Shrimp & Spinach Risotto

• 1/2 C Dry White wine (or broth or water or whatever)
• 1/2 C Water
• 1 Bay leaf
• 12 oz Shrimp in shell, cooked, liquid reserved
• 2 T Olive Oil
• 1/4 C Shallots, minced
• 1 small clove Garlic, minced
• 1 bag pre-washed baby Spinach
• 1 C Arborio rice
• Chicken stock - enough to make 3 C liquid when added to shrimp stock

Bring wine, water and bay leaf to boil, add shrimp, cook until done. Reserve liquid and shell shrimp. Turn on rice cooker and heat olive oil - add shallots and garlic, cook until soft. Add rice and toss in oil to coat, cook for a few minutes until rice has white spot at center. Add spinach and toss for a few minutes to take the raw edge off, add stock and close lid. Stir several times, when rice cooker switches to Keep Warm, add shrimp and stir to combine.

Crab Cakes

Scott and I were sitting around on Wednesday night and our thoughts, for whatever reason, turned to crab cakes. We decided that crab cakes cooked in a Madeleine pan, if they had that same crispy bottom, would be amazing. I surprised him with a test batch on Thursday night and plan to make them Friday for Xmas Eve dinner! The test batch involved panko and lacked shallots - I think these will be even better, but the test batch was good, too!

Preheat oven to 350

• 2 T olive oil
• 1 minced shallot
• 2 chopped scallions, reserve greens

Heat oil and saute the shallots and scallion whites until soft. Then add them to a bowl along with:

• 2- 6 oz cans of crab, drained
• 1-2 eggs
• 1-2 T mayo (probably on the lower end of that measure)
• 1 t dry mustard (maybe go heavier)
• 1 sleeve of Ritz (use your judgment)
• 1/2 t cayenne (maybe go lighter)
• 1 t garlic powder
  
• Worcestershire sauce - a few spashes
• salt and pepper to taste

Refrigerate this mix until well chilled

Butter and flour a Madeleine pan as if to make Madeleines, drop the crab mix into the molds and shape lightly, don't pack.

Bake 20 - 25 minutes

Tilapia with butter, parsley and crackers

Preheat oven to 425

Rinse Tilapia fillets and coat lightly with oil, sea salt and pepper. Sprinkle on fresh chopped parsley and crumble crackers (Ritz) on top of each fillet, top with little pats of butter. Oven for 10-15 minutes.

Christmas Eve Dinner 2010

• Vidalia & Swiss Quiche
• Crab Cakes
• Cheddar and Monterey Jack with crackers
• Roasted Asparagus
• Roast Sweet Potatoes
• Baby Carrots
• Shrimp and Spinach Risotto
• Tilapia with butter, parsley and crackers
  

An explanation to anyone who might stumble upon this post ...

I live in a small apartment with a small kitchen, but I love to cook for a crowd and I love to cook big. Sounds impossible, but it's not even hard if you plan for it. I have been teased that storming the beaches of Normandy involved less detailed planning, but the mocking ends when an overwhelming amount of food arrives on the table at the same time, perfectly cooked and hot. I admit, I am thorough ... I kiss the line between thorough and ridiculous, but it's worth it. This blog post is actually an innovation to my system - in years past I have written the recipes on post-it notes and slapped them on my cabinets, but this year I am linking to all of the recipes in one post instead. (Who am I kidding? I am so Type A when it comes to my kitchen ... and, strangely, only when it comes to my kitchen ... that I will probably have the recipes slapped on the cabinets anyway.) But cooking is the least of the process of pulling off a holiday dinner - like an iceberg, 90% is behind the scenes and if you don't pay it proper heed, it will sink you.

Step One: Menu planning.

Decide on appetizers, main course and desert NOW. Make changes only when necessary and/or well considered. Do not try a recipe for the first time - this means have a test run or save it for another night. The less changes you make, the less improvising and rushing and stressing you do, the more you can actually enjoy cooking and actually visit with your guests. Make a list of EVERYTHING you need to cook the meal. Poke through your pantry to see what you already have. Create a shopping list divided between things that must be purchased at the last minute (fish, touchy vegetables, things you will eat if you have hanging around, etc.) and things you can buy well in advance. Especially around the holidays, you will want to do the bulk of your shopping well in advance - yesterday, on Xmas Eve EVE the store was a madhouse and it took me nearly 40 minutes to escape with 6 tilapia fillets, 1 lemon, 2 limes, 1 bunch of asparagus and 1 bunch of parsley. And I almost had to stab someone. Imagine if I had to navigate a cart through that, if i had to be buying soda and juice and sweet potatoes and all of the other heavy and bulky things that make up a holiday meal. I would generate an impressive body count and never get to use my hard won ingredients because I would be in jail awaiting trial. I know myself well enough to know that I have no business in a grocery store today. Think of the liquor store, too - buy that ahead of time and save yourself the agony of yet another long line full of rushing, cranky people and overworked retail staff.

Step Two: Timeline & Dress Rehearsal

Okay, sounds really Type A, but hear me out ... if you do all the thinking NOW, you don't have to do any later - you can enjoy your guests AND create a great meal.

Consider cooking methods and temperatures. This is a huge pitfall that you can easily avoid - if you are cooking 2 things that require vastly different temperatures, you need to either rethink your plan or find a way of working around it - this is not the kind of surprise you want to face when your guests are imminent or already on the scene! Here's another one ... will everything fit where it needs to go when it needs to go there? If you have 6 things that have to be in the oven at the same time ... will they all FIT at the same time? Did you plan to use the large sautee pan and the large stock pot at the same time forgetting you have only 1 large burner and that since they are huge and your apartment stove is tiny, like the Highlander, there can only be one?

Sometimes you can make small changes to temperatures and cook times so that things can cook together - try not to move up or down more than 25 degrees if you can help it, keep in mind that moist things get dry the longer they are left in the oven (so lowering the temp and lengthening the cook time might not work) and vice versa - just really think about it before you make the change - sometimes it is not worth it.

Consider serving dishes and table settings - cut out as much of the fuss and last minute scramble as you can. It's easier and it makes you look like a Zen Kitchen God/dess ... you are just waltzing around, relaxing, perhaps tossing something into the oven or giving a pot a stir, sipping on some wine and then BAM! Dinner is served, it looks like a spread from a magazine, it's served on a freshly pressed table cloth with creatively folded napkins, using the good china!

Prep ahead. If it can be done early without sacrificing something in the dish, DO IT. And do it as soon as you can - I caramelized my onions yesterday and now I don't have to worry about messing with them today!

Seriously, write down a timeline. WRITE IT. Then you can set a timer, when it goes off you look at your list, it tells you what to do, you do it, reset the timer and then you get to go back to the party. Maximum relaxing without sacrificing a thing in the kitchen. Just sit down with the recipes and take a realistic look at the timing and prep requirements for each. Once you have that figured out, work backwards to figure our when each one needs to start in order for them tio finish at the same time. Here is my timeline. I am serving food in two waves - Scott can't make it until a bit later, so I want to delay dinner to give him time to get here in a leisurely manner. My mom has said that she, my dad and sibs will arrive "around 6ish" which could mean anywhere from 5:45 to 6:45. I will split the difference and count them for a 6:30 arrival and that is when I want the first wave to come out of the oven. So, my timeline begins at 5:30

• 5:30pm - Preheat oven to 375 and prep quiche
• 5:45pm - put quiche in oven, butter and flour the Madeleine molds and put the crab cake mixture into them
• 6:10pm - put crab cakes into the oven, arrange the cheese and cracker platter
• 6:30pm - everything out of the oven - serve.

And I am thinking that 8pm might be a good time for dinner to be served - the first wave is fairly substantial, give people a chance to get hungry enough to eat dinner, have a drink and relax.

• 7:00pm - cut and season sweet potatoes, snap and season the asparagus
• 7:15pm - preheat oven to 450, arrange the sweet potatoes on parchment and baking sheet, start risotto
• 7:30pm - sweet potatoes go into the oven, arrange asparagus on parchment and sheet, put carrots in pot with 1/2" water covering, start prepping fish
• 7:45pm - asparagus goes into the oven, put carrots on to boil, flip sweet potatoes, finish fish prep
• 7:50pm - fish goes into the oven, tend to carrots
• 8:00pm - everything out of the oven and off the stove - serve.
  

Step Three: Doing It

Wear something comfortable, if you have long hair, keep a clip nearby, make sure you have plenty of kitchen linens ready to go. Set the table, do your prep work. Do any cleaning or straightening that you need to. Do everything that is NOT on your timeline. Then check the time - the difference between the time it is now and the time your timeline starts is yours to do with as you please. Nap. Watch TV. Get drunk. It's up to you! You actually feel refreshed and ready to visit instead of harried and hoping your guests are running late, looking forward to when they all leave so you can collapse, exhausted.

Caramelized Onions

• Enough onions to mostly fill a crock pot
• Olive oil, bacon fat, whatever you have - no more than 2 T, and it's almost optional
• optional but nice - salt, pepper, herbs (I like Thyme - goes well in Vidalia & Swiss quiche)

Slice onions thin and add to crock pot - mix well with oil/fat and seasonings. Cover and let it go on low for up to 24 hours or on high for as few as 4-5. Crock pots tell you never to lift the lid and stir - I disagree. Don't do it often, but if you don't check on these occasionally, they may start to burn around the edges. When they are done, I like to let them drain through a fine meshed sieve and cool a bit before refrigerating.

Vidalia & Swiss Quiche

• 8oz Gruyere (or other Swiss Cheese ... or even a white cheddar is nice)
• Caramelized Vidalia (or other sweet or mild) onions - 2 medium or 1 large
• 6 eggs
• splash of milk - less than 1/4 C - just enough to help the eggs get fluffy
• salt and pepper to taste
• (optional) diced ham or bacon (delicious, but quiche is great without them, too.)
• pie crust - I use pre-made. I can't be bothered to make my own.

Preheat oven to 375. Set up pie crust in deep pie plate - I don't bother blind baking or poking with a fork - can't be bothered. (Though I get better results using dark metal or earthenware pie plates.) Pile onions and cheese into pie crust (and anything else you may be adding to the quiche.) Beat the eggs with the milk and salt and pepper to taste (I like 7 grinds off a pepper mill and a healthy pinch of kosher salt) then pour over cheese and onions. I use my hands to kind of mix and combine it, then smooth it evenly in the dish. Into the oven for 45 minutes. When cooking more than one at a time, mix the egg filling separately so you don't over fill or under fill. If it seems really full, put a baking sheet or foil beneath it to catch any overflow. You can cut back on the onions and use an extra egg to get a more eggy quiche, but the Vidalia are kind of the point of this quiche.

Baby Carrots

Put baby carrots into a pot and cover with water by 1/2" - bring to a boil over high heat, then drop to medium. Simmer until fork tender (3-6 minutes). Drain, return to cooking pot and add a few pats of butter to melt - you can also add fresh parsley or other herbs - toss to combine.

Creme Brulee

1 C Heavy Ceream
2 T Sugar, and
1/3 C Sugar
2 X-large or Jumbo egg yolks
1/2 t vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 300 and prepare boiling water.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine cream and 2 T sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until small bubbles appear around edges of pan (5-6 minutes.) Set aside.

In a bowl, beat egg yolks and vanilla until smooth and light. Pour hot cream mixture into egg yolk mixture (by tempering - very little at a time to prevent the eggs from scrambling!) Beat CONTINUOUSLY until well blended. Strain mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl. Divide mixture between 4- 4oz ramekins.

Arrange ramekins in a baking pan and place on middle rack of preheated oven. Fill pan with boiling water to halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover pan loosely with aluminum foil. Bake until custard is just set, about 25 minutes. Chill 2-3 hours.

Sprinkle remaining sugar evenly on top of the cooled custards. Move kitchen torch continuously over the surface of the ramekins in a circular motion until sugar melts and becomes golden brown and bubbly. Serve immediately.

Fresh Pasta

A day of pasta making with Scott and Fred has been planned for this Saturday! I have never made fresh pasta without my mom or grandmother, I know Scott has made it, but not in a while and Fred has never made fresh pasta (but I am counting on him to be the sauce guru!) So I am collecting some web resources here so I am not scrambling for them on Saturday!

Pasta Tips
Well reviewed pasta recipe (but most users have subbed in at least some semolina and/or bread flour and replaced 1 T of H2O with Olive Oil and noted that it must rest before rolling!)
Whole Wheat pasta
Ravioli dough (with pictures!)

Smoked Salmon Ravioli
Mushroom & Spinach Ravioli
Lobster Ravioli with Crabmeat Cream Sauce
Shrimp & Lobster Ravioli
A Whole Blog Dedicated to Lobster Ravioli (for real!)
Roast Butternut Squash Ravioli
Easy Butternut Squash Ravioli


Vodka Sauce

Shiitake, Shrimp and Watercress Udon

I was 100% inspired by laziness - I only wanted to visit one grocery store and decided on the Asian grocery! Usuaully I add Kale to udon to get some green in there (... and I LOVE kale ...), but since it is unavailable in the Asian grocery, I went with the green, peppery thing that IS available - watercress. I had noticed the shiitake mushrooms there when I was last in and had been thinking about them ever since. To be honest, the shrimp were added for color and for protein, but they tasted fantastic in this mix. I really enjoyed this and will make it again. It also proved to me that I CAN be creative with my udon and that I have gained a lot of confidence with both cooking techniques and flavors in Japanese cuisine.

• Udon soup base
• 10 shrimp - cleaned and boiled (I boil them in the udon water before I cook the udon)
• 1/4 to 1/2 a bunch of watercress - trimmed of thicker stems
• 2 scallions - greens sliced thin, whites trimmed but left whole (put the whites in the soup base while heating up - yum!)
• 1/2 lb shiitake mushrooms - remove stems and slice - then brown them in a tiny amount of butter on the stove
• Udon noodles

I take care of all of the chopping first, then set up a pot to boil water for the shrimp and the udon while I start heating the soup base over low/medium heat (just for timings sake - I don't know of a reason you can't bring it to temp quicker!) The shrimp take only a minute or two to cook - when they are opaque and pink, they are done! Cook noodles according to package instructions - I use prepaclaged fresh noodles and they only take a minute - really I am just reheating them. The mushrooms smelled wonderful while I was browning them on the stove - about 5 minutes. To assemble, noodles go into the serving bowl, top with watercress, scallions, mushrooms and shrimp, pour broth over it all and enjoy!

Note - I do make subtle changes to the soup base depending on the ingredients I am adding - I add a bit extra soy sauce and skimp on the sugar when I want it salty and savoury, I make it exactly as written when I want it on the sweeter side.

Udon with Shrimp, Renkon, Wakame, Scallion and Naruto

This is an Udon inspired by what I happened to have in the house. I followed the Udon Soup Base that I always use, but to each bowl after popping in a generous serving of noodles (follow package directions) added in about 5 pieces of prepared Renkon, 3 pieces of sliced naruto, a handful of boiled shrimp (I was going to boil them in the soup base, but the soup base was slow to heat and the water for heating the udon was at a raging boil, so I used that water!), a heaping tsp of dried Wakame and roughly cut scallion greens (the whites were tossed into the soup base while it heated for extra flavor. As always, the Udon is assembled with the noodles at the bottom of the bowl, all of the additions resting on top and then the soup is poured over everything. It tastes as good as it looks and I am not just being an egomaniac. I could eat this every day, but Scott and I have decided that Wednesdays will be Udon night from here on out! And the decent pictures? Scott took them! No more crappy phone pics!

Udon Soup Base

This is more or less the soup I used whenever I make Udon - it is the perfect backdrop to whatever you can dream of adding to your Udon! This is enough soup to feed two people well (and possibly leave lunch for one of them the next day!)

• 4 C dashi
• 2 T soy sauce
• 1 T mirin
• 2 t sugar
• salt to taste

Put the dashi, soy sauce, mirin and sugar into a pot and heat to a simmer - taste and add salt if needed.

Enoki Mushroom Miso Soup

This is a slight variation on standard miso soup - white Enoki mushrooms were used instead of tofu. Everything is the same except I leave out the tofu altogether and I slice the enoki mushrooms into thirds, reserving the caps to add directly to serving bowls and adding the 2/3 that are stem to the broth while it comes up to temperature. I do this with regular miso soup too, but it is worth mentioning again: I chop the scallions and reserve the green portions to add as the soup is finishing, but I toss the whites in the pot while the broth is coming up to temperature - they add flavor and when cooked like this get really sweet and delicious. I can't wait to try this with Shitake mushrooms and other, more flavorful varieties!

Baked Cod

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (or just a tad shy - might be my oven, but I get a better result) and line a baking pan with foil (this is simply to aid cleanup.)

Put the cod in a bowl along with olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix it around to coat the cod.

Transfer cod to baking dish, squeeze half a lemon over it, garnish with a sprig of Italian parsley and a lemon slice. Bake for about 15 minutes - the rule is to allow 10 minutes per inch and fish is done when the flesh flakes and is opaque, yet still moist.

Satsumaimo Oven Fries

Pretty much the same as regular Sweet Potato Fries, only using the purple skinned Japanese sweet potatoes.

Oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Wedge the sweet potato and toss into sip-top bag along with oil and seasonings (salt/pepper - add what you like - remember that spicy compliments sweet ... cayenne would not go amiss!) and shake it around to coat evenly. Spread evenly on parchment and back 20-30 minutes, flipping once.

Satsumaimo Amani

• Japanese sweet potato (1/2 lb) in 1/2" slices
• 1.25 C dashi
• 1.5 T sugar
• 2 t soy sauce

Soak sweet potato slices in water for 10 minutes. Place slices and dashi in a pot over medium heat - bring to a boil. Add sugar and soy sauce and reduce to simmer - heat reduced to low. Put foil or a drop lid over potatoes, simmer on low for 20 minutes or until the liquid is almost gone. Makes 4 servings.

Tamagoyaki

Ingredients:

• 4 large eggs
• 1 T sugar
• 1 t mirin
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/2 t light soy sauce
• oil for cooking

Equipment:

• 8" non-stick frying pan
• heat resistant brush for spreading oil
• fork(s) and/or chopsticks to turn the egg
• sushi rolling mat

Heat the pan on medium-low and have a small bowl of oil and the brush at the ready. Beat all ingredients together - don't use a whisk otherwise it will get foamy, just use chopsticks or fork. Brush the heated pan with oil and put in 2-3 T of the egg mixture. Cook gently until nearly set on top (but not runny), then roll it up to one side of the pan. Brush the exposed pan with oil, add 2-3 more T of the egg mixture to pan (being sure to get some underneath the rolled layer!) Cook until nearly set and roll the whole thing (starting with the already rolled portion) to the other side of the pan. Keep repeating until you have used all of the egg.

Put tamagoyaki on moistened rolling mat, seam side down. Roll it tightly. You can eat it immediately or suspend the mat (allowing air to pass all around it) to cool it.

Or

Sous vide at 170 for 20 minutes

Stir-Fried Renkon (lotus root) with sesame and green onions

• 1/2 of thinly sliced (prepared) renkon/lotus root


• 1 piece of fresh ginger about 1" long, peeled and chopped


• 2 garlic cloves - peeled and chopped


• 1.5 C roughly chopped green onions


• 2 T finely chopped Red Hot Chili Peppers


• Oil


• 1 T sesame seeds


• Pepper


• 1.5 T soy sauce


• 1 t sesame oil

Heat oil in a large frying pan, then add ginger and garlic - stir until the oil is very fragrant. Add the lotus roots in a single layer and cook until they start to turn translucent looking - flip and cook for a couple more minutes. Add the chili peppers and green onions - stir fry - add sesame seeds, pepper, soy sauce and sesame oil. The lotus roots should carmelize a little from the soy sauce. Serve hot or cold!

Sushi Rice

Just follow Maki's directions!

But in short:

• Use dashi in place of the water needed to make the rice, then cook as normal


• Use 1/4 C of sushi vinegar for 4 cups of cooked rice


• Turn rice out into large bowl or platter, moisten paddle with vinegar and pour vinegar over the rice


• Fold the vinegar into the rice GENTLY while fanning the rice to help it cool quickly - let it cool to body temperature.

Inarizushi

The aburaage skins should have nice big air pockets inside - if not, before you de-oil, roll chopsticks over them to loosen them up and make them easier to fill. De-oil the skins by placing them in boiling water for a few minutes - wipe with paper towels to further de-oil. Yes. Do this. Seriously.

To prepare the aburaage:

• Cut 6 de-oiled aburaage in half to form 12 "bags"
• 1-1/3 C dashi
• 3 - 4 T sugar (to taste)
• 2 T sake
• 2 T mirin
• 3 - 4 T dark soy sauce (depending on how salty you want them)

Bring all ingredients except aburaage to a boil in a pan, lower heat to a simmer and add the aburaage. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until the liquid had reduced by about half. Turn off the heat and let the skins cool in the liquid. They can be stored in the liquid for 2-3 days in the fridge. To use, squeeze out enough liquid so they are not drippy and fill with 1/3 - 1/2 C of sushi rice.

Sushi Vinegar

• 1/4 C Rice Vinegar
• 1 T sugar
• 1/2 T mirin
• 1/2 T salt

Heat over low in small saucepan until sugar and salt is dissolved

Enough to flavor 4 cups of rice.

(Use extra salt and sugar when making filling for Inarizushi)

How to prepare Lotus Root (renkon)

• Peel the skin
  
• Slice about 1/8 " thick and put immediately into vinegared (or lemon) water to keep from turning color


• If using fresh or with only very little further cooking, they must be parboiled in vinegared water for about 4 minutes to get rid of the tannins.

Kitsune Udon

• 4 squares of prepared abura-age (cut into thin strips and/or quarters - halves are delicious, but can be overwhelming. Qty and cut are to your liking, they are not crucial to the recipe!)
• 4 C dashi
• 2 T soy sauce
• 1 T mirin
• 2 t sugar
• salt to taste
• 2 scallions cut on the bias
• 4 slices of naruto or kamaboko (fish cakes), cut on the bias (or more - I love the naruto for the taste and because it is adorable.)
• Blanched Kale - about a handful per serving - removed desired amount from stalk, cook in boiling water for about 3-4 minutes, remove and drain.)
• Enoki Mushrooms about 3.5 oz for 2 large servings - trim the ends, cut the stalks into thirds. The top third with the cap waits in the serving bowl to have broth poured over it, the bottom 2/3 are part of the stock!
  

Boil a large pot of water and cook the udon as instructed on package - they should be al dente so they don't get soggy in the soup. Run them under cold water to stop the cooking! Put the dashi, soy sauce, mirin and sugar into a pot and heat to a simmer - taste and add salt if needed. Add the noodles to heat through, then divide into 2 bowls. Top the noodles with the scallions, fish cakes, kale, Enoki and abura-age and then pour the broth over everything.

Abura-Age for Kitsune Udon

Pictures! I remembered to take pictures!!! These were taken on 12/28/10 - I made the aburaage the night before I intended to use them - saves time and effort! I also made the whole package instead of just the quantity I wanted to use - they freeze like a dream!

The first image was taken right after I got done de-oiling the aburaage. That rack is actually from my mini-grill - I figured that the rack would cool them faster and let the excess water drain a tad. (This is also the cooling rig I use when making tomagoyaki!)

The second image is during the flavoring step - those aburaage are boiling away in the soy sauce, mirin, sugar and niboshi! (If you look carefully, one of the niboshi is sitting on top of a square!)

The third image was taken last night while I was putting the udon together - I just slice them thin and it makes these easy to eat rings!

This picture was part of the original post - the only picture I remembered to take! Those are the niboshi - they really look like something bad happened to an aquarium, but I was thrilled to be using them. I figure that "intimidating" looking foods persist and make their way into other cultures because their taste outweighs the squick factor. I couldn't tell you exactly what the niboshi added to the mix, but I can tell you the Aburaage were delicious - the niboshi were part of the umami!

Would have been nice to remember to take a picture of the aburaage. sigh. (edited - yay! it IS nice! :) )

• 1/4 C H20
  
• 15 niboshi


• 2 T soy sauce
  
• 1 T mirin


• 1 T sugar


• 4 squares of abura-age
  

You need to de-oil the aburaage before anything else. It's simple - put them in boiling water for a few minutes, flip them around a few times, drain and even blot with a paper towel - you want to get a whole bunch of the oil out of them! Then I squeeze them out before I flavor them.

Bring everything except the abura-age to a boil in a small pot. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the abura-age and simmer - flip it several times. It is finished when most of the liquid is absorbed and the abura-age is a deep brown color. Allow to cool and then press out excess liquid so it is not too salty

Dashi

Dashi is easy enough to make as needed, but freezes well for up to a month. Frozen dashi is very convenient and has several times spelled the difference between cooking the Japanese meal I would like to eat and cooking something else because I didn't think ahead to make dashi! I know you don't have to soak the konbu quite so long - some Japanese cooks say 20 minutes are enough - but I initially made dashi soaking the konbu for 30 minutes and then made another attempt after soaking it overnight. Perhaps it was some other beginner's mistake I didn't notice I made that accounted for the lack of flavor and color, but my latter attempt with the long soak was VASTLY superior.

• konbu - about 2/3 sheet, broken only enough to fit in pot
• 2.5 Qt of H20
• 1/2 oz katsuobushi (bonito flakes)

Soak Konbu is the water for at least 8 hours. Over medium heat, bring the water/konbu to about 150 degrees (small bubbles appear around the sides of the pot - about 9-10 minutes) Remove the konbu (and save it!!!) and increase heat to high and bring to a boil - about 5-6 minutes) Reduce heat to low and sprinkle in the katsuobushi. Keep stirring at a gentle simmer for about 10 minutes, then strain out katsuobushi (but keep it!!!)

Use now, refrigerate for a week or freeze for a month.

Miso Soup

• silken tofu, pressed and cut into 1/4" cubes


• 2 quarts dashi


• 6 T akamiso (red)


• 2 T shiromiso (white)


• 4 thinly sliced scallions (toss white ends in along with miso - they get sweet!)

Heat dashi to 100 degrees over medium heat. Ladle about 1 cup of dashi into bowl containing all the miso and whisk until smooth. Bring the remaining dashi to a light simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the miso and return to simmer - DO NOT BOIL!!! Add tofu and scallions, cook additional minute to heat them through. Serve

For a variation, see Enoki Mushroom Miso Soup.

Linguine with Tomato-Almond Pesto [Pesto Trapenese]

Linguine with Tomato-Almond Pesto [Pesto Trapenese]Adapted from Gourmet

3/4 cup slivered almonds
1 large handful fresh basil leaves
1 to 2 large garlic cloves
Several sprinkles of sea salt
6 ripe plum tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup grated Pecorino or Parmesan
1/4 to 1/3 cup olive oil
1 pound linguine

In a large skillet, sauté the almonds in a little olive oil until toasted. Let cool, then blend them in a food processor or blender until they are in coarse pieces. (“The size of orzo,” the original recipe suggests.) Scoop them out of the processor and set them aside.

Put the basil, garlic and a few pinches of sea salt into the food processor and chop. Add the almonds back to the food processor (keeping them separate will keep them from getting too finely chopped as you get the basil and garlic to the right texture) with the tomatoes, cheese and olive oil and whirl briefly. Season it with freshly ground black pepper.

Cook your linguine until it is al dente and could use another minute of cooking time. Reserve one cup of pasta cooking water and drain the rest. Immediately toss the hot linguine with the pesto and mix quickly so that it drinks the sauce up a bit. Add more pasta water if needed. Serve this lukewarm, or at room temperature, with a glass of wine, after you get the baby to bed.

Mashed Potatoes

Serves about 4

• 6 smallish Yukon Gold potatoes (I just take the 6 smallest I find in the bag since they are annoying to use for baked potatoes or oven fries)
• 1/4 - 1/2 stick of unsalted butter (only have salted? well, just use less salt when you are mashing! The yukons have a buttery taste so you don't need as much butter as you think you might.)
• milk (I couldn't tell you how much - I just add it until the texture is right)
• kosher salt - to taste (I use a few pinches)

Peel the potatoes (or don't - trufax: the peels contain potassium and vitamin A) and chop them into pieces about 3/4". This is not an exact science so don't break out a ruler - just keep them roughly the same size so they cook evenly. Put them in a pot on the stove with enough cold water to cover and then bring them to a boil on med/med-high heat. Let them go until the potatoes are fork tender (about 20-30 minutes.)

Drain potatoes, put them back in the pot and toss in a few Tablespoons of butter, a pinch or so of salt and a splash of milk. Some people say you need to heat the milk and the butter before adding them, but I am lazy and have found that mashing room temperature butter with the still-steaming hot potatoes is just fine. Mash all of that together, then take a taste. Too bland? Add salt. Not creamy enough? Add butter. Dry as hell? Add milk. Repeat until you love them (though when you get to half a stick of butter in the pot, you migyou CAN freeze mashed potatoes. Leave about 1/2" head room at the top of the container and they can keep in the freezer for about a year. (But seriously, they are so easy to make that there is no need to make a lifetime supply at once - I try to make enough for one meal plus leftovers.) To use frozen mashed potatoes, just heat them on the stove with some butter and milk and stir nearly constantly until warm and wonderful. You can reheat refrigerated ones like this too, but when I am reheating mashed potatoes I tend to also be reheating meat and veggies as well - I put the oven on 350, put everything into a brownie pan/round cake pan/pie plate/whatever is handy, cover with foil and bake 15-20 minutes. It is helpful to kind of stir things up a bit halfway through.ht want to knock it off - too much of a good thing and all.)

Carrot Soup

Serves 4-6:

• 1(+) Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1(+) lb. carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1(+) Tbsp fresh grated ginger
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Most recipes call for heavy cream, sour cream, etc. but I will try it without – I mean, my red pepper and tomato soup calls for 2 cups of heavy cream but it tastes really rich and satisfying (to me) without adding a drop! I have some 2% milk in the fridge … if I decide that its seriously lacking in the dairy department I will add a touch more butter and some of the milk.

In pot over medium high heat, melt the butter, add the onions and stir them/cook them until soft. Add broth, carrots and ginger – cover and bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer until carrots are tender. From here, use your immersion blender, regular blender or food processor until the soup is smooth – remember, the soup is hot and it would be dumb to fill your blender or work bowl more than halfway – do it in batches. Or get an immersion blender – that thing is awesome!

From here you can add heavy cream and what have you – this is also where you add the salt and pepper. But taste it first! Add only what it is missing! You might find that nothing is missing and you love it as is or you may start cursing me and have to run back out to get heavy cream because you prefer it really creamy. But either way, make it your own! (Note: I wound up adding honey to this - a good healthy squeeze! - it was kind of bland. It actually seemed to improve as it sat, looking forward to trying it as a leftover to see if it has further improved. The pepper and ginger were the saving graces - the heat mixes well with the sweet!)

Oven Fries

Serves 2:

• 2-3 good sized Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into wedges – about 6-8 wedges per potato
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil (enough to coat the potatoes)
• 1 Tbsp white sugar
• Salt, Pepper, Seasonings (I usually use a few pinches of kosher salt, about 5 grinds from the pepper mill, tonight I am going to toss in some thyme or rosemary (or both) and maybe even some grated parmesan)

Preheat oven to 450, mix all ingredients. I lay a sheet or parchment paper on a cookie sheet (because Princess haaaates messes) and then lay the wedged potatoes out on the cookie sheet. Its nice to leave a good ½” between them, but trust me … so long as they aren’t actually touching (or really, so long as they are a single layer) you are fine … just might be a bigger pain to flip them. Pop them in the oven for about 30 minutes until they are browned and gorgeous and tender – flip them about halfway through cooking time! (Note: I used oil, salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme, but skipped the parmesan. I put the potato wedges into a zip top bag along with the oil, etc. and mixed them up like that - very easy, works well and no cleanup! The cooking time and temp were perfect, the fries came out great!)

Applesauce

Serves 3 (plus leftovers)
6 Macintosh apples, peeled, cored, 1/2 inch dice
1/4 Cup Water

Pork Wellington

I love the sight of pork in the morning! There is the tenderloin, basking in light from my window, already cut in half lengthwise and flipped so that skinny end matches up with fat end on both sides - the pile of yuck is the silver skin and fat - you must trim these off or you will be sorry!

Here we have slices of prosciutto that have been layed out and pressed together - isn't it beautiful?!?!?
Here is the tenderloin laid on top of the seasoned prosciutto, stuffed with cherries - I used slightly more than an ounce of dried cherries and chopped them coarsely with my mezzaluna.







This is what that gorgeous thing looked like all wrapped up in the prosciutto. I wish I had thought to take a picture of the puff pastry spread with the whole grain mustard and then wrapped around the pork, but I didn't. For I suck. you brush that beautiful thing with egg wash, toss it in to oven for a half hour and it comes out browned and perfect! It wasn't until after we had all served ourselves that I realized I had no picture of the finished product! So please excuse the slices - wish I had a pic of the whole thing. You can see the home made apple sauce to its left, the metal bowl has the mashed potatoes (or what is left of them at this point) and out of the frame to the right is the broccoli which took a lot longer than usual to cook, but was worth every second.


Scott and the ex were pleased! I was ecstatic! One thing to note though - the inside of the tenderloin will look very red (scary like its raw) if you use cherries, even if it has gone over the safe temp (140) - prevailing theory in my household is that it is the juice from the cherries staining it. because it is most certainly done! So, if yours looks golden on the outside and a bit pink in the middle, just double check with a thermometer - chances are it is done!

Roasted Asparagus

I simply washed a bunch of asparagus, broke off the woody ends of the stalks, tossed in olive oil and baked on a parchment lined cookie sheet in a 400 oven for about 20 minutes - tossing and turning twice.

Roast Chicken

After I rinse and pat dry the chicken, I pop it into a large glass bowl and add about 2-3 Tablespoons of olive oil, 2 healthy pinches of kosher salt for the outside of the chicken and 2 small hand fulls for the inside cavity, about 5-7 grinds on the pepper mill and healthy shakes from the dried herbs: parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.

From here I massage the mixture into the skin and make sure to get up underneath the skin of the chicken breast and to really loosen the skin on the thighs and legs. The skin of the breast will hold in the flavor (and getting the oil between the meat and skin keeps it really moist). Some people add hot water to the roasting pan, I don't - I think the skin browns better when you don't. 350 degrees until it reaches an internal temp of 180 - 2 hours, give or take depending on size.

Leftover Oatmeal

Doesn't sound very apetizing when you put it like that, but you will never look at leftover oatmeal the same way again! Remember the oatmeal I made a few days ago(http://carolynsfoodblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/snow-day.html)? Well, last night I put it to good use! Once it has camped out in the fridge for a little while in a loaf pan covered in foil, it firms up kind of like polenta. From here, cut it into 1/4" slices, put a little butter in a skillet and pan fry! Its that simple! Tastes like desert! :)

Brussels Sprouts

There were no fresh available in the store, so I used frozen. Call my a philistine, but I actually prefer the frozen. I thawed and lightly cooked with water on the stove top and then drained and moved them into a skillet already hot with bacon grease and bacon bits (another snow day project makes good!). I moved them in the pan to make sure they were coated in the bacon and then gave them a stir every few minutes. They caramelize and turn a bit sweet. They are awesome!

Baked Chicken Dark Quarter

I started with 350 oven - I shook on some Montreal Steak Seasoning,Thyme and Rosemary and added 1+ Tablespoons of olive oil, then I rubbed it in and made sure to get under the skin with all of that flavor. Seriously - get under the skin. I will give you 2 good reasons: 1) That is how it gets crispy - you have to loosen the skin from the meat, otherwise the skin is pale and kind of rubbery and gross; 2) the skin functions to keep what is inside in and what is outside out ... if you put flavor under the skin it really flavors the meat while it cooks!

I used a foil lined brownie pan - its the right size for the job! Its important to keep the chicken elevated - I don't have a brownie pan-sized roasting rack, so I used some creatively balled foil. I snap off an extra long piece, scrunch it down into a long roll and then bend it into kind of an S shape - I rest the chicken on that and there you are - a rack that you can custom fit to the meal and you don't have to wash.

I popped it in at 350 for 40 minutes, but when I checked the skin was not crispy and the temperature was a little low (chicken needs to reach an internal temp of 180.) Drat. So I cranked up the heat to450 and tossed it back in - after 5 minutes it wasn't where I wanted it to be, but after 10 the temp was good and the skin looked pretty good too. And just as with a whole chicken, don't cut into it right away - let it rest 10-15 minutes - worth the wait! (It will be juicier!)

French Press Coffee

I have an electric kettle which makes this process all the easier - I just measure out the correct amount of water, toss it in the kettle and when it boils, simply pour on top of the measured grounds in the press. I usually use 3 cups of water and 6 Tablespoons of coffee. Leave the coffee to brew for about 6 minutes with the plunger above the coffee. At this point I start priming my thermos - fill it with hot water and dump out the water just before you pour in the remaining coffee, it keeps the coffee much warmer. You don't want to leave the rest of the coffee in the press with the grounds or it will get way too strong. Before you pour a cup, remove the top and stir it well, then replace the plunger and let the weight of your hand depress it - don't push. Once the plunger is at the bottom, the coffee s ready to drink. Before you pour a refill from the thermos, give it a shake - there is some sediment to this coffee and that is one of the best parts.

Madaleines

Madeleines (Shell-shaped Tea Cakes)

Yield 12 to 15 little cakes

Time 2 hours

Adapted from "The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Pastry Arts"

Ingredients

• 4 1/2 ounces sugar
• 3 3/4 ounces all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• Zest of 1 orange
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 3 1/4 ounces unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• Butter and flour for molds

Method

• Combine the sugar, flour, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl, stirring with a wooden spoon to blend. Add the zest. Stir in the eggs, mixing just to combine. You do not want to incorporate too much air into the batter. Finally, stir in the butter.
• Cover the bowl with plastic film and refrigerate for 1 hour, or until well chilled. The chilling is important, as it makes the batter easier to pipe and ensures a higher rise during baking. At this point, the batter may be stored, covered and refrigerated, for up to 4 days.
• Butter and flour the madeleine molds.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Immediately transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitting with a #5 plain tip and pipe into the prepared molds. Bake the madeleines for about 7 minutes (about 11 minutes for larger cakes), or until the cakes spring back in the center when lightly touched.

As you can see, the ingredients are not complicated - melted and coold butter, orange zest, 2 eggs, sugar, flour, salt and baking powder. I followed the recipe exactly so it would be ridiculous for me to recount this in great detail. I baked my madaleines for roughly 10 minutes (checked after 8.) They got VERY brown on the bottom (not a bad thing at all!) and they have such crispy brown edges! These came out so well. So cakey and moist in the middle. I used a large orange to get my zest and I was so glad I did - the orange flavor is perfect - not too much but makes it very citrusy and light!

Pommes Anna

Pommes Anna is something I saw on Secrets of a Restaurant Chef on Food Network. Chef Anne has really grown on me – I used to think she was loud and obnoxious but since it isn’t an act she is putting on (she seems to be like this in reality) I find it amusing. She oiled up an 8” oven safe frying pan and layered concentric layers of potato slices down, coated that layer, sprinkled with parm and then kept layering like so (ending by brushing potatoes with oil, no last layer of cheese). She used a mandoline to get even, very thin slices. I used my mandoline … and my cut proof glove. I am practically terrified of my mandoline! But it worked out well. I used about 3 smallish russet potatoes (it important they are starchy potatoes.) Once you are all layered up, put the pan on a medium burner. Once it starts to brown on the bottom (you will hear it sizzling), remove from heat and toss into preheated 400 oven. After 25 minutes, remove from oven, drain excess oil (you really need to do this other wise we are talking nasty oil burns) and flip it (using pan lid or plate) so that the beautifully browned bottom is now the top. Pop it back into the oven for 15, then you are done! Let it cool a few minutes before cutting.

Baked Brown Rice

Combine 1.5C short grain brown rice with 2.5C hot water, 1 T unsalted butter and 1 t kosher, stir, cover tightly with foil and bake 375 for 1 hour.

Acorn Squash

Squash (acorn) should be spil in half, de-seeded, drizzld with honey and a pat of but and put in 375 oven for 1 hour.

Miso Salmon

Salmon fillet is coated in combo of" 2 T shiro miso, 2 T Mirin, 2 T, soy sauce, 1/4 C packed brown sugar and sesame seeds, ten put under a broiler for 10 min or until done.

Colcannon

Ingredients

• 1 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks (I suggest using more)
• 4 cups finely chopped cabbage
• 2 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons caraway seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon anise seeds
• 1/4 cup butter
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Place the potatoes into a large pot and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and allow to steam dry for a minute or two.
2. While potatoes are boiling, place the cabbage into a pot with several tablespoons of water; cover, bring to a boil over medium heat, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook the cabbage until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Pour off any excess liquid, and set the cabbage aside.
3. Place the sliced leeks, milk, caraway seeds, and anise seeds into a large saucepan over medium-low heat, and bring to a simmer. Cook the leeks until soft, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the butter, and season with salt and pepper; let the mixture stand off the heat until the butter melts.
4. Mash the potatoes with a masher in a large bowl, and stir in the leek mixture until the mashed potatoes are slightly chunky. Stir in the cooked cabbage, and serve.

(Though I eliminated the anise – princess haaaaaates licorice and the caraway was already almost too close for comfort …) It really came out well! And bonus, I made colcannon cakes with the leftovers! I took a handful of colcannon, shaped it into a patty, coated it with a little flour and then pan fried in a little oil (should have used butter …) – they were really tasty and a great way to use the leftovers.

Guiness Sausage

I pulled out the electric skillet (love using this for sausage and peppers!), brushed some olive oil on the surface and heated it to 350. I added 8 sausages and let them brown for a few minutes on each side, having poked them with a knife a few times before adding them. Once browned I added some Guinness to the pan and clamped the lid on (not a lot – probably about ½ cup, but I eyeballed it … wanted to save the majority of it for drinking!) It was amazing! The beer caramelized and really made those sausages stand out! I may use Guinness to cook sausage all of the time, that is how tasty they were!

Mayo

1 egg
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
Dash Tabasco
1-1/2 Tbsp vinegar
1-1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 to 2/3 cup canola oil


I put all ingredients except the oil in a tall sided container and hit them with my immersion blender (at a med/low sped). I drizzled the oil in (the stream should be the size of a pencil lead – go slow!) and continued drizzling and blending until the oil started to pool on the top. It’s a bit looser than store-bought mayo, but seemed to set up a little more (very little) after it sat in the fridge. It has good flavor (especially for mixing with chunk light tuna – the acid works really well in this!) but I might back off a little on the lemon juice next time I make it.

Sweet Potato Fries

*****
These, as written below, are great, but cutting them (skins on) into 3/4" or 1" thick rounds, tossing in olive oil, salt and pepper and then cooking on parchment at 450 for 20 minutes, flipping once, cooking an additional 10 minutes makes them PERFECT! (Though no longer fry shaped)
*****

My first attempt was to simply cut them into wedges (skins on) and coat with olive oil, salt and pepper. They were okay (Scott said they were really good, but I think he was trying to be sweet – the insides were overcooked and dry, like mashed potatoes that need more milk and butter added!) There were 2 good things that came out of this experiment however: 1) I had accidentally picked up a white sweet potato and despite the color, they seem to work the same and they taste really good!; 2) the outsides of the fries were crispy and delicious – if I could increase surface to insides ratio, I would have the perfect fry!

Experiment 2 (electric bugaloo …) – I had it in my head to use my mandolin slicer to make waffle fries – figured that would give me maximum surface area and a thinner cut would improve that pesky surface to insides ratio. Issue: the waffle slice mode makes for thin slices – too thin to work for this application. So, I sliced them to 1/8th inch instead, coated them in olive oil, salt and pepper and popped them into a 350 degree oven for 8 minutes, flipped them, gave them another 10. They were good, but they did not brown very well. But the insides were perfect!!! Not too dry.

I think next time I make them (soon … I just bought the super crazy cheap “it’s Easter!” 5lb box of them) I will start them off at a higher temp, and then lower it to 350 when I flip them.

Skillet Roasted Chicken

The first time I made it, I made a few substitutions - I will give the original recipe and make note of my changes.

The first step is to cut a whole chicken into 10 parts - I would have done this, but I happened to have a ton of leg quarters with skin on in my freezer, so I decided to do an all dark meat version of this dish. You can use already cut chicken parts, they just need to still have the bones in and the skin on. Pat the pieces dry and season with salt and pepper. I actually didn't pat them, but I did leave them to hang out (seasoned) in the fridge for a few hours before cooking. The only reason I didn't pat them was because I was a moron and hit them with the salt and pepper before remembering that I should have dried them. Well, the fridge and the salt were merciful and forgiving of my idiocy - I still got a really great crispy skin, but I promise, I will dry them before I cook them this Sunday! I am not leaving crsipy deliciousness to chance!

Heat 2 T vegetable oil (I used extra virgin olive oil made for high heat instead because it is what I had) on med/high in a skillet large enough to hold all of your pieces, but not crowd them. Once the oil is heated, place the pieces in, skin side down - you will hear it start to sizzle immediately but resist the urge to touch them for 5 minutes! As Alton Brown would say "Just walk away!" Then turn the pieces - the skin should be beautifully browned.

Turn the heat down to medium/low, add 3/4 C chicken broth to the pan, cover and steam until the breasts (if you are using them) reach 155 degrees and the thighs are at 170 (10-16 minutes). Transfer the chicken piece by piece to a plate, pour the pan drippings into a measuring cup for later. Use tongs and a paper towel to wipe the skillet down and add 1 t of oil (I was supremely lazy and did not wipe the skillet, there was about 1 tsp left in the pan and I was soooo hungry I decided it was good enough. It worked out fine, but again ... not sure if I will leave it up to chance, I got lucky!) Put the chicken back into the pan, skin side down, it should be perfectly re-crisped in 5 minutes (mine were!) with the breast meat at 160 and the thighs at 175. Evacuate the chicken to a platter, tent loosely with foil, then turn your attention to the reserved measuring cup full of pan drippings.

Separate the fat from the drippings. The cooks on the show said not to bother using a fat separator because it might prove ineffectual with such a small qty of liquid, but I didn't listen. They were right so I dumped it back out of the crappy separator I have and just spooned it off, like they do on TV. I wasn't really picky though, I left a bit behind. I was hungry and wanted to speed through it!

Add enough chicken broth to the drippings to equal 3/4 C liquid. Heat 1 t of oil in the skillet on low and then add 1 minced shallot, cook until soft, about a minute. Add 1 t of flour and stir and cook for about 30 seconds. Turn heat to medium and stir in the liquid. Bring this to a simmer, reduce it to 1/2 C (about 2 minutes) - check the volume in a measuring cup! (I actually did this!

Return the liquid to the pan and then pour in any juices that have accumulated on the platter of tented chicken, cook for another 30 seconds, then remove from heat. Whisk in 1.5T fresh chopped parsley, 1.5T fresh chives and 1 T butter. I lacked fresh parsley so I used a little dried parsley, didn't have chives so I squeezed in some lemon for brightness and even though the show said the butter was optional, I believe that to be blasphemy. I am sure their version was divine, but so was mine!

Bacon and Cheddar Scones

3 cups self-rising flour, plus more for work surface
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper (would use less next time)
1/2 cup cold butter
1 1/2 cups grated sharp Cheddar
4 green onions, thinly sliced
10 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled (I only wound up using 8)
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 large egg, for egg wash
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Add the flour, salt, and pepper to a large bowl. With a box grater, grate the butter into the flour. Mix the butter into flour with your hands until well incorporated. Add the cheese, green onion and crumbled bacon. Mix until evenly distributed. Add the buttermilk and mix with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a stiff dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle a 1/2-inch thick. Cut wedges of dough out to preferred scone size and arrange on a half sheet tray lined with parchment paper. In a small bowl, beat the egg and brush each scone with the egg wash. Sprinkle with a little coarse sea salt and bake until nicely browned, about 14 to 16 minutes. Remove from the oven and arrange on a serving platter.

Scallops Provencal

This recipe is very forgiving of frozen scallops – just be sure to get them as dry as possible before you dredge them in the flour! I have found that the easiest way to dredge the scallops is to put them into a zip top bag with the flour and shake. Mise (en place) is crucial to this recipe – it moves fast and you are going to want to have all of your chopping done ahead of time!

You can find the recipe here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/scallops-provencal-recipe/index.html

1 pound fresh bay or sea scallops
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour, for dredging
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup chopped shallots (2 large)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 lemon, cut in 1/2

If you're using bay scallops, keep them whole. If you're using sea scallops, cut each 1 in half horizontally. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss with flour, and shake off the excess.
In a very large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over high heat until sizzling and add the scallops in 1 layer. Lower the heat to medium and allow the scallops to brown lightly on 1 side without moving them, then turn and brown lightly on the other side. This should take 3 to 4 minutes, total. Melt the rest of the butter in the pan with the scallops, then add the shallots, garlic, and parsley and saute for 2 more minutes, tossing the seasonings with the scallops. Add the wine, cook for 1 minute, and taste for seasoning. Serve hot with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Blue Cheese and Scallion Biscuits

If you’re blue cheese-averse, you can make this with an equal volume of coarsely grated cheddar.

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick or 3 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 1/2 cups crumbled blue cheese
• 4 scallions, finely chopped
• 1 cup well-shaken buttermilk (or, you can make your own)

Preheat oven to 450°F. Whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, then blend in butter with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in blue cheese and scallions. Add buttermilk and stir until just combined.

Drop dough in 12 equal mounds about 2 inches apart onto a buttered large baking sheet, or one lined with parchment paper. Bake in middle of oven until golden, 16 to 20 minutes.
Do ahead: Biscuits are always best the day they are baked. However, if you wish to get a lead on them, you can make them, drop them onto your baking sheet, freeze them until they are firm, and place them in a freezer bag or container until you’re ready to bake them. They can be baked while still frozen (straight from the freezer), you’ll just want to add a few minutes to the baking time.

Baked Ziti

1 lb Barilla PLUS pasta (penne)
1 jar Francesco Rinaldi Tomato and Basil sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1 small bag of baby spinach
1 egg
1 15 oz container of ricotta cheese
1 8 oz bag shredded cheese (I use a 4 cheese pizza blend from my supermarket)
1 handful of grated Parmesan, salt/pepper/parsley to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Make pasta to package specs (leave it a little al dente so it doesn’t get mushy when baking.) Combine ricotta, ½ the shredded cheese, the parm, salt, pepper and parsley in a small bowl, mix well and take a taste – when it meets your approval, add one egg to the mix and combine well (the egg helps hold the ziti together, but its good to taste before you add it if you are worried about salmonella or whatever.) When the pasta is done, drain, put back in pot, dump in all of the ingredients and stir to combine. Put the mix into casserole dishes – I leave sizes and shapes up to you, but this usually fills about 2 large (2 qt +) Corningware casseroles for me, but I have been known to put them in smaller crocks for individual servings.) Sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese, cover and bake for 30 minutes, remove cover and give it another 10-15 until it is starting to brown a bit. Let it sit for about 10 minutes, serve and enjoy!

Baked Honey Mustard Chicken Breasts

Honey mustard is easy – equal parts honey and mustard, stir to combine, done. I preheated the oven to the high side of 350, line a brownie pan (8 x 8” square) with foil, place boneless skinless chicken breasts in the pan and drizzle with the honey mustard, cook for 30 minutes (or until done – check with thermometer!!!)

Onion and Swiss Quiche

2-3 large Vidalia onions, sliced thin and caramelized
Thyme/salt/pepper
Pie crust
6-8 large eggs
6-8 oz shredded gruyere cheese
Splash of milk

Preheat oven to 375. Press the pie crust into a pie plate (go for a deep one!) then dump the cheese and onions into the shell. (More info about the onions and spices to follow below.) Beat the eggs and the milk together until combined and then pour over the fillings in the crust. According to most quiche recipes you can simply dump the egg over the top and bake, but I like to give it a gentle stir to combine and make sure you get all the flavors in every bite. From here, pop it in the oven for about 45 minutes – you will know it is done when it is set and starting to brown.

Now, about those onions … they need to be caramelized with olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme. You can do this in a pan on the stovetop if you like, but if you plan ahead a bit, there is a much easier way! I use the crock pot. I slice up all of the onions (you will want enough to nearly fill the crock – you can freeze them for future use if you have more than you need) toss them with olive oil, salt pepper and thyme and set them to cook: you can place them on High for about 4 hours (or more) or Low for up to 24 hours. Stir occasionally, but not too often – you want to keep the heat in the crock! They come out perfect – no worries about burning them!

Tabouleh

½ C Bulgur (medium grain
Less than 1/2 C Cold water
2 large bunches of flat leaf parsley
3 seeded and chopped roma tomatoes
1 peeled, seeded and chopped cucumber
2 whole scallions, chopped finely
¼ C fresh lemon juice (1 monster sized lemon)
1 pinch kosher salt
1 Tablespoon olive oil

I soaked the bulgur in the cold water before I started the chopping – didn’t take long at all to get fluffy. As mentioned before, all of the recipes I found online advocate putting the bulgur in boiling water to cook it, but my Cypriot coworker was horrified by this. Her technique of just letting it soak in cold water is so much easier and so much cooler – one less boiling pot on the stove!

I chopped all of the veggies and herbs – I like chopping and “playing” with my knives, the secret is having a really sharp knife and really fresh veg – so much easier! I added these to a large container as they came off the cutting board, dumped in the now-fluffy bulgur and gave it a good stir to combine. Then I mixed the lemon, salt and oil together and poured it over the tabouleh and gave it another good stir. Most recipes call for mint, but the last time I bough mint at the grocery store it was flavorless, so I didn’t bother this time around.

Strawberry Smoothie

It’s easy and tasty – I just toss the following in the blender and let it work its magic:

2-3 ice cubes
8-12 frozen whole strawberries (depends on size of berries)
½ Cup of low fat vanilla yogurt
½ Cup of low fat milk

Salmon on the Foreman Grill

I rubbed the steaks with olive oil, salt and pepper and tossed them on for about 3 minutes and then flipped them and gave them another 2 – they turned out perfectly! Grill marks and everything. The grill didn’t close completely because of the bone, but it was perfectly done and still nice and juicy.

Mustard Marinade for FGrilled Pork Tenderloin

2 Tablespoons of Nasturtium vinegar (Fred's mom makes it! I guess a light red wine vinegar would work too)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
salt and white pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons Grey Poupon mustard
1 Tablespoon Molasses

I mixed well and then spread it on both tenderloins then left them to marinate in the fridge in a bowl. I had already removed the excess fat and silver skin from the tenderloins - this is a very important step and should not be skipped - the end result is so worth the effort. After about 20 minutes it was time to put the tenderloins on the grill - Al told, the tenderloins were on for about 15 minutes, turned 3-4 times.

Ice Cream

2 Cups of 2% milk
1 Cup of Half and Half
1/3(+) Cup of Sugar
2 eggs (yes, raw – or buy pasteurized if you are worried about it)

Blend the eggs and sugar together, blend in the milk and half and half, add suitable flavor (more sugar for sweet cream, 2 T matcha for green tea, etc.) Pop it into the ice cream maker for about 30 minutes, toss in freezer to ripen. Finis.

Parmesan Orzo

1 tablespoon butter
1 cup orzo
1 can (14.5 oz?) fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
Water to equal 2.5 cups when added to broth
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper – add more to taste

Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add orzo, and cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in broth and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until liquid is absorbed and orzo is done (about 15 minutes). Remove from heat; stir in cheese, basil, salt, and pepper.

The recipe could have used more basil and more pepper – ¼ cup of basil doubles the amount Cooking Light calls for, but it still may not be enough. It also could have benefitted from more freshly ground black pepper – I will be sure to add more next time. But it was tasty! Scott even said “It’s just as good as the boxed stuff!”

Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil

Seed and dice the tomatoes, combine with garlic, olive oil, balsamic and basil – add salt and pepper to taste, refrigerate. Cut ½” thick slices of the French bread (I cut them on a diagonal to get more surface area … and because I am fancy), brush with oil and toast them on a stovetop griddle – probably a minute a side. Either pile the tomato and basil on top of the bruschetta and serve, or allow each person to assemble their own – your choice!

Grilled Shrimp

Soak wooden skewers in water for an hour. Rinse shrimp (in shell) and devein. Put the shrimp in a bowl and add olive oil, salt and pepper – toss shrimp to coat. Put the shrimp on skewers and heat grill (I am doing this on the George Foreman, but it should work on any grill.) – grill for 3-5 minutes, the shrimp are done when they are opaque white.

Boiled Kale

Put on a large pot of water to boil
Rinse Kale well and tear/cut into bite sized pieces, removing heartier stems
Place Kale into boiling water, once boil has resumed, cook for 5 minutes (or to taste)
Drain water and serve!

Tilapia pan fried in butter and parsley

Melt butter in a skillet (about 1 Tbsp +) and coat skillet, add tilapia fillets and flip to coat both sides with butter. Cook for about 1 minute per side, sprinkle with parsley and drizzle with lemon juice, cut heat and cover pan - let sit for about 7-10 minutes until you are ready to serve - the fish was so juicy and perfectly cooked!

Zucchini sauteed in Butter

Wash and slice zucchini into 1/8" thick rounds. Melt some butter (2 Tbsp +) in a sautee pan, add zucchini to pan, toss and cook over medium until zucchini is softened or, even better, browned a bit! Optional, but highly recommended - drizzle with lemon juice!

Spanish Tortilla

1/2 cup olive oil, extra virgin
1/2 medium onion, medium dice
2 medium russet potatoes, medium dice (I used 3 medium Yukon golds)
1 tsp salt
4 eggs
1/2 tsp salt

Heat the olive oil in an 8-inch non-stick frying pan on medium heat. Add the onions to the pan and sweat them for about 2 minutes. Add the potatoes and 1 teaspoon of salt to the oil. Let the potatoes cook for a couple of minutes and then reduce the flame to medium-low for 15 minutes. The point is not to fry the potatoes, rather to poach the potatoes in the olive oil. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt together. Drain the potatoes and onions from the oil and add them to the eggs. Don’t worry if the egg starts to cook. Remove all but a teaspoon of oil from the pan and set the heat to medium. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and stir the center until the egg begins to scramble. Then leave it be. Use a wooden or rubber spatula to tuck the edges in neatly and let cook for a few minutes. I waited until mine was still runny, but solid enough to invert onto a plate and return to the pan to cook the other side. Serve hot or cold.

Fake'n Bake

• 1/2 Cup + 1 Tbsp Corn Flake Crumbs
• 2 tsps All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tsp salt (I use kosher)
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder

Combine all ingredients in a plastic bag - makes 1/2 Cup, enough for about 2 chops. Cook pork chops in 425 oven for 20-25 minutes.