Beer and Cheese Bread

This recipe came directly from Cooking Light, but I don't know how in the world it got in there. It's not light at all. It's cheesy and dense and wonderful.

I made this for a belated Thanksgiving dinner hosted by our our good friends/cousins, Eric and Katie. Thanks Eric and Katie!

This recipe makes 2 loaves (each in a 5" x 9" loaf pan)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2 TB olive oil
1 cup onions (finely chopped)
3/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
3 garlic cloves chopped
6 cups all purpose flour
6 TB sugar
4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
2 cups Monterey jack cheese - grated
2 12-ounce bottles lager-style beer (I used Stella Artois)
Cooking Spray
4 TB melted butter

Cook onions in saute pan with 2 TB olive oil on medium-low for 10-12 minutes. Then add garlic and pepper.

While onions cook, combine the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in large bowl. Make a small well in the mixture for the onions, cheese and beer.

Let the onions cool for a minute or two before adding.

Add onions, cheese and beer to the flour mixture. Stir until a sticky dough develops.

Spray loaf pans with cooking spray and split the dough equally into the loaf pans.

If you only have 1 loaf pan (like I do) just do them one at time.

Before placing in the oven drizzle 1 TB of melted butter over each loaf and sprinkle on a pinch of pepper. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and then drizzle another TB of melted butter. Bake for another 15-20 minutes. The bread should be golden brown.

This Week's New Recipe: Ice Water

I know, I know...it has been ages and ages since I have posted a recipe. In my defense, I have had a baby, although that's clearly no excuse as my dear co-blogger Beth had a baby earlier this year and never skipped a blogging beat, but there's really a much more interesting reason for my absence.

Usually, I like to cook the recipe that I am posting within a few days of making the post. That way, it's fresh in my mind, I can photograph it for y'all and make any necessary notations. However, I haven't been able to do this because I haven't been cooking and I haven't been cooking because I can't eat anything. That's right...nothing! Nothing worth eating anyway. Why, you ask? Why? Because in addition to managing my existing reflux with accompanying esophageal ulcer, I am nursing a baby with reflux and it seems I also have gallstones which will necessitate the removal of my gall bladder in early 2010. That means I cannot have dairy, tomatoes, citrus, fat (yes, you heard me...fat!) including all fried foods, caffeine, chocolate, eggs, pork, beans, onions, garlic, carbonated beverages, wheat, oats, red meat (yup, there goes my reason for living), and, just to rub salt in the wound, red wine and most other alcohol.

So, herewith is my recipe for water with ice. It's refreshing, low calorie and good for you!

Just kidding. After some serious thought, I realized that Asian cooking is one of the few cuisines that manages to pack a lot of interesting flavors and foods together while avoiding most of the pitfalls listed above. However, I can't trust my local Chinese food place to be up front about fat content, so I'm on my own. Granted, the official gallstone diet says I should pretty much be vegetarian, but it does allow for seafood. So, I've broken out the wok and I thought I'd share a successful recipe with you guys. With any luck, in a few months, I'll wean the baby, have the gall bladder removed and find that the ulcer has healed. Until then, work with me.

Shrimp and Snow Peas with Fresh Ginger & Plum Sauce

Ingredients:
18 large or jumbo shrimp (about 3/4 lb), peeled, deveined if you feel like it
2 cups fresh snow peas, tough ends snipped off
1 cup mushrooms, any variety
1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper, julienned
2 scallions, diced
1 1/2" knob of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
2 T. Peanut oil
2 T. Mirin (Japanese rice wine)
2 T. Plum Sauce (available in Asian section of your grocery store)
2 tsp. Chinese 5 Spice Powder

2 cups cooked rice (jasmine rice is excellent with Asian foods) or Udon noodles

Instructions:
Clean and peel shrimp and toss in 2 tsp. 5 spice powder. Set aside.
In a wok or large frying pan, heat peanut oil and toss in fresh ginger and scallions, stirring constanly to avoid browning. Cook for one minute or until fragrant. Add shrimp and continue stirring. Add mirin. Allow to cook off. Working quickly, add snow peas, mushrooms, and pepper, stirring continuously until vegetables are just cooked. Peppers and snow peas should remain crisp. Remove wok from heat. Stir in plum sauce and serve immediately over hot rice or noodles. Serves 2.

The Best Blueberry Muffins

This recipe makes 12 delicious muffins; the cinnamon sugar really pushes them over the top. And this recipe comes from Cook's Illustrated's Baking Illustrated. It's a wonderful cookbook - I highly recommend it.

Preheat oven 350

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/4 cups sour cream
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon


Combine the flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, combine eggs, 1 cup sugar, butter and sour cream.

Add the frozen berries to the flour mixture, and then add the sour cream mixture.

Once combined, spoon into your well-greased muffin tins. Cook for 30-35 minutes

Let cool for about 5-8 minutes.

While the muffins cool, melt 3 TB of butter, and make a mixture of cinnamon and 1/2 cup sugar.

Take each muffin and dip the top into the butter then roll in cinnamon sugar.

Let sit for another 10 minutes, and serve!

Pumpkin Muffins for Kenny and Syl and Conrad and Mason

I adapted this recipe from a few different recipes I saw on All Recipes. They came out perfect on the very first try.

I made them for my dear friends Kenny and Sylvia on my first visit with them with their new twin boys, Conrad and Mason.

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin (1 15 oz can)
1/2 cup water
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts

Makes 24 muffins

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Sift the following ingredients together in large bowl - flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Next beat together eggs, oil, water, pumpkin and vanilla in another bowl.

Pour wet ingredients into dry and beat with hand mixer.

Then fold in raisins and chopped walnuts.

Spray muffin tin with nonstick backing spray and fill them up about three quarters. Bake for 15 minutes.

Delicious.

Easy Beef Stew

I adapted this recipe from one of my favorite all time cookbooks, "Cover & Bake." It's from the writers of Cook's Illustrated. I made this stew the day of my son's baptism. It was wonderful, and easy to prepare. I love one pot meals. I served it with fresh bread (for sopping) and butter. Everyone was happy and very full. I think my brother had 3 helpings!

3 lbs stewing beef - dried off with paper towel, and then seasoned liberally with salt/pepper

5 carrots, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1 lb of red potatoes cut into quarters. If potatoes are larger, cut a bit smaller. They should be bite-size

2 medium yellow onions, roughly chopped

1 cup of red wine - that you'd like to drink:) I used a Malbec

2 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 cups frozen peas

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 tsp salt

3 tb flour

Preheat oven to 300.

You'll need a large pot - something that can hold 8 quarts, and that's oven safe. I used my dutch oven.

Heat up 1 TB oil in pot, and then start browning the meat in batches. Remove meat from pan, and then add onions along with 1 tsp salt. Scrape bottom to get all the delicious brown bits. If they are being a bit stubborn, go ahead and add a little bit of wine - like 1 TB. That will help deglaze. Let onions cook for about 5 minutes. Then add 3 TB of flour, one at time. Stir to coat the onions. Then add chicken stock and wine. Cook for about another 2 mins. Then add back the meat, and place in oven for 60 minutes.

After that, add potatoes and carrots and return to oven for another 60 minutes. Remove from oven, and place on stove. Heat should be on low. Add peas and parsely and let cook for about 5 mins until peas are no longer frozen.

Serve in shallow bowls, with lots of bread and butter.

I'm Back! (With Risotto)

It's been just about a month since my last post. September was challenging for me, to say the least, but don't worry readers (all two of you) because I'm back! I will now be posting every other Sunday. I would like to do a post each week, but I don't want to promise something I can't deliver. So let's cross our fingers and hope I can bring you two fabulous recipes a month. And the following recipe is FABULOUS. I adapted it from a recipe from the Washington Post's Food Section this past week. Thank you Joe Yonan!

Curried Butternut Squash Risotto

2 onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup roasted butternut squash, mashed
(you can roast the squash the day before you make this risotto, just cut a squash in half and roast for 40-60 mins at 375, season before roasting with salt/pepper and olive oil)
1 cup Arborio rice
5 cups chicken stock (homemade if you've got it)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 tsp curry powder

Bring chicken stock up to boil, and then turn down heat to low. Heat a large skillet with a bit of olive oil and start to cook the onions/garlic - 5-7 mins. Then add the rice, salt/pepper and curry powder. Cook for about 3 mins.

Then start adding the stock 1/2 cup at a time. Keep adding liquid and stirring as it absorbs into the rice. Repeat process until you've added all the stock, 30-35 mins. Stir in butternuts squash mash, and cook for another 5 mins.

Now, Joe Yonan recommends serving with toasted pistachio nuts on top. Sounds lovely, but I didn't have any in my pantry, so I toasted some pine nuts. Worked just fine : )

The 'If You're a Vegetarian, Stop Reading Now' Burger

My husband and I were inspired to make this recipe for two reasons. First off, I recently bought $60 worth of smoked dry-cured pork (think prosciutto, but more rustic). Sick, I know. I don't even know why. I don't plan on having a party. It just seemed like a good idea.

The second part of my inspiration came from burgers my husband and I bought at Eastern Market last weekend. We bought sirloin burgers with chopped smoked bacon in them. Delicious. The guy behind the meat counter admitted to making them for breakfast that morning. Hilarious.

The burgers got me thinking :). And, of course, why use plain old beef when you can use delicious veal?

Now, go try this at home. I command you!

2 lbs ground veal
1/2 cup chopped Surryano ham tips. It's dry cured and smoked.
4 TB Worcestershire sauce
3 TB plain bread crumbs
1 TB garlic powder
1 TB black pepper
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp dried oregano

Combine everything, and make four patties. They're best cooked on a hot grill, 4-5 mins per side.

Yellow and Red Tomato Coconut Curry Soup

My husband and I love tomato soup. We especially like it with fresh tomatoes, and even better if they are August tomatoes. Last summer I made tomato and white bean, and a tomato and corn, and a tomato and meatball soup. It came out a little thick, and it was more or less a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs. Not my intention, but delicious nonetheless.

This summer I was inspired by all the beautiful yellow tomatoes I've seen at the farm stand I like to frequent in Maryland. I made a delicious salsa of red and yellow tomatoes for a party. I thought the taste and color were awesome. This got me thinking about soup. This recipe is truly inspired, just ask my husband.

7 yellow tomatoes (approximately 4 lbs.), plus 2 medium-sized red tomatoes

4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
2 medium onions
3 cloves of garlic
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 cup coconut milk

chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)

Directions

Wash and core the tomatoes first, then drop into boiling water for a minute or two, a few at a time. Remove tomatoes and place in a bowl of ice water. Once they’re out of the ice bath the skins will come right off with your hands. Seeding them is messy but takes no time over your garbage or disposal. Cut the tomatoes in half (horizontally), and with your fingers remove the seeds and that jelly- like stuff. You can then dice up the tomatoes and place in a bowl. Keep the yellow and red tomatoes separate. They are added to the soup at different times.


In a large soup pot, sauté onions and garlic with some olive oil. Once the onions become translucent add salt, pepper, curry powder, turmeric and coriander. Then add yellow tomatoes, and let cook for 20 minutes, on medium low.

Add chicken stock and let cook on medium low for 10 minutes. Then taste soup and see if you need to add more salt or pepper.

After any needed adjustment, puree the soup with a regular or immersion blender.

Once the soup is pureed, add the chopped red tomatoes. Let cook for 10 more minutes on low.
Then add 1 cup of coconut milk, stirring to combine.

Garnish with cilantro

Meat and Cheese on Bread, refined

As I think I've mentioned recently, I'm substantially pregnant and it just does not bring out the best in my culinary repertoire. Especially early on, I want cheeseburgers, cheesesteaks, maybe a few hot dogs. In short, I'm not so much on the salads while with child. But we can't just give in to every craving, lest we emerge from the baby-having heavier and with elevated triglycerides.

But sometimes I can work the standard craving profile into something delicious to eat that is less of a dietary landmine. The following pizza is not only super quick and easy, but it has everything I'm looking for (meat? check. cheese? check. bread? check.) without derailing my nutritional standings entirely. You've likely seen a similar combination on restaurant menus lately since the ingredients are a classic flavor profile from Italian cooking. The key here is to use really good ingredients and just baaaarely cook them so the retain their own perfect flavors and textures. Hey! Bonus! That makes this a super fast dinner option too! Enjoy!

This dish is so popular around my house because it really has everything. Not only are meat, cheese and bread all well represented, but it has the perfect Salty Sour Spicy Sweet (that sounds sooo familiar) balance that we strive for around here. What more could anybody - pregnant or otherwise - want? If you feel like going the extra mile, check out my co-blogger's pizza dough recipe from March 2009 for a homemade crust. The figs have a short season, so if you can't find them, use just the fig preserves. The flavors will be almost as good.

Prosciutto & Fig Pizza with fresh Arugula

Ingredients:

2 loaves white or whole wheat Lavash (Middle Eastern flatbread)

3 - 4 T. fig jam or preserves (available at decent cheese counters or Whole Foods)

1/2 pint black mission or turkish figs, stems removed, quartered

1 cup freshly grated or shaved hard Italian or Spanish cheese, such as Parmiggiano Regiano, Asiago or Manchego (it really is better if you grate it yourself)

1 tsp. red pepper flake

1/4 lb. imported prosciutto, sliced paper thin

4 cups fresh baby arugula

the juice of 1/2 lemon

2 tsp. olive oil

kosher salt

freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions:

Arrange oven racks so that the top rack is at its highest setting under the broiler. Preheat oven to 375. On each of the 2 loaves of lavash, spread half the fig jam, scatter half the figs and half the cheese. Season to your taste with red pepper flakes.

Bake pizza for about 5 minutes on top rack until cheese is melted. While that is happening, toss the arugula, lemon juice & olive oil together in a bowl. Season with salt & pepper. Set aside.

After 5 minutes baking at 375, turn the oven to Broil and slide the top rack out just far enough to scatter 1/2 the prosciutto on each pizza. Return rack to oven and broil pizzas for about 3 minutes until prosciutto is warmed and cheese is browning. Don't turn your back! you could be about 30 seconds from black pizzas depending on the strength of your broiler. Remove pizzas from oven. Top each with half of the seasoned arugula and cut into quarters. Grate a little more cheese on top if you want. Serve immediately.

Avocado Lime Dressing

This recipe was adapted from Food and Wine. I altered the recipe to fit what I have in my pantry and refrigerator. I hate buying an ingredient and only using it once for a recipe. What a waste!

This dressing is great over a salad of romaine lettuce, orange and yellow bell peppers and cucumbers. Sprinkle roasted salted pumpkin seeds on top. It adds great crunch.

In a blender combine the following ingredients.

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup avocado
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 white wine vinegar
1 clove of garlic, chopped
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper

hi...remember me?

I'm Kristin, co-founder of this blog. Doesn't ring a bell? I used to post all the time. You know, with the long, rambling anecdotes before the recipes? I've missed you guys! I haven't really been anyplace, but I am really pregnant and it hasn't inspired much great cooking or creativity. I know, I know...my beloved co-blogger Beth has a brand new (super sweet, super cute) baby and SHE blogged all through her pregnancy AND pretty much every week since. What can I say? I've got nothin'...no excuses. I just haven't been feeling like myself. But, my intentions are still good...during my absence, I've made a few things that I think you might like. Here comes one now.

Throughout both this pregnancy and my first, I haven't had unusual cravings so much, but I do pretty much want meat and cheese on bread for pretty much every meal. It's not a recipe for a healthy me or a healthy pregnancy. So, I've tried to take advantage of every possible opportunity to avoid my own worst instincts and work around my nagging need for a cheeseburger.

Therefore, I present to you a salad so delicious and unique that I actually crave it even though there's no red meat involved! In fact...no meat at all! It does make use of some of the best produce of summer and is packed with antioxidants, bright colors and intense flavors. Secondary bonus: it's super easy. It's wonderful served with simply grilled fish or chicken. Make it an entree salad by topping it with some grilled shrimp or scallops. It is simple enough eat it any old night, but it is definitely special enough for company.

Tropial Spinach Salad with Ginger Lime Dressing

For the dressing:

the zest of 1/2 lime

the juice of 1 - 2 limes (depending on size and juiciness...at least 1 T. of lime juice)

2 tsp. fresh ground ginger (NOT dried or powdered ginger)

1 tsp. honey or 2 tsp. sugar in the raw (or more, to taste)

pinch of kosher salt

1 - 2 T. canola oil

For the salad:

1 large mango (or 2 smaller mangos), peeled & cubed

1 avocado, cubed

1/4 cup red onion, sliced paper thin

1/2 pint blueberries, rinsed

5 cups baby spinach leaves

Instructions:

In the bowl you intend to use to assemble the entire salad, whisk together the lime zest, lime juice, ginger and honey or sugar.* Taste the mixture. It should be pleasingly tart and sweet, but not too much of either. Add more lime juice or sweetener as needed. Then, season with a little bit of salt for balance. Once you are happy with the flavor, whisk in the canola oil until dressing is slightly thickened. I have to confess, I once made this dressing quickly and forgot all about the oil and no one was the wiser, although it does balance the acid in the lime nicely. Set the dressing aside.

Prepare all of the fruits and onion and add to the dressing, tossing lightly to coat, but be gentle since the avocado and mangoes are both easily mushed. Allow combined ingredients to sit for a minute or two to absorb the flavors of the dressing. Add the spinach leaves and toss completely immediately before serving as the acid in the dressing - while it preserves the lovely colors of the avocado and mango - will wilt the spinach leaves quickly. Serve as a side salad (as shown with yummy salmon burgers) for 4 people, or top with shrimp or whatever you like as an entree salad for 2 people. Enjoy!

* - I used to use 1/2 a packet of Splenda as the sweetener and it worked nicely, but I am 100% off artificial sweeteners so I've switched to honey or turbinado sugar. If you use raw sugar, you will have to whisk longer but it will dissolve in the lime juice. Do not serve gritty salad.

Myrtle Beach Curry Chicken

I packed equal parts clothes and cooking equipment on my beach vacation this year. And to be really honest, I think I actually packed more of my kitchen then my wardrobe. Oh well! But with a baby, it's hard to go out to dinner. In fact, my husband and I never go anywhere with out the little guy. We love him so much, but he can't do dinner yet. We tried once or twice, but he still very much likes to cry from about 5- 7 each night. Since we can't go out, it's important to me that we eat well! His bed time is 8 p.m., which gives me time to whip up a delicious dinner.

Below is a recipe I just threw together on our trip. Normally, I would have used fresh ginger and fresh garlic, but I didn't have them available. (But yes, I did have coriander. I am a good packer.)

It may have been improvised, but this recipe is awesome. A true keeper!

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1nch pieces
1 1/2 yellow onion roughly chopped
2 tomatoes, de-seeded and roughly chopped
1 cup (half a can) of coconut milk
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Combine curry powder, coriander, turmeric, ginger and garlic powder, and set aside. Sprinkle about have of the spice mixture on top of the cut-up chicken. Sprinkle a little salt and fresh ground pepper on top too. Heat up a large skillet with 1 TB vegetable oil, and brown chicken. Don't worry about cooking through, just get the meat nice and brown and remove from pan. Add onions, tomato and the rest of the spice mixture to pan. Cook for about 8-10 minutes until tomatoes and onions are soft.

Return chicken to skillet, and then add 1 cup coconut milk.

Let simmer on medium low for 5-8 minutes. Allow chicken to cook through and the the sauce to thicken. Serve over rice!

To the Beach!

I'm taking a little vacation. I'll be back to my regular Sunday posts on August 23.

Lime Grilled Shrimp and Pineapple Salsa

Pineapple Salsa

1 1/2 cup pineapple chopped into 1/4 inch pieces (grill the pineapple first if you have the time)
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1 TB cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 jalepeno, deseeded, deveined, and chopped finely
Juice of 1 lime

Make salsa early in the day if you are serving for dinner. The longer it sits the better it will taste.

The shrimp is too easy. Buy a medium size shrimp, not too small because we want to thread them on skewers. If you can buy them all cleaned even better. If not, you will need to shell them, remove the yucky stuff from their backs, and pull the tails off. It doesn't take that long, it's just messy.

Thread the shrimp onto skewers and be sure to pierce each shrimp twice, at the thickest part and at the tail. This makes for even cooking.

A few minutes before grilling drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Grill on high heat for 5 minutes, turning once. Cut a few limes in half and grill them, cut side down, for just a minute.

Remove the shrimp from their skewers before serving and squeeze the limes over the top.

I like to serve these with warmed corn tortillas. Guests can pile the shrimp and salsa into the tortillas, and a dollop of fresh guacamole adds even more flavor. They will love it.

Citrus Soy Marinade

Use this marinade for any kind of meat. My husband and I have used it for skirt steak and swordfish steaks. It's awesome.

If you are marinating steak you can do so up to 24 hours. If you doing fish, 30-40 minutes is plenty. If you do it longer, the marinade will end up cooking the fish.

zest of 1 orange
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup vegetable
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
4 garlic cloves minced
1 TB grated ginger

Combine all the ingredients at once. Very simple.

Summer Corn Chowder

4 cups fresh corn (get 8 ears of corn, and shave off corn kernels with serrated knife)
2 carrots, diced
2 onions, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
4 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
8 cups low-sodium chicken stock

Start off by cooking down bacon in soup pot. Cook on medium high until bacon is crisp, then remove and set aside. Add carrots, onions, celery, and salt/pepper to soup pot, and cook in remaining bacon fat on medium for 15 minutes. Then add 3 cups of corn, and cook for another 5-8 minutes. Taste and add additional salt or pepper.

Add chicken stock, and cook for about 20 minutes. Again taste and see if it needs additional seasoning. Then use immersion blender and puree soup. Once it's smooth, add last cup of corn and the bacon you set aside, and cook for another 5-8 minutes.

That's it!

You won't even miss the dairy.

I ate too much at my parent's over vacation

Got on the scale the day after my vacation, and I don't just feel fat. The scale doesn't lie. I went to Stew Leonard's one too many times. If you are from Connecticut, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Anyway, it's time to eat light so salads are in order.

Here are a few of my favorite salad dressings. I never buy bottled dressings. Homemade is a million times better and super-easy.

Honey Balsamic
2 TB honey
2 TB balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt/pepper

Honey and Rice Wine
2 TB honey
2 TB rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt/pepper

Dijon Vinaigrette
2 TB Dijon mustard
2 TB red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt/pepper

Honey Dijon Vinaigrette
2 TB dijon mustard
1 TB honey
2 TB red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt/pepper

Strawberry Balsamic
2 TB strawberry jam
2 TB balsamic
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt/pepper

In all of these recipes, simply mix all ingredients other than oil with a whisk and then add olive oil in a slow stream until incorporated. You won't be disappointed with any of these. Delicious. Just remember not to dress the salad until right before you eat.

4th of July Vacation

No post on Sunday. Sorry! I'm on a little vacation to visit my parents. I'll be back to my regular Sunday posts on Sunday, July 12.

Chicken Satay (No Dairy!)

I've actually made this dish many times. Its fallen out of my rotation, but I'm plugging it in back in. It's super simple. And who doesn't love peanut sauce? I could eat it like soup.

Cut 1 lb of boneless, skinless chicken breasts into strips (or if your market sells raw chicken cut into tenders, buy that). Combine 1 TB fish sauce, 1 TB red curry paste and 1 TB vegetable oil. Pour marinade over chicken and let sit in refrigerator for 1 hour.

While chicken marinates, combine the following in a saucepan on medium low heat

1 16 oz can of unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup peanut butter (use the organic, sugar-free kind)
1 tsp red curry paste
1 tsp sugar

Use a whisk to help ingredients come together. Cook for about 15 minutes. Feel free to add more curry paste or sugar to taste.

Take chicken out of refrigerator and thread onto wood skewers. Grill for about 2 minutes on each side.

Spoon some hot peanut sauce over the chicken, and garnish with chopped cilantro and peanuts. Serve over rice.

Vietnamese Grilled Pork Skewers

I have a new diet for awhile. I must go dairy-free. My son is more then just sensitive to my dairy consumption, he's allergic. Sad, but true. So I need to re-think my entire diet. I'm most sad about cheese. Soy milk is not so bad, and soy ice cream is actually quite delicious, but there can be no replacement for cheese.

This is going to be hard, but thankfully there are cuisines that involve little to no dairy. Vietnamese being one of them. Thank GOD!

My husband made Vietnamese pork on Saturday night.

This marinade will work for about 1 lb of pork.

Buy any cut of pork you like -- boneless loin or chops work well -- and cut into thin strips.

Combine the following ingredients:

zest of one lemon
half of one onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 TB sugar
3 TB fish sauce
Juice of 2 limes
1 tsp black pepper

Blend in a blender until it's a thick paste. Pour over the pork and marinate for up to an hour (don't do it any longer, since these are strong flavors). Thread the pork onto wood skewers and cook on a hot grill for just 1-2 minutes per side.

Serve over rice noodles, and garnish with chopped peanuts.

You say tomato, I say hell yes

I think it's clear by now that I have some pretty strong feelings about food, but few ingredients inspire the rapture that I experience at peak tomato season. We're not there yet, but local tomato perfection happens on the East Coast beginning in July and stretches almost through September. I was fortunate to grow up in a home with a sizeable vegetable garden and when the tomato harvest hit, I was sent door to door to our neighbors to offer up the bounty we couldn't consume alone. I remember my parents sending me out into the garden with a huge metal collander to pick the tomatoes that were so huge and beautiful that they bent their plants to the ground. I also remember hauling pounds and pounds of tomatoes inside and slicing one open, salting it and eating it like a piece of fruit (which technically, it is, but that's a conversation for another time). The memory of the scent of the tomatoes, their plants and the heat are practically tangible to me. Heaven.

As I type, I'm looking out my dining room window at my little cherry tomato plants in my container garden. They won't bear fruit until much later in the month at the earliest, but I can't wait! These are the things that keep me going. Still, some nice tomatoes are popping up in stores now.

I feel like people tend to pick tomatoes by color alone. Color can be a good indicator, but it's certainly not everything. A lot of hot house tomatoes available in super markets have gorgeous red outsides and pale, mealy, sad insides. Tragic. I think the best way to pick a tomato is to smell it. To me, the smell is earthy and warm and sort of like what I assume heaven will smell like, but again, I think that's the rapture talking. I actually own tomato scented cologne (demeterfragrance.com) so objectivity might not be for sale here today. I think that during the summer months, you should definitely go to a farm stand or a farmers' market to get your tomatoes. There's not much point in making this recipe in the winter.

This recipe is perfect for showcasing peak tomatoes. It's not a traditional Spanish Gazpacho, which has much less going on and consists mainly of tomatoes, stale bread and sherry vinegar, but this soup does boast some pretty amazing seasonal flavors. It's also really flexible. No red bell peppers? Use whatever color you like. Don't like garlic? Leave it out and kick up the lemon. The only really important part is the tomatoes.

Not-so-traditional Gazpacho

Ingredients:

8 - 10 medium fresh, ripe tomatoes, seeded. No need to be too precise.

4 scallions, rinsed well with outer layer removed, trimmed of root end and tough green tops; PLUS one scallion, cleaned, trimmed and diced, set aside for garnish, not blending

2 cucumbers

1 jalapeno, stem, seeds & membrane removed

3 or 4 cloves garlic, peeled

1 cup fresh cilantro or parsley leaves, whichever you prefer (or a combo of both)

1 red bell pepper, seeds and membranes removed

3 T. sherry vinegar (you may use red wine vinegar if you prefer)

1 12 oz. can low sodium V-8

2 stalks of celery, diced

The juice of 1 lemon

kosher salt, cracked pepper and red pepper flake or your fave hot sauce to taste

Instructions:

Peel skin from 1 & 1/2 cucumbers. Split down the center and scoop seeds out with a spoon. Dice remaining 1/2 cucumber and reserve for garnish later. In the blender or bowl of a food processor, combine 1/2 the tomatoes & the cucumbers, half the vinegar & herbs, garlic, peppers and scallions. Pulse until desired texture is acheived, adding V-8 a little at a time just to keep the mixture moist enough to process. I typically do not use the whole can of V-8. I like it pretty finely pureed, but you are free to leave it chunkier if you like. Pour into a large bowl and set aside. Repeat process with remaining ingredients, tomatoes through vinegar, and as much V-8 as you need. Don't worry about putting exactly the same amount of each ingredient into each batch...breaking the recipes into two batches just allows you better control and is easier than dealing with an overflowing blender and will make no difference once everything is mixed together.

Mix two batches together and taste. Season with lemon juice, salt, pepper and hot sauce to your taste. Stir in diced cucumber, scallions and celery reserved for garnish...this step just provides a nice crunch to the texture. Cover soup tightly and chill for at least an hour before serving.

I like the gazpacho just as it is, served with a piece of good, rustic bread toasted in a pan with a little olive oil and a grating of manchego or parmesean cheese melted on top (as shown), but you may also garnish with a drizzle of really good olive oil or a dollop of sour cream (not both) or a tablespoon of coarse chopped herbs. Makes 8 - 10 servings. Enjoy.

Too Many Bananas!

My smoothie craze is over, mostly because my son Simon is not fond of my consumption of dairy. He screamed last Saturday after my last smoothie, pretty much all day.

Got the message! I'll try making smoothies with soy milk. Although I've heard that soy may not be so good for baby boys either, something to do with estrogen. Whatever.

Here's my point: I have too many bananas now. So on Saturday I made banana bread. I browsed lots of recipes, and I came up with my own version. It's not too sweet, and is perfect for breakfast.


10 TB unsalted butter softened
3 bananas, smashed
1/2 cup nonfat yogurt
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups all purpose flower
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9" x 5" loaf pan. If you don't have this size you can use 8 1/2" - 4 1/2" loaf pan. Just don't use all the batter. Fill pan to 3/4 full.

Mix together flour, sugar, backing soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl mix together bananas, yogurt, eggs and vanilla.

With hand mixer, mix butter with dry ingredients. Then start adding banana mixture. Mix at medium speed until smooth batter forms.

Pour into loaf pan and bake for 60 to 70 minutes.

Hola! Me llamo Lupe.

Thanks to the Wethersfield, Connecticut Public School System and, later, Loyola College in Maryland (now Loyola University of Maryland...no comment), I have absorbed portions of 7 school years of Spanish language education. I say portions because I am nothing like fluent in reading, speaking or understanding the Spanish language. Not. Even. Close. Of my handful of educational failings, it is definitely the most glaring. Considering the amount of time spent in Spanish class and considering that one of those years was spent in honors Spanish (clearly, the result of placement by an over-confident guidance counselor), I know next to no Spanish.

My knowledge of Spanish is so scant that by junior year of high school, I was terrified of being called on in Spanish class because that was the year that la professora (the delightfully wacky Sra. Peel) stopped speaking any English, so not only was I sure I could not answer her properly, I probably wasn't even going to know what I had been asked. Unfortunately, my Spanish name, Cristina, was not only pretty common but it was practically the same as Catalina, Catarina and several other names also very common in Spanish class. I was so regularly alarmed that my name might have been being called that I was eventually prompted to research and construct the proper verb tenses and sentence structure to request of Sra. Peel an official name change. Needless to say, I have no recollection of that question, but Sra. Peel was impressed enough to grant me my name change. Henceforth, I would be referred to in spanish class as Lupe. Ahhh...Lupe. Similar to nothing and much, much more conducive to zoning out in spanish class.

While my knowledge of the Spanish language is poor, my knowledge of the cuisines of Spain, Mexico and much of Latin America is extensive and growing. I love authentic Spanish cooking, especially lovely little tapas. We'll talk about that some other time. I also loove Mexican food, and I'm no snob about it...Tex Mex is just fine by me. I just really appreciate the balance of fresh ingredients, nice spicy spices, good cheeses, the almighty and prominent tomato and cilantro flavors and, of course, we all know how I feel about braising and grilling. Basically, in my heart of hearts, I am Lupe, my generic American rootlessness replaced by rich Latin cultural heritage. Or, at the very least, rich, Latin food.

So, on behalf of Lupe, I present a burrito so profoundly good that my jaded husband (who is totally spoiled by my willingness to make elaborate and tasty meals on an average Wednesday) looked at me the other night and said "wow." Translation: Muy Bueno.

Green Chicken Burritos

Ingredients:

1 & 1/3 - 1 & 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 small Haas Avocados, peeled, pitted and diced into 1/2" chunks (in this recipe, you can get away with using avocados that are a bit on the firm side. If you use really ripe ones, they might get a little too mushy)

1 medium red onion, diced

2 cups shredded cheddar & monterey jack cheeses (I also like the Kraft Mexican blend shredded cheese, but for God's sake, not the one with taco seasonings mixed in)

About 2 dozen grape tomatos, halved

1 bunch fresh cilantro, rinsed thoroughly and mostly dry

2 limes

1 or 2 jalapeno peppers, to your taste

6 burrito size flour tortillas, any flavor or variety you like

Tomato salsa, tomatillo or green chili salsa and/or sour cream for garnish.

Instructions:

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and a bit of olive oil just to prevent them from sticking to the grill. Grill until cooked through, but not over cooked since they will esentially be cooked again once they are incorporated into burritos. (If you prefer to roast, poach or broil chicken breasts, go ahead. I just like the grilled flavor in this recipe.) Chop into 1/2" chunks and set aside.

Preheat oven to 425. In a large bowl, combine chicken, onion, tomatoes, cheese & avocados and toss to mix. Set aside.

Using your blender or food processor, combine 1 generous handful of cilantro leaves; the zest of one lime; the juice of both limes and one jalapeno, stem, seeds and membranes removed.* Blend until a pesto-like texture is acheived. If you need extra liquid, use a few drops of canola oil or water. Taste the mixture. If you want it to be spicier, add the second jalapeno. If you want it super spicy, leave some of the membranes and seeds in tact but proceed with caution; you can always add more spice but you can't take it out.

Pour green lime-cilantro-jalapeno dressing over chicken mixture and stir to coat. Place tortillas in microwave between damp paper towels and zap for one minute. Working on a large cookie sheet, add a few heaping spoonfulls (about 3/4 to 1 cup) of chicken mixture directly into the center of the first tortilla. Fold left and right sides of tortilla inward over mixture, and then roll the burrito from top to bottom snugly, placing the finished product seam-side down on cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas & mixture. Bake for 20 minutes until tortillas brown just slightly.

Serve with your favorite salsa and sour cream, or "Christmas style" with red AND green salsas as shown. Enjoy!

Smoothies! Quick and Fast Lunch for New Mommies

I didn't have many cravings during my pregnancy, but post-pregnancy I can't seem to get enough of smoothies! I am truly enjoying the fancy blender I got for my wedding last year.

Smoothies are great because they are quick to put together, are filling and only require one hand to eat (so the other hand can hold Baby Simon).

Here are two smoothie recipes that I've been enjoying the last few weeks.

Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie

1/2 banana
1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup peanut butter (sugar free)
3/4 cup skim milk

Throw all these ingredients in blender and blend!

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

4 strawberries
1/2 banana
1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup orange juice

As stated above, throw all these ingredients in blender and blend!

And, if you want to add a bit more volume and a chill to either one of these smoothies, add a few handfuls of ice.

Thai Chicken Soup

Ben (my husband) made this soup the other night. He's cooking a lot now that we have baby Simon. I've been a little busy nursing our new son. He'll be two weeks old tomorrow. Happy Birthday SIMON!

This soup takes 30 minutes to put together. The mushrooms are the only thing that requires cooking in this recipe.

6 cups chicken stock (homemade is best, but canned is also very good). Before I had Simon I froze about 4 quarts of homemade stock.
1 16 oz can coconut milk
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded (buy a roast chicken at the grocery store)
2 (8 oz) containers cleaned, sliced, white button mushrooms
2 TB ginger, grated
1 small onion, chopped
3 TB fish sauce
3 scallions thinly sliced
1 TB red chili paste
Juice of 2 limes

Start off cooking small onion in soup pot with a little vegetable oil. Then add ginger, 1 TB fish sauce. Cook for a few minutes.

Then add chicken stock, coconut milk and mushrooms. Let cook for about 10 minutes until mushrooms are cooked through. Add shredded chicken.

In separate bowl, combine 2 TB fish sauce, 1 TB red chili paste, and juice of two limes. Stir in soup. Then stir in scallions.

Feel free to add more chili paste if you want the soup spicier, and use any mushrooms that you like.

Pasta With Peas, Asparagus and Sage

I found this gem of a recipe in Food and Wine. I made a few changes, but this is the basic recipe.

1 lb Penne pasta
1 1/2 lbs asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 garlic cloves
1 cup chicken stock
2 cups frozen baby peas, thawed
1 cup heavy cream
2 TB butter
2 TB fresh sage, chopped
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Bring large pot of water to a boil. As water heats, heat up large skillet with some olive oil. Then saute asparagus and garlic for a minute or two. Add chicken stock, and let cook and reduce for 15 minutes.

Water should be boiling at this point, so salt (be generous) and add pasta and cook for about 10 minutes, until al dente.

Back to large skillet . . . add peas, and cream and bring to boil. Cook at high heat for a minute or two until sauce thickens.

Once pasta is cooked, add to skillet. Once fully combined, stir in fresh sage, 2 TB butter and 1 cup Parmesan cheese.

I served this with grilled lemon chicken.

I marinated boneless skinless chicken breasts with the juice of two lemons, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp dried sage, and 1/2 tsp ground pepper, then grilled them. Simple.

It almost felt healthy.

Mmmmmm...soup.

Before I begin rambling about soup, let me first congratulate my co-blogger and dear friend Beth and her wonderful husband Ben on the arrival of their beautiful new baby boy, Simon Henry, who arrived last Monday afternoon. Not only is he handsome, sweet and perfect; as is to be expected, he's apparently a very good eater! Mazel Tov!

Now then, soup. I was recently reading a diet book (what? My husband reads books about WWII submarine attacks and he's never actually done that either.) and the author, a natural foods chef, was singing the praises of pureed vegetable soups and their ability to fill you up with good, delicious, fiber-rich vegetables while leaving you satisfied and generally happy. Good point, I thought. I like everything about that idea. I've always been especially fond of potato-leek soup. Now, before you have an Atkins seizure, even the author of the diet book defended the potato in moderation, so long as it isn't saturated with fatty toppings. You may recall from previous posts my affection for potatoes, but this seemed like a safe and rational way to enjoy them, so I hit the web in search of recipe ideas.

Since, to the best of my knowledge, the ingredients for potato-leek soup should be something like: potatoes, leeks, chicken stock, salt, pepper, I was sort of surprised to see that a lot of the recipes I saw called for a lot of fat, a lot of dairy and a lot of crazy steps like roasting all of the vegetables in advance. Suddenly, potato-leek soup was seeming a little more complex than necessary and therefore, a lot less delicious and comfy. In the interest of full disclosure, I am expecting my 2nd baby in October and am only interested in things that are easy and comforting.

So, I made up my own recipe and am pleased to report that it came out beautifully. The soup was delicious, filling and practically creamy, but is also nutritious and really simple. You'll notice I used an immersion blender which made it especially easy, but you could definitely use a food processor or good blender to puree the soup and still get the same result. Also, unlike, 99.9% of my recipes, it can easily be made vegetarian by simply substituting the pancetta for plain old butter or olive oil and the chicken & beef stocks for vegetable stock. Try it!

Potato & Leek Soup

Ingredients:
1 T. Olive oil
1/4 pound pancetta, diced (ask the guy at the deli for 2-1/2" slices and dice them yourself at home, or, look for it prepackaged and diced near other deli meats. To dice it easily at home, place the slices in the freezer for 15 minutes before chopping.)
4 Leeks
4 - 5 cups peeled, cubed potatoes (I used plain old Russets)
2 Quarts (64 ounces) chicken, beef or vegetable stock, or any combination thereof (I used 1Q chicken and 1Q beef stock)
2 tsp Kosher salt (or more to taste)
2 tsp black pepper (or more to taste)

Optional ingredient: 3 T. Half and Half

Possible garnish: fresh chives, shredded parmesean cheese, creme fraiche, fresh croutons or crispy crumbled bacon.

Instructions: To clean leeks, make a long horizontal slice from 1" above the root end of each leek through the green end. Turn leek one quarter turn and repeat the cut, effectively slicing the leek into horizontal quarters, still attached at the white end. Shake leeks gently to separate leaves and soak in a bowl of clean cool water to remove sand and dirt between layers. Remove leeks from water and shake gently to dry a little. Then, discarding the root end and the dark green ends, slice the white and light green sections into 1/2" slices.

Heat olive oil in a large pot and add pancetta. Saute, stirring frequently to render fat and allow pancetta to brown evenly, about 3 - 5 minutes. Add the leeks and saute until slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes, then cover with stock, seasoning lightly with salt and pepper...you can add more later.

Cover pot and simmer for about 30 minutes until potatoes are extremely tender. Remove soup from heat and, using an immersion blender, puree soup until a thick but smooth consistency is achieved. If you don't have an immersion blender, transfer soup to a food processor or good blender in several batches and puree to desired consistency. Season again with additional salt and pepper to suit. For a richer flavor, add half and half and stir to combine while soup is still hot. I found the starch in the potatoes created a creamy texture all on its own, so I didn't use the half and half I had bought for this purpose, but if you're feeling decadent, go for it. Just don't get carried away!

Serve soup immediately with your choice of garnish and enjoy! Leftovers will keep in the fridge for about 5 days for easy reheating, but this soup freezes very well also!

Herbed Potato Salad

4 - 5 lbs of baby Yukon gold potatoes, sliced into 1/4 wedges

Cook sliced potatoes in large pasta pot. Start with cold water, and set heat on high. Salt water liberally. Cook until you can pierce potatoes easily with fork. Total time should be about 30 - 40 minutes.

While potatoes are cooking you'll need to put together the herb mixture and vinaigrette.

Herb Mixture
Combine the follow ingredients in a bowl and set aside
3 TB parsley, chopped
3 TB chives, chopped
3 TB chervil, chopped
3 TB shallots, chopped

Vinaigrette
Combine the following ingredients in a bowl and set aside
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup cooking liquid from potatoes
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
3 garlic cloves finely chopped are pressed through garlic press

When potatoes are done, remove from heat and drain. Be sure to get rid of all excess water. In large bowl, add about half of the potatoes and half of the vinaigrette. Mix and let the potatoes absorb some of the liquid. Then add the rest of the potatoes and the rest of the vinaigrette. Mix again.

I make this recipe in two steps. Once I've added the vinaigrette, I place bowl in refrigerator. About an hour before serving, I add the herb mixture and leave on counter. This potato salad can be served hot, room temperature or cold. Whatever is easiest for you, but I like it best served at room temperature.

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Dear Readers (that means the two of you),

Please go out and get an ice cream machine as soon as you can so you can make this recipe.

2 cups mint leaves, roughly chopped
2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
6 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup dark chocolate, roughly chopped

In a saucepan, bring milk, cream and mint leaves to near boil. In another bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar and vanilla.

Add a a few tablespoons of warmed milk mixture to eggs/sugar. Careful not to cook your eggs. Whisk in warm liquid quickly.

Then start adding eggs/sugar to milk/cream/mint, stirring constantly.

Let cook at medium-low heat for about 10 minutes. The mixture will thicken.

Once thickened, pour into bowl and cool overnight in refrigerator.

Pour into ice cream machine the following day. Allow ice cream machine to do its work for 20 minutes, then add chocolate.

Then freeze for another few hours, and it's ready to serve.

Judgey McJudgerson's Answer to your BBQ Blues

I don't know about where you live - except I sort of do because think most of you live more or less near me - but here in Baltimore, we had a little taste of sweltering mid-summer earlier this week and, although we've returned to a soggy, chilly version of spring, I now have the back yard cookout on the brain. Of course, regular readers will recall that my love for my grill knows no season, but once the mercury hits 70 or higher, there's no turning back.

However, regular readers may also recall my disdain for bottled marinades, sauces and dressings. Honestly, read the back of the average bottle of mass produced commercial bbq sauce, marinade or salad dressing and tell me if you don't see just a few things that you might not want to ingest or, at the very least, items you don't understand or recognize. I do not have in my pantry, nor do I know where to obtain, Xanthan Gum. Sodium Benzoate does not sound delicious. Potassium Sorbate could be embalming fluid for all I know.

Sauces, marinades and dressings should impart flavor...that's their whole job. They should not require of their users an advance chemistry degree. They should not last through the apocalypse. They should just taste good. Therefore, you should make them yourselves. Regular readers may also recall that I proclaimed judgement on anyone not willing to make their own BBQ sauce. That may sound harsh, but seriously, what is holding you back? Here, I'll help.

In fact, I consider the arena of marinades my particular culinary strength. Stock your pantry with a few simple, flavorful staples and there is no poultry you cannot baste, no steak you cannot tenderize, no fish you cannot render, well, un-fishy. Of course, I have a few dozen staples in my pantry, but my relationship with food is intense and complicated and may or may not require eventual intervention.

Although I have thus far refused to share my traditional BBQ sauce recipe with anyone not blood related to me, I am going to get you started with a tasty and unique condiment that will spice up your spring grilling and then some. I am guessing a few of the ingredients might require a trip to the grocery store for some of you, but once you buy them, you'll find new and interesting ways to use them if you try. (Homemade salad dressing anyone?) As always, I encourage you to alter everything to your personal tastes and experiment freely! As my almost three year old illustrates everyday, everything is better when it is yours, all yours and nobody else's!

Chinese BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:

{Note: Mirin, Hoisin, Five Spice Powder and Siracha are all available in the Asian foods aisle of better grocery stores. When in doubt, shop Whole Foods.}

3 T. Mirin

1/4 c. Soy sauce

3 T. Hoisin Sauce

1 1/2 T. Fresh ginger

1 tsp. garlic powder or 1 clove fresh garlic

1 tsp. coriander

2 tsp. Five Spice Powder ( a prepared blend of licorice root, cinnamon, anise, fennel seed and ground cloves used in Asian cooking)

1/2 tsp. red pepper flake (or more to taste)

1 - 2 tsp Siracha or Chili-garlic paste (a prepared Asian condiment)

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients and whisk thoroughly to combine. Marinate bone-in chicken pieces (as in photo above) or other poultry, skewered shrimp or scallops, beef kabobs, pork tenderloin or chops (or anything else you can think of) in sauce for an hour before cooking, turning occasionally. Then, continue to baste on sauce while grilling over medium high heat to avoid flare ups since sauce has high sugar content. If you want to use the remaining marinade as additional dipping sauce after cooking, bring it to a quick boil before serving to render out any bacteria from raw proteins.

Chocolate Orange Zest Ice Cream

In my 7th month of pregnancy I bought an ice-cream machine. In my 10th month (because that's how long you're really pregnant), I actually made ice cream. It was dangerously easy.

6 oz dark chocolate, finely chopped
2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
Zest of two oranges
1 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla

In a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat, combine milk, cream, zest and chocolate.

In a bowl mix together sugar, eggs and vanilla. Set aside.

Let chocolate and milk cook for about 5 minutes until chocolate is fully melted and is almost at boil.

Then add about 3 TB of the warm mixture to eggs/sugar, 1 TB at a time. You want to add slowly as to not scramble your eggs.

Once you've added the 3 TB, then start adding this mixture back into saucepan. Be sure to stir constantly until it's fully incorporated.

Cook for another 5 -6 minutes on medium low until it thickens a bit.

Cool mixture overnight in your refrigerator.

Pour into your ice-cream machine the following day, and follow the instructions.

And you're done!

This recipe makes 5 cups of ice cream.

Brisket is Easy!

The first time I made brisket it was so-so. It had nice flavor but was ropey and chewy. The second time was a success. The secret to brisket is in the cooking time (long) and the temperature (low). It's in the oven for 4 - 5 hours.

I made the following brisket for my husband for Passover.

I used a 4-lb brisket.

Dry off brisket, and season with salt/pepper, chili powder, paprika and garlic powder. I didn't even measure. I just sprinkled the spices until the brisket was nice and sandy.

After that I combined the following ingredients in a medium size bowl

2 cups tomato juice
3 TB Worcestershire sauce
1 12 oz. beer (I used Sam Adams because it was in my refrigerator)
2 TB light brown sugar

Place brisket in large roasting pan, and pour above mixture over top. Add a few onions, peeled and quartered, and place in 300 degree oven covered with tinfoil

Cook for 4 1/2 hours

Remove foil and cook for another 35 minutes.

The brisket will brown on top.

Transfer brisket to carving board. Pour liquid into medium sauce pan, and keep warm on stove.

Slice brisket against the grain, and serve on large platter. Pour some of the roasting liquid on top, and place the rest in a bowl or gravy boat for those who want more at the table.

If you want to add potatoes, please do!

I added 1 lb of baby Yukon gold potatoes to the roasting pan after three hours. They were delicious.

In addition to the potatoes and brisket, I served string beans with lots of butter. The perfect complement.

Bacon Egg and Cheese Pasta

Carbonara is yummy. If you have not had it, you need to fix that immediately.

Few things taste better then the combination of eggs, bacon, cheese and pasta.

My husband makes it from time to time. It's a special treat.

There are just a few ingredients, so spend time and money on getting the best ingredients

1 medium onion, diced
6 slices bacon (cut into 1/4 inch strips, and do splurge on the good, thick kind)
4 egg yolks (try to use the freshest eggs possible, or even better go and get them at the farmer's market)
1 cup pecorino cheese
1/2 cup salted pasta water
1 lb pasta (spaghetti will work)
1 TB chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Fill large pasta pot with water and bring to a boil. At the same time, cook bacon in large sauté pan. Cook until brown. Remove bacon, and then add onion. Cook onion for 5 minutes until soft. Add bacon back to pan. Turn heat off.

In a medium sized bowl whisk eggs with cheese and set aside.

Once water boils, add a healthy amount of salt, and cook pasta. When pasta is done, reserve 1/2 cup of water when you drain it. Add pasta to large sauté pan toss with bacon and onion, and then add eggs/cheese mixture. The heat from the pasta will cook the egg, so just mix around for about 3-5 minutes to make sure you don't get scrambled eggs. Add pasta water. A creamy sauce will develop.

Add salt, pepper and parsley at the last minute, toss, and serve.

Happiness at Steak

Ever go to a restaurant and have a salad so completely delicious and fantastic that it transcends saladness and becomes something more akin to nirvana? A salad so remarkable that it couldn't possibly have been good for you? Silly, that's 'cause it wasn't good for you at all! That feeling of virtue you experienced while passing over the "Entrees" section of the menu in favor of the "Entree Salads" section has you all confused. In many cases, you actually could have had any number of seafood options, half a roast chicken sans skin, a small filet mignon or - gasp - a sandwich on actual bread for fewer calories and fat grams than you just ingested in...wait for it...salad dressing.

Because that's the thing, isn't it? It was just the dressing. Barring other ingredients we all know are bad for us like fried chicken, gobs of cheese or french fries (I swear, there's a place near my house that puts fries on its steak salad...e-mail me. I'll tell you where to find it), it was probably the dressing that single-handedly took your sensible, practically vegetarian dinner and turned it into a Big Mac with large fries.

It's just so crazy because salad dressing's sole purpose is to impart flavor, but, typically, it's primary ingredient is oil. Oil, while lovely and necessary in many cooking scenarios, isn't really all that tasty. Making your own salad dressing could not be easier but I can hardly think of any trick in your cooking arsenal that you'll get more mileage out of. Plus, people ooh and ahh like you just Mastered the Art of French Cooking when you give them fresh salad dressing when all you really did is whisk some stuff together. Plus, making your own dressing allows you to invert the traditional 4-parts-oil-to-one-part-vinegar dressing ratio on its ear in favor of your waistline and cardiovascular health!

Check out the following recipe for a lovely steak salad - my favorite kind of fatty salad - only without the fattiness. Choose lean steak, hard or crumbly cheeses and lovely, fresh, delicious, low fat homemade dressing and run with it from there.

Bistro Steak Salad with Horseradish Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

1 16 oz. steak (my preference would be a NY strip, fat trimmed AFTER cooking or a skirt steak)

red wine vinegar

kosher salt

fresh cracked black pepper

4 cups arugula

3 roma tomatoes, quartered lengthwise

1/2 cup sliced cucumber

1/3 cup shredded carrots

1/2 onion, sauteed in cooking spray until browned

1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

about 12 Kalamata olives, chopped

1/2 cup fresh croutons (I judge you if you use croutons from a box...might as well put balsa wood on your salad)

3-4 T. Homemade horseradish vinaigrette (as below)

Instructions:

Sprinkle steak with red wine vinegar, salt & pepper. Grill to your liking. Allow to rest 5 - 10 minutes before slicing into 1/2" slices.

In the meantime, sautee onions until evenly browned. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Toss arugula & vegetables, blue cheese, olives & onions together in a medium mixing bowl. Add 2 T. dressing, toss again. Add croutons. Toss. Taste and add more dressing if desired. Top the salad with 1/4 to 1/2 of the steak, depending on appetite.

Horseradish Vinaigrette

3 T. Red Wine Vinegar

1 1/2 tsp. wostershire sauce

2 tsp. dijon mustard

2 T. prepared horseradish (or more, to suit your taste)

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt

1/2 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper

1 1/2 T. Olive Oil

Instructions:

Combine first 7 ingredients in a bowl with high enough sides to allow for whisking. Drizzle olive oil slowly into mixture, whisking quickly and constantly. Oil is fully emulsified when it is no longer visible but dressing is thickened. Chill until ready to use.

Pizza at home in your kitchen or in your backyard?

Is it crazy to want to build a pizza oven in your backyard? No, no, it's
not. Mario Batali has one at his vacation home in Michigan. (Please see
NY Times article from Aug 07:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/17/travel/escapes/17away.html I am jealous.)

I am a new home owner, and I am thinking about getting one of these. My
husband thinks we should start smaller, like perhaps just getting a normal Weber
grill. I guess that's fine for now, but I dream big, REAL BIG.

Of course, you don't need a pizza oven to make homemade pizza. I make
pizza all the time on my pizza stone. You can pick one up William-Sonoma
or Sur La Table. They are inexpensive and are also good for just
re-heating pizza.

Here's a quick and foolproof recipe for making your own pizza in your
own, indoor oven.

1 pkg dry active yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp honey
3 cups flour, (all purpose is fine, if you want to be fancy you can use
the "00" flour.)
1 TB olive oil
1 cup warm water

Pour warm water into a large bowl. Add salt and honey and stir. Then,
sprinkle contents of dry active yeast packet into bowl. Let sit for 10
minutes. The yeast should bloom, and it should smell like bread and be
foamy on top.

Add olive oil and stir, then add three cups of flour. Stir with wooden
spoon until dough forms. Pour out on counter, and knead for 2 - 3
minutes until dough becomes a smooth, cohesive ball.

Then place ball into another bowl that has been greased with a little
olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap, and let sit on counter for 60-90
minutes. The dough will rise.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees, be sure to put pizza stone in as oven
preheats.

Roll dough out on to counter and roll out with rolling pin until you get
a shape that will fit on your pizza stone.

Once oven is pre-heated, pull pizza stone out and sprinkle liberally
with cornmeal. Place dough on stone, and sprinkle top with a little
salt and olive oil. Cook for 6 minutes in oven.

Remove from oven and put on your desired toppings. Cook for another 6
minutes.

Pre-cooking the dough before you add toppings guarantees that the crust
will be nice and brown and flavorful.

Sausage and Fennel Risotto

2 cups Arborio rice
8 cups chicken stock (low sodium)
1 onion chopped
1 cup pecorino cheese
1 lb sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing
1 fennel bulb, sliced thick
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1 cup white wine (something light and dry)
1 TB olive oil
2 TB butter

In large pot on stove heat up (on low) 8 cups chicken stock.

In another large sauté pan, brown sausage and set aside. Cook fennel in the same pan until softened, and then set aside.

Add 1 TB olive oil to pan and cook onion until soft, then add rice. Cook for 1 minute. Then add 1 cup white white, and let rice absorb. Then start adding chicken stock in 1 cup portions and stir, each time allowing the rice to absorb the liquid before adding more. Do this for about 30 minutes. Taste rice to see if it's ready. If it is, stir in sausage, fennel and parsley. Then add 1 cup of cheese and the 2 TB butter. If the rice become too thick, just add some more stock to loosen it up. If needed, add a a little fresh ground pepper.

Serve with salad or green vegetable. I like it with roasted broccolini.

White Bean and Asparagus Soup

2 carrots (chopped)
2 onions (chopped)
2 celery stalks (chopped)
(If you have a food processor, let it do the work for you!)
1 TB olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp pepper
4 cups chicken stock (homemade is best, but store bought is very good)
2 16 oz can white (northern) beans (rinsed)
2 cups asparagus (cut into 1/2 inch pieces)


In soup pot sauté carrots, onions and celery with olive oil for 15 minutes. Cook at a medium heat. Then add salt, pepper and thyme. Then add asparagus. Let cook for another 5 minutes. Then add beans and stock and bring to a boil. Let boil for a minute or two, and then turn down heat to low-medium and let cook for another 30 minutes.

Taste before serving, and add salt/pepper if needed.

Asparagus season is about to start, so this soup is great to serve in the next few months.

Is there really a difference between Bread Pudding and French Toast?

Kristin and I had a discussion on this topic earlier this week, and we've have decided that there is no real difference. It's bread and eggs and cream. One is served after dinner, and one is served in the morning. But I like my breakfasts to be more like dessert anyway. I mean, couldn't you serve donuts for dessert, or perhaps apple pie for breakfast? It would be perfectly okay with me.


I make my French Toast as a casserole. It's inspired by a recipe I saw on Paula Deen's Food Network show.

I altered Paula's recipe a bit. She uses a bit more cream and butter, if you can believe that.

Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees

Egg/Cream Mixture
8 eggs
2 cups half and half
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla

Combine ingredients and beat until smooth.

Slice one loaf (16 0z) French bread. Each piece should be 1 inch thick. Line up in a well buttered 9 x 13 baking dish. Pour egg/cream mixture over top. Let sit in fridge for about an hour, or even overnight.

Pecan Cinnamon Crumble Topping
1 stick softened butter
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Mix altogether with hands in small bowl

Spread crumble on top of casserole and place in hot oven for 45 minutes

Plagarism is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

I just wanted to take a second to let you all know, loyal readers, that I hope you are making use of this very blog to steal our recipes and pass them off as your own as your friends and family heap upon you the praise you so richly deserve for feeding and nurturing them. It's not that I don't want credit. Typically, I want credit for everything. I just think that when it comes to food, that's not the point. With food, I think the point is to share selflessly.

I am just as subject to gluttony as anybody else, but I just think the idea of, say, baking a pie for yourself - while tempting - is not as much fun as baking a pie for a family meal or a friend's cookout. Also, I think part of the fun of recipes are the variations and deviations that enrich the original ingredients as recipes pass from hand to hand. I believe strongly that, unless you're baking (that's all science, dontcha know), you should always mess with a recipe and make it your own.

That said, I'd like to share with you a recipe I've been messing with a lot lately. My dear friend Courtney found it on a delightful blog called Sass and Veracity (http://www.sassandveracity.typepad.com/) and passed it on to me as I was trying to prepare a party menu. Courtney & I do some illegal, underground catering so we're always on the browse. Anyhoo, after following the recipe the first time I prepared this delicious dish, I've been altering it to suit, well, me, ever since. As you'll see, I'm still cravin' the braisin' (who doesn't?), but this one is just so good, I think you should try it too. From it's original form on Sass and Veracity (which she adapted from a cookbook), I've dressed it down a bit, made it a little less elegant and a little more like a stew. It's an evolution. And you know what they say...evolve or die! OK, so no one really says that but I think it's probably true. Anyway, thanks to Sass & Veracity.

Let us know when you make delicious adaptations to the recipes we post. If you have good ideas, we'd love to plagarise them.

Pork Shoulder braised in Guinness Stout and Cherries

Ingredients:
4 cups (2 16 oz. cans) Guinness
1 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 4-5 lb. pork shoulder
kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper
3 T. Olive Oil
3 large onions, halved and sliced
5 - 6 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
3 T. tomato paste
5 whole allspice, crushed
2 or 3 bay leaves
1/3 cup molasses
1-2 cups water
8 small new (red) potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
about 2 dozen baby carrots (or more if you like carrots)
1 large slice toasted crusty bread per person you're serving

Instructions:

Several hours - or the night before - you intend to begin cooking the pork, bring the Guinness, cherries and vinegar to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Pour into a bowl and cover tightly and allow to sit for a few hours or overnight. This is to reconstitute the cherries, I think. I was toying with not doing it from the original recipe, but I think it also allows the vinegar to mellow. I'm gonna skip this "let it sit" step someday...I'll let you know how it goes.

Preheat the oven to 300. Season the pork shoulder generously with salt and pepper. In a large dutch oven (awww yeah...Le Creuset) or big, oven-safe pot, heat the Olive Oil. Brown the pork shoulder on all sides. This should take a total of about 15 minutes. The pork shoulder is not a piece of paper...it has many sides. Don't slack. Remove pork from pot and allow it to rest on a platter.

Drain all but about 3 T. of the dripings and oil from dutch oven. Return to heat and add onions, stirring regularly and sauteeing, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sautee while stirring for about 5 more minutes. Add tomato paste and combine well, cooking for about a minute.

Add the Guinness & cherries, bay leaves, allspice, molasses and stir to combine. Return pork shoulder to the pot. If the liquid does not mostly cover the pork, add water as necessary until the roast is more or less submerged yet is not FULLY under water. Bring to a simmer, cover and place in the oven. Cook for 1 hour. Remove from oven, turn the pork shoulder and return to the oven, cooking from 1 hour. Remove from oven, add the potatoes and carrots. Return to oven and cook for an additional hour.

After 3 total hours cook time, remove from oven. Remove pork from dutch oven and set aside. It will likely be falling apart. That's the idea. Place dutch oven on the stove over medium-high heat and bring the liquid to a hard simmer, reducing for about 5 - 7 minutes.

Shred or slice pork and serve atop toasted bread, topped with carrots, potatoes, onion, cherries and a generous ladle of reduced sauce. Enjoy. Serves a lot of people so invite friends over!

NOTE: This is a more rustic interpretation of the recipe as I first read it which called for no carrot or potatoes IN the cooking liquid, but rather for the pork, cherries & liquid to be served atop mashed sweet potatoes. I just really love a one-pot meal. Try it either way. Let us know what you think.

Chicken Meatballs

Me love meatballs! I really do. They are great as a companion to pasta. They are wonderful solo, and they are fantastic on a roll with melted mozzarella. Here's a simple and healthy recipe for chicken meatballs. I made them over the weekend for my nephews. They loved it!

2 onions
1 carrot
1/2 tsp red pepper flake
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper
1 egg
1/4 cup parsley
1 TB ketchup
1 TB Worcestershire
2 lbs ground chicken
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450

Put onions and carrot in food processors and pulse until they are finely diced.

In large bowl combine all the ingredients. And then mix with your hands! It's the best tool for this job.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper, and use 1/4 cup scoop to make the meatballs.

Bake for 15 minutes, then turn and bake for another 15 minutes.

Yee haw!

I think the word 'authentic' is wildly overused, don't you? The reason I think it is overused is that when something is actually authentic, it usually goes without saying. So, I'm wary of things flashing their own authenticity. I like to think I'm pretty shrewd and when something is authentic, I'll know it without having to be told.

That said, I'm gonna spare you the 'authentic' shpiel on the following chili recipe. I could tell you that it is Authentic Texas Chili because it uses real chunks of beef versus ground meat and has no beans, but I know we have at least one Texan reader (my lovely sister-in-law, Angie. Hi Angie!) and I don't want to be called out for being a big poseur. Plus, having never been to Texas, it seems unlikely that I have conducted enough research or gained enough experience to back up any claims of authenticity. In other words, I wouldn't trust me if I were you.

You can trust, however, that it is delicious chili and you won't be sad if you make some very soon. This recipe makes a lot of chili, so it's perfect for having friends over to watch a game or shutting yourself in your house for the weekend and refusing to leave. Please feel free to experiment with seasonings, but don't scoff at the cocoa powder...it gives the flavor real depth and no sweetness whatsoever. I don't know or care if cocoa powder is an 'authentic' chili ingredient...I just know it tastes good. On that, I would certainly trust me.


Texas-ish Chili

Ingredients:
4 lbs. cubed stew beef
kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup flour, seasoned with 1 tsp. each: chili powder, cumin, garlic powder plus a dash each of salt, pepper and cayenne pepper
3 - 4 T. canola oil
2 - 32 oz. "boxes" of low-sodium beef broth or stock
2 medium onions, diced
4 cloves of garlic, smashed and chopped
1 - 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 - 14 oz. can plain diced tomatoes
5 - 8 chipotle chili peppers (from a can, available in the Mexican Food Aisle)
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup chili powder
2 - 3 T. cumin
3 - 4 T. coriander
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 T. dried oregano
1 tsp. cayene pepper (more or less to taste...take it easy. You can always add more but you can't take it out)
a few shakes of your favorite Hot Sauce, like Tabasco or Cholula

Instructions:

Season beef with copious amounts of salt and pepper. Heat Canola oil in a large stockpot over medium high heat. Working in batches, lightly coat beef chunks in seasoned flour and brown on all sides in the canola oil. Remove beef from oil and set it to rest on a plate or baking sheet lined with paper towels. Repeat with remaining beef. As you do this, a dark brown roux will develop in the bottom of the pot. Do your best not to let it burn or scorch. Add onions to the roux and sautee, stirring almost constantly until they begin to become translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic to the pot and continue sauteeing, about 2 minutes more.

Add liquid ingredients to pot, beginning with the broth, then tomato sauce, vinegar, diced tomatoes & the chipotles, too. Sometimes I add a splash ot two of liquid smoke if you have it. Stir, making sure to loosen bits of onion, beef and roux from bottom of pot. Add the dry ingredients (chili powder through oregano) and stir to combine. Please note: add a minimum of the cayenne now and wait a while before adding liquid hot sauce or trying to perfect the spice. As the liquid cooks away, the heat will increase, making what you thought was bland chili spicier and spicier. Allow the mixture to some to a simmer.

Using tongs, return the beef to the pot. Reduce heat to medium, cover and allow the chili to come up to a simmer, stirring regularly. Allow to simmer for 2 - 4 hours, stirring at least ever 20 - 30 minutes or so without allowing the chili to really boil.

Before serving, turn the heat way down and take a taste. Now is the time to increase the cayenne or hot sauce to your liking.

Serve chili in big bowls with shredded cheese, sour cream, diced onions, fresh cilantro or any other toppings you enjoy. Plus, serve some chips or bread of your choosing to help sop it all up. A corn muffin never killed anybody and offers a nice sweetness to counter-balance the heat. Enjoy!