Christmas Time or Tea Time ... You Decide

This recipe is not an original but one from a cookie cookbook from the 1960's. Because of their light, crunchy texture, it is one of my favorite sugar cookie recipes! I made this dough in my food processor, taking only 5 mintues. It's a great recipe for you to make with your kids, they can roll the dough as you flatten the cookies.

Danish Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

2 C sifted all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cream of tartar

1/4 tsp salt

1 C powdered sugar

1/2 C firm butter

1/2 C vegetable shortening

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

granulated sugar for rolling

Sift dry ingredients into bowl; cut butter and shortening with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; stir in egg and vanilla; dough is fairly soft.

Shape into 1 inch balls; roll in granulated sugar and place 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheets (cookies spread as they bake). Flatten to 1/2 inch thickness with bottom of glass dipped in granulated sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees about 12 minutes or until delicately browned*.

Makes about 6.5 dozen.

*The length of baking time should be adjusted to the size of the cookie. I make really small cookies so mine bake about 6.5 minutes.

No More Boring Sandwiches

Kick up those boring turkey or roast beef sandwiches with flavor. I have created these super simple recipes for flavoring your store bought mayonnaise. After you try these, you won’t eat a sandwich without it!
Basil Mayo

Ingredients:

1 C basil leaves – rough chopped
2 cloves garlic – chopped

1-2 tsp lemon zest

1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 C mayo

Put all ingredients into your food processor and blend. Will store in fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Rosemary Garlic Mayo

Ingredients:

3 T Rosemary – chopped
2 cloves garlic – chopped
2 C mayo
Olive oil

In a skillet heat 1 T olive oil, the garlic and rosemary all at one time – do not add rosemary and garlic to hot oil because you want to infuse the flavors into the oil as it heats. Sauté for about 3-4 mintues (until the garlic is soft). Allow mixture to cool. After cooled, combine oil mixture and mayo in food processor – and blend. Will store in fridge for up to 2 weeks.

CHEESECAKE - it's not just for dessert anymore!

I began this recipe with a base cheesecake recipe from a cooking show. I added some additional ingredients and boosted the flavor of a plain cheesecake into a kick-butt appetizer cheesecake.

Red Pepper Cheesecake

Ingredients
1/2 cup ricotta cheese (4 ounces)
1/2 cup cream cheese (4 ounces)
1/4 cup goat cheese (2 ounces)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg
Pinch kosher salt
1/2 cup roasted red bell peppers (diced)
1 ½ tsp chopped basil
1 ½ tsp lemon zest
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 T apricot jam
1 teaspoons hot water
½ tsp chopped basil
½ tsp lemon zest
Special equipment: 1 (4 1/2-inch diameter) springform (cheesecake) pan

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Wrap the outside of the cheesecake pan with 2 layers of heavy-duty foil. Place the ricotta, cream cheese, and goat cheese in a food processor. Pulse to mix. Add the sugar, egg, and salt and pulse a few times until well mixed. Stir in the red pepper, basil and lemon zest and lemon juice.
Pour the cheese mixture into the cheesecake pan. Place the cheesecake pan in a roasting pan. Pour enough hot water in the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan. Bake until the cheesecake is golden at the edges and the center of the cake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken, about 45 minutes (the cake will become firm when it is cold.)
Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool for 1 hour. Refrigerate until the cheesecake is cold, at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.
To serve, combine the jam, water, basil and zest in a small bowl microwave about 10 seconds. Stir until the jam is liquefied and spreadable. Remove the cheesecake from the springform pan. Place on a serving plate. Drizzle the jam mixture over the top of the cheesecake. Serve with pita chips alongside.
Great recipe to make ahead of time and freeze so you have an appetizer in a hurry!

A little Warmth on a Cold Winter Night

I looked at a bunch of recipes on the web trying to see what I might put in this soup. Some of them called for apple cider vinegar and brown sugar but when I thought about it, I wouldn’t put that in my pepper stuffing so why would I put that in the soup. The following is the recipe I came up with. I served it with a hunk of Italian bread.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

1 lb loose Italian sausage (hot or mild) *
1 med onion – diced
2-3 lrg cloves garlic – minced
3-4 ribs celery – diced (include any leaves – lots of flavor there)
3 lrg green peppers – diced
1-2 red peppers – diced
2 T tomato paste
1 can diced tomatoes (I like the no salt added)
2-3 C low-sodium tomato juice
3 C water
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp Herb d’Provence (can substitute Italian seasoning)
2 T + 1 tsp beef soup base
2 T Worchestire sauce
Red pepper flakes (to taste)
1 ½ C rice or quick cooking barley **

Put about 2 T olive oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven. Add onions and celery and sauté until soft about 4-5 mintues. Add garlic and sauté. When garlic becomes fragrant, add sausage and cook thoroughly. Add diced peppers and let them begin to cook through about 4-5 mintues. Add the rest of the ingredients except rice. Once veggies are cooked (or almost cooked) add the rice and cook through. If soup begins to get a little thick because of the rice, just add a little beef stock or water. Be sure to taste along the way to ensure your seasoning is where you want it.

*I use fresh sausage from a butcher so there is little oil, but if you can’t find loose Italian sausage, you can remove the sausage from the casing of your favorite grilling sausage. In this case, I would brown it first and remove the excess grease before cooking the onions.

** I used a whole grain rice mixture with brown rice, red rice, barley and rye. I did it for to make the soup a little healthier, not for a different flavor. If you use a mix like this, you can cook it ahead since the rice mixture will take about 45 minutes to cook.

Wok this way

The one pet peeve I have in the kitchen is having a kitchen tool that only serves one purpose. For that reason, I develop recipes to incorporate using tools for different cooking styles.

In this recipe, I utilize my wok to make an Italian Stir-Fry. If you don’t have a wok, you can use a stir-fry pan or large sauté pan. Flexibility is the key to good kitchen tools.


Italian Shrimp Stir-Fry

Ingredients:

½ lb cooked penne pasta (reserve pasta water)
½ lb medium peeled and devained shrimp
½ large onion diced
3-4 medium garlic cloves minced
Chopped asparagus (I use a box of frozen steamer veggies)
2 medium tomatoes seeded and diced
¼ C chopped roasted bell peppers (I use red & yellow)
Pinch red pepper flakes
Fresh baby spinach
Bunch of basil chiffonade
Grated parmesan cheese

Heat about 2 T olive oil in your wok on med-high heat. Add onions and stir fry for about 2 minutes. Add garlic. When garlic is fragrant, add asparagus, tomatoes and bell peppers. Stir fry veggies for about 2 minutes and add red pepper flakes and ½ C reserved pasta water – adding more if it gets too dry. The pasta water contains starch from the pasta that will thicken into a sauce. Allow to simmer for a few minutes and stir in shrimp. Stir a couple of times to ensure the shrimp cook on both sides. Add pasta, spinach, and basil. Once spinach is wilted, you’re ready to serve.

I like to serve in a pasta bowl with a slice of Italian bread and some grated parmesan cheese over the top. Enjoy!

A Little Taste of Tuscany

The fresh burst of flavor in this recipe reminds me of the Tuscan region of Italy. This is a great recipe when you’re short on time but want lots of great flavor. Would be great served over angel hair pasta (unless, like me, you’re following a limited carb diet). Enjoy!


Tuscan Chicken Piccata

Ingredients:

2 Chicken breasts
2 medium or 3 small cloves garlic minced
½ medium onion sliced thin
1 small tomato seeded and diced
1-2 tsp capers (whole or roughly chopped)
¼ - ½ C white wine (whatever you’re drinking while cooking this)
Small bunch basil - chiffonade
Lemon wedges
1-2 pats of butter

To prepare chicken:

Place chicken breast between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound to about ½ inch thick. Repeat process for the second chicken breast. Season both breasts with kosher salt and pepper. Heat about a T of olive oil in a large skillet on Med-High heat. Cook thoroughly both pieces of chicken allowing them to brown (leaving bits of graton in the skillet). Remove chicken to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

Add onions to the pan to begin the deglazing process (if pan is a little dry add a little more oil). Once onions begin to appear translucent add garlic. When garlic becomes fragrant, add white wine to complete deglazing the pan. Allow wine to reduce a little and add tomato and capers. Sauce will reduce and thicken (if too thick add a little more wine). When sauce is preferred consistency, pull off the heat, add butter, a squeeze of lemon wedge and stir in the basil.

Place the chicken breast on a bed of angel hair pasta and pour the sauce on top. Serve with a wedge of lemon on the side to be squeezed over the meal at the table. Enjoy!

Whole Grains...Do I Have To???

Nov. 5th, 2009

Rainbow Trout and Whole Grain Rice Pilaf

As I'm sure most people know, whole grains are an important part of a good diet. They offer a multitude of benefits such as lowering cholesterol and keeping your plumbing regular.

Tonight's meal consisted of: a green salad, fresh pan-fried rainbow trout & whole-grain rice pilaf.

For starters, I made a basic green salad, nothing fancy. Romain lettuce, cucumber, red bell pepper, carrots and purple onion. I served that with an olive oil vinegarette.

To prepare the whole-grain pilaf:

My favorite part of this meal is the whole-grain rice side dish. When I look for rice in the store I try to find a combination rice mixture. The one I'm using tonight is brown rice, red rice, barley and rye. Some measurements may need to be adjusted based on the rice mixture you are using, so if these measurements are not close to what you have on the container you buy, please adjust them.

Begin by measuring 1C of rice mixture in small stove-top kettle. Add 2.5 C water, 2 T olive oil, 2T chicken soup base, 1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper and 1 tsp garlic paste or 2 medium sized garlic cloves minced. Bring to a boil, stir once and then cover. Turn the heat down and allow to simmer for 45-60 minutes (until all liquid is gone). Turn off burner. While still on the stove top, stir in fresh chopped parsley and basel (about 1 T of each) and .5 C frozen peas.
The residual heat in the pilaf will warm the peas so you don't need to worry about adding them frozen. The pilaf should not be dry so if it is, add a little more water, oil or even a pat of butter.

To prepare the fresh rainbow trout:

We caught the fish and brought home fillets. I will pan-fry 4 fillets in this recipe.Before I began I washed each fillet under cold water and patted dry with papertowel. I find drying the fish helps the coatings adhere better. With a sharp knife cut diagonal slits in the skin of the fish (this will prevent it from curling while it cooks). Be careful not to cut all the way through the fillet.I put 1.5 C flour in a pie dish. To it I added 1 T salt, 1 tsp pepper and 1 tsp garlic powder.I dredged the trout fillets in the flour and shook of any excess.In a large skillet over medium-high heat, I added about 2T butter and 2T good olive oil. Once the butter/oil mixture was hot lay the fish skin side down. Allow to cook about 4 minutes on each side.

Serve all food nice and hot and enjoy with a nice glass of wine!

A Little California on a Beautiful Fall Day

Sunny Salad

Two of my favorite ingredients are Ahi Tuna and avocados. I combine the two of them in this bright simple salad that reminds me of my vacations in Venice, California. Enjoy it for lunch or as a light dinner; This salad screams of summer even on the coldest winter day.

Ingredients:

.25 lb tuna steak per salad

your favorite steak seasoning

olive oil

Salad:

Romaine lettuce

Carrots - julienned

Maui onion - sliced thin

Cucumber - sliced thin

Tomato - diced

(add whatever veggies you enjoy in your salad)

Avocado Ranch Salad Dressing:

1.5 C Low-fat buttermilk

1 C Low-fat mayonnaise

.25 C White balsamic vinegar

2 Avocados - diced

1 Pkg. Ranch dressing mix

Fresh cracked black pepper

Mix all ingredients in either a blender or food processor. If the dressing is too thick, you can thin it with additional buttermilk, vinegar or by adding some water - which ever tastes best to you.

Searing the tuna:

Generously season the tuna steak with your favorite steak seasoning. I use a McCormick Grinder that has 3 types of pepper, garlic and sea salt.

Stove-top: Oil a grill pan and place over medium to medium-high heat.

Grill: Before seasoning the tuna generously rub it down with olive oil to keep the fish from sticking to the grill.

Once you place the tuna in the pan or on the grill, DO NOT MOVE IT as it may stick until a crust forms on the outside. Sear the tuna steak for 3-4 minutes for rare. If you prefer to have your fish cooked more thorougly, adjust the cooking time, but keep in mind, tuna may get dry if cooked to well-done.

Plating:

Pile the salad in the middle of the plate and lay the sliced tuna steak around it. Drizzle the salad with the dressing and enjoy!