickens. Add walnuts and grate nutmeg into sauce and taste. Add additional salt and pepper as needed. Once pasta is done, drain and pour pasta into the sauce along with the parsley. Stir to coat.

Place a serving of pasta on a plate. Slice chicken tenders and lay on top of pasta. Garnish with additional parsley, walnuts and parmigiano-reggiano if desired.

Grillin' and Chillin'

2007-07-04T19:49:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!!

Today was a day for relaxation. I slept in and then we started the day off right with Bloody Mary's. I make mine with Potato Vodka and Clamato and then of course all of the requisite seasonings. We didn't have any specific plans for the day so we decided to take it easy and grill a few things in the afternoon.

After the gym, DB went to the grocery store and came home with crab legs (on sale!) and some fresh corn on the cob. We decided we'd also grill some Big Dog's from The Pork Shop. All in all it was a great meal - impromtu, no frills, but yummy all the same. We ended up with crab legs, grilled corn on the cob, big dogs with grilled onions and horseradish mustard and a green salad with garlic vinaigrette. I love it when a meal just sort of falls into place without a lot of planning. The results seem so much more satisfying.

The burgers in the back are for the dogs - they always get some kind of treat on holidays. The corn in the tin foil was seasoned with butter, lemon juice, a bit of cumin and some parmigiano-reggiano cheese.

Wash all that down with a Kiltlifter fresh from the tap and the day is done. Among the leftovers were several crab legs. I think I'll be making some crab cakes very soon!

Beef Stroganoff....Crockpot Style

2007-07-03T17:46:00.000-07:00

A good friend of mine, Sundae, is a new Mommy (and the best nail tech EVER). She recently checked out my blog and while she enjoyed what she saw – she commented that she would never have time to cook like I do (totally understandable!). I told her that I had the perfect recipe and promised I would make it and post it very soon.

I received a recipe for beef stroganoff awhile back from another friend of mine. She was making it at her house and it smelled and looked so good. The recipe is designed for the crockpot and while I’ve had a crockpot for years I have only used it to keep my spinach artichoke dip (future posting) warm during parties. Otherwise, it hasn’t gotten much use – I’ve just never known what to do with the darn thing and the crockpot cookbook I got one year for Christmas didn’t look very appetizing. I made the stroganoff recipe once and while it was good, I knew it could be so much better. Now I’m not one to leave a recipe alone so when Sundae was looking for something quick and easy to make while juggling the needs of a new baby, I decided to make another go of it and the original recipe is almost unrecognizable. So, this one’s for you Sundae!

This recipe can be made pretty healthy as I’ve used all low fat and low sodium ingredients and whole wheat blend noodles. This recipe will easily serve 4 or more if you serve it with a salad or other side dish.

2 lbs cubed beef
Onion powder, to taste
Garlic powder, to taste
Thyme, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Seasoning Salt, to taste
2 cans Healthy Request (low sodium and low fat) Cream of Mushroom soup
1 can Healthy Request (low sodium and low fat) Cream of Celery soup
1 package Lipton Onion Soup mix
1 cup low sodium beef broth
½ cup Sherry (optional – if omitted, increase beef broth to 1 ½ cups)
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 package Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Extra Wide Noodles (or other wide noodle such as fettuccini or regular egg noodles, etc.)

Lightly grease the inside of the crockpot with butter. Add in the beef. Season beef with onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, pepper, and seasoning salt to taste. Add in the soups, onion soup mix, broth and sherry. Stir well to combine. Turn crockpot on low for about 8 hours. For the last hour, add in the sliced mushrooms and you can leave the lid off to allow the mixture to cook down if you want a thicker sauce. Serve over cooked noodles.

I'm also submitting this to Presto Pasta Nights 19 hosted by Ruth over at Once Upon A Feast.

I'm It!

2007-07-03T12:51:00.000-07:00

I have been tagged to post 8 random facts by Arties32 at …and the eggs. I know this isn’t supposed to be a competition but I’m so boring, so I’m a bit apprehensive….

Here are the rules: Each participant posts eight random facts about themselves and then at the end of the post, eight more bloggers are tagged. You are supposed to go to their blog and leave a comment telling them they're tagged. I don’t even know 8 bloggers – at least well enough that I would tag them (or is that the point?) so I’ve changed that part up a bit. You’ll see at the end.

Eight Random Facts:

I’ve been Scuba Diving for a little over a year now – after I swore to my boyfriend that there was no way he’d ever get me to go diving!
I cried when I saw the salmon spawning in Alaska. I had no idea they swim upriver (fighting each other to the death) to spawn and then they just die.
I *ahem*…puked… in the Houses of Parliament in London (I “might” have been a bit hung over…)
I love reading and I’ve been known to read a book in less than a day – if it’s really good and I just cannot put it down.
My dogs eat better than I do – only organic food with all natural ingredients – no random fillers for them. It’s truly disgusting what they put in random grocery store brand dog food if you do the research.
I’m a whiskey girl – we always have several different brands on hand (Pappy Van Winkle 15 year, George T. Stagg, Woodford Reserve, Makers Mark and Jack Daniels). I make my Manhattans with Makers Mark. Stagg is a good sipping whiskey with a bit of a spice to it, hard to find though.
I hated football until I met my boyfriend. Now I am a huge Steelers fan and even bought us tickets to go to Pittsburgh last year – his lifetime dream come true! We’re going again in November…I think we’ve started a tradition.
Ever since I learned about Absinthe in high school I always wanted to try it. I watched a History Channel show (Modern Marvels: Distilleries) about it and found out that an American Chemist in France re-created the original recipe. I ordered it and it’s in the pantry waiting for a special occasion to try it out. You can see an excerpt of the show here.
I don't like following rules (thus my 9th fact and my edit to the "rules" below!)

If you are reading this and you have a blog and you haven’t been tagged yet and you want to write 8 random facts for all your readers to learn more about you, consider yourself tagged (How is that for a run on sentence?)

Keepin' It Light

2007-07-01T16:13:00.000-07:00

It's countdown time to my diving trip to San Carlos, Mexico near the end of the month. There is nothing worse then squeezing yourself into a wetsuit when you aren't feeling so great about how you look. So, I'm trying to keep things light for the next few weeks and stepping up the work outs. I saw this recipe for vegetable stew on Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals the other day and thought it would be the perfect thing to make on a Sunday afternoon and have leftovers to get me through the week. The recipe is here so I won't repeat it. However, I did make a few modifications. I added crushed red peppers along with the onions and garlic. Then some italian seasoning with the tomatoes and finally at the end I threw in a can of drained and rinsed cannelini beans. ~~The result was a light (calorie and fat wise) but mighty filling stew that will do its job of keeping the calories down while keeping my tummy satisfied.~~ (see 07/02/07 post) I served it with some toasted whole wheat bread sans oil and butter.

Fish tacos, Pacifico, Sun, Sand, and Diving here I come!

Calzone Redux

2007-06-28T11:38:00.000-07:00

I made a calzone for the first time over a month ago just before I started this blog. I wrote a post about it but didn't have pictures. Ever since I've been wanting to make them again (and post pictures!). They are so easy to make and versatile too - if you haven't noticed by now I love things that are versatile so I can make the dish with whatever I have on hand. Also, the premade dough at Trader Joe's makes the whole process that much easier.

I followed the recipe I had created previously with a few alterations. This time I added some sauteed spinach and crushed red peppers to the cheese mixture. I eliminated the shredded cheeses and added parmigianno-reggiano instead and then layered sliced mozzarella on top of the pepperoni prior to closing the calzone at DB's request.

The result is very satisfying on a busy weeknight. My DB is from upstate New York which has a high Italian population (even though he is not). He grew up eating calzones with the marinara sauce served on the side and that is how he prefers it so of course that is what I do as well.

Monkey Love

2007-06-27T10:49:00.001-07:00

No, this post is not food related, but dog related. My dogs are such a huge part of my life that it's hard not to blog about them and share the joy they bring into my life. They do "help" when I cook, though. They are great at cleaning up anything I accidentally drop on the floor. Anyway, to the point of my post. I was on a telecon this morning while working from home. Telecons BORE me. I was walking around to stretch my legs and spotted the most precious sight in the backyard:

A little background here: Lexi loves stuffed animals - but sadly, most of them succumb to a tortuous death which involves knawing and chewing until a limb is removed and finally the removal of the poor animals innards (stuffing). But Lexi would NEVER do this to The Monkey. The Monkey is her baby. Lexi guards this Monkey with her life, literally. I came home from work last night and Lexi was in the living room with The Monkey nestled between her paws. She ran to me to say hello and in the chaos of greeting both of my dogs, Blanca saw her moment. Don't be fooled, Blanca looks very innocent in this photo. I can tell you honestly, she is not.

Blanca dashed over and stole The Monkey while Lexi was pre-occupied with my arrival. Lexi saw this after it was too late. Boy was she MAD (don't worry, not in a vicious sort of way - my dogs are too loving to ever be vicious)! She barked and chased and barked some more. Blanca was having a blast...you see, she loves being chased! Lexi finally grabbed a Monkey leg and a short bout of tug-o-war ensued until Lexi gave up in vain. I think she feared The Monkey would be torn in two and that she could not bear. She barked some more, angrier by the minute, running after Blanca, frantically trying to save her precious Monkey. I don't really remember how she finally got The Monkey back but she promptly took him outside and hid him behind the grape leaves (the grapes are another story all together).

So this morning when I spied Lexi cuddling the monkey it was a precious sight. I still don't know who was comforting who. But, when Lexi saw me taking pictures she warily watched me out of the corner of her eye, as if to say: "Don't you DARE even THINK about taking my Monkey!"

I have to confess something: I think Blanca got her mischieviousness from me. I have been known to steal The Monkey too!! ;)

Smoked Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

2007-06-26T19:13:00.000-07:00

I've had some leftovers languishing in the fridge: cooked macaroni noodles from a soup I made and smoked chicken that I removed from the bones, shredded and kept for some elusive future dish (other than sandwiches, which were really good!). I also had a package of Gouda cheese from a recent business trip to Seattle. Oh was I in heaven. Our hotel was mere blocks from the infamous Pike Place Market. I'll have died and gone to heaven when I have a place like that to use to plan my meals around. The variety of fresh, organic vegetables, fruits, unbelievable seafood, wine and spices were overwhelming, but music to my soul.

Tonight, I decided to combine said ingredients into an easy macaroni and cheese. I'm most proud because I simply threw these ingredients together and didn't even consult a recipe. It took about 30 minutes from start to oven time. I'm hoping this is something that will make the Leftover Queen proud! I thought of you, Jenn, while making this dish! :)

I'll do my best to recreate what I did but I truly didn't measure a thing.

Ingredients:
2-3 tbl unsalted butter
3 tbl flour
~2 cups 2% milk
salt and ground white pepper
1/2 cup shredded gouda cheese, plus additional for top
1 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups cooked macaroni
1 1/2 cups shredded smoked chicken
2 tbl bread crumbs

Method:
Heat a heavy saucepan or dutch oven over medium heat. Melt butter then add flour whisking constantly to create a roux. Your roux is ready when it starts to clump together. Add the milk and continue to whisk to prevent lumps. I add a little milk at a time until it reaches the desired consistency. It should coat the back of a wooden spoon. Add salt and pepper to taste. Use wooden spoon to continue to stir sauce and add cheeses (reserving a bit of the cheese for the topping). Stir until all cheese is melted. Taste the sauce and adjust seasonings if necessary. Add macaroni and chicken. Stir to combine. Pour into a baking dish, cover with additional cheese and bread crumbs. Dot with small pieces of butter. Place in a preheated 400 degree oven and bake until crisp and bubbly on top, about 20-30 minutes. Enjoy!

Shrimp and Spinach Risotto

2007-06-25T18:42:00.000-07:00

I adore risotto. It's my guilty pleasure. The soft creamy rice is to die for. What I love most is that risotto is so versatile. Once you learn the basic method you can mix and match and create your very own dish. One of my favorites is a mushroom and pea risotto made with a dried mixed variety of mushrooms reconstituted with water and then using the mushroom flavored water in the risotto. I've done that many times though. Once, for a cooking group I made a risotto with spinach in it. I loved the contrast of the wilted spinach with the creamy risotto. So today I decided to make Shrimp and Spinach Risotto.

I chose to go easy on the rice (reducing a bit of the carbs) and add more shrimp and spinach. You could easily add an additional 1/2 to 1 cup of rice (and more broth accordingly) to feed a larger crowd.

Ingredients:
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 cloves garlic, minced (divided)
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 lb uncooked shrimp, deveined and peeled
1 tbs butter
4 slices pancetta, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc)
1 package pre-washed baby spinach
1/2 cup parmiggano-reggiano, grated (plus more for garnish if desired)
2 tbl or half of a lemon, juiced
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
In a medium saucepan heat chicken broth over medium heat. Keep warm.

Rinse the shrimp and pat dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large dutch oven or heavy saucepan, heat 2 tbl olive oil over medium heat. Saute 1/2 the garlic and crushed red peppers. Add the shrimp and cook until lightly pink on both sides, about 1 -2 minutes. Remove from pan and place in a bowl. Cover with foil and keep warm.

Add butter and additional olive oil if needed to the pan. Add pancetta and cook until starting to get crisp then add onions and remaining garlic. Saute until onions are translucent. Add rice and stir approximately 2 minutes until opaque around the edges of the rice. Add wine and stir well until wine is absorbed by the rice. Begin adding chicken broth about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup at a time stirring constantly until almost absorbed before adding more. Continue until rice is cooked through and tender. This can take about 30-45 minutes. You can't rush risotto! :) You will use most if not all 4 cups of the chicken broth. Add shrimp, spinach, cheese and lemon juice. Stir well until spinach begins to wilt. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon onto plate and garnish with additional freshly grated cheese if desired.

PPN# 17: Chicken Arrabbiata

2007-06-21T18:04:00.000-07:00

My first submission to Presto Pasta Nights was pretty complex and involved, so this week I wanted to do something simple and easy that anyone can do on a busy weeknight yet still reap the rewards of a delicious meal. I've been know to "doctor" store bought pasta sauces in a pinch. I bought a jar of pasta sauce at AJ's a few weeks back that I've been dying to try. It's called Rao's Homemade Arrabbiata. I also had a bag of frozen grilled chicken strips from Trader Joe's that I wanted to use up. I found some other things in the pantry and what resulted is my version of a "semi-homemade" pasta meal.

Ingredients:
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 small jar black olives (mine were chopped but you could use whole)
3 tbl tomato paste
1 28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, drained of juice and crushed by hand
1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 tsp italian seasoning
1 bag grilled chicken strips

Heat oil in a 5 quart pot. Cook onion until translucent then add garlic and crushed red pepper. Stir to combine and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add black olives and tomato paste. Mix well then add can of tomatoes and jar of sauce and seasonings. Bring to a boil, add chicken then reduce to low and simmer until chicken is cooked through. At this point you can leave it on the stove on low until you are ready to serve. I usually start it pretty early and let it sit on the stove a few hours until we're ready to eat. It tastes better the longer it cooks down. Serve over your favorite pasta or whatever you have on hand.

Total prep time was about 15 minutes. Then, when you are ready to eat, all you have to do is boil some water and cook the pasta.

This recipe is an excellent way to use up leftovers, freezer staples and pantry items. You can use different kinds of olives or skip the olives if you don't have them or don't like them. Use your favorite protein or keep it vegetarian. Do you have some frozen ground sausage or beef? Cook that up with the onions. Frozen coooked shrimp? Throw that in instead of the chicken. Mushrooms are always good too. Get creative and make it your own!

Buttermilk Waffles

2007-06-16T16:34:00.000-07:00

My brother-in-law's family has the best recipe for Buttermilk Waffles that I've ever tasted. Simple yet delicious. When I finally got my own waffle maker one year for Christmas, I made them for DB and he fell in love (again!). It's been awhile since I've made them and so for Father's Day he made a special request. How could I say no?

Waffle Batter:
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbl oil

Combine eggs and buttermilk. Add dry ingredients until combined well, then add oil. Pour batter onto hot waffle iron. Cook until lightly brown and waffles are easily removed from waffle maker. Serve with your favorite toppings! Today we used warmed real Maple syrup, raspberries and blueberries.

Gemelli with Smoked and Grilled Chicken, Sundried Tomatoes and Mushrooms

2007-06-12T18:13:00.000-07:00

My DB loves a dish at Pasta Pomodoro called Gemelli. Pasta Pomodoro is one of the few chain restaurants I enjoy because they always serve quality meals with fresh ingredients, at a low price and decent portion sizes - meaning reasonable. Not some gigantic dish of pasta not even two people could fathom eating all of.

Since the restaurant near us closed, I’ve been wanting to re-create this dish for him at home. The closest one is at least 30-45 minutes away, about the amount of time I made this at home. First, I emailed Pasta Pomodoro to see if they would share their recipe. No such luck. So, I created this version of the Gemelli dish DB adores so much. I made the sauce using a basic béchamel recipe and added the cheese, mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes. If you've never made a béchamel sauce, Epicurious has a great instructional video here.

For some reason, I could not find the Gemelli pasta at any stores near me including AJ's and Trader Joes, so I ended up ordering it on Amazon.com. You really CAN get anything on the internet these days!

The chicken I used was prepared ahead of time. My DB smoked two whole chickens on Sunday...remember the chicken that got "delayed" after we blew the breaker? Yeah, that chicken. It ended up being done about 10pm that night. We tasted it...and it was delicious. I wrapped the rest up and saved some for this dish. For the grilled chicken breast, just season the breast with salt, pepper, italian seasoning and grill 5-7 minutes per side until cooked through. If you don’t have smoked chicken you can use 2 grilled chicken breasts instead. The flavor of the smoked chicken really adds to the flavor of this dish though.

This is a great recipe to use up left over chicken and other staples you have in the fridge. Get creative and make it your own! This recipe will easily serve 4-6 depending on portion size. Needless to say, I have lunch for the rest of the week! Also, this will be my first ever submission to Presto Pasta Night!

INGREDIENTS:
Extra virgin olive oil
1 lb Gemelli pasta
1 grilled chicken breast, chopped
1 smoked chicken breast, chopped
5 tb unsalted butter
½ cup all purpose flour
4 cups whole milk, warmed
½ tsp salt, or to taste
Pinch of freshly ground white pepper, or to taste
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg, or to taste
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmigano-Reggiano cheese
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced (I buy the bag of pre-sliced at Trader Joe's)
1 tbl fresh chopped italian parsley

DIRECTIONS:

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil.

While waiting for water to boil, heat a tablespoon of the olive oil in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook until tender and begin to caramelize. Remove pan from heat and set aside.

Once water is boiling add pasta and cook until al dente.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat butter until melted. Add flour and stir until smooth. Over medium heat, cook until light golden brown, about 5 minutes.

Gradually add the warm milk, whisking continuously to avoid lumps. Simmer over medium heat, continuing to whisk until the sauce is thick, smooth and creamy, about 10 minutes, and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Do not allow the sauce to boil.

Reduce heat and add salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste. Add mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, and cheese. Taste sauce and add additional salt, pepper and nutmeg if desired.

Drain pasta and add to sauce mixture. Add chicken and toss gently to combine. Garnish with additional freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and chopped parsley if desired.

DB loved the dish even though it was not 100% like the original. I didn't expect to achieve 100% so I was happy with his enthusiasm. He was pretty impressed with how close it actually was.

As I was watching Food Network this past weekend, Giada DeLaurentiis made this Roman Summer Salad that looked absolutely delicious. I haven't been able to get it out of my head so I decided to make that as a side to the pasta along with some crusty Rosemary Garlic bread.

Zucchini and Tomato Gratin

2007-06-10T19:25:00.000-07:00

I had these beautiful yellow and zucchini squash from DB's mothers' garden and I've been racking my brain trying to figure out what to do with them. When we decided to smoke a couple small chickens today I thought the squash would be the perfect side dish. Hours into the smoking and halfway into my gratin prep, we realized we blew the breaker the smoker was plugged into. So, we had gratin for dinner and we're still not sure when the chicken will be done. Such is life!

Ingredients:
olive oil
1 medium white onion. sliced
5 cloves garlic, minced
3 squash, sliced (I had 2 yellow and 1 large zucchini)
1 - 2 tsp Italian Seasoning (or combination of rosemary, marjoram, thyme, oregano and sage)
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
salt and pepper
2 tbl unsalted butter
2 tbl flour
1-2 cups milk
freshly grated parmiggiano reggiano
1/2 cup italian style bread crumbs
shredded fontina cheese
3 tomatoes, sliced

I pretty much just threw this together and did not measure, so I did my best to try to recreate the dish:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat with about 1-2 tbl of olive oil. Cook onions in olive oil until tender but not browned. Add garlic and cook an additional 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Remove onions and garlic to a bowl and set aside.

Add squash to saucepan and add an additional tablespoon of oil. Add seasonings and salt and pepper to taste. cook until just tender. Remove and add to onion mixture. Stir to combine.

Grease a 9x13 in pan with a bit of butter. Add zucchini and onion mixture. In the same saucepan add 2 tbl butter, melt then add flour to make a roux.

Add milk and whisk with roux to desired consistency. Grate some parmiggiano-reggiano into the sauce (about 1/4 cup) and stir to combine. Pour sauce over zucchini mixture.

Toss bread crumbs over the top of the zucchini mixture and cover with grated fontina cheese. Top with sliced tomatoes, additional breadcrumbs and freshly grated parmiggiano-reggiano cheese.

Place in oven and cook about 30 minutes until bubbly and cooked through.

Zuppa di Pasta e Fagioli

2007-06-09T15:25:00.000-07:00

My best friend came over today for a girls lunch. Since she's eating for two, I wanted to make something hearty. I've always wanted to make Pasta e Fagioli soup, but I couldn't find a recipe I liked. I like mine with meat and tomatoes along with the pasta and beans. A little heat is also a plus! Pasta e Fagioli translates to "pasta and beans" and is a traditional Italian peasant dish.

For Christmas last year I got a copy of the cookbook, The Silver Spoon. All Italian women supposedly get a copy of this as a wedding gift. Essentially, it is the Italian version of The Joy of Cooking.The Silver Spoon was translated to English for the first time in 2005 after being in circulation for more than 50 years. I frequently look to this book to learn the basic techniques of Italian cooking or to find a starting point for a recipe. I used a recipe in this cookbook as a resource for the basic technique for this soup, but the rest was all an experiment on my part.

Ingredients:
1 lb dried pasta (any small variety like elbow macaroni or ditalini)
3 – 14 ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 lb hot or sweet Italian sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
4 ounces pancetta, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp crushed red pepper
2 tsp Italian Seasoning
½ tsp dried rosemary
½ cup dry white wine
1 bay leaf
3 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
1 - 28 ounce can tomatoes, drained, tomatoes squeezed of juices and chopped
8 cups low sodium chicken broth
Parmigiano-Reggiano rind (optional)
2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated

Instructions:
*Fill a large pot with water. Bring to a boil over high heat and salt it well. Add pasta and cook for 5 minutes (Pasta will not be fully cooked). Drain, rinse with cool water to stop cooking and set aside.

Blend ¾ of a can of the beans with their can juices in a blender or food processor and set aside.

*In a large dutch oven, cook Italian sausage over medium heat until cooked through. Remove sausage from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.

In same saucepan over medium heat, add the onions and pancetta and cook until onions are soft and translucent and pancetta is crisp, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the garlic, crushed red pepper, Italian seasoning and rosemary and let the mixture cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Season well with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add ½ cup dry white wine and allow to reduce.

Stir in the tomato paste and cook until it caramelizes and melts in with the other flavors, about 2 minutes. This is basically the base for the soup.

Gradually add chicken broth while stirring tomato mixture. Once combined, add chopped canned tomatoes and unprocessed beans. Throw in a Parmigiano-Reggiano rind (optional**) and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat and allow mixture to simmer for 20 - 30 minutes until thickened.

Increase heat to medium – low and add bean puree, stirring to combine. Once combined reduce heat again and simmer until ready to serve. This can be anywhere from 15 minutes to several hours*.

When ready to serve, remove and discard bay leaf and rind. Add enough of the pasta and sausage to the soup to reach your desired consistency and allow to heat through. Adjust the salt and pepper if necessary, sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano and serve.

* If you plan to allow the soup to simmer for a couple hours prior to serving you can make the pasta and cook the sausage just prior to adding to the soup. In this case, use a couple tablespoons of olive oil to cook the onion and pancetta since you won't have the fat from the sausage.

** I always keep rinds from my parmigiano-reggiano on hand in the freezer for soups and sauces. They impart a rich flavor to any soup or sauce you are making.

This recipe results in a really thick almost goulash like soup with a rich, hearty flavor. You can add more chicken broth if desired to create a more soup like consistency. It thickens more as it sits so I did add more chicken broth before refrigerating. Next time I think I'll try it with beef broth instead just to see how it changes the flavor. Today, I served this with a green salad and lots of warm crusty bread. A glass of chianti goes well too.

Egg McMuffin Anyone?

2007-06-08T08:36:00.000-07:00

I can admit to eating the occasional Egg Mcmuffin - actually its been years, but I have eaten them. In the mornings, on days that I work from home, I like to make something hearty to get me going and my breakfast sandwich usually does the trick - and it's healthy too!

Fontina Tomato Egg Sandwich:
2 slices multi grain bread, toasted
1 tsp butter
Cooking spray
1 egg
1 egg white
1 tsp Herbes de Provence
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 slices of roma tomato
2 slices of Fontina cheese

Lightly butter each slice of toast. I try to time the toasting of the bread with the eggs being done.

Heat a medium sized pan over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray. Beat together one egg and one egg white until light and fluffy. Add herbes de provence, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Pour egg mixture into pan and allow eggs to set up. Once eggs are almost completely cooked through, fold over like an omelet. Cook for one minute and flip cooking for an additional minute. Remove eggs from pan.

Place slices of Fontina cheese on one slice of lightly buttered toast (butter side up). Cut eggs to fit sandwich and place on top of cheese (this will help melt the cheese). Add tomatoes and top with the remaining slice of bread (butter side down).

Leftover Medley

2007-06-07T11:21:00.000-07:00

I have lots of leftover brown rice and its always a dilemma to figure out what to do with it. So, with all the veggies I have in the fridge, I decided I'd try to whip up a batch of fried rice for lunch today. Fried rice is all about the method - there really isn't a single recipe for it. Just throw in whatever sounds good or what you have leftover in the fridge. Here is my version.

Fried Brown Rice:
1 tsp wok oil or vegetable oil
1/4 cup carrots, chopped
1/4 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup mushrooms, chopped
1 tsp garlic
2 cups brown rice (at least a day old)
1-2 eggs, beaten
1 dash Sriracha sauce (optional)
1 -2 tbs soy sauce
1 tbl scallions, chopped (for garnish)
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in wok (or frying pan) over high heat. Add carrots, peas and mushrooms and stir fry until tender. Remove wok from heat and add garlic, saute, return to heat and add rice. Stir fry until rice is warmed through. Make a well in the center of the rice and pour the egg into the center.

Allow the egg to scramble and mix into rice and veggies. Add sriracha and soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine. Serve with scallions as a garnish if desired.

Kung Pao Shrimp

2007-06-05T17:44:00.000-07:00

DB and I love the Kung Pao Shrimp at P.F. Changs and Pei Wei, so tonight, at DB's request, I decided to try to make it at home myself. I found this recipe on Receipzaar.com. It's received rave reviews. I substituted shrimp for chicken and tripled the sauce. This is my adaptation:

Ingredients:
1 lb shrimp
1 tbl cornstarch
2 teaspoons light sesame oil or vegetable oil
1 cup sugar snap peas
3 green onions, chopped with tops
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 -2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (for desired heat)
1/2 tsp ginger, grated
6 tbl rice wine vinegar
6 tbl soy sauce
4 tsp sugar
1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts
4 cups brown rice (or white)

Combine shrimp and cornstarch in small bowl. Toss to coat. Combine vinegar, soy sauce and sugar in small bowl. Stir well and set aside.

Heat oil in large wok (or non-stick skillet) over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and stir fry 5 minutes or until shrimp turns pink. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Add sugar snap peas to wok and cook about 4 minutes. Add onions, garlic, red pepper and ginger to skillet. Stir fry 15 seconds. Reduce heat. Add vinegar mixture to wok, then shrimp. Stir until shrimp is well coated. Add in nuts. At this point I added an additional 2 tsp (approx.) of cornstarch to thicken the sauce (if needed). Heat thoroughly, stirring occasionally. Serve over hot rice.

We both really liked the flavor though it wasn't quite like the P.F. Changs version. I added extra crushed red pepper during the cooking process and attained a medium heat. Perfect for me but DB would have preferred more. The main difference in this dish and the P.F. Changs dish is the crispiness of the shrimp. Something I'll have to work on.

Overall this dish is one you can tailor to your particular tastes. The original recipe I found on recipezaar had too much sugar for my taste and not enough heat, so I compensated for that. I also preferred the addition of the sugar snap peas for a bit of added crunch. In our house we pretty much always use brown rice (except for risotto of course!) because i love the added texture and nuttiness - of course it is much healthier for you as an added bonus. I cook my brown rice in low sodium chicken broth and I find it gives it a richer flavor.

Presto Panini

2007-06-04T18:40:00.000-07:00

If you have never made a panini sandwich, now is the time. I love panini because they are so versatile, you can fill them with your favorite ingredients, they are quick to make, and look so yummy!

I made two sandwiches tonight, one for me and one for DB. His had mozzarella, roma tomato, spinach, giardiniera, pepperoni and prosciutto. Mine had mozzarella, roma tomato, spinach, roasted red peppers and prosciutto.

Just layer your favorite ingredients between two slices of your favorite fresh bread (sourdough, focaccia, etc). Brush the top of the sandwich with a bit of olive oil and place top side down on a grill pan over medium high heat. If you don't have a grill pan you can use your grill.* I use a medium sized cast iron pan placed on top of the sandwiches to weight them down. Cook for 2-4 minutes, remove the weight, brush olive oil on the exposed side of the sandwich and flip. Use the weight again if needed. Continue to cook an additional 2-4 minutes.

*If you have a panini press or George Foreman grill, place the sandwich top side down and brush the exposed side of the bread with additional olive oil before pressing.

Panini are great served with some fresh homemade tomato soup but we just weren't hungry enough for that tonight.

Please excuse my photos. Apparently there was a smudge on my lens which showed up in every picture. Obviously I had no idea until I downloaded the pics.

My Big Fat Greek Dinner

2007-06-03T17:43:00.000-07:00

I’ve wanted to make this dish for ages since I first made a recipe for cucumber and tomato salad. I thought the salad would taste great with some grilled chicken and tzatziki sauce served on warm flatbread.

My DB's Mom gave me these japanese cucumber (at least that is what I think they are. If not, someone please correct me.) from her garden and I've been trying to figure out what recipe to use them in. This morning I thought that this would be the perfect recipe since the cucumbers are used in two of the recipes.

Greek Style Chicken:
2 chicken breasts, cut into ½ in strips
1 lemon, juiced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
½ tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
¼ to ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Place chicken in an airtight container. Combine remaining ingredients through pepper in a bowl. Whisk ingredients while adding the olive oil to make marinade. Pour marinade over chicken, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

While chicken is marinating prepare Relish and Sauce:

Cucumber and Tomato Relish:
½ English cucumber, diced
2 vine ripe tomatoes, diced
2 tbl flat leaf parsley, chopped
½ medium red onion, chopped
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
½ cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
2 tbl red wine vinegar
3 tbl extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients through olives in a bowl. Add vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Tzatziki Sauce:
1 pint Greek style yogurt
3-4 garlic cloves
1 medium English cucumber, diced finely
1 tbl red wine vinegar
1 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
2 tbl dill, chopped
¼ tsp salt

Use a garlic press to crush garlic into a bowl. Add cucumber, vinegar, olive oil and lemon. Stir to combine. Add yogurt, dill and salt to taste. Allow sauce to sit in refrigerator for up to an hour so flavors meld together.

Once chicken has marinated, cook in a grill or sauté pan until cooked through. Meanwhile, warm the flatbread in the oven or microwave.

To prepare, place a few slices of chicken on a warmed flatbread. Add relish and sauce to taste. Fold like a taco to eat.

Lemoncello

2007-06-03T07:59:00.000-07:00

My parents own a beautiful cabin in Pinetop, Arizona. It's a wonderful place to go to get away from the heat in the summer, enjoy snow in the winter, and just get away from the busy "city" life.

My parents have lots of fun and interesting neighbors in Pinetop. There is a particular couple who are originally from Italy and they now share their time between Phoenix and Pinetop. Carmine shared his recipe for Lemoncello, a wonderful Italian, lemon sipping beverage, with my Mom who's been making it ever since. It's very strong, but oh so good!

There are lots of versions of Lemoncello recipes out there, but I know this comes from a real Italian and it turns out very smooth. You can adjust the amount of simple syrup to your taste depending on how sweet you like it.

Lemoncello
(from Carmine Pasilicco)

1 bottle Everclear alcohol (save the bottle!)
8-10 lemons, peel just the yellow rind from lemon
Soak lemon peels in Everclear for at least 8 – 12 days in an airight container.

After lemon peels have been soaking, make the simple syrup in a large pot on the stovetop:

Simple Syrup
1 ½ Everclear bottles of water
2 lbs sugar
Cook until sugar is dissolved

Strain lemon peel from Everclear and mix with simple syrup.
Pour beverage into glass bottles. Store in freezer and serve cold.

You could also make this with limes, oranges, or a mix of your favorite.

When ready to drink, pour into a small sipping glass (they even sell lemoncello glasses) or a shot glass. I found my glasses at an antique store in Seattle for $3 a piece!

Once you've made the Lemoncello, you can make Lemoncello Martini's. Combine 1 1/2 ounces of vodka with 1/2 ounce of lemoncello. Shake with ice and strain into a martini glass. We had these once at Sassi and they were wonderful. I haven't tried them at home yet though so the amounts may need to be adjusted.

Grilled Salmon with Black Bean, Corn and Heirloom Tomato Relish

2007-05-29T18:24:00.001-07:00

I came home from work today exhausted and hungry. But after a Memorial Day weekend of eating heavy food, I felt like something light and refreshing that didn't require too much effort on my part. The June issue of Cooking Light arrived today in the mail and there on the cover was my dinner, Grilled Salmon. The accompanying relish called for roasted corn on the cob, kernals cut. That was too much work for me tonight and I wasn't going to the grocery store either since I didn't even have corn on the cob. The solution was a package of frozen corn kernals in low-fat butter sauce, heated in a saute pan until cooked through and butter sauce reduced.

For the salmon I looked to my freezer. DB and I went on an Alaskan cruise awhile back and on our stop in Juneau we went Salmon fishing. Between the two of us we caught 9 Silver Salmon. We had a blast but I really couldn't take the clubbing part of the whole process. It's more humane than letting the poor thing suffocate but I just could not watch the whole ordeal. We had the salmon filleted, freezer packed and mailed home and I've been cooking them ever since. I took today's salmon fillet out of the freezer to defrost and cut it into 4 serving sizes. Since I was making a meal for one tonight I "foodsavered" the other 3 (I'll have to figure out what to do with those before the week is out, any ideas?).

Here is my version of the Cooking Light recipe, which is reduced to a serving for one.

Grilled Salmon with Black Bean, Corn and Heirloom Tomato Relish:
(Adapted from a Cooking Light recipe)

1 Jalepeno Pepper, roasted, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup cooked corn
1/4 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1 Heirloom tomato, chopped
2 tbl cilantro, chopped
2 limes, juiced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 (6-ounce) salmon fillet

Preheat grill.

For instructions on roasting and peeling the peppers, refer to the Cooking Light link above.

Combine pepper, corn, beans, tomato, cilantro, lime juice, a dash of salt and a couple grinds of black pepper. Set aside.

Combine about 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp ground cumin. Rub spice mixture onto salmon fillet (both sides if skinless). Gently place salmon on grill (skin side down if skin on) and grill for about 4 minutes. Gently flip salmon and continue to cook for additional 4 minutes or until salmon flakes easily with a fork.

Place relish in center of plate and lay salmon on top. Enjoy!

If only I could get Kristen's cake out of my head...I've been craving that beautiful creation since I saw it posted earlier today.

**I'll be testing a different camera for future posts. For some reason this camera hates closeups and the pics get all blurry despite my efforts to the contrary.**

Ultimate Fighting Championship 71 and Smoked Brisket

2007-05-28T11:26:00.000-07:00

Not my idea of entertaining, but my boyfriend (DB) wanted to host the UFC fight on Saturday night. I'm not into watching men beat the crap out of eachother but it does give me an audience to cook for. DB was elected to make the main dish, a smoked brisket, and I would provide the sides. The brisket was HUGE. DB put a rub* on the brisket Thursday night, tightly wrapped it in plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge until Saturday morning. He put the brisket in the smoker about 11am and by 7pm it was moist and tender. The brisket was so big that he had to cut it in half to fit it in the smoker. So the thicker piece took a little longer to cook and ended up even more tender than the first half.

*I'd love to share the recipe for the rub but we threw together some spices about a year ago to make the rub and neither of us can remember what we put it in it!

The Menu:
Smoked Brisket
Grilled Big Dogs from The Pork Shop in Queen Creek
Broccoli Salad
Jalepeno Coleslaw
A&W Baked Beans
Bacon wrapped Jalepeno Poppers**
Pasta Salad (courtesy of a friend)
Chocolate Brownie Trifle (courtesy of a friend)

One of my favorite things to make for large BBQ parties is this Broccoli Salad. It's always a crowd pleaser. Here's the recipe...

Broccoli Salad (adapted from a Paula Deen recipe):
1 head broccoli (stalk removed) or 1 1/2 bags precut broccoli flowerets, cut into bite-sized pieces
6-8 slices cooked bacon (or turkey bacon), crumbled
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tb white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
salt and pepper, to taste

Place broccoli in a large bowl and add crumbled bacon, raisons, pine nuts and tomatoes. In a separate small bowl, combine remaining ingredients and stir well. Add to broccoli mixture and toss gently.

**Unfortunately I was unable to snap a picture of the bacon wrapped jalepeno poppers before they were gobbled up. They are pretty easy to make though.

Bacon Wrapped Jalepeno Poppers:
6 Toothpicks
6 Jalepenos
3 slices of bacon, cut in half
cream cheese
cheddar cheese

Place toothpicks in water and let sit for about an hour so they will not char on the grill.

Slice Jalepenos lenthwise up to the stem - but not all the way through. Gently pry open and insert a slice of cream cheese and cheddar cheese. Close pepper and wrap with bacon. Insert a toothpick to hold together. Grill for about 8-10 minutes until cheese is melted and bacon is cooked.

In lieu of the jalepeno poppers picture I'll substitute a picture of something no party can do without - a well stocked bar!

Join me on the Foodie BlogRoll

2007-05-26T14:33:00.000-07:00

The Leftover Queen created the Foodie BlogRoll (check out the left side bar on the bottom). It's a great way to link food related blogs together, increase traffic, and get exposed to a wide variety of foodie blogs. Come join with me!

Turkey Meatballs for Dogs

2007-05-25T07:34:00.000-07:00

I am a self-confessed dog lover. I will do anything for my dogs. Proof in point? My oldest, Blanca (yes, thats her looking very serious), has allergies. For years I managed it well with her diet. Nothing but the best for my dear Blanca. All natural, organic dog food (i.e. expensive - although well worth it after the dog food scare) and lots of omega fatty acids to help her coat. Despite my best efforts, her allergies got worse and the best option was allergy testing. She was basically allergic to 63/70 desert allergens she was tested for. The result? Weekly shots. My poor baby. So to make this weekly endeavor a little easier on her I decided she would get a "special" treat after every shot. That is the reason I came up with the canine turkey meatballs. Not as flavorful as meatballs for us homo sapiens but still good none the less. I did eat a few after they came out of the oven!

Turkey Meatballs:

1 lb ground turkey

1 large egg

1/2 cup plain bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients well and form into small, doggie bite size meatballs. Place on a greased cookie tray and bake for 10-15 minutes, until cooked through.

This recipe makes lots of meatballs! Keep some in the fridge for now and place the rest in a freezer safe ziploc bag and remove as needed. Your dogs will love you!

Taco's & Tostada's

2007-05-24T11:56:00.000-07:00

What do you feed a nine year old who only eats chicken nuggets and naked pizza? Well, thank goodness he likes tacos....just meat and shell. So taco night is a good compromise, we can all top our tacos or tostadas with our own toppings. I provide a variety of toppings for a true taco buffet: chopped romaine lettuce, shredded cheese, ground beef (recipe below), refried beans (recipe below), salsa (recipe below), sour cream and plenty of taco and tostada shells.

Ground Beef for Tacos & Tostadas:
1 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 medium white onion, finely minced
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 lb ground beef
1 -2 tsp Mexican Spice Blend (recipe follows)
1 tsp corn starch
1/2 cup beef broth (or water)
1 tsp tomato paste
1 tsp brown sugar
dash of vinegar

Heat vegetable oil in large frying pan over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Saute until onions are translucent. Add ground beef and brown. Drain fat, then add Mexican Spice Blend to taste and corn starch. Stir to combine and add beef broth and tomato paste. Add brown sugar and vinegar to bring out the seasoning flavors. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer and thicken.

Refried Beans:
This is an easy way to make refried beans without all the hard work of soaking the pinto beans but better than the canned variety of prepared refried beans. This also makes a great bean dip!

1 large can Sun Vista Pinto Beans
1 - 2 tsp Mexican Spice Blend (or to taste)
1 -2 drops Gunslinger Hot Sauce (or to taste)
1 tbl sour cream
1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese

Pour pinto beans into a medium frying pan over medium-high heat, add Mexican seasoning, hot sauce, stir to combine and bring to a boil. Let boil for several minutes, reduce heat and mash with a potato masher until desired consistency. Add sour cream and cheese and stir to combine.

If the beans sit for awhile and begin to harden add a few tsp. of hot water and stir to revitalize the beans. Same thing works when re-heating them.

Quick and Easy Salsa:
I really wanted salsa one day but didn't want to go to the store and didn't want to chop up a bunch of ingredients. I improvised and as it turns out, this is a really good fast, easy, chunky and spicy salsa!

1 can El Pato (aka duck sauce)
1 can Ro*tel Mexican Festival (diced tomatoes with lime juice & cilantro)
1/2 white onion, chopped
1 tbl cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients. If possible, let sit in refrigerator for a few hours for the flavors to combine and it will taste much better.

Mexican Spice Blend:
I created my own mix of mexican seasonings so I don't have to bring out lots of spice containers every time I need them. Change the amounts to suit your tastes - I like things spicy!

1 tb Chili powder
1 ts Cayenne pepper
1 1/2 ts Cumin
1 tb Oregano leaves
1 1/2 ts Onion powder
1/2 ts Coriander
1 ts Crushed red pepper flakes
1 tb Garlic powder
1 tb Black pepper

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container.

Red Curry Beef

2007-05-22T17:49:00.001-07:00

I was browsing Cost Plus World Market today, killing time before an appointment, and found a Red Curry Paste that looked promising. I love Red Curry so I thought I'd make a go of it. Below are the ingredients I used for this recipe. After, I'll discuss some changes I would make for future recipes. This was my first time making curry so it's a learning process! :)

Directions:

1 1/2 lbs thinly sliced sirloin steak

3 tbls red curry paste

1 tbls soy sauce

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbls vegetable oil 1/2 white onion, sliced

1 red pepper, chopped

1 yellow pepper, chopped

2/3 c button mushrooms, sliced

1/2 c bamboo shoots

1 can coconut milk

1-2 tbs fish sauce

chili oil to taste

2 tbls brown sugar

1/3 c beef broth

chopped cilantro for garnish

Place the meat in a bowl and add 1 tbs. red curry paste, soy sauce and garlic. Toss to coat and let sit 30 minutes to marinate.

Heat coconut milk in a wok or large frying pan and add 2 tbs red curry paste. Bring to a slow boil.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until translucent; add peppers, mushrooms and bamboo shoots.

Once coconut milk is ready, add beef and stir fry 2-3 minutes. Add fish sauce to taste, sugar and beef broth. Stir to combine. Add chili oil to obtain desired spice level. Add vegetables from frying pan and toss to coat.

Garnish with cilantro and serve over rice.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I learned a couple of things. I didn't have beef broth and used beef stock instead. The sauce ended up with a good flavor but looked too dark (and not red) to me. I think that was a result of the beef stock and the brown sugar. I would definitely use beef broth and white sugar next time.

I would probably add another can of coconut milk as I like my curry with more sauce and allow it to reduce more before adding the rest of the ingredients. Finally, I would definitely use basil as a garnish instead of the cilantro. I saw recipes with both and since I'd already bought the cilantro, that is what I used.

So...the verdict? A dish with some really good flavor but not nearly as good as my favorite Thai restuarant, Mint Thai Cafe.

Prior to making the curry I tried an Instant Shiro Miso soup that I also found at World Market. It wasn't bad for "instant" and as my boyfriend said, "I've had worse at restaurants."