Miss Kira's Kitchen

I meant to do this earlier...

2010-01-04T21:05:00.000-08:00

This is mostly for my own record- the menus for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. There were so many good things- I want to make sure I can duplicate them next year. Some are recipes I've posted here in the past. They're worth repeating.

Christmas Eve:

Appetizers-

Liptauer Cheese http://kiraskitchen.blogspot.com/2008/11/thanksgiving-2008.html and assorted cheeses including Boursin and Brie; toasted French bread.
Pigs in a blanket. Yeah. The little Hillshire Farm sausages baked in crescent rolls. :p
Deviled nuts http://kiraskitchen.blogspot.com/2007/10/snack-for-halftime.html

Main-

Lobsters! *yum*
Salad with black walnuts, cranberries, red onion and greens, with a raspberry vinagrette.
Lemon Spaghetti
Dessert- Charlotte http://kiraskitchen.blogspot.com/2007/12/quick-holiday-dessert.html

Christmas Dinner-

Salad with greens, sliced raw beets and fennel, orange slices.

Spätzle- little dumplings - I'm too lazy to make my own, though I have the equipment. I use the Maggi brand- after cooking, I toss it with butter and grated Parmesan cheese.
Pineapple au Gratin http://kiraskitchen.blogspot.com/2007/11/for-thanksgiving.html
Scalloped Potatoes
Wild Boar ham
Buffalo
Elk
Smoked Turkey
All the meats were ordered from the Cabella's catalog- all cooked, just had to be heated.
Red cabbage (from the jar. Easy!)

Stawberry Trifle, and the cake from my last post.

Good eating. Everything was enjoyed by everyone!

A yummy Christmas dessert!

2009-12-26T11:50:00.000-08:00

The big finish from my family's Christmas dinner!

Recipe was from Southern Living, can be found here:

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1940908

I made a different frosting for my cake. Mine was a white chocolate buttercream.

Update on my last post...

2009-12-04T20:37:00.000-08:00

The to-die-for recipes are now up at Rachael Ray's magazine:

http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipes/rachael-ray-30-minute-meals/Eggplant-Parm-Bread-Pizza

http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipes/rachael-ray-30-minute-meals/French-Onion-Mac--n---Cheese

YUM.

I made my pizzas a bit differently- instead of canned tomatoes, I used thin slices of fresh roma tomatoes. And for my own pizza, I used slices of hard salami.

Still cooking.

2009-11-22T17:26:00.000-08:00

Just haven't posted much lately. I've been trying out several recipes. I found two really good ones in the latest Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine- French Onion Mac and Cheese, and an Eggplant Parmesan Pizza. They should be up on the website in a couple of weeks, so I won't post them here. I will say that both are keepers- the Mac and Cheese is to die for. It's my new favorite pasta dish. It's just what it sounds like- French Onion soup flavors in pasta form, with carmalized onions and Gruyere cheese (I also used ordinary Swiss).

The pizzas were thinly sliced eggplant and fresh mozzerella cheese on chibata bread, with fire roasted tomatoes. I used French bread instead, and for the non-eggplant loving members of the family (me), I used salami.

I love this magazine!

Mom gave me a new cookbook- Swedish cakes and cookies. There are some very interesting recipes in it. I gave the "Princess Torte" a try:

It's a layered sponge cake with custard and whipped cream in between the layers, covered with a thin coating of tinted marzipan. Fairly simple- any recipe for sponge cake and custard could be used for it.

Pie!

2009-09-19T17:18:00.000-07:00

I tried this recipe out yesterday. I love chess pie, but I've never made it.

Classic Chess Pie

from Southern Living Comfort Foods

½ package refrigerated pie crusts
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter, melted
¼ cup milk
1 tablespoon white vinegar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 425°. Fit piecrust into a 9-inch pieplate. Fold edges under and crimp.

Line crust with aluminum foil, and fill with pie weights or dried beans.

Bake at 425° for four to five minutes. Remove weights and foil, and bake for two more minutes until golden. Cool.

Reduce oven temperature to 350°. Stir together sugar and next seven ingredients until blended. Add eggs, stirring well. Pour filling into pre baked crust.

Bake at 350° for 50 or 55 minutes, shielding edges with foil after ten minutes to avoid excessive browning. Cool completely. Serves 8.

I think the cornmeal is what makes this pie so amazing. It rises to the top of the filling to make a sweet crust.

My dad couldn't wait to try it!

Inside the pie- a nice, smooth, golden custard.

http://www.amazon.com/Southern-Living-Comfort-Food-Delicious/dp/0848732669/ref=sr_1_71?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253406329&sr=1-71

Yum. Comfort food.

2009-08-24T17:36:00.000-07:00

Hash brown casserole...easiest thing in the world- thrown together, really.

Pre-heat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, stir together one bag of shredded hash browns, 1 cup each cream of mushroom soup and sour cream, 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, and one cup of sliced onions and bell peppers (more onions than peppers). Pour into a lightly greased 13x8 inch glass casserole dish, and bake at least an hour, or until edges are brown and crispy.

Oops. I've neglected this blog again.

2009-07-17T17:15:00.001-07:00

I had family in from out of town this week, and had to cook for everyone. One night I made choucroute garnie- an Alsasian dish served in Germany, France, and Eastern Europe. It's a dish with no real recipe- but always has sauerkraut and several types of meat. Mine had pork chops and four different kinds of German sausages.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choucroute_garnie

I browned the meats, and then put them in a crockpot covered with sauerkraut. I added a bit of white wine, and just let it cook all day!

I personally don't like the dish, but everyone enjoyed it.

Cocktail time.

2009-06-04T05:36:00.001-07:00

Mom had a party last weekend, and this drink was the big hit of the night: Bananas Faster. It's basically a Bananas Foster in drink form!

It's from In the Land of Cocktails by Ti Adelaide Martin and Lally Brennan.

For one cocktail:

2 packed teaspoons dark brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 orange wedge
1/2 cup vanilla ice cream
2 ounces dark rum
1 once créme de banane (we couldn't find any, so we used banana rum/banana schnapps)
1/2 banana, peeled and sliced lengthwise

Combine one teaspoon of the sugar and the cinnamon on a saucer and mix well. Wet the rim of a brandy snifter with the orange wedge and dip the rim into the sugar mixture. Set aside.

Combine the ice cream, rum, créme de banane, banana, and remaining sugar in a blender and blend on high speed until smooth, about 20 seconds.

Pour into prepared glass and serve immediately.

This drink is addictive!

Lemon Cake!

2009-05-13T17:42:00.000-07:00

Adapted somewhat from The Cake Mix Doctor.

1 package lemon cake mix
1 3.4 ounce package instant vanilla pudding
4 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 12 ounce can 7-Up

2 jars of lemon curd.

This is where I changed things...they call for homemade pineapple curd, but I didn't have time to do that! Lime or cranberry curd would be good, too.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans and set aside.

Place cake mix, pudding, eggs, oil, and 7-Up in a large mixer and beat on low speed for one minute, then scrape the bowl down with a spatula. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat 2 or 3 minutes more. Divide batter among the pans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until cakes pull from the sides of the pans.

Let cakes cool completely. When cool, spread lemon curd on each layer, and cover the whole cake with more curd.

Should serve about 12. Really good served with a berry sorbet or chocolate ice cream.

I meant to post this last week.

2009-05-07T10:34:00.000-07:00

This was dinner on the day of the Kentucky Derby!

The Hot Brown

6 tablespoons butter
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups half-and-half
1 ½ cups heavy cream
1/3 cup grated Romano cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup sweet sherry
2 egg yolks, beaten
4 toast points
½ pound turkey breast slices
4 strips crisp cooked bacon
2 trimmed and fluted mushroom caps
4 tomato slices

In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter. Sprinkle on the flour and stir constantly until the roux is golden and dry. Stir in the half-and-half and the cream. Cook several minutes, or until the flour taste is gone. Stir in the cheeses. Add the sherry and continue stirring until the sauce is thin and the cheese is melted.

Strain the hot sauce into a bowl. Add the egg yolks and blend well. Preheat the broiler. Line 2 ovenproof single serving dishes with 2 toast points. Top with slices of turkey and a generous portion of the sauce. Broil until the sauce is lightly browned on top. Remove and place 2 bacon slices, tomato slices, and 1 mushroom cap on each. Garnish with parsley.

Leftover lamb!

2009-04-18T13:20:00.000-07:00

Easter dinner with lamb and ham means great leftovers. I used up a leg of lamb by making pita sandwiches with Tzatziki sauce. I made up my recipe on the spot, but it's pretty basic (everyone has a similar recipe):

One cup of Greek yogurt (ordinary plain yogurt will do in a pinch)
1 medium cucumber, peeled and seeds removed, chopped, excess liquid squeezed out
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon chopped mint (traditional, but I use basil if I'm out of mint)
Salt to taste

Mix all ingredients together and serve cold. Drizzle on lamb or falafel in pita sandwiches. Yum!

I sliced up the lamb and pan fried it in a bit of olive oil, salt, and lemon juice. When cooked this way and served with the tzatziki in a pita, it tasted just like the gyros from any good Greek/Mediterranean restaurant.

Of course, I made spanakopita this year like always, and as usual, they didn't last long!

This year, I didn't do anything special with the leftover ham. I just fried slices of it and served it with scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast.

Book sale= cooking magazine treasures!

2009-04-08T08:26:00.000-07:00

My mom brought home a huge stack of magazines from the library book sale. Many back issues of Cook's Illustrated, Taste of Home, and Cook's Country. I'm having fun going through them all, and finding great recipes to try out.

I have a subscription to Every Day with Rachael Ray now. I love it.

Slow cooker revolution?

2009-03-05T10:28:00.000-08:00

I picked up Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook at the library recently. Crock Pot cooking has come a long way from the days of just pot roasts and chili! This book has a ton of recipes- from soups and stews, drinks, appetizers, desserts, entrees...and yes, pot roast and chili. Some recipes I definitely will try out.

A fake recipe and a real one...

2009-02-16T14:10:00.000-08:00

This is not a real recipe! I sure wouldn't want to try it! I found this posted on a message board:

Popcorn Dressing:

Turkey Dressing
2 cups dry bread, chunked
l tsp. Sage
¼ tsp. Rosemary (ground or leaves)
l/2 tsp. Pepper
¼ tsp. Salt
2 cups Popcorn (uncooked)

Combine ingredients and place in cavity of
Turkey. Bake in 350 oven, allowing
Approximately 20 min. per pound.
Turkey is done when popcorn
Blows ass off the bird.

For one thing, the oven temperature isn't hot enough to pop the corn. *lol* And the the final line seals it! Though it does sound almost like the "beer in the rear" chicken grills...

Now for a real recipe- today is my nephew's birthday, and he wanted to go to a local French restaurant for lunch. I had to have their onion soup. It was fabulous, and now I want to make my own. So I found a recipe I liked here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/French-Onion-Soup-Gratinee/Detail.aspx

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 large red onions, thinly sliced
2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced
1 (48 fluid ounce) can chicken broth
1 (14 ounce) can beef broth
1/2 cup red wine
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 sprigs fresh parsley
1 sprig fresh thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 thick slices French or Italian bread
8 slices Gruyere or Swiss cheese slices, room temperature
1/2 cup shredded Asiago or mozzarella cheese, room temperature
4 pinches paprika

Directions:

Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in salt, red onions and sweet onions. Cook 35 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are caramelized and almost syrupy.

Mix chicken broth, beef broth, red wine and Worcestershire sauce into pot. Bundle the parsley, thyme, and bay leaf with twine and place in pot. Simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove and discard the herbs. Reduce the heat to low, mix in vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Cover and keep over low heat to stay hot while you prepare the bread.

Preheat oven broiler. Arrange bread slices on a baking sheet and broil 3 minutes, turning once, until well toasted on both sides. Remove from heat; do not turn off broiler.

Arrange 4 large oven safe bowls or crocks on a rimmed baking sheet. Fill each bowl 2/3 full with hot soup. Top each bowl with 1 slice toasted bread, 2 slice Gruyere cheese and 1/4 of the Asiago or mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle a little bit of paprika over the top of each one.

Broil 5 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown. As it softens, the cheese will cascade over the sides of the crock and form a beautifully melted crusty seal. Serve immediately!

I'll give this one a try the next time I want French Onion Soup.

Once again, I've neglected this blog...

2009-02-01T17:12:00.000-08:00

And I do have recipes to share, but tonight is Super Bowl Sunday, and I'm otherwise occupied. :p

As I'm watching the game, I've been reading what online friends are having for snacks. One suggestion: Atomic Buffalo Turds.

http://www.bamaque.com/webstat/abts.htm

Merciless gods, they like to use habenera peppers. Otherwise, those sound good...if you like a lot of smoked meat and hot peppers!

From the link:

"ABT's (atomic buffalo turds) are large fresh jalapeño peppers sliced in half lengthwise with the seeds and white membrane removed. Stuffed with cream cheese a little smoky sausage and wrapped with a piece of bacon and held together with a tooth pick while cooking."

I went the boring route and ordered a Hawaiian-style pizza from a local chain.

Tomorrow, I'm sure there will be recipes for fried Cardinal, because that's how the game is going for them....:(

Special candy for Christmas...

2008-12-15T17:12:00.000-08:00

No recipe today- just praise of a candy I usually only get at Christmas- Mozart Kugel. I've loved these since a visit to Austria 20 years ago. I love anything with marzipan in it!

I have a tin and a bag of them...and I'm not going to touch them until Christmas morning.

Nowadays, I can easily get them online from amazon.com, but keeping them for Christmas only makes them special.

YUM!!

2008-12-12T10:28:00.000-08:00

Tricolor Cookies and Cherry Shortbread!

I've been looking for a good recipe for Tricolor Cookies (also called Rainbow Cookies) for a long time. The Washington Post had one in their food section this week! Here it is:

http://projects.washingtonpost.com/recipes/2008/12/10/tricolor-cookies/

I made a batch, and I'm going to make more. They're unbelievably good. They remind me of the cookies I used to get at Alfonso's Pastry on Staten Island, New York, when I was a kid!

They're still there:

http://www.cannoliexpress.com/index.php

These cookies are hard to find outside of the New York City area.

My kitchen smelled like Alfonso's shop while I was baking. It was the mixture of marzipan and orange zest that did it.

Found this recipe for Cherry Shortbread in Rachael Ray's Everyday Magazine, December 2008:

http://www.recipezaar.com/Cherry-Shortbread-Cookies-336955

Least likely to screw up! It is hard to ruin shortbread. The cherries are a nice addition. Next time, I might drizzle chocolate on them.

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-11-28T09:43:00.000-08:00

Here's a recipe for an appetizer I make every year:

Liptauer Cheese (my mom's recipe):

1 cup salted butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon (heaping) caraway seeds
1 tablespoon pickled capers, drained
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons paprika

Combine all ingredients in food processor until well blended and the seeds are well chopped. Place in a serving dish with a few whole capers and sprinkle with more paprika. Serve with crackers or pretzels.

If I didn't make this for Thanksgiving and Christmas, my sister would never speak to me again!

A history:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liptau_cheese

I also made a baked brie appetizer- all I did was cover a wheel of brie with a mixture of pecans, brown sugar, and maple syrup, then baked it until the sugar and syrup bubbled. I served it with thin slices of cinnamon-sugar coated toasted French bread.

Last year's recipes:

http://kiraskitchen.blogspot.com/2007/11/for-thanksgiving.html

And finally, my family's favorite pecan pie. I've posted it elsewhere, but it belongs here!

Caramel-Pecan Pie

From Southern Living 2005 Annual Recipes

Prep. 20 minutes. Bake: 38 minutes. Cook: 7 minutes.

½ (15 ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts
28 caramels
¼ cup butter
¼ cup water
¾ cup sugar
4 eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted

Chocolate dipped pecans (optional)

Fit piecrust into a 9-inch pie plate according to package directions; fold edges under and crimp. Prick bottom and sides of crust with a fork.

Bake pie crust at 400° for 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned; cool on a wire rack.

Combine caramels, butter, and ¼ cup water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until caramels and butter are melted; remove from heat.

Stir together sugar and the next three ingredients. Stir into caramel mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in pecans and pour into crust.

Bake pie at 400° for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°, and bake for 20 more minutes, shielding edges of crust with aluminum foil to prevent excess browning. Remove pie to wire rack to cool. Top pie with Chocolate Dipped pecans, if desired. Serves 8.

Chocolate dipped pecans:

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
20 pecan halves, toasted

Melt semi-sweet chocolate chips in microwave on high for 1 to 1 and a half minutes or until chips are melted. Dip half of each pecan in chocolate, then place on wax paper to cool.

Election Day cookies!

2008-11-03T16:32:00.000-08:00

Gee, guess who I'm voting for... :p

I'm not going to post the recipe, but it came from the Rosie's Bakery cookbook. I've had it for a decade, and the first time I made these sugar cookies, my entire family pronounced them the best ever!

Chocolate Almond Brown Sugar Cake

2008-10-12T12:41:00.000-07:00

From I'm Dreaming of a Chocolate Christmas. The recipe is pretty complicated. If I can simplify it a bit, I'll post it later.

I did a different garnish for mine- chocolate covered almonds and crushed Almond Roca. Yum.

Trying a new recipe!

2008-09-07T12:55:00.000-07:00

I had leftover steaks that needed to be cooked, so I tried a recipe I hadn't tried before.

Title: Steak Diane

Yield: 2 Servings
2 6 oz boneless rib eye steaks
1/3 c Beef broth
2 ts Worcestershire sauce
1 ts Fresh lemon juice
1 ts Dijon mustard
1 1/2 ts Cognac
1 1/2 ts Sherry
1/2 ts Cornstarch
1 tb Unsalted butter
1 tb Olive oil
1/2 c Shallot; thinly sliced
2 ts Fresh parsley; minced

Flatten steaks to 1/4 inch thickness between sheets of dampened waxed paper. In small bowl combine both, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, mustard, cognac, sherry and cornstarch. Mix well. In large heavy skillet heat butter and oil over moderately high heat until foam subsides. Saute steaks about 45 seconds on each side for medium rare. Transfer steaks to a plate. Saute shallots in drippings over moderately low heat, stirring, until soft. Stir broth mixture then add it to the skillet with any juices that have accumulated on plate. Boil sauce, stirring, 1 minute or until thickened. Pour over steaks. Sprinkle with parsley. Serves 2. From The Denver Post Food Section 10/2/96 - from Best of Gourmet 1990 edition.

I add minced portabella mushrooms to the sauce. I also make a vegetarian version with eggplant instead of steak, and vegetable broth instead of beef broth.

I also discovered pomegranate liqueur this week. It's so good. I've started looking for drink recipes to use it in.

Here's the website of a brand of the liqueur that includes recipes:

http://www.pamaliqueur.com/index.html?Section

Feeling crabby.

2008-09-05T14:19:00.000-07:00

Yum!

My mother held the annual library staff crab feast last Sunday...and we had a ton of crabs left over. The best thing to do with them is make crab cakes! This recipe came from:

http://www.virtualcities.com/ons/md/gov/mdgov90.htm

Ingredients:: 1 pound Maryland Crab meat (Blue crabs!); 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs; 1 large egg; 1/4 cup mayonnaise; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon pepper; 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce; 1 teaspoon dry mustard; Margarine, butter, or oil for frying

Remove all cartilage from crabmeat
In a bowl, mix bread crumbs, eggs, mayonnaise and seasonings.
Add crab meat and mix gently by thoroughly. If mixture is too dry, add a little more mayonnaise. Shape into 6 cakes.
Cook cakes in a frying pan in just enough fat to prevent sticking until they are browned (about 5 minutes on each side).

*Note: If desired, crab cakes may be deep fried at 350 degrees for 2 to 3 minutes or until browned.

This is the simplest recipe I found. They can be served with tarter or remoulade sauce.

A follow-up to last week's post.

2008-08-27T15:00:00.000-07:00

A recipe for one of the odder foods from that list...and one I've eaten in the past.

Found at http://www.epicurious.com/ , recipe originally from Bon Appétit.

The article and recipe:

Bagna Cauda

Literally translated as "hot bath," this dipping sauce for vegetables often appears in many Italian homes as part of the Christmas Eve buffet. Although cardoons (an edible thistle related to the artichoke but resembling celery) are traditional, celery makes a fine substitute and any combination of vegetables will do. In Italy, the routine goes like this: Vegetable pieces are dipped into the sauce (a fondue-style fork will help) and then eaten, with a slice of bread held underneath to catch the drippings. Once the bread is soaked with sauce, it's eaten, too. Then everyone starts over. It's fun for a party appetizer no matter where you live.

Servings: Serves 6.

Ingredients

3/4 cup olive oil
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
12 anchovy fillets
6 large garlic cloves, chopped

Assorted fresh vegetables, cut into bite-size pieces
1 1-pound loaf crusty Italian or French bread, cutinto 2-inch sections

Preparation

Blend oil, butter, anchovies and garlic in processor until smooth. Transfer oil mixture to heavy medium saucepan. Cook over low heat 15 minutes, stirring, occasionally. (Sauce will separate.) Season with salt and pepper.

Pour sauce into fondue pot or other flameproof casserole. Set pot over alcohol burner or gas table burner to keep warm. Serve with vegetables and bread.

I don't like anchovies....otherwise, this is pretty good stuff!

Well, it is good to eat a variey of foods...

2008-08-20T16:43:00.001-07:00

This meme was floating around at live journal. I posted it there, and then decided it fit here, too!

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

I added wikipedia links for some of the weirder stuff.

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
~~6. Black pudding~~
7. Cheese fondue (just had some on Sunday!)
8. Carp
9. Borscht YUCK
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho There are little Pho shops everywhere you look these days... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi Not a fan. I like my curries to be liquid, not dry!
15. Hot dog from a street cart Of course. I grew up in New York City, ya know!
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle Only a bit mixed with olive oil
18. Fruit wine
19. Steamed pork buns Hell, yes, from many childhood Chinatown visits- and my mom makes good ones, too. They're also great baked. They're a dim sum staple!
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
2~~3. Foie gras~~ Will never, ever eat this.
24. Rice and beans
~~25. Brawn, or head cheese~~
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters Yuck, like slurping snot.
29. Baklava YUM!!!!
30. Bagna cauda Same concept as fondue, only with spiced and herbed olive oil http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagna_cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut HATE HATE HATE!
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail Only in French Onion Soup.
41. Curried goat
~~42. Whole insects~~
43. Phaal I like my curry, but not this kind...too hot. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
~~46. Fugu~~ I value my life too much to attempt to eat this. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
~~48. Eel~~ No way, and certainly not Jellied Eels...
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut KK rules!
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
~~53. Abalone~~ Too rare. I wouldn't want to contribute to the species' extinction! :p
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal Never again, though, after having Five Guys....
56. Spaetzle I make it for every Christmas dinner... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
~~59. Poutine~~ (reads wiki article) YUCK!
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
~~62. Sweetbreads~~
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs They really do taste like chicken.
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
~~66. Haggis~~ Oh, hell no. Never.
69. Fried plantain Yummy!
~~70. Chitterlings, or andouillette~~
71. Gazpacho Especially homemade with home grown tomatoes and cucumbers!
72. Caviar and blini Blini yes, caviar hell no.
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
~~75. Roadkill~~
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
~~82. Eggs Benedict~~
83. Pocky They sell them in just about every grocery store now.
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
~~89. Horse~~
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox hate the lox part
97. Lobster Thermidor I like my lobster with plain old butter and lemon better...
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Good magazines!

2008-08-12T11:55:00.001-07:00

No recipes this week, but I have some favorite cooking/food magazines to share.

Everyday With Rachael Ray- great recipes and entertaining ideas.

Everyday Food- from the kitchens of Martha Stewart Living. Little tiny magazine, stuffed with recipes. Easy to follow directions, includes nutrition information.

Cooks Illustrated- this is for the serious home cook. Each issue has very detailed cooking techniques, recipes, and product comparisons from the magazine's test kitchen.

A great family dish.

2008-07-30T09:01:00.000-07:00

Turkey (or Chicken) Tetrazzini

from The American Century Cookbook

5 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup cream
2 tablespoons dry sherry or Madeira
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 pounds medium mushrooms, sliced
3 medium scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 pound spaghetti, cooked al dente and drained well
1/2 pimientos, diced (optional)
4 cups diced cooked turkey or chicken

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Grease 13x9x2-inch baking dish and set aside.

2. Melt three tablespoons of the butter in a medium heavy saucepan over moderate heat. Blend in flour, and slowly add broth. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth, about 3 minutes. Mix in cream, sherry, 1/4 of the cheese, and pepper. Cook and stir for 2 minutes, then take off the heat.

3. Melt the rest of the butter in a skillet over moderate heat. Cook mushrooms and scallions until limp, about 3 minutes.

4. Toss spaghetti in a large bowl with sauce, mushroom mixture, pimientos (if used), and turkey. Transfer to baking dish, and spread remaining cheese over the top.

5. Bake, uncovered, until bubbling and brown, about 25 minutes.

This is a big favorite with my family, and also for church potluck suppers. I've had to share the recipe often!

I got this cookbook for Christmas in 1999. It has great recipes, and excellent histories behind them, as well as a timeline of trends in cooking and prepared foods.

From the Dinner Doctor...

2008-07-23T16:58:00.001-07:00

A simple but lovely pasta dish.

Angel Hair Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

8 oz angel hair pasta

2 tbs olive oil
1 finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 12 oz jar roasted red peppers, drained
1/2 cup half and half
Basil for garnish

1. Bring water to a boil (salt if desired), add angel hair and cook until al dente, about four minutes. Drain pasta and toss with one tbs olive oil, cover to keep warm.

2. Heat remaining oil in a skillet, and cook onion and garlic on medium heat until onions are softened, about three minutes.

3. Place onion, garlic, peppers, and half and half in a food processor. Puree until smooth. Spoon sauce over pasta, stir together, and garnish with basil leaves.

This book is a life saver when you have stuff in the fridge or pantry that you don't know what to do with!

Thou shalt not covet thy sister's cookbooks!

2008-07-16T19:37:00.000-07:00

On my sister's cookbook shelf...

Hot Sour Salty Sweet. A terrific tour of Southeast Asia's cuisine. Well written directions, lovely photographs, brief histories of each region, and a glossary of ingredients and techniques.

My sister got it for Christmas several years ago from our mother- and I was the one who wanted it! I keep saying that I'll borrow it and try stuff from it....but I never get around to it. I'm watching her house while she's on vacation, so I'll take time to study the book and copy down a few recipes.

Too much zucchini!

2008-07-09T07:17:00.000-07:00

My mom's garden is producing a good crop of squash. I've picked enough zucchini and patty pan squash to make casseroles several times.

I don't have a real recipe. I just sort of throw everything together:

Two cups of assorted squash, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced thin
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 cup shredded cheese (Swiss or a mild cheddar)
1 cup breadcrumbs or crushed crackers (I use Panko breadcrumbs)

Salt and pepper to taste

Stir first four ingredients together in a baking dish. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, or until squash is tender. Sprinkle top with cheese, then add breadcrumbs. Bake until crumbs are nicely browned.

Another older recipe...

2008-07-02T07:21:00.000-07:00

A recipe I found in The Washington Post a few years ago. It's a Peruvian dish, and it's delicious! Recipes from Peru often have a blend of native, Spanish, and Asian flavors, as in this dish.

Lomo Saltado

Stir-fry of beef with onions and tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons soy sauce

1¼ pounds beef tenderloin, cut into thin strips (1/2 -by 1/2- by 2-inch)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 medium red onion, sliced
3 tomatoes, seeds removed and sliced into wedges
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Makes 4 servings.

In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon olive oil, garlic, cumin, 1 teaspoon vinegar or lime juice and 1 teaspoon soy sauce. Add meat, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and toss meat to cover with liquid. Set aside to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.

When meat is ready, heat remaining tablespoon of oil in a wok or frying pan until smoking. Oil must be very hot. Add beef strips and stir-fry until meat is browned on all sides, about 1 to 2 minutes. Turn meat constantly and cook in batches, if necessary, to avoid steaming meat.

Add onion and stir-fry until slightly transparent but still firm, about 1 to 2 minutes. Toss in tomatoes and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of vinegar and 1 teaspoon of soy sauce. Stir-fry just to combine ingredients, taking care not to overcook tomatoes. Tomatoes should be slightly firm and just heated.

Sprinkle cilantro over mixture and toss lightly to distribute evenly. Remove immediately from heat to prevent overcooking.

Serve with rice. I like Goya's Spanish-style yellow rice, but plain white rice is fine, too.

I also make a vegetarian version- I substitute Japanese eggplant and tofu for the beef. I slice the eggplant lengthwise and stir-fry it with the onions, adding the tofu just before the tomatoes.

Another yummy cake!

2008-06-18T08:40:00.000-07:00

This is the Fresh Orange Cake from the Cake Mix Doctor.

Serves 16
Prep time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 47 minutes
Assembly time: 5 minutes

Cake:

Vegetable oil spray for misting pan, plus flour for dusting pan
1 package (18.25 ounce) yellow cake mix with pudding
1 cup fresh orange juice (or from the carton)
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I use canola because it's flavorless)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs

Glaze:

1 cup confectioner's sugar
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice (from about one medium orange)
1 teaspoon fresh orange zest (from one medium orange)

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly mist a 12-cup Bundt pan with vegetable spray. Dust with flour, shaking out the excess.

2. Place the cake mix, juice, oil, eggs, sugar, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for one minute, then scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Increase the speed to medium and beat for another two minutes, until thick and well blended. Pour batter into the pan and place in the oven.

3. Bake the cake until golden brown and just starts to pull away from the pan, 45 to 47 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes, then invert on a cake plate to cool completely.

4. Prepare the glaze: combine the sugar, juice, and zest in a bowl and stir until smooth.

5. Pour glaze over the top of the cake. Let the glaze set before slicing.

The cake can be stored, covered, for up to a week. It can be frozen for up to six months.

This is a simple cake and is always eaten up at my family gatherings! The orange zest in the glaze makes the cake smell so good.

Perfect for the grill.

2008-05-27T08:51:00.000-07:00

Another recipe from Quick Fix Meals- Pineapple Shrimp Skewers.

I adapted it somewhat- it's supposed to be served with a rum sauce, but I added the rum to the glaze.

1 to 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup canned pineapple, cubed (save the juice)
1 large red onion, cut into 2-inch chunks
1 green pepper, cut into chunks (this was my addition)

For the glaze-

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1/2 cup dark rum
Pineapple juice

Mix the hoisin, rum, and pineapple juice in a bowl and set aside. Using metal or wooden skewers, alternate pieces of onion, pineapple, shrimp, and pepper. Brush skewers with hoisin mixture. Cook on the grill until shrimp are bright pink, about five minutes. Baste the skewers with sauce as the cook, turning them frequently. Serve with rice.

Pesto Pizza!

2008-05-14T06:59:00.000-07:00

This recipe came from Quick Fix Meals, by the Food Network's Robin Miller.

White Pizza with Basil Pesto and Pine Nuts

1 pound fresh or frozen pizza dough (I used Boboli® crusts)
3/4 cup prepared pesto (I used my homemade pesto)
1 1/2 cups shredded part skim mozzarella cheese (I used half that)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Pre-heat the oven to 450°. If using pizza dough, roll it out into an 18-inch circle. Transfer to a large baking sheet. Spread pesto evenly onto the dough, to within 1/2 inch of the edge. Sprinkle top with mozzarella, Parmesan, and pine nuts. Bake until the cheese melts and crust is golden brown, about ten minutes. Let stand for five minutes before cutting slices.

Easy and delicious! Takes no more than half an hour to prepare and bake.

A delicious cake!

2008-05-11T18:42:00.000-07:00

I made this cake for a Mother's Day dinner. It was a big hit- there was hardly any left!

Smith Island Ten-Layer Cake

Found in the Food Section of The Washington Post, April 23, 2008.

Ingredients:

For the cake

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces, plus more for greasing the pans
3 cups flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs
1 cup evaporated milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup water

For the icing
2 cups sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
5 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter
½ to 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°. Grease 10 9-inch round cake pans, or use 2 or 3 at a time and re-grease them as needed.

2. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder.

3. Combine the sugar and butter in an electric mixer, beat at medium speed until light and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beat until smooth. Reduce the speed to low, and add the prepared dry ingredients one cup at a time, beat until incorporated. Still on low speed, add the milk, vanilla, and water, beating until combined.

4. Place three serving spoons full of batter in each prepared pan. Use the back of the spoon to spread batter evenly. Bake two or three layers at a time on the middle rack of the oven for 8 to 9 minutes- a layer is done when a sizzling noise can no longer be heard.

5. While the cakes are baking, make the icing: Combine the sugar and milk in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the chocolate and butter and stir until melted. Increase heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla. The icing will thicken as it cools.

6. When the cake layers are baked, run a spatula around the edges and ease them out of the pans. Allow them to cool. Place the bottom layer on a cake plate. Spread two or three tablespoons of icing on each layer. Cover top and sides with remaining icing..

Serves 16.

I added a couple of things- I heated 1 cup of sweet orange marmalade and ½ cup of Triple Sec, and used a pastry brush to spread the mixture on every layer before the icing. I also used orange extract instead of vanilla for the icing.

This cake could become the official dessert of the state of Maryland- though there is some controversy on its origins. It resembles the tortes popular in Austria. There are many variations, but the plain yellow cake with chocolate icing is the “official” version. In any case, it’s delicious!

My cake:

Look at those layers! Yum! Baking each layer separately makes it less soggy from the icing.

Derby Day treats!

2008-05-03T16:50:00.000-07:00

Today was the Kentucky Derby, so I had a little Derby Day feast. As usual, I made Benedictine sandwiches (I've posted the recipe here before). I added country ham with biscuits, and cherry cream cheese sandwiches. They're the easiest thing to do- just mix in a food processor: 8 ounces cream cheese and a jar of maraschino cherries (drained). Spread on very thin white sandwich bread.

I found this little tea time treat in Paula Deen Celebrates .

Dinner for one!

2008-04-21T16:22:00.000-07:00

I found this great recipe in the Washington Post a few weeks ago. I made a few changes to the original, and also made a vegetarian version. I simplified the cooking directions a bit.

Chicken Marsala Wearing a Jacket

1 teaspoon olive oil, plus more for brushing mushroom
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1/4 cup thinly sliced onions
1 (4 to 5 ounce) chicken breast, cut into pieces (vegetarian version: three thin slices of eggplant)
Fine sea salt
1/4 cup red wine, such as Marsala or merlot
1/4 cup chicken chicken or vegetable broth
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 large portabello mushroom cap

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add brown sugar and onions, stir to coat. Cook, stirring once or twice, for 5 to 7 minutes or until onions are caramelized. Add the chicken (or eggplant) and cook until browned (or the eggplant is tender).

Add wine, broth, and lemon juice, and cook down for a few minutes. Reduce heat to low, and continue to cook for 8 to 10 minutes.

Lightly brush mushroom cap with olive oil and a bit of lemon juice and salt. Broil the mushroom for a few minutes on both sides until mushroom has softened. Transfer to a plate, and fill the cap with the chicken. Spoon the sauce over the top. Serve immediately.

I served mine with sides of risotto and salad greens. The chicken and mushrooms were delicious. The sauce was sweet- I loved the combination of brown sugar, red wine, and lemon juice. This recipe is a keeper! I've found many good recipes in the Washington Post.

Leftover bananas!

2008-04-07T16:47:00.000-07:00

I hate wasting bananas. I had four brown bananas that were perfect on the inside- just about to turn to mush. One more day, the bananas would have been no good except for banana bread, which I hate. I had to use them right away, so I made fritters, and they were delicious...

The basic batter recipe, from The Joy of Cooking:

Sift together in a bowl:

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a seperate bowl, mix together:

2/3 cup milk
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Four medium sized ripe bananas, sliced

Add liquid ingredients to the dry mixture, then add the bananas.

Heat 3 inches of vegetable oil to 375°. Drop batter into the oil, about 1/4 cup each fritter, and fry until puffy and golden brown. Drain on paper towels, and sprinkle powdered sugar on top to serve.

The original recipe called for two egg whites, beaten and folded into the batter, but mine came out fine without them.

No recipes this week, but...

2008-04-04T22:34:00.000-07:00

I did want to share a book I recently found:

The Sweet Spot

Absolutely lovely Asian-inspired desserts- recipes include cakes, cookies, candies, and drinks with ingredients from just about everywhere- China, Japan, Vietnam, India...it is really pan-Asian. Some of the desserts are Western-style adapted for the Asian market, such as layer cake with green tea icing. Others are classics such as red-bean paste stuffed sweet sesame balls- a staple in China, and one Americans who frequent dim sum houses know very well. I'm going to try a few recipes in the coming weeks.

Two holiday recipes!

2008-03-23T18:00:00.000-07:00

St. Patrick's Day has come and gone, but I thought I'd share a great quick bread recipe. This was a big hit at a party I had to cook for.

Royal Irish Soda Bread from The Bread Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum

Oven temperature- 375°

1 scant cup raisins or currants
½ cup Irish whiskey or hot water
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ liquid cup plus 1 tablespoon
1 tablespoon caraway seeds (this is my own addition)

1. Soak the raisins/currants in whiskey or water for half an hour or until softened. Drain and reserve remaining whiskey for Irish whiskey butter (next recipe).

2. Preheat the oven to 375° for twenty minutes before baking.

3. Mix and knead the dough. Cut butter into 8 pieces so it will soften and be easier to blend into the flour.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, caraway seeds, and salt. Using your fingertips or a pastry blade, blend in the butter until the mixture resembles soft crumbs. Stir in the raisins/currants. Add the buttermilk and stir until moistened and the dough comes together.

Empty the dough onto a flat surface and knead 8 times. Scrape dough if it sticks to surface- don’t add more flour if possible.

4. Shape the dough. Roll dough into a six inch round. Place on a prepared baking sheet (book suggests parchment paper, but I used PAM. It worked well.).

5. Bake the bread for 30 minutes until it is golden brown and a wooden skewer comes out clean. Cool the bread on a rack.

Irish Whiskey Butter

3 tablespoons Irish whiskey
1 tablespoon sugar
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

In a small microwavable bowl, stir together whiskey and sugar. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for about 20 seconds or until hot. Stir to dissolve sugar, cover and allow to cool completely.

With a whisk or spoon, gradually stir whiskey mixture into the butter until incorporated. It will be a caramel brown color. Serve with Irish soda bread. Can be stored in the refrigerator for two weeks.

This is just about the best recipe for Irish soda bread I've found. The only changes I made were to add the caraway seeds and to use currants instead of raisins.

This is a great baking book...I also love Beranbaum's Cake Bible.

From today's Easter dinner...

Spanokapita

This recipe was adapted from a cookbook compiled as a library fund raiser almost a decade ago. My mother and I tweaked the recipe, adding seasoning and pine nuts, as well as deciding to make individual pies instead of one big pie, as the original recipe called for. I've made it for every family Easter dinner for the last ten years, and it is always a hit.

1 package filo dough
1 stick butter
8 ounces ricotta cheese
4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
2 small packages feta cheese
2 eggs
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen spinach, boiled, drained, with excess water squeezed out
3 tablespoons pine nuts, slightly toasted
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 350°.

Mix together the cheeses, spinach, garlic, eggs, pine nuts, seasoning, and onion. Let the mixture chill for at least an hour.

Melt the butter. Set aside. Place filo dough on wax paper, cover with damp towel to keep dough from drying out.

Working quickly, take one sheet of filo and brush with butter. Fold the sheet in half lengthwise. Take one tablespoon of spinach mixture and add it to one end of the dough. Fold the dough into triangles as if folding a flag, using more butter to stick the sheets together. Repeat with new sheet of filo. Brush the top of each pie with more butter, and bake until browned, at least 25 minutes.

This recipe should make about 36 pies.

My usual Easter menu includes these pies, ham, lamb, asparagus, scalloped potatoes, and pineapple au gratin (that recipe was posted here several months ago). The pies are usually the most quickly devoured...

Still cooking!

2008-03-13T11:16:00.000-07:00

Wow! I haven't updated in four months! I've been trying out a lot of new recipes, but just haven't gotten around to posting them. Here are two that I've tried recently:

Spaghetti with Mushrooms, Garlic, and Parsley

From Lidia’s Italian Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich

Salt
¼ cup olive oil
8 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
1 ½ pounds assorted mushrooms, cleaned and sliced ¼ inch thick (about six cups)
Freshly ground black pepper
8 fresh sage leaves, chopped
1 pound spaghetti
1 cup vegetable broth or water
¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 cup fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic in skillet until golden, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and toss in salt, pepper, and sage. Cook mushrooms until they wilt, then until they are sizzling and brown, about ten minutes (boil off any liquid the mushrooms give off first).

Cook spaghetti until al dente.

Add the broth to the mushrooms and cook until the liquid is reduced by half.

Drain pasta, and add mushroom mixture to pot. Add parsley and bring the pasta and sauce to a boil. Add more salt and pepper if desired. Remove from heat, add cheese, and serve.

Makes 6 servings.

I left out the sage, and added ¼ cup chopped fresh basil instead. I used a combination of white and porcini mushrooms (there were no suggestions in the book), but any combination of mushrooms will work. This is a lovely main course or a side dish for meat or seafood dishes (I made it with turkey scallopine with lemon sauce).

Baked Rigatoni with Cauliflower in a Spicy Pink Sauce

From Fine Cooking magazine, March 2007

3 Tbs. olive oil
2 28-oz. cans whole tomatoes
1 pound yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 ¼ tsp. kosher salt
2 cloves of garlic, minced
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
½ tsp. crushed red peppers
1 pound rigatoni
1 pound cauliflower, cut into 1 to 1 ¼ inch florets (about 4 cups)
10 oz. shredded Fontina cheese (about 2 ½ cups)
2 oz. freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about ¾ cup)

Heat oven to 450°.

Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with 1 Tbs. olive oil.

Pour off 1 cup of juice from one of the cans of tomatoes and discard. Purée tomatoes and remaining juice in a food processor or blender.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and ¼ tsp. salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Push onions to one side of the pot and add garlic, cooking until it begins to sizzle, about 10 seconds.

Add puréed tomatoes, cream, and remaining salt (add slowly to avoid splattering). Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, then cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so the sauce thickens somewhat. Add the parsley and pepper flakes, and cook until the flavors meld (about 5 minutes). Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.

Cook rigatoni until slightly al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain and add to the sauce. Cook cauliflower until barely tender, about 2 minutes, and add to pasta mixture.

Add 1 ½ cups shredded Fontina to the pasta and toss well. Transfer to the baking dish, and top with remaining Fontina and the Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Bake uncovered until the cheese is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let the pasta stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 6 to 8.

Be careful with the crushed red peppers! A little goes a long way. I actually only used half of the amount in the recipe, and the dish was still very spicy.

A quick holiday dessert!

2007-12-15T16:33:00.000-08:00

Simple Charlotte

Adapted from a recipe in Christmas with Southern Living, 1996.

2 (3.4 ounce) boxes of instant vanilla or white chocolate pudding mix
2 cups milk
3/4 cups orange juice
2 tablespoons Triple Sec
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whipping cream, whipped
19 ladyfingers, split

Prepare pudding mixes according to directions, using milk and orange juice. Stir in Triple Sec and vanilla. Gently fold in the whipped cream.

Line the bottom and sides of a 9" springform pan with the ladyfingers. Spoon pudding mixture into pan. Cover and chill overnight.

Serves 12.

Favorite Christmas cookies!

2007-12-09T12:55:00.000-08:00

These are my mom's favorite Christmas cookies...

Nutcracker Sweets

(from Southern Living 2002 Annual Recipes)

1 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups ground almonds (or use almond flour)
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup maraschino cherries, drained and chopped up
Powdered sugar

Beat butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add flour, almonds, and extract, beating at low speed until well blended. Stir in cherries. Shape into 1-inch balls. Place on ungreased baking sheet.

Bake at 325 degrees for 18 to 22 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool two minutes. Roll in powdered sugar. Makes about 4 dozen.

I always add just a little extra chopped cherries. Yum.

I will post other cookie and some candy recipes later!

For Thanksgiving...

2007-11-15T16:06:00.000-08:00

Here are two recipes I used last Thanksgiving, and will use again!

Cranberry Granitas

Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis from the Food Network

2 cups cranberry juice

1/3 cup sugar

¼ cup lime juice

Fresh cranberries, for garnish

Whisk the cranberry juice and sugar in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Pour the cranberry mixture into a 13 by 9 by 2 inch glass baking dish. Cool completely. Whisk in the lime juice. Freeze until the granita becomes slushy, about two hours. Using fork, stir to blend. Continue freezing the granita until frozen, stirring every hour to form crystals, at least five hours.

Divide the granita into six dessert glasses. Garnish with fresh cranberries, if desired.

Variations: Add 1 shot of Southern Comfort to make a frozen “Scarlett O’Hara”. Or add 1 shot of vodka and ½ shot of Triple Sec to make a frozen “Cosmopolitan”. The original recipe calls for the vodka to be added before freezing, but I prefer to make mine virgin (so the kids can have some!). Ginger ale or any lemon-lime drinks are also good additions.

Pineapple au Gratin

3 cans pineapple chunks, drained, and the juice reserved

1 and a half tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup sugar

2 stacks of Ritz crackers, crushed

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

1 stick of butter, melted

Place pineapple in a buttered casserole dish. Top pineapple with grated cheese. In a saucepan, combine cornstarch, sugar, and juice. Heat until thickened and clear. Pour sauce over pineapple and cheese. Top with Ritz crackers. Drizzle with melted butter. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly and slightly browned.

This is a delicious side dish perfect for any holiday meal, but it goes especially well with a honey-baked ham. Yum!

Enjoy! These aren't just for Thanksgiving. My mom likes to serve the pineapple for Christmas and Easter as well. The pineapple recipe is my aunt's.

Pumpkins- not just for Halloween!

2007-11-03T09:25:00.000-07:00

My mom has had some success in growing pumpkins. These aren't for carving Jack'O Lanterns- they are for eating! Here is a recipe for a casserole that's just divine:

Cinderella’s Coach

1- 1½ pound pumpkin

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons rum (I use Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum)

1 medium onion, chopped
1 can Ro-Tel (chopped tomatoes and chilies), medium to hot
1 can coconut milk
1 cup uncooked white rice

1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and de-veined

4 tablespoons butter

1. Pre heat oven to 375°.
2. Cut lid off of the pumpkin, and scrape out the seeds and stringy fibers. Scrape some of the pumpkin out of the shell, about one cup, and set aside.
3. Place pumpkin in a large, heavy roasting pan and bake for half an hour, until tender but still firm.
4. Rinse rice, and cook in 2 cups of water (salt to taste) for 20 minutes or until tender. Add one tablespoon of butter. When the water has been absorbed, add coconut milk and set aside.
5. In a small bowl, combine lime juice, rum, and soy sauce. Set aside.
6. In a skillet, melt remaining butter and sauté the onion. Add shrimp, and cook until pink and firm. Stir in the lime juice mixture, and then add the pumpkin, tomatoes and chilies.
7. Add the contents of the skillet to the coconut rice.
8. Fill the pumpkin with the rice mixture.
9. Bake pumpkin for another 15-20 minutes or until the pumpkin is golden brown. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Serves 6-8

I don't know what makes this dish great. The combination of rice, coconut milk, pumpkin, shrimp, and lime juice is very satisfying. All this dish needs on the side is a nice green salad and a loaf of crusty French bread.

This variety of pumpkin is called Long Island Cheese. No, it doesn't taste like cheese- it just looks like a big wheel of cheese!

More cookies!

2007-10-24T09:50:00.000-07:00

More treats from "I'm Dreaming of a Chocolate Christmas"!

These are "Mocha Madness" cookies.

MOCHA MADNESS COOKIE

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-tablespoon pieces and softened
1 cup tightly packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
3 ounces semisweet baking chocolate, melted
1/4 teaspoon instant espresso powder, dissolved in 2 tablespoons warm water
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

8 ounces dark chocolate covered espresso beans, coarsely chopped (1 1/2 cups)

GARNISH

4 ounces semisweet baking chocolate, melted

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment or wax paper.

2. In a sifter, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.

3. Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand electric mixer fitted with a paddle. Mix on medium for 2 minutes, then stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle. Mix again on medium for 2 minutes, then scrape down again. Add the eggs one at a time and mix on medium until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down again. Add the melted chocolate and beat on medium for 15 seconds, until incorporated.

4. Turn the mixer down to the lowest speed and gradually add the dry ingredients; mix until blended, about 1 minute. Add the espresso and vanilla, and mix on low until thoroughly combined. Add the espresso beans, and use a rubber spatula to finish mixing the ingredients until thoroughly combined.

5. Using 3 slightly heaping tablespoons or 1 level #20 ice-cream scoop, portion 10 or 11 cookies on each baking sheet, spaced about 5 inches apart widthwise and 2 inches apart lengthwise. Place the baking sheets on the top and center racks of the oven, and bake for 12 minutes, switching the sheets between top and center racks and rotating each sheet 180 degrees halfway through the baking.
6. After the cookies have cooled, drizzle each with melted chocolate.

Makes about 32 cookies.

They are to die for! Caution- these are not the type of cookies to eat with milk before bedtime. One or two cookies is almost like a cup of coffee!

Make sure that the espresso beans are chopped well. I didn't chop mine finely enough, and had whole beans in some cookies. They still tasted great, but it's not fun to bite into a hard bean!

Muffins!!!!

2007-10-20T07:46:00.000-07:00

Mom got me yet another new cookbook:

This is the first recipe I tried. It is absolutely divine.

Chocolate Cherry Muffins

MAKES 24 MUFFINS
2 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
72 cup granulated sugar
11/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups dried tart red cherries
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 ounces semisweet baking chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1/2 cup tightly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnut halves, toasted and coarsely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line each of the 24 muffin
tin cups with paper liners.

2. In a sifter, combine 2 1/2 cups of the flour, the cocoa, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sift onto a large piece of parchment or wax paper.

3. Place the cherries in a small bowl and dust them with
the remaining tablespoon of flour.

4. Heat the oil and the chopped chocolate in the top of a double boiler or in a medium glass bowl in a microwave oven, and stir until melted
and smooth.

5. Place the buttermilk, melted chocolate, eggs, brown sugar, and honey in a large mixing bowl. Use a whisk to mix until the ingredients are thoroughly combined and
the brown sugar has almost completely dissolved. Add the dry ingredients, and stir with a rubber spatula to combine. Add the cherries, chocolate chips, and walnuts, using the spatula to fold the ingredients together thoroughly.

6. Portion 3 slightly heaping tablespoons or 1 slightly heaping #20 ice-cream scoop of batter into each muffin cup. Place the muffin tins on the top center racks of the oven, and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out almost clean, about 16 minutes if you prefer slightly underbaked, and 18 minutes for fully baked. (Switch the tins between top and center and rotate each 180 degrees halfway through the baking time.)

Let them cool for at least 20 minutes so they can be removed from the pan easily. They taste best warm. No need for any butter or jam!

Yum. I left out the walnuts.

This book is great- I've already marked about a dozen recipes from it.

Baby cakes and brownies!

2007-10-18T14:32:00.000-07:00

I promised this recipe to some friends. I tried to simplify it a bit from the original found in Death by Chocolate Cakes .

Lemon Poppy Seed Cakelettes with Chocolate Lemon Drop Tops

Cakelettes:

6 ounces (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into ½ ounce pieces, plus one tablespoon (melted)
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon minced lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Lemon Drop Tops

½ cup powdered sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, cut into 1 ounce pieces
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced lemon zest
4 ounces semisweet baking chocolate, coarsely chopped and melted

Make the cakelettes:

1. Pre-heat oven to 325°. Use the melted butter to lightly coat the bottoms and sides of two 12 cup nonstick miniature muffin tins.

2. Sift together the flour and baking powder and set aside.

3.Place butter and sugar in a mixing bowl with a paddle. Mix on low speed for 1 minute, then medium speed until soft. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat an additional 3 minutes until very soft. Add eggs, one at a time, until mixed. Scrape down the bowl with each added egg.

4. Operate mixer on low while gradually mixing in the dry ingredients. Mix until incorporated, about 45 seconds. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, poppy seeds, and vanilla and mix on low speed for 15 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix for an additional 30 seconds on medium.

5. Place two level tablespoons of the batter into each miniature muffin tin. Place tins on the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, then remove cakelettes from tins.

Make the chocolate lemon drop tops:

1. Sift and set aside the powdered sugar.

2. Place the cream cheese, lemon juice, and zest in an electric mixing bowl with a paddle. Mix on low speed for 1 minute, then on medium for 2 minutes until soft. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Operate the mixer on low while gradually adding the melted chocolate. Beat on medium for 45 seconds.

3. Transfer the icing to a pastry bag fitted with a small straight tip. Pipe several “drops” of the icing onto each cakelette. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 24 cakelettes

Mine turned out a little bigger than they were supposed to be. I used regular muffin tins, so there were only 12 cakelettes!

My mom bought me a new book, Presidential Cookies . (my version is the newest one, not yet available through amazon.com!) It's a great book filled with historical tidbits about the Presidents and First Ladies of the United States. There are many good recipes, some well known, some unusual. I tried a "brownie" made during the James Madison presidency:

Apple Date Nut Brownies

1-POUND BOX DARK BROWN SUGAR
3/4 CUP BUTTER (1 1/2 STICKS)
2 EGGS
2 TBSP, VANILLA
2 MEDIUM COOKING APPLES, PEELED, CORED, AND CHOPPED
2 1/2 CUPS ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
2 TSP. BAKING POWDER
1/2 TSP. SALT
1/2 CUP CHOPPED PECANS
1/2 CUP CHOPPED DATES

1. Preheat oven to 350 °
2. Combine sugar and butter in a large saucepan.
3. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves.
4. Remove saucepan from heat and cool to room temperature.
5. Beat in eggs and add vanilla.
6. In a small bowl, toss apples with 1/4 cup of the flour and set aside.
7. Add remaining 2 1/4 cups flour, baking powder, and salt to sugar mixture and mix well.
8. Fold in apples, pecans, and dates.
9. Pour into a greased 15 x 10 x 1-inch jelly-roll pan.
10. Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean.
11. Cool completely before cutting into squares.
YIELD: 2 TO 3 DOZEN BROWNIES.

Squash!

2007-10-16T16:29:00.000-07:00

Another sure sign of autumn- the abundance of squash in farmers markets and grocery stores. This isn't really a recipe- just an idea of what to do with yummy squash.

This variety is called sweet dumpling:

I stuffed it with a creamy mushroom and Italian sausage risotto:

The basic cooking technique: Preheat the oven to 350°. Carefully cut the top of the squash off and set aside. Scoop out the seeds and discard. Scoop out some of the flesh and set aside (to add to filling). Bake the squash for 45 minutes or until tender. Let cool, and then fill with any kind of rice or pasta you like, and bake until hot.

Any squash will do. The dumpling squash is especially sweet.

A snack for halftime!

2007-10-06T11:17:00.000-07:00

Deviled Nuts

From The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook

This is a real crowd pleaser. I always add just a little more hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce.

1 pound pecan halves
1/3 cup butter
2 teaspoons hot sauce such as Tabasco
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon dry mustard
¼ teaspoon dried pepper flakes

Combine ingredients, toss with pecans, Spread pecans on an ungreased baking pan, bake at 325 degrees for twenty minutes. Cool completely and store in an airtight container. Yields 4 ½ cups.

This is great for game day nibbles or to serve with pre-dinner cocktails. You can use just about any type of nut or a combination of nuts!

For friends who asked...

2007-09-20T16:20:00.000-07:00

The Pina Colada Cake.

Pina Colada Cake
Serves 16

CAKE AND SYRUP:

Vegetable oil spray for misting the pan
Flour for dusting the pan
1 can (15 ounces) cream of coconut
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow cake mix
1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons light rum
1/3 cup vegetable oil, such as canola, corn, safflower, soybean, or sunflower
4 large eggs
1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple packed in juice, drained
1 cup frozen unsweetened grated coconut, thawed

WHIPPED CREAM:

1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
1 can (8. 5 ounces) cream of coconut

1. Place rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly mist a 12-cup Bundt pan with vegetable oil spray, then dust with flour. Shake out excess flour. Set the pan aside.

2. Stir the cream seam of coconut, then pour 1/2 cup into a liquid measuring cup and reserve the remaining 1 cup for the syrup.

3. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, 1/2 cup of coconut, ½ cup rum, oil, and eggs in large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down as needed. The batter should look thick and smooth. Fold in the crushed pineapple until it is well distributed in the batter. Pour the batter into prepared pan, smoothing it out with the spatula. Place the pan in the oven.

4. Bake the cake until it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger and just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan. 50 to 55 minutes. Remove the pan from oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Place the coconut in an aluminum pie pan and toast it in the oven until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the pan and set aside. Run a long, sharp knife around the edge of the cake and invert it onto a serving platter.

5. Prepare the rum syrup. Place the reserved l cup cream of coconut and the remaining 2 tablespoons rum in a small mixing bowl. Stir until well combined.

6. While the cake is still warm, poke holes in the top with a long wooden skewer or toothpick. Spoon the rum syrup over the top, allowing it to seep into the holes and drizzle down the sides and into the center of the cake. Let the cake cool completely, 30 minutes.

7. For the coconut whipped cream, place the heavy cream and cream of coconut in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes.

8. Slice and serve the cake topped with coconut whipped cream and garnished with the toasted coconut.

This cake is always popular at parties and family gatherings. I usually don't have leftovers, but the cake will keep for a couple of days.

It came from The Cake Mix Doctor . I've made probably half of the cakes in the book!

Fall= apple treats!

2007-09-18T12:46:00.000-07:00

Apple dumplings:

6 medium sized apples, washed and cored

1 package pie crust (2 crusts)

1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

12 caramels

Preheat oven to 375°. Divide pie crusts into six pieces. Mix together the sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Fill each apple with the mixture and two caramels. Wrap each apple in pie crust. Place apples on greased baking tray. Bake for 1 hour, or until pastry is browned. Serve with ice cream if desired.

Pesto presto!

2007-09-11T10:07:00.000-07:00

My favorite pasta topping is probably pesto. I make mine with fresh basil from my mom's garden!

Basic Basil Pesto (my own recipe)

This is always a favorite in my family, and easy to make.

1 cup packed fresh basil
¼ cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
2 large cloves of garlic
½ cup olive oil (or more, depending on how much moisture is wanted)
½-¾ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Coarsely chop all ingredients in a food processor. Add salt to taste- unless you use a salty cheese. Toss with favorite cooked pasta.

I like to toast the garlic along with the pine nuts. It makes the garlic flavor a little less intense.

I also add a couple of tablespoons of cream to the pasta as I toss it with the pesto, which gives it a creamier texture. My favorite pasta to use is penne. The pesto sticks to it well, so every bite is full of the sauce.

Another older recipe...

2007-09-05T10:58:00.000-07:00

Dirty Risotto

From Giada’s Family Dinners

4 to 6 servings

5 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 ounces pancetta, chopped (I don’t like pancetta, so I skip this ingredient)
6 ounces spicy Italian sausage, casings removed
¾ cup finely chopped onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper (I use half that. It’s a matter of taste.)
4 ounces button mushrooms, trimmed and coarsely chopped
1 ½ cups arborio rice (no substitutions!)
¾ cups dry white wine
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsely

Bring broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Cover the broth and keep hot over low heat.

In a large heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the meats and sauté until golden brown, about five minutes. Add the onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms, and sauté until tender, about 8 minutes, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the rice and stir to coat with the oil. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to absorb before adding the next, until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 25 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the cheese, salt, and pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with parsley if desired and serve immediately.

This is not a quick recipe. But it is a very satisfying side dish. Enjoy!

I really enjoy watching Giada's progam on The Food Network. Her books are terrific, too. This book is one of my favorites.

Some older recipes...

2007-08-19T08:58:00.000-07:00

...that I had on my other blog. I'm moving all of my recipes here and taking them out of Stitches in Time.

Here we go-

I made this for a Derby party. It's Benedictine spread, and it's a very refreshing treat.

Adapted from Joy of Cooking , the latest edition. I changed a few things based on family recipes.

The basic recipe (can be doubled):

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and grated; and 1/2 medium onion, chopped. Squeeze out the excess water. (this is very important! You don't want the spread to be too wet.) Put in a food processor with 8 ounces of softened cream cheese. Blend until fluffy. Salt to taste. I add two tablespoons of mayonnaise to make it smoother. Some recipes call for sour cream instead.

Joy of Cooking suggests using a dab of green food coloring to give the spread its trademark color, but it's also a good idea to use finely chopped parsley or frozen spinach (about one tablespoon of either). The color is more natural and adds a little flavor.

Serve on thin sandwich bread or crackers. A little bacon with the spread makes a very good sandwich!

Named for Jennie Benedict, a Louisville, KY caterer who first made it back in the early 20th Century. It is a traditional tea sandwich for Kentucky Derby parties as well as wedding receptions. There's an old joke that a Louisville bride isn't properly married unless Benedictine sandwiches have been served at her reception! My mom, aunts, and sister all had them for their weddings. It's perfect for summer.

Make some mint juleps and enjoy these while watching the Derby!

From this book:
The Cake Mix Doctor

Chocolate Cherry Cake

Serves 20
Prep time: 7 minutes
Bake time: 30 to 35 minutes
Assembly time: 10 minutes

Cake:

Vegetable oil spray for misting the pan
1 package devil’s food cake mix, with or without pudding mix.
1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract (vanilla will do in a pinch)

Chocolate Glaze:

1 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup whole milk
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly mist 13 by 9 inch cake pan with spray.

2. Place the cake mix, pie filling, eggs, and extract into large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer at low speed for 1 minute. Stop mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat until well blended. The batter should look thick. Pour batter into the cake pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.

3. Bake the cake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cake starts to pull away from the pan. Remove the cake from the oven and cool slightly while preparing the glaze.

4. Prepare the glaze- cook sugar, butter, and milk over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove pan from the heat and blend in chocolate until melted. When the glaze is smooth, pour over the still warm cake so it covers the entire surface. Cool for 20 minutes before serving. This cake will stay fresh for several days.

This cake is a huge crowd pleaser. It is one of the easiest cakes to do, probably the easiest in that book! I've made it for parties and it was always a hit...never any leftovers.

Praline French Toast Casserole

From Paula Deen and Friends

Serves 8

8 eggs
1 ½ cups half-and-half
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
10 to 12 slices soft bread, 1 inch thick (I use cinnamon raisin. Paula probably uses plain old white bread!)

Topping:

½ cup (1 stick) butter
½ cup packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup maple syrup
2 cups chopped pecans

1. Generously butter a 13-by-9 inch casserole dish.
2. Mix the eggs, half-and-half, maple syrup, and sugar in a large bowl. Place the bread slices in the dish and cover with the egg mixture. Cover dish with plastic wrap and soak overnight in the refrigerator.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°. Remove the casserole from the refrigerator.
4. Make the topping: Melt butter in a saucepan. Add sugar and maple syrup and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the pecans. Pour the mixture over the bread and bake for 45 to 55 minutes. Allow to sit for ten minutes before serving.

That's it for now. I have a ton of other recipes to share.

Got extra chili peppers?

2007-08-16T15:27:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe I sort of made up (loosely based on something I read in a magazine) after my mother's garden produced mass quantities of chilis.

Chili Relenos

1 package of egg roll wrappers (about 20 pieces)
20 medium sized Anaheim chili peppers
1-1/2 cups shredded cheese such as Cheddar Jack
Oil for frying
Chili sauce or salsa for dipping

Cut off the tops of the chilis and carefully remove seeds. Roast the chilis in the oven at 350° F for about 20 minutes or until tender. Let cool.

Stuff the chilis with cheese, then wrap each chili in an egg roll wrapper.

Heat enough oil to cover wrappers to 375° F, then fry chilis until the wrappers are crispy. Keep warm in the oven until all chilis are fried.

Serve with Sweet chili sauce or your favorite salsa.

Chili relenos are usually made with poblano chilis, but the Anaheims work best with the egg roll wrappers. This dish is a big hit with my family.

Starting a whole new blog...

2007-08-16T11:07:00.000-07:00

...because I have so many recipes to share! They won't all fit in my stitching/book/movie review blog anymore!

I'll begin with a favorite recipe:

From this cookbook: The Lady and Sons

Many, many wonderful desserts, easy to follow directions. And in some cases, the stories behind their creation. It's hard to resist a dessert called "Not yo mama's banana pudding"! And some sound weird but no doubt taste marvelous- Key Lime Grits Pie, for one.

This one has proven to be very popular with family and friends:

Cassata Cake

Paula says: “This Italian dessert tastes something like a cake version of a cannoli.”

2 pounds ricotta cheese
1 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ cup white crème de cacao
¼ cup minature semi sweet chocolate chips
2 ½ dozen ladyfingers, split
1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup granulated sugar.
Maraschino cherries and walnuts or pecans, for decorating the cake.

Beat cheese, sugar, vanilla, and crème in an electric mixer on medium speed for about ten minutes. Stir in chocolate chips. Line bottom and sides of a springform pan with ladyfingers. Fill pan with cheese mixture, chill overnight. When ready to serve, whip cream and granulated sugar until stiff peaks form. Frost the top of cake and garnish with cherries and nuts.

I changed a couple of things here, too. I like maraschino cherries, so I added some chopped cherries and pecans to the cheese mixture. I also didn’t beat it quite as long as ten minutes. The texture was more like a cannoli filling that way. Finally, I added a teaspoon of crème de cacao to the whipped cream topping. Yum.

Serves ten.

What it looks like:

More to come!