Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Fish Tacos

I made fish tacos last night. Corn tortillas from scratch, tortilla chips from scratch, salsa from scratch, etc. etc. It ended up being a TWO full hour affair and dinner wasn't ready till 7:45 (much to my teenager's dismay). He told me that the food was good, but not worth the wait...haha. Teenagers!




This recipe is labor intensive and it's not for the faint of heart. I got it from my last cooking class and it was the main reason that I took the last one. I am going to skip the homemade corn tortilla recipe because I don't know many people who would go to the effort to make them (but I will post it if there is anyone out there that really wants to do it). Instead see if you can't find a good local Mexican restaurant that makes their own and will sell them to you. If not, find the best brand in the grocery store that you can buy and use them.

My picture is kind of funny. It's only half a taco because I forgot about taking a picture before I started eating. I would have cut the fish into smaller strips because they were too big for my tortillas and I couldn't add much else to the taco without it all falling out. I'll be a fish taco pro next time. P.S. The salsa is good for anything. I would be willing to make it just to keep in the fridge for chips--delicious!




Baja Fish Tacos



2 cups flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. dried oregano
1/2 t garlic powder
1/4 t cayenne
salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 oz bottle cold beer (not dark)
3 tbs. milk
1 1/2 lbs white fish fillets (I used catfish which is plentiful in the Midwest and what the instructor recommended), skinned, boned and cut into strips
vegetable oil for frying



winter salsa:

2 cloves garlic
1/2 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 chiles chipotles en adobo from a can
14 oz can diced tomatoes in juice
3 Tbs. chopped cilantro
3/4 t. salt
2 Tbs/ veggie oil



1/3 cup mayo
5 Tbs. milk
Fresh limes



1/2 head finely shredded cabbage
1/2 cup shredded radishes
1/4 cup chopped cilantro



20 fresh corn tortillas
Guacamole and lime wedges to serve





1) Fish and beer batter: Put flour, baking powder, oregano, garlic powder and cayenne into a large mixing bowl. Add beer and 3 T. milk and whisk until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then cover and let rest for 30 minutes. Season the fish strips with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lime juice. Heat vegetable oil to a depth of 1 inch to 375 degrees (use a candy thermometer). Have ready a cooling rack set over a baking sheet. ***Note: cut the strips in fairly skinny strips so that they don't have to cook in the oil for so long.



2) Garnishes: Process garlic, onion, chipotles, tomatoes, cilantro and salt in a food processor. Heat oil in a small skillet until hot but not smoking, then add puree and fry until it thickens slightly. Set aside to cool. Combine mayo, milk, lime juice and salt to taste in a small bowl, set aside. Combine cabbage, radishes and cilantro in a large bowl. Season lightly with lime juice and salt, set aside. If necessary, warm the tortillas. Make guacamole.



3) Finishing the dish: Dip fish strips into batter, letting the excess drip off. Lay carefully in the hot oil and fry until crisp and brown, being careful to monitor oil temperature. Drain on the cooling rack. Serve immediately: lay a crispy fish fillet into a warm corn tortilla and top with cabbage, salsa and mayo sauce. Squeeze some lime over top. Serve with guacamole.

Tortilla Chips

Take store bought small sized corn tortillas and cut into chip-sizes. Heat vegetable oil to 365 degrees and fry tortillas until lightly colored (a few seconds). Drain in a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with salt as soon as they come out of the oil. ***It's so worth your time to make these!

Monday, October 27, 2008

Book Recommendation


I finally got a chance to read Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and loved it. It's her family's journey on the quest to grow everything, raise poultry or eat locally for an entire year. Even if it won't inspire you to grow all your own veggies and raise some chickens in your backyard, it should inspire you to think about where your food is coming from and what you are really eating. Heck, it might even change your way of eating for the better! Let me know if you have read this or do read it. I would love to hear what you thought of it!

OMG!

Ok, this picture might not be that look that great, but trust me, this brisket is delicious!!!! Of course, it came from Pioneer Woman (who hasn't failed me yet). The recipe actually called for a 10 lb piece of brisket, but mine was only 4. I still used the same cooking liquid because I didn't read the recipe till after I poured out the sauce ingredients, but that's ok. I left the beef in the fridge for 2 nights since I was gone all day yesterday. I didn't time my cooking time for it to be done right before dinner instead it was about 4 PM, when it was done and Chris and I have been munching on it ever since. I am not sure how much more will be left by dinnertime! It's so tender and good. I might have to go eat some more now.

Pioneer Woman Brisket Recipe

Here is a pic of my lovely flowers from the Farmer's Market on Saturday. So pretty! They have to sit on the fireplace mantel, so that the kitties don't eat them!


Mystery Pan Revealed/Weekend Cooking

My friend out in CA, Rose was able to name the mystery pan of mine! It's an Italian bread pan and I have been able to find lots of recipes for it online. Since it's starting to get cold out here, I'll be trying to make some breads for the winter. Thanks to Rose for the info!

Pandoro

This weekend was full of things to do and people to see, so I didn't get a chance to try out too many new recipes. I stuck with some old standbys for Saturday and Sunday dinners (Chris was at the game Sat lunch and we had lunch in KC on Sun); Giada's Bolognese sauce and Lo-Mein. I did make Pioneer Woman's Chocolate Milk Mix, which Nathaniel said was amazing and I liked the fact that it was super easy (cream and chocolate--that's it).

I promise more new recipes soon!

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Pumpkin Allergic Reaction!

I cut up my pumpkins that I got today and got them de-pulped and de-seeded to roast in the oven. After doing this, I noticed that my left hand was starting to feel really weird and tight. I washed my hands thinking that their was just dried up pumpkin juice on my fingers and that was what was causing the sensation. After scrubbing my hands, I noticed that my fingers were dried up. Basically, they looked like I had rubbed Elmer's glue on them and let the glue dry! Since it was after the doctor's Saturday hours, I called up Chris' dad and asked him. He thought it sounded weird (since it only happened on one hand) and told me to put some cortisone cream on it to see if that would help.

I did try googling this and seeing it I couldn't figure out what was going on. I came across how some people are allergic to raw butternut squash and how this happened to them when cutting the squash (great since that's my next soup that I am making). I guess it's a good thing that I am not into cutting pumpkins for Halloween or I would be screwed!

Farmer's Market


My wallet is $150 lighter after today's trip to the Farmer's Market. But considering I spent $97 for meat/pork, $9 for 9 lbs apples, $8 for honey and $8 for 10 gladiolas, I think that I made out like a bandit. I am sure that my large bill is also due to the fact that there is only two weekends left before the Farmer's Market closes till April.


This week's purchases include 9 lbs of apples (Honey Crisp, Yellow Delicious and Jonathan Golds), 2 lbs of baby yukon potatoes, lb green beans, 3 bunches of radishes, edamade, salad mix, 2 lbs baby Romas, flat leaf parsley, cilantro, 3 lbs bacon, 3.5 lb pork shoulder, 2 lbs pork chops, 3 lbs skirt steak, lb sirloin, green onions, tsotsi (Chinese spinach), a dakion radish, 2 heirloom tomatoes, 2 pumpkins (did you see Pioneer Woman's recipe for pumpkin puree?) and some polbano chilies.


I'll be cooking a lot, so look forward to some new recipes!

P.S. I picked up my weekly tamale at the Farmer's Market this morning and I was terribly disappointed. My homemade tamales in Dallas have ruined me forever!

Friday, October 24, 2008

What Kind of Pan Is This?

I got a major bug today to do some deep cleaning (it might be the medication that I am taking for the fluid in my ear which is supposed to cause extra energy!). After cleaning out the kiddo's closet and room, I decided to tackle my kitchen cabinets. Since we have lived in this house since May 2007, I have yet to organize my cabinets in a way that is most efficient for my cooking needs and instead just threw every thing into cabinets. The thing is that I gained a bigger house, but a much smaller kitchen (who does that?) and my cabinets are filled to capacity. Until I buy a new dining room set and hutch, I am stuck with putting all my dishware in my kitchen cabinets which takes up a lot of room.



I decided to go through my kitchen cabinets and catalog some of my things especially my bakeware, which I have a HUGE amount of. Tarlet pans (all sizes and shapes), different sized cake pans, mini molds, checkerboard cake pan, muffin pans of all sizes, Bundt cake pans, etc. etc. You name it, I might have it. Then I came across this pan tonight and it has me scratching my head in wonder. I can't remember what it's called so that I can find a specific recipe for this pan (which would have some interesting baking times with the weird shape). I do know that I bought it from Williams-Sonoma (sticker is still on the bottom) back in the 90's when I did buy random cooking stuff when seeing it on sale. I believe it's a holiday pan for some foreign bread, but I am drawing a blank on what it's called. Any ideas???? P.S. Please excuse the dust on the pan. This pan hasn't seen the light in ages and still hasn't seen the inside of an oven!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

I Am Back!

I got home from my trip last night with lots of Mexican food goodies (chilies, corn masa, tortilla press, hot sauces, etc) that are needing a new home in my pantry. I had a busy day with a meeting at the kiddo's school, a doctor's appointment (I have fluid in my ear--not as bad as an ear infection, but not fun), grocery shopping (no food in the fridge!) and laundry. I had a great time in TX learning how to make tamales (it's a long process but so worth it) and am looking forward to making them in the near future. I am stocked up with the ingredients, so I'll be able to make them whenever I decide to pick up some pork.

Since there was no food to eat, we made it out to the Farmer's Market today where I picked up some bok choy, jalapenos, white bell peppers, tomatoes and cherry tomatoes. I'm looking forward to Saturday where I can get lots more food (including bacon again). And I am starting to get sad about nearing the end of the Farmer's Market for this year.

The weather has gotten cold here (40's) and I am not looking forward to the cold winter. I'll be making more soups with the falling temperatures including a butternut squash soup that will be made in the very near future (per Chris' request).

I promise that I'll be back to posting recipes tomorrow!

Friday, October 17, 2008

Road Trip!!!

We are leaving for Oklahoma this afternoon and heading straight to Cattlemen's Steakhouse in Oklahoma City for dinner. I am super excited because I have yet to have a fabulous restaurant steak while living in the Midwest except years ago at Ruth Chris' (which is a chain and cost $50!). I live in cattle country--come on, there has to be a great steak out there! But I continue to be disappointed over and over with overcooked, chewy, tasteless steaks. I'll get a decent one every once in awhile, but I have never gotten a great one here in the Midwest. Why have I been able to buy tasty steaks in the grocery store in KS, but how come I can't get one in a restaurant? When we decided that we were going down to OK for the OU-Kansas football game, I told Chris that we were eating at Cattlemen's (since he had eaten there before) and maybe I would finally get the steak that I have been looking for all my adult life!

At Cattlemen's, they also serve lamb fries. If you don't know what these are, let's just say most men will cringe at the thought of eating these. I have tried them in the past (at a holiday party where the boss took the whole office & spouses to dinner and there were more than a couple of plates of these to try) and I can't say that I love them. They are a bit on the chewy side and don't really taste like anything. Just fried. I asked Chris if he would eat these (he will eat anything! This is the guy who ordered worms in Mexico City for his dinner!) and he said with a weird look on his face that he wasn't sure. We will have Chris' youngest brother with us too, so I am thinking that maybe I'll order myself a plate and freak them both out while digging into this strange culinary creation.

Cattlemen's Steakhouse

We were excited to hear that our friend, who throws the KU tailgates at home, will also be making the trek down to Norman to see the game. Bill always throws a great tailgate and it will be fun to be able to drink and eat before watching some football (it might not be pretty since OU just lost last weekend!) with Chris' parents and our friends. I am also looking forward to going to the OU's Fred Jones Jr Museum of Art. For those who don't know, I was an art history major at KU and traveling to art museums is a big passion of mine.

After the game, we'll be heading down to Dallas to hang out with our friends, relax, shop, go see some art and EAT! Jeff has already asked if I wanted to go eat at Babe's (I am obsessed). Babe's is a BYOB fried chicken restaurant with two items on the menu--fried chicken or chicken fried steak. If you order the steak, people look at you weird because the chicken is where it's at. Along with the chicken, you get salad, mashed potatoes, creamed corn and biscuits. If I could get them to cater a wedding reception in Lawrence, I would!

Since I'll be gone for a few days, I won't be cooking much but I'll be sure to post about my travels & food down in OK and TX! Have a great weekend!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

I Am SOOOO Making This!!

I love caramel and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE caramel apples. I don't eat them much because you can't always find great caramel apples, but I came across this recipe last night and now I am going to have to make them. The apples have been plentiful at the Farmer's Market. We picked up a variety of super delicious apples (for only $1/lb!) last Saturday and they were all gone by yesterday. Since we are leaving town tomorrow, we'll miss out on the delicious apples this weekend. I am hoping that there will still be plenty the following weekend because I am going to be buying lots more, so that I can make this recipe! Yummy!!!

Caramel Apples

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Apple Crisp


This is the perfect fall dessert and with all the awesome apples that are in the Farmer's Market right now, I couldn't resist making this for my lunch with Melanie. I forgot to take a picture after the topping was added to the dessert and baked, but the picture is the apples pre-oven. The recipe says it makes 4 desserts, I made 5 instead. I love this dessert because I don't have to eat it for days even if it's just us eating it. I didn't have any crystallized ginger this time, but it is great with or without it. Make sure to add a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream on top for added goodness. YUMMY!

Stir-Fried Pork and Tomato


There has been some tasty looking green tomatoes at the Farmer's Market and when I came across this recipe, I was excited to make something other than fried green tomatoes! This recipe has an interesting combination of tart and savory flavors. I served it with some rice to soak up the gravy that forms in this dish.


Stir-Fried Pork and Tomato adapted from Food & Wine's Best of the Best (2001 version)

1/3 lb pork

2 to 3 long medium-hot green chiles (suck as Cubannelles, Anaheim, or Hungarian wax)

2 tbs peanut or vegetable oil

1/2 lb tomatoes, preferably mixed red and green, cut into 3/4-inch dice

3/4 teas salt or to taste

1 teas roasted seasame oil

1 teas cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tbs water


Thinly slice the pork, then cut crosswise crosswise to coarsely mince. Set aside.
Trim the stems from the chilies, then make one cut lengthwise in each to expose the seeds, strip them out and discard. Cut into chunks. Should be about 1 cup.
Place all the ingredients near your stovetop and have a serving plate ready.
Heat a work or large heavy skillet over high heat until hot, then add the oil. When oil is hot, add the pork and stir-fry, separating the meat to expose all surfaces to the heat, until it has all changed color, about 2 minutes. Add the chilies and tomatoes and stir-fry for about 3 minutes, until the chiles are beginning to soften and the tomatoes are getting tender. Add the salt and stir-fry for another minute or so, until the chiles are softened and the tomatoes are soft but still have some shape, the add the sesame oil. Stir briefly, then stir the cornstarch mixture well and add it to the wok. Stir-fry for about 30 seconds, until the sauce thickens, then turn out onto the serving plate and serve hot.

Lo-Mein


I was asked what I do with all my bok choy that I get at the Farmer's Market. Usually I cook up some lo-mein, which is a staple lunch here in my household now that Chris works a lot at home. This is something that my mom makes for lunch a lot (noodles for lunch, rice for dinner). There isn't a specific recipe that I use, instead I use whatever vegetables and meat I happen to have on hand. I bring home Chinese noodles from CA whenever I go home, so that I have them on hand all the time. I know that some recipes will say that you can substitute angel hair for lo-mein egg noodles. It's not the same (just think you would never substitute lo-mein noodles for spaghetti? Right?), so stick with Chinese noodles for this dish. You might have to search for them, but these days many regular grocery stores stock them.
Lo-Mein adapted from my Mom's recipe
Oil (I used extra virgin olive oil, but regular veggie oil works too)
Veggies, cut into small bite size pieces. I used 1 medium size yellow onion and 2 bunches of boy choy this time. You usually want to use onions for the flavor. There are lots of other veggies that you can use--it's like a stir-fry, so use your imagination.
Meat (chicken, pork, steak)--a lb. KC strip for this meal
Chinese lo-mein noodles (I am not sure how much I use. It usually depends on if I want leftovers. It's kind of like Italian pasta, you can figure it out!)
soy sauce (no salt because soy sauce is salty enough)
pepper to taste
Boil water and cook noodles according to package while cooking the rest of the ingredients. Heat oil in wok (or any other large pan). Use just enough oil to cover the bottom (you don't need a lot). Cook the onions and bottoms of the boy choy first (since they take longer to cook) until they are softened. Cook the meat next until almost done (to your taste), add more oil if needed. Add boy choy leaves, then add soy sauce and pepper to taste (don't add too much soy sauce, but you'll need enough to flavor the noodles too--soy sauce is just like salt and no one needs to eat too much sodium!). Add noodles. Mix. Serve.

Cream of Tomato Soup

I made this with my fresh tomatoes from the Farmer's Market when Melanie was in town. We were talking about soup and she mentioned that she liked tomato soup. I told her to come on over for lunch and I would make some. There is nothing like homemade soup and I refuse to eat soup from a can (I will use cream of whatever soups in dishes that I make, but not to eat plain). Homemade soups take more time than opening a can, but the results are so worth it. If you love soup, do yourself a favor and make some from scratch! My picture was super blurry, so no picture--sorry!


Cream of Tomato Soup from Neiman-Marcus' No Jacket Required

4 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil
1 yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1/4 teas minced garlic
3 ripe tomatoes (4 to 5 if small), coarsely chopped
3 tbs tomato paste
4 tbs flour
2 1/2 cups chicken stock (this is about 1 1/2 cans if using canned stock)
1/2 teas sugar
salt
1/2 teas thyme
white pepper (best to use freshly cracked)
1 cup heavy cream

Heat 2 tbs butter with olive oil in saucepan. Add onion and garlic, saute 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and tomato paste. Cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add flour and mix. Add stock, sugar, salt, thyme and white pepper. Simmer 15 minutes. Pour into blender and blend. Strain through a fine sieve. Pour in saucepan. Add cream and bring to a boil.. Reduce heat and simmer 2 to 3 minutes. When ready to serve, stir in remaining butter, bit by bit.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Another Successful Cooking Class at the Merc

I took a wonderful cooking class with Chef Nancy Stark at the Merc tonight. The class was completely full (unlike last week) and makes me want to take more of her future classes. Nancy was informative and friendly. Her years as a professional chef showed in her techniques and her delicious food. In this class, she showed us how to make corn tortillas which she used in her baja-style fish tacos (amazing), sopes with red chile pork (which will be a great appetizer for a dinner party) and Mexican flan (even better than the recipe that I made the other night). I'll be making all the recipes in the future and post them on here soon!

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Another Jayni Recipe

I also made this Friday night for company. It's supposed to be for an antipasto, so servings are smaller than if you used it as a salad.

Jayni's Shrimp w/Zucchini, Green Onions and Lemon Dressing

1 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined (you can use smaller ones or bigger ones. If you use the bigger ones, be sure to cut them up into bite size pieces)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup zucchini, finely diced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/8 teas salt
2 teaspoon lemon zest
2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice, to taste
2 tablespoons Italian parsley, fined chopped

Rinse and drain shrimp on paper towels. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the shrimp and cook, turning frequently, until cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the shrimp from the skillet (reserving oil in the skille) and place it in a large bowl. Add the zucchini and green onion to the bowl.

To make the lemon dressing, whisk the lemon zest, lemon juice and salt into the reserved oil in the skillet. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

Pour the lemon dressing over the shrimp and vegetables. Toss to coat. Serve warm, or cover and chill before serving. Garnish with Italian parsley.

Serves 6.

My Favorite Dessert


I am not a huge sweets person. I would rather eat an extra serving of dinner than have dessert. But when it comes to flan, I'll skip all dinner and eat one servings of flan, two, three, maybe four. I am not kidding. If it wasn't for the fact that we had dinner guests come over and I had to serve six flans to everyone, I probably would have eaten them all myself.
If you have never had flan, it's a Spanish dessert with an egg custard baked with caramel at the bottom. Then when served, you turn it out of the baking dish and it's served caramel side up. The caramel will melt during baking and runs down the sides of the custard. You will need to chill the flan for hours before eating, so plan according!
Flan from The Joy of Cooking
serves 8
1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2) Place in a small, heavy saucepan: 3/4 cup sugar. Drizzle evenly over the top: 1/4 cup water.
Over medium heat and without stirring, very gently swirl the pan by the handle until a clear syrup forms. It is important that the syrup clarify before it boils, so slide the pan on and off the burner as necessary. Increase the heat to high and bring the syrup to a rolling boil. Cover the pan tightly and boil for 2 minutes. Uncover the pan and cook the syrup until it begins to darken. Gently swirl the pan by the handle once again and cook the syrup until it turns a deep amber. Quickly pour the caramel into eight 6-oz custard cups or ramekins or a 2 to 2 1/2-quart souffle dish. Using a potholder, immediately tilt the cups or dish to spread the caramel over the bottom.
3) Whisk just until blended: 5 eggs or 4 large eggs & 3 large egg yolks (I went with the 5 eggs because I never end up using the egg whites), 3/4 cup sugar, 1/8 teas salt.
4) Heat just until steaming: 3 cups of whole or low fat milk (I used 2%)
5) Gradually whisk the milk into the egg mixture and stir gently until the sugar is dissolved. If you wish, strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl or large measuring cup. Stir in 3/4 teas vanilla.
6)Pour into the caramel-lined cups or dish. Bake in a water bath (a roasting pan that is large enough to accommodate the custards without touching each other. After arranging the custards in the pan, add enough scalding-hot tap water into the pan---I use my tea kettle for this---add enough water, so that it's 1/2 way up the sides of the custard dishes until firmly set in the center, 40 to 60 minutes for individual cups, 1 to 1 1/2 hours for a single dish. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 2 days. To unmold, loosen the edges with a knife and invert onto individual plates or a large plate. The plate for a large flan must be either broad or deep to catch all the caramel.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

The Mother Load Today


The Farmer's Market was full of great looking produce today and my fridge is very full now! We are going to the KU football game in Oklahoma next weekend, so we had to stock up on meat from Amy's. I was very sad to receive her email saying that there was no bacon right now, which means we have to make our last 1/2 lb of bacon last for two weeks! But we did end up with lots of goodies; salad mix, spinach, baby Romas tomatoes, yellow cherry tomatoes, bok choy, green tomatoes, sweet potatoes, radish, yellow peach tomatoes (Chris' favorite), Napa cabbage, pears (some crisp variety), various kinds of apples (the growers give samples and they are delicious), 2 dozen eggs, brisket, 4 lbs short ribs, ground beef, ground pork, a KC strip and a mini-mixed berry pie.
There will be plenty of posts coming up this weekend/week. I am already behind with a couple of other things that I made last night, so I'll try to post the recipes while watching college football today! Hope everyone has a great weekend!


Friday, October 10, 2008

She Did It Again!

Pioneer Woman rocks. She really does. Another great recipe and another great result. I made these tonight for my dinner party with the Heffleys. I used the jalapenos that I got yesterday at the Farmer's Market. I'll be making them again for sure. So good that there wasn't a single one left on the plate.

Jalapeno Poppers

*Sorry, but no picture. They were eaten before I could even think about getting the camera out!

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Tonight's Dinner

I went to TJ Maxx today and ended up finding some cute Italian plates, so that I would finally have some color for my pictures on the blog. The first course that I made tonight was one of Jayni's recipes from last night. I love this simple salad and it's a great way to enjoy your tomatoes.

Jayni's Avocado, Tomato and Mozzarella Salad

2 avocados, peeled and pitted, then cut into 1/2 inch dice
12 oz cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered (I used my baby Roma tomatoes and cut them up into smaller chunks)
8 oz small fresh mozzarella balls, sliced in half (use as many as desired)
extra-virgin olive oil
1 large lemon
salt and black pepper, to taste

Divide the avocado, tomatoes and mozzarella among four large salad plates. Arrange as desired. Drizzle olive oil over each salad. Slice the lemon in half and squeeze over the salads, to taste. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

I had a 3 lb chuck roast sitting in my fridge that needed to be eaten. Not having any potatoes in the house, I decided that I needed to figure out something beside just throwing the roast in a crock pot and calling it good. I found a recipe for Italian beef on cooks.com. Italian beef sandwiches are extremely popular in Chicago (where I ate one for the first time a couple of visits before) and I love the fact that this recipe is super easy (perfect for those lazy, cold winter weekends that will be coming up). My boys love spicier food, so next time, I'll be adding some extra heat to the beef. Other than that, they loved it!


Farmer's Market Again

Usually I don't go to both T/Th Farmer's markets, but I did today since I am having dinner guests tomorrow night. We got radishes (I found out that Chris likes radishes, so now I have to share), jalapenos, a green & white pepper, cuke, lots of tomatoes and some poblano peppers. I still don't know what's for dinner tomorrow, but I am going to make Pioneer Woman's jalapeno poppers with all the jalapenos that I got and I am making some flan for dessert (my favorite plus Melanie sounded excited when I told her about it). Yummy!

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Cooking Class

I decided against taking the Krauses' cooking class because of the cost. I figured that I could try to take on of their classes at later date. Instead of spending $150, I went and enrolled in a couple classes at the local co-op grocery store that cost me $18 each instead. I took the first one tonight, Delicious Italian First Courses, which was taught by a local TV food celebrity, Jayni Carey. She has her own TV show on the local channel and she was just as nice in person as she is on her show. While the classes at the Merc aren't hands-on like at the Bayleaf, but it's nice because you do get to sample everything that the instructor makes. Jayni had some great recipes and I'll be making some of them in the near future, so I'll be sure to post them in future blogs. I am taking another one on Tuesday, Authentic Mexican Flavors with Corn Masa, which I am really excited about. While the classes aren't as in-depth and informative as the Krause one would have been, the price of the Merc classes can't be beat!

Cream of Broccoli Soup

There are two vegetables that Chris dislikes; broccoli and cauliflower. But when we were in Indianapolis and I ordered cream of broccoli soup, he couldn't keep his spoon away from my bowl. With the fall starting, I decided that it was time to make some soups and I already had a huge carton of heavy cream in the fridge right now. I looked through some cookbooks, but ended up finding one online that sounded easy and delicious.

If you haven't heard of Allrecipes.com yet, it's really nice because they will adjust the recipes to the serving size that you want. I adjusted the recipe to 4 servings, which worked out well because I had just enough potatoes and broccoli for that and then I invited over Melanie and baby Luke to have lunch too. I ended up having enough soup for us and Chris (with no leftovers). I did "sweat" the veggies like the recipe called for, but I am not sure if it's really necessary or not. I might try it without doing it next time and see how it goes. It's not like it was difficult or anything, but some of you might not have parchment paper in your pantry. We all had a bowl (plus some) of the soup. I just used the florets of the broccoli and I kept the stems for another use (blog to follow later). We had grilled BLTs to go along with the soup and it was a nice delicious, simple lunch. This soup will be great for those long, cold winter KS days coming up!

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Tomatoes, Shrimp and Pasta

There hasn't been much shrimp eating in our household lately since I read an old article in Gourmet about farmed shrimp. Let's just say, I have been reading packages of shrimp to see where they are coming from and I've been very disappointed to say that I have yet to find farmed shrimp from the U.S. in any grocery stores close by. But today, I finally broke down and picked up some shrimp at the Merc (it's the local co-op grocery store for those who don't live around here) figuring that I was going to pretend that I hadn't read that article.

I have told Chris that he better be ready to eat fresh tomatoes everyday until the Farmer's Market no longer has any. After a tomato/zucchini/cheese angel hair pasta last night, I made this favorite tonight. If you like shrimp and tomatoes, this is a must-make! It's delicious!

Lake Tahoe Seafood Pasta adapted from Neiman-Marcus' Pure and Simple
serves 6

1 pound shelled shrimp (or any other seafood)
6 tbs butter
1/2 cup cognac (don't omit this--if you have to buy the smallest bottle you can find, but the recipe won't be the same without it!)
1/3 cup dry white wine
3 lbs tomatoes, cut into chunks (the recipe says to peel them, but I don't. If the skin doesn't bug you, then leave them)
3/4 cup cream
cayenne pepper to taste
1 teas Italian seasoning
salt
1 lb spaghetti, cooked and drained

Saute shrimp until pink in the melted butter, add cognac and flambe. I find that a long match or a long lighter (like the ones that you use to light the fireplace) works best for this. I can't stress enough how the flavor will change if you don't use the cognac. I went through a Hennessey with Coke drink stage, so I am lucky enough to have a big bottle at home.

Be sure not to stand too close to the flame. Wouldn't want your eyebrows to be burned off! See the flames. Actually in the picture, you can't see how high that the flames really are. I was a little worried that my microwave might melt! Add wine and cook one minute. Remove the shrimp and add the tomatoes to the sauce. Add seasonings. You'll want to adjust them later to your tastes. We like a spicier sauce, so I add more cayenne pepper. Simmer the sauce until the tomatoes are broken up about 20 minutes. While this is simmering, you'll want to start boiling your water and cook your pasta.
Lower heat and stir in cream. Adjust seasonings as needed. Add shrimp back into the sauce. Pour over pasta.
P.S. Maybe I should have wiped the bowl before taking the pic, huh?

Tuesday's Farmer's Market


Since Saturday's trip didn't amount to as much food as I thought, we decided to head out to the Farmer's Market this afternoon. This is what I ended up with; daikon radish, 3 heads of garlic, yellow squash, 2 zucchinis, butternut squash, bok choy, okra (for gumbo), 3 lbs tomatoes and a cucumber. My fridge is happy now.

Homemade Hash Browns

If there is something that Chris loves to eat, it's potatoes. If there is something that Nathaniel loves to eat, it's potatoes. Both of the boys will eat them pretty much anyway that I prepare them. On the other hand, it's hard for me to go through an entire 5 lb bag of potatoes without a little bit of moaning and I rarely finish off the bag without the last few spuds growing multiple eyes. Since I have plenty of eggs in the fridge, I decided that I would make breakfast for lunch today and got online to find a potato recipe with my last few perfect potatoes that were still hiding out on the counter.

I went with Elise's Crispy Hash Browns recipe because of my love for her website and also because it allowed me to use my potato ricer. I purchased a potato ricer years ago at Williams-Sonoma (I think during my Martha Stewart phase when I watched MS Living religiously in the 90's), but only used it once due to the fact that I am not strong enough to rice multiple pounds of potatoes without my hand/arm falling off. I also have a potato masher that has also suffered the same fate as the ricer and is buried in the "not used much" drawer. The ricer worked wonders in getting out all the liquid in the potatoes, so that you can get perfectly crispy hash browns. If you don't have a ricer, don't cry because blotting the potatoes with paper towels works too (I tried with a small part of my grated potatoes). It will just take longer to get all the liquid out. The recipe is ridiculously easy and I have decided that I will never purchase frozen hash browns again.

Monday, October 6, 2008

A Great Buy

On Friday, I went to Borders planning to pick up Giada's new cookbook that was just released on Tuesday. As I looked through the pages of the cookbook, I was terribly disappointed with her cookbook. The recipes looked good, but they weren't really things that I would make on a regular basis here in KS (plus I read that many of the recipes can be found on Food Network's website). Deciding not to purchase Giada's cookbook, I found a couple of great buys on the clearance rack instead. I picked up hardback copies of Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything" and "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian" for $5.99 each (retails at $35)! If you haven't heard of these cookbooks, Bittman writes a NY Times food column and won some important cookbook awards for "How to Cook Everything". It's been called "the hip version of The Joy of Cooking" and I have actually given the cookbook away as wedding presents to brides who can't cook at all (unfortunately, I don't believe that either one of them ever figured out how to). The recipes look great and I am thinking that I'll have to pull this out many times in the near future. We are not thinking about becoming vegetarians, but I would like to try out more recipes with just veggies. It looks like I have just added 2 more cookbooks to my collection, so I better start getting my butt in gear!

P.S. If you live in Lawrence, you might still be able to pick up these cookbooks at Borders.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

This Week's Farmer's Market Trip

Our friends from Texas were in town and joined us in our weekly trip to the Farmer's Market. It was a lot of fun watching their 5 year old son enjoy the dog watching and picking out his own treat with his dollar that he was given!

Lately, it seems like I have come home with less produce than I thought that I purchased and this Saturday was one of those days. So here is what I ended up with: 2 things of boy choy, radishes, 4 bags of tomatoes--mini Romas, baby cherries, baby various colored & the yellow peachy ones (Chris is obsessed with these), a chuck roast, breakfast sausage patties, ground pork, basil and salad mix. It looks like I will probably have to go to the T/Th Farmer's Markets this week to add some produce to my fridge's veggie drawer.

Jeff did ask me a very sad question while we were there, "What are you going to do when the Farmer's Market ends in November?" I don't know. Maybe I should move to CA for six months??? It's going to be a very depressing day when the second Saturday of November comes this year.

Friday, October 3, 2008

Granny's Effortless Lemon Pie

April sent me this recipe to try and I told her that I would be the guinea pig. Chris and I were both big fans of this pie. It's SUPER easy! On the recipe, it doesn't tell you what size of pie crust to get. I used a 9-inch one and it was too big. I'll post pics when I make this again (I got a huge bag of lemons from Costco, so I still have a lot of them) and before Chris wolfs down the entire pie.....

Ingredients:
14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 egg yolks
3/4 cup lemon juice
1 prepared graham cracker pie crust
Whipped cream (for decorating the top)

Directions: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together the condensed milk, egg yolks and lemon juice. Pour the mixture into the crust, then bake for 7 minutes, or until the center is set. Remove from the oven and let cool 20 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Just before serving, decorate the top with whipped cream.

Recipe from “You Want me to Bring ’A Dish?”’ Lulu.com.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

I PROMISE!

There will be a new post soon. I am cooking again!!!!

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

What I Have Been Doing

The lack of posts from me lately has some of my readers wondering what has happened to me. Well, it's been a crazy couple of weeks and it was just topped off by a whirlwind day yesterday. Chris got back on Monday and after almost 3 years of being engaged, we tied the knot! Anyway, that's my excuse and I am sticking to it. ;)