Zucchini Bread 0 komentar
Updated.
I still remember the first time I encountered zucchini bread as a teenager. I had a hard time getting my mind around the concept. At the time, zucchini was something my mom made me eat, and not anything you would bake into something sweet. Fortunately, the pathway into my naturally resistant-to-new-foods teenage mind had already been cut with carrot cake. Heck, if you could get something that good out of carrots, why not zucchini? After one bite, I was sold forever. Grated zucchini, mixed into the batter, brings moisture and tender texture to what is essentially a spice cake.
Here are two favorite, tried-and-true zucchini bread recipes. The first couldn't be easier; you don't need a mixer and can make the whole thing in one bowl. It's basically our zucchini muffin recipe in a bread form. The second recipe is adapted from one in an old issue of Sunset Magazine (September 1974) and is the recipe I used to follow as a teenager to make zucchini bread. The pineapple, walnuts, and raisins (my substitute, the original recipe called for currants) make the bread even more interesting.
Read More..Tomato and Cucumber Raita 0 komentar
This raita recipe comes from the National Turkey Federation, and this cool, exotically flavored yogurt sauce would complement any Indian-style dish very well. In my case, I used it on the Tandoori Turkey Wraps.
Ingredients ~
1 cup sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 lime, cut into 8 wedges
1/2 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded & cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Roma tomato, seeded & cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 cup non-fat plain yogurt
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Grilled Beef Tenderloin Cobb Salad 0 komentar
All salads are easy recipes and the grilled beef tenderloin cobb salad is no different. To make this one even better, it is healthy! Follow this easy instructions to make it!
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup of minced shallot
- 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
- 3 teaspoons of olive oil
- 1 teaspoons of chopped fresh chives
- 1/2 cup of peeled and diced red and yellow tomatos
- 4 cups of mesclun mix
- 2 slices of prosciutto
- 2 boiled eggs
- 4 ounces of beef tenderloin, grilled and diced
- 1/2 cup of diced avocado
- 1/2 cup of crumbled blue cheese
- 12 grilled scallions
- 4 teaspoons chives, cut into 1-inch pieces
Directions:
- Mix the shallot and lemon juice together
- Whisk in olive oil, add chives and season with salt and pepper
- Toss tomatoes with half of the resulting mix
- Put mesclun mix with the other half of the mix
- Then put everything into the same mix and toss together
Caribbean Style Flounder 0 komentar
INGREDIENTS
- 2 teaspoons peanut oil
- 1 tablespoon annatto seeds
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cups reduced-sodium fat-free chicken broth
- 1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 can (14 ounces) reduced-sodium whole tomatoes, undrained, cut up
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 pound flounder fillets, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- 4 teaspoons lemon juice
- Salt and pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat; add annatto
seeds and saute for 3 minutes. Remove seeds with slotted spoon
and discard. Add onion to saucepan; saute 2 minutes.
Add broth, potato, tomatoes and liquid, and thyme. Heat to
boiling; reduce heat and simmer, covered, until potato is
tender, about 10 minutes. Using potato masher or kitchen
fork, coarsely mash mixture in pan.
Add peas and flounder; simmer until fish is tender and
flakes with a fork, about 10 minutes. Stir in lemon juice;
season to taste with salt and pepper.
Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/4 of recipe):
Calories: 240, Fat: 4.2 g, Saturated Fat: 0.8 g, Cholesterol: 60.1 g,
Sodium: 227 mg, Protein: 28.5 g, Carbohydrate: 21.4 g
Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Bread, 3 Meat
RECIPE FROM THE ARCHIVE:
Vichyssoise
Wine Glazed Chicken with Ravioli and Asparagus 0 komentar
INGREDIENTS
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
- 2 cups reduced-sodium fat-free chicken broth
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 pound asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons margarine
- 1 package (9 ounces) fresh mushroom ravioli, cooked, warm
DIRECTIONS
Spray medium skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium
heat until hot. Cook chicken over medium heat until chicken
is no longer pink in center, 15 to 20 minutes, turning to
brown both sides. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
Heat broth, white wine, orange juice, and crushed red pepper
to boiling in large skillet; boil, uncovered, 10 minutes,
or until liquid is reduced to about 1/2 cup.
Add asparagus to skillet; cook, covered, over medium heat until
crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Add chicken, margarine, and ravioli;
cook 1 to 2 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/4 of recipe):
Calories: 340, Fat: 12.5 g, Saturated Fat: 2 g, Cholesterol: 76.9 mg,
Sodium: 454 mg, Protein: 33 g, Carbohydrate: 11.7 g
Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Vegetable, 2 Bread, 3 Meat, 1/2 Fat
Chocolate Truffles 0 komentar
Ingredients:
2 oz (50 grams) petit beurre biscuits
1 oz (25 grams) hazelnuts
3 oz (75 grams) dark chocolate
1 and 1/4 oz (30 grams) raisins
1 tablespoon rum
Cocoa powder, for dusting
Directions:
Put the biscuits in a polythene bag and crush with a rolling pan.
Finely chop the hazelnuts.
Melt the chocolate and mix with the biscuits.
Add the remaining ingredients, except the cocoa powder, and mix together.
Leave to cool for 1 hour.
Form the mixture into small balls the size of a cherry and dust with cocoa powder.
Place in little sweet papers and store in a cool, dry place. Makes 12.
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Fettuccine Bolognese 0 komentar
Ingredients:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 cups chopped celery
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 pound ground veal
1 pound ground pork
4 ounces pancetta, finely chopped
Two 14 and 1/2-ounce cans whole tomatoes in juice
1 and 3/4 cups chicken stock or chicken broth
1/2 cup whole milk
5 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 2 and 1/2 teaspoons dried
12 ounces fettuccine
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium heat.
Add onions, celery and garlic and saute until vegetables are tender and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.
Increase heat to high; add veal, pork and pancetta and saute until meat is brown, breaking up meat with back of fork, about 10 minutes.
Add tomatoes with their juices, 1 and 3/4 cups stock, milk and thyme.
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered 1 hour 15 minutes, breaking up tomatoes with back of spoon, adding more stock if mixture is too thick and stirring occasionally.
Season ragù to taste with salt and pepper.
Cook fettuccine in large pot of boiling salted water just until 'al dente'. Drain.
Add fettuccine to pot with ragù and toss to blend.
Transfer to large bowl. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.
Serve, passing remaining Parmesan cheese separately. Makes 4 servings.
source
Pasta Salad with Mozzarella, Sun-dried Tomatoes and Olives 0 komentar
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon drained capers
1 garlic clove, minced
1 pound Fusilli pasta
12 ounces tomatoes, coarsely chopped
8 ounces fresh water-packed mozzarella cheese, drained, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)
1/2 cup minced pitted oil-cured black olives
Directions:
Blend first 5 ingredients in processor until tomatoes are coarsely chopped. Set dressing aside.
Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until 'al dente', stirring occasionally. Drain.
Transfer to large bowl.
Add dressing to hot pasta; toss to coat.
Cool, stirring occasionally.
Add chopped fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, Parmesan cheese and olives; toss.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.) Makes 8 servings.
Smoked Turkey, Gruyere & Membrillo Panini 0 komentar
It’s my turn to rise and throw up my arms for the “pretty food” wave! Starting the wave were two of my favorite food bloggers, Erin from Erin Cooks and Katy from Sugarlaws, who each incorporated sweet little heart motifs into their creations. Erin cut out heart-shaped chocolate chip cookies to make her XOXO Ice Cream Sandwiches and Katy used a heart stencil to give her Cinnamon Pancakes extra-romantic appeal. So when I stumbled across the cutest little flower-shaped sandwich cutters at Williams-Sonoma this past weekend (a very dangerous place to shop when you’ve got time on your hands and you write a food blog!), I was eager to join the trend and make pretty panini!
My Smoked Turkey, Gruyère & Membrillo Panini is smoky, sweet, salty and nutty - the combination really works. In a Panini Happy first, I went with two types of bread - a sourdough and a dark rye - to add to the “layered” look as well as bring in more flavor.
Are you familiar with membrillo, a.k.a. quince paste? Myself, I’d never heard of quince or membrillo until I found the spread in the cheese section at my local Bristol Farms store. Roaming in this section is a bit of a grazer’s paradise, with little tasting stations every few feet. There was a station featuring manchego cheese, which I love, and they were cross-selling little tubs of a reddish-purplish condiment to go with it. Quince is a very tart fruit, related to apples and pears. Once cooked, it’s sweet and floral. The combination of the tangy manchego with the sugary-sweet quince paste was incredible! So I took home a tub in the hopes that I’d find other cheeses - some that melt a little better than manchego - to pair it with on panini. Gruyère, with its salty nuttiness, turned out to be one such cheese.
![](http://paninihappy.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/flowershapes-300x225.jpg "Bread and Smoked Turkey \\"Flowers\\"")
Truth be told, pressing these floral shapes out of bread and turkey wasn’t entirely a walk in the park. Ideally, it would have been great if the cutter were a little sharper. But then I guess it wouldn’t pass standards for a kids’ tool! So I ended up helping things along with my paring knife. I’d contemplated cutting out the sandwiches after they were grilled, but I envisioned a crumby mess ensuing. Pre-cutting the individual shapes worked out great - and for those enticed by The Pioneer Woman’s Eggs in a Hole last week, you end up with lots of pretty holes!
My husband, sister and I enjoyed our sandwich flowers with Baked Carrot Oven Fries from 101 Cookbooks and a simple green salad. “What a pretty dinner!” exclaimed my husband. Mission accomplished.
Smoked Turkey, Gruyère & Membrillo Panini
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
4 slices sourdough bread
4 slices dark rye bread
Membrillo (quince paste)*, room temperature
12 slices smoked turkey breast
4 oz. Gruyère cheese, grated
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat panini grill to medium-high heat (375 degrees).
For each sandwich: Spread membrillo onto a slice of the sourdough bread. Add 3 slices of turkey and about an ounce of cheese. Top with a slice of dark rye. Grill 4-5 minutes until the cheese melts and grill marks appear. Serve immediately and enjoy!
NOTE: If you decide to cut the panini into shapes with a sandwich cutter, as I did, I recommend cutting out the bread and turkey pieces prior to assembling the sandwich.
* If you’re feeling up to making your own membrillo, there’s a great recipe for it at Simply Recipes.
Read More..Bean Burritos with Green Chile Raita 0 komentar
Raita is commonly served as a condiment or side dish with
Indian food. It is often cool and mild, but is sometimes
seasoned to be spicy. This one is a combination of cool and
hot at the same time. I used non-fat yogurt, making this
a nutritious way to liven up a burrito. I thought it made a
great, interesting burrito. It is different enough to be
noteworthy, but the flavors still fit with my idea of a
burrito. It's a nice change from the typical sour cream. I
think it tastes like a Southwestern burrito rather than an
Indian dish.
My special reason for cooking Indian this month is my niece's
wedding coming up mid-August. The wedding will be a 3 hour
long Hindu ceremony (3 hours???) with a feast of Indian cuisine.
If you're up for sharing an emotional moment, watch the
video of her fiance, Milan, proposing to her. He proposed to
her in front of 200 people.
Ingredients:
1 can refried beans
1/4 cup salsa
1 cup shredded cheese
1 cup green chile raita (see below)
1 cup shredded lettuce
4 large flour tortillas
Preparation:
1. Mix the refried beans with the salsa.
2. Put a tortilla on each of 4 plates (steam first, if desired)
and spread 1/2 cup of the refried bean mixture in the
middle of each.
3. Spread 1/4 cup of the shredded cheese on each.
4. Microwave each 1 to 1 1/2 minutes until cheese melts.
(You may want to cover to prevent drying tortilla out.)
5. Spread 1/4 cup raita and 1/4 cup lettuce on each and
roll up.
6. Serve!
Preparation time: about 15 minutes
Serves: 4
Green Chile Raita
Ingredients:
1 medium cucumber
1/2 cup diced green chiles
2 cups yogurt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon ground mustard
Preparation:
1. Peel and shred the cucumber. Place in a colander and
drain off liquid for about an hour.
2. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate until
ready to serve.
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Total time: 1 hour and 5 minutes
Makes: 2 1/2 to 3 cups
Note: The Green Chile Raita recipe makes about twice
as much as is needed for the burritos. The raita can
also be used as a dip for vegetables or a condiment
for meat or potatoes.
Green Chile Raita
Bean Burrito with Green Chile Raita
Burrito - step 1
Burrito - step 2
Burrito - step 3
Baked Stuffed Clams 0 komentar
For most California girls, the idea of "digging for clams" isn't really part of our cultural makeup. But out in Rhode Island, and the beaches south of Cape Cod, digging in the sand for your dinner is apparently a regular summertime activity. My friend Alden (age 8) and her sister Piper (my goddaughter, age 5) took me clam digging this weekend. It wasn't exactly what I expected. Although we went out in low tide, we still had to get chest deep in the water to find a sandy spot to scrape the bottom of with our toes. We found about 6 empty shells or rocks for every intact clam. We were out for more than an hour, shoulders sunburned and toes scraped, nearly stung by red jelly fish, and managed to get a grand total of 9 clams (3 clams each). I know there are more efficient ways to do this (as I'm sure some of you will tell me), but at the end of the day, it didn't matter. Hunting for clams was just a great excuse to play in the warm sea water on a beautiful sunny day.
Here's the recipe for stuffed clams (also called "stuffies") that Alden and Piper's mom Heidi made with our hard-earned catch. Do you have a favorite recipe for stuffed clams? Please let us know about it in the comments. I've heard that they are especially good with a little Portuguese sausage mixed in the stuffing.
Read More..Blueberry Peach Cobbler 0 komentar
INGREDIENTS
- 2 pounds peaches, peeled, pitted, thickly sliced
- 2 cups blueberries
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup Splenda sweetener
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Generous pinch ground nutmeg
- Sour Cream Cobbler Topping (recipe follows)
- Fat-free milk
DIRECTIONS
Combine peaches and blueberries in 3-quart casserole;
sprinkle with lemon juice. Toss with combined Splenda,
cornstarch, and spices.
Place Sour Cream Cobbler Topping over casserole;
cut several vents. Brush with milk.
Bake at 375 degrees F. until toothpick inserted in
cobbler topping comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes.
SOUR CREAM TOPPING
Ingredients
- 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons Splenda sweetener
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons cold margarine, cut into pieces
- 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
- 3-4 tablespoons water
Directions
Combine flour, Splenda, baking powder, baking soda, and
salt; cut in margarine until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Whisk sour cream and water until smooth; add to flour
mixture and mix to form dough. Knead several times until
smooth on floured surface; let stand 5 minutes.
Roll dough on floured surface, or between sheets of
waxed paper, into circle to fit top of casserole.
Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/10 of recipe):
Calories: 173, Fat: 3.8 g, Saturated Fat: 0.7 g,
Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 121 mg, Protein: 3.4 g, Carbohydrate: 32.7 g
Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Fruit, 1 Bread/Starch, 1/2 Fat
Blueberry Bowls 0 komentar
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Splenda sweetener
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup fat-free milk
- 1/4 cup melted margarine
- 2 generous pinches ground nutmeg
- 2 cups blueberries
- 4 tablespoons light whipped topping
DIRECTIONS
Combine flour, Splenda, baking powder, and salt in small
bowl; add milk, margarine, and nutmeg, mixing just until
blended. Spoon batter into 4 lightly greased 8-ounce
souffle or custard cups. Spoon 1/2 cup blueberries into each.
Bake at 350 degrees until berries are bubbly and cake is browned,
about 30 minutes. Serve warm with dollops of whipped topping.
Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/4 of recipe):
Calories: 231, Fat: 12.3 g, Saturated Fat: 2.8 g,
Cholesterol: 0.6 g, Sodium: 350 mg, Protein: 3.3 g, Carbohydrate: 28 g
Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Fruit, 1 Bread/Starch, 2 Fat
Lichido Liqueur Cocktails 0 komentar
All of the following cocktail recipes were provided by Lichido Liqueur, a unique blend of expertly aged cognac, premium vodka and the essences of lychee, guava and white peach produced and bottled in Cognac, France. Lichido Liqueur lends a fabulous pink hue to any cocktail, as well as a smooth and fruity flavor. Enjoy - and drink responsibly!Blueberries With Minted Goat Cheese 0 komentar
Note: Banon or Montrachet goat cheese would be an excellent choice for this recipe. If preferred, low-fat or fat-free cream cheese can be substituted for the goat cheese.
INGREDIENTS
- 4 ounces mild goat cheese
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped mint leaves
- 1 cup fresh, or frozen, thawed blueberries, divided
- 4 pieces luncheon-size lavosh (5-inch)
DIRECTIONS
Mix cheese and mint in small bowl until smooth; refrigerate
3 to 4 hours for flavors to blend. Shape cheese into
flattened round on small, oven-proof serving plate.
Bake cheese at 350 degrees F. until warm
and slightly softened, 5 to 10 minutes.
Process 1/2 cup blueberries in food processor or blender
until smooth. Spoon puree around cheese; sprinkle remaining
1/2 cup blueberries over and around cheese. Serve with lavosh.
Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/4 of recipe):
Calories: 145, Fat: 4.6 g, Cholesterol: 13 mg,
Sodium: 147 mg, Protein: 6.8 g, Carbohydrate: 11/3 g
Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Fruit, 1-1/2 Meat
Blueberry Peach Fruit Salad with Thyme 0 komentar
Please welcome Garrett McCord of Vanilla Garlic who shares this delicious cancer-fighting fruit salad with us. ~Elise
Recently my mom, Suzanne McCord, was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was surprised when I heard the news, my mother is in her early sixties, but is insanely active and healthy. The woman recently participated the AIDS lifecycle event; a 6 day, 550 mile bike ride. A few days after, she was off to Egypt and Russia. I get tired biking to work, and my last big trip was Napa which is only an hour away. In fact, her main concern after being diagnosed was that the surgery would get in the way of her bike riding.
After hearing about mom, I went to work doing some research about ways I could help using what I know best - food. I wanted to put together something that was easy to prepare, full of flavor, and packed with cancer fighting vitamins and antioxidants. After a bit of research into cancer smart foods and what seemed to work well, I developed this recipe.
This simple fruit salad works at the start of the meal or as a dessert. The fruit is lightly glazed with either a simple syrup or agave syrup. Ginger, a bit of lemon, and some savory thyme which pairs amazingly with summer fruits accents the tartness of the berries and the sweetness of the stone fruit. In recognition of my awesome, kicking cancer-butt mom, I've nicknamed this a Suzanne Salad.
Read More..Jalapeno Baked Brie 0 komentar
Jalapeno Baked Brie
This spicy cheese dip recipe is simple to make.
Ingredients
- 2 (4 ounce) packages refrigerated crescent roll dough
- 8 ounces brie cheese wheel
- 2 tablespoons Tabasco red/green pepper sauce
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Work crescent roll dough into a thin circle large enough to
completely wrap the brie. Place brie in center of dough circle.
With fork, poke top of cheese several times. Slowly pour 1
tablespoon Tabasco red/green pepper sauce over top of cheese,
allowing it to sink in. Add remaining Tabasco sauce, poking
cheese a few more times with fork (some sauce will run over
side of cheese).
3. Fold dough over top of cheese, working it together. Brush
edges with beaten egg to help seal. Bake approximately 10
minutes, following directions on crescent roll package. Do not
over-bake, as cheese will run.
4. Serve immediately with crackers.
Chicken Pozole 0 komentar
I've been begging my friend Arturo to teach me how to make pozole for months now. The problem is that it is sort of like asking someone to make you "taco night". Pozole is a big production, not in the making of it, but in all of the wonderful garnishes you can add to it. Pozole is a traditional soup or stew of Mexico, from pre-Columbian days. The name is derived from the Nahuatl "potzolli" and the stew is made with hominy and pork or chicken. This particular version of Arturo's is made with chicken, and is called "pozole blanco" in his native state of Guerrero, Mexico, where pozole is practically the state dish. While in New Mexico posole is traditionally served on Christmas eve, in Guerrero it is served every Thursday and Saturday, all year long. Light and healthful, pozole is also a common Mexican cure for a hangover, ironic in that it is also traditionally enjoyed with mezcal.
Read More..Shrimp Ceviche 0 komentar
From the recipe archive for the hot days of summer.
With the warm days of summer upon us, a great way to cool off is with ceviche. Ceviche is typically made with red snapper that is "cooked" by the acidity of lime and lemon juice (see this ceviche recipe.) This version is prepared with shrimp, which is first lightly cooked, and then marinated in the citrus juice. My father, who generally doesn't really like shrimp that much, loved this ceviche. (Gotta love it when they eat it up and ask for more.)
Read More..Ginger Chicken with Almonds 0 komentar
From the recipe archive.
My friend Steve-Anna recently sent me this wonderful recipe for ginger chicken and claimed that it was one of her all time favorites. My father doesn't eat ginger if he can avoid it, so when I made it I just warned dad ahead of time that he might have to settle for yesterday's leftovers if he couldn't bring himself to touch it. Well, everyone loved it, even dad. Strips of boneless, skinless chicken breasts are briefly marinated in ground coriander, ground ginger, vinegar and oil, then they are stir-fried with scallions and julienned ginger. The are mixed with a little mango chutney and sprinkled with toasted almonds before serving.
The whole dish can be made in half an hour, especially if you do a lot of the prep while the chicken is marinating.
Read More..Wild Rice Salad 0 komentar
Looking for a great summer picnic salad to take to your next potluck? I recently enjoyed this rice salad while visiting my friend Chigiy who was hosting a summer BBQ. "Enjoyed" is the polite way of saying I ate a lot of it, and pretty much all of the leftovers the next day. The recipe is from Chigiy's friend Wendy (thank you Wendy!) who has generously passed it on to us. Made it here for my folks, and I still want to eat it all.
Don't know about you, but I love rice salads. If you have a favorite one, please let us know about it in the comments.
Read More..Grilled Tomatoes 0 komentar
Mid July is about the time of year when tomatoes start coming full steam into season. I have 5 tomato plants in my garden that are now producing more tomatoes than we can think up ways of using them. (Gazpacho anyone?) One quick and easy recipe that I played around with this week is to simply grill the tomatoes, cut side down, and season with olive oil, salt, pepper, and sliced basil. When you are working with garden fresh tomatoes, sometimes doing less is more, because the produce is so good to begin with.
Do you have a garden that is full of tomatoes? What are your ways of using up the bounty? Please let us know in the comments.
Read More..Snickerdoodles 0 komentar
Please welcome guest author and pastry chef Shuna Fish Lydon of Eggbeater, who shares with us her secrets for making snickerdoodles. ~Elise
While people argue about where the name Snickerdoodle comes from, few people who love them waste time with words. Here is a cookie with a following! Tender and crisp, plain and aromatic, sweet with a dash of salt, the Snickerdoodle has made quite a place for itself in the canon of cookies. But as loyal as its fans are, it's not the easiest cookie to find on bakery shelves.
A Snickerdoodle has two signature characteristics: an exterior of cinnamon sugar, cracked on top, and a perfect textural balance of crunchy and pliable.
With other cookies born from the same method-- creaming, getting just the right texture can feel like an impossible journey with way too many cookies to eat along the way. Snickerdoodles, on the other hand, have a built-in fail proof ingredient, saving them from the place where cookies that aren't "just right" go. Cornstarch.
Read More..Watermelon Salad with Feta or Cotija 0 komentar
Call me unadventurous, but I had never even heard of a watermelon feta salad before versions of it started popping up on food blogs everywhere. Even then, the very thought of it gave me pause. Watermelon, with salty cheese? Yeah, right. But watermelon sprinkled with salt is how many people enjoy the fruit, so perhaps it isn't too far of a stretch to consider that it might be good with salty cheese? Last week my curiosity was finally satisfied when I was served such a salad at a dinner given by my friend Peg. I couldn't wait to recreate it and experiment as well with a more Southwest version with cilantro and cumin. Both versions are wonderfully refreshing and light, and perfect for heat-wave days like we are having now in California.
Read More..Peach Salad 0 komentar
Peach Salad
Fresh peaches really make this recipe a dream.
Ingredients
- 6 Peaches sliced 1/3 segments
- Juice of 3 oranges
- 1 1/2 tb Sugar
- 5 Kiwi fruit peeled sliced
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 4 Fresh mint leaves
Instructions
1. Place peach and kiwi slices in a medium bowl
2. Add citrus juices and sugar to taste
3. Stir very gently to blend
4. Place mint leaves on top of fruit and chill several hours
Rosemary Chicken Skewers with Berry Sauce 0 komentar
Please welcome guest author Garrett McCord, who grilled these chicken skewers with me the other day to rave reviews from the 'rents. ~Elise
I've always been a fan of combining sweet fruits with savory spices, it sets up a certain flavor balance that just works so well. Mango with chili pepper, peaches and thyme, rhubarb and rosemary. They're all delicious, so can there be any question that blackberries and rosemary would just be a match made in heaven?
Elise and I found the inspiration for this recipe in a tattered old cookbook; it needed a quite a bit of tweaking but we finally nailed it. The sweet sauce really makes the rosemary pop on these summer time chicken skewers. Believe me, we were sopping up this marinade with bits of watermelon, lettuce, strawberries, anything we could get our hands on.
Continue reading "Rosemary Chicken Skewers with Berry Sauce" »
Read More..Berry Almond Crumble 0 komentar
My dessert obsessed father was at it again today; he just couldn't resist this berry crumble recipe he found in the New York Times. He used fresh strawberries, blueberries, and some of our frozen boysenberries. Our boysenberries tend to be pretty tart, so with the 3 Tbsp of sugar, the crumble ended up rather tart. Perfect for my dad and me, but my mother complained ("why can't you make it the way I like it? Why do you always have to make things like this so tart?") Mom knows she's welcome to bake anything she wants the way she likes it, so this conversation didn't go very far. But check your berries if and when you make this recipe. Add more or less sugar depending on your preference and how sweet the fruit is. By the way, one thing we've noticed lately is that the strawberries we get by Driscoll haven't been very sweet, and don't have nearly the flavor of the strawberries we get at the farmer's market or at the local fruit stand.
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Read More..Plum Upside Down Cake 0 komentar
My father should have a t-shirt that reads "I've never met a dessert I didn't like" or in this case, "Have Plums Will Bake". His baking endeavors might not always look their bakery best (please don't ever ask him to frost a cake and sometimes his pies are downright scary-looking) but more often than not the results taste fabulous. This plum upside-down cake is actually quite pretty and is based on a recipe he found in an old issue of Fine Cooking magazine. The taste idea is that of slices of tart plum balanced by a sweet cake base. He used red Santa Rosa plums that are just now coming ripe. My mother thought the cake was just a bit too tart for her, but dad and I love it just the way it is.
Now that I think about it, the t-shirt should simply say "Real Men Bake". Because if you could just see my 6'2", 200 lb, works out 3 times a week at the gym, mows the lawn, splits the wood, 78-year-old father in his striped apron, gently arranging plum slices on top of melted butter and sugar in ramekins, that would be the T that fit the best.
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Read More..Hank's Barbecue Sauce 0 komentar
Please welcome guest author Hank Shaw who shares the recipe for his favorite BBQ sauce with us. This sauce is, btw, outrageously good. ~Elise
All barbecue cooks have their own "secret sauce," but for the most part, each relies on some sort of sugar, something acidic like vinegar, fat – typically butter – and something else to make it special. This sauce uses molasses, lemon juice, bourbon and Worcestershire sauce as its main flavors. It has that tart, sweet, salty, rich and spicy combination that I think all great barbecue sauces need. Use this with ribs, pulled pork or even tri-tip.
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