Musings of Michelle

Bananas Foster

2009-04-07T16:52:00.000-07:00

This is a showy dessert. Thankfully it is super simple, and super bad for you, but why not indulge every now and again. I was invited to a girls night and thought this would knock them off of their collective feet.

Yes, that is fire you see coming from the pan, who doesn't enjoy dessert and a show? I do recommend using long matches to ignite the alcohol as not to singe your brows and or face.

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar

4 bananas
1/4 cup rum

1 long match

vanilla ice cream

Melt the butter over medium heat, once melted add the brown sugar. You want to stir this until the sugar is melted into the butter. Add your sliced bananas and heat on both sides. When the sugar, butter, banana mix is bubbling get ready. TAKE THE PAN OFF THE HEAT then add the rum. Quickly stir to heat the rum then ignite the rum with a long match. If you have a gas stove some may say you can use the flame of the gas to light it, I wouldn't but do what you wish. Serve the bananas over vanilla ice cream. In this picture we gilded the lilly with whipped cream, totally over the top and yet quite enjoyable.

Mustard & Dill Salmon

2009-03-30T16:39:00.000-07:00

Here at the abode we are trying to be more diet friendly. Though we are all big fans of fried with gravy it just isn't kind to the waist-line. This dinner took about 35 minutes to prepare from start to finish. I served it with couscous to have a starch, I do love a rounded meal.

INGREDIENTS

Spice Rub:
1 teaspoon each dried mustard, dill
1/2 teaspoon salt & black pepper
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

4 6 oz salmon fillets
2 teaspoons honey
8 cups spinach leaves
1 clove minced garlic (I use my microplane to grate the garlic right into the pan, be sure to have your spinach ready to go in or you will burn your garlic and have to start over)

1/2 cup red wine (Something you would drink, not cheap "cooking wine")

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

I began by making the spice rub, drizzling honey on the salmon and sprinkling the rub on the fish, reserving about 1/2 of the rub. I added olive oil to a large pan, grated in the garlic and quickly added the spinach. I filled the pan, let it cook down and filled the pan again to be sure to have enough. Spinach cooks down a lot so it is better to aire on the side of too much than too little. I also didn't salt it. I was worried as it cooked down it would be too salty. I suppose a small sprinkle would have been okay.

I took the spinach out of the pan and set it aside to stay warm. I heated some oil and browned the salmon. Once browned on both sides I put it in a 300 degree oven to cook through, you want it at 130 degrees. While I waited for the salmon to cook I added the wine, Dijon mustard and left over spice rub to the pan and reduced it to make a nice sauce.

To plate I made a pile of spinach which I laid the salmon on. I drizzled the red wine sauce over the fish and placed a rounded scoop of couscous on the side. Enjoy!

Moules Ravigote

2009-03-29T19:25:00.000-07:00

The man of the house made a delicious dinner Saturday night which consisted of mussels and shrimp. Super simple idea, good ingredients, good flavors and you get a great meal. He also thought the 3 of us needed 2 pounds of mussels, silly man, that was way too much. What to do with left over mussels, toss them right, they can't last that long, or can they?

We picked out the left over mussels and saved them in the fridge. I happened across a recipe in Julia and Jacques Cooking At Home Cookbook. I admit it, I love cookbooks and read them like regular books. This wasn't a difficult recipe by any means, but it was time consuming. Thankfully I am a chopper and tend to dice things into little bits, so this recipe really worked well with my knife skills. It is hard to tell in the photo, but there are a bunch of mussels, nestled in their shells, covered in the ravigote. I served a simple salad of romaine, tomatoes, and shaved Parmesan with a faux Caesar dressing along with the mussels, it was a nice light dinner. It would have been even better enjoyed on the deck in June with a nice white wine. If you want to just cook the mussels and make the ravigote sauce you can do that too.

INGREDIENTS

For the ravigote sauce:

1 1/2 Tbs minced shallots or scallions

1 1/2 Tbs Dijon mustard

2 hard boiled eggs, finely chopped

2 Tbs chopped gherkin pickles

1 Tbs capers

1 Tbs chopped parsley

2 Tbs Chives (I didn't have any)

1 Tbs white wine vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)

2 tsp lemon juice

4 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp Tabasco

1-2 cloves minced garlic

Mince, chop, and dice all of the above items that need chopping. Then add the wet ingredients. Spoon the sauce over the mussels and enjoy.

Blueberry Shite with Hard Sauce

2009-03-22T08:15:00.000-07:00

Don't let the name fool you, this dessert is a family favorite; and in my family we drop the "e" in shite. This recipe came from my grandmother. Rumors had circulated about her not giving out recipes in their entirety as to be the only one that could make it just right. After the experience I had this morning trying to put this "shite" together I feel I can attest to the fact she may have left some important details out of many a recipe. Here is the exact recipe I had to follow.

For the dough & crumb top:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
3/4 cup crisco shortening
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

For the filling:
1 pint blueberries
1/3 cup sugar
tapioca
cinnamon

Mix. (Ingreased dish @3500 for 35 min.) Pat crust on bottom & sides, add blueberries and crumbs on top.

You may be thinking to yourself, but Michelle, my oven doesn't go up to 3500! I know, mine doesn't either. Needless to say, this recipe needed a little help in the specifics department.

Here is what I actually did.

For the bottom crust and the crumb topping:

(Using a pastry blender mix the following)
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup crisco shortening
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Add in 2 egg yolks, this will be a "sandy" mixture, and quite dry. I reserved about 1.5 cups of this mix for the topping. I pressed the remaining mix into an ungreased 9"x 13" glass pan. Atop the crust I added about 2 quarts of frozen blueberries that I mixed with 2/3 cup sugar, a rounded tablespoon of tapioca and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Sprinkle the top with the reserved crumb topping. This did take much longer to bake than it said on the card, about an hour to be exact. I wanted the top and bottom crust to be brown and it took some time to get there.

For the hard sauce, I am sure some of you will freak out about this. If you have a bun in the oven or have health issues you may want to forgo the raw egg in this topping. The eggs do give the sauce a richness and a lightness, but how bad can butter and sugar be without some eggs?

Hard Sauce
1 stick soft butter
2 cups powdered sugar

Once this is blended add in 2 eggs beaten with 2 teaspoons of vanilla. I used the KitchenAid for this, and I got a nice light and fluffy mix. Refridgerate this sauce until you are ready to serve. You should also note this really isn't a sauce at all. It is a topping of sorts. It is "hard" as the name implys.

For service cut a piece of the blueberry shite, best when warm and top with hard sauce, I promise this is a great dessert, just not a well written recipe. Enjoy

Fancy Salad 1

2008-12-07T14:11:00.000-08:00

I like to try new things, when I do I generally drag my parents down with me and make them eat it too. This time it worked out as a plus.

This salad began with mixed organic baby greens, I wanted arugula but was not able to find any. I sliced a red bartlett pear to top the greens. I followed the pear with the mascarpone dressing. I really loved the sharpness of the mixed greens, against the creaminess of the mascarpone dressing.

For the dressing:

2-4 tablespoons of mascarpone cheese

Juice and zest of one lemon

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

Blend together everything but the oil, waiting until the end to add that in. You may need a splash or two of vinegar if the dressing is too thick.

Pumpkin Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter Sauce

2008-12-01T16:28:00.000-08:00

It was a week of everything pumpkin; pumpkin cookies, pumpkin pies, and pumpkin ravioli. I couldn't find a recipe that I really liked so I mixed a bunch of different recipes together. I did not make my own pasta. This was a personal choice, I have never wanted to make my own pasta. You can buy perfectly good wonton/ egg roll wrappers at the grocery store that serve the same purpose and are much less labor intensive than making your own pasta. However, if you are a glutton for punishment, feel free to make your own pasta. For the sauce I went simple, butter, sage, salt, pepper and a bit of red pepper, next time I would add enough sage so there was one sage leaf for each ravioli.

I began by making my filling. I mixed the pumpkin, ricotta cheese, tomato paste, nutmeg, cinnamon, brown sugar, salt and pepper together. Now that I think about it, an egg may have been a good idea, but I didn't have any issues with the filling staying together.

Next I cut my egg roll wrappers in half. I couldn't find wonton wrappers, so I had to substitute with eggroll wrappers. Once I put a full teaspoon of filling in the center I ran a wet finger around the edge of the pasta to help seal the pasta. I dropped the pasta and cooked until done in salted boiling water. I can't say how long really, just test the pasta to be sure it is cooked.

You want the sauce finished and waiting for the pasta. I melted a stick of butter and 14 sage leaves in a pan and let it go brown, not dark brown, but just brown. The sage leaves get crisp and are quite yummy with the ravioli. I added salt, pepper, and red pepper to the butter. As the raviolis finished cooking I dropped them into the sage brown butter sauce. Plate and enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

1.5 cups pumpkin puree
.5 cups ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons tomato paste
salt, pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (grated fresh from an actual nutmeg if you can)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon brown sugar

Eggplant & Sausage with Radiatore

2008-11-28T09:15:00.000-08:00

I have a crush, on eggplant. I love it, I can't get enough of it! I didn't follow a recipe for this dish, just threw it together using flavors I enjoy. I was being bit lazy and bought a jar of marinara sauce. (I have yet to find a homemade marinara that I love.) I used Victoria brand sauce, which was quite good. While I was opening the jar the sauce spilled onto my shirt, which I then licked off and thought "wow, this is pretty good!"

I began by slicing my eggplant into rounds, laying them on a wire rack on a cookie sheet, and sprinkling them liberally with salt. This is called purging the eggplant. You can find lots of information on it by doing a quick internet search. Basically it helps remove excess water from the eggplant. After the salt has had a chance to work it's magic, I let them sit for about 30 minutes, rinse the eggplant with water and dry with paper towels.

I cut the eggplant into bite size pieces and tossed it into a bowl with the chopped squash. I drizzled it all with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper. I poured the veggies onto a foil lined cookie sheet and into a 450 degree oven. I let them roast for about 20 minutes until they were cooked the way I wanted them.

I also wanted some meat in this dish. I bought some Chef Bruce Aidell's Sundried Tomato with Mozzarella Cheese smoked chicken and turkey sausage. I sliced it on an angle and heated it in a pan. Looks yummy right?

After the sausage was heated I added the jar of sauce to the pan. Then the roasted eggplant and squash went in. I drained my pasta and reserved some of the cooking liquid in case the ricotta needed to be thinned. I stirred in about a 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese to the pasta. It wasn't too thick at all so I didn't need any of the cooking liquid. I put some pasta on the plate and finished it by topping it with the roasted veggie sausage sauce. This was quite yummy if I say so myself.

INGREDIENTS

1lb eggplant

1.25 lb squash

25 oz marinara sauce

1/2 cup part skim ricotta cheese

Chef Bruce Aidell's Sundried Tomato with Mozzarella Cheese Smoked Chicken and Turkey Sausage

Hello again!

2008-11-20T14:40:00.001-08:00

I have been on a bit of a break from blogging. I had quite a summer and needed some "me" time. Now that summer has come and gone, and fall is about to drop it's last leaf I am going to try to pick up on blogging.

I also need to apologize to two very close friends, M&C. We took a bunch of time and wonderful ingredients and made Beef Wellington. I saved the pictures of the event so I could blog about it later. As it turns out I did not save the pictures. Phooey!

Grilled Peaches

2008-07-16T14:06:00.000-07:00

I love sweets. Ice cream, cake, pie, you name it I love it. My waistline does not like sweets and reminds me by swelling each time I indulge.

It was hot and I did not want to heat up the house by turning on the oven. I live in the dark ages and don't have central air, crazy I know! We had peaches so I figured why not do something with them. I had made drunkin peaches last Sunday so I couldn't do that. Grilled peaches was it.

I cut them in half, removing their pits. I brushed the fleshy side with vegetable oil, no need to use olive oil here. I got the grill good and hot and put the peaches, flesh side down. How long you leave them on the grill will depend on their ripeness. Once they had grill marks I turned them onto their skin side. I put a bit of honey in the center of each peach. The possibilities of what you could put in the center of the peach are endless, cointreau, butter & brown sugar, really anything you would like. As the skin began to pull away from the flesh of the peach I took them off the heat. I did serve these with ice cream, but I ate only the peach.

Insalata Caprese

2008-07-16T13:42:00.000-07:00

Doesn't that sound fancy? Insalata Caprese. All it really is, is a salad made up of fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, olive oil, salt and pepper. I have said it in many posts and I'm sure you have heard it elsewhere. For something like this you want to use the best, freshest ingredients you can get your hands on.

For the Caprese on the right I sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella (from Costco) into about 1/4 inch slices, alternating the tomato and the mozzarella. (Use a serrated knife to slice the fresh mozzarella.) I scattered a chiffonade of basil over the top of the tomato and mozzarella. Right before I served it I added salt, pepper, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

You can make this in indivdual servings as well. If you stack the tomato and cheese that would be a cool effect. You can also make it on skewers. Use grape tomatoes and the tiny balls of fresh mozzarella. In between stick pieces of fresh basil. When you are ready to serve you can drizzle with extra virgin loive oil and dust with salt and pepper. However you decide to serve it besure for each piece of tomato you have enough cheese to go with it. This is a simple, yummy dish. Enjoy!

Broccoli Rabe with Sausage and Orecchetti

2008-07-06T11:28:00.000-07:00

This is such a simple and delicious dish. Don't forget, use the best ingredients you can get your hands on.

You want to start a large pot of water put on to boil with a palmful of salt. This way you can drop your pasta once your broccoli rabe and sausage are ready. The orecchetti is the last thing you add in this dish.

Next heat some olive oil in your pan. Remove your sausage from the casing and roll into balls or cut into chunks, totally up to you. I used sweet sausage here, though I myself do not eat sausage for the fear of "chunkers". You want to cook the sausage until it is browned on both sides. It doesn't have to be cooked through, just browned on both sides.

Next chop up your broccoli rabe into bite sized pieces. As you can see in photo I used the stems as well. Broccoli rabe can be bitter if you don't cook it long enough. Some blanch it before they cook it with the oil and garlic. I did not blanch it this time, I sauteed it in the pan until it was a bit softer than al dente.

Carefully slice the garlic and toss into the oil. If you would like a little heat add some red pepper flakes. Once you can smell the garlic toss in your chopped broccoli rabe. You want to saute this until it is cooked to your liking, I prefer it just past al dente. You want to drop your pasta when you have about 10 minutes left on your broccoli rabe. When the pasta is done toss it with the sausage and broccoli rabe. You may want to add a splash of the pasta cooking water. Salt and pepper.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 lb of Orecchetti
1 bunch of broccoli rabe
2 links of sausage
2 cloves of garlic sliced
1/2-1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

Bruschetta

2008-07-06T10:19:00.000-07:00

I love apps!!! I get board easily and having a mass of different items to nosh on thoroughly amuse me. Bruschetta can vary in preparation. The base of most bruschetta is toasted bread rubbed with a clove of garlic, then drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. When I say bruschetta I mean all of the above with tomato, salt and pepper. Sometimes I go crazy and add basil, balsamic vinegar, or mozzarella; my 'rents like to add prosciutto.

If I am feeling chef-like I will prepare a plate of bruschetta like you see in the photo. Other times I will make roll-your-own-bruschetta; toasting the bread, rubbing it with a clove of garlic, leaving the adornments to my cohorts. Most times the adornments are made up of tomatoes, being a masochist the tomatoes are usually peeled and seeded, some extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and at times a splash of balsamic vinegar.

To have yummy bruschetta you must start with good ingredients. Great bread is a must, I like the Chabaso ciabatta bread from Costco. I am sure if I got it directly from the bakery it would be even better, but I digress. I slice the tiny loaves and toast them right on the rack in the oven. This is not the time to whip out the squishy sandwich bread, you need good, crusty, chewy bread, something with a backbone.

Once the bread is toasted I rub it with a clove of garlic, then drizzle it with extra virgin olive oil. Again good extra virgin olive oil, not cheap oil! I salt and pepper the bread here as well. I top this with either sliced tomatoes or the afore mentioned peeled, seeded and diced tomato. Another light sprinkling of of salt and pepper. If you have any of those "fancy" salts use those. I need to do some more experimenting with the different salts, but that is another post. The key to good bruschetta is good quality ingredients.

Prosciutto & Melon

2008-07-06T09:14:00.000-07:00

This is one of my many favorite dishes . During the summer it is the perfect light lunch to enjoy by the pool. The most important part of this dish is to have good ingredients. If your melon is not ripe it will not give the flavor you want. If do not get good quality prosciutto the flavors will not meld as they should. Cantaloupe is my melon of choice for this. The flesh of the melon has a smooth mouth feel and a great sweetness.

The melon in the photo is a galia melon. The galia melon is similar to a cantaloupe in mouth feel, it is not as sweet as a cantaloupe. Some people like honeydew for this dish. I am not a big fan of honeydew melon. I find it to have a grainy mouth feel and not very flavorful.

You can really plate this anyway you like. In the photo a piece of prosciutto is simply wrapped around the piece of melon. Anyway you plate it, it is a great dish!

Cowboy Caviar by Finny

2008-07-04T18:13:00.000-07:00

I was lucky to attend a birthday party for a 1 year old. The birthday boy's mom, Irish, did a great job as hostess and chef! One of the apps she had out was a corn and black bean "caviar". I could not get the chips loaded with this salsa in my mouth fast enough. I am sure people were watching in horror as I stuffed my face. It turns out she got the recipe from Finny, another friend. Finny went on to tell me it was a Weight Watchers recipe so I figured I could finish off the bowl of the "caviar"!

There are many different variations of this "caviar". You can really add what you like and leave out what you don't like. I would recommend getting the GOYA brand of black beans. I bought the Stop & Shop brand figuring it wouldn't make a difference. It does. The S&S brand beans are a bit "muddy" and color the "caviar". Don't forget to rinse your beans before you add them to the mix. I happen to like a higher ratio of corn to black beans.

INGREDIENTS

2- 16 oz cans black beans rinsed & drained

1- 16 oz can of corn

1- 11 oz can of corn

about 1 cup of red onion

1 bunch of chopped cilantro (or to taste)

1/2-3/4 cup of ranch dressing

juice of 1 lime

Mix everything together, taste for seasoning and chill. Serve with chips.

Sangria

2008-06-30T14:36:00.000-07:00

A friend was having people over and this seemed to be the perfect summer time drink. I did some research and found you can tweak your recipe to your liking. It may not be traditional, but it will be good. My neighbor introduced me to a brand of inexpensive red wine that I love, Opici Homemade Barberone Red. You don't want to use wine you wouldn't want to drink straight, so don't just go for cheap.

INGREDIENTS
5 cups red wine
16 oz of Sprite
1/4 cup cointreua
1/4 cup rum
all of the following sliced thin: 1 orange, 1 apple, and 2 peaches

Mix everything together except for the Sprite and let it sit at least over night. When you are ready to serve add the Sprite and pour over ice. This is quite a strong drink and you will benefit from sipping it, rather than gulping.

Beat by a pizza

2008-06-30T13:46:00.000-07:00

Since I was young my dad has been the one to cook for our family. I always felt as though I was a bit different from my friends beacuse it was my dad that did the cooking, not my mom. I was so spolied I still to this day remember being taken to 500 Blake Street for my birthday. Everyone was raving about how amazing their brunch was. I can say with totally honestly that I was not impressed. My dad still thinks I am crazy because of that. I was formed into a food snob, and I revel in it! It is from my dad I have grown such a love for cooking and baking. This is not to say that I am great at it, but I love to feed people, it makes me happy.

Friday night here at the casa is pizza night. My dad will either make his own dough from scratch or he will buy the ready made dough and roll it out for the crust. This particular night my dad began by making his own dough. He carmalized onions, sliced meatballs, everything for this pizza. He was doing a bit of an experiment with the shape of the pizza. Tonight it would be rectangluar. The use of an airbake pan was employed given the shape of the pan. A choice Icarus himself would have decided against.

My dad figured out to make a homemade pizza more like that of your favorite pizza joint; you need to get the crust nice and crispy. To do this he cooks the pizza almost until it is done. About 10 minutes before it is ready he removes the pizza from the pan and bakes it the rest of the way directly on the rack in the oven. When he tried this time to remove the pizza from the pan he realized the pizza wasn't done on the bottom. He gave the pizza another few mintues and tried again. Still not done on the bottom. What could be wrong? This is the same method he has always used, sans the shape and pan.

Finally he had had enough and figured come hell or high water he was going to get this pie off the pan and onto the racks. He gathered his weapons of choice and began moving the pizza off the pan. My mom and I had the best seats in the house to witness this event. The moment he removed the spatulas and laid it on the rack it began to drip through the oven racks. For my mom and I think was a wonderful moment, given the comedic value. For my dad, he was mad to say the least. It turns out our chef had chosen the wrong pan. An air bake pan helps you to ensure you don't burn your cookies. The pan is two layers with air inbetween the layers again, so you get even baking on your cookies. This was the wrong choice for a man that wanted to delveop a crust on his pizza. The poor guy was really looking forward to this pizza! He had spent so much time on his mise-en-place. With a choice curse word and snap of his fingers he was off with my mom to cry into a black and tan at Fridays, damn that air bake pan, dammit to pizza hell!

Gazpacho

2008-06-11T17:38:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite summertime soup! A friend's husband made it for dinner one night and reminded me of how much I love it!!! He put corn and sea food in his which was yummy too. I did steal his idea of garnishing with avocado, YUM!

I grated the cucumber into the soup. It worked out better than I thought it would. I also used my hand blender to zip it up a bit.

INGREDIENTS

28 or 32 oz can of peeled San Marzano tomatoes, chopped with juice

2 cups chicken stock

3/4 cup diced celery, english cucumber, & onion

2 cloves of garlic, I grate it in with a microplane

4 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons of worscestershire

salt, pepper, and tobasco to taste

The longer this soup chills the better. ENJOY!

A Perfect Margarita

2008-06-08T12:48:00.000-07:00

Here at the casa we enjoy margaritas, A LOT! One summer we made it our job to find the perfect margarita. This one is made with Jose Cuervo , Cointreau, fresh lemon and lime juice and zest, served with a salted rim.

We tried many different brands of tequila, gold, silver, blanco, lots of them. Since this margarita isn't frozen the tequlia needs to be good. After much experimentation we landed on Jose Cuervo 1800. Of course you can use what you have on hand but we prefered the 1800. The Cointreau is just as important. The few ingredients in this drink need to stand on their own, Cointreau is much smoother a flavor compared to triple sec.

I juiced 1 cup each lemon and lime juice. Then I added the zest from 4 lemons and limes to the juice along with some sugar. The longer this mixture sits the better it is, over night is great if you have the time. Once you are ready to use the mixture strain out the zest.

INGREDIENTS

2 oz lemon lime juice

2 oz Cointreau

2 oz 1800 tequila

Shake with ice and pour into a salt rimmed margarita glass. Enjoy!

San Marzano Tomatoes, a Test

2008-05-04T09:30:00.001-07:00

I am on the San Marzano tomato bandwagon! Honestly these tomatoes are what make peoples food taste that much better. Sauces, salsa whatever it is these tomatoes make it wonderful. I did a bit of a comparison yesterday while making salsa. I had two cans of San Marzano tomatoes, one brand was Cento, the other was Liuzzi. The Cento brand was much better than the Liuzzi brand. Cento had nice whole tomatoes, firm and not falling apart. The Liuzzi tomatoes where not whole, they were not firm and basically were falling apart.

I did take a picture, of the two side by side in my strainer. It is hard to tell the difference because the tomatoes are chopped up. The tomatoes on the left are the Liuzzi, the tomatoes to the right are the Cento brand. I should have taken the picture when the tomatoes were still whole, but I didn't realize how much better the Cento tomatoes were until I opened that can.

Dirty Sue

2008-05-04T09:30:00.000-07:00

I had heard quite a bit of online buzz about Dirty Sue. I did some research and found out there is more than one brand of bottled olive brine. Dirty Sue just seems to be one of the most talked about. I finally got around to ordering some and it really is great! It brings a dirty martini to a whole new level. I am tempted to bring some to my neighborhood package store so he can try it and I can convice him he should stock it. I ordered my Dirty Sue from Amazon. I was going to get it from the Dirty Sue site but the shipping was going to be too much. Instead I went with Amazon, I ordered the Dirty Sue, a book and I qualified for free shipping. So if you are a dirty martini fan you must try Dirty Sue, it really is that good!

A Very Dirty Martini

2008-04-27T10:44:00.001-07:00

The first dirty martini I ever drank was called a 'Dirty Bird'. I enjoyed this bird at the local bar. I was hooked. Loved the vodka with the olive brine, perfect. I have found through many, many experiments I prefer a very dirty martini. The dirty being the olive brine.

Through my research I stumbled upon something called Dirty Sue. This is a twice filtered olive brine mixer for your martini. A great choice instead of stealing the bathwater from your olives leaving them on dry ground to rot.

I have not done as much research on the vodka. I have just figured out the measurements I prefer. As I research I will update the recipe.

2 oz vodka
1.5 oz green olive brine or Dirty Sue
.25 oz dry vermouth (or less, not too much!)

Mix in a shaker with ice. Pour into a chilled martini glass with 3 skewered olives.

Lemon Curd

2008-04-27T10:44:00.000-07:00

Since we are Costco members we often end up with ridiculous amounts of any given item. Today that item is lemons. When life hands you lemons, make lemon curd! Here is the original recipe I adapted my recipe from.

INGREDIENTS

Zest of 3 lemons, next time I am going to try it with the zest from all the lemons used for juice.
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/2 sticks butter, cubed

METHOD

Whisk together zest, lemon juice, sugar and eggs in a heavy sauce pan. Add the butter and cook over medium heat. You cannot walk away from this. You must stir the entire time with your wisk. You want the mix to thicken and bubble. I had to turn up the heat, and stir the entire time. Once it is done I strained it through a mesh sieve into a large glass measuring cup. This removed the zest and the little bit of cooked egg.

Serve with angel food cake, or shortbread cookies.

Spinach Frittata

2008-04-27T10:32:00.000-07:00

Frittata's are one of my favorite breakfast foods. I like to fill mine with vegatables with a hint of meat. Sorry I didn't take a picture of this one.

INGREDIENTS

8 eggs
half an onion, more or less to your liking
1 cubed baked potato
4 strips cooked bacon
1/3 cup, about, cooked and chopped spinach

METHOD

Heat 12 inch oven proof skillet. Add olive oil and onions, sautee until soft. Add potato, spinach, bacon and salt and pepper. Heat mix and add beaten eggs. I pull the edges in to let the egg mix get to the bottom of the pan. Then I move the veggies around so they are evenly spread about the pan. Bake in the oven, 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until the top of the frittata is cooked.

Thai Style Halibut in a Coconut Broth

2008-04-27T09:49:00.001-07:00

This recipe was emailed to me by a friend. Thai seems to be my new favorite type of food so I figured I couldn't go wrong with this recipe from Ellie Krieger. I didn't change very much from the original recipe below.

INGREDIENTS

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 shallots, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)- I used vidalia onion
2 1/2 teaspoons red curry paste*, or 2 teaspoons curry powder
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup light coconut milk- I added almost the whole can
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus 1/4 teaspoon, plus more for seasoning
4 (6-ounce) pieces halibut fillet, skin removed- I used a different fish, can't remember what
Steamed spinach**
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 scallions, green part only, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups cooked brown rice, for serving

*Available in the Asian section of most supermarkets
**Steam or microwave 5 cups of washed baby spinach for 2 minutes

METHOD

In a large saute pan, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer until reduced to 2 cups, about 5 minutes. I reduced it even more, I wanted it to be thicker.

Season the halibut with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Arrange the fish in the pan and gently shake the pan so the fish is coated with the sauce. Cover and cook until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 7 minutes.

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

Cheese Cake Supreme

2008-04-27T09:35:00.000-07:00

This is the best cheese cake ever. It is so light you may even think you are eating something good for you! This receipe is from Mary Meades Magic Recipes. I LOVE this cookbook, it is old, but great!

For the crust:

Combine then press into a 9 inch spring-form pan.
3/4 package zwieback cookies, crushed in your blender
1/4 cup soft butter
1/4 cup sugar

For the filling:

Add to your blender-
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 egg yolks (SAVE THE WHITES)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Turn on your blender and mix, then add in pieces, 1 pound of soft cream cheese. Beat your egg whites until just stiff then fold into your cream cheese mix. Pout over your crust and bake at 325 degrees for an hour or until the center is set.

I know many people say to cook your cheese cake in a water bath. This recipe usually doesn't crack on me. I also normally top this cheese cake with blueberries so if it does crack it isn't a big deal. If you do choose to cook your cheese cake in a water bath make sure to wrap the spring form pan tightly with foil, if you don't water will seep in and ruin your cheese cake.

Eggs Benedict

2008-04-27T09:07:00.000-07:00

We love sauce, gravy, dip, whatever you want to call it, we love it! Why not have sauce on your morning eggs?

INGREDIENTS

eggs
English muffins
ham or Canadian bacon

METHOD

Wanting to use what we had in the refrigerator we used ham instead of Canadian bacon which is called for in the original recipe. We heated the ham on the stove so all the components would be nice and warm.

You will need to poach your eggs. There are many different methods to poach an egg. Some say to add vinegar, some say not to. I do add vinegar to the water, then before slowly adding the egg I stir the water to get it going in the same direction. This helps the egg to stick to itself and not become a big mess of egg in the pan. I also try to roll the egg from top to bottom so the egg doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. How long you poach your egg for depends on how done you want it. I cook mine for about 4-5 minutes, I like the white done and the yolk runny.

Toast your English muffins, we like the Stop & Shop brand. Layer on your ham, then your poached egg. Top this with your Hollandaise sauce, enjoy immediately!

Happiness Hollandaise
from Mary Meade's Magic Recipes

INGREDIENTS

1 stick of butter
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh if you have it)
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash of Tabasco sauce
(We buy salted butter so I don't add the salt, if you buy sweet butter add the salt.)

METHOD

Melt the butter to just bubbling, do NOT brown. Add the yolks, lemon juice and Tabasco sauce to your blender. Cover and blend together, remove the middle piece to your blender and stream in the hot butter. You want the butter to be hot, if it cools too much you will not get a nice thick sauce. I know this because that is what happend with this batch of sauce.

Hawaiian Pizza

2008-04-27T08:47:00.000-07:00

Most people don't like to let food go to waste, I try to be one of those people. We had left over ham and some left over pineapple, what came to mind? Hawaiian pizza of course! As it turns out this is the topping of choice for my cousin Elizabeth. Friday night is usually pizza night here. Dough is made fresh in the bread maker and rolled thin. Next a moisture barrier on top of the rolled dough, some olive oil, spread with a rubber brush. Then a simple sauce of crushed San Marzano canned tomatoes, these are a MUST! Top this with mozzarella cheese to your liking. Since this was going to be a Hawaiian pizza I added some chopped pineapple and ham. We also tried adding a bit of blue cheese. We didn't really care for the blue cheese, it took over the delicate flavor of the ham and pineapple. Bake your pizza at 425 degrees for about 14 minutes, be sure to check your pizza so it doesn't burn. Enjoy!

Dessert Pancake

2008-03-23T05:58:00.001-07:00

I was first introduced to this "pancake" by my parents. It was a big treat in our house. My dad would top it with grape jam and confectioners sugar. My parents saw it made some 30 years ago on the Late Show. It is an easy recipe and quite tasty!

INGREDIENTS
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
1/2 stick of butter
jam
confectioners sugar.

METHOD

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Melt butter in an oven proof skillet. Mix first three ingredients together until smooth. Once your butter is melted and the oven is at 425 degrees add your egg mix to your hot butter. Then put the pan in the oven. Bake for about 15 minutes. The pancake will puff up and brown around the edges. I top it with warmed grape jam and confectioners sugar. Enjoy!

Homemade Marshmallows

2008-03-16T13:33:00.010-07:00

I can't quite recall where I first heard of making your own marshmallows, you buy them at the store right?!? I believe it was the cooking show, Good Eats, that introduced me to the idea of making my own marshmallows. I heard comments about homemade marshmallows being much more than your everyday store bought marshmallows. I have to brag a bit. My uncle informed me that my grandmother, who was an excellent baker, was not able to make homemade marshmallows. I was thrilled to be able to 'beat' the marshmallow for her.I researched many recipes for homemade marshmallows. Some believe you have to have egg whites in your marshmallow. I went with this recipe from Alton Brown, with no egg whites. I had no problems with it at all. My mixer did not die, a complaint I noted from research, and my marshmallows were awesome. The first batch I flavored with peppermint extract and tinted with red food coloring. I added more than the recommended 1 teaspoon of extract and it resulted in over flavored marshmallows. My next batch would be the regular marshmallows, half with toasted coconut.Since I wanted to add toasted coconut to my half of my second batch I began by toasting the coconut so it could cool to be added to the top of the marshmallow once it was ready.Toasted CoconutPreheat oven to 350 degrees.Toss shredded coconut with confectioners sugar and spread evenly on a baking sheet. Once the oven is up to temperature put coconut into the oven. Stir the coconut every few minute. Once it begins to brown, it is done. I pulled mine out while it still had some white left in the coconut.I don't have a candy thermometer so I used my digital one with an added bonus. I set it to go off at 238 degrees so I could ensure I would not over cook the sugar syrup. I rested the thermometer on the spatula so the tip wouldn't read from the bottom of the pan.The end result of my second batch was a half sheet pan half plain and half with toasted coconut. I dusted the top of the plain half with a mix of confectioners sugar and cornstarch.

Lime Salsa

2008-03-16T13:33:00.009-07:00

I love homemade salsa. I also happen to love it with lots of lime juice. This time when I made it I even added some lime zest right in the mix. Make this salsa to your liking, and taste as you go! If you can get them use San Marzano tomatoes!

INGREDIENTS
28 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained if you can get peeled & seeded even better
14 oz can of crushed tomatoes(If you have fresh tomatoes you can peel, seed, and chop them instead of canned)
1+ cup finely chopped onion
4 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
2 minced jalapenos
juice of 3 limes and the zest of one lime (I love lime, try the juice of 1 lime if you want)
1 tablespoon salt

INGREDIENTS
Mix everything together and enjoy. Resist the urge to put everything in your food processor. This results in an evenly textured salsa, not really what you want. As this sits overnight the flavors will meld and change. Don't over salt when you first make this. Sorry no picture, I will try to get one later.

Dom's Mom's Meatballs

2008-03-16T13:33:00.008-07:00

Dom's Mom's Meatballs
These are my favorite meatballs. I didn't realize how much I loved them until my mother stopped making them in favor of store bought frozen meatballs. Not that the store bought meatballs were bad, but I had the taste of these meatballs and they are wonderful.
Source: Dom's Mom's Meatballs Eat This by Dom De Luise.

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds ground chuck
1/2 pound of ground pork
2 cups Italian-flavored bread crumbs
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup fresh parsley chopped
1 cup grated cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped very fine
1 onion, minced
1/2 cup pignoli (pine nuts) (optional)

METHOD
Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Let stand 1/2 hour. Shape into medium-size meatballs. Fry gently in olive oil until lightly browned, or place on foil on a cookie sheet and bake for 1/2 hour at 35o degrees.Gently place in your own hot spaghetti sauce and cook on medium-low heat for 1 hour.(Dom's note) P.S. What I like to do is quadruple the recipe (you'll have about 100 meatballs) and then place the meatballs on large Teflon baking pans. After they're baked and cooled, I put twenty at a time in large Ziploc bags and pop them in the freezer. Then they're ready, willing and able anytime.*My note: I make a large batch of sauce and meatballs and freeze it for easy dinners. A great way to freeze it to freeze it in containers until hard. then pop the "sauce cube" out of the container and put into a Ziploc bag or if you have a vacuum sealer system seal them in baggies to store in the freezer.

The Oyster Bar, NYC

2008-03-16T13:33:00.007-07:00

Bobby Flay did a show on The Oyster Bar at Grand Central Terminal, in NYC. Since that show I have wanted to eat at The Oyster Bar. We got the chance a few days before the New Year. We arrived at GCT and it was packed! People were everywhere. There was a light show going on and people were crowed around taking pictures. My dad made a reservation for lunch and we headed out to check out a few sights. We went down to the Time Square, which was amazing to see so close to the ball being dropped. If you are a foodie it is also a lot of fun to walk through Grand Central Market. The food in this place is beyond inspiring! So much to see, taste, and buy!Once back at GCT we headed to The Oyster bar for lunch. The ambiance is very cool. the subways tiles throughout do not give the chatter of the patrons anywhere to go but bounce around the area, so be prepared for the noise. The menu is stuffed onto an over sized piece of paper. We started with some soup and the bivalve platter. It was great!!! We shared a tuna salad and a pasta dish. Everything was very good. Next time I will not get anything cooked, ALL RAW! I did take a picture of the bivalve platter, but it was after we finished it off. Totally forgot to document before eating! If you like raw oysters and clams, or seafood in general it is a must eat at place!

Sweet Potato Fries

2008-03-16T13:33:00.005-07:00

The outside of these fries were almost like candy, yum!

INGREDIENTS
2 sweet potatoes
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
fresh grated nutmeg, I'm not sure on a measurement
a bit of oil

METHOD
Slice sweets into fries slices. Mix the rest of the ingredients listed and toss sweet potaotes to coat. Bake at 400 degrees until they are brown, enjoy.

Kettle Fries

2008-03-16T13:33:00.004-07:00

I almost lost the tip of my thumb making these. I began by chopping a shallot. I was using a dull knife and I thought to myself the last time I used it I should get rid of it. I didn't and the mangling of my thumb taught me a lesson, no dull knives!

INGREDIENTS

1 shallot, diced

1 clove of garlic

4 potatoes, mine were small

I diced the shallot and garlic and sauteed in the pan until soft. I "baked" the potatoes in the microwave then peeled and chopped them. I tossed them in with the shallots and garlic after adding a bit more oil to the pan. I added salt and pepper and tossed to coat the potatoes. I got a piece of tin foil and sprayed one side with vegetable oil spray. I put the foil on top of the potatoes and then put my teakettle on top of the foil. I first filled my teakettle with water, and heated it before I put it on top of the potatoes. The kettle pushed the potatoes against the pan and they got nicely browned and crispy.

San Marzano Tomato Soup

2008-03-16T13:33:00.003-07:00

Having a craving for tomato soup and no can of Campbells in sight I figured I would make my own. I googled a few recipes and checked my Joy of Cooking for some ideas. I didn't have all the ingredients for the recipes, but I would have to, as Tim Gunn says, "make it work". My father once told me some things aren't worth making from scratch, he said tomato soup was one of them. I have to disagree!INGREDIENTS3/4 cup onion1 rib celery1 bay leaf28 oz can of San Marzano tomatoes15 oz can of tomato sauce2 cups chicken bouillon (stock, broth, whatever)1 cup instant rice1/2-1 cup of milk1 teaspoon of baking sodasalt & pepper to tasteMETHOD3/4 cup chopped onion1 rib chopped celerya bay leafSautee the above in vegetable oil until everything is soft, remove the bay leaf.Add one 28 oz can of San Marzano (DOP) tomatoes, I used peeled plum tomatoes.Use your spatula to chop up the tomatoes in the pot. Cook the tomatoes down until you can draw your spatula across the pot and the tomatoes leave a "path".Add the tomato sauce, bouillon and rice. You don't have to add the rice, but I thought it would be a nice touch. Once the rice is cooked then add the milk. You can leave this out too if you want. Lastly I added some baking soda to cut the acidity.I don't have a picture, but it is yummy!

Broccoli Fritatta

2008-03-16T13:33:00.002-07:00

On Saturday mornings I like to treat myself to something yummy for breakfast. I have a habit of making fritattas for myself. I make it on Saturday then I have some left over for Sunday morning and for a quick week night meal for one if needed.

INGREDIENTS
6 eggs, beaten
1 cup chopped broccoli, I use frozen from the freezer
1 medium baked potato, I "bake" it in the microwave
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 cup of chopped onion
Salt & pepper to taste

METHOD
In a oven proof skillet, sautee the onion and garlic in oil until it is soft, about 5 minutes. I sprinkle the oninons and garlic with 1/2 a teaspoon of salt while they cook. Add the baked potato in cubes and the chopped broccoli. Once the mix is heated add your beaten eggs. Let the eggs set for a minute or two then pull the side of the egg mix in letting the raw egg flow out to the sides. Push the fillinf around so it is evenly distributed. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until the egg is set in the center. I keep my left overs in a ziploc bag.

Corn Chowder by eye

2008-03-16T13:33:00.001-07:00

When I bake I measure, when I cook I throw things together until it looks/tastes good. While I was preparing this chowder I knew I was going to put it in my blog, that forced me to measure, a little. Since I cook by eye I also end up with lots of whatever it is I'm making, that is what happened here.

INGREDIENTS
1/4 pound salt pork fat back
1 1/2 cups onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
5 small/medium potatoes, I scrub them and leave the skin on, cubed
1 14.5 oz can of white corn, save liquid
1 14.5 oz can of yellow corn, save liquid
1 14.5 oz can of creamed corn
2 cups of vegetable broth
2 cups of milk
1/2 cup of cream
1 teaspoon of chives
1/8 teaspoon of dill

METHOD
I began by rendering the salt pork. Cook it in a stock pot over medium heat until it is golden brown, drain it on paper towel. Add a bit of vegetable oil and saute the onions. This will help to get the yummy bits off the bottom of the pan. If you have some white wine you might want to add a bit of this too.
Once the onions are soft add your garlic and your cubed potatoes, stir. Add the broth and the liquid from the corn, the potatoes should be covered, if they aren't add just enough water to cover them. Turn the heat to high and boil the potatoes, cook until they are just tender. Add milk, cream and the spices, along with salt and pepper to taste. I let this simmer for another 15ish minutes. Serve with corn bread and butter.

Buttermilk Slaw

2008-03-16T13:33:00.000-07:00

WOW! This was so yummy. I began by salting the cabbage. While that was wilting I mixed the rest of the ingredients. I added more lime juice and cilantro, but other than than, this is perfect! This is where I got the orginal recipe.If you are planning to serve the coleslaw immediately, rinse the salted cabbage in a large bowl of ice water, drain it in a colander, pick out any ice cubes, then pat the cabbage dry before dressing.INGREDIENTS1 pound cabbage (about 1/2 medium head), red or green, shredded fine (6 cups)1 teaspoon table salt1 medium carrot , shredded on box grater1/2 cup buttermilk2 tablespoons mayonnaise2 tablespoons sour cream1 small shallot , minced (about 2 tablespoons)1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro leaves1 teaspoon lime juice1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar2 scallions , sliced thin1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper1. Toss shredded cabbage and 1 teaspoon salt in colander or large mesh strainer set over medium bowl. Let stand until cabbage wilts, at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours. Rinse cabbage under cold running water. Press, but do not squeeze, to drain; pat dry with paper towels. Place wilted cabbage and carrot in large bowl.2. Stir buttermilk, mayonnaise, sour cream, shallot, cilantro, lime juice, sugar, scallions, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper together in small bowl. Pour dressing over cabbage and toss to combine; refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes. (Coleslaw can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)